Innocent Devil’s Harem Ch. 58

October 3, 2021

NOTE: This chapter ends on a minor cliffhanger (really minor). Like, you guys know what's going to happen, so it's hard to even really call it a cliffhanger, but we don't quite get to the point I know you're all looking forward too.

However, next chapter we have some interesting developments coming up, and then I believe we'll be getting to Miriam's place the chapter after that (and they will likely talk about his secret at that point).

Hope you enjoy! 

<< Chapter 57 | Ch 1 (Book1) | Ch 16 (Book 2) | Ch 31 (Book 3) | Ch 46 (Book 4)

- CHAPTER 58: Introductions -

After visiting Ms. Miriam and Gwen in a random field off a backroad, to discuss the situation presented by this new threat, Serenity, Natalie, and I were all finally just pulling onto our street to return home after a pretty eventful morning. And truly, was it eventful, between finding out that werewolves really did exist, coupled with the fact that what I imagined them to be was nothing like reality.

But then, there was the complete one-eighty in Natalie’s attitude.

Honestly, I almost felt like I had whiplash now that Natalie had kind of opened up to us some.

I supposed that showing her that I could really use magic, and then admitting that I might have a way to help with the werewolf curse, something I wasn’t ready to share the exact specifics about since I hadn’t even told Ms. Miriam yet, really changed her mind about her willingness to work with us.

More than that, from what I could tell, it kind of changed her overall hesitancy toward me.

Because, it turned out, despite everything Natalie had been through, she’d totally fuck some random dude to get rid of the curse that caused her excruciating, agonizing, traumatizing pain every full moon.

And she wasn’t a whore by any means either, having only had sex once prior to getting kidnapped.

But to avoid the reoccurring torment that now plagued her life?

Yeah, she’d fuck for that.

She’d fuck the ugliest bastard in the world for that, and she said as much.

The pain was that bad.

The transformation was that traumatizing.

Every. Single. Time.

It hurt horribly every single time.

She compared it to being chopped up piece-by-piece, all her bones broken into tiny fragments, only to get sewn right back together as a horrifying monster with no self-control, only to get chopped up all over again and put back together as a smaller, weaker, defeated little insect of a person who actually had a conscience and might be a little messed up after having spent all night eviscerating and devouring everything in sight.

Needless to say, after that detailed explanation, I realized being a werewolf truly was a curse.

Ms. Miriam was right.

It wasn’t at all anything like they had in movies nowadays. They’d definitely romanticized it, and turned it into fluffy doggie creatures, or at least wolf-man monsters that looked kind of cool. But the reality was, real werewolves did not look cool, instead being ugly mutated abominations, and the curse of being one was truly just that.

A real curse.

One that would make most want to end their own lives to escape it, if only their alpha would allow them to do so.

But apparently the alpha didn’t dislike the pain, like the others.

The pain was associated with their power and authority, and they almost immediately learned to love it, like how a weightlifter might like the ‘burn’ they felt with each rep. For the alpha, the transformation was a satisfying burn of rapidly increasing power.

But for his underlings, it was an agonizingly slow torture with few comparisons.

Needless to say, it kind of felt like we just had a normal person in the car with us now, Natalie revealing her true self now that she’d relaxed a little, instead of the guarded individual we’d spent all morning with.

It was just now a little after noon as we pulled into our driveway, with me already expecting to see Avery’s car, since Serenity had just spoken on the phone with Michelle not long ago, verifying that we’d all be getting back around the same time. Serenity also mentioned that we had someone with us named Natalie, and that we would explain what was going on when we got home, which of course had both of them concerned now.

However, the prospect of meeting new people hadn’t seemed to put a damper on the blue-haired vixen’s new mood.

“So this is it, huh?” Natalie commented, leaning forward in her seat as she focused ahead. “Kind of a nice secluded area, but the house is smaller than I expected.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” I said playfully, since sarcasm was definitely her thing.

She scoffed at that, only to reply honestly. “Yeah, well, the places I’ve lived in the last year have been shit in comparison, so I suppose I shouldn’t knock it too hard.”

“By the way,” Serenity chimed in. “Not sure how you feel about personal privacy, but we’re going to need to share with them what’s going on. Obviously, we won’t mention the exact details of stuff you’ve gone through, but we need to explain enough so they’re at least aware.”

Natalie frowned at that, leaning back in her seat. “Yeah, whatever. Figured as much.”

