by Laura Ryles
“YES!” Drew shouted, making the entire party jump.
They sat down to eat at a wooden picnic table on the side of the Green family home. Tala ate the entire half a chicken that Oakley had given her. The rest of the group was just as ravenous. Tala wasn’t sure if they were all really that hungry or if the chicken was just that good, but either way, they all ate until they were stuffed. They stayed around the table even after they had finished eating, just to talk. They all laughed at Drew’s silly jokes, and Tala noticed that Lark kept finding little ways to touch Drew when she was laughing. By the time evening had set in, the two of them were sitting so close that Tala was sure they were touching under the table. She was glad. She liked Lark. And if Drew and Lark ended up together, that would mean that Drew would stick around forever, he’d never get married to some other girl and leave. They could all be friends. Lark and Drew, and she and Ander. Ander. She wished he was here right now.
“Thanks so much for dinner, it was great,” Tala said as she got up from the bench. “I think I’m going to go call Ander, before I get ready for bed.” Oakley nodded at her as she turned to walk away.
Inside the house she went to the room that she and Drew were sharing. Closing the door behind her, she took out the old flip phone and dialed Ander’s number.
“Hello.” His voice was intoxicating. She missed hearing it in person.
“Hi.”
“Hi, Tala... I know I just talked to you yesterday, but man, have I missed your voice.” Tala laughed; it was still sort of strange to her when they thought the same things at the same time.
“I missed yours, too. How are things going up there? How’s Colt? How’s the pack?”
“Oh, we’re good. Colt is fine, you know kid brothers. He's a pest but I love him anyway. The pack is doing great. Everyone seems to be adjusting to the fact that Dag is gone and you’re their new Alpha. Most of them have been surprisingly upbeat about it. I don’t think many of them really liked my Dad,” Ander chuckled.
“Really? I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t like him,” Tala said, as the memory of Dag came to the front of her mind and made her shudder.
“Yeah, me either,” Ander echoed her sarcasm. “How are things going with you?”
“Okay, I guess. I met some of the elders today. They all seem intent on seeing me become Alpha. I’m not sure though. I didn’t come here expecting anything, and I definitely didn’t come to fight, ya know? But, on the other hand, they also said that they think Orin may actually have been behind the sale of the pack’s land. That would make me feel a lot better if I knew that it wasn’t my father.”
“I’m sure it would. How could you figure that out though? It was over a year ago.”
“Tomorrow, Lark is going to take us to town to see if we can find the actual bill of sale, or at least a copy. There should be a record of it. Hopefully, that will shed some light on what actually happened... Oh, and Ander, Lark took me to see the most beautiful place today. It was part of the pack land. It made me so sad, but it was also amazing. I could actually taste the way the earth felt, if that makes sense? I wish you could have been here to see it with me. It was so beautiful.”
“I wish I could have been there too. I’m ready to run through the woods with my mate. I need you by my side. You can’t imagine how hard it is not being with you.”
“Oh, yes I can, believe me. It feels like the oxygen is constantly being sucked out of my lungs no matter how deeply I breathe. There’s a huge part of myself that’s missing because you aren’t beside me, and every time I turn my head, I want it to be you that I see. Every time it’s not, a ripple of despair runs through me that makes me want to cry.”
“Okay, maybe you do understand.” Tala could tell that Ander was smiling when he said that. “So where are the pack members living if their land has been taken?” he asked.
“Here and there. Some of them have scattered and some of them are living in deplorable conditions. I want to help, but I don’t know what I can do.”
“Tala, I think I may have an idea. You’re the Alpha of the Tundras...”
“Yeah?”
“...and you’re the rightful Alpha of their pack as well...”
“Okay?”
“...and that means that if you do take your place there, we would be united as one pack under you. You could always offer them a place here, with us.”
“Huh. That’s an intriguing idea. Do you think the Tundras would be okay with that?”
“While I believe they would be anyway, the bottom line is that you’re the Alpha. If you make that decision, they’ll be okay with it.”
“Right, but Ander, I don’t want to be that kind of Alpha. I don’t want them to just do what I say. I want to know what they think. I want to know what you think.”
“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t think it was a good idea. Just mull it over for a bit. You don’t have to decide anything yet.”
“It would be nice to not feel like my family is stretched across two countries.” Tala laughed.
“I know the feeling. My pack is here, and my brother is here, but my heart is with you, Little Wolf. Ugh, I miss you so much it’s unreal! I want to curl up with you in my arms so that I can know that you’re safe and protected. I hope you find whatever you need to find tomorrow so that you can resolve things there and come to me.”
“Me too,” Tala said, as a yawn escaped her.
“It sounds like you need to get some rest.”
“Yeah, I guess I probably should go. I love you, Ander.”
