Our trip to Sidney wasn't short. When you're in a car for 14 hours straight with nothing much to do but stay on your phone from time to time and listening to music on the radio, it gets kind of boring. Being in a car with Flower wasn't exactly the best thing for me right now, especially with the mood she's in.
"I tell you to stay away from werewolves, and here we are going to the den of those damned dogs." She muttered to me while staring straight ahead at a semi truck that was in front of us. "You get into trouble not only with one, but the Pack Master of North America. Who's next, the President of the United States?"
I was going to correct her and say that I wasn't exactly in trouble, but I decided to keep my mouth shut if I wanted to be able to eat without a straw.
We had made it to the city limits and were searching around the streets for a motel. Luckily for us, since Charles was old friends with Everard, he had us reserved for rooms in a motel here. The only thing now was to find it. When we passed by one with a shiny black F-150, we knew this was the motel.
We checked in and got settled, Flower got her own room and I got mine. It was only a two night stay, so we wouldn't have to get too comfortable with the rooms. But other than that, the rooms weren't half bad. Clean bathroom, clean room, a little flatscreen on the dresser. It wasn't half bad, although the first thing I did was turn up the heat.
Once I got settled in, I heard a knock on my door. I opened it to find Charles standing there, wearing a black button-up dress shirt with the top buttons undone. He also wore dark black jeans with boots on his feet, and his hair was in a braid. He could be a model if he wanted, I'll give him that.
"Can I come in for a moment?" He asked.
I nodded and held the door open wider for him. He walked in and I shut the door behind him to keep he warm air in. He walked over to the leather chair and took a seat, resting his hands on the arms. "I wanted to give you a few tips about tonight."
"Tips?" I asked, leaning my back against the door.
"Yes." He crossed his legs. "Tonight, don't be stupid or reckless. Old wolves like Everard are dangerous and can be a bit aggressive towards unjustly behavior."
"So don't go trying to speak until spoken to, or I get eaten alive."
Charles cracked a smile. "I want to see you keep that same comedic energy when you go stand before that monster again. If I recall, you couldn't hardly get your words out the last time."
I sat silent, knowing he was right. I gulped at the thought of him, of Everard Rolfe, the Pack Master of North America. I had to keep myself in check before meeting him again.
Charles sat still and calm. "Also, make sure you be truthful and sincere. Wolves can smell a lie from a mile away. It's natural for us."
"Oh believe me, I'm too scared at getting caught in a lie by him." I told Charles.
Charles smiled. "I can smell the truth in your words. Good. You're all set for court." He stood up and walked over towards me. I moved for him to exit through the door. When he opened it, he turned to look at me with a sincere look on his face. "Thank you, for making my daughter happy." He patted my shoulder, then he walked out, shuttling the door behind him.
I walked over to my bag and got out some clothes. If I was going to werewolf court, I might as well dress decent. The only problem was this damned cast on my arm.
.........
Everard's home was where the court was taking place. When I say that his home was beautiful, that was just an understatement. It was huge, it was modern, it was in front of a lake. This house was like it was out of a fantasy tale. I was wondering if he had his pack over here before we pulled up, but that was obvious, considering there were cars parked everywhere, inside the driveway, all the way to the field outside of the driveway.
Tera, who wore a black top under her leather jacket with jeans below, was standing next to her father next to their truck, which was luckily parked in the driveway. Flower and I made our way over towards them. Flower wore buckskin, with different symbols and designs across the clothing. I wore a dark blue polo shirt with jeans that matched it.
We all headed inside and were met by a lady who was around her mid-30s with long blonde hair. She was beautiful, but her eyes told me immediately what she was. "Please, go take a seat in the other room. Everard will be with you shortly."
We entered a room that was supposed to be a living room, but it looked more like a waiting room. There were so many people there, all of them with companions. They were all so much older than us, from 20 year olds to 50 it seemed. When we got their attention, they went silent.
I looked over at Tera. "What's going on?"
She shrugged. After a moment, we started hearing whispers from different people. "They're so young." "How could they be allowed to date at such a young age?" "Is she really able to control her wolf at her age?"
We ignored all the whispers and made conversation of our own. We conversed with each other, me, Tera, Flower, and Charles. We talked about normal things like the weather here compared to back at home, and other simple things.
Finally, we heard a door open, and the room got quiet again. We looked over to see a man, around 40 or so, standing in the doorway. "Tera Colter, James Carson." He called.
