The Werewolf's Pregnant Bride (18 page)

"There have been rumors. I would be willing to share what I know with you. If the price was right," Captain Snow said.

"We brought very little coinage with us. This journey is about retrieving my wife and bringing her home safely."

"Still, your father is a man of money and power. If you say that the information I have would be worth something to him I will take your word for it," Captain Snow said.

"I am sure that my father will be willing to pay you what the information is worth," Mercy said.

"Though if you know what rascals are behind this how can we be sure that you will not assume their pockets are deeper and hand us off to them?"

"I assure you that their pockets are deeper. Still, it is hard to say if those who are in contact with the likes of us are able to reach into those pockets. Do you take my meaning?" Captain Snow asked.

"The men who get their hands dirty do not have access to the money of the leader," Nathaniel said to Mercy. She nodded in understanding. He had hoped that the operation was nothing more than a few scoundrels who had decided that werewolf fur was a commodity. He had not imagined it might be bigger than that. He groaned. If it was a sophisticated operation it would be harder to stop. One or two men he could conquer. A whole organization was another matter indeed.

"Not too shabby for an aristocrat," Captain Snow guffawed.

"The names of petty villains are not worth my father's time and money," Nathaniel said.

"I would not think otherwise," Captain Snow said.

"Tell me the name of the man in charge of this abominable business," Nathaniel said.

"Have you ever heard of a man named John Jacob Astor? He is an American now though he was born a German if I am not mistaken. He is well known for being rich from the fur trade," Captain Snow said.

"I have heard of him. I also know that he left fur for real estate. I would hope a man with your contacts would have heard that," Nathaniel said.

"He appeared to leave the fur trade. Rumor was that there was little money in it. Apparently a beaver pelt does not go for what it once did. He did indeed buy into real estate. I am not saying any of those things are not true. What I am saying is that when he left the fur trade he did not give up all of his contacts. In fact, he might have been happy to leave the beavers to their damns but there is still money to be made in more unusual pelts. Werewolves might be harder to catch than otters or minks, and of course are much more dangerous, but the reward is far grander."

"You are saying John Jacob Astor is still in the fur trade but has become specialized?" Nathaniel asked. In a sick way it made sense. Who else besides a fur trader millionaire would have the contacts to pull off such an operation? Killing and skinning a werewolf was no easy task. Transporting it across the ocean undetected took skill and money. Then there was the feat of finding buyers with the money for such exotic luxuries and a desire for such things. One had to be very careful to not offer his wares to the wrong person. At best he might be thought mad and at worst he might alert the were-creatures of the area and risk justice by their hands. Certainly appearing to leave the fur trade all together was a brilliant diversion.

Still, that did not explain how Astor and his operatives were infiltrating the packs and getting past the magic of witches. Knowing who was behind the operations was useful but it opened up more questions than it answered.

Chapter 25

Adam's horse really was as stoic as any animal she had ever seen. She had expected his clan to be nearby but it had taken them two days on horseback to finally reach the cleared land where various small huts were built in a circle. In the center of the circle was a fire pit lined with large stones. A dozen women and perhaps thirty children bustled about the inner circle and at the entrances of the huts.

Just past the huts was a fenced in pasture with twenty horses that all were unperturbed as Adam dismounted his horse, removed the riding gear, and opened the gate for the horse to join with his fellows.

Sophronia followed Adam to the largest of the huts which was at the northernmost part of the circle of abodes.

The hut itself was built of wood and dirt. The door was thin animal skins roughly sewn together. Light came streamed in from a window at the back of the hut that was covered with oiled paper. In the center of the hut was a circle of five women. They were seated on a large woven mat. Two of them were smoking pipes and all of them had mortars and pestle before them and were grinding various nuts, seeds, and grains.

All of the women looked up as they entered but only the one who had a bowl of pumpkin seeds before her rose.

"Brother, I was not expecting you for several more days," the woman said.

"Una, this is Sophronia. I found her snooping around near Seidel's residence. She had followed a werewolf woman there," Adam said.

Una reached out and took Sophronia's hand. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Then, she opened them again.

