Some bonding time with Mother and the Coven

The introduction party was in full swing. In between songs, Chelsea was being quite affectionate with Oliver and Anthony, exchanging kisses and hugs. Minh was doing the same with Melissa, but he was probably holding back from trying anything with Irene due to Liam's presence. Judith and Irina were drinking and laughing together, and Ashley was still next to me, not saying anything but smiling at me lovingly. Only Aisha was still missing for now.

Mother was drinking a glass of wine, enjoying the atmosphere. "So, what would you like to know about me?"

I opened a can of beer, looking at the hole and wondering what to say. "I have a lot of questions to ask..."

She grabbed a Chinese dumpling and bit into it before smiling at me. "We have all the time in the world, so ask away."

"Last Sunday, you said your real name was Agnieszka?" I started, unsure what else to ask first.

"Indeed. I was born in 1879, in the Polish city of Kraków, during the time Poland was gone from the maps and separated between Russia, Prussia, and Austria."

"In 1879?" I repeated in shock.

She laughed, amused. "I'm a lot older than you imagined, hmm? One of the perks of being a skinwalker."

"I didn't realise just how long we could live..."

"Auguste, my mentor, was a lot older, you know? He was a witness of the French Tennis Court Oath of 1789." She then giggled softly. "He used to tell us stories of how he met some famous philosophers like Voltaire and Diderot during his time as a human."

"Wow..." I simply said, stunned by this reveal.

"As for my story, I was born in a fairly wealthy family of merchants, so the Austrian occupation hurt us a lot less than the common folks. My life was comfortable, my father teaching me the basics of trading as I grew up. Despite that, though, I was yearning for something more. That's when I crossed paths with Auguste, who decided to bless me and allow me to break free from my boring life and find the excitement I was seeking. He was an intriguing and charismatic man, one I couldn't help but be drawn to, so I decided to follow him as he wandered across Europe. Later, during a stay in Edinburgh, we met Oliver, who used to be a philosophy professor, and Auguste immediately took a liking to him."

"Talking about me?" Oliver asked while walking closer, resting next to Mother and pouring himself a glass of wine.

I was too overwhelmed to think about it earlier, but now that things have calmed down, I couldn't help but feel like I've seen his current face somewhere before...

"Edward was curious about my past, and I just reached the part where we first met." Mother said, leaning closer and giving him a gentle kiss. "Would you like to continue yourself?"

He chuckled. "Sure. As a human, I was giving lectures about philosophy at the University of Edinburgh back in the 1920s. It was a satisfying life, with a job I loved doing, but it all came to an abrupt end after contracting tuberculosis. Back then, it was still a difficult disease to cure, so my chances of survival were slim. That's when our mentor and Aga revealed themselves."

"We were posing as some of his students, back then." Mother explained. "Auguste blessed him, as he didn't want to let such a 'brilliant soul' pass away. His words, not mine." She added with a teasing grin while glancing at Oliver.

He laughed quietly at my mother's banter and continued. "I was shocked at first, but after a long and enriching discussion with him and Aga, I decided to join them on their journey. I grew to respect our mentor greatly, he was a man full of wisdom and knowledge, and our debates led to what is now the purpose of our coven: a safe haven for those who have nothing, and a family they can count on."

Mother spoke. "We travelled across Europe and took more people under our wings until the start of World War Two. A few of us were thinking of escaping to America, but we decided to stay. Despite us not being human anymore, we couldn't be passive. As our mentor often said, war affects us all. As such, we helped resistance groups deal with the fascists."

I was stunned by these reveals. "You... You fought during the war?"

"Yes, although never directly; we are not suited for direct confrontations. We were doing some spying and sabotaging for resistance groups. That's how we met Nikolai, a leader of one such group back then." Mother explained while raising her glass towards Judith, busy kissing Irina further away.

I was floored, I could hardly believe what I just heard, but Mother and Oliver didn't seem to be lying. They were war heroes...

"After the end of the war, we decided to move to America." Oliver resumed. "We first settled in L.A, and lived there for almost four decades, our coven slowly growing. Minh became one of us during that time. A problem with hunters made us move to New-York afterwards, where we met Matthew, but we had to relocate a final time here twenty-seven years ago."

"That's when I found Patricia and took her life as mine. She came from a wealthy family and was promised to the heir of one of the biggest banks in the country. Her position was perfect to help the coven." Mother added.

There was something bothering me with their story, so I felt the need to ask. "Hearing you, the coven was massive, so why are there only seven of you left?"

