Violet Moon by Jennifer Minton (2)

“What?” Sasha and Frank asked as they turned to look at Hanna.

“She was standing right next you and you didn’t notice her arms?” Sabin asked with a raised brow.

“We were kind of distracted with her popping about from room to room” Sasha shot back.

“We found out that she got her markings last night after the Lupa stopped by for our little chat.” Hanna explained completely ignoring the two. Sasha nodded and then turned to Sabin,

“Do you think she will get all of the Fae powers?” she asked.

“There is no way of knowing that answer; she is the first of her kind.” Sabin answered. “We have our basic powers, but each Fae has their own special gifts as well. Until we know exactly what gifts Gemma has, she is not safe to be around humans, she could accidently hurt or even kill someone depending on her gift.”

“Do you have any idea where she could have gone Drustan?” Amara asked.

“Why do you keep calling him that? His name is Frank.” Jared asked.

“My full name is Drustan Franco Tremblay” Frank said with a deep sigh as he stared at Sasha. Jared stopped breathing and took Hanna’s hand and pulled her to the other side of the room.

“We need to go now.” He told her as he pulled out his cell phone and texted his mom.

“Why, what is going on?” Hanna asked,

“Stop, please. I know what you are thinking and I can promise you that Drustan had nothing to do with what happened to Hanna and her family. He was with me when the attack happened and only found out about it a week later when he was called to help search for her.” Amara explained.

“What is she talking about, what is going on?” Hanna demanded.

“Drustan Franco Tremblay is the name of Malcom Black’s most deadly warrior.” Jared answered. Hanna didn’t say anything she just stared at her step–dad.

“It is not what you think Hanna” Frank said as he held up his hand to her. “I was not a part of what happened, and I would not have been if I was offered a part in it. I left Malcom’s pack months before the attack when I saw he started to change into a man unworthy to fight for.”

“You should have told us the minute you figured out who we were.” Hanna said.

“Why? What good would that have done? I am not that man anymore. I left the pack life to protect my daughter, your sister. Even if I hadn’t left the pack life do you think I am a man that could serve under such a man as Malcom? Do you think so little of me?” Frank replied.

“No” Hanna said and dropped her head in shame.  “I’m sorry dad. This is just so much to take in, in just two days.” Frank put his hand under Hanna’s chin and lifted her head so he could look her in the eyes,

“I understand and I am so sorry you are going through this. And we all will sit down and talk about everything I promise. Regardless of all the changes that have occurred, one thing has stayed the same. We are family; that will never change. But right now we need to find Gemma before she or someone else gets hurt.” Hanna let Frank pull her into a hug, which caused Jared to let out a warning growl.

Shut it wolf, he’s my dad. Hanna told him through their bond. When Jared didn’t respond, Hanna looked up and saw he had his phone to his ear and was walking out of the kitchen.

“I think I know where she went.” Hanna told them.

“Where? We have to go get her” Amara said.

“Look lady, we” She gestured between herself and Amara, “are not going anywhere. You are going to stay here and fill everyone in on whatever it is you are supposed to be doing here with us. Jared and I will go after her.” Hanna finished.

“You can’t go, if Malcom’s men are within the city limits they will be able to find you, since you are unshielded” Sasha told her.

“Remember when I told you Jared showed me a few things last night?” Frank turned and glared at Jared as he walked back into the kitchen.

“What?” he asked looking between Frank and Hanna in question.

 “Well!” Hanna raised her voice a little to get her dad’s attention. “That was one of them. I am able to shield myself now.”

“Show me” Sasha demanded.

“Mom, seriously?” Hanna complained.

“Listen to your mother. You want us to let you leave, then show us” Frank told her.

Hanna concentrated and pictured herself being surrounded by a bubble of protective energy. Then all of a sudden she was gone. Both Frank and Sasha stared at the spot there daughter had been.

“I’m still here, you just can’t see me, or sense me or anything” She unshielded herself and stared at her parents. “Satisfied?” They both nodded but didn’t say anything.

“Well I am not satisfied; I should be going with you I am her–”Amara started.

“You are the woman that abandoned her when she was seven! The woman she thought was dead for the past ten years. The woman who could have come for her child or at least let her know she was still alive. I don’t care why you were gone but unless you were tied up in a dungeon all this time you have no excuse that would be good enough to explain why you were gone. And you are the reason she teleported out of here in the first place. So you are going to stay here while I go get her even if I have to bind you to the very spot you stand” Hanna told her.

