Chapter 178: I Hope You Find Peace, Helen Maverick.
So it turned out that Henry survived. He was still the same, just happier than before, his eyes bright with a kind of innocent light I hadn’t seen in the mansion. He walked up to me with that same lanky, awkward stride and handed me a small plastic toy, a little dinosaur. "Welcome back," he said, his voice cheerful and light.
I sat down on the couch, leaning back into the soft cushions. My head was spinning as I tried to process everything, wondering what was happening and how the hell he was still alive. It felt like a fever dream.
"Can someone please explain to me how someone who was swallowed by a snake is alive and well?" I asked. My voice came out a bit louder than I intended, echoing through the living room.
Malo stepped forward, clearing his throat and beginning to explain the impossible. He said that after Kali swallowed Henry and they all returned to Oakland three days later, Uncle PP had called him in a panic. It turned out that Kali had vomited Henry out right in the middle of the shop floor. He was still unconscious but breathing, covered in whatever slime was inside a giant snake.
Then Sasha added, PP examined him immediately, trying to understand how a human could survive being inside a predator like that for so long. According to him, it was all because of my blood in Henry’s system. It was so potent and full of that moon wolf energy that Kali’s stomach wasn’t able to digest him. She couldn’t handle the power of it, so she threw him up like a bad piece of meat. And somehow, being inside Kali for those three days, surrounded by whatever weird energy that snake had, actually healed him completely.
The heart condition was gone. The weakness was gone. He no longer needed my blood or any of those disgusting herbal concoctions Helen made, but mentally, he was still the same, firmly believing he was a child in a man’s body. And now, he works for PP, helping out around the shop.
"That is a lot to process..." I said, my hand instinctively going to my stomach. Princess sat down beside me, her warmth a solid comfort, and she reached out to hold my hand, lacing her fingers with mine.
Well, that’s good news, right? It had to be.
At least I wouldn’t have to live with the heavy guilt of causing a mother’s son’s death. Henry was alive, truly alive and healthy, so I could finally breathe a real sigh of relief. A part of me thought he should go back to his mother so that witch could finally rest, knowing her son was healed. She wouldn’t need my blood or anyone else’s anymore. The nightmare could finally be over for both of us.
"Okay... that’s great news then. So maybe we can contact Helen to come get him? I don’t want that woman’s trouble following us anymore," I said. As long as Henry stayed around us, it felt like we weren’t truly safe. I didn’t want a part two of that trauma. I didn’t want more witches and more kidnapping.
"I don’t think we can contact the were-witch anymore," Haley said from the doorway. Her face was grave, and she wouldn’t look me in the eye.
"What happened? Did she escape or is she in jail? Where is she?" I asked, trying to guess the worst case scenario.
"Babe," Princess said softly. I turned to look at her, and the expression in her eyes made my stomach drop. "I hired some people to track her and Yuki down after the woods. I needed to know they were gone. Yuki is locked up in a place she can never leave, but Helen... Helen was found dead."
"What the fuck..." I whispered. I glanced at Henry, who was sitting on the floor nearby. He had clearly heard everything, but he didn’t look scared.
"How did she die?" I asked. My mind was racing back to the woods. Being tased by Haley’s gun doesn’t kill, right? It shouldn’t.
"Yuki killed her and buried her deep in the woods," Malo said, his voice flat. "The trackers found her. They dug her up and gave her a proper burial. She was cremated and given her last rites so her soul could move on."
"Oh my God... that monster..." I muttered. I had no words left to describe the hollow feeling in my chest. Yuki was capable of killing the only person who was actually on her side. I shouldn’t have been surprised, not after everything she said to me. She wanted me to hate and kill Alphas for her, and when Helen stood in her way, she just removed her like an obstacle.
"Yes, we all agree. Yuki Fangs is a monstrous beast," everyone said in a low chorus. They stood up and headed toward the dining area, trying to break the heavy tension as Eriko brought a steaming tray of lasagna out of the oven. The smell of cheese and tomato sauce filled the house.
"Do you want some lasagna, baby?" Princess asked, standing up and smoothing out her shirt.
"Yes, please," I replied. I watched her walk away toward the dining room, her gait steady and strong.
I got up slowly from the couch, my back complaining, and walked over to where Henry was playing with his toy dinosaur. I wanted to know how he was really feeling, behind that happy face.
"Hey, Henry... how are you doing, knowing what happened to your mom?" I asked gently, crouching down as much as my belly would let me.
Henry stopped playing and looked down at his shoes, his lip trembling just a little bit.
"I cried for a long time when I heard my mother died. My chest hurt," he said softly. "But then she visited me in my dream one night. She looked beautiful. She smiled at me and touched my face. She said she was glad I’m alive and healthy now. She told me to be happy and eat healthy food and not cause any trouble for anyone. She hugged me one last time before going into the light."
He looked up at me then, his eyes clear and honest.
"My mother said I should apologize to you, Faye. She wishes for your forgiveness and hopes you don’t hate her forever for what she did to you."
I looked at him, unsure if what he said was real or just a comforted mind’s dream. But Helen was a powerful witch, and I’ve heard of witches having those final moments with their loved ones, crossing the gap one last time.
I pulled Henry into a tight hug, feeling the strength in his arms that wasn’t there before.
"I don’t know if I can forgive your mother just yet, Henry. It’s going to take a long time. But I’ll try for you. I’ll make sure you live a better life here with my family," I told him.
"I hope my mom can finally rest now. I’m going to be a good boy and make sure she finds peace on the other side by being happy here," he said, pulling back with a small smile.
For a moment, I hoped the same. I hoped that Helen had finally found the peace she was looking for her whole life, that she was in a better place where she didn’t have to worry about sickness or shadows.
After all, her son was finally safe.
Her sacrifice, however twisted it was, wasn’t in vain.
I hope you find peace, Helen Maverick.
