Jutoh looked back over his shoulder. “No. But I can hope.” With that he closed the door behind him and made his way back toward his home.
Mischa looked up at her mate. “Why would he hope? He has longed for a son many years. If he takes ours as his why would he hope our little one would return to us?”
“Possibly because he can feel our pain. I feel your pain.”
“I can’t help the sorrow I feel. Mikhail is even now seeking out a mate. I thought to have years raising another. Now, with this, I will be nothing more than another villager to Adrik. He already clings to Sasha, screams for her even. It feels much like losing a child. I will not be the one to tuck him in at night and tell him stories of our past. I will not be the one to ready him for the day. He is still a baby himself; I am not ready to let him go from our home to another.”
Pavla titled her chin up until her amber eyes stared into his. “It is nothing like losing a child. Don’t say that. We have not lost him. Instead we have gained a daughter though it will be years before she takes that role. Instead it is best to turn our eyes toward Mikhail’s future. We do not know who he will find but we must hope the gods favor our pack with his return. His skill is greatly needed in our pack and would be sorely missed.”
“What will we tell him when he returns?”
He shrugged. “The truth. He suspected something far greater than just a fancy for Sasha caused this situation.”
“It is selfish of me to be glad that Mikhail may never leave to lead his own pack even though he is almost at the strength of you but do you think he will leave to be the Beta for Adrik? Did you have to give them such strength? Couldn’t you have held a little back from our boys?”
He ran a finger across her lips as a smile lit his. “I am almost certain you were the last one to have them. I only provided the start. I blame you for their strength. After all, you kept them to yourself for months, never letting me get so much as a glimpse of either of them.”
Mischa giggle. “I couldn’t open my womb to let you hold them and then tuck them away again.”
“No? Did you even offer?”
Mischa’s throaty laughter echoed through their home as he teased her and soon, he scooped her up and carried her to their bed. Perhaps, if the gods willed it, he would soon have the laughter of another child. His heart ached for his mate more so than for himself and for tonight at least he would do what he could to divert her attention from what was going on with their son.
***
Snarls filled the clearing. Natasha drew herself up to full height, which at seven years of age, wasn’t very tall. Her voice dripped with scorn as she looked at the two boys who had been tormenting her. “I told you my wolf would come for you. You better give me back my dolly before he eats you.”
Jutoh, racing into the clearing behind the young wolf, caught Adrik in mid-lunge. Holding him by the scruff of the neck he shook him. Turning furious eyes toward the two young boys he demanded, “What have I told you about teasing Adrik? You know if Natasha gets upset, he will come. One day I will not be here to save you. Get home to your parents and tell them I will be to see them later.”
Nikita threw the cloth doll at Natasha’s feet as he turned to leave.
Natasha tilted her nose in the air as the two youngsters scurried past her, Adrik’s snarls lending speed to their retreat. Jutoh watched until the boys were out of sight then he turned to his daughter.
“What is that?” he pointed to the item she was trying to hide behind her back.
Natasha’s eyes widened as she stepped back. He father held out his free hand.
Shoulders sagging, she brought her hand from behind her back. Her small hand was clenched around an arrow.
Jutoh’s lips tightened as he glared at his daughter. A slight wiggle of his fingers and she placed the arrow in his hand. He studied the arrow, noticed the fletching used and the markings on the head of the shaft. “You took one of Nikita’s arrows?”
Natasha, eyes lowered, nodded her head.
“I did not hear you daughter. I do not hear this head movement. You took something of Nikita’s?”
“Yes, Papa.”
“Nikita took your doll before or after you took his arrow?”
“After, Papa.”
“You took that which did not belong to you and you dare call to Adrik when they take from you what does not belong to them?”
“But, Papa, I want to learn how to shoot the arrow.”
“You will not learn by taking from others. Go home, now.”
Natasha took a sideways step and reached down. Before her hand could close on the doll a sharp “Nyet” echoed through the clearing. “You have lost the right to have your doll. Go home, daughter.”
Natasha’s bottom lip trembled, and her shoulders fell as she looked longingly at the doll at her feet. One lone tear trickled down her cheek. Adrik, dangling from Jutoh’s hand whimpered. The whimper turned to a mournful howl as the two watched Natasha until she was out of sight. Jutoh shook Adrik again before reaching down and retrieving the doll. He turned in the opposite direction from home and, Adrik still dangling from his hand, began to walk. He talked as he walked.
When Adrik was upset, as he was now, Jutoh had found it impossible for him, or anyone else, to get the boy back to his human form. Even Natasha had failed in the past. Jutoh thought that was more because she didn’t want him in human form than because she lacked the ability to command it from the boy. Over time it had become painfully clear Natasha was impressed with the wolf but not so impressed to have an eleven-year-old little boy pestering her all the time.
