章節 189: 29. All Good Things Come To An End.
"You sure? Yeah, no, I wasn't questioning your statement. Well, she might be a little tense, but that doesn't sound like her. I wonder what has gotten her so nervous. Yeah, send those procurements to Alaric. He will take care of them. And Bill, tell others to just let her rage and yell, but once she has left, call me and I will tell you if something needs to be done differently than what she said."
Magnum was trying to maintain a calm demeanor on the phone, but he couldn't stop the flood of worry that overwhelmed him like a tidal wave. Something was definitely wrong with Mimi, and it was fucking bad. He racked his brain, trying to come up with a plan on how to deal with this. He was pretty good at troubleshooting but when it came to Mimi and her problems; it was not that simple.
Wulfe walked in and noticed Magnum's troubled expression.
As he sat down, he asked, "What is it? Your expression doesn't look good. What's the crisis?"
Magnum sighed and ran his hands through his hair, causing it to go a bit wild. His hair had grown longer than usual, but he wasn't concerned about his grooming. It was actually the last thing on his mind, even though it had been at one point his idea to make Mimi style his hair.
He said, "It's Mimi. She has some issues, and I'm not sure what's going on with her."
Wulfe frowned, closed his eyes, and grimaced. He was trying to scene her mind telepathically, but there was some fucking block.
He said, "Fuck, Unicorn has put up some defense in her mind. What do you mean by 'issues'?"
Magnum sat down and explained, "That was on the phone. Bill from the Montreal base. Mimi came in, and when they tried to ask for her opinion, she lost it. She screamed in the central hub, telling everyone to do their damn work and not ask her everything all the time. Then she marched to her office, and printed out some instructions as if they were children, telling them what to do, who to call, and how to make decisions. And when they gave her the procurements that she was supposed to approve, she just left them on her desk and walked away, not coming back. Bill told me she's done something similar before, even in Mexico. And then in Ontario, she had sung publicly, as she had been in such a good mood after seeing just how many missions were done. That was our smallest base, meaning not that many missions or important ones."
Wulfe shook his head, feeling a sense of dread starting to pool in his gut. Fuck, this was gonna get ugly and real soon.
Wulfe turned to Magnum and exclaimed, "Damn, she's got it! Why didn't I see this before? It's as bad as it can get. This is gonna get real nasty and pretty soon."
Magnum furrowed his brow and replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Wulfe explained, "She has an addiction, a blood addiction. Despite what she said, she hid it from me. With everything going on, I missed it. Now we have to handle this situation with force, and she's going to be furious. Prepare yourself. She will be a real cunt for us all."
Magnum asked, "What do you mean? She's a vampire, right? She drank strong blood in the hive. Why is this all bad?"
Wulfe clarified, "When she was in the hive, she gave power to others. But now, she wants more. She gets high, just like a drug addict. She needs stronger and stronger blood all the time. We need to capture her, keep her somewhere secure, and help her overcome this addiction. We'll have to limit her blood intake until she only needs three liters a month. It won't be easy, especially since she's strong and can be nasty when she wants to."
Before Wulfe could explain further, a voice from the doorway interjected, "I have a place for her in our hospital. We have a special wing that should be suitable for cases like this. And yes, you're right, it won't be pleasant. Vampire, especially strong as she does not react when they blood drinking is limited."
Damon was standing there, looking at both of them. Mariella stood quietly next to him, feeling partially responsible. Mimi had gotten herself into this state because of the hive and her misguided attempt to make her rescue public. Mariella hoped they could endure whatever Mimi would put them through. Mariella saw Mimi as the victim, a weak one who had given in to her basic needs and no longer wanted to be proper but indulge without restraint. She did not need herself the same whenever she fucked without a care in the world, but in her mind, her reason for that behavior was her energy creature status.
They didn't intend to inform Colin about this, as Damon saw it as his responsibility as pack leader. Wulfe blamed himself, and Magnum now understood the phone calls and fragmented work he found on the dark web. They would need to stage an intervention, and it wouldn't be easy. They would have to give some tough love and be firm.
