“You sure it doesn’t hurt?”
“What?” Max had trouble keeping up with her chain of thought from time to time. She asked what ever popped into her head and some of her questions had him scratching his head.
“Switching from human to wolf?” She looked at Max for the first time since their crazy conversation started.
“No. At least nothing I can’t handle.” Max quieted for a moment. “You okay with this? You’re taking it very well.”
“I’m trying.”
“Alicia, you know I love you, right? That I’d do anything for you?” He needed to lay his heart on the ground in front of her and hope she didn’t stomp all over it.
“Max.” She looked at him. Fear danced in her eyes. “This is a lot to handle.”
“I know. You’ve said that already.” He stood and waited for her reaction.
“Yeah, but you don’t seem to get it.” She stood as well. “I just learned that you are some mythological creature.”
“But I am flesh and blood.” He took a step toward her and waited to see if she would retreat again. His heart skipped a beat when she held her ground. “I’d never hurt you. You mean everything to me.”
“I know, you’ve said this, but Max how would you feel if you were in my shoes?” She stomped her foot like a child. “You’re asking me to accept something I can’t wrap my mind around.”
“And how would you handle it if I were to tell you I’m an alien from another planet? Would you react differently?”
She arched a brow at his words.
“She is a mere human, Maximilian. Not worth your time.”
Max turned and found Sonora standing behind him. How did she get out of the cellar so fast?
***
Alicia found her anger rising. She had enough of this woman. “When you are talking about me I demand you address me.”
“Well, well, well, the little human has a backbone. What a surprise.” Sonora walked a circle around Alicia, looking her up and down.
“You treated me like a friend.” Alicia wondered why she had come to this woman’s defense. “Why?”
Sonora ignored her and turned to Max. “If you can keep your temper in check we need to finish our conversation. I’m tired of being interrupted.”
Anger, swift and deep filled Alicia as she took a step toward Sonora. Snatching the woman bald-headed just might cool her down.
***
Max wanted to strangle Sonora. She had caused all this heartache in the first place. “What have I said about the way you are to speak to my mate?”
“Sorry, Maximilian, but I have never thought of you as our leader, so why should I listen to what you have to say? You have no control over me. I have a Tear.”
“And I have the other five.” He glanced at Alicia to make sure she was going to stay put. If she decided to take off he’d have to go after her. Instead he noticed she took a step forward before she froze in her tracks. Right now, he wished he could read her mind.
“So we are at a stalemate.” Sonora crossed her arms over her chest.
“I guess we are.” Max focused his attention on Sonora again. “So what are we going to do about it?”
“I won’t let you change me to human.”
Max quieted for a moment. He had never threatened her with that aspect of the legend so why did she worry about it? Was that what she feared the most?
“I don’t care if you have most of them, you won’t be getting mine.”
Max knew something weird was going on. She was being a little too adamant. He had also noticed members of the village had come to hear what would happen. Wolves surrounded them, reclining on rocks and fallen logs throughout the area. They wanted to see the outcome for themselves.
***
Alicia fought the scream that threatened to erupt from her throat. Her dream. It was unveiling in front of her eyes. The dream always started the same way. Wolves all around her, some reclining on rocks, others sitting or standing nearby. Her heart started to pound.
She had never focused on what they watched before. Now she knew it was Max and Sonora arguing over the Tears. Soon their argument would escalate to a point where they attacked each other. She had to stop that before it happened.
***
“Why are you being so stubborn?”
“I am trying to keep old traditions alive,” Sonora said defensively.
“How many times must we have this conversation?” He raised his hands up in the air. “You always say the same thing.”
“So do you! It’s always we must blend in, we must conform. Why? Explain to me why I must be the one who must change. Why can’t it be them?” She pointed to Alicia, bringing her back into the limelight.
“Because of their fear.” Max wanted to shout at her, but fought for his composure. It was hard to find. “You have done your share of frightening humans all your life. You get a big kick out of it.”
“You don’t understand.”