I pulled to a stop next to Serenity’s car and put it in park. “And please don’t get upset if they act overly sympathetic. Michelle and Avery are both really sweet, and they sincerely care about people.”

“Right,” Serenity agreed as she popped open her door to get out. “Michelle is especially a sweetheart. And very much acts like a mom sometimes.”

The blue-haired vixen sighed heavily. “Yeah, I get it. Trust me, I’m not trying to have an issue with anyone. I’ll play nice.”

“Good,” I said simply, as I got out too.

Michelle and Avery were both just coming out the front door, the trunk of their car still open, indicating that they must have just finished bringing in the groceries they bought.

Michelle spoke up right away. “Seems like you two had an eventful morning.” She focused on the blue-haired girl. “And you must be Natalie, I presume. I’m Michelle, and this is my daughter Avery. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Umm, nice to meet you too,” she replied, seeming a little timid for some reason. “Sorry to intrude.”

“Not at all, honey,” Michelle replied warmly. “Are you hungry? I’m about to get started on lunch.”

“Umm,” Natalie glanced at me. “Well, yeah, actually I kind of am. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” my blonde MILF said simply.

Natalie focused on Avery, looking her up and down briefly. “And you go to the same school as Kai, or something like that, right?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Avery agreed, reaching up to tuck some of her blonde hair behind her ear, a gesture I’d usually only seen her mom do. “Kind of known each other for a while. Few years, at least.”

Natalie simply nodded, prompting me to speak up, directing my words at the two blondes.

“So, we obviously want to explain what’s going on. How about we head inside, or did you need to grab something else?” I wondered, glancing at their vehicle.

Michelle smiled warmly. “Just have to close the trunk and grab my purse. We actually have a lot of the stuff put away already. We were kind of in a rush, since we knew we had company coming over.”

Natalie scoffed at that. “I wouldn’t really consider myself company. Don’t worry about ‘putting up a front’ for me. I don’t care if it’s a mess inside.”

“Of course not, sweetie,” Michelle said warmly. “We only wanted you to feel welcome, and didn’t want you to have to stand around while we were putting stuff away.”

The blue-haired vixen’s light brown eyes widened slightly, seemingly at Michelle’s genuine kindness. “Oh, umm. Right. M-Make sense.”

I focused on Natalie, not wanting her to start feeling awkward. “Well, come on inside then. We can all sit down at the kitchen table.”

She nodded while beginning to follow me, Avery coming with us, while Serenity hung back with Michelle as she grabbed her purse and closed the trunk.

As I opened the front door, I spoke again. “Bathroom is underneath the stairs, if you need to use it. Otherwise, kitchen is this way,” I added, heading to my right to have a seat.

Natalie paused when Avery closed the door most of the way, just so we weren’t letting out the cool air. “Oh, umm, I don’t use the restroom often. Kind of the only perk, if there even is one.”

“Perk of what?” Avery asked curiously.

I stopped just inside the kitchen, turning to face them still in the entryway. “I’m assuming she means perk of being a werewolf,” I said simply.

Avery’s bright blue eyes immediately lit up in excitement. “Oh wow, that’s so cool!” she exclaimed cheerfully.

Unfortunately, Natalie had the reverse reaction, instantly hostile.

“No, it’s not fucking cool!” she yelled, visibly pissed. “It’s a fucking nightmare!”

Avery looked stunned, taking a step back. “S-Sorry. I…I didn’t know.”

Natalie looked away, suddenly appearing visibly ashamed now.

The front door opened up then, Serenity and Michelle coming inside, prompting Avery to step out of the way.

“What’s going on?” Serenity wondered, focusing on Natalie.

Avery spoke up. “I, umm. Well…” Her voice trailed off seeming uncertain of what to say.

“Sorry,” Natalie whispered, her shoulders slumped now. “It was my fault.” She glanced at Avery. “Didn’t mean to yell at you like that. I swear, I’m not normally such a bitch. Just…it’s not cool. Not at all. It sucks.”

I quickly interjected to explain. “Apparently, werewolves aren’t at all like you might read in a romance novel,” I said, knowing she’d read quite a few of those. “Being one is not a pleasant thing. It’s painful, and they have no control.”

“Sorry,” Avery repeated, directing her words at Natalie. “I shouldn’t have assumed. It’s just that it’s pretty cool being like…” Her blue eyes immediately widened, as she abruptly covered her mouth with both hands, looking at me like she was in trouble. Which, of course, made it pretty easy for the blue-haired vixen to assume what she was about to say.

