Lover Eternal

by Idella Breen

  “Why are you sorry?”

  “This is my fault.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “Yes, it is! It’s always my fault! I hurt everyone!”

  Elena gripped the warm hand in hers tighter. “You won’t hurt me.”

  “I already have!”

  “Rae!”

  The other werewolf quieted at the intensity of the Elena’s gaze. Elena nodded and pulled her into a hug. “I’ll always protect you.”

  Raegan froze at her declaration. “Always?”

  Elena nodded against her shoulder. “Always.”

  “I wish you would protect me too,” Gwen’s carefree voice interrupted them making the two girls pull apart.

  Gwen’s face was covered in superficial scratches and a couple of bruises. “What happened, Aunty Gwen?”

  “Remind me to never pick a fight with a mother tengu. It’s just not worth it, I tell you!”

  Raegan and Elena both giggled and Gwen ushered them both into her car. “Come on you two. I’ll take you both home now.”

  “Me too?”

  “Yes, you too kid.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Gwen paused to meet fearful green orbs and smiled softly. “Yes, Raegan. I’ll take you home.”

  Raegan smiled and right then and there Elena decided that it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

  “Come on, into the car you two. You’re both giving me a headache!”

  Both girls climbed into the back seats neither letting go of the other’s hand.

  Chapter 5

  Elena was sitting in the study with her grandmother. Her trip to the park the other day had ended with Gwen scolding her and now she was grounded. Her grandmother said she had to hang out with her all day and be good or else she was never allowed to go to the park again! And for some reason, the thought of never seeing Raegan was a sentence worse than death. Integra’s cell phone rang interrupting the werewolf’s thoughts as a smile lit up her face.

  “Mama!”

  Integra laughed as she answered. “Hello?”

  Elena heard her mama’s voice on the other end of the line and she bounced on the balls of her feet. “Yes, she’s right here. Would you like to speak with her? Okay, here she is.”

  Integra held back a smile as she held the phone out to her granddaughter. “Your Mama wants to speak with you.”

  “Yay!” Elena took the phone and held it up to her ear. “Mama! Where are you?”

  “We’re on our way home right now.”

  “You’re coming back already?”

  “We sure are sweetheart. Your Mom and I have to speak with grandma.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “How have you been?”

  Elena grinned as she climbed back onto the couch and made herself comfortable for the story she was about to tell. “I went on an adventure!”

  “Did you now.”

  “Yeah! I went to the park and I was supposed to find Gwen but instead I found Rae! And Rae is so pretty and nice. We were talking, she doesn’t talk much, but we were talking and then this big meanie came into our hiding space. He made me mad! Then Rae and I beat him up!” she chirped happily. Integra frowned from her place behind her desk and realized she was going to have to tell Snow the whole story and not the happily abridged version that her granddaughter imparted. First, she had to help Snow deal with her own problem. She could speak with both her and Cait later, once everything had settled down.

  “It sounds like you had your own little adventure sweetheart.”

  “I did Mama.”

  “I miss you, Elena.” Snow couldn’t hide the slight sniffle and Elena frowned. Why was her Mama sad?

  “I miss you too Mama. But, grandma and grandpa have been a lot of fun and I’m being a good girl like I promised.”

  “I know you are. We will be home soon baby. Just keep being good for grandma, okay?”

  “I promise.”

  “Mom wants to speak with you too. I’m gonna put her on, okay?”

  “Okay! I’m gonna tell her all about Rae.”

  “You do that,” Snow said.

  There was a soft sound that must have been the cell phone exchanging hands before her Mom’s voice came on the other end of the line. “Hey baby!”

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “How are you?”

  “I’m great. But I got in trouble.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  “I beat up a tengu.”

  There was a pause on the other end before Cait spoke. “Was he picking on you?”

  “A little bit.”

  “It’s okay, honey. I’ll speak with Aunty Gwen about it, okay. I’m sure it wasn’t a big deal.”

