Yawning, I stretched my limbs, getting ready for my morning run as a routine. I walked to the balcony, making sure I don't wake my mate's sleeping wolf. While breathing in fresh air, Adrian started to mind link me, as he always does every six o'clock in the morning. "Good morning! I'll just remind you that you have a meeting at six pm later. Pack updates: We have a new member from Gondor pack, a nineteen year old female, her mate lives here that's why she moved in. We are now 616 in number! That's all for the updates see you later!" I sat, paying attention.
"Thanks and Good morning. Tell mom and dad I'll be home in the afternoon."
"Noted!" He replied with an energetic voice before cutting our link. I stretched one more time, looking at the people walking outside, spending a few minutes to appreciate the peaceful buzz of the pack.
"Good morning" A raspy voice echoed in my head. My mate sat beside me shaking his fur, before stretching his front legs. My tail wagged. "Good morning" I brushed my fur against his, mixing our scents as one.
"From what I've heard, you usually wake up at six o'clock, take a thirty minute run, and eat breakfast before starting your day." I nodded, still wagging my tail. "So I think you're five minutes late for your run, I'll join you, and after that, we'll have breakfast with Clark and Andrea."
"That's great. What's the plan after we say our goodbyes to them? I mean we can't meet each others families yet, this means we can't go to each others pack either." He looked around the room, trying to answer my question.
"We should finish our jobs first, then, we can schedule a meeting for an alliance this friday, this way we can visit each others pack freely." He paused before I nodded, telling him to continue. "During our meetings, we should plan on how to negotiate with Ryder. We will give whatever he wants just to stop him from bothering me. By the time we settled things, we can now introduce ourselves as mates to everyone." While talking, he kept on pressing his paws on the floor as he tries to catch my wagging tail.
"Tell me, what does Ryder exactly want from you? What happened between you two that made both of you hate each other?" I headed to the door and opened it using my snout. Jacob sighed before answering me.
"I don't want to tell you this, but I must as I am your mate." Still paying attention to him, I continued to walk outside the room with Jacob on my right.
"After I got rejected, my best female fighter wanted me to make her my Luna. I declined her offer as I wanted to choose whoever I want. She didn't take my no for an answer so she went to find someone who can help her get what she wants. She went to the Elrem Pack to deal with the alpha, turns out he was her mate. Of course she didn't want me anymore but was still mad because I didn't accept her offer, she thinks she's someone who everyone can't resist. As her payback, I suppose, she had asked her mate to challenge me for the Alpha position. Of course, Ryder agreed and because of that, I fought him trying to defend what is mine. During our battle, I was on the upper hand, and as part of the rules, whoever wins will kill the opponent and take over his pack. I aimed my final blow, that's when his mate came in. My neck was slashed from her claws. As instinct, my pack attacked her as she broke the rules. I did what I had to, that is to kill any threat to my pack. I let Ryder live in exchange for his mate's life."
I paused, trying to read his emotionless face. His eyes focused on the floor, cold and never seeming to regret on what he did to leave someone mateless. Knowing that he did what was in the rules, I felt a slight fear about his actions. Is he really just like his father? A killer?
I started to walk outside the house, our minds deep in our own thoughts. I didn't have the nerve to ask him about my questions. I don't want him to see me as someone who might affect our bond because of my judgement.
...
I dragged my suitcase outside the main door, wearing Jacob's blue hoodie. Fall was about to end, the air was humid as it welcomes the incoming winter. I opened the back door of the car and placed my suitcase next to my mate's. We hugged Andrea and Clark before saying our goodbyes. "Don't forget to visit us! Next time you'll see me with a little boy in my arms!" She waved at us as we got inside the car. "Goodbye." I smiled and waved for the last time. The car drove towards the borders now. Resting my head on my mate's shoulders, I glanced at the road through the windshield. "When we arrive at pack, will you stay for a bit?"
"Of course." He replied while his eyes were still focused on the road.
"I can properly introduce you to my parents, if you're okay with it." He faced me, his face blank.
"Introduce me as your mate? Are you sure? Your dad is... you know. He might not approve of me yet." He frowned, taking a short few glances on me and the highway.
"I know, but I was dumb enough to forget that my scent was now mixed with yours. They would still probably know about us soon, might as well tell them ourselves. Even if my dad won't approve of you, that won't change my love for you. No one will." I kissed his cheek and placed my hand on his chest, hearing his steady heartbeat. The car slowed down, stopping at the side of the road. Jacob cupped my face with both of his comfortingly warm, rough, hands. Our eyes never broke contact. He closed his eyes as his lips gently pressed on mine. It sent tingles around my body. Jacob slowly pulled away. "I promise to never hurt you, to never let anyone hurt you. You are someone I don't deserve, but someone I need. I love you Sky, I would do everything for you." He took something from his pockets while speaking. "I just think this is the right moment. I bought this when we left for the mall." He opened a small box. Inside was a necklace, a pearl encased in golden wires. My heart felt like it skipped a few beats, I didn't know how to properly breathe because of his words.
...
"We're here, wake up Sky."
I opened my eyes, the car stopped infront of our territory divided by trees that serve as our border and mark. Wolves warily watch us from the entrance.
"Let the red car pass through. It's me." I commanded through the pack link.
"You can go now."