“Like him?” Natalie said in surprise, as it all seemed to dawn on her, how I might be able to fix her curse. Suddenly, it was like that final spark lit in her mind, and the light bulb turned all the way on.

Now, she realized exactly how I might break her curse -- by turning her into something else.

Ah, dammit.

I sighed heavily. “Please be more careful Avery,” I said simply, no accusation in my tone, just a gentle reminder.

“Oh Kai, I’m so sorry,” my blonde classmate replied, her tone sounding overly desperate. “I wasn’t thinking. It’s just, finding out she’s different too, I didn’t even consider that…” Her voice trailed off.

“Avery, relax,” I said gently. “I was probably going to tell her anyway. And she’d figure it out on her own, if someone wasn’t careful and accidentally started to look different. But yeah, in the future, let’s not share the secret, even if we’re dealing with someone else who is different too.”

She nodded confidently. “Of course, Kai. It’s not even my secret to share. And I’m really sorry.”

I simply nodded, only to gesture for everyone to come into the kitchen. “Let’s sit down, so I can give you two an update.”

They all began to file in, with Michelle speaking up.

“Are you fine if I get started on lunch?” she wondered. “Avery and I probably should have stopped somewhere. We’re both pretty famished.”

“Oh, yeah of course. That’s fine. We actually ended up having brunch ourselves. Do you want help?”

She shook her head. “I’m alright, sweetie.”

I simply nodded as I took a seat, deciding to sit on the side of the table, instead of on the end this time. Avery went ahead and sat across from me.

Up until this point, I kind of hadn’t paid much attention to the crack still in the table, the two halves held together by a few boards nailed in underneath, since it had been a couple of days since I’d broken it, but I watched Natalie focus right on it as she carefully sat down next to Avery, looking a little uncomfortable by the sight.

Serenity decided to address her obvious concern, as she sat next to me, speaking to the blue-haired vixen sitting across from her. “Would you believe me if I said someone actually kidnapped me recently?” she wondered in a lighthearted tone.

Natalie’s light brown eyes focused on her in surprise as she brushed some of her blue hair out of her face. “Umm, do you mean that literally?”

She nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. Was a pretty scary experience.”

I took a deep breath, and decided to just summarize everything for her. “So basically, to kind of give you some context first, I’ve been different all my life. And when I was younger, I often snuck out in the middle of the night on the full moon.”

“Wait, why the full moon?” she interjected, her blue eyebrows furrowed.

I shrugged. “I’ve just always felt wide awake during those nights. But anyway, when I was nine years old, I snuck out and actually stumbled on a murder taking place.”

Her light brown eyes widened into saucers. “Fuck.”

Serenity chimed in. “I actually had no idea that happened back then. Only that he became really depressed, for seemingly no reason.”

Natalie nodded. “Well, no wonder. No kid should have to see something like that.”

“Anyway,” I continued. “Turned out that the killer was actually hired help. And the real murderer was filming it, so he saw me when I…didn’t exactly look normal.” I paused when her eyes widened again, only for her to glance at the others, before returning her attention to me as I continued. “So, he’d been trying to track me down all this time. Had no idea. Ended up throwing two different serial killers in our general direction, just to try to flush me out. And then, when he figured out that Serenity must know me, he kidnapped her.” I paused. “I actually hadn’t even told her my secret at that point, and so she wasn’t different like she is now. She was still a normal person.”

“I did my best to defend myself,” Serenity added, seeming a little somber now. “Even had my gun on me when I answered the door. But he kicked it in, and then drugged me with something.”

“Fuck,” Natalie repeated, not at all seeming skeptical anymore. It was like she no longer had any doubts about us, or at least saw no reason for us to lie.

“Anyway,” I said, placing my hand on the table, and moving it toward the crack. “Gabriella and I were just getting home, and when I saw the note left for me, taunting me to come find him before he left me a trail of body parts to collect for the funeral, this sort of happened.”

Natalie nodded slowly, focusing on my hand and then meeting my gaze. “I guess you must have been pretty pissed,” she commented, just stating the obvious.

I frowned. “I don’t enjoy killing, and the handful of times I have, I didn’t torture them or anything. I simply ended the threat. But yeah, if that guy had been here when I broke the table, then I probably would have took my time ripping his heart out and feeding it to him.”

