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It was raining when I arrived at London St Pancras International, but I ignored the wet weather and scurried inside. The place was teeming with people, and I dodged the press as best I could as I headed for the Eurostar. Jonas might have given up my baby cousin for lost, but I was not about to leave Dakota in Pearl's clutches, not when there was still a slim chance of saving her.
Before long, I was on the train, but only as it pulled out of the station did I allow myself to relax. I had nothing left here in the United Kingdom, and now was as good a time as any to start a new life. I'd let Elise and Jasper know of my plans before I left the Silverton packhouse for good, and they'd both wished me well, hinting they would probably one day join me on the mainland, something I was looking forward to very much. 142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSAE4QK6QK
But the first thing I had to do was secure Dakota's freedom.
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- Paris Gare du Nord was as packed as St Pancras had been, but the sun had come out during the 2 and a bit hour ride, and I was very relieved to see the sun when I stepped out of the station. I'd met another werewolf - Antony - who proved to be a good guide about French werewolf ettiquette. During the trip, he'd told me that French werewolves were not as classist as UK werewolves, and anyone was welcome to join any pack they chose. I hadn't told him the true reason why I'd come to Paris, but he'd given me some helpful information, and as I hailed a taxi, I felt more confident for the first time since boarding the train back in England.
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The les Ombres d'Étoiles - Star Shadows in English - were the first pack I contacted. Based directly in Paris, their Alpha - Henri - was a fair-minded man who listened to my worries once I'd secured a meeting with him. "You present a troubling problem," he said. "I can help you, of course, but you must understand that your cousin will have chosen a pack dedicated to protecting its own. That is not to say she has not committed monstrous crimes, for she has, but she is wily, and she will have chosen a pack who will not let its members go for any reason. I would not pin my hopes on successfully extricating her or your young cousin."142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ftGXgBo7O
I sighed. "I understand," I said. "If I can at least talk to her, I'll have to settle for that."142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqigOsKD2j
"I can arrange such a meeting," Henri promised. "But do not get your hopes up, cherie. Your cousin is smart - it is why she has fled here to escape the justice that rightfully awaits her in the United Kingdom."
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Two days later, Louis, the Alpha of les Queues de la Nuit - the Tails of the Night - came to the Star Shadows packhouse. "Your cousins guest with us," he said, once the formalities were over. "I wish I could say Pearl has promised to hear you out, but she has not. Instead, she has insisted that you stay as far away from our pack as possible, and that if you do not listen to her, she shall have the little one murdered to prevent her from being taken away. It seems she is obsessively attached to Dakota, and views her as the child she should have had. I do not pretend to understand her ways. But I know she is in earnest with regards to her threats. That does not mean I condone what she has done. Yet our rules are rigid as concerns sanctuary."
"I take it I won't be able to get a message to her?" I asked.
Louis shook his head. "No," he said regretfully. "I wish I could gladden your heart and say that Pearl would be glad to hear from the one kinswoman she has left in this world. But she has said no - she wishes not to hear a word from you, and would prefer if you returned to the United Kingdom. I do not say stay or go, and the choice remains yours. Pearl will not hear a word from or of you, and I would not blame you if you chose to go home."
"I've got no home," I said, clenching my hands into tight fists, as, in my mind, I punched Pearl in the face several times. "That's one of the reasons why I came to Paris - so I could start a new life and try to rebuild after everything that's happened. But if Pearl doesn't want to know me, then that's fine by me. She always was a pain in my arse, and I'm glad to wash my paws of her. I just wish I could see Dakota, but I guess that's not happening either."
"I am sorry," Louis said. "I truly wish things could have gone somewhat the way you had hoped. But I speak for myself, at least, when I say you are more than welcome to stay in Paris as long as you wish. Henri and I are good friends, and if he has taken you into his home in good faith, then I shall abide by his judgement."
I smiled. "Thanks," I said. "Just ... please make sure Pearl doesn't do anything crazy if she should ever get wind I'm staying here. I won't go near your packhouse, and as far as I'm concerned, she, at least, is dead to me."
Louis kissed my hand. "You have my word," he promised. "Pearl shall never be mentioned to you again if you do not wish it so. And I shall certainly speak no word of you to her, as I have somewhat grown unaccountably fond of little Dakota, and I wish no harm to befall her."
"I appreciate it," I said gratefully.
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