A hand smacked roughly at my upper arm making me jolt. I turned to look at the person rude enough to smack me out of my thoughts, unsurprisingly seeing Micah's hazel eyes looking at me skeptically.
"What are you so lost in thought about?" He asked, wrinkling his nose the way he did when he was confused. It was a little insulting that my brother found it so bewildering that I could ever be lost in thought staring poetically into the distance as I pondered over the truths of the universe.
Or the truth behind how a grown man could look so damn adorable while being so devilishly handsome at the same time. Emeric had a face that looked like it had been carved by angels, a nose so perfectly straight I wanted to use it to draw lines the way people did rulers. And yet there was the humble way he held himself, secure but with a sort of consideration for everyone in the room.
"Books." I answered doing something with my face to look convincing but all I truly succeeded in doing was giving myself a double chin and looking like I ate something very sour. Also successfully freaking Micah out who had been convinced I was sick since Alpha Mrow's visit.
"Maybe we shouldn't have let her work at the library. Being alone with just books for company is really affecting her mental health." Micah whispered loudly towards my father who sat at the other end of the room, a book open in his lap even though his focus was entirely on the clump of cloth he had been knitting for days until Micah had interrupted him.
"Books are actually very relaxing Micah, they are usually good in reducing stress. You would know that if you would just try reading." Dad answered, doing something with his knitting sticks that even though I didn't know how to knit, I knew was entirely wrong.
"Who am I even talking to? The man whose knitting looks more like an offended cat with a very fluffy tail than a scarf." Micah scoffed and I gasped realizing that was exactly what the clump of blue looked like. I nodded at Micah with widened eyes and he smirked forgetting his concern in lieu of praise which he was rarely given.
"It is still in progress, I assure you all three of you will be fighting over it once I'm done." Dad said, his anger at Micah's words making him knit more aggressively causing what looked like the cat's tail to become even fluffier.
"Three of us?"
Had our father forgotten he had four children? The two insignificant ones were sitting in front of him so he couldn't have forgotten about us. Lola was a more terrifying miniature version of him, so he couldn't forget her and Nina was the next Pack Alpha so it was unlikely he forgot her either.
"Lola said she wants never to see, hear about, or receive any of dad's knitting ever after she heard him and mom talking about dad knitting her a quilt for her next birthday." Micah supplied helpfully. That sounded like something Lola would do.
"Pari can have it, I forfeit my rights to any of your knitted productions." Micah said, smiling far too widely for my liking.
"Forfeit? That's a big word, I'm surprised you know it." I said, a wide smile of my own growing on my face as I saw Micah's face fall, my father snickering into the weird cat/scarf clump.
My brother sneered at me, shoving me into the arm of the couch, his violence unable to get the smile off my face much to his displeasure.
"Never mind. Parisa's just fine, as disrespectful as usual." My brother hissed at me making me widen my eyes at my dad across the room as he looked back at me to ensure he caught onto how dramatic his only son was.
"I've heard disrespect halts your growth." Micah said after a moment of silence when I had gone back to mindlessly going through my phone because he was unable to stand living in peace. I felt a snarl rise in the back of my throat, wanting desperately to be let out. Height jokes were unacceptable.
"I've heard being punched in the throat halts your breath." I growled back, lunging at my brother only to be stopped by my father who planted himself firmly between the both of us. Murmuring under his breath about being left alone with the two crazy ones.
He patted both of our knees soothingly, trying to calm us both down a bit. Me from my anger, and Micah from his adrenaline that had surged at nearly being attacked.
"We're getting pizza tonight, you two can pick the toppings if no one gets punched until your mother gets home." My dad bargained and I nodded reluctantly, seeing Micah do the same after he noticed I had agreed.
"My pups okay then? Can I go back to my knitting?"
"We're not pups." I said at the same time as Micah said "why is a beta knitting anyway?"
