Parking my truck beside Gale’s, Lunette and I climb out of the vehicle just as the others were exiting Gale’s. Its been three days since I contacted Caspian. Three days filled with my best friend constantly checking up on me and sending me many memes he finds on the internet that leaves me laughing for a good moment.
Between rest stops, I would have Lunette sit in her dad’s truck while I had some alone time talking to Caspian. Other times she would be in the back seat of my truck chatting with the both of us, the eight-year-old happy to be included. She even told Caspian that she is taking me from him as her new big sister, which caused us to laugh and Caspian stating he will be her new big brother. The look of disgust Lunette had when he said this had me laughing so hard I had to pull over, especially because the eight-year-old replied savagely that she doesn’t need or want another older brother considering she has two already.
Unfortunately for me, it was during one of our one on one calls that I found out from Caspian that Rune is looking for me. I was shocked when he told me this. Furious to think he had a chance to be with me after the pain he delt the day after he took my virginity and promised to mark and make me his. I still deal with the pain that being rejected caused. Still deal with sleepless nights as the broken Mate Bond throbs painfully and I have to force myself to stay quiet to not scare the pups while Miss Asteria holds me. Rune can look for me all he wants but I will never allow him to find me. We grew up together. Fought off Rogues and trained to become the wolves we are now. Yet he decided to hide his engagement to Tanya from me. He chose to reject me to be with her after taking my virginity.
Rune doesn’t deserve me no matter what and I need to remind myself this every night the dam in my mind threatens to break from the broken Mate Bond throbbing.
From what Caspian told me, my Ex-Mate hired a private investigator to track me down two days after I left. I am happy that Gale and Miss Asteria had me change my bank to a new one as soon as we reached the first city. It was also the same day that I got my new cell phone and number. Had I kept my old bank account and phone number with the one associated to the pack, Rune would have been able to track me down by now.
Thankfully, Caspian also told me that same phone call that Rune’s investigator could find nothing on me. That my old phone number no longer worked and when asked by Rune, that Caspian hasn’t heard from me since the letter I wrote him on the day I left. He promised to keep me safe from Rune but I can tell that Caspian held something back, something he wants to tell me that involves my Ex-Mate. When I asked, he said it was an Alpha command and that until he was free of Pine Moon, there are some things he can’t tell me. I understood, knowing that it is painful to disobey an Alpha command and I let the topic die then and there.
“Are you guys ready for lunch?” Gale asks as Lunette and I join him and the rest of his family. Putting thoughts of Rune aside, I focus on the here and now.
“Yes we are. Lunette and I worked up an appetite talking to Caspian. He says hi by the way.” I answer, Lunette nodding enthusiastically beside me. We have been driving for the last six hours since leaving the last hotel we slept in the night before. Everyone is exhausted from the long days on the road and knowing that we will be in a pack soon is the only thing keeping us going at this point.
Gale told us this morning as we were packing up our hotel room that he estimates we will be in Golden Fang tonight at the latest and I can’t wait. Staying in the human motels and hotels has made it nearly impossible for Gale, Miss Asteria and me shift into our wolf form and let our instincts take over. We have only been able to shift once since leaving Pine Moon and that was three days ago. I can feel the angst that withholding a shift can cause and I know I need a good run and soon.
“Do you think I can get pancakes?” Lunette asks as we enter the Diner we decided to stop at for lunch, the smell of coffee and sweaty travelers hitting my nose without warning, making me scrunch my face in disgust. I will never get used to this smell, especially since the humans that stop at these rest stops don’t seem to shower for several days on end.
“I think they might.” Miss Asteria answers her daughter with a chuckle, giving Lunette a wink. Our group of six moves to the back of the Diner where we push together two tables. Chase, Gray and I sit on one side, our backs to the wall as we watch people enter and exit the Diner while Lunette, Miss Asteria and Gale sit across from us, the two older wolves able to whirl around and defend us if the need arises.
A young woman in a simple pink uniform comes to our table within seconds, handing us menus and introducing herself as Flo, our waitress. Gale orders a round of water for the table while we decide what to order and with a friendly smile, Flo tells us she will be back soon with the water to give us time to think.
“Daddy! They have chocolate chip pancakes!” Lunette exclaims in excitement. It seems we know what one of us will be getting. I help Gray go through the menu, the ten-year-old with shaggy brown hair deciding he will get the chicken burger with fries. Flo returns just in time and we each place our orders, Lunette giggling happily when Flo tells her she will tell the kitchen staff to put extra chocolate chips in her pancakes for her. With our food ordered, Flo takes our menus and disappears from our sight. Gale looks at each one of us in the eyes, the power in his blood humming. It seems that what he is about to tell us is important and we give him our full attention.
“When we make it to Golden Fang, we need to show that we mean no threat and just want to join their pack.” He begins, looking at me. I can see the worry in his eyes for me knowing that the last time I was in front of an Alpha, I tried to attack him. But Valor deserved it.
“I won’t do anything to jeopardize our safety.” I reassure Gale, giving him a reassuring smile.
“Okay, I trust you Bryn. We need to remember that right now we are Rogues and to packs, we are unpredictable.” He sighs out, eyes darting to Chase. I can tell that the fourteen year old feels upset at being the center of attention but I ruffle his hair in hopes of making him feel a little better.
“Chase, you have seen wolves go through their pre-shift year. You know your emotions and hormones are going to go out of control in two weeks. If you feel like you need to fight someone, find Brynlee or I. We can handle what ever you throw at us and can help you learn to control your emotions better.” Gale explains to his son. His fifteenth birthday is two weeks away and after that, his body will start changing to prepare for his first shift on the day of Chase’s sixteenth birthday.