  “Okay—” a loud scream interrupted her and suddenly a loud sound came from the other end before the line went dead. Elena held the phone out frowning at it.

  “What’s the matter?” Integra asked as she looked up from her paperwork.

  “They hung up on me.”

  “Did they?” Integra’s eyebrows rose in surprise as she held her hand out for her phone. “Well, I guess it’s for the best. We will try calling them some other time. Right now, it’s just about bed time for you. How about you go and find grandpa and he will help you brush your teeth.”

  “Do I have to?”

  “Have you ever seen a werewolf without teeth?”

  Elena frowned but shook her head. Integra smirked. “Do you know why?”

  “Because they always brush them.”

  “Smart girl, now go find grandpa.”

  “Yes, grandma.” Elena ran to the door and left quickly probably happy to finally be out of what was essentially timeout. Integra’s smile fell as she gently placed her phone down and stared at the space the little werewolf had just occupied. She had been shocked when Gwen showed up yesterday with Elena covered in blood. Gwen had handled the tengu boys parents but she would still be hearing from their families representative in the next few days. That wasn’t what had worried her the most though. Elena was her biggest concern. Why had she reacted the way that she did? Elena wasn’t any more aggressive than an average werewolf, though her age and immaturity did play into her being more volatile as she didn’t have the experience to help her control her wolf better. When her wolf was angry she would also become angry. The child struggled to separate her emotions from that of the beasts within.

  Gwen had suggested mediation to Cait and the older werewolf had agreed to it in hopes of preventing what had occurred at the park. Integra sighed and pulled a file out from under a pile of papers. Flipping it open, she was met with the mysterious green eyes of Raegan McCloud or Rae as Elena affectionately referred to her as. Rae was a young werewolf from the McCloud Clan, a long time rival to the Fallon Clan. That alone wasn’t the cause for her concern. It was the other thing that the file included that made Integra hesitant to allow Elena to meet with the other girl again. Towards the middle of the file was a small section that included notes from Raegan’s hospital visits. And they were numerous, those visits. Integra’s frown deepened. Burn marks, scars, bumps and bruises, the list went on and on and the notes that followed always finished with the same words.

  “A child with the cursed flame,” Integra read aloud as her eyes scanned over the words and she couldn’t hold back the deep sigh that left her lips. “The cursed flame, indeed.”

  She closed the file and rested her forehead against her hands. The salamander feared that her granddaughter may have bitten off more then she could chew this time and the worst part was, Integra didn’t think she could do a thing to stop the events that have been set into motion. It seemed that Elena was destined to face just as many hardships as those that her daughter faced even now. Sometimes she wondered if her whole family was cursed. Then she’d see how happy her daughter was with her mate and her daughter and Integra then wondered if their curse was also their blessing. “Only time will tell.”

  * * *

  Adam brought Elena into the study after
having made her go through her meditation for half an hour. Gwen had something she had to do so Elena was forced to do it with her grandpa but he was so boring! At least Aunty Gwen tried to make it fun, she thought as she dove into Snow’s arms.

  “Mama!” the little girl cried out as she hugged Snow with surprising strength for a five-year-old. Snow hugged her back with just as much fervor and breathed in the familiar scent of rainwater that Elena always seemed to carry on her. She was just like Cait in that respect. She always smelled of a thunderstorm yet she bore no lack of soul like her mom had. Elena’s rainwater scent didn’t carry the solemn smell that Cait’s had once-upon-a-time, instead, her daughter's smell was much like a fresh cleansing smell. As if by just breathing her in you could wipe all your aches and pains away. It soothed Snow to hold the girl in her arms even though they hadn’t even been separated for a week yet. She pulled the girl closer making Elena giggle. “Did Mama miss me?”

  “You have no idea.”

  Elena pulled back suddenly with a goofy smile on her face. “Did you bring me back a present?”

