CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:
DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER

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SOMEHOW, BOTH MAGGIE AND Zeke found themselves in the living room at the same time, both planning to watch a documentary — one they usually would’ve watched together. Maggie was already sitting on the couch when Zeke appeared in the doorway. He visibly hesitated at the sight of his little sister with Scooby resting his head on one knee, a bowl of popcorn balanced on the other, and his favourite knitted blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Maggie stared back at him with the same scepticism while the opening credits to Ghost Adventures blared from the television speakers. She debated whether or not to pause it as Zeke averted his eyes to the screen.

“You gonna sit?” she asked, unable to stand the silence.

Zeke’s eyes darted back to her. “You have my blanket,” he pointed out, which was neither a yes or a no.

Maggie smothered her grin, wordlessly unravelling the blanket from her shoulders and holding it towards him. Slowly, Zeke accepted it, wrapping it around his own shoulders before cautiously sitting down beside her. He was careful to keep his distance but after several beats of hesitant silence, his hand shot out to grab a mouthful of popcorn. Maggie, positively beaming, was quick to move the bowl between them.

Progress.

The only downside was that it didn’t last long.

Not even five minutes into the episode, Maggie’s phone started to ring on the coffee table, the screen lighting up with Dakota pulling a funny face. Maggie sighed and regretfully paused the TV, ignoring the low sound of Zeke’s huff as she held the phone up to her ear.

“What’s up, Dakota?”

On the other end of the line, the hustle and bustle of Dakota’s workplace — a popular little cafe called the River’s Edge — overpowered the sound of her sister’s voice. A second later, Maggie heard a door slam shut before Dakota grumbled, “Fuck, it’s busy in there. Mags, you’re friends with that Maeve Cooper girl, right?”

Well, that wasn’t what Maggie expected Dakota to ask. As far as she knew, Embry and Mae had gone out somewhere after Embry finally mustered up the courage to ask her out on a 'not-a-date.' It was nothing that should’ve concerned Dakota.

As Maggie’s shoulders tensed, Zeke not-so-subtly leaned closer to listen in, his head almost pressed against Maggie’s phone.

“I might be… why do you want to know?”

Dakota let out a sigh, catching Maggie off guard. “She’s been here for, like, two hours now. I think she’s been stood up and it’s getting kind of sad looking at her.”

Oh, Maggie was gonna kill Embry!

That was all she could think as she told Dakota she was on her way then hung up the phone. Ignoring Zeke’s questioning look, Maggie nudged Scooby away and handed her brother the popcorn bowl, sparing a brief glance in the hallway mirror to determine that her sweats and hoodie were appropriate enough to wear outside.

“I’ll be back,” she called out, grabbing a pair of Vera’s sandals from the shoe rack and slipping them onto her feet. “You can keep watching the episode if you want. I’m not sure how long I’ll be.”

Zeke was ready to protest but in the end thought better of it. Instead, he grabbed Scooby’s lead and collar from the kitchen table and called the suddenly eager dog over to him. “At least take Scooby with you,” he insisted, ignoring Maggie’s confused look. He handed her the lead as Scooby bounced around like a child on a sugar rush. “He hasn’t had a walk today.”

Both of them knew his reasoning was bullshit but Maggie didn’t comment on it as she opened the door and ushered Scooby outside. Zeke closed the door behind her, though Maggie could sense him watching them through the living room window, checking to make sure she was safe.

River’s Edge wasn’t that far of a walk — a good ten minutes from Maggie’s home, fifteen including all the stops that Scooby made to sniff around ‘his’ territory. However, Maggie ended up going no further than the beach when she spotted Mae’s familiar figure halfway down the shore. She had her back facing the road but her head was bowed towards the sand, and when she turned around at the sound of her name, Maggie easily noticed the redness of her eyes.

“Hey,” she sighed. Mae smiled thinly. Maggie wanted to hug her but she stopped just short of the other girl. “I thought I might find you here.”