She leaned back more in her chair, seeming to relax some. “Well, when we go after those guys, feel free to take out all your frustrations on them. I’ll just be happy if I can watch.”

I smirked at that, only to sigh, turning in my seat to speak, in order to make sure Michelle felt included. “So that’s kind of the issue we’ve run into,” I said, segueing right into the information I wanted to share. “Natalie here was sort of kidnapped by a bunch of guys. Or rather, a pack of werewolves, and we were able to get her away from them, but they’re still going to be a threat until I find them again and deal with them. Couldn’t exactly take care of them in public.”

Michelle stopped what she was doing, focusing on Natalie. “Oh honey, I am so sorry.”

Natalie’s face flushed slightly and she focused down at her lap, not responding.

Michelle continued, giving me her attention. “So what do you want us to do, dear?”

“Well, when Gabriella gets off work, we all still plan on visiting Ms. Miriam at her place. We actually saw her earlier -- kind of met her halfway -- but still have a lot to share with her.” I glanced at Natalie, speaking specifically to her. “The redhead you met, Ms. Miriam, actually doesn’t know that I’ve made anyone else like me, and I need to be careful about approaching the subject, because usually creatures that have similar traits are bad news.”

Natalie nodded. “I understand. I won’t snitch. Last I want to do is ruin my chances of you helping me out.”

“Speaking of which,” I continued. “I do want to try to see if she can help figure out how your body would handle that kind of change. Because with everyone else, they were mostly just normal people, but the last thing I’d want to do is try to help you, only to make your situation worse.”

She nodded again. “Make sense. And thanks. Really, you have no idea how much I appreciate it.”

Damn, it was still so weird having her be so grateful. Like, even just the mention earlier in the car that I might be able to help with the curse, never mind the proof that I could use magic, it was really like she’d done a complete one-eighty with me.

Michelle spoke up again. “So what do you want me and Avery to do?” she repeated.

I turned in my seat more a second time to focus on my blonde MILF. “Those guys have a way of tracking her. Essentially, like a compass. And while that basically means that they should have no reason to come here while we’re gone, since we plan on bringing Natalie with us, at the same time I don’t want to chance you two getting caught in the crossfire. Probably best if you stay at your house while we’re away.”

“Of course dear,” she said reassuringly. “That won’t be a problem at all.”

I nodded, about to respond, only for my phone to start vibrating, indicating I was getting a call.

Pulling it out, I was surprised to see it was Gabriella, wondering if she was calling me on her break. Standing up out of my seat, I directed my words more to Serenity right before answering it. “It’s Gabriella. Let me get this really quick.”

“Sure,” my sexy brunette said simply.

I held the phone up to my ear, beginning to walk away so that they could still talk while I was busy. “Hey there, how are you doing?” I replied warmly. “Calling on your break?”

“Hey baby,” Gabriella replied with just as much affection. “Actually no. Just got in my car, and I’m heading home early.”

My eyes widened in surprise, pausing just at the kitchen entrance. “Oh, is everything alright?”

“Yep,” she said reassuringly. “But it’s been a pretty slow day so far, and my boss wasn’t really expecting me to come in anyway. Kind of feel silly for not realizing why we had an extra girl there.” She sighed. “But she told me that, while she was fine with me staying, I could also take off early if I wanted to. Not like I’m desperate for money, or anything, and I really miss you, so decided to take her up on the offer.” She paused. “If you don’t mind having me home early.”

“No, not at all. Although, we’ve had a lot happen this morning, and if you’re coming home early, then we might head to Ms. Miriam’s place sooner than planned.”

“Something bad happen?” Gabriella wondered seriously. “Is that why Serenity called to check up on me?”

“Not exactly bad. Like, no one is hurt or anything, but yeah, we sort of have a problem to deal with now. But probably best if I explain in person.” I paused. “We do have company over though, so don’t be too shocked when you get home.”

“Guy or girl?” she wondered curiously.

“Girl. Her name is Natalie.”

“And are we taking her with us to see my great-great-grandmother?”

“How’d you know?”

She sighed. “Well, she’s with you now, and you want to leave right away when I get home, so just kind of figured she must be coming along.”

“Well, we don’t have to leave right away. Michelle is fixing lunch for everyone. But yeah, she needs to come.” I paused. “Oh and…” My voice trailed off.

“What’s up?”

