by C Zinnia
Mel continued to read, pausing only to watch the sunrise.
After breakfast, it felt warm enough that Mel decided to brave one of the trails in the woods. Mel took her phone and walked across the lawn to one of the paths. She was amazed by how many large trees surrounded her as she walked.
She enjoyed the way the woods smelled. She could smell the bark from the trees, the soil, and fragrances of various plants she couldn’t identify. It smelled fresh in a way that no synthetic fragrance could reproduce.
She enjoyed listening to the song birds as they flew from branch to branch overhead.
Crash! Crash! Crash! She froze when she heard the loud sounds as her heart raced. She slowly turned towards the sound to find a small grey squirrel wading through the dry leaves on the ground before jumping on a tree. It zoomed up the tree. The squirrel’s athleticism impressed Mel. “Such loud noises from such a small thing,” she mused. “You about gave me a heart attack.”
Mel continued her walk. She randomly heard loud sounds, but every time she found a squirrel responsible for the noise. At one point, she heard animal chatter and saw two squirrels yelling at each other as they chased one another. They circle around and around a large tree.
She chuckled. “I guess all species bicker sometimes,” she said.
She felt the presence of a couple of large creatures. She paused and wildly looked around. It took a few silent, panicking minutes for her to find a pair of large eyes staring at her. It was a deer with a head of antlers.
Mel slowly took out her phone as she observed five deer. Two had antlers and three did not. They all watched her without moving. She managed to take a couple of pictures of them on her phone.
One of the deer made a trilling noise. They all sped off with their tails up, showing the white undersides of their tails.
At least I know I can sense large animals, but I didn’t sense them as quickly as I would have liked, Mel thought. Would I be able to sense a bear faster?
Mel didn’t know.
Suddenly, the woods appeared too open for her liking. That’s enough nature for one day, she thought. She sped-walked her way back to the B&B.
When she arrived, she found a note taped on the front door. Dana and Lee had gone to town to run errands.
Mel went inside and hurried to her room without running into Trixie or Bill. The bed looked so comfortable and inviting that Mel collapsed on it and immediately fell asleep.
~ * ~
After Mel woke up from her nap feeling slightly refreshed, she spent the rest of the day trying to work on her music. She managed to write a couple of chords, but quickly tired out.
Daren came back from work and knocked on Mel’s door.
“Come in,” Mel said as she wrote the chords she had just played.
Daren walked in and smiled.
Mel was sitting on the bed with notebooks scattered around her. Some had sheet music while others had lyrics.
“Sounds like you’ve got something catchy going on,” Daren said as he leaned against the door.
She sighed as she frowned at her music. “Thanks. It doesn’t feel like it,” she said. “How was work?”
“Great,” he said. He stuck his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the wall. He shyly smiled. “I actually got promoted today to manager at the farm I work at.”
“That’s fantastic!” she said. “Congrats.”
His smile morphed into a wide grin. “Thanks,” he said as he straightened up.
“I have a lot of respect for you,” Mel said. “Farming is so important and it seems like farmers don’t get the credit they deserve. I mean, you all grow our food so we can eat and live. It’s an important job.”
“We’re more appreciated around here, but there are a lot of dairy farms around here. I’ve actually gotten the approval to start a couple of forest gardens. I’m really excited about that,” he said.
“What’s a forest garden?” Mel asked.
“It’s a low-maintenance sustainable way of growing food,” he said. “A lot of indigenous groups had forest gardens. One of the theories is that the Amazon is a large forest garden. It’s a way to grow food, but it’s still good for the environment and the animals in the ecosystem.”
“That’s amazing,” she said. “I’m glad your boss gave you the go ahead.”
“Me too,” Daren said. He plopped down in the desk chair. “So, how’s the music coming along?”
