Moonlight | Lucien Castle

Chapter 14

Mikael's heart was clearly not in it.

But he was still there. Outside the St. James with a bag of clothes ready, as he'd been instructed to do by Elijah. Perhaps Elijah was right— he would do it, just for Amaris. Or maybe, recent events were reminding him of a time where he didn't hate the wolves. Either way, there he was. Still in a suit, though.

They moved on foot. Jackson, Hayley, Hope, and the wolves were ahead of them by about half a mile, still close enough for them to be seen and heard but without it feeling like Mikael and Amaris were actually walking with the group.

"Thank you for accepting to this," said Amaris cordially. "I feel safer knowing that there are two of us here as backup. Not that we can do much, but it makes me feel better."

Mikael assented. He was in it for her, not for Hayley, not for Hope. "I hear you were not on board with this plan. Or so Elijah tells me."

"I don't think it is the wisest strategy. Many things were left unchecked. Many consequences were not considered. I want to support Hayley in leaving, but I also can't imagine how much it'd hurt Klaus if he didn't get a say in this. They both have their faults, they're both stubborn. That little girl deserves better. I don't expect you to care about her, but she means something to me, and knowing that it's all up in the air and could lead to her getting hurt... it scares me. Frustrates me. I just had to come along to do whatever I can, because I know damn well I won't be of use at the Compound."

He managed a weak smile. "Many used to call your mother 'controlling' because she wished to have things her way. However, she, too, was all about strategy, about planning ahead. Her way always happened to be the one with the least casualties, with the highest probability of success. She worked to protect everyone. It's what made me adore her."

"I think that's why Adriel liked her so much," she murmured. "She wasn't ruthless like past Alphas, even my own grandfather, who were more preoccupied with a show of force than considering how hurt their soldiers would be if they rushed an offensive attack. She prioritized the safety of everyone in the Pack over herself. She would attack first, draw enemy fire to spare the others. And they always ended up winning. Until everything was revealed... Adriel would always admire her for it. It was what she was best known for."

"You do not refer to him as your father."

"I don't wish to. It always confused me that Klaus called you his. It's just personal choice, I suppose. He was the man who raised me. But not my biological father. Not my dad, especially not when he learned I was your daughter. I became garbage to him. And he became an annoying gnat to me. One that I would have squashed if my mother hadn't stopped me. She didn't want me to have the guilt of killing him."

This seemed to stunned Mikael. "But you would have?"

"I couldn't control my anger so well in those first months after becoming a wolf. I was suddenly far stronger, able to hit back when he tried to hurt me. I could have crushed his skull with my bare hands. My mother always swooped in right on time. She loved him. Despite everything. Maybe she thought that if he weren't already ill, he wouldn't have treated me that way. I don't know what to think. What I do know is that I don't want to think of him as my father."

She noticed the Crescents were stopping ahead, and motioned for Mikael to do the same. "Let me go see what's going on," she said. "Stay here."

She found Jackson was ordering the wolves to make a perimeter. "Hayley stopped to feed Hope," he said. "She's headed towards a hideout half a mile South from here." He could see Mikael standing still in the distance. "Everything going okay over there?"

"Yep," she said. "I'll pop in to check on Hayley, then head back to him, and we'll move when you do."

"Sounds like a plan," replied Jackson, watching as Amaris moved South to the hideout.