A Fate Foretold (formerly: A World Gone Mad)

A Fate Foretold 6

        As Christian pulled up to the large house, he felt a sense of homecoming. Odd, considering how nervous he had been to arrive here a year ago. In that year he had become very comfortable in this deserted hinterland. With just a small constituency of supporters to deal with on a daily basis, he was confident in his dealings with the werewolves who lived in the region. Now he could hardly imagine leaving, as one day he would have to.

            Turning off the engine, he shot Ally a quick smile before leaping out of the car in time to close the car door behind his nat amatra as she stretched her cramped muscles. They had spent over two days flying down empty highways with only one proper stop to sleep. Ally was well acquainted with the inevitable flipside of action: mind-numbing boredom. It came with the territory. The patient one conquers all. But she was still glad to have finally reached the pack house in the wilderness.

            Christian seized Ally’s hand; the force of his grip in pulling her to the front door betrayed his excitement. He barged in through the door without standing on ceremony or knocking.

            “Hey! We’re here!” he bellowed.

            A variety of people came trickling in through various doorways, smiling and calling out greetings. Their eyes curiously sought Ally out.

           Ally subtly dropped Christian’s hand. In front of others, they shouldn’t be showing such affection. Christian obviously didn’t really understand what having a nat amatra meant.

            “Tim!” Christian grinned at his best friend.

            “Hey,” came his easy response, as they clapped one another on the back.

            “Everyone, this is Ally, my nat amatra.” He faltered a bit at her title. “This is Tim, Mark, Gavin, Colin, and his mate Clarice, Mia, Zazzie, Caleb, and Liam. You’ll meet Nancy later.”

            Ally smiled at the array of people. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

            Aside from Colin and Clarice, who looked to be in their late thirties or early forties, Tim, Mark, Mia, and Liam all appeared to be in their mid twenties, like Christian. Gavin and Caleb were slightly older, and Zazzie appeared to be around Ally’s age, although it was hard to tell, she was built like a pixie. They were all fit, as their security responsibilities might suggest. Ally would persuade Christian to tell her what their specific specialties were later on.

            Although she sensed no uneasiness in Ally’s demeanor, Clarice quickly took the situation in hand and urged the girl along for a tour of the house. It was large enough to accommodate all these people, but it remained manageable. The nature of the pack house required the ground floor to be outfitted with a conference room, Christian’s own private study, and a larger office area with desks and filing cabinets for business.

          The second two floors were rushed by as Clarice pointed out the doors that led to each person’s bedroom. Ally diligently stored each door and name in her memory.  They turned another corner and found themselves at the back of the rambling big house.

          “And this is your room,” Clarice declared as she flung open the door.

            Ally stepped inside and assessed the room. Not large, it was warm and inviting, despite the short notice on which it had been prepared. The entire floor was carpeted with a thick beige rug to ward off the Alaskan winter chill, and a plush armchair and footrest stood in the corner by a reading lamp. Muted colors were contrasted with the vivid indigo of the bedspread. Ally would have been content with almost anything, but she liked the room and appreciated the effort that had gone into it.