Chapter 11: Their Cursed

Remi

I woke up in Calder’s arms. My head felt way better now too. I did not move at first, just trying to wake up and let my brain catch up to everything that had happened. I peeked up at Calder. He was snoring softly, but his arms were wrapped securely around me. I had a lot of questions about everything, but I needed to sort through it in my own head first. I tried to gently extract myself from his arms, but he woke up immediately.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” he said quickly, looking down at me.

“Yea, I am fine. Just need to use the restroom is all,” I said. His face relaxed. He sat up bringing me with him. He helped me stand up and I carefully went to my bathroom and closed the door behind me.

I took a deep breath. I walked over to the counter and looked in the mirror. I looked horrible. I had not even gotten to change my clothes before I went with Cullen last night. I felt gross after everything, so I decided to shower quickly. I hoped it would not only make me feel better but also help me clear my head a little bit from all the craziness.

I grabbed some towels and started the water. It warmed up quickly and I climbed. I let the hot water cascade over me, and it felt like heaven. After a minute, I grabbed my body wash and quickly cleaned up. I just let the water rinse my hair because I did not feel like washing it right now. The water was starting to cool off, so I turned it off and hopped out wrapping myself in a towel. I wrapped my hair in a cotton t-shirt I kept in the bathroom. I rubbed some lotion into my skin. I was feeling a lot better now.

I turned around and realized that I did not bring any clothes into the bathroom to change into and Calder was right outside. My stomach dropped. This was going to be so awkward. I cracked the door and tried to see where he was. He was standing in the kitchen and it looked like he was on the phone. He was turned around. I thought if I were quick enough, I could grab something from the dresser and get back into the bathroom.

I took a deep breath and quickly slid out of the door and over to my dresser. I grabbed everything I needed and dashed back into the bathroom to change. I hoped he never turned around.

Calder

Remi woke up and left to use the restroom. I had not intended on falling asleep but having her in my arms was incredible and it erased all the tension from last night's events. Plus, I had not slept very well from the chair next to her bed. Gentry had texted me while we slept. I figured I should call him back really quick. I heard the shower start in the bathroom. When she was done, I needed to convince her to come with me.

I dialed Gentry’s number and stood up. He answered quickly. “Hey, you never texted back. Everything alright?”

“Yea, sorry. I fell asleep with her,” I told him. He laughed on the other end of the phone. “What is so funny?”

“Nothing. So, my grandpa should be here in the next hour. Are you bringing Cinderella, or do I need to bring him to her place?”

“I haven’t talked to her yet, but I am sure I can convince her to come...” I said. I started walking around her small apartment as I talked. I noticed a picture frame lying face down on the dresser next to a small ornamental box. Curiosity getting the best of me, I picked it up and looked at the photo. My eyes shot up in surprise. The photo was of Remi but much younger. Her caramel hair wasn’t as long as it was now but it was her same freckles and button nose. She stood on her tiptoes kissing the cheek of a football player. This had to be a high school photograph. Her clothes matched the colors of his uniform. I wonder who this was and why it was lying face down. I placed it back how it was.

“Hello? Earth to Calder?” Gentry’s voice brought me back to the conversation.

“Sorry, something caught my attention. What did you say?”

“Did you want me to have some lunch ready? I know it’s a little late, but I am going to guess neither of you has eaten anything,” he said.

“Oh, yea actually. That would be great. Thanks,” I said. I walked over to her small kitchen as we talked.

“Did you talk to Cullen?” he asked.

“Yea,” I sighed.

“So, she is his mate too?” Gentry said.

“Yea,” I said. “And I don’t think he is going to accept her…”

“How would that even work? I mean if one of you rejects her…”

“I really wish I knew. I mean twins aren’t common in werewolf lines anyway so there isn’t much to go on here.” I heard the bathroom door open. I turned around to see Remi quietly rushing to her dresser to grab clothes. My c**k instantly hardened at the sight of her delicious little body in a towel. Without even looking back, she grabbed her things and slid back into the bathroom. I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Hey, um, can you come pick us up? You have my car,” I said trying to stop my thoughts.

“Oh yea, no problem. I can be there in like 15,” he said.

“Sounds great. We will be outside,” I said and hung up. I took a deep breath trying to calm down. Now was not the time for any of that.

