It turned out that the meeting place was two hours away, but the other Alphas preferred to meet in the late afternoon anyway, so Hazel slept until nearly noon. She was alone when she woke, but there was a note and a bunch of wildflowers on her pillow. She couldn’t help but smile at this small evidence of Val’s care, and it buoyed her as she showered and dressed. When she got downstairs, she didn’t see anyone she recognized right away, but the few pack members milling about the kitchen preparing lunch greeted her courteously and were eager to help with whatever she needed.
A few minutes after she’d settled herself at the table with coffee, juice, and a bagel, Anka appeared in the kitchen. “You’re finally up. I was just about to go check and make sure you were still breathing. Val’s out for a run,” she said in response to Hazel’s unspoken question. Exercise in wolf form, she had learned, was one important way werewolves vented their excess emotions, to help them stay in control.
“I suppose he wants to make sure he’s extra calm before he deals with the other pack leaders,” she replied, trying to stifle her own anxiety. It was true that the Dragomir pack had accepted her easily, but who knew what these people would think about an outsider in their midst?
Anka nodded. “His protective instincts will be going crazy with you there. He wants to make sure he can keep his cool.”
“If my presence is going to be that disruptive, should I really be going?” Hazel asked, and Anka opened her mouth to answer, but Val strode up behind her to plant a kiss on top of Hazel’s head.
“I want you there because I value your opinion, and also because I want to make your status clear to the local packs before the rumors start flying. I can handle myself and make sure you’re safe,” he assured her.
“I just don’t want to make unnecessary problems for you,” she said, looking up at him.
“In my opinion, you’re one of the best things in my life. It’s everything else that’s the problem, not you,” he said, leaning down to kiss her soundly on the mouth before pulling away. “I’m going to go take a shower and get dressed. Then we should get ready to leave.” Hazel watched him go with her heart feeling both full and strangely light all at once.
*******************************
The meeting was held in a state park, in the middle of nowhere, on top of a hill crowned in pine trees. It was near the borders of three pack territories, Val had explained, a sort of no-man’s land where no one had the advantage, and just as important, no one would feel defensive. It was a spot they’d been using for generations, but unfortunately, it had been designed for access by wolves.
“I said I would carry you,” Val said as Hazel huffed and panted up the long, sloping path.
“No thanks. I’d like to retain some of my dignity. Besides, exercise is good for pregnancy. This just proves how out of shape I am,” she grunted.
“I think you’re the perfect shape,” Val said, grinning and scooping her up into his arms. She scowled at him, and he pretended not to notice. But thanks to that, they made it up the hill much more quickly.
Val set her down on her feet before they came out of the shelter of the trees and into the clearing, but they were still the first ones there. The ground was a thick carpet of dried needles, and the scent of pine rose in their noses with every step. Otherwise there was nothing to see but a picnic table and a fire pit.
It didn’t look to Hazel like a place where the leaders of werewolves came to discuss important matters, but then, she supposed they would want it to be as nondescript as possible. Hazel sat down at the table, and Anka and Marko sat beside her like an honor guard while Val and Finn, a lanky man with wild ginger hair, restlessly paced the perimeter. “Here they come,” Val said a few moments later.
Hazel stood and clasped his hand, and the others stood beside and behind them, postures relaxed but ready to defend if necessary. The others crested the hill a few minutes later, a group of six people, three men and three women. They were, on average, darker skinned than those of the Dragomir pack, with dark hair and wary eyes.
“Hello, Valko. I see there was no problem with your ascension ceremony,” said the tallest man. “But I didn’t know we were inviting humans to this meeting.” His tone was confused rather than accusatory, but she felt Val stiffen nonetheless.
“Hazel is the mother of my children, and is here at my invitation. In any case, it was her the outcasts attacked initially, so I think she has the right to know.”
“I just want to be sure we can trust her,” the other man said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“She had been accepted by the pack and our priestess as my chosen mate,” Val countered. “Hazel will be one of us after the children are born, but I wish her to be at my side now.” The air vibrated with tension, but then the woman with the other Alpha stepped forward, smiling.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Hazel. My name is Mavis, and Terrence is my mate. The males can be a little pig-headed, as I’m sure you’ve already discovered.”
Hazel let out a little snort, and shook the other woman’s hand gratefully. “I have noticed that,” she agreed, and though Val and Terrence scowled, the aura of suspicion had faded. Everyone introduced their seconds, and when the third pack arrived, a youngish Alpha alone with his seconds, things went much more smoothly.
They crowded around the table, Hazel sitting on the bench while Val stood behind her, his arms draped loosely over her shoulders.