"It was wise of you to bring her here. We do not know all of what Seidel is capable of. If the woman she followed alerted him to this girls' condition there is no telling what might become of them," Una said.

"I need a few men to join me near the docks in case her people come looking for her," Adam said.

"Take whoever is willing to go," Una said.

Adam nodded and then left the tent.

"I will speak with her alone," Una said. The other women in the hut stood, grabbing their bowls, mortars, and pestles.

Una was not much older than Sophronia though she exuded power with every movement. She was dark skinned like her brother. Her hair was raven black and hung down her back. The features of her face were more angular and petite than her brother's and her height was barely more than Sophronia's. Still, Una made her nervous. She had no doubt that this woman was the leader of the bear clan and Sophronia knew she was at the other woman's mercy.

"You do not need to be afraid. My people would not harm you under normal circumstances but no were-creature would do you injury when you carry a were-child within you," Una said.

"A were-child?"

"You did not know you were carrying a child?" Una asked.

"No. How can you know that?" Sophronia asked. It seemed like Keturah had only just been born. How could another child be growing within her so quickly?

"Your scent is unusual. Perhaps it is easier for me to detect because I am an alpha and a woman. Your own pack would never have let you go if they had known. I know I would do all I could to keep a bear-child with my clan. It is a dangerous thing in these times for you to separate yourself from your people. I would like to think that no villain is unscrupulous enough to hurt a woman and her child but we have been following a man who orders the murder and skinning of others for profit. I am sure that there would be immense profit from the sale of a werewolf child to the right people. There are a few rich scientists who would love to have a were-child to examine. That is of course the best scenario. I can think of plenty worse things that a were-child could be sold for. I see that I have upset you. I am sorry. That was not my intent. Please, sit with me," Una said. She indicated the mat beside her. Sophronia sat down and Una handed her a mortar and pestle. Sophronia watched as Una took a large pinch of pumpkin seeds and began to grind them. Sophronia mimicked her movements.

"It was wrong of me to run away but I was afraid."

"Most of us are so used to what we are that we forget how shocking it might be to people who never knew that beings like us exist."

"I am not afraid anymore. Now, I only have so many questions," Sophronia said.

"I cannot answer for werewolves or all of were-kind but if you would like to ask I will tell you what little I know. Since you will be with us until you can be returned to your people we may as well be hospitable," Una said.

"I had no idea that there were werewolves or werebear. Are you the only ones?"

"I have met weretigers and werepanthers. I would guess that there are more of us though it is hard to say how many."

"Where did you come from?"

"My ancestors were Hopi and African slaves. It is from the Hopi that the werebear came. All of the pure African were I have met are werepanthers. The weretigers were all Chinese so I can assume that there is some geographical correlation between types of were-creatures though that is only guesswork on my part."

"I meant how did you become what you are?" Sophronia was not even sure how to ask the question that she had. The bible said that God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and that all people came from them. She was not sure whether she believed it but at least there was a story of how humans happened. How had werewolves and werebears happened?

"No one knows for sure and we all seem to have our own different stories. My mother told me that once, long ago; there was a mother who loved her daughter more than her own life. When another tribe attacked them the mother rushed her daughter into the woods and put her high up in a tree where she would be hidden. Then, the mother returned to her village to help her people fight. The daughter stayed in the woods for many days but finally hunger forced her back to the ground. She went to the place where her village had been but it was burned to the ground and there was not a soul left. The girl began to weep piteously for without a mother she would surely die too. A mother bear that had recently lost a cub was foraging near the edge of those woods and heard the girl cry. It broke her mother heart and so she went towards the sound.

The girl was afraid when she saw the bear for she was sure it would devour her but the bear spoke to her. She was still a young enough child that she could understand the tongue of animals.

The bear told her how she had lost her daughter and since the girl had lost a mother the bear offered to take her in and raise her.

