Auctioned Mates Revenge
Chapter 62

Glenda's

POV

I didn't know what was about to happen, but I took Emoni's hand. She squeezed it tight and seemed to be curling in on herself, trying to make herself disappear behind the tinted glass as the jeep stopped. "Where are you going?" A woman's voice drifted through the open window. "We just arrived."

"Into town. We're out of potatoes. Mr. Wallber is at the Zima residence finishing up talks with Gordon."

I looked through the window to get a glimpse of the woman who was speaking. She had been in the Frost Melt's pack picture. Emoni squeezed my hand more firmly.

"And what have you heard about what Matt wants?"

"Whiskey for the club he's opening in Midnight. It seemed to be a normal amount since Gordon didn't seem surprised. I don't know how long it will take, but I think Gordon plans to take the rest of the day off. He wasn't looking too good this morning." "What do you mean?" Another voice came through the window. That woman was older and her voice seemed strained. "What happened?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. He just had a minor attack earlier. It's why they're having the meeting back at the house instead of the brewery. I set him up with his prescription before I left."

He was lying to this woman, but it seemed to have a greater purpose than to just deceive her.

"I see. Well, hurry up at the grocery. He should eat something healthy."

"I planned it."

The woman rolled up her window and they drove on. Greyson pulled out his phone and handed it back to us.

"Text Gordon exactly this: Smoke it until it's gone."

Emoni took the phone and opened the phone, typing quickly before sending the message.

"Then, tell him that he's on rabbit food for at least a week."

She typed and swallowed, "He says go to hell. He wants steak."

Greyson nodded, "Good."

He reached back and took the phone back before going on down the slope.

"What prescription?" Emoni asked, "Is it... is it his heart?"

I glanced at Emoni as she worried her lip.

"No. His heart's physically fine," Greyson said. "He suffers from fugue and grief states."

Emoni frowned as I winced.

"How long?"

"Seven years."

"What does he take?" I asked. "Has he seen a doctor for it?"

My mother specialized in treating wolf spirit illnesses like fugue and grief states. I remember that she prescribed certain blends for them. I remembered that I once wanted to be the same kind of doctor she was.

"Blooming Vibes prescriptions, and several," Greyson said. "He's a... favorite of the alpha. She's invested in keeping him healthy. He has a prescription for it, but he's a bit stubborn about adhering to it. The doctor says it's not as big of a deal since his wolf is so resilient, but when it gets bad. It's bad." Emoni tightened her grip a little more, "H-How bad is bad? What are these states?"

"It's hard for him to get out of bed. He doesn't eat. It's a bit like wasting away mentally. It's common when someone's mate dies... Gordon's been through a lot. It's only hope that's been keeping him alive all this time."

I glanced at Emoni, "Hope for what?"

"Not sure," Greyson said. "He doesn't like to talk about it, for reasons. I know that he's looking for someone though. I guess it's his kid."

Emoni's jaw trembled as we arrived at the airport. He drove us to Matt's plane and they waved at us. Greyson escorted us up to the stairs and stayed standing at the bottom of the stairs until we were inside and I could see him through the window. Emoni stared out the window until the door closed. He turned and got back into the jeep.

"We're just refueling. We'll take off soon. Can I get either of you something to drink?" the attendant asked.

I shook my head.

"Whiskey," Emoni said with a hollow voice. "A triple if possible."

"Would you prefer wolfsbane or straight?"

"Wolfsbane. Blue Ice if you have it."

She nodded and went away. I leaned forward towards Emoni and took her hands.

"He'll be okay."

She shook her head, "No. No, he won't. He's... He's dying. H-Him and Vlad. I can't... I couldn't reach out to them. I thought he was dead all this time because I couldn't..."

She sniffled and lowered her head, trembling. I crossed sides and wrapped my arms around her as she tried not to cry. I took the tumbler of whiskey and set it aside as I stroked her hair.

"He'll be just fine... Fugue states and grief states aren't death sentences."

"B-But he said... He's gotten s-so thin, and..."

"I'm sure he would say the same thing about you."

She looked up. Her glossy eyes glimmered with tears. I wiped them away gently.

"Your Dad is going to be fine. Fugue states are manageable. They can even go away when the reason for their disconnects is lessened. Hoping to replace you has helped keep them at bay all this time. Now, he knows you're perfectly safe."

She nodded shakily, "Y-You're right. You're right, but what if his prescription runs out?"

I winced. She had a point. From what I remembered, the blends mom prescribed were in high demand separately and together. If he smoked Bliss, Midnight Calm, or Dark Earth in any quantity, it was likely that he was in danger of running out even if he only smoked half of the prescription since the symptoms started.

He would be able to lessen it now, but I don't think mom ever stopped prescribing some amount of it even if people were healing from their grief. One of her patients had taken it from the day of her mate's funeral to the day she died.

"We'll check the storehouse," I said, easily. "And set aside an amount for him."

"W-Will that be enough?"

"I think between that and regular calls, it could go a long way."

Emoni nodded and took the whiskey. She ran a hand through her hair, "He's being watched, but a-at least his watchdog is... nice."

She blew out a breath between her teeth and took a sip, "How could things have gotten so complicated so quickly?"

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

Emoni took another sip and looked out the window, "That man... Greyson. He's my mate."

My jaw dropped open as she chuckled wryly.

"And he works for the woman who killed my mother and most of my pack," Emoni shook her head. "The same woman who probably wants to kill me. He knows what we are to each other, and I can't even trust myself with the knowledge." She tossed back the rest of the whiskey with a hiss as the plane began to move.

"I know I'm preaching to the choir in some ways," Emoni said, "But f**k."

I nodded. I understood that, but where Emoni's mate seemed to have a good relationship with her father, I had no way of gauging Matt's true intentions. No matter how much I wanted to trust him or how eager Alyssa was to trust him, I couldn't. "I think we should get you a phone," I said. "Then, we should figure out how best to contact your father."

"The distillery is the only safe place," she said. "She probably has the house bugged in some way."

I gasped looking at her, "Speaking of... I can't imagine what it was like to walk back into the house."

Emoni laughed, "It wasn't nearly as bad as you're imagining. I promise. I'll bounce back.... What do you know about this Felix that's friends with Matt?"

I shook my head, "Nothing."

My phone rang and I picked up Matt's call.

"Are you on the plane?"

"Yes, we took off a while ago."

"How is Grace?"

I smiled, "She's... drinking whiskey."

"I'm not surprised. We'll debrief later. I just wanted to be sure that you had made it. Felix will be on the concourse to meet you. I've told him to behave himself so let me know if he doesn't."

I laughed, "What does that mean?"

"You'll replace out when you meet him. He doesn't pilot copters or jets, but he's trouble even without that."

"Does he speed through towns?"

Matt scoffed, "He's actually a very sensible driver, but that's the only thing he's sensible about. Call me if you need anything."

"I will... have fun with Teagan."

He scoffed, "Don't joke about things like that. Goodbye, Renda."

I wished him goodbye and hung up as Emoni seemed to be coming down from her panic and grief. The flight was mostly silent as we flew. I gave Emoni my phone and let her search for whatever she wanted while I took a quick nap.

When we landed, I saw a man in a long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and sunglasses on the concourse. He wasn't as broad as Matt, but he might have been a little taller. He had dark, curly hair and deep honey-colored skin. He waved at us as we exit. "Hello ladies, welcome back!"