by Terri L Vest
"Of course dear. What did you want to talk to me about?" asked Claire. Heading over to her bed she asked her mother to join her. She didn't want to risk anyone hearing what she had to say before she was ready to tell them herself, namely her father.
Nervously, she looked down at her hands and struggled with where to start. She wasn't sure if she should tell her everything or only parts of it. While she struggled, her mother knowingly watched her and decided to help her out. "Is this about the young man we met in the city today?" she asked.
Reika's head shot up in surprise. "How would you know that?!" she asked incredulously. Claire smiled and reached out to take her daughters hands, which she was ringing nervously. "My dearest daughter, I was young once and I know the signs of attraction. I worried today after he left if this was going to be a conversation we would be having soon", she said as she lightly chuckled. Reika's shoulders slumped in relief as she blew out the breath she didn't know she was holding.
"Oh mother, I don't really understand all that's happening, but I know it's real. Somehow I just know that he and I are meant to be together. Isn't that strange?! I mean, we just met today in the city, and honestly, I just spent the last bit of time with him in the woods."
Now Claire's head shot up in surprise. "Why would you arrange to meet, alone, with a stranger, at this late hour?" she asked, thinking she'd taught her better than that, to be watchful of her safety! An alpha' daughter just doesn't do things like that, especially at this point in her life!
"I didn't arrange it. I was out walking, enjoying the cool grass on my feet and I saw a shadow move, and he stepped out. I had wandered out near the border of our property when I ran into him. I asked him what he was doing in our territory, without an invitation from the alpha, and said how dangerous that was! Mother, he said he just couldn't wait to see me again and he wanted to wish me a happy birthday in person. I decided to walk him out into the neutral territory so he wouldn't be at risk if someone should find him, and we just sat and talked about so many things. I'm so comfortable with him and it feels like I've known him all my life! Mother, . . . he mentioned something to me as an explanation for what was happening and I wanted to ask you what you knew of it. He talked of imprinting. A relationship that fate decides, and how it's bad for the two involved if they are kept apart. Does this make sense to you?" she asked with a bit of fear and hope in her eyes.
Now it was Claire that was worried. She let go of Reika's hands and stood up. She began to pace, trying to decide which part of this whole situation should be addressed first. She turned back with worry in her eyes as she seated herself back on the bed. "Darling, imprinting is something that a few refuse to believe in, but it does exist. I know you've seen it happen among a few of our wolves. Some think it's simply old superstition and a way to excuse . . . or rather to 'allow', two wolves to join when some would say they shouldn't. I believe it is universally known that keeping two imprinted wolves apart will slowly deteriorate them both, mentally and physically over time. If what you say is true, and it's not simply a strong infatuation between a young inexperienced wolf and one who wants to take advantage of her, then we may have a serious problem. For that to happen without your father even knowing who this male is, as well as the very bad situation of him not even being a member of our pack . . . well, I'm sure you know he's not going to be very happy about it", Claire ended, as Reika nodded her head in agreement. She was now very worried about how her father was going to take it, but she was a bit relieved that her mother believed in imprinting. If she believed, she knew her father would too, and that would help them plead her case to him.
Feeling this part of her news had been received fairly well, she took a deep breath and pushed forward with the more disturbing news. "Unfortunately, there's more mother, and it's worse than this news."
Claire sighed and rolled her eyes thinking that their daughter imprinting with a strange wolf was bad enough. What could be worse than that? "Alright dear, what is this other bad news?" she asked as she braced herself. Noticing that her daughter had become increasingly nervous did not bode well for news that could be easily handled.
"Well, after we'd been talking a little bit and the subject of imprinting came up, Foster . . . Oh, that's what his name is . . . Foster said he was worried about how father might take his presence. I had said that unless he was some lowly wolf, or a rival pack member, he'd eventually come to accept it. He said no worries about being an omega wolf as he had a rather high position within his pack. I said, 'well, no worries then, unless he was a rival pack member' . . . and he hesitated. He finally admitted that he was in fact a member of the Carbon county pack."
With that news, Claire jumped up. "Oh Reika! Your father will never go along with this, imprinted or not! He will never turn his only daughter over to a rival pack! He'd die first before he'd let that happen!" Claire was so distressed with this news that her pacing became faster and more intense, and she kept throwing glances towards the door as if thinking Silas would burst in at any moment demanding to know what was going on.
Reika jumped up as well and tried to intercept her mother in her pacing path. "Mother, there's more", she said simply. Claire stopped and stared at her daughter as if she were trying to understand a foreign language. "How can there be more? What could be as bad as a rival pack member bonding with our only daughter - unless of course if it turned out that he was their alpha", she said, half joking, half pleading that it not be the case.
Reika silently looked at her mother, hands clasped together, waiting for her mother to make the connection to keep her from having to say it. Claire studied her daughter's eyes, looking for denial of the truth of her statement - and found none. "Oh, Reika" she quietly said as she went to sit down before she fell down.