“Maggie,” Mae murmured her name, a few tears slipping down her face before she was able to blink them away. Embry was going to wish that Maggie had chosen death when she was finished with him. “What do you want?”

Maggie held up her phone in explanation. “My sister has a job at the River’s Edge,” she added when Mae only frowned. “She recognised you and called me when she saw you leave. She said you were upset…”

“I’m fine,” Mae shook her head. “Sorry for wasting your time.”

“You didn’t,” Maggie said, wishing again that it wouldn’t be awkward for her to hug Mae. She barely knew the girl but her heart hurt for her. “How about I drive you home, Mae? It’s getting dark and we shouldn’t be out here alone.”

Mae looked ready to protest but after a pointed raise of Maggie’s eyebrows, she sighed and caved in. Much to Scooby’s disappointment, the two — now three — of them turned back the way they’d come, leading him home to where Zeke was waiting on the steps with an anxious frown. Maggie was surprised to see him there but she tried not to let it show with Mae lingering so close to her side.

“I’m driving my friend home,” she said, handing him Scooby’s leash despite the dog’s disappointed whines. She’d have to take him on another walk tomorrow. “I won’t be long.”

Zeke shot Mae a look, then leaned in closer to whisper in Maggie’s ear, “Does she know?”

This was the first time Zeke had even hinted at the supernatural since Maggie and the pack explained everything to him. Maggie swallowed thickly at the question, shaking her head beneath the tension-filled weight of both Zeke and Mae’s eyes on her. She knew Mae had heard, and she was in no way prepared for questions Embry should’ve been there to answer himself.

“No. So, please, keep your mouth shut.”

Zeke said nothing after that. With one last look at Mae — who quickly turned her back like she hadn’t been eavesdropping — he called Scooby inside and closed the front door on the girls. Maggie waited for the lock to click before taking her keys from her coat pocket and leading Mae over to her beloved yellow bug. Mae’s eyes scanned the vehicle appreciatively, momentarily distracted by her otherwise dismal night, before she sighed and sulked her way into the passenger seat.

“I’ll be with you in a minute,” Maggie said as she reached in to put the key into the ignition.

With the engine rumbling and the radio down low, she closed the door and reached for her phone, initially calling Paul but hanging up when he took too long to answer. Biting the bullet, she pressed on Embry’s contact and waited, subconsciously pacing the driveway back and forth with the line ringing in her ear.

Then, Embry’s voice, “Maggie, can I call you back—?”

“I don’t know,” she scowled. “You sure you won’t stand me up?”

Embry was silent for a while, and then, “You’re with Mae.”

It wasn't a question.

“Of course I am,” she scoffed, sparing the girl in question a glance and smiling thinly when she frowned at her. “Em, you’re an idiot, what could possibly be more important than your—”

“I was added to patrol,” he explained desperately. “Paul saw Victoria and needed backup.”

Maggie winced at the name but she refused to let it show with Mae watching her so closely. Instead, she grumbled, “You couldn’t call Mae and make something up? Literally anything would’ve been better than just ditching her, Embry. God. Even Paul hasn’t done that and he’s Paul.”

“Hey,” she heard her boyfriend complain in the background but she paid him no mind as Embry insisted, “I don’t want to lie to her, Maggie.”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing already? What we’re all doing?” Silence. “Embry, it’s not fair to keep her in the dark—”

“I’ve gotta go.”

“Embry.”

“Can you tell her I’m sorry?”

Maggie didn’t answer so Embry hung up the phone. She was tempted to call him back just to yell at him but she forced herself to pocket her phone and return to the car instead. She didn’t look at Mae as she entered the GPS directions to Mae’s house. She wouldn’t play messenger for Embry, even if he was her friend. Something had to prompt him to admit the truth. If that had to be her, then so be it.

Still, she couldn’t help feeling bad for him. It was a hard situation. In all honesty, Mae and Embry never would’ve gotten close if it wasn’t for the imprinting factor. Sure, real feelings had developed since then, but Mae would’ve been a total stranger in their lives had the fates not decided she and Embry were the perfect fit. That wasn’t easy to explain to someone. Maggie knew this firsthand with Paul.