Jared came to stand next to Hanna. He wasn’t sure how the Fae would respond and he wanted to be close just in case he need to protect her.

Bind her to the very spot she stands? You know she is a Fae right? The most powerful supernatural species. He asked her through their bond.

Quiet wolf! They don’t know what powers I do or do not have. I am the wolf of the prophecy. For all she knows I could turn her into a monkey and make her do tricks for bananas. She answered him. He covered up his laugh with a cough and then looked at Amara,

“We will bring her back and then you can talk with her. But first she needs to calm down; otherwise she isn’t going to listen to a thing you say.” He told her. Amara nodded her head and then walked out of the room. Sabin went to go after her but stopped and turned towards them,

“She did not abandon her and there was a dungeon.” He told them and then walked out the door after Amara. Hanna shook her head and ran her hands through her hair,

“This nightmare is never going to end is it?” She asked turning to her parents. “I’ll let you know when we find her,” She told them then she took Jared’s hand and headed to the front door.

 

 

 

 

Found

 

Gemma sat a bench at the Moon Walk and looked out on the river. She remembered when she and Hanna were ten and they found a lab puppy on their way home from school and brought it home to show their parents. Of course they told them they couldn’t keep it, Sophie had just been born and her brothers were only three. They didn’t have the room or the space for a dog, she and Hanna had been so upset that they decided to run away with the puppy. They never made it past the Moon Walk, their fourth grade teacher saw them walking alone and called their dad. After that day this is where they would come when they needed space. Through the years all the fights with their parents and with each other, this is where they came to get away. It was their safe place.

“Hello Gemma” A man of probably 28 with black hair sat down next to her.

“Do I know you?” Gemma asked, he seemed familiar somehow but she couldn’t place him.

“No, but I know you, I’ve been watching you since you were a little girl” He told her.

“Ok!” Gemma stood up, “time to go! Follow me and I’ll scream creep!”

“Ever since your mother was captured by the warlock controlling Malcom Black” he finished. Gemma froze and slowly turned back to the man.

“What?” She asked in shock.

“I am Cyrus, Amara, your mother, is my sister.” Cyrus explained. Gemma sat back down on the bench. That is why he looked for familiar, they had the same eyes.

“She wasn’t captured, I just saw her” she argued.

“She was, but Sabin rescued her and brought her back to the Fae realm. Where she was punished for mating and having a child with one who was not her Fated.” He explained.

“Punished? Fated?” Gemma asked.

“It is the equivalent to your species Chosen. And yes she was punished, it is forbidden to have a child with one who is not your fated. Her punishment was to be bound to the Fae realm until you became of age.” He said as he turned to look at her. “So she asked me to watch after you. While she and her warriors readied the place for you and the Hanna to train and prepare for the war to come”

“She didn’t abandon me?” Gemma whispered.

“No, she did not” Cyrus stated. Gemma didn’t say anything, she just sat there going over everything that Cyrus just told her. It was all too much to think about right now, so she decided to change the subject.

“So, am I able to teleport now because I am of age? Will I get anymore abilities?”

“Yes and it is unknown what abilities you will and will not have. You are the first of your kind; we have nothing to go by.” Cyrus explained. Gemma nodded, she expected this answer.

“Is there any way to turn the teleporting off? I really don’t like not being able to control popping from place to place as soon as it crosses my mind.” She asked.

“Or you could just learn to control it.” Cyrus stated.

“Can you teach me?” She asked him. Cyrus sighed and stood up,

“I have a feeling, that like your mother I am going to be teaching you a lot of things.” He held out his hand to her. “First things first though, you need to speak with your mother.” Gemma grabbed his hand and then she felt the dropping sensation in her stomach.

 

~*~

 

Hanna started pulling Jared to the door when he stopped.

“What?” She asked.

“Nothing” He said with a shrug, “I thought you would just like to change out of your pajamas before we went looking for her.”

“Oh” She said looking down at herself. She let go of Jared’s hand and headed to her and Gemma’s room. She came up short when she saw Amara sitting on Gemma’s bed looking at the picture Gemma kept of her on her side table. Amara didn’t look up when she walked in,

“She was such a strong little girl, nothing ever fazed her. Even when she was a baby she hardly ever cried. She always had a smile on her face, always made even the worst situations better by making everyone laugh.” Amara said dreamily.