"Because status stereotypes are nonsense, betas can knit. Just like Pari an omega really would have started a brawl with you over being called short." He answered, ignoring my comment.
"That's cause I'm not short." I argued pointlessly. Pouting even as I said it because even I knew it wasn't true. In our family of alphas and betas I was short, although for an omega I was average or even tall.
"Yeah you are, but it's okay, because that just means you're adorable." "It means your anger is compact." My father and Micah said at the same time. I raised a brow at my brother, not knowing whether to be offended by that statement or consider it a compliment.
I made do with wrinkling my nose up at him in displeasure before leaning onto my father's shoulder out of Micah's line of sight. Getting comfy leaning heavily against my dad as I unlocked my phone again, intending to go through it mindlessly.
"Um Pari I kind of need my arm." My dad said, looking pointedly at his knitted cat. Instead of answering I wiggled around until I was putting more of my weight onto his side, feeling the glare of his disappointed look at the top of my head as I went through old pictures.
He struggled to continue knitting with me weighing down one of his arms. I made sounds of disapproval every time he moved his arm too much jostling me and for a few moments he slowed down a bit, being more careful before going back to his regular incorrect technique.
After a few minutes of the tiring cycle he let out a loud huff and finally set the knitting needles and material down in his lap. I titled my head backwards to be able to look up at him. Having four pups, and handling a pack had given my parents some serious patience and determination, they didn't give up easily on anything.
"Great now I have two fully grown pups on me." Dad huffed glaring down at his other arm. I dug my elbow into his side to propel myself up enough to see over to his other side, ignoring the 'oof' he let out as the sharp bone dug into his torso. Micah had collapsed lazily against dad's other side, the both of us pinning his arms down against his sides.
I let out a breathy laugh and Micah smiled lazily in response, continuing to stare up at the ceiling as our father gave us both unimpressed looks.
I went back to my original position, my dad looking relieved at not having my elbow digging uncomfortably far into his ribs. Letting out a yawn I continued to scroll through my pictures, deleting some memes I had screenshotted that were too old to even make sense anymore.
I slapped at my dad's stomach when I found a few pictures of our family we had taken a few years back when we had gone skiing.
"What?" He asked, sounding far too cranky for a man who didn't even know how to knit in the first place. Really Micah and I had done the world a favour, saving its supply of yarn.
"Look it's us." I said grabbing both their attention. Micah leaned over dad, throwing his arms around his shoulders to be able to look at my phone over his head.
"Mom looks so pretty." I sighed as I stared at the family photo.
The rest of us were a terribly blotchy mix of frozen pale skin and a red flush from the cold, the little hair that peeked out from beneath our hats wet from snow and in the process of freezing from the cold. But somehow her flush looked more like a pretty red hue at the top of her cheeks. She cut an imposing picture in her fitted black coat, black jeans, boots and leather gloves but her smile made her look incredibly gentle. So genuinely happy and filled with warmth, the smile of a person well loved and filled with love for those around them.
And as always not a single silky dark brown hair was out of place. Even though she had been central in the snow fight that had ensued just before this picture was taken. Being Pack Alpha came with some perks, including being able to dodge every snowball thrown your way while positively pelting everyone else in snow.
"Yeah she does." They both sighed back, smiling softly down at the picture.
"All my pups are so beautiful because of that Alpha." My dad said, pressing a kiss to the tops of each of our heads making us grin.
"And Lola is crazy because of you." Micah retorted making me burst into laughter, my laughter cutting off very abruptly as a voice spoke up from behind me.
"Indeed Lola is." My elder sister and the most terrifying person I knew said from behind me. I looked straight into Micah widened eyes, neither of us having the courage to face her. I tried to telepathically comfort my brother, not wanting to voice that sentiment in case I be misunderstood for being on his side.
"Micah said it, I just laughed because he's weird looking." I said quickly ignoring the appalled gasp Micah let out as I turned to look at my sister trying my best to look as doe eyed and innocent as possible.