“I love you, Little Wolf. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“All right,” Tala said as she yawned again. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
She thought about what Ander had said about uniting the packs in one location. Was it actually possible? Finally she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 9
The next thing she knew it was morning. The smell of coffee woke her, nose-first. She sat up in bed and looked over to Drew’s side of the room. His bed didn’t look like it had even been touched. She threw the covers back and got up. She was worried. Had something happened after she went to bed, she wondered. She flung the bedroom door open. Her anxiety ebbed just as quickly as it had escalated. There he was, lying on the couch with Lark in his arms. I guess this is where he slept then, she thought. As she walked over to wake him up, Oakley came around the corner from the kitchen and shook his head at her. He put his finger up to his lips in a shushing motion and then waved her into the kitchen. When she rounded the corner, Oakley was waiting for her with a cup of coffee.
“Do you take sugar or cream?” He whispered.
“Both please,” she whispered back. Oakley grabbed the creamer and a bowl of sugar and led her out to the porch. Once they were outside, Tala thought it was safe to use her normal voice.
“Why didn’t you want me to wake them up? Is that where they slept?” Tala asked.
“I believe we may have a bit of a love connection on our hands in there,” Oakley admitted. “Yes, they slept just like that. I think we should give them a little more time together before we wake them up and they act like it was an accident that they fell asleep in one another’s arms. Besides, he’s drooling on her head and I think we should let him.” Oakley laughed. Tala snorted into her coffee cup. Yep, that sounds like Drew for sure, she thought.
“Are you really okay with it? With him being human and all? I mean, isn’t it against the rules?”
“It is, but it’s an old rule. A rule that was supposed to be for the benefit of the pack. Wolves weren’t supposed to mate with humans because it was said to make their offspring weaker and less wolf-like, therefore putting the pack in danger. That’s how the rule came about, but it’s obvious now that it’s not true. Look at you. Drew has told me about your transformation, and if you were truly big enough and strong enough to take on a full-grown Alpha and win right after you turned for the first time, then those reasons can’t hold up anymore
. Besides, I’ve never seen anything wrong with humans. I think that if they can make one another happy, and they make each other stronger together than they are apart, then that’s the right person for my daughter. That’s all any father can hope for really.”
It was way too early for this much sentimentality. She had only been up for five minutes and Oakley was already about to make her cry. Suddenly there was a shout from inside.
“Ahhhh! What the hell?” Lark’s voice carried through the door and out to the two of them standing on the porch. Oakley looked at Tala and smiled.
“What? What is it?” Drew answered Lark’s scream. Tala and Oakley walked back into the house to find Lark standing up beside the sofa pulling at the damp spot on her head and Drew standing up on top of the couch looking around himself trying to find the culprit responsible for making his snuggle buddy scream. Tala and Oakley laughed all the harder at the sight.
Once things had calmed down, everyone got dressed and sat down to breakfast. Lark was still eyeing Drew with disdain over her bowl of cereal, even after she had taken a shower and washed the spit out of her hair. Tala had to explain to Drew what had happened because he had absolutely no clue why Lark seemed angry with him. Once he knew the situation, he apologized profusely, and by the time she was finished with her cereal, Lark seemed close to forgiving him. Tala stood beside Lark at the kitchen sink, drying the dishes as Lark handed them to her. Lark looked over at Tala, “So, where exactly do you want to go today?”
“I think we should start by visiting Orin. He may give us more insight into the whole timeline of when the land was sold and when the money should have been paid out to someone. I’d also like to hear what he has to say when I ask him what my dad told him when he went to talk him out of selling the land.”
“Okay, then. The Sheriff's Office is the first stop. I’m ready whenever you guys are.” Lark dried her hands and looked at Tala and then Drew, who both nodded in agreement.
“We’re ready.” Tala and Drew said in unison.
“Just let me grab my bag,” Tala said. The three of them headed out the door.
“Do you want to take my car today?” Drew asked.
“Why? Do you not like my driving?” Lark eyed him suspiciously.
“No, I just meant if you’d like a break from doing all of the driving,” Drew answered her quickly.
“Aww, that’s so sweet of you but thanks, I’d rather take the truck.” Lark walked quickly to catch up with Drew who was leading the way and when she did, she stretched up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek as she passed by him. Tala covered her mouth before a gasp could escape. Drew turned around to look at her and his face was frozen in a big “o”. Tala gave him a thumbs up and walked past him to open the passenger side door. She watched as Drew climbed into the middle of the bench seat again, but this time he looked like he was in shock. Lark, on the other hand, had a huge smile on her face and was humming some unrecognizable tune. This is going to be another interesting day for sure, thought Tala. The drive to town was pretty quiet. Neither of the lovebirds knew what to say to one another, and Tala didn’t know what to say to either of them, so they just rode in silence. When they pulled up to the Sheriff’s Office, Tala was the first one out.
“I think I should talk to him alone,” she said to the others as they walked up beside her.
“My dad said that he didn’t think you should talk to him alone.” Lark reminded her.
“Yeah, but he might be willing to tell me something in private that he wouldn’t say to the three of us.” Tala contended.
“I agree with Lark. Do what Oakley says. He’s known Orin a lot longer than you.” Drew added while placing his hand on Tala’s shoulder.
“Fine, let’s all go in and freak him out.” Tala said as she stomped through the front door to the Sheriff’s Office. She walked over to the window, followed by Lark and Drew, and pushed the buzzer.
