A few days later, Evelynn and Rose were watching Leo practice his fire-conjuring spell with Gammy. The little boy loved it when Gammy taught his lessons and wanted more than anything to please her. Gammy laughed when one of his fireballs landed in the pot of water on the stove and fizzled out. Leo frowned and tried once more to conjure a fireball and throw it in the fireplace to start a fire. This one bounced off the wall, flew across the room, and set the curtain on fire, hanging at the front window. Rose grabbed the pot of water and threw it on the curtain. The fire was put out, and Gammy was coaching Leo to concentrate and picture what he wanted to happen as he spoke the spell.
Rose whispered, "We are going to be scrubbing scorch marks off the wall for a week. Why are they practicing fire conjuring inside, again?"
Helping Rose mop up the water, Evelynn told her, "Because Cronos is worried someone will see him practicing and figure out who he is, he has ordered that Leo not practice magic of any kind outside."
"Umm. did someone inform your son and his protector of that order?" Rose inquired.
Laughing, Evelynn nodded her head, "Of course, however, Leo is smart and keeps track of what realm his father is in. When his father is not here he feels it is okay to do magic anytime. Gammy and I have tried to explain not all people welcome magic and it may scare some."
Rose cocked an eyebrow and sighed, "At least he is on well-guarded lands now, and we do not have to worry as much as we had to in the past."
Gammy raised a hand to signal that practice was over, "You did wonderful my little warlock. Do not fret, you will gain more control as you learn to concentrate for longer periods of time." She leaned down and kissed Leo on his cheek and began helping her daughters clean the scorch marks from the walls and furniture.
Leo ran to his mother, "Can I go outside to play for a while with the other kids? I won't use any magic; I like to play normal games with them. We are supposed to play tag today, and the alphas said they would play, too."
Laughing, Evelynn told him, "Yes, you may, but you will be cleaned up in time for the bigger dinner tonight. You children do not be too hard on the alphas; remember they have not played tag in years."
"Don't worry, Evey; I will ensure he behaves and is ready for dinner tonight," Demon, the boy's protector, announced as they ran out the door.
"Sir Demon, do not forget; you are also invited to this dinner tonight," Evelynn called after them.
Rose smiled, and Gammy huffed, "Sometimes I forget that Demon has much to learn. He is maturing quickly in this realm. He acts less and less like a child now. He still has the playfulness that allows him to understand our little man, but he is learning fast here what it is to be a grown-up. I will have to speak to Lucifer or Hades and find out if these underworld creatures develop differently somehow."
Evelynn and Rose looked at one another with the same thought in their heads, "Poor Hades and Lucifer." they both stated. Gammy gave them a look of pure innocence, "What? There is always something to be learned and this would be good information to have if ever we need to deal with one of these underworld beings."
Gammy grew serious and gestured for her daughters to sit in the chairs surrounding the little work table they used for packing dried herbs and spices. Once the girls took a seat, they waited patiently as their mother made them each a cup of tea. Gammy made her Evey raspberry tea and her Rosey mint tea, each of the girls' favorites. The sisters glanced at one another as their mother sat down with her tea of chamomile, and both thought this was not going to be a good talk.
Evey turned to Gammy and asked, "Mother what is it? What has had you so worried lately?"
Rosie intervened, "Don't bother telling us nothing and that you have not been worrying about anything. Something has preoccupied you lately. Talon told us how she found you watching the two moon goddesses and their mates sleep the other night."
"I was worried about them, but when I found them all together and asleep, I gave them a gentle push to sleep deeply for the next few nights. They were going to need clear minds to make the decisions that need to be made for their new futures." Gammy told them.
"Mother, what are you not telling us? You always tell us everything. We work together to keep the evil at bay along with the white wolves." Evelynn expressed her concerns to her mother about her behavior.
Gammy sat quietly for a moment, contemplating what she wanted to say to the girls without them asking too many questions. Finally, she let out a sigh and began, "I cannot be as forthcoming with you girls as I usually am because the new future involves the two of you also. All who are a part of the three packs will be involved in one way or another. I do not know the full extent of what the new future of the wolves will be. That has not been imparted to me. I just know that after the meeting and the dinner tonight, it will begin."
"What will begin? What does tonight have to do with anything? It is a usual pack bonfire and dinner. We are going to hear about the new prophecy and discuss how to move forward with the three packs." Rose responded to her mother.
"Rose, darling, I do not know exactly what. I just know that whatever decisions are made about the three packs will determine the new werewolf's future," her mother patiently explained. You girls will be a part of that, as you are mated to gods or supernatural beings."
"Mother, you are forgetting I am not mated to anyone. I have not found a mate yet." Rose reminded her mother.
"Ah, my Rosey, you have already met your mate. He is waiting patiently for your human mind to realize and admit you are his mate." She informed her daughter who looked at her like she had two heads.
"Why has he not spoken up and claimed my sister?" Evelynn wanted to know, feeling anger at the fact her sister had a mate, and he had not said a word to anyone about it.
Once again, the daughters sat waiting for their mother to gather her thoughts. They knew she would speak only when she was ready. A few minutes later, she took a sip of her tea and tried once more to make them both understand the mate, who remained quiet, "He understands that Rose is human and a witch; the mating signs are different for her. He does not want to hurry her and if you would have been paying attention to who is around whenever you girls are not inside of this house, you would have picked up on the who." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "So you see, Rosey girl, you are a part of this also. I cannot tell you how or what but that you are. I will be here along with others to help everyone through what is to come. It will be a whole new world for most. Not many get to be a part of a new world."
Evelynn prodded, "What others? Who else will be here and to help us through what? Why does this sound like another catastrophe is coming?"
"I cannot say who, for it is not set yet. Everything will depend on tonight's decisions. I do not believe it will be a catastrophe; the great mother would not do that after everything else that has been done to those she loves," Gammy concluded.
"So, we have been making the right decisions and are where we are supposed to be, like you have always told us to believe," Rose surmised.
"Yes, my loves. As I have always said, if you make the right decisions, you will arrive where you are supposed to be," Gammy reiterated. "Whether it is where you want to be or not is a whole different enchilada, as the sister of the Snow Moon pack Alpha says.
Evelynn asked, "Does Cronos know any of this?"
Gammy shook her head no, "The great mother thinks it is best to make him a part of what is to come. She is still trying to make sure his future prophecy has changed."
"What about the other gods or goddesses?" Rose asked.
Gammy smiled and gave the answer she was given when she asked, "They are on a need-to-know basis. Who needs to know is aware, and the others, well, they will find out when it is time for them to know."
"How will we know if we are making the right decisions tonight?" Both girls wanted to know.
"You won't. You all are good, loving people who want to do the right thing. You will find the right answer, and you will know it is right when you find it," Gammy advised them. Looking at her phone, which she had pulled out of her pocket, she exclaimed, "We have spoken on this long enough. Let's get ourselves together and go to help set things up for tonight."
"Mother," Evelynn said.
Gammy had stood from her seat and was headed to the kitchen to put her mug in the sink. She turned back to look at her daughters and waited for Evey to finish what she wanted to say. When Evey did not go on, she raised her eyebrows and motioned for her to continue. Finally, Evey went on, "We love you."
Smiling, she responded, "And I you, more than both of you know. Now, let's get moving. We have some excitement to discover tonight."