“She is still like that.” Hanna said, “though her humor has turned from innocent to quiet the opposite as we’ve gotten older”. Amara looked at her then,

“I did not abandon my daughter. I was taken by Malcom’s men when his warlock found out we were leaving. He knew who Gemma was to be to Malcom, I blocked her from his magic and then told Drustan to take her and find a place for us and that I would follow. I knew Malcom’s men were coming and I wanted to give them a better chance of getting away.

I was captured, they kept me locked up for two years. Torturing me to try to find out where Gemma was. Malcom, the coward, couldn’t even be bothered to question me himself. I didn’t even see him once the entire time I was captured. They kept me bound with enchanted shackles that bound my power so I couldn’t escape or call for help.”

“How did you get away?” Hanna asked entranced.

 “One day, the wolf whose job it was to question me that day, took the shackles off, he wanted to try using the stretching method from long ago. I was too injured to teleport, but I was able to send a call out for help.” She smiled then,

“Sabin heard my call, and came for me. He took me to the Fae plane to heal and never left myside. As soon as I was able I tried to teleport and find Gemma, but the Fae elders had bound me to the Fae plane.” She wiped a tear from her cheek. “You see, it is forbidden to have a child with one who is not your Fated. So as punishment they bound me to the Fae plane until Gemma became of age.” Hanna was speechless, all she could do was sit on the bed next to Amara, who stared back at her with tear filled eyes.

“I am so sorry for what I said to you” Hanna said, “I didn’t know”.

“You were protecting your sister. And I expect nothing less. My brother, Cyrus, has been watching over Gemma since I found out I could not go to her myself. He has told me much about the two of you.” She took Hanna’s hand, “I am so happy that she has had you and your mom all these years.” Hanna smiled,

“It’s us who were lucky to have her.” They sat there silently for a few seconds and then Hanna asked “So your Fated is that like our Chosen?”

“Yes, it is” Amara answered.

“And Sabin, he is your Fated?” Hanna asked, Amara looked at her with question, “The look in your eyes changed when you said his name. It’s the same way Jared looks at me.” Amara smiled then,

“Yes, he is my Fated” she confirmed.

“Cyrus is with her” Sabin said as he teleported into the room standing next to Amara.

Hanna jumped when Sabin suddenly appeared and the lamp on Gemma’s side table went hurtling towards his head. He reached his hand out and caught it effortlessly right before it smashed into his face.

“Sorry! I still haven’t quite got a handle on everything.” Hanna apologized.

“Not a problem, it is my fault for just popping in” He said with a smile. “Gemma is safe and she will be home soon.” He said again and then leaned forward planting a kiss on Amara’s forehead and flashed out of the room. Hanna heard Jared cuss from outside her door, then heard Sabin apologizing. Hanna started laughing and looked back at Amara and saw that she too was smiling. She patted Hanna’s hand,

“I will leave you to change, I must speak to Drustan before Gemma returns.” She rose and walked out of the room.

Hanna sat there for a couple of seconds and took in everything she had just told her, her heart broke a little for everything she had gone through. Then she got angry, Gemma had missed out on a life with her mom because of that stupid wolf and his warlock. She would make him pay for that. When everything on the walls started shaking she knew she needed to calm down. Jared came into the room shutting the door behind him and walked over to where she was sitting. Kneeling in front of her, he took her hands in his and looked into her eyes,

“We will make him pay, I promise, for everything.” He kissed her hands, “So much has happened to you in just a short time, I can feel it weighing on you. So I told your mom and dad that once everyone is here, we will make our plan and then you and I are going to go to the Summer’s End Festival.”

“But–”She started.

“No, I am here to give you what you need, and right now you need a break, you need some normalcy. Things are about to get really crazy around here and I don’t know when the next chance we will have to just be two high school kids. So we are going out and we are going to forget about everything else going on.” He told her. She smiled down at him,

“Ok” was all she said and then leaned forward to kiss him. He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer. After she let herself get lost in his kiss for a couple minutes she pulled back and rested her forehead against his.

Thank you, she said through their bond.

Anything for you, he told her back and then pulled a way to stand up. He pulled her to the standing position with him and kissed her once more then turned to leave the room. Everyone will be here shortly go ahead and get dressed, he told her.

She watched him leave the room then went to the closet. She decided to go with her blue halter sundress then went into the bathroom to see what could be done with her hair. After trying to no avail to tidy her red mane she decided on a high pony tail to keep it out of her face. She threw on some eyeliner and mascara and went back into her room. She looked in the floor length mirror and took in her new appearance with her markings. They flowed beautifully with her skin and she felt a sense of pride towards them. With one last look she turned and headed out the door.