“We kept our ears open, just as you asked us,” said the youngest of the three Alphas, whose name was Jack. “It turns out that the great-nephew of one of my older cousins ran away a few months ago, but he got in touch with his mom last week, after he was nearly killed in a skirmish,” Jack said with a meaningful arch of his eyebrow. “Anyway, she finally got him to say who he was running with. Val, did you know you had an uncle who was exiled by your grandfather? It would have been before you were born.”
“I was aware that he existed, but nothing else. My father was of the opinion that he was dead,” Val replied. “I take it that isn’t true?”
“I don’t know about him, but it’s his son who’s the troublemaker. I told Terrence about it because the rumor is that the remains of their group are licking their wounds somewhere outside Montgomery.”
“We looked into it,” Terrence said, taking over the narrative. “The would-be Alpha of their little group is named Kiril Dragomir. He’s about twenty with a major chip on his shoulder. I guess your uncle made up a story about being deprived of his rightful place or something. He’s got about six other guys with him, no females.
“Most of them are kids, not even of age, but there are a couple older wolves. Mavis thinks they’re the ones who’re really in charge, and they’re pushing the kid along to use him as a figurehead for their own revenge scheme.” Terrence shrugged. “What do you want to do? It’d be simple enough to go in and clean them out. Round them up for trial in front of the Pack Council, or just wipe them off the map.”
Val shifted his weight behind her, and Hazel could almost feel his hesitance. “You’ll have to give me a moment to confer with the others.” He pulled her away from the table, and Anka and the others followed them to the other end of the clearing. Of course, the other wolves would be able to hear their discussion, but they pretended disinterest. Val ran his hands through his hair and sighed. “Well, what do you all think?”
Marko scowled. “They kidnapped Hazel and killed your father. I don’t see them as deserving of mercy. And with Terrence’s help, it could be over by the end of the weekend.”
“I don’t think revenge is the way to go about this,” Finn said. He had a northern accent, and Hazel wondered idly how he’d found himself in Georgia. “First of all, we’ll never be sure we got all of them, and if even one escapes, an attack like that is only going to solidify the anger of other rogue groups when they find out about it.
“Besides, I thought we always planned to move away from the whole medieval mindset. The council has rules, and the rogues are criminals. We should capture them and put them on trial like civilized people.”
Hazel pursed her lips. She couldn’t say she thought either of the two options were great, though she was more in agreement with Finn than with Marko. Val met her eyes. “I’d like to hear your opinion.”
She let out a slow breath, remembering the angry young man she'd seen the night that she was abducted. Of course, she had been frightened; even remembering the event was upsetting. Her finger throbbed faintly as if to underscore the point. But it didn't take much to imagine the kind of life Kiril must have had. He probably thought his actions were justified.
“For the most part, I agree with Finn; this isn’t the time for revenge, deserved or not,” she said. “If they’ve broken the laws, they should be punished, but I don’t think charging in there and rounding them up like a police raid is right either.
“Kiril is your cousin, and like Terrence said, he’s barely an adult. Who knows what lies his father told him? He’s never been in a pack, and I know you said it’s not healthy for werewolves to be alone. Maybe if you reached out to him, he’d come willingly. That would be safer for everyone. Whatever his father did to be exiled, he had no part of that. I think he deserves a chance, if he wants one.”
Val looked to Anka, whose arms were crossed over her chest. “I agree with Hazel,” she said. “Not just because she’s my friend. What they’ve done is wrong, but it sounds to me like they’re being manipulated. Your father ought to have known his brother had a child, or children, and kept a better eye on them. Having a bunch of young, unsupervised and untrained wolves on the loose makes all of us vulnerable. By showing amnesty to this group, we might induce others to come forward in the future.”
Val nodded. “If I had known he was out there, I would have asked my father to go after him a long time ago. Children shouldn’t suffer for what their parents have done. Kiril may be an adult now, but I doubt he’s had any sort of proper upbringing. We’ll extend an offer of truce and meeting, and see what happens. Even if it doesn’t go well, we’ll have more information, and they’ll be left on the run.”
The other Alphas weren't excited by the idea, but they agreed that it was Val’s decision. After a little discussion, the plan came into focus. Val would write a letter and email it to Terrence, and he and a small group would deliver the message in person. After that, they would wait and see what happened. Despite their differences of opinion, the three groups parted ways on good terms, with promises to keep in touch.
As they walked back down the hill, Val put his arm around Hazel’s waist, pulling her close against his side. She wondered if he would be on edge, having so many other males around, but he seemed relaxed. “I knew you’d be good at this,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple. “We’ve become too insular and set in our ways. I doubt anyone else would have suggested talking to Kiril first.”