Several hours passed before Jutoh and Adrik again returned to the village. Jutoh knew the boy would feel the sting of the switch for days and hoped this time he had gotten through to him. Probably wishful thinking on his part since the boy wasn’t old enough to be bound by pack oath but options concerning the boy were running out. Twice in the last year he had barely saved village boys from being ravaged by Adrik’s wolf despite the fact those same boys were some of Adrik’s closest friends. He could send the boy to a distant pack but that would only last as long as it took Adrik to shift and run back home. The same held true for sending Natasha to another pack, it would not take Adrik long to track her down. He didn’t want to cage the boy and break his spirit, but he wasn’t sure how to get through to the child, to both the children, the consequences of their actions.
A greatly subdued Adrik stared up at Jutoh as they paused outside the small home. “You will stay here tonight, and all the nights that come after. It is time you were the son your father meant for you to be. If you cannot control the wolf you cannot call my hearth your home.”
“But, father of my mate, who will protect her if I do not sleep upon your hearth?”
“Adrik, son of my heart, do you think your Alpha too weak to protect those he would call his own? You dishonor your Alpha, your pack, and the ones who gave you life with this question. No more will you question my ability to hold those within my pack safe. You are forbidden at my hearth, you are forbidden at my table, and you are forbidden the company of my Natasha until you learn to control your wolf.”
“You can’t do that!” The boyish wail ended in a sob.
“I am the Alpha of this pack. My word is law. It will always be law. If you cannot follow the law of this pack, you are not welcome to call this pack your own. Show me you can be the man my Natasha needs in her life. If you cannot control your wolf now how do you expect to protect my Natasha when you need control. No, little Adrik, your wolf is too much in control of you for you to make a good mate for anyone. Learn control. Learn patience. You have years before you need to protect Natasha.”
“If I can show you I control the wolf will I again be welcomed at your hearth father of my mate?”
“Show me you can control the wolf and when the time comes, I will again welcome you into my home. Do not think this command means you will not still study at my knee. You will still follow after me to learn as a
leader must. But no longer will you follow at Natasha’s feet. This is not the way of a man. Now, go inside and greet your parents. I have spoken with them through the pack path, they wait for you. Come noon tomorrow you will again attend to me for training. Do not fail Natasha son of my heart, do not fail me, and do not fail yourself this time.”
***
As the years passed Adrik watched Natasha. He learned to listen to Jutoh and noticed how Natasha would use him as a child would, with all the inexperience of a child and no thought to the future or the consequences. He slowly grew to understand the worry of his father by mating and to realize how much he still had to learn about being a mate and being an Alpha. By the time he turned twenty his wolf had been under his control for years. Nikita and Dimitri were rarely far from his side as they hunted and fished for the village and even when he would take his lessons, they trailed behind him and Jutoh. Never far from his side meant never far from Natasha and the two males learned to love her as a sister. While they were not as fiercely protective of her as Adrik they would both have given their lives in her defense.
Natasha had grown into a beauty most men would give their fortunes to have but only one man held her heart and she longed for the next five years to pass quickly so she might claim him. The entire village watched as the childish antics of the two turned from Natasha walking all over a young Adrik to the arguments of two headstrong young teens to the beginnings of a love which would have no equal in their pack. Never before had the members of the pack seen a couple, not yet mated, so attuned to the feelings and emotions of each other.
When Natasha finally turned twenty-one, with much laughter and celebration the two became one. For the next ten years Adrik grew in power and spirit with Natasha at his side.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It will be centuries before Gammon is introduced in the Safe Haven Wolves series. The following stories tell more of Gammon but if you enjoyed this story and you would like to read the series before you read the next short story please grab your copy of Gabby today.
http://mybook.to/Gabby
Introduction
This story will take you a little further into Gammon’s early years as we learn what heartbreak hit so close to home to make Gammon the fanatical protector of True-mates he is in the series. If you haven’t read the series yet this story won’t exactly give any spoilers yet it will give you answers to questions other characters wonder about in the series and in my personal opinion that in itself kind of spoils things. But you won’t really know that you have read a spoiler for it isn’t that much of one. But, I want you to wonder about Gammon’s actions when the other characters wonder. I personally recommend reading to at least book 3 before reading this story. This story is filled with heartbreak but keep in mind there are more stories to be told and heartbreak today doesn’t mean heartbreak always.
Gammon’s Early Years
Tragedy Hits Home
Adrik’s involuntary grunt of pain broke the silence as his toe hit the door frame. A sleepy voice sounded from the bed.
“Are you leaving?”
He hobbled toward the bed and leaning down kissed Natasha. “Yes, my love. We will be back before you know we are gone.”
His mate’s soft mummer sounded from beneath the covers, “Impossible. I already miss the warmth of your body next to mine.”
He slid his arm beneath her back when he saw her push the covers down. “Why are you getting up? We are hunting on the run so no need for cooking this morning.”
“I know. I told Mama I would help with the bread making today.” Pulling on Adrik was like trying to move a boulder but she still tried, for a moment, to pull him back in bed with her.
“Well, if you hurry, I will walk you over there.”
“Foolish man, you will walk me if I don’t hurry and then tell Papa you overslept. Not that Papa will believe you.”
Adrik kissed her nose as he swung her from the bed. Turning he sat down with her in his lap and tucked her head under his chin. “We won’t be gone more than a week, two at the most.”