I sighed. “Well, the situation was kind of pressing, so we actually met Ms. Miriam a little bit ago. She and Gwen drove out to meet us halfway. But we didn’t really talk about a lot of things,” I quickly added, concerned she’d feel left out. “Kind of just discussed the issue that had come up, and then they went back home. But I plan on telling her everything once you’re with us.”

“Okay, that sounds good.”

“Sorry we saw her without you.”

“What?” she said in surprise. “No, that’s alright. I’m just concerned now, because this must be a pretty big deal if you decided to see her early, even though we already had plans to.”

I sighed. “Yeah, kind of. But let me go ahead and call her, just to make sure she’s alright with us coming over early. I mean, I can’t see a reason why she wouldn’t be, but just want to make sure.”

“Sounds good. I guess I’ll see you soon then.”

“See you soon,” I replied warmly. “Love you.”

Her tone was full of affection. “Love you too, baby. Bye.”

“Bye,” I echoed, hanging up.

When I glanced back into the kitchen, I realized everyone had been listening in, since I hadn’t ended up going very far. Figuring they’d want to know what was up anyway, I went ahead and called Ms. Miriam.

She picked up on the second ring. “Well hi again,” the adorable succubus said warmly, the sound of an engine rumbling in the background. “Wasn’t expecting another call from you so soon. Everything alright?”

It was obvious from her tone that she was more happy to have me calling than she was worried.

“Yeah. I was just calling because it looks like Gabriella is getting off work early, and I wondered if you minded us coming over sooner?”

“That would be wonderful!” she said cheerfully, the engine revving slightly in the background. “What time do you think you’ll be over?”

“Are you not home yet?” I asked, prompted by the sounds I was hearing.

She chuckled. “No, not yet. I didn’t realize how much Gwen was itching to get out, but now that she’s behind the wheel of her favorite toy, she’s sort of holding me hostage.” She laughed again. “We’ve been joyriding. Actually got pulled over by a cop just ten minutes ago.” She giggled. “That was fun. But now we’re on our way again.”

“Oh,” I said simply, uncertain of what she meant by ‘that was fun.’ I cleared my throat. “Umm, cool.”

Unfortunately, she picked up on the drop in my tone. “Kai…” She said hesitantly, only to pause. “We didn’t like…” She paused again. “I mean, I just sweet-talked my way out of getting a ticket. It was…amusing…watching him get all flustered. But I didn’t touch him, or let him touch me.” She sighed, only to take a deep breath. “I’m still not…well, I’m not really sure how to live differently. But for now, I haven’t done anything that would make you upset.”

I cleared my throat. “Sorry. Wasn’t trying to stress you out.”

She sighed again. “No, I’m sorry. I should have been more clear.”

“I shouldn’t have assumed anything,” I replied.

She was quiet for a few seconds, only to switch the subject. “Well, I think I’ll let Gwen have her fun for another half hour, and then we’ll head home.”

“It’s an hour drive for us, so there’s no rush. When Gabriella gets home, we’ll have lunch first.”

Miriam chuckled again. “Well, you just made Gwen’s day, by suggesting that she might be able to play for another hour.”

I couldn’t help but smirk. “It really is fine. I’ll let you know when we leave, so she can have as much fun as possible.”

“Hey now,” Ms. Miriam scoffed. “What about what I want? I’m being held prisoner right now.”

I chuckled. “You poor thing.”

Gwen unexpectedly laughed in the background, truly sounding in a good mood.

I couldn’t help but grin even wider. “Well, okay,” I continued. “I guess we will see you in a little bit then. Hope you have fun.”

“Do you think you and I might get a chance to spend some time alone together?” she asked hopefully. “I’m not used to missing another person so much, and I’m not sure how I’m going to function from now on, if I can’t see you regularly.”

“I think we should be able to do that. But we do first need to talk about a bunch of stuff.”

“Of course,” she agreed. “And thank you. I’m really excited to have all of you over.”

“Thank you. I guess we’ll see you in a little bit.”

“Looking forward to it,” she replied warmly. “Bye for now.”

“Bye,” I said, just before hanging up.

I then put my phone in my pocket, and walked back to the table to have a seat, all eyes on me now. Figuring they were waiting for me to speak, I cleared my throat again.

“So I guess we have our plans figured out now.”

“Sounds like it,” Serenity agreed. “And I guess when Gabriella gets home, do you want to show Natalie before we head over?”

I knew she was talking about my larger form. “Yep, that should be fine. But first, while I’m thinking about it, I’m going to run outside and scope out a few miles around our house, to just verify no one unwelcome has been around.”