  Snow laughed and rubbed her eyes to get rid of the tears already forming there. She pat her clothes until she felt the small bulge in her pocket and reached in to pull out the silver Saint Pot coin. With nothing else to give her daughter, she handed the little monster the necklace and grinned when the girl squealed in joy.

  Elena held up the necklace and tapped her chin before meeting Snow’s gaze, a question clear in her own.

  Cait’s voice cut in, “Use your words, Elena.”

  “Okay, Mom. Mama, what is this?”

  “It’s called a Saint Pot.”

  Elena frowned. “What does it do?”

  Snow thought for a moment on how to answer and decided that a simplified truth would be the best approach. “When someone wants to hurt someone important to you just hold this coin tight and wish with all your might and they won’t hurt them. But you have to be careful.”

  “Why?”

  “Because, when you make that wish, the bad guy will attack you instead. So, only use this in an emergency.”

  “What’s an emergency?”

  “It’s when you have to make a very important decision.”

  “Oh!” Elena was suddenly filled with gratitude. If she had this then she would always be able to protect Rae. Her Mama had gotten her the best present ever.

  Snow smiled as she knew that Elena had probably only understood half of what she had explained to her but for some reason, she had a strong urge to give the necklace to her daughter. It was almost as if it was truly meant for her.

  “Elena come here.” Cait held out her arms for the girl to jump into.

  The two snuggled and when Cait let loose a low growl, Elena responded in a high-pitched one, prompting Snow to smile. They reconvened with the group but this time with the addition of their daughter tucked safely between them sleeping on the couch.

  Chapter 6

  Elena had been frustrated when her grandparents had taken her away from her parents the night before. She had wanted to play and ask more questions about their adventures. But her grandma told her that her parents had one more thing that they had to do on their own. When she had asked why she couldn’t help, her grandma had simply said that by leaving and being safe she was helping in the best way possible. Now, she was at the hospital where her Mom was sleeping and she couldn’t wait to see her parents!

  Elena heard the low muffled voices of her parents as her grandpa led her to their room and couldn’t help the excitement that filled her. She ran forward and burst open and the two jerked apart.

  “Mom is awake now!” Elena’s childish laughter made Cait grin as Snow helped the little werewolf up onto the bed and she took in the sight of her Mom in the hospital bed. She didn’t know what had happened but her wolf whimpered at the sight of its alpha in pain. She nuzzled Cait’s cheek in greeting.

  “Can we play now, Mom?”

  Cait laughed. “Not yet sweetheart. I’m not in tip-top condition right now. And I always need to be at my best to wrestle with you because you’re so fast.”

  Elena nodded sagely as if she expected this answer. “Uncle Remus said that you’re getting old. So, I understand Mom.”

  “Did he now?” Cait got a dangerous twinkle in her eyes that Snow knew spelled trouble for the alpha werewolf in question.

  “Don’t be too hard on him, Cait. He’s actually the one that’s getting old.” Snow giggled making her wife grin in response.

  “I think it’s time we went a few rounds in the ring. Once I get a clean bill of health and before we take off again, Remus and I need to have a little conversation on the definition of old and how it’s defined by how hard you can hit.”

  Elena laughed and bounced slightly on the hospital bed. Snow bent down to pick her up and rest her on her hip. Snow laughed along with her. Once they settled down Cait smiled up at the two of them and gave them a dopy grin. “I told you we would pull through it.”

  Snow nodded. “You always keep your promises.”

  “That’s right.”

  The brunette turned serious and held her wife’s gaze for a moment before voicing her request. “Then I want you to make me one promise you will never break.”

  “Anything.”

  “Value your own life as much as you value both of ours. I don’t know what I’d do without you in my life Cait but I guarantee I would hate every minute of it.”

  The werewolf nodded but the serious moment was broken when Elena laughed. “I promise to protect you both!”

  Cait and Snow smiled at their daughter and Snow consciously felt the heaviness leave her heart. They would be alright. So long as they had each other.