“Your dad is right. I was an emotional wreck before I shifted and both my mom and yours had to take me into the sparing ring on more than one occasion when Caspian and Rune couldn’t.” I chime in trying not to wince when the bond lights up when I say my Ex’s name.
“So you will spare with me?” The teen asks with a wide grin. I chuckle, bumping my shoulder into his playfully.
“Kid, I will kick your ass until you can finally kick mine, then kick it some more.” Miss Asteria laughs at my answer as it was the same one she gave me three years ago. It seems she approves of this considering she left me lying on the dirt floor on more than one occasion covered in bruises. But it helped make me stronger than I was and able to shift without concerns when I turned sixteen.
“Then I promise that I won’t fight anyone at Golden Fang until I am put into training.” Chase promises, turning to look his dad in the eyes. I ruffle his hair, giving the teen a reassuring smile.
“It’s just for a year. When you shift, your emotions settle down.” I state before his parents could say anything.
“The reason why we tell you to come to us is because the pre-shift year is worse for those with Beta and Alpha blood coursing through them like us. We are not sure if anyone in Golden Fang can handle your strength as we don’t even know how strong you will be.” I continue, getting a nod in agreement from Gale.
“Brynlee is right. Golden Fang is known as the weakest pack in Canada. If we take the fact we come from the third strongest pack, then our strengths could cause unease in Golden Fang.” Miss Asteria chimes in, reaching over and squeezing Chase’s left hand.
“It’s better to be safe with you coming to us than it is for you to accidentally take your emotions out on some innocent wolf.” Chase takes these warnings to heart. I can tell that his younger siblings are listening in too and remind them that when their fifteenth birthday comes, to follow this advice and come find their parents or me. We will help them through it the same way I was helped through it and the same way we plan to help Chase through it.
The conversation continues with Gale talking to his pups about school and since this topic doesn’t involve me, I find myself thinking back to my pre-shift year. My emotions had been worse that Caspian or Rune’s had been and the two usually took me to our spot by the small pond near a willow grove where they spared with me until I was exhausted. Usually I was angered because of Tanya coming to make life for me difficult. At sixteen you would have thought that I had murdered her mother by the way that bitch had it out for me. Rune would put her in her place when the four she-wolves came to instigate me before my parents took over and sent them for punishments for causing discord in the pack. They put the fear of the Goddess in Tanya and her friend’s eyes and the bullying soon stopped a month into turning fifteen. But that didn’t stop them from subtly messing with me and causing me to nearly maim the newly shifted she-wolves in anger. I soon learned to just walk away and find my mother or Miss Asteria considering Tanya left me alone if Rune gave her attention.
My heart clenches as I think about Rune. It now makes sense why Tanya targeted me. Why she hated me being near him. Taking a deep breath, I push back these intrusive thoughts and force myself once again to focus. Golden Fang will be my future. I need to remind myself that once I am safe and sound within a pack I can start to focus on healing the pain and moving on from my Ex-Mate.
It seems that the talk about school is done as Gale takes out his phone and shows us an email from the Alpha of Golden Fang that he received this morning. In it is a welcome to the pack message, how the Alpha, Alpha Stanton Devlin, is excited to have us join the pack. It was a sweet message that also included pictures of a house that will belong to Gale and Miss Asteria, a two story five-bedroom house with a large yard fenced by a white picket fence. The pups became excited knowing they would each receive their own room with a large yard to play in. After promising that they will take their pups shopping to help decorate their rooms, Gale flips through his phone, beaming at me as he turns his phone and passing the device to me.
“That’s mine?” I ask, taking the phone to zoom in on the images of a cottage hidden in the tree line with lots of space for me to grow a garden and be able to live in peace. The master bedroom and a smaller room are on the main level with a bathroom in between the rooms. An open concept kitchen, living and dining area took over the rest of the cottage with a staircase to the right leading down to what I hope is a basement and not a small storage are. I can already imagine what I will do with this empty cottage, the idea od turning it into my home making me excited.
“That’s yours. It has a basement so you can design it into what ever you want, but it’s yours.” He informs me, my excitement growing at this news. I scroll through the images and sure enough, there is a large basement with a third bedroom and smaller bathroom room consisting of a toilet and sink. I smile, thinking I could turn this into an art room for all of my painting and sculpting equipment with the bigger area being a workout room. There is another room, one that was a laundry room with an attacked pantry.
It is something I have always wanted, a small home I can turn into my own. I have only known the large house I grew up in in Pine Moon – a two-story house with four bedrooms and a basement. I remember complaining that the place was too big for my parents and I to live in and how when I move out, I will build a small cottage with a basement. Something with only one main level so that I didn’t have to clean so much.
“Alpha Stanton and Luna Eliza already know about the lilac bush we are bringing and she is excited to see it. I did give them a summery of what happened to you and they offered up this cottage stating you needed a fresh start.” Gale continues, laughing at my reaction as I hand his phone back to him. He goes on to explain that I will be doing my Beta training there as the Beta couple of Golden Fang have decided to retire and have no heir to continue their role. My excitement grows as I think about what this means. That me starting my Beta training means I will be the next Beta of Golden Fang in just a few years.
Flo arrives with another waitress in tow, the two humans bringing us our meals. The topic of our new pack is put aside as the smell of a fresh hot meals takes our focus. We dig in to the delicious food, Lunette thanking Flo for the extra chocolate chips while Gray and I debate over which is better – a regular beef burger or a chicken burger. Chase agrees that beef is better and I high five the teen. I have a feeling he and I will become close as I train him for the next twelve months in preparation for his first shift.
After eating, Gale pays and we are on the road again. We have another three hours until we reach Golden Fang and Gale wants to be there are early as possible to go through the formalities of joining the pack.