Natalie cleared her throat, seeming a little more comfortable talking about the situation now. “Honestly, if they were going to come anytime soon, then it would be by car. I’m not exactly sure how fast you can run on foot, but they are only a little above average most of the time.”

I frowned. “That guy seemed pretty quick earlier at the mall though.”

She nodded, only grimacing a little. “They all have very fast reflexes, and could probably move about ten or twenty feet very quickly from the initial sprint. But long-distances are a different story.” She paused then, glancing down. “Unless they are still alive on the full moon. Then they’ll definitely be coming on foot...”

“Not on paw?” I wondered, trying to lighten the mood.

She grimaced more, focusing up on me. “Umm no. We don’t have paws. We really are hideous monsters, as much as I hate to think about it.”

I sighed. “Sorry. Bad joke.”

She shook her head, but didn’t respond.

“Alright, I’ll be back in a little bit then.” I focused on Serenity. “I have my phone on me, but I’ll be keeping an ear out, in case you need something.”

She nodded. “We should be fine. See you in a little bit.”

I nodded, only to focus on Michelle as she glanced back at me, deciding to give her a quick hug of appreciation. “Thanks again for making lunch,” I said warmly as she leaned into my side. “Smells good,” I added, realizing she was making spaghetti and garlic butter toast. She was also browning some beef in two skillets.

She answered my questioning gaze. “Figured we were all needing a lot of calories, and this kind of meal is easy to make in bulk. I usually mix the meat in with the pasta sauce.”

I nodded, giving her another warm smile, coupled with another squeeze. “I’ll eat anything you fix.”

She grinned at me. “Be safe,” she said simply as I pulled away.

“Will do,” I replied as I turned, giving both Serenity and Avery one last smile before heading out the door.

Once I was outside, I could hear it was quiet in the kitchen for a few seconds, before Serenity spoke up again, directing her words at Avery and Michelle, asking more about the shopping trip, clearly wanting to help Natalie feel more comfortable by not making her the center of attention.

And sure enough, as I began running through the trees to scope out the perimeter, focusing on my senses, including my third-eye, to ensure no one had been around recently, Natalie began to slowly interact in little ways, by scoffs or one-word reactions. And then, before long she was willingly sharing things from her past, such as how she was glad she wasn’t in high school anymore, once Avery mentioned graduation, or how she did kind of miss one of her friends, who moved away to go to college out-of-state.

She also mentioned that she’d probably be in college right now too, if not for what happened.

And then, when Michelle asked about her family, she quietly admitted that they were gone…

Both her parents killed by the bastard who’d kidnapped her, right after he changed her, as just the beginning of the nightmare he’d put her through. In his eyes, they were a complication, so he forced her to recommend to her dad that they go on a family canoe trip, at a time when the river was already dangerous after recent heavy rains. And, when her dad agreed, she was forced to lead them directly into an ambush, watching as the five bastards drowned her mom and dad both, right in front of her eyes.

Honestly, finding that out was shocking enough, but I was also surprised that Natalie was even sharing in the first place. Because I would have expected someone like her to never open up enough to disclose that kind of thing. Especially not something so traumatizing.

And it wasn’t like she was using it as an excuse to get anyone’s pity either. Like, she wasn’t crying or anything when she spoke about it. Rather, it sounded more like she just wanted to get it off her chest.

To tell someone what really happened.

To tell anyone that they didn’t drown from an undercurrent, or something like that, like she was forced to tell the police -- that they were swimming and both just got sucked under.

At least it didn’t sound like she blamed herself though. She was well aware it wasn’t her fault, and of course, while she obviously wished she could have prevented it from happening, she knew she was helpless to do anything.

I realized that was a part of her core aura that I sensed. Not necessarily just a stubbornness to persist and survive, but also a sense of being reasonable about what was or wasn’t her fault. As in, the core of who she was significantly affected her self-esteem, self-perception, and sense of responsibility, or lack thereof.

So she knew it wasn’t her fault. She didn’t blame herself for the things outside of her control.

And she was aware she’d been helpless all this time, commenting that the prospect of getting revenge was really enticing for her.

“Like, I don’t want any of you to think I’m a horrible person,” Natalie was saying. “Really, I’m not. But if I can even put those bastards through a millionth of what they put me through, then I’ll gladly do it.” She sighed. “At the very least, I hope Kai doesn’t go easy on them. I need this. I need him to hurt them.”