“Not too well,” Mel admitted. She suddenly had an idea. What if I can convince Daren to take me to the fight without me asking again? she thought. But how? Mel had seen people use their energy to manipulate others. She had heard of people even pushing their thoughts into another person’s mind so the person takes the idea as his own. Is that possible? Mel decided to test it out. She continued; “I don’t seem to have any inspiration. Don’t get me wrong, the concert has inspired the sound, but I don’t have a subject to write about. I tried love, but it’s hard to write about something I’m not experiencing.”
Daren laughed. “I can understand that,” he said.
“I just wish there was something exciting for me to write about. Maybe that would get my creativity going.” Her energy focused on the fight Daren had talked about coupled with the idea of Mel attending the fight. Naturally, Mel morphed the energy into a little ball. She gingerly pushed it at Daren, hoping his energy would take in the concept. She felt his energy relax into hers, accepting her thoughts as his own. She was impressed that it worked on her first try. Mel hoped God would forgive her for manipulating Daren like this. She vowed to herself she would never do it again.
“Well . . .” Daren hesitated. He cursed as he leaned back and crossed his arms. He scowled as he suddenly rubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I may know of something that could inspire you.” He wagged a finger at her. “But you have to do what I say when I say it. Mom and Dad can’t know you’re going and they’ll be there. Do you understand? I could get in serious trouble if they catch you. Trixie will be there too and she’ll be pissed if she found out that you went when Bill can’t.”
Mel said; “Why can’t-”
“No questions,” Daren said sternly.
“I got it,” Mel said. She pretended like she buttoned up her mouth. “I’ll follow directions, I promise.”
“Okay. Be ready by eleven tonight. I’ll have to sneak back here to get you because I’m normally go with my parents,” Daren said.
“How should I dress?” Mel asked.
“Dark warm clothes. I don’t want you to stand out,” Daren said.
“So, what exactly is going to happen tonight?” Mel asked.
“Fights. As if you didn’t already know,” Daren said with a sigh. “As much as I’ve been mentioning it around you, I guess that’s a sign from God to take you. But that’s all I’m going to say about it. I’m not going to answer any more questions and, if you ask, then I can’t take you. And no matter what you hear or see, no questions. Ever. Got it?”
“Got it,” Mel said. “Thanks, Daren.”
“You’re welcome. Just don’t make me regret it,” Daren said.
“I won’t, I promise,” Mel said.
“Well, I’ll let you get back to your music,” Daren said as he placed his hands on his knees and stood. He walked out and closed her bedroom door behind him.
Mel knew the best thing for her to do was stay upstairs for the rest of the day except for dinner. She would have skipped dinner, but she knew that would be a huge red flag for Dana that something was wrong.
Mel also knew she couldn’t sit on the porch like she normally did because she was too giddy. With her luck, Dana or Lee would figure out the cause of her sudden excitement and keep her from going.
Mel fiddle with her guitar strings before playing a couple of chords. She couldn’t wait until eleven.
Because of Viola? her mind whispered.
Mel refused to dignify the question with a response.
Instead,
Mel tried to get lost in her music as the minutes slowly trailed by.
Chapter 13
Daren, Dana, and Lee made their way through the woods. The full moon wasn’t out yet, but they could effortlessly see in the dark. “It’s such a lovely night,” Dana said. “I’m glad it’s not raining like it had when we went over to Wise last month.”
“That was miserable, especially since their alpha demanded the matches take place in the field instead of one of their barns,” Lee said.
“The poor weather certainly wasn’t to their advantage,” Dana said with a smile. “All of our fighters won.”
“Yeah, but a few of them didn’t appreciate ending up covered in mud, especially V,” Daren said. He laughed at the memory. “The look of fury on her mud-covered face is a memory I’ll never forget. I wonder how many from Mason’s pack will be there tonight.”
“Hopefully only the good ones,” Dana said.
“Doubt it since Chris is fighting,” Daren said.
Dana sighed in frustration.
“It’ll be okay, honey,” Lee said. He sweetly kissed her.
“Racists are never okay,” Dana said. “I don’t know how Alura puts up with it. You know it’s got to be difficult for her to be in charge in that pack.”