Sighing, she pulled into Mae’s driveway and quickly reached out to stop her from leaving. She wouldn’t tell her Embry was sorry. That was Embry’s and Embry’s job alone. But she couldn’t let Mae go home thinking her friend was playing some cruel joke on her. That wasn’t fair.

“Hey, look, I know it’s not my place to say this but please don’t be too angry with Embry,” she said. Mae stared at her with furrowed brows. “He’s not the type of person to stand somebody up. I promise.”

Mae let out a disbelieving chuckle. “Yeah, okay.”

“I mean it, Mae,” she insisted, squeezing her hand when Mae went tense. “He’s been planning this for ages, hasn’t stopped talking about it."

Well, that was the wrong thing to say. Maggie realised it too late, after Mae's face flushed bright red and she yanked her arm out of Maggie's reach.

"You're right, Maggie," she said, eyes narrowing into a glare. Maggie stilled, unsure what to make of the look. "It's not your place to say this."

Ice cold regret filled Maggie's chest like a sinking ship. Mae slammed the door in her face and disappeared inside, not once looking back even when Maggie spotted a flash of Lina's face in the hallway, confusingly greeting her sister.

For a minute, Maggie's car idled in the driveway, an unwanted guest who eventually took the hint and retreated into the dark streets. Maggie's house was lit up like a Christmas tree when she pulled in behind her aunt's car. Everyone, including Dakota, had returned home in the time it took Maggie to drop off Mae.

"There you are," Wren called from the dining table. She had a bowl of ice cream in front of her — chocolate, of course — a book in her hands and reading glasses perched on her nose. Maggie smiled at the familiarity of it, allowing the coldness to slink away. The TV was still blaring, this time with one of Vera's reality shows. Zeke and Dakota were heard stomping around upstairs. "Zeke said you dropped Mae Cooper home. Is she okay?"

Maggie nodded, turning to smile when her uncle came in from the garage. "She's fine. I'm a bit tired, though. So I might head to bed."

"Okay, sweetheart," Wren beamed, holding out her arms to hug her close. "I love you."

Warmth bloomed like wildflowers in Maggie's stomach. "I love you, too."

After exchanging similar words with her uncle, she made her way upstairs to where Scooby was running around in the hallway. She grinned as he jumped at her legs, reaching down to scratch behind his ears before retreating through her bedroom door.

Much to her surprise, Zeke left Dakota to follow after her.

"Zeke," she blinked at him as he closed the door behind them. "Are you—?"

"Do you think she'll figure it out?"

Maggie sighed. "Maybe." In the shadows of her home, she felt safe enough to admit, "Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing. I don't know if Embry will ever have the guts to do it himself."

Zeke nodded thoughtfully. Surprising Maggie again, he moved close enough to hug her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and sighing. Maggie tensed but quickly hugged him back. She hoped, deep down, that this was permanent. That Zeke wouldn't wake up tomorrow and shut her out again. But just in case, Maggie held him a bit tighter.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, so quiet that Maggie almost didn't hear him. Her grip slackened. "I'm an idiot."

"You are," she agreed with a gentle grin. "But I love you anyways."

Relief split across his face then, closely followed by something raw and vulnerable, still partially concealed by the hardness behind his eyes. In that same soft voice, he said, "Just promise me one thing."

Maggie nodded quickly — too quickly.

"Anything."

She just wanted her brother back.

"Never keep something like that from me again," he said, adding when she frowned, "She was my mother too, you know."

Guilt, red hot and violent, bore down on her. Maggie hadn't even thought about what Zeke — or any of her siblings, really — would think about their mother and Victoria. She always saw it as hers and hers alone to bear, but Maggie Sullivan wasn't the only child orphaned that night.

"I promise," she said, and she really meant it then.

But a promise like that, with so much expectation attached, was always going to be impossible to keep.

Maggie and Zeke just had to find that out the hard way.