  Epilogue

  “Are you sure about this? Isn’t she too young?” Snow asked as she followed Cait down the driveway and up to Remus’s house.

  Cait shook her head and ruffled Elena’s hair before glancing over to her wife. “She has her wolf so she qualifies.”

  “But I thought it happened after their first hunt?”

  “Babe?”

  “Yes?”

  Cait smiled. “Trust me. It will be fine. Elena will know what to do when the time is right.”

  Snow frowned but the conversation was put on hold as Cait knocked on the door. It swung open and Gwen greeted them. “Hey! You’re here just in time. The boys and girls are all set up in the backyard and ready for the kid.”

  She bent down and pinched Elena’s cheek making the girl giggle. “Are you ready, pup?”

  “For what?”

  Gwen frowned and looked up at Cait. “You didn’t tell her?”

  Cait smirked. “It’s a surprise.”

  “Well, it will be one heck of a surprise, alright. Will she stick beside you?”

  Cait nodded and Gwen stepped aside to let them enter. Snow whispered to her as they made their way into the backyard, “Is the first time difficult?” Elena heard her mama ask as she walked away and followed her Mom.

  Cait led Elena over towards the other wolves that were gathered in the middle of the backyard. The little werewolf tugged on Cait’s sleeve gaining her attention. “Yes?”

  “What’s happening?”

  Cait smiled and glanced up at the moon. “Tonight is the full moon festival. We celebrate the rising of the full moon to its peak and we sing its praises.”

  “We sing?”

  “That’s right, babe”

  “Will I sing too?”

  Cait nodded. “Only if you have a song you wish to impart to the clan. We would love to hear it.”

  Elena grinned. “I want to sing too then.”

  “Good. I’ll be listening. Just do it when it feel right and we will all listen, okay.”

  “Yep!”

  “Now come on, we will sit next to Remus.”

  “Uncle Remus is the alpha. So are you! Is that why we sit next to him?”

  Cait was shocked for a moment at her daughter's insight but nodded. “That’s right.
”

  “Does that mean that I will be an alpha one day?”

  Cait hesitated. Elena had an alpha's blood and her wolf had already acknowledged Elena’s wolf as a future alpha but she wasn’t sure she should put that pressure on her daughter just yet. Especially after the conversation they had had before Cait left. She was just about to answer when her daughter spoke again.

  “I want to be an alpha.”

  Cait frowned. “You do?”

  “Yep!”

  “Why the sudden change of heart?”

  Elena looked up into her Mom’s amber eyes. They had changed as the moon rose higher into the sky and Elena knew her Mom’s wolf was getting ready to make its appearance as her own was calling to the moon and she wanted to phase. Elena smiled. “I found who I want to protect.”

  Cait frowned but decided that they should have this conversation some other time. Both Integra and Gwen had mentioned that they needed to speak with Snow and her about something that had happened while they were gone. Now, she was realizing that it may be more serious than she had originally thought. But right now her wolf was heeding the moon's call. Without a second thought both her and Elena burst into their wolf forms. Cait was a snow white beast with amber eyes while Elena, who carried the strong Fallon blood, had midnight black fur that lacked any imperfections of brown, and around her eye in the form of the letter ‘C’ was blue fur and a teardrop on the center of her forehead. They had never been able to figure out why her fur was decorated as such but it didn’t hurt the little werewolf’s development and Cait thought it was kind of cute so they decided to not make a big deal about it. Remus took the lead as he was the alpha of the Lander Clan and they were on his land. When the full moon reached the highest point in the sky the first howls of the alphas greeted it. Cait’s deep smooth song and Remus’s rough howl melded together into a warm melody as they sang in the natural tongue of the wolves.

  “I sing a song of the new one, let all who are near answer. I, Cait Fallon, welcome my kin to the Fallon Clan. She is young but strong and born to lead. I sing an oath to Elena Fallon. I swear to guide you, I swear to lift you up, I swear to be your words of reason, and to never let you give up.”