“Alura told Viola once that one of the pack members told her to go back to China where she came from. She said only if he went back to Hell first,” Daren said. “Mason punished the guy, but there are still plenty who talk about her under their breath.”
“I wish Mason would name her next alpha already. At least then, hopefully, all the bigots would leave the pack like they did ours when Dad was named beta,” Dana said.
“Did Grandpa have to face a lot of adversity from that?” Daren asked.
“Of course! One pack member had the audacity to tell Bruce’s dad ‘I ain’t gonna take orders from no black man,’” she said.
“Really? He said black man?” Lee said dryly.
“No, he said a racially charged term I refuse to repeat. Daren gets the idea,’” Dana said. “That pack member quickly left after that remark with a black eye and a bruised ego courtesy of Alpha John.”
Daren was shocked. “But everyone loved Grandpa!” he said.
“By the time you were born, they did, but there was a lot of backlash and raised hackles for a while,” Lee said. “Your grandpa had to be twice as honest and work twice as hard to be considered half the caliber of any other beta. He knew he couldn’t mess up not even once or this pack wouldn’t have another black beta for decades, if not longer.”
“But we don’t have a beta who is black now,” Daren said.
Dana pointedly looked at Lee. “Only because someone keeps refusing,” Dana said.
Daren was shocked. “Really?” he said. He looked at Lee. “I didn’t know that.”
“Why do you think Bruce and Silvia only has one beta right now?” Dana said. She affectionately rubbed Lee’s arm. “He’s keeping a spot open for your daddy because he knows he would make a great beta. Samuel wants him to be beta too.”
“They asked you to be beta and you said no?” Daren said. He couldn’t believe this was the first he had heard of any of this. “What else have y’all not told me?”
Lee shrugged. “I don’t want the position. I’d have to move back to the village and your mom and I enjoy running the B&B,” he said simply.
Daren shook his head. “Grandpa would have had a fit if he had been alive,” he said.
“He supported my decision,” Lee said. “Bruce asked me a year before your grandpa died. When I told him my decision, he just said; ‘I know that any decision you make is made because you want what’s best for my daughter and grandson. And I know you’ll always take care of them. That’s all anyone could ask from a son-in-law.’”
Daren agreed with his grandpa. Lee had always done everything to try to give Daren a good, well-rounded childhood. Daren knew he couldn’t have asked for a better father. “So, why didn’t Grandpa like you for a long time?” he asked.
“Because my family was ranked Omegas. Your grandpa fought so hard to bring his family to the rank of beta that he thought your mom was tossing it all away to date someone like me. He was worried she’d end up back in a situation he brought them out of. His parents were ranked lesser than omegas in their pack. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they were treated like slaves, or were slaves for that matter, instead of pack members. Your grandpa grew up in that and didn’t want that for his mate or children,” Lee said. “I don’t blame your grandpa for his concerns. I’m sure I would have felt the same way and I had no problem proving myself to him.”
Before Daren could ask any more questions, they reached the clearing. There were already crowds of people and wolves congregating throughout the clearing. The smells of fur, body odor, and moonshine filled the air. The sounds of people talking and laughing and children squealing as they played made Daren smile. He loved his pack. Daren made his rounds of pleasantries and greetings with various members of Mason’s pack.
Daren noted that one cluster from Mason’s pack kept to themselves. One of them was sporting a rebel flag tattoo. Daren knew they were the supporters of Chris.
Daren could never understand the people who claimed they liked the rebel flag due to their heritage. The rebel flag wasn’t the official flag for confederate armies. On top of that, the rebel flag became a popular symbol for supporting segregation in school and was commonly used by the Ku Klux Klan.
“I see you’ve found our fans,” Eli said wryly as he threw an arm around Daren. Eli showed no fear as he stared at the group out right. A few of them muttered, but they mostly avoided his gaze.
The muscles in Daren’s jaw twitched. “I don’t know how Alura deals with them,” he said.