Hurrying to her mother, she fell to her knees before her. "I'm so sorry mother. I didn't go looking for this to happen, never meant for it to happen. I'm still trying to come to terms with it myself. What I'm hoping will eventually make a difference, if he's allowed to speak to father, is that he talked about uniting the packs in peace. He said there hasn't been a battle between the two packs in many years. He's not even sure why we are rivals. But he truly believes that it would benefit both packs greatly if we could come together. Don't you think that father could be reasonable enough to see the sense in it? I mean, he wants me to mate with a respectable, powerful wolf to secure my safety, and what better way than to mate with an Alpha! But more importantly, if there could finally be peace between the two largest packs! Think about how much that could affect the peace between all of the packs. We could all live harmoniously into the future, grow our packs and secure our borders from packs outside of the state. I know father has been worried about having enough to patrol the borders and keeping us safe. This could be the answer!" she said with excitement in her voice and hope in her eyes.
The shock that Claire had felt had subsided a bit as she listened to her daughter. She was beginning to believe that uniting the two large packs could indeed remove some of the pressure from Silas and those patrolling the borders. How it could be achieved was a different story. This will be three blows against what Silas has believed and lived for many years and she knew that he could be very stubborn at times. Throw in the fact that it dealt with the safety and future of his only daughter, . . . releasing a sigh she said, "We definitely have our work cut out for us, my dear!"
Joy and relief rushed through Reika knowing that she had her mother on her side. Between them, the two strongest forces when dealing with Silas, there just might be hope that introducing Foster to Silas won't get him killed!
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Before Reika had finished talking to her mother, she eventually told her of the lunch meeting the next day. Claire decided before things went too far, she wanted to meet with Foster again and hear his side of the situation. She usually had a talent for reading the sincerity and truth in the words of other people when they spoke and she wanted to be sure he did indeed feel deeply for
her daughter, before they took it to Silas. She was not looking forward to when he found out, but she hoped that between her and Reika, they could get him to see reason before he reacted violently.
"Alright, what time are you meeting up with Foster tomorrow?" Claire asked while pondering what she was going to do. Reika looked at her mother with hope and said, "At noon. He is packing a lunch and meeting me in the spot we talked in tonight. You know the tall hill with the large tree on top?" Claire nodded. "Well, right under the tree. It's very peaceful there and has a great view of the surroundings so there's no sneaking up on us by any undesirables."
"Fine, I will give you a small amount of time to arrive and have your lunch, then I will join you. I want to see for myself that he is genuine in his affection towards you. I have questions of my own that must be answered before we take this to your father. Go carefully and be sure you're not followed! Don't draw attention to your departure. This must not get to your father before I'm prepared", warned Claire.
"Alright, mother. I'll be very careful", said Reika as a bit of stress about tomorrow began to worm it's way into her.
Claire stood up, preparing to leave, and turned to her daughter with her own stress beginning to show. She knew that she must get a handle on it as Silas always reads her so easily. "I'm going to tell your father that I was in here talking about the dance, the boys you met, how it went for you, and such. I'm going to say that you are being stubborn about accepting your responsibility to choose one, and that is why I'm beginning to stress. He's going to pick up on what I'm feeling so we need a good explanation for it before I see him. If he comes to you, play your part well, but not so well that he puts you on lock down or has you followed! Especially for tomorrow! Hopefully he'll think it to be silly young girl nerves and give you a bit of space and time to adjust. Do you understand what I'm asking you to do?"
"Yes, mother, I believe I can do what you've asked. We both know I've learned how to be stubborn and demanding over the years!" she said with a small stomp of her foot and with that, both women smiled and chuckled while nodding their heads in agreement.
Claire reached over and pulled her into her arms for a hug. They were heading into some rocky waters and she hoped that Silas loved them both enough to be reasonable and keep his temper in check. Above all else, they needed to keep Silas away from Foster until he had time to hear the news, see how his daughter was affected by Foster and adjust to their upcoming new world! "Now go to bed my dear. I fear we will both need to be strong and rested for what's to come!" Kissing Reika on the cheek she turned and left the room.
* * * *
The morning dawned bright and cheerful. Reika couldn't suppress the excitement building within her knowing that she would be seeing Foster again in just a few short hours. She knew this situation was something that should have her on edge. After all, her father was not going to be happy with the news and everyone knew when he was unhappy, it wasn't safe to be around him. She raised her chin in defiance. "He's just going to have to learn to accept it", she thought. "This is about my life and future happiness, and that's my choice, not his!" Though that should be the way it was, she knew with Silas being the alpha of the pack, his way was law. Deflating just a bit with the truth of that thought, a small flicker of hope still remained within her heart that her and her mother could bring him around.
Deciding to put away her worry about the meeting between Silas and Foster for now, she got dressed and went to focus on her chores instead. She knew she couldn't act too happy for the time being either. As her mother said last night, she must be pouting about being forced to choose between the boys from the party, in case Silas came to check on her. Stubborn and pouting was a well practiced art of hers so it was an easy task to pull off.
Tending to the supplies for the pack was one of her jobs. As she counted and organized, she mumbled to herself in an effort to appear as the pouting young girl her father expected. He made a habit of checking in with her on these days to check the status of the supplies and today was no different.
