Liberation: Oscar's Story

Chapter 10: Pt. 1

"Her cousin?!" Cai choked on his soda, abruptly sitting so he could pound a fist on his chest. "You're fucking with me"

"I wish I were," Oscar muttered. "But I'm not."

"No way..." Cai wiped his lips with his sleeve. "No fucking way...how did she not recognize her face? Why'd it take a biopsy to make her realize that she was related to the girl?"

"They weren't close," Oscar said. "Ananya and Ai-Lee grew up separately, but apparently they were raised by the same people; their aunt and uncle."

"That's weird. How were they raised separately then?"

"Ananya studied at home and Ai-Lee was at boarding school," Oscar explained, recalling with a faint frown what Ananya had managed to tell him a few days ago. "They were practically strangers."

"If these people were Ai-Lee's parents, why didn't they have photographs in their home?"

"Superstition, I think."

"God damn." Cai shook his head and reclined again on the comfy porch chairs that Oscar had recently bought. "This shit just got real, eh? How'd Ananya take it? Did she make a scene in public?"

"No. She...she was shocked, I think," Oscar said. "I don't think she was expecting this case to hit home, and honestly, I feel bad that it did. This is her first case and already she's being thrown straight into the tiger's den with this revelation."

"It'll toughen her up for when she becomes a detective," Cai said nonchalantly, taking another gulp of his soda. "So, I take it she's not close to her aunt and uncle, then?"

"From what I could gather, no," Oscar replied, thinking back to the horror etched on Ananya's lovely face when she made the realization. "She was completely terrified."

"Huh...that's interesting." Cai ran his fingers through his hair. "Looks like you both have family issues, eh? What a perfect match."

Oscar scowled. "This isn't something to joke about," he growled. "Ananya wants me there with her when she tells her aunt and uncle the news. It must be serious enough if she doesn't want to do it on her own."

"Will you go?"

"Of course, I will. Why wouldn't I?"

"Gee, I dunno. Maybe because you're a werewolf?"

"Ananya doesn't care."

"Ananya may not, but what about her family?" Cai frowned. "You don't know anything about them."

"You sound like my mother," Oscar grumbled, and the mere mention of the matriarchal figure that had been taken from his life too early made a swirl of misery whisk through his stomach. He straightened his shoulders and rolled his neck. "I'm still going. This is our case, anyway."

"I think we're beyond using the murder as justification. You're going because she's your mate and you want to support her."

"She's my partner in this case, Cai. I have to support her."

"No, you don't. You want to." Cai smirked. "You can try to justify it all you want, Oscar, but I've known you for a decade. I know what you're thinking. In that big head of yours, you're still feeling her in your arms when you hugged her yesterday. You're thinking about what would happen if you just kissed her on her forehead, her nose, then dragged down to her lips..."

"Cai..." Oscar snarled, but it was more out of frustration than anger. He didn't want to admit that what Cai was saying was close to the truth. He feared that he was beginning to blur the lines of professionalism, and that was the last thing he wanted to do in case he made Ananya uncomfortable. The scowls and angry taunts of the humans resounded in his head like a war call, further increasing his concern.

"You think too much, Oscar," Cai said. He tossed the soda can into the trash and put his outstretched hand on Oscar's shoulder. "Just go with the flow. Whatever happens, happens."

Yeah, he sounds like my mom, Oscar thought with a tired scowl. "I know that. I can't help it if I like to plan."

"You can plan ten, twenty years in advance, and you'll never be prepared for when reality hits you," Cai said. "It'll come like a punch to the balls, trust me, and when that time comes, you won't be able to lean on your plans as crutches."

Oscar's teeth grated against each other, his canine-like fangs piercing the bottom of his lip. "Whatever," he muttered, rising and climbing down the porch steps. "I'm heading out to do some PSA work. You go find Karsten and do some more searching at the South Border."

"Should I strengthen the border while I'm there, Alpha?"

"No. Just increase the patrol, but don't do anything to the border itself," Oscar said. "I'd like to keep everything the way it is for now in case we need to return to the site. I don't want anything to be messed up."

"Got it." Cai jumped to his feet and stretched with a groan. "So, when are you and Ananya going to break the news?"

"Her family's coming in from Newton in two days," Oscar replied. His head fell backward as he enjoyed the wind sifting through his soft locks. He closed his eyes, reminiscing about the times when he was young and would wake up early to watch the sunrise with his mother. He thought he could feel her arms around his shoulders as she held him close to her side, stroking his hair as they enjoyed the few moments of serenity they were spared until Banastre and the twins woke up. His heart grew heavy at the memory and his eyes snapped open, though for a moment the image of his mother materialized before him, pale and ghost-like, with the same saccharine smile she'd always worn, and when he blinked again he no longer saw his mother, rather, a beaming, bright image of Ananya beckoning him to come to her. 

Fuck. Oscar straightened briskly and wildly shook his head. Fuck, fuck fuck. He saw her swarming in his vision, and to his annoyance, he felt his cock harden the closer she came to him. This isn't happening. Not now. It can't be happening now...I can't let this distract me. He refused to listen to his wolf, who was whimpering for him to take their mate, and he ran his hand roughly over his face, pinching his cheeks in an attempt to clear his mind. Clearing his throat, he marched through the dew-coated grass and into the main area of the pack, where stores were beginning to open and children were swarming the streets to get to the pack schools.