MERIBELLA

Meribella's cheeks puffed out at she shoved another bite of sashimi in her mouth. Most girls binged on ice cream and chocolate when they were upset; she preferred sushi, which meant her wallet was hurting after three weeks of wallowing.

Aurora yipped beside her, her fluffy tail swishing back and forth. The wolf pup had double in size since the night she lost her mother. Soon, she would outgrow the boat, and it would be time to find other living arrangements for the animal. She caught the salmon Meribella tossed her way and swallowed it without chewing.

A hesitant knock was ignored. But only because she knew Thorne would come in with or without permission.

"Hope this party has room for one more," the witch said, entering with arms full of her own pity party food. "That's gross, B."

Meribella ate another piece of the fresh fish, chewing with her mouth open. Thorne's face scrunched as she plopped on the bed and let her treasures tumble across the comforter. The wolf pup launched into the fray, snagging a package of chips and shaking it like a new toy. They both laughed as she tried to run off with it, but she seemed content with the peace offering of a chip when the bag was retrieved.

"Well, we're a mess aren't we?"

"I'm sorry. You didn't deserve to get dragged into all of this."

The witch licked icing off her spoon before waging the metal utensil in Meribella's direction. "Oh don't start with that crap. You didn't force me into a car and drive me here. I came of my own accord. Because I'm your friend. That's what we do. You didn't know I had a weakness for blonde men with tight tushies."

Her comment earned a snort and an eye roll, but it soothed the ragged edges of her conscience. "I'm sorry- hey, don't throw that at me," she shouted, dodging the oreo her friend chucked at her. "I wasn't apologizing for that again."

"Better not. Next time I'll magic it somewhere you'll regret."

She shuddered, remembering the witch's threat against Raff's man parts. "Yes ma'am. No, I was trying to say I don't really know how to navigate this friendship business. It's difficult for me to let other people help me or get close. And you see what's happened when I finally give it a shot. I mean, I got you killed, and I broke Raff's heart."

She wiped her arm across her cheeks, the edges of her nose raw from repetitive bouts of crying. How the pre-lover and friends Meribella would've laughed. That woman scorned human emotions, declared herself to be above them, but her human genetics had the last laugh- or in this case, the last cry.

"Oh, I doubt you broke his heart," Thorne declared, digging into the icing jar. She smeared it over a cookie and popped another one on top. Eyes rolled back in her head as she took a big bite. "Asshole hasn't even reached out to you once."

"I didn't tell you... what he said before I left?"Those words still haunted her sleep. Such raw emotion had punctuated each syllable. He'd looked so hopeful- as if telling her the truth would keep her there, would stop her from ruining everything. But it was better this way. In the end, it would be better.

"Just that you left your great-grandmother's diary for him, and you left. Little cowardly, I'll admit... but I get it."

Damn, she wondered if all friends were as direct and honest as Thorne. She hoped so, even if it stung sometimes. "He told me loved me."

"What!" her friend shrieked, rising up on her knees and sending Aurora tumbling over the edge. "How could you leave that out?"

"Because every time I thought about it, I cried. I told him I needed him to hate me more than he ever loved anything, and he said I was the thing he loved the most."

"Shit girl. That's some kind of fucked up. I guess I don't have to hex his balls. The man deserves a little space."

"Oh, stop. You know he's a good man. Otherwise, I'd be pregnant."

"Fine, you're right, but what do we do now? It's been weeks and no one has heard anything. Not from the Starless pack, the Orion pack, or the Fay. I've asked Vivian if the witches knew anything, but she said there's been nothing. You think maybe we're good? Maybe they're not interested in Raff anymore."

She dropped her chopsticks and patted her stomach. Mr. Bossy definitely wouldn't complain about her being too thin, not after weeks of self-indulgence. "I doubt that. Everything I've learned about the Fay- about Morgan- she doesn't do things for the hell of it. She wanted the werewolves, and the more I think about it, the more I can't help but think I wasn't just a happy accident."

"Then maybe it's time we got our fat asses off this boat? Played detective?"

"I think so too. I'm going to reach out to Caspian. He seems pretty loyal to Morgan le Fay, but maybe loyalty to family will win out."

The phone on her bedside table began to buzz. "It's my mom," she muttered.

"You're not gonna answer it? Don't you want to know if she's okay?"

"I talked to her right after I broke things off with Raff. She'd tried to call. I called her back, and she screamed at me for ten minutes. Apparently, Chad left her, and it was all my fault."

"Well, that's good, right? They're pulling back? They're not interested in hurting your family?"

Meribella shrugged and picked up the device when a voicemail message popped up. She pressed the icon and held the speaker to her ear, prepared to get another earful about meddling and how much of a disappointment she was. Instead, her mother said two words that made the room spin.

"B? B- what's wrong?" Thorne asked, as she lurched off the bed and dropped to all fours.

Everything she'd eaten came up and splatted on the hardwoods. Why hadn't she considered this?

"B, so help me if you don't tell me what the fuck is going on?" Thorne pulled Meribella's hair back as she wretched again while making smoothing, small circles on her back with her free hand.

"They don't need to keep Chad around," she wailed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, a cold rage settling in her stomach as the shock wore off.

"What do you mean?"

"My mom is pregnant, Thorne. With a werewolf child."