Soon enough, Remi emerged from the bathroom fully dressed. She came towards me. “Um, would you like something to drink?” she asked quietly.

“No thank you,” I said. She opened her fridge and pulled out a juice cartoon. She poured herself a glass. “How are you feeling now?” I asked her.

She turned to me and stared into her glass. “Okay, I guess,” she said.

“I am sure this has all been a little overwhelming,” I said.

“You can say that again,” she said with a shallow laugh. “I’m sorry…” she said. “I am just having a really hard time with all of this. Yesterday, I was just an average girl spending the day with the guy she likes. Now today I am supposed to be a werewolf and have some destiny mate or something.”

“It’s okay. I can see how all of this is overwhelming. It isn’t exactly the most believable scenario,” I said nervously. “But, I might know how to get some more answers.”

“Answers?” she said looking up at me.

“Yea, a werewolf doctor. More specifically, Gentry’s grandfather. He is really educated when it comes to our kind. He might be able to help us find out why you were cloaked and at the very least why you reacted that way when you crossed the boundary,” I told her.

“Oh,” she said with surprise in her voice. “Okay,” she said.

“Really?” I said. I thought she would take more convincing than that.

“You already had me called out of work today so what else am I going to do? Plus, maybe this doctor can help make sense of all of this…”

I smiled at her. “I think he is the one to help us.”

“So where do we meet this wolf doctor?” she said. She sounded so calm about this. I had a nagging feeling that was not the case entirely.

“Actually, he is going to meet us at my place. If you’re okay with that?”

Her face got a nervous look, but she nodded. “When are we leaving?”

“Gentry should be here soon to pick us up. He took my car back last night when I brought you here.”

“Okay,” she said. She drank the rest of her cup and then turned to wash it in the sink. “I need just a minute,” she said. I watched as she first picked up her coat. She examined if before dropping it in a laundry hamper. She went over to her dresser and pulled out a hooded sweatshirt first before quickly putting it back and grabbing a cardigan. Then she went back into her bathroom.

I sighed. My phone dinged in my pocket. I pulled it out to see it was Gentry telling me he was outside. I grabbed my own jacket and pulled it on. Remi emerged from the bathroom. She had her damp hair in a long braid now. She grabbed her things from the nightstand and came over to me.

“All ready to go?” I asked.

“Yea,” she said timidly. She smelled absolutely heavenly. I wanted nothing more than to scoop her up and kiss her. My wolf wanted much more but I knew we were far from that.

I held my hand out and to my delight, she placed her hand in mine. I led her out of the apartment, pausing so she could lock the door quickly. We walked down the stairs and outside to Gentry waiting by the car. His eyebrows raised as he saw us coming towards him.

“Don’t even,” I linked him.

He dramatically bowed to us. “Good afternoon, Alpha. Cinderella,” he said. I rolled my eyes. Remi looked up with a confused look at me.

“Ignore him. We all do,” I told her.

He stood straight again and gave me a hurt look. “Hey!” he whined.

“Enough of the theatrics, can we go?” I said to him annoyed.

He laughed and nodded. “Hi Remi. Hope you’re feeling better now,” he said with a smile at her. Magnus growled in my head. I tried to swallow the jealousy. Gentry would never even try anything with my mate.

“Yea, I am. Thank you,” she said quietly. Gentry opened the back door for us. I let Remi climb in first and I climbed in next to her. I could sit in the front, but I wanted to be close to her as much as possible.

-

When we arrived, I could tell she was very nervous. She was fidgeting and avoiding eye contact with both Gentry and I. When we got upstairs, Gentry’s grandfather was waiting in the living room. Jaime walked out of the kitchen looking very annoyed.

She huffed past us and got into the elevator; she paused momentarily behind us. I looked at Gentry.

“I assume her and Cullen are still fighting?” I linked Gentry. He simply shrugged at me.

“Hey gramps!” Gentry said going over to his grandfather.

“Hey pal, is this the sweet little girl you called me about,” he said peering around Gentry to us. Remi blushed and looked at the ground.

“Yea. Gramps this is Remi. I already gave you the rundown,” Gentry said.