The little girl went to live with the mother bear and eventually a brother bear was born. Since the girl had never learned the tongue of man or their ways and knew far too much about the bears the mother bear knew that the girl could never return to her people but she did not want the girl to be alone after she died either. So, the mother bear ordered brother bear to marry his adopted sister. Eventually, the children who were neither human or bear left the woods. They met others and began to live as humans do. Slowly the bear within them faded until they only became bear during the time of the full moon. The strongest of them could change their form at other times but it was difficult for there had been so many generations between them and brother bear that they were more human than bear though part of their bear heritage remained," Una said. She poured the fine powder she had crushed into a bowl and grabbed more seeds.

"Do you believe that story?" Sophronia asked.

"I do not know. I suppose it is the best answer I have for why I am what I am."

"I understand why werewolves stay in such tight packs but I thought bears usually roamed alone," Sophronia said.

"Many bears do live alone but some gather to form sleuths. Still, we operate much more like the werewolf packs than bear sleuths. Werebears are drawn to each other. I can only guess it is the same reason most humans prefer to live together as well. There are few of us and we find safety in the numbers. Shortly after white man came to this land there was a meeting between werewolf and werebear. We found we were more alike than we were different and we made a treaty with each other to live in peace. Still, there is almost no mixing between us which is why we must try to return you to your own people."

Sophronia had thought of Nathaniel and the werewolves as "others" when she ran from the Wolstenholme estate. After listening to Una and learning that another werechild was growing inside her she realized that she had begun to see Nathaniel and his family as her own people.

Chapter 26

The boat arrived in the harbor just before daybreak. A few dockworkers ambled about but otherwise things were quiet. One of the ship's crewmen lowered a primitive gangplank and Nathaniel held Mercy's hand as they walked down the shaky wooden board.

"It will be hours before we can make traveling arrangements. The address I have for her family home is five days journey by stage coach. It will be a much longer journey on foot. I can send you ahead on stage since the horses will not be bothered by your scent. I can walk the distance though I am loathe to do so if there is any chance of finding a wagon pulled by a draft dog. I imagine they have them in America though I do not know who the local breeders are," Nathaniel confessed.

"It may be better for us to stay together. Sophronia may not welcome an uninvited guest," Mercy said.

"I would rather coax her back and as a woman you might be more persuasive than I am," Nathaniel said though he was not sure. It had seemed a brilliant and even romantic notion to board a ship and cross the ocean to take his wife back but the idea that she might resist him was starting to plague him. He tried to push the thought out of his mind. They had to locate her first. They had made inquiries at the harbor near their home and people did seem to remember a woman of Sophronia's description boarding a boat for America. That had been encouraging however he had not thought about how large America was. If she had not returned to her mother's home he was not sure how she could be located.

Nathaniel led Mercy past lines of crates and barrels and into an open space that likely held shops and stalls later in the day but now was eerily silent and cast in shadow. Mercy's grip on his hand tightened as one of those shadows slunk out before them.

It took a moment in the dim light for Nathaniel to realize that the shadow before him was a very large and very dark man.

He could barely see the man's lips move in the shadows.

"Excuse me sir but have you misplaced a particularly precious valuable?" The shadowy man's voice was deep but not menacing. Still, Nathaniel could smell the fear emanating off of Mercy as she moved against him and squeezed his hand until he had the sensation of needles pricking it.

"As a matter of fact I have," Nathaniel said. He likely would not have replied to the man at all except that he had the scent of a were-creature. He was not a werewolf but he was also no ordinary man.

"And what is the nature of the valuable you are searching for?"

Nathaniel hesitated. This man would not have accosted him unless he had some information about Sophronia. Still, he could be either friend or foe.

"My wife is missing," Nathaniel said.

"Who is this young woman clinging to you?"

"She is my sister," Nathaniel said.

"Curious," the shadowy man said. Nathaniel guessed he meant that Mercy did not exude the were-creature smell that the shadow likely was getting from him.

"My name is Mercy," she squeaked.

"And the name of your brother?"

"Nathaniel Wolstenholme."

The shadow seemed to shrink an inch. Nathaniel guessed he had been standing especially straight to increase the intimidation of his appearance. In these dark times Nathaniel could not really blame him.

"I can help you but I would not speak here in the open. There is a safe house nearby.  Will you follow me there?"