I looked at Tera, and back at Charles. He nodded, and we walked towards the doorway. On the way through, Flower was stopped by the man. "Wolves and their humans only. Other than that, you'll have to wait here."
Flower was about to argue, but Charles stopped her. "Don't worry. He's in my care." He reassured her. She had her mouth open, but closed it at his words.
When we stepped through the doorway, the man closed it behind us. The room was like a theatre, without the rows of seats or the stage, but the stairs that led to the ledge of a second floor. Standing on that ledge was Everard, wearing a black suit. For the second time I seen him, he finally had a full suit. I probably shouldn't crack a joke about that. Damn you, Charles, you know I can't be funny around this guy.
Everard smiled. "Welcome, my young couple." He called. "This court is now in session. James, my young friend, attending two werewolf courts in under a week, you seem to be a trouble maker."
I gulped. Yep, scary man.
I noticed around us that there were a large amount of people here. Around 30 or so. Wait, was this the pack that were in the woods with us the other night?
"Before we get started, I want to know..." he gazed at me, sending shivers down my spine. What was he going to ask me? "How's that arm of yours?"
...
"It's fine..." was all I could get out.
"Good. Now, back to business." He coughed into a hand to get everyone's attention. "Now, as you all know, we're here to judge the loyalty of these two." He spoke out. "James, first, we will inform you of just exactly what you will possibly experience in your relationship with Tera."
I nodded. He continued. "As you know, judging from that arm, werewolves don't have the best at self-control, especially when they're upset. Anger causes us to change, pain turns into anger, and anger causes us to change. If you are caught in the wrong position, you won't be dealing with Tera, but her wolf. Are you able to accept that?"
I looked at Tera. She looked down at the wooden floor, not speaking. If there was anything I learned from Tera over time, it was that she was ashamed of what she was.
I used my free hand to grab her's. "I accept those terms." I said.
Everard continued. "Now, Tera. Your human says that he will accept you for what you are and what the possibilities could be like. You do know, that if you do kill him out of anger, that the body, if discovered, will cause an investigation by the other humans that could possibly put our existence at risk. You will have to contact us to clean up the mess, as well as be punished to come to my pack." He licked his lips. "And I would love to have you in my pack."
Everard had something for Tera. He said something about how powerful her dominance was the other night. Maybe he would like that sort of power in his personal control.
He gained his composure once more and continued. "Now, speaking of keeping our secret, James, you will be tracked and eliminated if you try to expose us. Ever heard the story of the boy who cried wolf? That isn't just a fantasy, but it comes from our stories.
"A boy, long ago, once tried to tell the villagers about a wolf that turned into a man. They tested the man multiple times, but he never changed. The boy kept trying to convince them, but he never changed, and they thought him a liar. Then, one day, the wolf came out of the man for the boy who tried to expose him. The boy cried, but the villagers never came to his aid. The wolf feasted well that day.
"Your case would never be any different. So be very careful of your actions concerning us."
I took in every bit of detail I could, but I couldn't pay very much attention. I was staring at Tera, her head still down, her eyes still on the floor. I think this irritated Everard, because he sounded very annoyed. "Are you even listening?" He asked me.
I looked back at him. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry, I just... I just can't sit here and see her like this."
He raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why is that?"
"Because, she's amazing, as a werewolf, as a person, as anything." I looked at her. "I wouldn't care about what she was, I'd never sell her out, or her kind."
Everard sat quietly for a second. I wasn't looking in his direction, so I couldn't tell what he was thinking or doing.
Finally the silence stopped. "Is that so? Well, I'll also take into account how Kurt told us how you tried to uphold the peace when he met with you and Tera in public, how you were concerned with keeping our secret." He came to a decision. "I'll allow you two to be together. Just answer this one question."
Tera and I looked up. "What is it?"
Everard came down the steps and stopped right in front of me. "What is it about her that you like? Who she is, what she is?"
I looked at him, and back at her. "I like both." I told them both.
"Both." Everard repeated silently. He looked like he was lost for a second before he gestured towards the door. "You're free to go. Live happily."
I looked at Tera, and at Charles. Tera's eyes were wide with disbelief mixed with happiness. I'm pretty sure I looked the same way. Charles had a faint smile on his face as well.
Finally, we would be able to be together with no problem or strings attached. I gripped her hand tightly, pulling it up to my lips and kissing her wrist.
She smiled happily. "Thank you, Pack Master." She told him.
Everard had his back turned, but raised a hand. "My pleasure. Now, next couple." He told his people.