“One day at a time. And she has parents who love and support her and friends who defend her,” Eli said. Eli studied Daren. “What are you up to?”
Daren froze. He forgot about Eli and his sixth sense. “Huh?” Daren said, feigning ignorance.
Eli frowned for a long moment. His laser focus gaze convinced Daren that Eli was reading his mind.
Daren nervously swallowed. I’m in trouble, he thought.
Suddenly, Eli grinned. It only increased Daren’s anxiety. “If I were watching the matches instead of refereeing them and I didn’t have that good of eyesight, do you know where I would watch the matches from?” Eli asked.
Daren didn’t understand why Eli was posing the question. “No,” he said slowly. “Where?”
“That tree,” Eli said, gesturing to the large Maple tree that was close to them. “It is close enough that I could see everything and hear most things, but far enough away that others wouldn’t notice me.” Eli’s intense stare pinned Daren down. “Could you think of a better spot?”
What does he mean by most things? He has perfect hearing! Daren looked at the tree and realized that Eli was right. The branches are low enough that Mel could climb up there and watch the matches. She’d hear a few things from the match, but she shouldn’t be able to overhear any werewolf conversations from the crowd, Daren thought. There are enough leaves in the tree that it wouldn’t be obvious she’s up there if she wears dark clothes. He noticed Eli was still waiting for him to respond. “No, I couldn’t,” Daren said.
Eli nodded. “Good,” he said. “Have a good evening, Daren. Everything will work itself out. People tend not to notice what they don’t except.” Eli walked off, leaving Daren perplexed.
Daren had always liked Eli, but he definitely thought Eli was odd. Maybe he knows about Mel, he thought. But how? And he wouldn’t react so nonchalantly. It’s forbidden to bring a human without following protocol. Daren decided not to worry about Eli and his witchiness.
Daren noticed Trixie, but she was too busy talking to her mother to notice him. He wondered where Bill was since he wasn’t allowed to be at the match. Bill still had no idea that he was dating a werewolf and Daren had a feeling Mason would never approve of Bill being tol
d about their kind. All for the better, Daren thought.
“Daren,” Bruce said with a smile as he and Silvia joined him.
Daren smiled weakly at them. He felt a small amount of guilt for even contemplating bringing a human to the match. I could always not go back, he thought.
She needs to come to the match, another part of him insisted.
He shook off his dilemma and focused on the alphas. “Hey. How’s my favorite alpha?” Daren said as he warmly hugged Silvia. He was careful not to bump her belly.
Silvia beamed at Daren. “This is why Daren is my favorite,” Silvia said matter-of-factly. She laughed as she looked at her belly. “Wayne is trying to give you a hug. You’re his favorite too.”
Daren crouched down so he was level with Silvia’s belly. “Don’t worry, little guy. Once you’re out of there, I’ll show you all of the best spots to roam,” Daren said as he placed a hand on her belly. He felt a tiny hand press against his. Daren froze in wonder. Life was truly a miraculous thing. “How far along are you?”
“Thirty weeks,” Silvia said.
“Good,” he said. “The sooner I get to meet him, the better.” He felt a bump against his hand in agreement. He laughed. “I guess the feeling is mutual.”
Silvia laughed. “Looks like it! If the way you are with the other pack children is any indication, you’ll be a great-” Silvia broke off and clapped her hand over her mouth.
Bruce smiled sweetly at her. “And you were worried about me saying something,” he teased.
“Saying what?” Daren asked, perplexed. Daren stood up, feeling nervous. What are they thinking? he wondered.
“We were going to ask you after the match, but would you be our child’s godfather?” Silvia asked as she rubbed her belly. “We know it’s a lot to ask, but we couldn’t think of a better person. And, of course, if you prefer, we can ask Lee and Dana to be honorary God grandparents, so you won’t feel as much pressure.”
Daren was stunned. “I don’t know what to say,” he said.
“Take your time to think about it,” Bruce said. “There’s no rush.”