“Can I help you?” said a woman's voice from the intercom.
“Yes. We’d like to see Sheriff Orin, please.”
“Who should I say is here?” the woman asked.
“Tell him that it’s Tala, and her friends, Drew and Lark.” There was silence on the other end. The three of them looked around the lobby while they waited. It wasn’t very big, but there were loads of chairs bolted to the floor and an old vending machine in one corner. After a minute or two, the woman's voice came over the intercom again.
“The Sheriff says he’s happy to see you but only one of you can come back at a time for security purposes.”
“I’m the only one that really needs to see him anyway, so that’s fine.” Tala turned around and stuck her tongue out at Drew and Lark. The two of them looked at each other and rolled their eyes, then headed over to have a seat on one of the rows of metal chairs. Tala smiled as the lady opened the door to let her in. Orin was waiting in the hall on the other side of the door. He eyed her inquisitively.
“I didn’t expect to have another visit from you so soon,” he said. “What can I do for you, Tala?” He smiled. She didn’t like his smile at all. Suddenly, the story of Little Red Riding Hood popped into her mind, she got the feeling that she was staring at the big bad wolf. She shook the thought from her mind.
“I’d like to talk to you about my dad, if you have a minute.” Tala said.
“Certainly. I’m sure you have plenty of questions that you’d like to have answered. Follow me to my office, where we can sit down.” She followed him to the back of the building and into a small but nicely furnished office that said ‘Sheriff’ on the door. “Have a seat.” Tala sat down in the chair closest to the door while Orin walked around the desk to the chair behind it. “Now, tell me what questions you have.”
“I’d like to know what happened between you and my father when you went to see him last year before he died. Oakley said you tried to stop him from selling the land, but he wouldn’t listen to you.”
“Yes, I’m afraid that’s true. I went to beg him not to do it, but he wasn’t hearing it.”
“How did you know that he was about to sell it to begin with?”
“It’s a small town, I’m the sheriff. When you’re sheriff, you’re privy to certain information before the general public.”
“Right.” Tala guessed that was probably true enough. “Well, what did he say to you when you confronted him?”
“At first, he didn’t say anything, but the more I begged him not to do it, the angrier he got with me. He said it was his land. It was in his name and he could do whatever he wanted to with it.”
“My dad said that? That doesn’t sound like him. He was such a caring man. Even if he had been gone for a while, I’m sure he must have still cared about the pack.” Tala replied. The doubt began to well up in her.
“Perhaps you didn’t know him so well as you thought you did. I have known your father for many years. He was always selfish and greedy. Even as a boy, I remember him manipulating people into thinking of him a certain way. It doesn’t surprise me that he hid it from you so well, he had most of the pack fooled too, until he showed his true colors by selling that land.”
“So, you think he just wanted to sell it for personal gain?”
“Absolutely.” Orin watched Tala’s face as he said this and gave her a menacing smirk that made her blood curdle.
“Huh. I see.” Tala looked down at her feet to make him think that she was giving up but then she lifted her head and looked into his eyes. “What do you suppose happened to the money then? He never got any as far as I can tell, and we certainly never received any after he died.”
“That is quite odd isn’t it?” Orin tried to look surprised. Then he said, “I do so hate to speak ill of your father, and I had hoped to spare you the most painful details, but it seems you are the type that must have all the facts to be satisfied, so I will reveal a hard truth about your father. He was a gambler. When we were young it became quite a problem for him. He would bet on fights and fight them himself. He bet on spor
ts, races. Anything he could bet on, he did. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but there it is.”
“So, you’re telling me that you think he gambled away every last penny that he got for all of that land?” Tala looked at him in disbelief.
“Oh, Tala.” He said with unconvincing sincerity. “My dear, I don’t want to speak ill of the dead, but if you think about it, it explains more than just where the money went.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, that perhaps that’s what drove him off of the road the night he died.”
“You mean you think he killed himself? No! No way.”
“Don’t be naive. Think of all the things your father never told you. He had years to explain all the pack things and wolf things, but he didn’t. Why? Because he was a coward. He was scared to tell you the truth about this, just like he was scared for you to know the truth about what he’d done to the pack. And on top of that, he had gambled it all away and he had nothing left to show for it. He didn’t want to face you or your mother, he couldn’t after all of that. It’s not so far-fetched when you put the pieces together.” Angry tears began to grow in Tala’s eyes. Orin mistook them for sad tears and added. “I know, it’s never easy to learn the truth about someone you love.”
Just then the office phone rang. “Excuse me,” Orin said. “Hello...No, I’m sorry Kale, I can’t do it.... I promised Cindy I’d take her dancing over at Reds tonight. Maybe one of the other deputies can cover your post... If not, you’ll have to do it. It’s your shift... Just ask around... All right, well, I have someone in the office with me, I have to go.” Orin laid his phone back down on the receiver.
“Is there anything else you’d like to know about your father? I’ll be glad to answer any other questions you might have.” Orin’s voice became so sweet it was almost sickening.
“I think that you’ve told me everything I need to know.” Tala replied.
“In that case, let me walk you back out to your friends.”
“I can find my way.”