"After you give me your name," Nathaniel said.

"Adam," the shadow said.

Nathaniel nodded. He had little choice but to follow the man where he led. He would face any trial to find Sophronia and if this man could give him even the most insignificant clue to his wife's whereabouts then he had to cooperate.

Adam moved with stealth for a man of his size. Nathaniel was hard pressed to keep up with him while guiding Mercy.

The scent of were-creature emanated from the building that Adam led them to. It was a dilapidated house in a clearly impoverished area. Mercy resisted for a moment and Nathaniel had to reach his arm behind her back and pull her forward. They crossed the threshold of the house and went from darkness into a dimly lit single room building that might have been a home or perhaps a store front at one time. The light was not from gas lamps but from candles.

Three men and two women sat cross legged on skins laid on the rotting wood planks that made up the floor. One of the men dipped water from a barrel and offered him the cup.

Nathaniel gracefully declined.

"I am sorry I was unable to be more direct. Your wife is in our care and we wanted to make sure that we did not reveal her location to anyone who might mean her harm. Not with her current condition," Adam said.

"Is she hurt?" Nathaniel asked. He could feel his heart speed up. If someone had hurt her he swore that he would have their life.

"She is safe and well. My sister suspects that your wife has a were-child within her. If she and the pup were to fall into the wrong hands it would be quite unfortunate," Adam said.

"If you can smell the were on me you should guess that I would never harm any were-child whether it belonged to me or another," Nathaniel said.

"And yet a werewolf who, if your wife is to be believed, is your own sister-in-law is living with a man who trades the pelts of were-animals," Adam said.

"No! She must be a hostage," Mercy cried.

"When we first learned of her location we also believed that and we began a mission intended to lend her aid. The information returned by our scouts indicates that she is there of her own will and that she is privy to, if not involved in, the activities of Seidel."

"Seidel?"

"We are still gathering information. Seidel sends ruffians out to acquire the pelts. They come to his home for inspection and then are discreetly shipped out to a seller we have not yet been able to locate."

"John Jacob Astor," Nathaniel said grimly.

"The real estate mogul?" The questioner was the man who had offered him water.

"We have only speculation but we questioned the sea captain who brought us here and he heard that Astor might have pretended to get out of the fur trade and into real estate to throw everyone off his trail," Nathaniel said.

"That is an interesting theory. I will take it to my sister and see what she wishes us to do," Adam said.

"Please, will you take me to my wife first?" Nathaniel asked. Hearing that Sophronia was carrying his baby had made his desperation to see her even more intense.

"She is with my sister. As soon as dawn arrives I will take you to her," Adam promised.

For Nathaniel, dawn could not come soon enough.

Sophronia rolled to her other side as she tried to find a comfortable position. She missed her bed. She missed home. More desperately, she missed Keturah and Nathaniel.

She wondered if her daughter would even remember her once she returned home. It would break her heart if her own child did not know her. Keturah was far too young to understand why she had thought she had to leave but that did not mean that the child would not know she was gone. She would never leave her baby again. Nor would she ever desert the child that was inside of her now.

Once Una had told her she was carrying another werechild she began to see the signs. The illness on the boat that she had taken for seasickness persisted. Beyond that she felt as if she could sense the child. Unlike Keturah, who she had not felt a sense of love or bonding to until she held her in her arms, Sophronia already felt closeness to the child within her and a deep maternal love. She wanted to believe it was because she had never been a mother before Keturah and so did not know the way that mother's love felt. Now, she had already loved a child and her heart knew how to love the babe even though it was too small to feel moving inside her.

Of course, it was also easier to love this child because she loved his father and understood the nature of the child she carried.

Deep in her heart she knew the child growing within her was a son. As she rolled to her side she put her palm flat against her belly and she could almost sense him there inside her. She wanted nothing more than to protect him.

The sound of hoof beats made her raise her head. Una and the other women who slumbered nearby also must have heard the noise.

She watched them sniff the air and wished that she had their extraordinary senses. Then, Una pulled back the furs that she was using as blankets and stood up.