Mother sighed while Oliver appeared somber. "The coven was indeed a lot bigger in the past. Seventeen years ago, we were nineteen skinwalkers. But after our mentor's ****, things changed, and we split apart. Two former members didn't like that Aga was appointed as the new leader, believing she wasn't fit for the role as her mindset was closer to that of a businesswoman, more rational and calculating. Others chose this dramatic event to leave while carrying our mentor's legacy, hoping to replicate our coven in other places. We are still in touch with some of them, so it's not like there's any bad blood between us. Among the veterans, only Nikolai, Minh, and Matthew stayed, because of our close relationships."

"I see... Losing your mentor, it must have been hard... You all speak so highly of him."

I recalled an old memory from my childhood. One day, my mother, who usually preferred to wear more colourful clothes, wore an all-black outfit. When my father inquired about it, she said she was mourning a close friend. I now understood that this close friend was Auguste, their mentor, and probably also the skinwalker child who was killed with him.

Oliver finished his glass before replying. "It was, trust me. Knowing what I know about you, you would have enjoyed his company, Edward. But well, let's not dwell on the past too much. Tonight we're celebrating your introduction, after all."

"There's something I've been wondering, Oliver..." I started awkwardly. "Who are you wearing? I feel like I've seen this man before."

Oliver chuckled. "Oh, you probably have. I'm the attorney general of the state."

"What?"

"It's a pretty useful identity to get access to classified and sensitive information and keep the coven safe. Nikolai and I are taking care of protecting the coven, him in the police, and me in politics."

It still surprised me, but less than it would have a week ago. They were a lot more organised than I thought, but it made sense for them to be so careful. I was well aware of what could happen should they attract the attention of hunters or the police.

"Mother manages the treasury, I assume?" I asked while looking at her.

I knew just how good of a businesswoman she was. If the bank was so successful, it was thanks to her, not my idiotic father. Almost everyone in the company loved her and wished she would just officially take over.

She gave me an amused smile. "You're right. It was my main function before succeeding my mentor as the leader."

"What about the rest? What do they do?"

"Minh is usually the one recruiting new members, willing or not. He brought in quite a few people ever since he joined us."

I didn't doubt that, considering what I've seen with Liam and Melissa. He was skilled with words, convincing yet honest despite his flirty nature. Not to mention his brainwashing abilities allowing him to **** anyone to join.

"Aisha is one of our enforcers. When we have to take care of threats to our coven, hunters or even other monsters, it's usually her and Nikolai we send. I sometimes come along if the threat is too high." Mother replied.

"You?" I didn't expect that.

She grinned, cracking her fingers. "I'm not one to be underestimated, my child. You saw that when we reunited~"

"Right..." I replied, looking away.

How could I forget how easily she immobilised me the day I returned? Never in my life had I ever faced someone with so much strength. She was far stronger than me, that I was certain of.

"As for Matthew and Ashley, they help however they can. They don't really have any assigned roles yet."

"Will I have a role assigned to me as well?" I then asked.

"Not for now. Take the time to acclimate yourself to the coven and recover properly. We're not in a hurry." Mother said, giving me a gentle pat on the shoulder.

I nodded and grabbed another can of beer. "Thank you, Mother."

"You're welcome, my child. We'll return home in about an hour, enjoy the party meanwhile." Mother said as she and Oliver got up.

The two of them went upstairs, exchanging kisses and staring at each other lovingly, leaving me with no doubt about what they were about to do...

To distract myself from these uncomfortable thoughts, I went to socialise more with the rest of the coven, starting with Minh, Liam, and Melissa. Liam seemed more relaxed than when we arrived, chatting with Melissa. She told us about how she'd been introduced to the coven, and how Minh saved her, something I already knew as Minh revealed it to me earlier this week. The way she spoke, she clearly respected him deeply, and Minh truly seemed to like her.

I didn't get to chat much with Nikolai during the night as he and Irina went upstairs as well. As such, I spent some time with Matthew once he was fully done playing. As I was curious, he told me about how he joined the coven. He used to be a talented pianist in New-York, but contracted AIDS after an unfortunate encounter. Oliver back then was one of his most trusted lovers, and he decided to act like his mentor did for him, saving Matthew by blessing him. He's been with the coven ever since, entertaining the members with his skills. Despite my Mother and Oliver being a thing, he was still one of Oliver's lovers. He explained to me that everyone here had fairly open relationships.

Finally, Mother returned, stretching happily as she walked down the stairs. We wished everyone a good night and went to her car, parked outside.

"What did you think of your first day in the coven?" She asked as we drove away.

