Forever Taken

Chapter Eighteen

The stars in the night sky shined above us as we walked through the backyard of the pack house. I had reached out to let Mirabelle wrap her arm through my elbow.

She had accepted my arm, but I could tell by her confident stride that she didn't need my help navigating the yard in her heels. Honestly, if one of us would trip it'd be me in my everyday shoes. She had such lethal grace to her movements that I knew she was just letting me help her out of kindness.

"So what are you suggesting we do to end the night?" She questioned.

"Give me one second to show you," I grinned, releasing her arm. She shot me a confused look as I left her standing alone to step onto the back deck of the pack house and grab a patio chair in each hand.

I carried the chairs out into the yard, and she quietly followed me until I found the spot I wanted to put them down at.

"What is this for?" She questioned as I set up the chairs.

"Let's watch the sky for a while." And let's ask the hard questions.

Looking amused, she took a seat in one of the chairs. I sat beside her, staring up at the sky, wondering how to go about bringing up what was plaguing my mind.

"Time to bring up a hard conversation," I almost whispered, fighting a wave of anxiety. "Then we can change topic and end the night on a high note after it's done," I forced myself to say. I hated to spend our first date hammering out details, but it had to be done, and I didn't have the luxury of time.

"I'd rather you talk to me about it now than for you to worry any longer."

I could tell she was trying to get me to look at her, but I focused on the sky. I knew one look at her would distract me.

"I know you think you can protect Sara—"

"I will protect Sara." She interrupted.

"—but there are other things that we need to consider about bringing her here," I ignored her. "One thing, she's a human. A tiny human. If she was living in the pack house with us we'd need to explain pretty quickly that all of y'all can get furry and that she can't tell anyone about it."

"That's true. But she'd be with us. She wouldn't have anyone to tell."

I shook my head as a humorless chuckle escaped my throat. This is how I knew she'd react.

"That's where you're wrong. She has to go to school. She'll still have regular doctor appointments. She'll make friends at school and want to have play dates. She'd become an outsider to both our worlds, not able to be a wolf like all of you here, but not able to tell anyone the truth in the human world."

"She can go to the pack doctor, and you know, we have kids in the pack that have to have education, just like human kids. Sara can go to school with the other pack children."

I tried not to get frustrated. She just didn't understand. How could she?

"Monica—" as soon as I said the name I regretted it. A glance her way showed that Mirabelle had tensed and her eyes cut sideways at me, and I rushed to explain. "That's Sara's mom. Sorry, I try not to say her name so Sara doesn't have to wonder."

She was still tense, but looked back up at the stars. This time I kept watching her.

"Monica's parents weren't in agreement that I should have custody. They all but told me that if I messed up one thing that they'd start a case to try to re-assign custody to them. I don't know that they'd be able to do it, but I have to have records that show that she's enrolled in a good school, going to the doctor for the necessary check ups, and all that stuff. If I don't have those records and her parents decide to try to file against me, I'm sure I'd lose custody. I have to keep my ducks in a row with her."