***
“Then explain it to us.” Alicia said as she grabbed her fear and forced it down. Her heart beat hard in her chest. Sonora might take her intrusion as a threat, but she knew they needed to get that Tear from her. Perhaps the easiest way would be to just ask for it. “The two of you can posture all night long, but until one of you understands the other you will make no headway.”
“Why should I tell you?” Sonora sneered at her.
“Because, until recently, I thought of you as a decent person.” Alicia stared Sonora down. She had dealt with her share of jerks and knew how to handle them.
“Until recently?”
“You threatening me sort of killed that. I don’t handle threats well, ask Max.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Since you’ve arrived here I’ve seen how you speak to these people. You show no respect, but expect them to respect you? Why should they?”
“Because I am their queen!” She pounded her chest. “They belong to me.”
“So this is a dictatorship?” Alicia pointed toward the people and animals. “These people have no choice?”
“The fact that these people can change their form doesn’t bother you? You accepted it that easily?”
“I’m not thinking about that right now.” Alicia went to Max’s side and took his hand. “And my reaction to what I have learned has nothing to do with this conversation.”
“Ha! You have no idea what we speak about. Did your precious Max tell you those are my Tears? That it was my husband who died?”
“Actually, I had figured that out. Catherine gave me a lot of that information.” She looked at Max. “My mate was afraid I’d bolt if I knew the truth so tried to protect me. Men. What can you do with them when they try too hard?”
Sonora blinked a few times, but didn’t have an answer.
“I say love them.” Alicia tilted her head. “I have to say you look good for being part of a legend. How long ago was this, anyway?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Trying to be nice? I don’t know.” Alicia let go of Max’s hand and stepped up to her. “I thought having a little more information might help me understand.”
“It was a long time ago. I guess Maximilian didn’t explain that to you either.” She gave such a dramatic sigh. “Our species live a lot longer than humans do too.”
“You sort of cut our conversation short so there is a lot we didn’t get a chance to cover, but we will later.” Alicia shot Max a glare. “Why are you fighting so hard for the Tears?”
“Have you not read the legend? Or are you stupid as well as human?”
“Human? Look who’s calling people names. You probably have fleas.” Alicia closed her eyes. Why did she say that? She was trying hard not to have her nightmare become a reality and here she was pushing buttons she didn’t need to push. “I am the Legend, remember?”
“Then why don’t you understand?” Sonora snarled at her. Hair bristled on her arm. She was about to shift.
Alicia’s stomach dropped to her feet at the thought of Sonora shifting. Her mind raced over Sonora’s last words at the same time. What had she missed? The legend had so much in it. What could she be referring to? “Explain it to me. After all, I am only a human.”
“The one who has all the Tears can turn someone from werewolf to human. I’ll not give Max that power.”
“Is that what you fear?” Alicia frowned. “That whoever has control of the Tears could change you? What about killing you? Or healing you?”
“Max doesn’t believe in killing. I knew that would never happen.”
“And the healing?” There was a trapped look in Sonora’s eyes. Alicia was sure of it.
“Don’t you consider our ability to shift a disease?” Sonora gave her a look of contempt to cover it up.
“No.” Her brow crinkled. “It wasn’t that long ago when I didn’t believe your kind existed. I haven’t had time to decide if it’s a good or a bad thing.”
“And now that you do?” She took a step toward her.
Alicia looked at Max. “Patrick and Catherine, too?”
He nodded.
“Max can be a pain at times, but he has a good heart.” She swallowed hard. Now she would have to bare her soul. “I wouldn’t have fallen in love with him otherwise. Patrick and Catherine are my friends. They wouldn’t have earned my friendship if they didn’t have good hearts too. You even had me fooled for a while. So there must be some goodness in you too.”
Sonora’s eyes widened. “Me?”
“Yes. You’re the alpha female, right? You must show strength at all times. You’re just Max in pantyhose. He blusters and throws his weight around, but I know what he is deep inside. He has allowed me to see the man he hides from the rest of the world.