"That he is, perhaps I could interest him in a facial realignment?" Lola asked, the sound of Micah's nervous gulp resonating around the silent room.
"No, I like looking weird and saying weird incorrect things just for the sake of being weird." Micah squeaked. My dad looking both proud of Lola and somehow also sorry for his son.
Lola only hummed in response, setting her purse down and heading towards the kitchen, a clear dismissal of Micah who was intaking as much air as he could, having clearly held his breath in fear of the formidable person we both called our sister.
"We're getting pizza." My dad called after her.
"I want stuffed crust." Another voice came from the front door down the hall.
"Stuffed crust." Micah and I crooned at the same time, my stomach starting to grumble at the thought.
Nina came barreling into the room crouching in front of us and throwing her arms around all three of us. Pressing a kiss to Micah and I's heads and pressing her cheek affectionately against dad's before heading into the kitchen to corner Lola into some forceful affection.
Mom walked in after, having had the patience to lock the door behind the two. She kneeled down before us all, and I waited for her to kiss my father before ruffling Micah and I's hair as she always did. Glancing at them to see what was wrong when I didn't hear the heart warming but gross sound of their kiss, surprised to see her staring back at me instead.
She gave my father a distracted kiss on the cheek leaving him a little confused with a uselessly pursed mouth as he blinked deliberately. Mom glanced at me again before walking into the kitchen after the other two.
Dad lifted his arms making me drop back against the side of his torso, choosing to wrap them around Micah and I instead as he tugged us closer. I dug my head into my father's shoulder, letting my eyes fall shut for a moment as I heard my mom and sisters washing their hands in the kitchen, Lola asking the other two about their day.
Mom stayed quiet as Nina quickly summarized their seemingly ordinary day. Although that wouldn't explain mom's strange behaviour. Perhaps it was something only she had noticed and had not shared with Nina considering she was still new at the whole Pack Alpha thing.
"When are we ordering? I'm so hungry I'm going to need a bag of chips while I wait, any longer and I'll need a rotisserie chicken in the meantime." Micah grumbled, and I nodded along, resting a hand on my poor grumbling stomach. A rotisserie chicken sounded pretty good to be honest.
"Just let your sisters and mother wash up, we'll ask what they want and then order." Dad placated, the sound of his hand patting comfortingly at my brother's shoulder being heard as he spoke.
"Nina wants jalapenos, Lola wants barbequed chicken, and mom wants both." I said, knowing for sure that was what they would want considering it was what they always got.
"She's not wrong." My sisters called out from the kitchen, and I craned my neck to look at my dad, staring at him in a pointed go get us food way.
"Alright well what do you two miscreants want?" Dad asked.
"Meat lovers." Micah answered.
"Extra cheese and peppers I'm fine with jumping on the jalapenos and barbequed chicken train if they're okay with my peppers." I said, waiting for them to acknowledge me. Nina being the problem solver she was agreed immediately, although Lola took a few extra seconds to think about it.
"You can have peppers if I can have mushrooms." Lola tried, only to be met with four loud yells of disagreement. All of us hated mushrooms except for Lola, she wasn't a fanatic but our general avoidance of them seemed to make her want them more. But that was just her inner lunatic attempting to cause chaos and strife.
"Drama queens." I heard Lola murmur under her breath as she headed to the coat closet to hang everyone's things up.
"Make sure to get the stuffed crust." Micah and I called after my dad as he weaseled out from between us, leaving us both sprawled awkwardly on the couch, our heads laying on the seat our father had been sitting on. Only until Nina took his place, lifting us both up slightly before dropping us back down onto her own sides as we limply lay there allowing her to maneuver us as she pleased. Too hungry to make any movement on our own.
I tried to keep an ear out for the conversation my parents were having despite the running water and their obvious attempts to be quiet and go unheard even as Nina struck up a conversation with Micah. Lola joining us, sitting right next to where Micah had his feet up, leaning her elbow on his knees, and lounging against his legs.