“Yes, yes. Well, why don’t you two leave us for now. I would like to talk to Remi, see if I can help her any,” he said with a smile.

I nodded at him and looked down at Remi. “Are you okay here? I will be right upstairs. I am just going to change my clothes,” I told her. She nodded and gave me a small smile. Without even thinking about it, I leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. We both stilled. I cleared my throat and turned around. Gentry followed me out of the room snickering behind me. When we were out of earshot of the living room he said, “Smooth move Prince Charming.”

Remi

Calder leaned down and kissed the top of my head. I immediately froze. He was embarrassed because he cleared his throat and left the room. Gentry ran after him laughing under his breath.

“Good evening Remi. My name is Dr. Penning, but you can call me Charles. Gentry told me a little about what happened last night,” the older gentleman said. He was almost as tall as Gentry and had a kind face. For a grandfather, he did not look much older than his 40s.

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

“You have had quite a shock in the last 24 hours. How are you doing with everything?” he asked, gesturing to the couch. I followed him over to the couch and sat down. He sat down across from me.

“I’m okay, I think,” I said. I was not sure just exactly how to be right now.

“Did Calder explain anything to you about last night’s events?” he asked.

“Some, I think. He told me about the Ordinary and Supernatural Realm and that Cullen took me across the border or something. He told me that I am a werewolf and when I went over the border thing that a cloak was dropped,” I told him trying to remember everything.

“That is a lot to take in all at once. I am sure you have a lot of questions about everything. I would be happy to answer all of them, but I also want to talk to you about what occurred when you passed through the boundary,” he said. I nodded. “So, did Cullen mention anything to you before it happened? Did you know anything about the different Realms or the boundary?”

“No. He called me and asked to show me something, but I had no idea what it was,” I told him.

“Gentry told me shortly after he and Calder arrived that you passed out. Can you tell me the events leading up to that? How were you feeling before Cullen picked you up until then?”

“I felt completely normal when we left. But when he was driving, I started to feel sick,” I explained.

“How so?”

“My stomach started to feel upset then my head got light. Everything started spinning around me. Then, the further he drove, the more it hurt. Then there was this stabbing pain, it was one of the worst things I have ever felt…”

“Is that when you passed out?” he asked.

“Um no. Cullen stopped the car and the pain started to go away. It was after… that…”

“Can you elaborate?”

I swallowed. I wasn’t sure how I felt about all of this yet, so I wasn’t ready to talk about it. “Um, so he stopped the car and he, uh, got upset…”

“Remi, you can tell me what happened. Nothing you say will leave this room and I am already aware of the… tempers… that wolves can tend to have,” he tried to reassure me.

I nodded my head. “So, after he stopped the car, he sort of pulled me out of it. He was yelling about things and I did not know what he was talking about. When Calder and Gentry got there, Cullen and Calder were fighting. I do not know what they were yelling about. There was this pressure in my head and then my whole body felt like it was buzzing. It just got worse until I guess I passed out,” I told him.

“I see,” he said. He had a contemplative look on his face. “When you woke up, how did you feel?”

“Well, I, uh, vomited but after that I was just tired,” I said.

“This is all very interesting,” he said. “Remi, did you grow up near here? Near the city?” he asked.

“Yea. I grew up in the suburbs on the edge of the city,” I told him. That was a little confusing.

“So, you have no recollection of living elsewhere?” he clarified.

“No, why?”

“Well, Calder and Cullen are right. I can clearly smell that you are in fact a werewolf. And seeing as you do not smell foreign, my guess is that your family comes from our pack. But it is strange that you were so thoroughly cloaked and reacted so harshly to travelling across the boundary,” he explained.

“Oh,” I said. I looked down at my hands in my lap. This was all starting to feel like some weird dream I could not wake up from.

“I get the feeling you were hoping to hear me say something different,” he said. I shook my head. “Remi, it is okay to be overwhelmed by all of this.” I shrugged. “Do you think you could tell me what's going through your mind right now?”

I took a breath. “Yesterday I woke up and everything was normal. I was just a waitress that works in a diner and I spent the afternoon with a guy I like. Today, I guess I am a werewolf who was hiding, and I have some destiny love.”

“That is a lot, and I am really sorry that all this is happening to you,” he said. He sounded sincere.