Shaking his head side to side, he chuckled. "I see your mother speaks the truth". Reika looked up to see her father's tall figure standing over her. "Good morning, father", she said sullenly.
"My dear, I thought you were coming to accept what must be. I saw excitement about shopping for the dress and you said you were going to try to do what you must for the good of the pack. Yet, here you are still pouting like a child. Really, Reika, it's time to grow up and act responsibly, don't you think?" said Silas, sounding cross but he had a small smile on his face and love shining in his eyes.
"I know what I said father, but saying and doing are two different things. You know I am not happy about being forced to mate with someone I don't want. I don't understand why 18 is the magic number. Why not 19? or 20? What is so magical about 18??" she said and ended with a big sigh as she slumped her shoulders in defeat.
Silas could only laugh at her theatrics. Though it was frustrating to have her question his rules, he still enjoyed watching how she made it all appear to be the end of the world for her. He reached over and pulled her into a hug, which she relaxed into. She loved being in her fathers embrace. It was warm and safe, and despite any frustration she may feel towards him, it all melted away when she was wrapped in his very obvious love.
"I'm sorry father," she said softly. "I know I'm being difficult. I just can't help it. This is my life that's being decided and I can't sit back and watch like it belongs to someone else. I do mean to do better, and to honor your laws. I guess I'm just too much like you in my stubbornness!" she finished, then chuckled as he feigned shock at her jab. They both stood facing each other, smiling, laughing and agreeing that they were much too much alike in that aspect.
Noon was rapidly approaching and she knew she needed to be making her way towards the hill very soon! She had gotten a lot accomplished with her sorting and organizing and she would use that as an excuse to take a break so she could meet up with Foster. Coincidentally, Silas made it easy on her by having his own commitments to attend to. "Well, my little flower petal, I must be going. My own commitments weigh heavily on my time. You should take a break and just get some fresh air and some quiet time to think about what it is you need to decide," he said with a wink.
She shook her head and rolled her eyes at his not so subtle hint that a decision must be made. "Alright, father. I get it! But it's not like it has to be decided today!" she said with a small stomp of her foot, which then had him rolling his eyes.
Chuckling, he said, "I know, but it does need to be made soon, so get some thought put into it!" With a swat to her bottom and her indignant huff, he turned and left to go tend to pack business all while chuckling as he went.
She watched her father go, smiling as she did. He was a good man, father and pack leader. He was truly concerned about his charges and gave his all in their protection. She hoped she was as lucky with her future mate. Suddenly realizing what time it was she said, "OH, I need to go! Father made it easy by giving me an excuse, now I just need to get there!"
She quickly put away the items she'd gotten out to record the quantity of their supplies in and hurried for the door. After locking up, she turned towards the woods. She didn't want to look like she was in a very big hurry so she carefully took casual, measured steps in an attempt to appear to be wandering and enjoying the weather. Once she reached the edge of the woods, she quickened her steps until she was out of sight, then she quickly shifted into her wolf and began running towards her destination. Her conversation with her father had put her behind and now she was going to be a bit late. She hoped that Foster would wait!
* * * *
Foster had arrived a few minutes before noon so that he could watch the approach of his true mate. He loved seeing her move, whether in human form or wolf. She had a strong, yet graceful manner to her step that he just couldn't get enough of. Her long, blonde hair seemed to shimmer like winter wheat and her blonde coat rippled in the wind with her motion. S
he was toned and sleek and he couldn't believe his luck in getting such a beauty for his mate. They would make beautiful pups together! With her outside beauty as marvelous as it was, she had a loving and compassionate heart that was going to make her a truly awesome alpha female.
He noted that noon had arrived, yet she hadn't. He hoped that nothing had happened last night when she'd talked with her mother that would prevent her from coming. He realized that they had no way to contact each other and therefore couldn't get messages back and forth. He would have to fix that immediately! As worry began to creep into him, motion caught his attention and he looked up to see her running towards him in her wolf form. Feeling instant relief at seeing her, he noted how healthy and happy she seemed to be. He didn't wait for her to come to him. He took off in a sprint towards her to shorten the time he had to wait to be with her again.
Just before connecting, Reika smoothly shifted back into her human form and Foster scooped her up into his arms, hugging her tightly as though he'd been waiting for days! She giggled softly and returned his hug with her own. "Oh my," she breathlessly laughed, "I just saw you last night! This greeting is one from a long separation. I can't imagine what it will be if we actually do have a long separation!"
"I won't allow that to happen my love! I must see you daily if I'm to remain happy and healthy!" he said, his husky voice rumbling deep within his chest.. He pulled back just enough to capture her mouth with his own and kissed her passionately until she trembled and thought her legs would give out. A soft, satisfied moan slipped out of her as she gave herself to him, projecting how much she cared for him as well. Reluctantly she pulled back. "I hope you haven't forgotten to bring lunch! I'm famished! We don't have a lot of time to eat our lunch before we get a visitor", she said, still slightly breathless from his kiss.