She walked into the kitchen and saw that Jared’s parents had arrived while she was getting dressed. Natalie was at the counter making some kind of dough while her mom was at the stove flipping some bacon. Jared was getting the eggs, cream and some sausage out of the fridge. He smiled at her when he saw her walk in.

You look beautiful. He told her and then went to set his bounty on the counter.

“Oh, Hanna good there you are, we are trying to make food for everyone, I’m afraid Danishes aren’t going to fill up this army. Would you start frying some sausage for the gravy please?” Her mother said without looking up from the bacon.

Hanna jumped right in and started working; she had always loved to cook. She actually did most of the cooking during the week while she and Gemma watched their little brothers and sister. Since her mom ran the shop and her dad was always off on assignment. Even when she had a shift at the shop, she had to come up and cook during her break because Gemma couldn’t cook a meal to save her life. She ended up taking over the bacon too when her mom decided to also make some pancakes.

“Pancakes, biscuits and gravy, eggs and bacon? Really mom do you think all this is necessary?” Hanna asked.

“Seven wolves and three Fae who eat just as much if not more than wolves, I’m debating on if I should cook the ham steaks too!” Her mom replied “Now that your wolf is unbound you will see what I mean, we have to eat two to three times more than humans. Especially meat, we need the extra protein. Especially you, since you just had your first phase. I’m surprised your wolf hasn’t taken over to go hunting yet for how little you have eaten since your phase yesterday.” She laughed.

“I’ve had a lot on my mind, but now that you mention it, go head and through those ham steaks in the oven.” She told her mom who laughed and then put Jared to work scrambling eggs.

Frank came into the kitchen with Sabin, Jared’s dad, Nathen, and another guy with black hair.

“This is Cyrus, Amara’s brother” Frank introduced. Everyone smiled and said hi.

“Where is Gemma?” Hanna asked.

“She and her mother are speaking” Sabin answered, when he saw Sasha’s eyes drop he back tracked “I apologize, I meant no disrespect to you Sasha. Of course you are also her mother.” He bowed his head in respect.

“It’s fine.” She nodded, “you are correct she is her mother too and I would never disrespect her in trying to deny her that relationship with Gemma.”

“Biscuits are ready to go in the oven” Natalie stated as she handed the pans off to Jared to place in the oven. Natalie washed all the dough off her hands and then started some coffee brewing. “Nathen go ahead and start putting some juice in some glasses for everyone please. And why don’t you three start setting the table” She instructed the other men, who immediately got to work.

“Well everything is done,” Sasha said as she brought the last of the dishes to the table. “Should we go ahead and start or wait for Gemma and Amara?” Sabin looked to be staring off into the distance for a couple seconds and then said,

“Amara said to go ahead and start. They will be out soon” he told everyone.

“So Fae have a mental bond too?” Hanna asked.

“Yes, but it is not like that of the wolves. Like wolves in the same pack any Fae can talk to another Fae, but they cannot enter the others mind. It’s more like sending your thoughts to someone and then waiting for them to send a reply. Though, Fated are connected to each other’s feelings like your Chosen. But unlike the wolves our lives are connected to our Fated once we are mated. If one dies the other dies as well.” Sabin explained.

“What if someone’s Fated died before they mate?” Hanna asked.

“Well it is extremely rare for a Fae to die, but the soul of their Fated would eventually come around again and we live such long lives that we can wait for that to happen” Sabin answered. Hanna took that in, and then what he said earlier caught up to her

“Wait I can talk to wolves that are in my pack through a bond?” Hanna asked.

“Yes, like how my mom asked if I had found you yet. It’s kind of like sending a text message” Jared reminded her.

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that” She blushed remembering exactly what his mom had interupted.

“What is a text message?” Sabin asked.

“Um, how long were you stuck in the Fae realm? Hanna asked.