Serenity responded. “We understand, Natalie. We really do. Not your pain of course, but I get your reasoning for wanting revenge. For needing it. Just remember that, if Kai was the kind of person who would truly torture them like what you really want, then he also might not be the kind of guy you’d want as your alpha.”

Natalie was silent for a few seconds as she considered that. “I…I guess that make sense.”

“Not that he won’t hurt them,” Serenity clarified. “But if he does, it’ll be for the sake of justice, more than anything. To give them what they deserve. If he started killing like it sounds like you want, then I’d be concerned.”

She was silent again, and after a heavy sigh, she changed the subject to something more lighthearted.

I was already on my way back at this point, stopping about halfway down the driveway when I heard a car driving down the road, wondering if it might be Gabriella. I actually hadn’t heard Gabriella’s vehicle super recently, since she hadn’t been over in a while, prior to her getting kidnapped at her work, but her car also didn’t really have any solid ‘tells’ that would let me know it was hers anyway, unlike Serenity’s vehicle.

However, when the vehicle slowed down, and then when I saw her pull in, I couldn’t help but grin at her expression, obvious happiness evident in her emerald eyes and small smile.

And then, her eyes lit up more when she saw me waiting for her, slowing down as she approached, her window rolled down. “Hey there stranger,” she said affectionately. “You’re pretty cute. Need a lift?”

I laughed at that. “Wow, how lucky do I have to be for someone as hot as you to want to pick me up?”

She giggled. “Well, I do have a little secret. Want to know?”

“Oh? What’s that?” I said, playing along.

She lowered her voice. “I’ve been watching you for a while, young man, just waiting to get you all alone.”

I grinned. “Damn, that’s so hot. Would be totally creepy if the rolls were flipped though.”

She laughed at that. “Yeah, that’s true. Could be fun to do some roleplay though.”

I smirked. “Well, I’m up for whatever,” I said playfully.

She grinned. “Yeah, I bet you are, naughty boy.” She then glanced at the house. “You said Michelle was making lunch? I can smell it from here.”

“Yep. Hungry?”

“Extremely,” she agreed. “And curious to meet the girl you brought home.”

I lowered my voice, my tone now serious. “Well, don’t lay it on too thick when you meet her. She’s been through a lot of shit. Like, don’t act like you pity her or anything, but also try not to come off too strongly.”

“Oh, of course, Kai,” she replied, only for her tone to become playful. “Don’t forget I’m older than you. I do sort of know how to interact with people, you know.”

I smirked again. “Good point. Sorry.”

“But thanks for the head’s up,” she replied seriously, pushing on the gas and speeding up to go park next to the rest of our vehicles.

I could have easily matched her pace, but decided to just walk, meeting her just in time as she climbed out of her vehicle. I then offered her my arm, and we headed inside, making the introductions. Surprisingly, Natalie picked up on the similarities between Gabriella and Miriam right away, asking outright if they were related.

We hadn’t really shared Ms. Miriam’s age yet, figuring it wasn’t our place to discuss that kind of private information, especially since Natalie wasn’t officially a part of our group at this point. Thus, Gabriella simply said yes, and left it at that.

We then all gathered around the table to eat lunch, actually filling up all the spots for once, since we only had six chairs at the table technically large enough to seat eight people, and divulged into a sort of peaceful silence for a handful of minutes as everyone focused on devouring the spaghetti Michelle had made.

And dang, it was a ton of spaghetti, probably enough to feed twenty people, but it also went faster than I was expecting too. Michelle then decided to pull out a key lime pie and cheesecake they’d gotten, originally planning on saving it for later, but deciding now was as good a time as ever.

Nothing like sweets to put everyone in a good mood.

It wasn’t until almost forty-five minutes later, after everyone seemed pretty satisfied, that I finally brought up the next step of our plans.

“So,” I began simply, grabbing everyone’s attention. “I told Natalie that I’d show her that I can handle those guys who kidnapped her. Problem is, I didn’t want to risk affecting anyone else, but now that we’re all here, I think it’s finally a good time.”

Needless to say, while the others all nodded in understanding, the blue-haired Rockstar chick suddenly looked really nervous, probably because this event had been hyped up so much.

However, I had no doubt she wouldn’t be disappointed.

“So, are you ready?” I asked Natalie directly.

She visibly gulped, glancing around at everyone now focused on her. “Umm…yes,” she said hesitantly.

I tried not to grin.

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Chapter 59 >>