Chapter 49
Chapter 49: Lucas
Sutton started to prepare for the move to the packhouse the next morning. I had finished making a few phone calls when I went upstairs to check on her as she was packing. She was staring at the suitcase sitting on the bed when I walked in.
“Everything okay?”
She sighed. “Yeah, I’m just done,” she replied with a small laugh. “I don’t really have much and you did say to leave some things here.”
“That will change soon enough,” I told her. “You’ll have a full wardrobe in no time once…”
“No, no, no,” she interrupted. “That’s not what I meant.” She laughed softly. “I was just thinking again, that’s all.”
“About?”
Sutton raised an eyebrow at me.
“Okay, okay, stupid question,” I laughed, knowing very well how much she had to think about. “Would you like to talk about any of those thoughts you’re having?”
Sutton shrugged. “I’m kind of still trying to organize them,” she said. “But focusing on the move has helped. I have things I can actually do about it.”
The doorbell sounded unexpectedly.
“Are you expecting someone?” I asked.
Sutton jumped with a gasp. “My flowers,” she exclaimed, pushing past me. “I completely forgot they were arriving today.”
I chuckled as I shook my head. I followed but she rushed ahead of me. I heard her instruct the delivery driver to unload at the side gate and went to help them. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. I watched Sutton through the window. Once the deliverymen had left, I went out to join her.
It was a warm spring day and I could tell she was excited. She was almost finished with the project and I’d already told her we’d wait until she was done to leave. This was the last order she was waiting on. She was already starting to unwrap the burlap that covered the plants.
“This is the special order I had to make,” she explained. “It’s a perfect time to get them in. We get some good blooms around mid–summer. My mom and I made a tea blend with these. It’ll be nice to make a new batch once these come in.”
She removed the covering and a strange scent hit my nose. It was subtle but distinct enough I almost had to cover my face. Rhonen suddenly started snarling in my head, snapping as his hair stood on end. I got a feeling in my gut and I got closer to examine the plants further. Holding my breath as I looked for some kind of identification card.
“What kind of flowers are these?” I asked urgently, trying not to breathe through my nose.
“Blue rock…”
Before she could finish answering, I found the card. My stomach dropped. In a split second, I was pulling Sutton away from the pallets.
“Lucas…” she protested. “What are you doing?”
“Do you know what these are?” I demanded, holding the card up.
“I was trying to….”
“It’s wolfsbane, Sutton,” I yelled. “Aconite. It’s what’s been poisoning you your whole life. You said you wanted your wolf, Sutton. What do you’re doing with these?”
you think
Sutton’s face paled. Her mouth fell open but she couldn’t say anything. It dawned on me that she didn’t actually know. She was just as shocked as I was. My outburst likely didn’t help. I cursed under my breath. Needing to get away from the smell, I put an arm around Sutton’s shoulders and led her into the house.
“Lucas, you’ve got to be wrong,” she finally said, starting to pace. “That’s ridiculous. My mom told me they’re called blue rockets. I’ve had them in every garden I’ve…” She was piecing things together as I was. “Oh, goddess…”
“Baby…” I tried to reach for her but she moved away. “You said something about a tea…”
“Every week,” she told me. “Every Sunday evening, my mother and I would have a cup of tea together. Ever since I can remember. She taught me
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Chapter 49
how to grow all the ingredients. She taught me how to make it. When she died… I continued the tradition in memory of her. But you’re saying…” Her breathing started to speed up. “You’re telling me that she was poisoning me? My own mother?”
“Sutton, we don’t know why she did it,” I said.
“That’s it? That’s your response?” she demanded, tears forming. “You’re not even going to try to find another explanation? You truly believed my mother poisoned me?”
My shoulders fell in defeat. My chest burned as I watched the pain she was going through. Rhonen retreated into my subconscious.
“Honey…” I said softly, “I don’t think there’s any denying it now.”
Her hands were fisted at her sides. She was breathing quickly. Her jaw was clenched. But she had no argument. There was nothing else to say. Turning on her heel, she stormed outside to the backyard. I started to follow her, making sure she didn’t do anything dangerous. But she just kept walking, making her way to the opening in the back of the fence.
More than anything, I wanted to go after her. I wanted to be there to help her work through this. But something held me back. I had a feeling she needed to come to terms with this on her own. I didn’t know her mother. I didn’t know the reality of their relationship. Only Sutton did. Only Sutton could reconcile that.
It also wouldn’t help if she sensed my relief. I hated that she was going through this. That she was questioning even more of her life. It wouldn’t mean much to Sutton right now, but it gives us one of the answers we needed. I didn’t believe her mother was trying to harm Sutton. In fact, I was starting to think she was trying to protect her.
I pulled my phone from my pocket. Searching through the contacts, I found the one person I suspected had more answers than he had let on. Someone who knew exactly who Sutton was.
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