“This is actually only my second time in the human realm. I was a guardian to the Elder’s and didn’t leave the Fae realm until I heard Amara cry out for help.” Sabin explained. “Once I brought her back to our realm for healing I petitioned to become one of her warriors. The Elders were going to deny me, but then the Lupa showed up. She is the only reason I was able to become her warrior and why she was only banished from Gemma until she became of age. If the Elders would have had their way she would have been banished for the remainder of Gemma’s life.” Hanna knew her mouth was hanging open but she couldn’t help it. She was outraged,

“Why would they do such a horrible thing? Forbidden or not that is her daughter.” Hanna exclaimed. Sabin shook his head,

“It is hard to explain, it is rare for a Fae to find comfort in one who is not their Fated, but it does happen. Like the wolves we live a very long time and can get lonely. But our magic is so pure and so powerful that we can’t just go around having a bunch of babies with Fae powers running around unchecked. Our children begin training at the age of two and continue that training until adulthood. Without that training they wouldn’t be able to control their powers and could hurt or even kill someone. Humans do not know about the supernatural world for a reason and that would jeopardize our secrecy and our safety.” He looked at Hanna “does that help explain it?”

“But by banishing Amara from Gemma they kept her from getting the training she needed and all that could have happened anyway” Hanna said.

“That is true and usually in these situations, the child would be taken from the human realm and put into training in the Fae realm. But these situations usually happen with humans. Because her father was a wolf and knew what to look for and the importance of secrecy she was allowed to stay with him. I think it also helped that she was seven when they found out and she didn’t show any signs of having Fae powers.” It was Cyrus who answered this time.

“That and there was no way in hell anyone who tried to take Gemma would have lived to talk about it.” Hanna said.

“That’s right, no one messes with my kids” Frank agreed and patted her on the shoulder on his way to refill his coffee.

“Ok, that’s enough Fae 101 for now”, Sasha said. “Everyone dig in before it gets cold, we have some things to discuss.” Hanna grabbed a slice of pork steak and half a spoon full of eggs and then started eating when Jared took her plate.

“Hey! What gives?” Hanna asked, he just ignored her and added more eggs, some bacon and two biscuits smothered in gravy to her plate and then set it back in front of her.

“Seriously? There is no way I can eat all that.” she told him.

“Our metabolisms are super–fast, and your mom wasn’t kidding when she said we have to eat two to three times as much as humans on a normal day. Add training and extra phasing that doubles it. You could eat two plates of this every day for a week and not gain even half a pound. Even if you decided to lie on the couch and do nothing.” He told her. She looked at him like he had grown a third eye.

“It’s true” Her dad said “Gemma and I have two freezers full of food in the basement of the shop and a microwave, we usually waited until you and your mom were asleep and then snuck down there to eat. Not to mention the protein shakes I have with me all day and the protein powder Gemma puts in her coffee”

“That explains so much,” Sasha said “I could never understand how such a small girl could drink so much coffee and not be jumping off the walls”

“Every other cup is decaf” Gemma said from the door, as she and Amara walked into the kitchen. Hanna scooted closer to Jared so Gemma could sit down.

“It must have been so tiring having to keep this from us all these years” she said. Gemma shrugged,

“Well as you know I wasn’t really given a choice in the matter, but it wasn’t that bad. Though I am happy I don’t have to sneak down to the basement at night to eat” She laughed. Hanna watched as Gemma piled four pancaked onto her plate with two scoops of eggs and a handful of bacon.  She grabbed a second plate and added some biscuits and gravy with apiece of pork steak.

“I think all the teleporting just added to my food intake” Gemma told her when she saw Hanna’s eyes go wide. Amara nodded,

“It won’t be as bad once you have gotten a control on it, but as you gain more abilities and learn to use them you will find yourself eating more for a while.”

“Or drinking more protein packed coffee” Hanna said “I think I’m gonna follow your lead on that, otherwise everyone at school is going to talk, if we eat like this and don’t gain a pound.” Everyone at the table got really quiet and looked at Hanna.

“What?” She asked looking around the table. Her mother set down her fork and look at Hanna with sad eyes.

“This is what we wanted to discuss with you, Hanna. We are leaving Monday morning to go to the place Amara’s warriors have been preparing for us.”

“What!” Hanna and Gemma exclaimed together.

“It’s not safe here, if Jared and his parents could find us then that means Malcom’s people can too. Amara’s people have their whole place protected by Fae magic. You both need to train and learn how to use your magic.” Sasha continued.

“Where?” Gemma asked.

“Attu island” Amara answered. When the girls looked at her with blank expressions she continued, “It’s the outermost island in Alaska a little over 1,000 miles from the main land.”

“Are we being punished?” Gemma asked.

“Why on earth would you think that?” Amara asked.

"Deserted island, over 1,000 miles from the main land” Hanna replied.