“I know. But I will still miss you. I hope you find the perfect place this time out. Do you think, if your wolf likes it, mine will?”
“I don’t know. But Jutoh has explained to both of us how this should work. If we don’t find a territory on this hunting trip, we will try again and again until my wolf likes what we find. You worry too much. Our wolves are not fighting to leave our pack yet. We have time to grow and learn. Right now, our priority isn’t finding a new home for the pack we will form but hunting enough food to last our village through the winter. We hope to drive some of the game back toward our territory to restock the area.”
Natasha tilted her head up and stared at the shadowy outline of Adrik’s chin. “I know. I will miss you though. The nights will be lonely and cold without you in our bed. If you don’t let me up to dress Papa will be most upset at the late start.”
“I don’t want to let you up.”
“You still feel something isn’t right?”
Adrik leaned his head down until his lips pressed hers and held her tightly before lifting his head. “I can’t explain it. No other hunting trip has worried me as this one does. I fear we may have a hard time finding the food the pack needs to survive the winter. Maybe the unease is my wolf beginning to stir with thoughts of building a pack. I don’t know. It could be we are in for an early snowstorm which would make hunting and returning safely more difficult.”
“Our wolves aren’t worried about the weather. They know, before any of us, when the weather is going to turn. I think you are just anxious about finding us territory. That is probably my fault. I worry too much about it. I worry our wolves will want to move too far from here. My worry causes you to worry.” She lifted her hand to stroke his cheek.
“Hush, my heart. Don’t blame yourself for something we can’t control. This isn’t worry about our future. That worry is constant. This is new.”
“Come, let me up before Papa comes looking for us. You know how he gets.”
Adrik laughed before lifting her off his lap and swatting her behind. Her squeal of surprise and promise of payback brought another round of chuckles from him as he waited for her to finish dressing. It wasn’t long before the pair were hurrying toward Jutoh’s.
***
As the sky lightened with the coming of the morning sun, Adrik and the other men of the pack kissed their mates and headed toward the north. The herds of reindeer had dwindled over the decades and the pack had to travel further each year to gather enough food for the winter. Jutoh’s plan, as explained to the pack, was to not only hunt for the food they needed but to use their wolves to herd reindeer back toward the pack’s territory. Adrik’s plan was to look for territory to claim while they were gone. While most of the pack took off in search of the herds the scouts had found the younger men in the pack waited patiently for the women to attach the light sleds to their wolves. The going would be harder for the young men as their wolves were never thrilled at being hooked to sleds like beast of burdens but the game was too far from the pack and the need too great for the men to do without the sleds to bring the kills home.
Jutoh had taken the idea from his Alpha when he was learning how to lead. When the young men complained, and they did, Jutoh was quick to deliver punishment. Having pulled sleds in his wolf form when he was young, he understood the value of the sleds. He knew pulling a sled, before the first snow had fallen, made the job considerably harder not only on the sled but also on the young wolves. The wolves had to learn to work together to take the sled around obstacles and find the easiest path through the terrain. He knew, from experience, working as a team to pull the sleds brought the men closer together and forged a tighter pack. It would take two days of hard travel in wolf form for the men of the pack to get to the area where the scouts had found the most promising herds of reindeer.
&n
bsp; The plan was for four of the men to start heading the reindeer herd south while Jutoh, Adrik, Dimitri and Nikita headed a bit east to another herd and began the process of hunting some of what the pack would need to survive the upcoming winter. Mikhail and one other were tasked with tracking a third herd and doing the same. Three sleds were to follow Jutoh and two were to follow Mikhail. By the time the sleds reached them the two teams hoped to have enough reindeer to begin the trek home.
Jutoh’s wolf snarled. If he could run free his wolf would be happier, but the wolves were burdened down with the harnesses containing their knives, bows and arrows. He thought Adrik probably had it worse than the rest since the man refused to be without his spear. His wolf had struggled to learn how to move with the extra burden. Moving through the timber and brush with the bows and arrows was a learning experience without adding extra but Adrik had been insistent he and his wolf would learn, and they had. It had been years since anyone had to rescue Adrik from entanglement in the brush. But then again, most of the wolves started learning to carry the harnesses from their first shift. Adrik, shifting so young, had years of freedom of movement and had a harder time having to learn to move with attachments. Most of the men had shifted at the onset of puberty, old enough to have already been learning to hunt with the bows and arrows. Jutoh had made the call to start training Adrik’s wolf to carry when the others his age finally began to shift. He realized later he had done Adrik no favors in waiting so many years.
Two days later the pack split up to search for the three herds.
***
Nikita slid forward on his stomach and settled into position before pulling an arrow from his pouch. Looking over the herd he picked his next target and readied his bow. He waited for word from the other three that they were ready. They each tried to bring down one every time though they weren’t always successful. As soon as the first one fell the herd would scatter and it would take time for them to prepare their kills and locate the herd again. They had to let the herd calm down but that rarely took long since the herd would stop to graze again at some point.
Blood of the Wolf (Safe Haven Wolves Short Stories Book 1) Page 2