I couldn't make out what they were saying and soon gave up, tuning into my siblings' conversation.
"Should we bake cookies after?" Nina asked, and I smiled up at her, getting my hair ruffled for it. Nina knew I loved freshly baked cookies, like all other sane people.
"What if we just order cookies from the pizza place, their cookie pizza thing isn't bad. It's just a really big cookie." Lola said, and I pouted at the ceiling, too tired to argue but hoping we would bake cookies. Or Nina would while we waited for them to be done.
"No we'll bake them, we won't have much to do after eating anyway." Nina responded, and I peaked over her to see Lola shrug nonchalantly.
"When will the pizza be here?" Micah asked dad as soon as he walked back in, looking about ready to lunge at him.
"In about 40 minutes probably." Our father replied making Micah groan and me fake cry silently. Nina patted both of our heads comfortingly.
We spent the next hour lying listlessly, moaning and groaning about how hungry we were until Lola had threatened us each about ten times, and looked about ready to commit murder. Even Nina looked a bit agitated probably because while we kept complaining about how hungry we were we refused anything she suggested us to snack on in the meantime to hold us over. It wasn't our fault we wanted to save our hunger for the pizza, it was all dad's fault for ordering so late.
"I swear to god one more noise out of the two of you and I'm going to rip your esophagus out and choke you with it." Lola threatened making my eyes widen. Luckily the doorbell rang just then, and as Nina got up to answer it, just to be safe we followed her, not wanting to be alone with Lola.
The boy delivering the pizza looked extremely irritated and frazzled, clearly not expecting a delivery to be this far out in the forest. Although Nina made sure to tip him generously for his trouble despite his hostile behaviour.
He smelled so much like pizza, had he not been holding the pizzas we probably would have just attacked him.
Nina grabbed the 4 extra large pizzas in her arms, turning back in after managing to somehow close and lock the door, while we trailed after her, sniffing deeply at the heavenly scent of melted cheese and grease. We always got extra because we all liked eating cold pizza at night as well as having it for dinner while it was still hot.
Our parents walked in to the kitchen just as we were getting the plates out. I poured everyone's preferred drinks for them, wine for my parents and Lola, iced tea for Nina, and a glass of coke for Micah and I.
We sat around the table, digging into the pizza boxes. Nina and Micah passed slices around as they were sitting in the middle able to easily reach. The first bite burned the roof of my mouth but was so entirely worth it. Hot stringy cheese was the best thing in the entire world. My fingers were covered in grease as soon as I picked up the slice, but I was so hungry I didn't bother to wipe them.
I glanced up as I started on my second slice, catching my mom looking at me again, I gave her a big smile around a mouthful of pizza and she smiled back softly but it didn't reach her eyes at all. Concerned I put the slice down but she discreetly shook her head at me and so I continued eating, considerably slower and barely even tasting the pizza now as I wondered what could have my mom so worried.
I had only ever seen her like this a few years ago when the council had cracked down on us for allowing a wolf of another pack to join our pack after they had left their pack to settle down with their human mate. The human had passed away, leaving them with their child, who was clearly human by smell. The wolf had come to our home smelling so terribly of misery that it had made my heartache, clutching their baby to their chest, and begging to be taken in.
It was very difficult for a wolf to live amongst the humans without a pack, but a human mate could take the place of pack. If they passed away though that need for pack would slowly drive the wolf insane. My mother had taken pity and welcomed the man to our pack. The council had somehow found out and been livid. Threatening to tear apart the pack by killing my mother and Nina and sending the rest of us to different packs. It was barbaric but that was the way packs were dismantled, the Alpha and next in line were murdered while the rest of the pack was split up into existing packs around the country.
Luckily neighbouring packs had stood up for us, speaking on my mother's behalf, and claiming that they agreed with what she had done, even though all of them had turned the wolf away. The council had conceded and let us off with a warning that if any infractions were committed while my mother was still Pack Alpha, then they would follow through on their threat.
