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Chapter Seventeen

Here's a fun fact about me and crying girls. When a girl sobs in my presence, everyone automatically assumes that it's my fault they're crying in the first place. Even in a foreign country, I couldn't escape that stigma.

Ingrid, the grumpy little old lady, chose the exact moment when El was falling apart to enter the kitchen. El was crying so loudly that it masked the sound of the woman's cane hitting the hard floor. Ingrid glared at my hand around the young girl's shoulder, pointed her finger at me, and began to yell.

El pulled herself together, grabbing a few rough napkins and dabbing at her face. Her tongue let loose a barage of German. The two women argued back and forth for several terse moments. I inched towards the hall leading back to my room.

I was torn in what my next move should be. On one hand, I wanted to go marching into the forest with knife and gun and enact my revenge. I wanted to go all 'Kill-Bill' on every single one of those werewolves. I didn't want to have to spend my life thinking desiring blood and guts(or worrying about fleas). On the other hand, if I did something stupid that would leave Camden an orphan.

I was beginning to regret my decision of bringing Cam with me. He would have had a much better life with Brian and Leighanne. There was no doubt in my mind that they would have spoiled him rotten...and probably given him two more middle names.

Even though that would have been the mature decision, when I put him down in the old wooden crib and looked down in his face, I knew I had made the right decision. I propped my chin on the rail and sighed.

"Whatever happens, know I love you, okay?" I whispered. Camden yawned, his eyes drooping closed.

"Nick?"

I turned. El stood in the doorway, wringing a faded apron in her hands.

"Come in," I said. She walked in, her eyes studying the crib.

"This thing is an antique," I said, for lack of anything better to say.

"Ingrid told me it was her daughter's," El said quietly.

"She has a daughter?"

"I suppose so," El said. "I've never met her."

She ended up right beside me, both of us looking down at Cam. Slowly she put her fingers on my forearm.

"How do you think you can fix this?"

I looked into El's eyes and, not for the first time, I lost myself for a moment. I didn't know whether the curse just made her seem more beautiful, but I highly doubted it. She had a natural essence about her.

"I think..." I trailed off. "I think I'm the golden wolf."

The fear that contorted her face sent shivers down my spine. "You..."

"When I turn, I'm golden. I read somewhere that it's rare."

"It's rarer than rare. Are you sure it's not light brown..."

"I'm sure."

El pulled her fingers away. "Do you realize that if she finds her mate..."

"I'm aware. I also know I'm the only one that can stop it."

"But, I don't think you understand. She is beautiful. More beautiful than anything you can even imagine."

"More beautiful than you?" I asked quickly. A fast spreading blush stained her cheeks. "I'm not--"

"You are," I said. "And trust me, I'm an expert in the field. I know a beautiful girl when I see one."

El didn't argue, but I could tell she didn't believe me. "How are you going to approach her and the clan?"

"How many are there?" I asked.

"I spent six months with them when this first happened," she explained. "As you know, men take a year to transform. For a woman, its almost instantaneous. Besides Adele, the leader, there are ten other head female wolves. Any woman that is bitten by Adele or these ten must answer to them. The males are at the very bottom."

"So I'm dealing with a whole bunch of feminists," I said sarcastically. "Great."

El didn't look amused. I rubbed my neck and settled down on the end of my bed. "How many all together do you think there are?"

"The numbers pretty much stay the same. Only two or three are brought in each year and almost the same amount are killed for disobediance. I would say a hundred."

"A hundred? You mean to tell me there are a hundred werewolves packed in the forest?"

"It's a bigger place than you think," El said. "I've traveled every square inch."

"Why did you stay with them even after they killed your child?" I asked. El reached down into the crib and I could tell she was stroking Camden's hair.

"I had no choice. I was scared. Besides, being in Adele's presence has a hypnotic effect. Besides, the wolf that changed me declared possession over me."

"I thought you said men were below all?"

"This one was different. I don't know why, but Adele favored him."

"How did you escape?"

"It was simple really. I left on one of my assigned missions and never came back. I still feel the pull during the full moon, but it's gotten easier. I told Ingrid everything and she took me in."

"And you trust her?"

El looked at me angrily. "She's protected me for more than nine years. Of course I trust her."

I couldn't argue with that. El lifted her hand from the crib. "Besides, she'll be the one to watch Camden while I bring you to Adele."

"While you bring me to---now wait just a minute."

"Do you expect to go in there and take them all down? You'll be a dead man."

I hadn't seen this side of her before and I wasn't sure if I liked it. I preferred the meek girl who pretended she didn't know English.

"What makes you think they'll go easier on me if I'm with you? Didn't you say you ran off?"

"No matter. I'm still one of them," she said. "Since I'm bringing them what they want, I'm sure they'll forgive me."

"What they want?"

"The legend of the male Golden Wolf is drilled into our heads from the moment we are turned. Any woman who brings him into Adele's midst will be revered. After all, that's what our missions are all about. Bringing in men."

I thought about the legend, specifically the part about the women who were charged with prostitution. I couldn't imagine El lowering herself that far just to bring her catch to slaughter. It showed me yet another new side of her that I didn't like.

"Are you setting me up?" I asked. El let out a throaty noise of indignation.

"You need an allegiance. I'm all you've got."

"I don't trust Ingrid," I said. "I can't leave Cam with him."

"Would you rather take him with you?"

The implication hung in the air, untangible but perfectly clear.

I didn't have any other choice.

"I better show her how to make the formula."