Mimi would be extremely upset, and it would take a lot of effort to make her understand that they were doing this out of love. Mariella noticed the raw pain in Damon's eyes and realized it reminded him of how he lost his daughter to drugs and addiction. He was thinking about that time now. She wrapped herself around him, squeezed him, and tried to help him to face the crisis and not give in to his past ghosts.
However, none of them knew the pathophysiology behind supernatural bloodlust or this so-called addiction. They had no idea about vampire physiology even that much as they had never bothered to delve into that. In order for them to really understand the whole thing, would have to require them to understand the mechanism of bloodlust and, the neurophysiology of vampires, and then, maybe they might have had an idea of just how to deal with this.
Instead of understanding what was actually going on, they saw it as similar to a human having an addiction to drugs or alcohol. As a personal choice, the individual would lack the willpower to stop their behavior or indulgence. It would be difficult, but Mimi would have to learn her lesson, endure the suffering, and overcome it. This would have a lasting impact on her, as she would always be a recovering addict and there was a possibility of relapse, something they wanted to avoid but was likely to happen.
I have had Damon review technical aspects of my addiction and my story, as this was one thing that prompted them to learn about our physiology and forget us being humans. So he has been making sure that I won't write any nonsense here but facts are facts and he is very strict when it comes to my artistic tendencies to try to prettify my experience as according to him, honesty, what comes to this time, is paramount for us all.
Wulfe spoke up, saying, "We need a strong, secure place where she can't escape. Since she's an escape artist, we have to be cunning. We must remember that she can transform into a sandcat or bird, or perhaps even a rodent. As a siphon, her ability to siphon magic is one that she will use, meaning our use of magic is limited, so maybe technology could help. The ventilation system could be her first escape route, so we need to make sure she can't fit in there. Someone should keep tabs on her mind but she has some serious blocks there right now. But maybe when she does not get that much blood, we might be able to break through. "
Magnum offered a solution, suggesting, "We can install metal plating to divide the ventilation shaft. It will create dead ends and, as we put tight grilles, make it impossible for even a mouse to get through. We should try to keep her as comfortable as possible during this, as it won't be pleasant. There's no need to worsen her situation by throwing her in a dungeon."
Mariella frowned and added, "But she has to learn her lesson. We can't let this happen again. We need to teach her that."
Damon grunted, believing in the importance of teaching lessons. However, he wasn't sure when the appropriate time would be. They would have to see what state she would be in. There was no point in trying to teach her anything if she experienced physical withdrawal, as those would be quite educational on their own. Nevertheless, Damon was determined not to coddle her or make things easier. Mariella was right; this had to hit her hard so she would never repeat her mistake.
Mariella said, "If her physical state takes a hit, it gives us the opportunity then help her afterward. She must see just in what state she is and get it in her mind that this is not a good thing. She is not that perfect, and she needs to get some serious discipline, but suffering is mandatory. She is not going to sleep through this in a sedated haze. "
For Magnum, this was all a learning curve. He hadn't been a vampire shifter hybrid for very long, and he hadn't used his feline forms much either. Everything felt much worse, and they realized that this addiction was not a good thing to have. They would have to be strict with Mimi.
Damon had warned them that few people would see her, and they should remember that she wasn't in her right mind - it was the addiction talking. Damon's personal experience with his and Elena's daughter influenced how he saw the situation. He wanted to free Mimi from this and prevent any chance of relapse. Damon hated all kinds of addictions, but this one was particularly special and none of them had any idea what it was truly about.
They were seeing it through their own perceptions. Magnum had witnessed many soldiers getting hooked on drugs and painkillers, and it was never pleasant. He wasn't sure who or how to cure Mimi, as typically it would involve the complete absence of the substance, but Mimi needed blood as a vampire. They would have to limit her blood drinking and implement some kind of locking system in the blood room and other measures like that.