“An island is the best place to defend, we will see anyone coming, way before they got anywhere near us. Not to mention it would be the last place I would ever look for someone.” Frank said.

“What about school?” Hanna asked.

“The school has online courses” Sasha said.

“Yeah so the girls who get pregnant can still go to school!” Hanna exclaimed.

“Everyone is going to think we got pregnant.” Gemma whined. “Well they will think I got pregnant.” She corrected and then looked at Hanna “no offence Red”. Hanna just shrugged and stuffed some bacon in her mouth.

“Well I am sorry that your Chosen decided to let himself be manipulated by a warlock and wants to kill your sister. Only after draining her of all her power, so he can enslave the world. Would you like me to go have a sit down with him and explain how his plans for world domination just aren’t working for your social life?” Cyrus asked. A plate flew at his head and everyone turned to look at Hanna. She held both her hands in the air

“It wasn’t me! Honest if I had that much control I would have done that when Sabin took the last piece of ham steak” Everyone relaxed and laughed at Hanna’s statement and Sabin held out his plate so she could take the last piece of meat.

“My apologies little wolf” Sabin said with a smile.

“It was me” Sasha admitted. “I’m sorry, it was wrong of me but you will not talk to either of my daughters that way. You have been preparing for this war for 18–years. They just found out about it and the fact that they play major roles in it yesterday. They are allowed to freak out about it.”

“You’re right, I apologize” Cyrus said bowing his head.

“What do you mean my Chosen?” Gemma said. This time everyone turned at looked at her.

“Have you not read the prophecy child?” Sabin asked.

“No, I just remember our old pack talking about a baby with violet eyes and how the Canadian pack alpha wanted her dead.” Gemma answered.

Sabin closed his eyes and recited:

“When the dark one takes over our land,
A rule won without honor, respect but blood, death and fear.
Though be warned he is ruled by a much darker power,
A power that none will challenge in this dark hour.
The Lupa shall turn her back on this child that would have her people cower.
Locked in the forest shall his punishment be.
Only his Chosen, the jewel of his heart, can set him free.
But will she choose to save him from his suffering?
Eighteen years of war and death shall put the Lupa’s children’s faith to the test.
All is not lost, for two shall rise from all the rest.
With violet and silver eyes they see the world.
The greatest power since the first witches began,
Only when violet eyes meet silver can the journey begin.
If the dark one can be saved the evil may be cast away,
With violet eyes shall his jewel stay safe.
With the darkness gone their people may be free,
With violet and silver to rule peacefully..”

 

He opened his eyes and looked at Gemma,

“You see? The jewel of his heart?” Everyone at the table was deathly quiet as they watched Gemma for a reaction. She got really pale and tears slid down her face.

“When the Lupa said it was up to me, I thought she meant I was the one who was supposed to kill him.” She shook her head, “what did I do to deserve this?” Hanna wrapped her arm around Gemma.

“You are the strongest person I know. You are always happy and can bring anyone out of their dark place. That is why it is you, because no one else would even stand a chance.” Gemma smiled at Hanna through her tears, then she was gone. Everyone but Hanna and Jared stood up in a panic.

“She is in our room laying down” Hanna told them. “She just wants to be alone right now.”

“How?” Amara asked. Hanna tapped her temple,

“She told me” she said. Everyone settled back down and they finished their meal in silence.

When everyone was clearing the table Hanna looked at Amara and asked,

“Is anyone else on the island beside your warriors?”

“Yes, there are members from your old pack and a few from other packs that Malcom’s people harassed. A lot of them came to us to protect their daughters from Malcom’s winter solstice ball, but all are training for war. There are also two entire packs there as well” Amara answered. Hanna nodded then looked at her parents,

“What about the twins and Sophie?” she asked.

“Cyrus and I are going to go get them and head to Attu tonight and get everything ready for everyone. Frank answered. She nodded and then went over to the sink and took over scrubbing the dishes from her mom, she didn’t say another word. Jared brought some more dishes to the sink and started to say something to her,

Please don’t, I know you are just trying to help and I appreciate it but please don’t. I just need to not think for a minute. She told him through their bond. Jared nodded kissed her on the top of her head and started to dry the dishes she had washed not saying anything, just being there with her.

When they were done with the dishes, Jared took Hanna by the hand and led her to her and Gemma’s bedroom. He opened the door and led her in, Gemma was sleeping with her pink stuffed wolf with fairy wings that she has had as long as Hanna has known her.