Jacob nodded and slowly drove. I opened the windows to glance at my pack members when I heard a growl from somewhere. It wasn't just a normal growl it was from a puppy's growl.
"Stop." Jacob stopped immediately and looked at me.
"What's wr-"
"SHUSH, do you hear that?" I leaned my ears outside the window and closed my eyes. The little growl was now paired with a more vicious one. I had the feeling to check up on where the noise was, so I began to shift to heighten my senses more.
"Wait-" I ignored Jacob and started to run as the growls became more louder. I hope this isn't something to worry about.
I climbed the trees that gives me an advantage for traveling faster. It takes a lot of training to get used to climbing trees as a wolf, let alone jump on it, but all the training was worth it because I now have an advantage against enemies as they are easy to find from above.
I came to a halt when I saw a white wolf pup running away from a brown wolf that was triple its size. I chased it down until I reached its tail and broke the wolf's hind leg. It howled in pain just when I noticed the scent wasn't a rogue. A pack member?
"Shift. Your name and why you were chasing a child."
The wolf shifted into a teenage boy, he winced in pain while laying on the ground with a broken leg.
"My name is Tristan Derims, Alpha. I was taking a break from training when I saw a kid shift, his scent isn't from our pack and so I asked him. He suddenly ran away, that's why I chased him."
A little embarrassed to have hurt a pack member, I called for the medical teams to hurry. "Your leg will heal soon, wait for others to come and bring you to the pack doctor." He nodded and glared at a tree where the little wolf was hiding.
He was just a puppy, far smaller than cubs who just shifted. Either he just has a small wolf, or he's one of those who shift earlier than thirteen. I've read books about those who are born gifted enough to shift at a very young age.
I walked towards the tree where a pair of grey eyes peaked.
"You. Get out and shift. I'm no harm." Although that being said, I'm pretty sure my eyes scared him.
"Tell me your name and why are you here?"
As he was about to shift and answer, Jacob came together with the ones guarding the area. He held a pair of clothes from my bag and ordered the guards to help Tristan.
"Take Tristan and leave us except Alpha Jacob and this kid"
"Yes Alpha" They saluted and left us in a hurry.
"Don't shift and just answer my question first, little boy." He sat down while his tail wagged.
"I'm Charles Skylar Anderson. Me, and my mom, and my dad, are moving to my grandparents today!"
"Okay, your age- wait" What? Anderson? No, this must be a coincidence. No way. No way. I'll punch his face if he's this boy's father. So does this mean Charles might be my nephew? I better go back and see him for myself.
"What a lovely name, Charles. I'll take you to my house."
Jacob was staring at us, patiently waiting. "Sorry for keeping you wait. Park your car and wait on the pack house please. I'll see you soon." He nodded and I gently nipped the nape of the little wolf's neck to carry him back to the pack.
We arrived home where mom and dad were on the porch anxiously calling on the phone. They hung up as soon as they saw me holding Charles.
"Charles! Where on earth did you go!? Oh, I almost had a heart attack." Mom yelled as she carried Charles's wolf, still wagging his cute tail.
I ran inside to shift in my room and came back outside to talk to my parents.
"Sky! Thank goodness you found him... You smell different. Did you come back with your mate?!" Mom asked, her eyes as lively as ever.
"Yes, I came with him. But can someone explain about all this?" I looked at Charles, confused.
"This is your nephew! Your brother has come home at last, together with Charles and his beautiful mate. Doesn't he resemble his father? He also got you and your brother's gray eyes."
"What? and you guys weren't surprised?
After he disappeared for years, he's just going to show up with a son? Really?"
"He didn't disappear. You said you didn't want to talk to him remember? He calls a few times every month you know." Dad replied. Though it was the truth, the reason I didn't talk to my brother for years is that I didn't want to just see him through a phone. I wanted him to be with us. It was me who strongly disagreed of him leaving when we were young, and was the most hurt probably.
"Hi aunt Sky! You're pretty!" Charles giggled and I couldn't contain myself from Charles cuteness. I hugged him and playfully pinched his rosy cheeks.
"You're so cute! And far more handsome than your ugly father."
I heard footsteps and pants from behind me. I turned around to see a face I wanted to punch for a long time. That jerk.
"Charles! Where did you go?!" A blonde woman came rushing to Charles to ruffle his blonde hair.
Together with the woman, was Dalton, my lovely brother.
"Sky! I missed you so much!" He smiled at me and attempted for a hug. I backed off and punched his stomach when Charles wasn't watching. Miss my ass. Says the guy who left me to get away from his responsibility as firstborn.
"I heard you found Charles. Thank you. I named him after you." Dalton smiled.
"Next time make sure to keep an eye on the kid. I won't be able to find him if he's lost again."
"Sky" Mom and dad warned me.
"What?"
"This is Laurel, my mate."
"Skyler, I heard so much about you because of Dalton. Nice to meet you!" I shook her hand with a smile.
"Oh wow. What did he say? Did he tell you about how much I want to punch him?" I smiled as sweetly as I could.
Laurel laughed awkwardly.
"Oh come on. I'm back now, don't you want to hug me like when we were little?" Dalton opened his arms waiting for me.
"I hate hugs. Especially to people I don't like."
"Didn't you hug your nephew earlier?" Dad added.
"That's an exception."