"Adam has brought your people," Una said.

Sophronia's heart pounded in her chest as she struggled to rise from the floor. Could it really be true that Nathaniel was here?

Nathaniel had been surprised by Adam's horse. He had been surprised at the distance the werebears traveled from their home. He was surprised by the poverty of the werebears and the primitive living conditions they did not seem to mind living in.

Most surprising of all though was seeing Sophronia emerge from one of the ramshackle huts dressed in skins and looking more savage than aristocrat.

He slid off the horse clumsily and rushed forward to take her in his arms. Adam had been right that her scent was different though he might not have realized that the change in her scent was caused by his baby within her.

"I am so very sorry," Sophronia said. He felt her body trembling in his arms and he pulled her back to see that she had tears flowing down her cheeks.

"No. I can only imagine what a shock I gave you. I should never have left when you were in such a state," Nathaniel said.

"Is Keturah well?"

"Our daughter is in Alice's expert care. Claire is supervising the nursery. Nothing will go amiss that she cannot handle. Adam told me that you located Vivian. I sent the news to Claire. I am sure she will be most grateful to you."

"Not if what Adam suspects is true," Sophronia said.

"The pack leaders will deal with any transgressions she may have committed. Claire will just want her brought home safe," Nathaniel said.

Mercy appeared at his side a moment later and he released Sophronia so that Mercy could engulf her in her arms.

"I did not expect to see you as well," Sophronia said.

"Father wanted Nathaniel to wait until after the next full moon to search for you but he refused. I went with Nathaniel to make sure he was safe while he was in his wolf form. I am glad I did come. There has been much to see and learn," Mercy said.

"What happens now? Will we be returning to Wolstenholme?" Sophronia asked.

"You and Mercy will go. I sent word to my father about what has happened. I believe that he and several other pack leaders will come here to investigate the allegations against Vivian and to put an end to this fur banditry. I will wait for them to arrive and join them in seeking justice," Nathaniel said.

"If you are to remain here then want to stay here as well," Sophronia said.

"I will feel better if I know you are safe at Wolstenholme," Nathaniel protested. He wanted her and his unborn child within the walls of the Wolstenholme estate and far away from Astor, Seidel, and the murdering scoundrels who worked for him.

"You cannot possibly mean to send us away," Mercy said. The look on Sophronia's face showed Mercy's thoughts mirrored her own.

"Would you not feel safer escorting us back yourself?" Sophronia asked.

"It will take time for father and his companions to arrive," Nathaniel said.

"You are welcome to stay here until your people come," a woman he had not yet met said. She was also wearing animal skins. She carried herself like an aristocrat and he immediately sensed that she was the alpha of the clan. He glanced around for her male counterpart but did not see one. He turned to Adam, unsure what to do or say next.

"If Una says you may stay then you have the protection of our clan," Adam said.

"We have a hut that can be emptied for you and your wife to stay in while you are with us. Your sister can share my abode if she likes. It would perhaps be wise for you to get to know us and us to know you if we plan to be allies against the fur traders. You are not alone in being hunted. We have lost half a dozen members of our clan. I wish to retrieve their furs, if possible, and return the furs to the resting place of their bodies. It is difficult for a spirit to be at peace when the body is not together," Una said.

"What of the other werebear packs? Will they join with you?"

"They would if they were able. Since the white man came to this land many of our people have died from disease or been killed by your kinsman. Those who lived have been removed from the land of their ancestors and forced on to reservations.  We were only able to avoid relocation to a reservation because of our apparent African heritage. If we had only the blood of our mothers and grandmothers flowing through us we would have been forced onto reservations with our kin. My mother split the clan in two. I took the members whose fathers were free blacks. Everyone else went with my mother to the reservations. It is difficult for my kinsman to leave the reservations to fight these poachers. We are small in number. If we still had the full strength of the tribe behind us we would have already dealt with these matters ourselves. Seidel's hunters are many and we are few. In our bear form they do not stand a chance against us but in our human form I believe an attack from us would do little more than decimate my people and with already declining numbers I could not risk that," Una said.