During those weeks my mother had tried to stay strong for us and the pack, faking smiles, and we would often catch her looking at us. Needless to say I was nearly worried sick to see my mother acting that way again.
I ate the slices placed in my plate robotically, trying to give appropriate responses when addressed. Soon everyone had finished eating, only a little more than one box left, and Nina put that on the counter for us to eat later as the rest of us washed our hands and put our plates and glasses into the dishwasher.
I walked up to my mom as we all made our way to the living room, grabbing onto her sleeve, and she wordlessly slid her arm through my hold to grab onto my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze before letting go to sit down in her usual spot next to my dad.
I sat in between Micah and Nina, still staring at my mom silently probing her to confess what had her so worried.
"I need to talk to you all." Mom said, grabbing the attention of the rest who had been watching Micah struggle with the TV remote.
"Alpha Mrow came to speak to me today." She said, looking directly at me as my heartrate picked up immediately.
A week had passed since his last visit, and only the excitement of my first potential had accompanied my thoughts of him, I hadn't even considered how my mom would feel after hearing about this from him first.
"He claimed that Pari is his potential."
Nina gasped and I tried to avoid my mom's eyes, glancing instead at my father, who didn't look at all surprised to hear the news. Micah had a confused frown on his face, while Lola's expression was unreadable, but knowing her I would guess she was upset.
"Is he your potential Parisa?" My father asked.
"Of course he's not, Pari would be better suited with an omega, she's said so herself." Nina interjected.
"He is." I answered, my voice smaller and meeker than it had ever been in my home.
"He can't be, he's a Pack Alpha." Nina argued as though simply because it was unfortunate the fates wouldn't do such a thing.
"It doesn't matter if he is, Parisa will have other potentials." Lola said ignoring what Nina had said.
"He asked for my permission to court you, formally." Mom said.
"Well then he's not ever welcome back, and we won't ever go there. I don't care how hurt his little Alpha ego is for being rejected, from now on our pack has no ties with the Hemmingway pack." Nina announced.
"I said I would speak with you and get back to him." My mom responded. My heart pounded in my chest as I wondered whether she knew that Emeric had already asked me and gotten my consent before requesting a courtship.
"There's nothing to think about." Micah scoffed.
"We have to let Pari make this decision." My dad said, raising his brows at Micah in a way that told him not to dare argue when he opened his mouth.
"Pari doesn't want to leave the pack." Nina said.
"Parisa it's up to you, I'm not going to make this decision for you." My mom said.
"I don't want to leave the pack." I answered, surprised as my voice cracked, coming out much softer than I had intended.
"Of course she doesn't, we should tell him to take his request of courtship and shove it exactly where he can shove all his traditionalist ideals." Nina said.
"Very well, I'll reject his request. I'm surprised he would do such a thing, even if they are potentials him and Parisa have barely ever even spoken."
"How dare he just ask to court her after having barely met her twice? Traditionalist wolves are such lunatics." Micah chimed in.
"I-I said he could. He asked and I got swept up in the moment and I didn't think. I told him he should ask mom for permission to court me." I admitted, not wanting at all to tell them, but seeing no other option.
They would be disrespectful towards Alpha Mrow thinking he had just requested to court me out of nowhere, and probably distance the relationship we had with their pack. He didn't deserve that. Neither did I want them to find out from him that I had known and agreed to him requesting a courtship, better them finding out from me than him. I should have told them the night it had happened.
The room fell silent at my admission. Five pairs of eyes looking at me accusingly making me wish I could bury a hole into the ground and hide myself within it.
Mom's lack of response at my admission frightened me, her face had gone completely blank as soon as I had said the words and since then she hadn't moved a muscle.
"I'll reject him. If mom does it he'll think you all are forcing me."
"It doesn't matter what he thinks." Lola said.