Anka snorted. “Maybe you males wouldn’t have. You’re all bite first, ask questions later. It’s a wonder you survive to adulthood.”
Val shook his head, but didn't contest the point. “I only hope my cousin is wise enough to take us up on the offer. He has to know by now that he can't win by force alone.”
“I hope so,” Hazel agreed. “It would be nice if things could calm down for a while.”
***********************
One week passed, and then another, with no news. Terrence had delivered the message, and it appeared that it had been received, but he didn't dare get close enough to find out more.
Everyone was antsy; Val was beginning to wonder if they shouldn't just go in and capture Kiril and his friends, just to relieve the tension. But there was one thing that was keeping him positive. It was time for their next appointment at the obstetrician, and it would be the first time that Val would be in the room.
Hazel knew he was excited, and she was just as eager, as it was also time for the ultrasound which would hopefully reveal the genders of their children. Before, she hadn't dared to wonder who they would be, or what they would look like. Even now, it was difficult to imagine the future with all the changes taking place, but Hazel thought seeing the babies again would make them feel more real. Plus, maybe they'd be able to start thinking about names.
Val’s hand gripped hers tightly when they went into the office, and didn't let go, except for those few minutes when the nurses swarmed around her, checking her weight and blood pressure and asking questions. Then they were in the exam room, in a cold and sterile silence that Hazel had always found oppressive, but Val’s presence was steadying. “Is it always like this?” he asked, his eyes taking everything in with a hint of suspicion. Hazel laughed.
“I suppose you've never been to a regular doctor’s office. But yes, this is all pretty standard.”
“If you say so,” he said. “I would have had you see the pack doctor too, but I thought you might think it was a little strange,” he added with a wry smile.
“A bit,” she agreed. “But there's no reason we can't go to her now. I trust Oksana. I suppose you're worried about your cover being blown.”
“I've been assured that there's nothing about our blood that's so different that a normal medical blood test would find it. But it is unnerving to think about. More and more, it's difficult for us to hide. I'm afraid that someday soon, we'll be discovered whether we like it or not.”
She might have asked more, but the doctor came in and started asking questions, mostly the same ones the nurses had asked. Then came the ultrasound machine. Even Hazel had found it intimidating the first time, so she wasn’t surprised by Val’s expression of skepticism. Knowing him the way she did now, she recognized his crossed arms and intimidating scowl as a cover for nervousness.
The doctor had done her the favor of warming the gel before squirting it on her stomach, now visibly rounded, so except for the sliminess, it wasn’t uncomfortable. He moved the wand around a bit, taking measurements and humming under his breath and then he turned the screen toward them.
“There’s baby A,” he said, circling his cursor. Hazel drew in a breath. Unlike the last ultrasound, the screen clearly showed a child, a head and little arms waving. “Let me turn on the sound,” the doctor continued, and after a moment the room was filled with a rhythmic whooshing. “That’s the heartbeat.” Val's eyes widened to a comical roundness, and Hazel squeezed his hand, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.
The doctor moved the wand around some more, prodding her belly gently. “It looks like this one is a girl,” he said. Hazel heard Val suck in a breath; when she looked over, he was grinning.
“We have a daughter,” he said, almost a whisper, his eyes shining with emotion. Hazel felt her heart turn over in her chest. Goodness, she was in love with him, no point in denying it.
“And a son,” the doctor interjected. The sound of another heartbeat echoed in the room. “Both of your children are healthy and growing well.”
They were both in high spirits when they walked out into a bright summer afternoon. Hazel hadn't realized that she was worried, but the reassurance that the twins were all right felt like laying down a heavy load.
“This is a perfect day,” Val said, his grin stretching from ear to ear. “We should go out to lunch. What would you like to eat?”
“Oh, hmmm. I think I'd like a really good burger. With a lot of gooey cheese,” she said. Even the thought of it made her stomach growl.
He laughed. “I like you even more now. I know just the place.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek, and then his phone rang. “Bet that's Anka,” he said, pulling the phone out of his pocket and pressing the button. “Hello?” Hazel could faintly hear the familiar high tones of her friend’s voice.
“Everything is fine,” Val said. “We did. A boy and a girl.” She heard an excited squeal, but then the conversation turned serious, judging by the expression on his face. “We’ll be home this evening. You can tell the Pack Council that there’ll be a meeting tomorrow morning, not too early. Yes. Bye.”
“What's going on?” Hazel asked as soon as he'd hung up the phone.
“Good news, actually,” Val replied, moving his arm around her waist. “Kiril finally answered our message, and he wants to meet.”