“You’re afraid to trust anyone.” Alicia felt strength enter her. Her heart told her she was on the right track. “So you won’t. I am not like the rest of you. I’m an outsider, skeptical, unbelieving. Tell me why they shouldn’t change you. Everything you have done up to this point gives them every right.”
“I was their queen!”
“But that was the past. Since you retired you have alienated every person who loved you at one time. Why?”
“I was pushed away. No one would talk to me, look at me.”
“You made it too hard, Sonora.” Kat stepped up. “You pushed us away. You mourned so much. We felt your pain. It was ours too, but you refused to move on when we needed you to. That’s why everyone turned to our family. Our grandfather was your husband’s second in command. He had the strength to keep us together. Give us back our pack.”
Alicia was amazed to see tears in Sonora’s eyes.
“I mourned for your grandfather.” She looked up at Kat with tear-filled eyes. “Your father too. You know I didn’t have anything to do with their deaths.”
“I do.” Kat smiled. “All we wanted was for you to forgive yourself and come home. But each time we tried to talk to you we failed. After a while we stopped trying. We still want you to come back to us.”
“But on your terms.”
“What would you expect?” commented Alicia. “You would expect the same thing if this was turned around.”
Sonora played with her necklace.
No one spoke.
Alicia couldn’t stand the silence. What more could she say? “Look. I have an awful lot to digest right now. If you’re going to take some time to think about this why don’t you all do this without me.”
“No.” Max jumped in her way. “You can’t leave.”
“Max, my head is about to explode.” She placed a reassuring hand on his arm. “Too much knowledge in too short a time will do that to you. I promise not to swim to the main island, but I do need to rest.”
He looked at Sonora for a moment. “Then I’ll go with you.”
“No!” Sonora shifted and pounced on Alicia, knocking her down and keeping her from leaving. She snarled at her. “You are the one who started this. You can’t leave yet.”
Alicia felt the scream develop deep in her throat. Her dream. Staring into Sonora’s eyes she felt her heart plummet to her toes.
One minute Sonora’s snout was inches from her neck the next she was gone. A whimper filled the air. Alicia sat up and shook her head. Max had shifted and had Sonora pinned to the ground, his snout inches from her throat.
What was it she saw in that instant when she stared into Sonora’s eyes? Fear? Was she begging for compassion? She climbed to her feet. “Max, stop.”
The gray wolf sat back on its haunches, giving Sonora a chance to move away.
“Sonora, don’t. You forced this confrontation. You have to see it to the end.”
“Why?” She shifted back to human. “They don’t care. Neither do you.”
Alicia sighed. Great, now she had to deal with a naked woman. “I thought your beef was with Max and the rest of your pack. I’m just a bystander.” She moved to a nearby log, which was vacated the moment she approached it. “Good grief. I don’t bite.”
She heard a couple muffled laughs as several of the people and wolves took back their seats.
“Then why did you start this?”
She placed her hands on her knees and levered herself up. “Look, I’m not the one you should be talking to. Max is the one who controls your fate.”
“No, he’s not. You are.” Sonora looked at her curiously. “You are his mate. If you were to tell him to kill me he might question it, but he’d do it to please you.”
“Really?” She looked at Max. “You’d do anything I told you?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll talk later.” She gave him a heart-stopping smile. Then she looked at Sonora. “And you? Would you do whatever I tell you to do?”
Sonora narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
“Because I’d tell you to give me that stupid stone and we’d be done with this.” Alicia shrugged. “But you’re too paranoid to do that.”
“What sort of promises would you give me?”
“I’d promise life would be hard for you because you’d have to work on fitting in with these people. Your past wouldn’t just disappear the moment you asked them to take you back. You’d have to realize your time to rule has passed. You are now an average citizen, not queen. And you’d have to trust them to treat you fairly.”
“And my powers?” She looked from Max to Alicia.
“I can’t make that decision.” Alicia shook her head. “Don’t even want to. I have enough to deal with.”
Sonora turned her back to Alicia. More waiting, just what Alicia wanted. Turning to the seat she vacated moments ago she found something thrust in her face.
“Take it,” Sonora said. “Before I change my mind.”