"Parisa, honey take some time to think about it. We don't have to give an answer right away, you can't take back a rejection. I think there's a reason you accepted his request, I don't want to lose you to another pack but I also don't want you to make a decision you'll regret." My dad said.
"What's there to think about if she doesn't want to leave the pack?" Nina asked.
"Parisa is not impulsive or rash, she wouldn't have made that decision if he wasn't special to her. Decisions about a courtship should only be made by the couple, we shouldn't pressure her."
"The courtship will never go anywhere unless Parisa is prepared to leave our pack and join his. Are you willing to leave this pack for another?" My mom asked. her voice hard and emotionless. A lump formed at the back of my throat, and try as I might I couldn't seem to swallow it down.
"No." I croaked.
"Then it'll only cause them both pain if they were to court only to inevitably have to separate. He's Pack Alpha he can't leave his pack for you, and you're unwilling to leave yours to join his, there's no way for this courtship to have a happy ending. I'm disappointed that you didn't bother to consider what accepting this courtship would imply before you gave him your response."
A tear slipped down my cheek and I swiped at it with my palm hastily. Chest aching at hearing those words from my mother, but my entire body rigid and in pain at hearing those words from my Pack Alpha.
Even though I didn't blink tears spilled from my eyes, pouring down my cheeks and dripping down my chin into my lap, little dark spots forming on the denim of my jeans.
"Warina." My dad said beseechingly, glancing at me sympathetically, silenced by the stony look on my mom's face as she turned to him. He rested a hand on her leg but stayed silent.
"Your father is right, you can take some time to think about this."
"I-I don't need time, I'd never leave this pack." I said, struggling not to let my voice crack.
"You should have thought of that before."
My heart skipped a beat in my chest as my mom's eyes flashed gold as she spoke, my insides turning to ice.
A wolf's eyes only flashed when they lost control over them, when they were either completely enraged or too grieved to keep in control. My mother had never flashed her eyes at us before, I had only seen her flash her eyes a couple of times throughout my entire life. At the loss of pack members, once when a wolf of another pack had attacked one of ours for refusing his courtship and the last when a messenger sent by the council had made the threat that they would dismantle the pack, emphasizing that they would kill Nina and her to do so.
"You've been inconsiderate of this man's feelings and the impact your actions would have on our relationship with the Hemmingway pack. I hope this will serve as a lesson to you, and next time you'll think before you act. By Friday night I want a response, think over it and tell me whether to accept the request or reject it."
I kept my gaze lowered as my mom got up and left the room, not having the courage to look her in the eye.
"Parisa she's just upset, give her some time to cool off, and don't be hasty in making your decision, really give it some thought." My dad squeezed my shoulder gently, before he too left the room, after my mother.
"I'm sorry." I whispered meekly at my stunned siblings keeping my gaze focused intently on my feet, not even giving them a chance to speak before I all but fled to my room.
I closed the door behind me softly, crumpling down against it as soon as it was shut. Sobs wracking through my body, but I stifled them by pressing the palm of my hand against my mouth. I didn't want them to hear me cry, the rest of my family didn't have to suffer hearing my misery over the mess I had created.
Author's Note-----------
Hello! I'm so sorry for taking so long. I went through a block of horrible writer's block, and I discovered a major plot hole in what I had originally planned for this story, so I just gave up on it because I was so lost, but I missed these characters and I missed writing fluffy romance, my other story is so dark it scares me a little. I missed all of you too.
I have a rough plan of where I want this to go, but I'll be making it up as I go so bare with me if chapters take some time, it's probably because I'm doing numerous drafts of them. I'm so excited to be writing a fluffy romance again, although this chapter ended on a sad note. I hope you all have had a wonderful summer despite the pandemic. Please stay safe, and wear your masks. Good luck to all my lovelies returning to school, I'm currently writing instead of getting started on my readings. I love you, thank you for all your support, I decided to continue writing this after all the comments and messages I got asking for an update. Have a great night!