Wulfe was worried because Mimi was a unique creature and incredibly strong. This would require some effort, and he would have to play the role of the bad guy. However, he knew it was for her benefit. It would be difficult before it got any easier. Despite her pleading and begging, they would have to toughen their hearts and come up with a plan for when the addiction was gone.
Wulfe hadn't helped anyone else through this before, but he remembered a few instances when he had consumed that blood and lost track of time for a decade or so. He hadn't even tried to find out what he had done during that time, and it hadn't been a pleasant experience. He wasn't going to let Mimi remain addicted for decades. Not at all. They would bring her back to herself, and then they would ensure it never happened again.
What Wulfe didn't know was that he had been in a deep state of depression for most of that time. He had erased those memories from his mind, so he had no idea what this so-called addiction was all about. It was merely assumptions, biases, and past experiences.
Wulfe sat in the living room, gazing at the dark blood-red velvet curtains. They felt somehow out of whack in this room.
Damon entered and took a seat, saying, "It won't be easy for any of us, especially her. But Alaric and Magnum are cleaning up the mess she left behind. We need to prepare the place and be firm until this addiction is gone. After that, we'll see where we stand. Maybe she needs some time alone, and we should respect that. There's a lot she needs to deal with, including what she did and said during this time."
Wulfe continued to stare at the curtains, feeling conflicted. They had a vampiric vibe, but it didn't feel right to just let her go. Damon was right, though. She would be ashamed, and nothing Wulfe said or did would help her. He would be there for her when she was ready.
Wulfe said, "Yeah, it bothers me to leave her alone after we free her. But it's a big blow for her, and my words or actions won't make a difference."
Damon grunted and replied, "Once we free her, this won't happen again. We'll secure that blood and eliminate the need for a hive. I plan to get her back on track and then reassess. Unfortunately, this will indefinitely delay my wedding plans. I have no idea how difficult this will be for all of us, and I can't predict our or her reactions. It pains me to do this, but it's my duty as a pack leader. I won't keep her as the alpha female until she's fully recovered and ready to face her responsibilities. Mariella is strong enough. If we want to breed, she can make it happen."
Wulfe fell silent. He wasn't sure if Mimi would ever return to Damon after he did this. As there was no actual pain in Damon's voice. It was like Damon was just saying what he thought he was supposed to say. But it wasn't his place to say. If this separation was permanent, he wasn't sure if he wanted to remain in this pack or go live with Mimi. Damon seemed to view Mimi as weak now that she was addicted, and no longer his baby.
For Wulfe, Mimi was still his unicorn, and he longed to be with her. He was truly sad because of this notion. However, he chose to keep his silence, not letting Damon perceive his thoughts or feelings. This wasn't difficult, considering Damon's age and strength compared to his own. For him, Damon was a mere child, and not as strong as a vampire. Perhaps, just perhaps, love wasn't the strongest force between Mimi and Damon, but rather between Wulfe and Mimi.
Wulfe sat there in silence as Damon stood up and declared, "Well, it's good that we're all on the same page when it comes to Mimi. Everything will be fine. And if you struggle, Mariella can help. She's a great listener, you might want to talk to her."
Wulfe refrained from reacting, although he was growing irritated by Damon's sales pitch for Mariella. It felt as if Damon was already pushing Mimi out of his life.
Shaking his head, Wulfe looked at the empty chair across from him. He could faintly make out the outline of a large white cat, the God.
Wulfe muttered to himself, or perhaps to the Cat God, "Are we doing the right thing here? Is this truly the end for those two? Why do I feel that something important and precious is about to come to an end between them? And yet, I don't want to prevent it. Am I despicable?"
The white-haired cat, with its big emerald eyes, remained silent, simply observing. It wasn't its place to speak, but once again, it was the damn free will that governed them all. Sometimes, even the God, the Creator of life, felt that all good things must come to an end, and he was utterly powerless to stop it, especially when it came to Mimi and her happiness.
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