"It was overwhelming... but I can't say I disliked it. I'm just anxious about Aisha. She seemed to really hate me, for some reason."

Mother giggled. "Oh, don't worry about her. After blessing her and helping her be reborn as her true self, she latched onto me, as she lacked a motherly figure. She's simply jealous of our relationship, but she'll come around eventually."

"I hope so..."

On the way home, Mother asked me more about what I'd been doing after leaving the city, so I told her in more details my life back there, about my few dates, lingering on Sarah a lot longer, and about my job. I didn't have much else to talk about, as I didn't have any friends. Sarah and Claire were the two people I was the closest to.

"You know, I miss Claire." Mother said in a more sorrowful tone, surprising me. "I've been quite cold towards her as well, but her absence has been felt in the house ever since I helped her flee."

"I spoke to her recently." I admitted. "I told her how I met you again, and that you realised the errors of your ways and were helping me here. She'll visit someday, and when she does, you can apologise to her directly."

"I could, yes..." Mother said before going silent for a moment, appearing lost in though.

"What's wrong?"

"I recently earned back the ability to bless a human. I was thinking of maybe blessing her should she come back."

My eyes widened in shock, unsure of what I heard. "What?"

"This way, neither of us would need to lie to her any longer, wouldn't we?" She declared, looking back at me. "Maybe she could even stay and join the coven as well, our family fully reunited again."

I was stunned by her declaration. Claire becoming a skinwalker? I couldn't imagine her as one. I didn't want to imagine her as one. I didn't want her to go through what I've been through.

"Not fond of the idea, hmm? In that case, why not simply tell her the truth about yourself when she comes here? You said you wished to keep living as your own self for her sake, but what will you do once it is no longer possible? Disappear and never see her again?"

I couldn't rebuke anything, I knew she was right there. I hadn't thought of what I'd do after losing my skin and identity, so fixated on resisting the curse and clinging onto my fading humanity.

"I'm just... afraid. Not only of her rejecting me, but of involving her in all that." I admitted. "I only wish for her happiness. I want her to live a normal life."

"I doubt it'll happen. The hunter you faced probably found out about your sister if she's even remotely competent. She's most likely on close watch, maybe even being deceived."

"Deceived?"

"This Aurora might try to befriend your sister to get info out of her, you didn't think of that? Or simply use her as bait to catch you. And setting aside the hunters, Claire is a human. Nothing guarantees that she won't fall prey to a wandering skinwalker or another non-human someday, especially if she keeps working in the police."

I didn't speak, I didn't need to. I had no argument against that. Claire was alone now, no one was protecting her...

"I truly care about Claire, my child. It'd pain me to learn something has happened to her. If I can't give her ways to protect herself as a skinwalker, I'd at least want for her to join the coven as a human and be protected from harm."

"I understand, Mother, but I... I need to think about it..." I hesitantly replied, shaken by this conversation.

"Fair enough. We're almost home anyway. Your room has been cleaned up a while ago, but you can use Claire's."

"Alright."

It took a few more minutes before we reached my old home. When we entered, I spotted Father sitting on the couch, reading a book. I tensed instinctively at his sight, expecting him to throw another fit. But he instead calmly approached us, smiling.

"Welcome back, Patricia, Edward. Did you have a good evening?" He softly asked, weirding me out.

"Quite good, Victor. My son and I are quite exhausted, though, so we will go to bed shortly."

"I see, I wish you a good night, then." He said, bowing and returning to the couch.

I spotted a pillow and a blanket next to him.

"Is he sleeping on the couch?" I asked.

"Yes. I couldn't stand his presence in my bed any longer." Mother said, her lips curling into a sadistic smirk. "I should have done this long ago, he's so much better this way~"

I didn't reply and followed Mother upstairs. While I hated my father with a burning passion, this display creeped me out, I had to admit.

Before I could enter Claire's room, Mother stopped me and pulled me into a gentle embrace. "Welcome home, my child. Have a good night."

"Y-you too, Mother."

On that, she went to her bedroom, while I closed the door behind me. I removed my clothes and changed into my pajamas, flopping onto the soft bed and closing my eyes.

I needed some time to take everything in, a lot happened and was said this evening. And this was just the beginning of my new life here. More was about to come, and it would start with Minh's surprise tomorrow. He would probably tell me about the identities he thought of for me.

Soon I will know...

The discussion with Mother also weighed on my mind. I kept trying to imagine Claire's reaction should I tell her the truth about me... I believed in her, but it still scared me so much...

Exhaustion quickly caught up to interrupt my thoughts and I drifted off in a flash.