Diana, Julianna, Helena and half a dozen other mates, mothers or sisters of warriors away at the fight spent time at her home, the latter of whom Sonia had not met until then. But, when Regan told her they lived close, she invited them to her home (comfort in numbers, Sonia thought). They all congregated with Sonia at her house and, as they would be, were also openly troubled.
Sonia tried to be calm and as upbeat as appropriate to soothe the worries of women (especially Regan) who she grew to care about in a short period of time. It was hard not to care about women whose faces were taut with anxiety and whose lives would be a misery if their warriors fell.
So Sonia kept the coffee going (in the mornings) and the wine flowing and food available (in the evenings) and did the best she could in a tense situation that seemed to last an age and not eight days.
Therefore, as Sonia was busy seeing to her female subjects while the males were at war, Sonia would have to argue with Callum when he got home about the fact that she intended to stay home and not move to his castle.
While Callum battled a faceless (to Sonia) enemy, Sonia waged her own battle.
A battle within.
She battled against her feelings of fear that he would be hurt (or worse). She also battled to control her feelings of rage that he had again, for whatever demented, Callum reason, fought to win a place in her heart and succeeded brilliantly only to prove he didn’t belong there.
This was proved time and again after he took off her ring, handed it to his mother and left without a single glance at her house. A place where he built the best Christmas she’d had in decades only to end it by nonchalantly blowing down his own house of cards.
He proved it in making it known he was taking her away from her home, her friends, her business by doing nothing more than ordering it so and not even having the courtesy to order it to her face. He proved it by making her say good-bye to her friends and neighbors by, again, ordering it done. He proved it by making Regan take her shopping for the numerous clothes (how she needed more, Sonia would never know) that Regan told her would be required in her new home. He proved it by doing all of this without asking Sonia what she wanted, where she wanted to live, who she wanted to surround her and what she wanted to wear.
Lastly, he proved it by his behavior the moment he arrived back safely from the fight and the hours after he swept her away.
Callum, her dream Callum, her handsome wolf, was a figment of her imagination.
No matter how he behaved sometimes, there was only King Callum and she vowed in her head that she would always, always remember that.
* * * * *
The worst part started when Regan received a phone call in the kitchen and came rushing into the living room where Sonia was sitting with Julianna and Helena.
“It’s over! Victory is ours!” Regan shouted with delight, Julianna and Helena cried out their joy and Regan looked at Sonia. “Callum, Calder, Caleb and Ryon are fine.” She looked at Helena. “Trenten is too.” She looked at Julianna. “Your brother is also with us and I’m sure Saint already knows his two brothers are safe.” Then she hugged herself and laughed out loud before Julianna, Helena and Sonia surged up to hug her and each other, so great was their relief. Though Sonia’s, obviously, was mixed with other things as well.
Then suddenly Regan grabbed Sonia’s face in both her hands and cried, “Oh sweetheart! I forgot! It’s time to get you prepared!”
Before explaining a word of this statement to Sonia, Regan started dashing around the house while Helena and Julianna, still wreathed in relieved smiles, gave her hugs and fond farewells but, Sonia noted, no explanations.
Regan was banging around upstairs when Sonia finally joined her in her bedroom. The six suitcases and one large cosmetics bag they’d purchased three days earlier were all open and littering her bed, her window seat and even the floor.
“The boys will be here soon. You go find the things that you want to take with you. Don’t worry if you miss something. Julianna can send it if you remember something you’d like to have.” Then she paused, whirled on Sonia and exclaimed, “Oh no! The boxes are in the garage. I’ll need to go get them. You! Pack your clothes. I’ll run and do that.”
“Regan, what on earth?” Sonia started but she was talking to no one. In the blink of an eye Regan was gone.
She followed her mother-in-law and found her in the kitchen for some reason struggling with large, flat-folded cardboard boxes and tape.
Regan glanced her way before babbling, “We should have done this before but I didn’t want… just in case…” She hesitated. “Well, obviously, if something happened, you’d be staying here so I didn’t…” She paused again and went on, “Anyway, Callum ordered me to do it and if we don’t get it done by the time he arrives, he won’t be best pleased.”
Even though Sonia had no idea what Regan was talking about she figured that last part was the sorry truth.
Regan continued, “And Caleb said Callum wants to leave for home the minute he gets to the city so we must be ready.”
“Regan, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sonia told her and Regan stopped and looked at her as if perplexed.
“You’re moving to Scotland with Callum,” she replied. “I thought I explained that to you.”
“Yes, but –”
“There’s no time to waste, Sonny.” Regan threw down a box. “You do this. Build the boxes. There’s that bubble wrap stuff and tissue paper for packing in the garage. Anything you want from here, pack it up in the boxes. I’ll see to your clothes.”
“Regan –” Sonia started again but Regan’s phone rang.
She lifted a hand palm up for Sonia to stop speaking and she answered her phone. While listening, the palm went down but she twirled her hand adamantly toward the boxes.