Chapter 4

Nix’s POV   

When I heard a loud banging coming from the door, it startled me. I am not expecting any guests, even if I was no one I know would bang like that. I wasn’t expecting four men in suits standing on my porch. I want to say they were tall, but I was almost on a par with them. They were demanding to see my mom. I told them she was resting in her room, so they couldn’t. That’s when one of them barged past me.   

“What the hell? Get out of my house.” I yelled at the guy. Two of them grabbed hold of me. The one that was in my house was walking around shouting, “woman, where are you?” I was watching him like a hawk. I don’t know what they wanted with my mom, but they won’t find her here. But when he started heading towards her bedroom. I yelled, “you can’t go in there.”   

“Watch me,” was his response. Now I don’t know who this lot thinks they are, but this is my home and I will defend it. I started thrashing against the two men holding me in place. But when his hand went for the knob of her bedroom door, I just lost it. The rage I felt inside of me was overwhelming. I didn’t even know what was going on until someone called my name and told me to calm down.   

I wanted to calm down. I needed to calm down. I told the stranger, “I told them they couldn’t go into her room. They wouldn’t listen.” My anger rose with the memory of them invading my home.   

He spoke and I fell to the ground. Through gritted teeth, I said, “I will kill anyone if they go into her room.” That’s all I remembered before I blacked out.   

I woke up lying on the couch in my living room. It was dark outside. I can't recall how much time I lost. I slowly got up, and my head was throbbing with pain. I took a quick look around the house. What are these men doing in my home? Why is the coach here? I honestly do not know what is going on.   

“Finally awake, Nix?” the coach asked. I really suspecting he isn’t a coach.   

“What do you all want?” I asked.   

A man sits opposite me in a sharp suit. “Nix, where is your mom?”   

I am sick of pretending. “Dead, she’s dead alright. Those filthy rogues killed her a few weeks ago.”   

He says nothing, but he nods. “I am sorry about that, Nix. I really am. We sent Reed here because we heard there were rogues in the area.” 

“Not soon enough, obviously.” I snarled, but for no reason. It’s not their fault the rogues killed her, but I am still angry.   

“Nix, we need to know more about your past. You are strong.”   

“Well, I work hard.”    

“No, I mean, your wolf is strong. Stronger than most other wolves. Your aura could rival the Wolf King’s. We need to know about your parentage, your heritage. Have you ever had any relative visit?”    

“Maybe you’re all weak. I don’t have a wolf, anyway.” I said to him, “Mom rarely talked about her past. She would say she’s not going that way, so why look back?” He nods his head in agreement. “Smart lady.”   

“She was.” Tears ran down my face. “A woman and a girl once visited us. I must have been about 8 years old. Mom said they were passing through and stopped off to say goodbye to her. The woman was beautiful, the girl was dressed in blue. She had funny eyes, but she had a beautiful smile. I never saw them after that.” That is the only memory I ever had of anyone visiting our home.  

“We need you to come with us while we figure all of this out.”    

“I don’t know you. I can’t leave my crops or my animals. They are the only things I have left.”   

“No, you have a future. I work for the Wolf Council. We work alongside the Wolf King’s. One of our duties is to ensure wolves don’t go near human land. They don’t know we exist. But Nix, your presence here could cause problems in the future. We want to help you find your place in the world wherever that, maybe.” I think about what he is saying. I shook my head and was about to answer him. “She wouldn’t want you to look back, would she?” He repeated what I had just said to him.

  

“No, she wouldn’t, but I am not going anywhere until this place is sorted.”   

“Fine, I will buy your farm off you. Name your price?”   

“A million dollars,” I said sarcastically.   

“Fine, give me your bank details.” My jaw nearly hit the ground. He has never just agreed to pay a million dollars for my land, has he? “What about my animals?”    

“Give them to someone you know. I don’t care. I want you ready to leave tomorrow. Reed will stay here with you until then. Get packing.”    

I am speechless. I have just sold my family home for far too much money and am leaving tomorrow with a bunch of men I don’t know. What have I just agreed to?    

I waited until I could verify that the money had been added to my bank before going to bed. I think he is joking, to be honest. I was suddenly energized when the money appeared. Crap, he was serious. One million dollars. Just sitting there, in my bank account. It truly is time to say goodbye to the place. The worst part is, if I leave, I will be saying goodbye to the home she raised me in, all those memories. But she would want me to move forward with my life. I should go, she would encourage me too.  

I asked Reed if he could organize a vehicle for me. So, I can load my life into it. It’s not like I have much, but I want to keep anything that I can to remember her by. Her memories can travel with me.  

She has been my life, my world, my everything so far. But I have to move forward. She would want me to. Now that the opportunity has arisen. I put my animals in my outdated truck and drove them to the farmer close by. The farmer will ensure they are taken care of. I also leave him the truck, seeing that I won’t be needing it.   

Now for the hardest task. I stood outside of her bedroom for a while, a long while, before I eventually went in. There are pictures of us everywhere. I could still smell her. I just dropped to my knees and cried. I cried because she loved me just as much as I loved her, and now she was gone. This room is the only memory I have left of her and I am leaving. Leaving the thing I loved the most in this world.   

Reed came in behind me, offering to help. I want to say yes, so I can get out of here quicker. The room holds so many memories. But in reality, the answer is no, because I want to enjoy those memories and I don’t want anyone else touching her stuff.    

I boxed all the pictures she had around her bedroom. It felt like I was boxing up our life. I look at each picture and remember our happy times. We had bad ones too, but they are long forgotten. Sometimes my eyes were too blurry to see. But I need to do this. I need to take all these memories with me. 

In her jewelry box, I found the gold necklace she always wore. It had a thick chain, too thick for the delicate woman she was. It had a golden wolf charm dangling in the middle and the wolf had a diamond for an eye. On the back, the inscription read ‘Always’. I put it around my neck, so a piece of her would always be with me.   

I cried the entire time I was there. Reed appeared with some vacuum-sealed bags. So, I could take items that had her scent on them. It wouldn’t last forever, but for a short period, it would. I would hate to have seen what I looked like when I came out of that room, which was the reason I never went into it.   

Reed got me an SUV. I loaded the belongings I was taking with me in it. I had one more stop to make. I had to say goodbye to my mom one last time before I left. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. She has given me a lifetime of happiness. I will always remember that. No matter where I end up, I will remember that.