Among the Trees

Chapter 13 - Challenge Accepted

By the I returned once more to the pub, the sun had begun to set, and there was only a few people, other than Adam, left in the large room I'd left them all in. At the sight of me, Adam handed the baby to a brunette who had been sat beside him, ran over to me, picked me up off the floor by my waist and spun me round.

"You scared the life out of me. Where the hell did you go?" I ignored the question as he put me back down on my feet and gestured with a nod towards the baby girl.

"Has she got a name?" I looked up at Adam as he shook his head. Then he smiled down at me and said they'd been waiting for me to name her.

"After all, you are the one that rescued her and you are to be our Luna." The woman holding the baby stood up and walked over to Adam and I, a pretty smile across her petite features. "The name's Betty." She moved her hand from beneath the baby's bottom and held it out. I took it with a smile and told her my own name; to which she laughed and stated that she already knew that.

"Go ahead Lily," Adam bent and whispered in my ear, "give her name."

I considered my mother's name, Veronica, my grandmother's name, Delilah, and my great grandmother's name, Beatrice. None of them seemed right. She wasn't a Franklin. She had no connection to the Franklin names.

"Clarissa." I spoke Keiran's mother's name as though the name had already been picked out for her.

"Clarissa." Adam repeated, nodding. "Ellie would have liked that." I was confused for a moment. I had no idea who Ellie was. Adam kissed my temple and Betty handed me Clarissa.

"Ellie was his sister." She spoke with a sad smile. I nodded as I began to gently bounce and rock the small girl. Quickly, everyone left dispersed, leaving only me and Clarissa in the room. I could hear Gracie and George scraping pots and pans about in the kitchen but paid little attention to it. The front doors slammed open.

"You heartless little bitch!" I turned to find Kieran storming towards me. I smiled and continued bouncing and rocking little Clarissa.

"Me? Heartless?" I looked back down at the small girl. "Aren't you the one who lied, cheated and left a tiny child fatherless? And you have the gaul to call me heartless." I looked up at his reddening face as his lip began to twitch. "No Keiran, I'm not heartless, I just listen to my heart less. There's a difference." I turned my back and continued to rock and bounce Clarissa. I smiled to myself as I realised he was still stood behind me.

"Is," he paused, clearly unsure on what he was supposed to say, "is that the baby you were on about when you came to my mum's?" The meekness in his voice sounded out of place and made me grin. I turned to face him once more and nodded. He held out his arms.

"May I?" He nodded towards Clarissa. I stood for a moment, just watching his face. I nodded, placing her bed locate head in the crook of his elbow for support. I stepped back and just watched as he took over the rocking and bouncing  of the small girl. Not once did his eyes leave her face. It was strange to see him being so gentle and loving.

"Does she have a name?" He asked the question without looking up. I answered before the question had even registered.

"Clarissa."

His eyes suddenly shot up to look at me.

"That's my mother's name." I nodded.

"I thought about naming her after my mum or my great grandma, but I thought it wrong to give her a name from a family that wasn't hers." He nodded and handed her back.

"I should go. Ellie's brother will be back soon, no doubt." He turned his back to leave, and Clarissa began to cry. Keiran's shoulders dropped. "I can't have anyone know about her. Especially not my mum. You and her uncle should definitely take her on."

I watched as he walked away.

"I'm sorry." He stopped dead in his tracks. "For what I did earlier. I hadn't had my meds for a few days. I was a mess. I shouldn't have done it."

"No Lil, I deserved it. I hurt you. I hurt you really bad." With that he left without another word.

There was a loud rumbling of stamping feet of the ceiling above me. I rolled my eyes and headed up the stairs to see was all the commotion was about.

Everyone seemed to have gathered in the guest  lounge, sitting on any available place, or leaning on any available wall. Betty was leant against the door frame. She promptly straightened herself and took the weeping child from me as I strutted into the centre of the circle that had formed.

"What the hell is all of this?" I was not impressed. Adam and Lee stood face to face, fists balled and both standing in a stance that could only be leading to a punch up.

"Lee has just challenged Adam. Now they have fight until on can't fight anymore or is dead." A voice spoke out from the corner where a young boy, probably no older than nine or ten, stood on a coffee table to see what was happening. "Whoever wins takes the title of alpha. The loser? Well they're either dead or relegated to omega of the pack."

Lee threw his arms out at the comment from the young boy, a smug look on his face.

"Does anyone object to the challenge?" Adam's low voice rumbled from behind me. There was a moment of silence before I spoke up.

"Yeah. I do."

"Of course you do. Can't bare to see your new boyfriend get hurt." Lee snarled in response.

"No." I turned, making sure I had everyone's attention. "I merely think that this pack deserves to see just how strong their 'weak human luna' really is." Lee sniggered.

"Challenge accepted little girl."  Lee smirked. I wasn't about to tell hi that this 'little girl' had just shattered one man's knee with her bare bruised bloody foot and knocked another guy unconscious with a single blow. Adam gently turned me to face him and kissed my forehead and them without a word became part of the crowd.

"Take your best shot wolf boy."

Lee swung for my temple but I managed to duck just in time and make a blow to his abdomen. His swings were constant and I soon found his patterning. Left, right, left, left, right, left, right. I ducked each one, using them to get repeated punches to his stomach. Soon he was beginning to exhaust himself. He was winded too. I took the opportunity to kick my foot into his stomach. He fumbled to his knees, but I was quite done tea him him his lesson yet. I trapped both of his shoulders and rammed my knee into his right one. There was a sickening pop as I dislocated from its socket. He roared out in pain, but I wasn't finished. I gripped onto his wrist and twisted his entire arm behind his back. Both the radius and the ulna snapped as he however once more.

"Never underestimate a woman's strength because she isn't like you. In today's world, a girl has to learn to defend herself." I pushed Lee onto his face. "Not so weak now am I?" A roar of satisfaction erupted from everyone. Someone even questioned the fact I was even human. I didn't care about any of it. All I cared about was the look of pure pride of Adam's face as I made my way through the could to him.

"That's my little Luna." He winked and took Clarissa from Betty. "Come on, I want to show you something."