Well that makes sense now, Hanna thought to herself as she let Jared pull her towards her bed. He pulled her down so she was laying in his arms and covered her with a wool blanket she always kept on her bed in case she got too cold at night. She looked at the clock, only 11:00am the festival didn’t start until 6:00pm.

Plenty of time for a nap she told herself. She snuggled up to Jared and placed a kiss on his shoulder.

Thank you she told him.

I will always give you what you need, even when it’s silence. He told her as he started gently rubbing her back. She was asleep within seconds and Jared shortly followed.

 

 

 

 

Malcom

 

Gemma opened her eyes when she heard Hanna and Jared’s breathing slow. She quietly got out of bed and arranged her blankets to look like she was still in it sleeping. She went into the closet and changed into a pair of jeans, a long sleeved shirt and her running shoes. Then she stood and remembered what Amara said about teleporting and how to control it.

Just take a deep breath and concentrate, she told herself as she closed her eyes. Malcom Black, alpha of the Canadian pack, Malcom Black, Malcom, Malcom. She chanted over and over in her head, when she didn’t see anything she took a deep breath. My Chosen, Malcom Black she tried and then she saw a man with dark shaggy hair in what looked like a huge bedroom, he was staring out his window. Gemma felt a stabbing sensation in her chest and had to take a deep breath to calm herself. Then she willed herself to be standing behind him, she felt the dropping sensation and closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes she was standing in that same room and Malcom was standing with his back to her looking out the window just like she had saw him.  She took a second to take him in. He had to be at least 6’4” and had big muscular shoulders and arms. He seemed sad, by the way his shoulders drooped like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She wondered if this really could be her Chosen. Only one way to find out, she thought to herself.

 Hello Malcom, she tried, and when she felt his surprise, actually felt it, she knew that it was true, he was her Chosen.

Malcom spun around when he heard her and then froze, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She had brilliant blue eyes and hair so blond it was almost white.

“Who are you” He asked.

“Gemma” She answered, she was having trouble breathing ever since his eyes found hers.

“How did you get in here? You are not pack.” he questioned.

“Teleported.” She answered casually. She couldn’t look away from him and she couldn’t figure out why she thought this was such a good idea. Malcom didn’t reply he just stared at her like he was trying to solve a riddle.

He doesn’t look evil. She thought to herself and then instantly regretted it when she saw Malcom’s eyes go wide, when he heard her thought. He immediately dropped to one knee and placed his fist over his heart.

“My heart, I have been searching for you for centuries. I am yours and you are mine, I promise to protect you and love you, to never leave your side unattended and to be everything you need, I shall lay my life down before I let harm come to you or see you unhappy. These things I swear to you.”

Gemma felt a light burning sensation on her hands and looked down to see her Chosen markings appear. She just stared at them completely in shock. Tears started streaming down her cheeks, she felt like her heart was breaking into a thousand pieces. She had dreamed of hearing those words so many times, but never truly believed she would. Her wolf was going crazy inside her, begging her to go to him and she wanted to more than anything but how could she be with a man like him. Feeling her distress Malcom stood and walked towards her. She looked up then and held up her hand and he stopped.

“Tell me you are a good man. Tell me everything I have heard about you my entire life isn’t true.” She begged.  Malcom kneeled before her,

“Ask me, and I will tell you. I will never lie to you, even if I know you will not like the answer.” He told her. Gemma looked down into his beautiful chocolate brown eyes and she believed him, but did she want to know the answers. Was he the monster everyone thought he was or was he just being manipulated by a crazed warlock? Malcom’s face went blank.

“How do you know of Atticus?” he asked her.

“Atticus?” she questioned.

“You were thinking about me being manipulated by a warlock, how do you know of him” he asked again. Gemma put up a shield in her head so he couldn’t hear her thoughts.

“Do you want to bring our existence to light in the human world, and help enslave our species to start a war with anyone who opposes you?” she asked him.

“What? That is ridiculous. Humans can never know of our existence.” Malcom told her.

“That is what the warlock wants and has been planning to do for years” Gemma told him.

“Atticus? No, that is absurd, he has done nothing but help this pack. He has been trying to break my curse of not being able to leave this forest ever since it started. He would never do anything like that” Malcom explained. Gemma let out a breath she had been holding,

“Then it is true, you are not evil, he has been manipulating–” Malcom place a finger over her lips making her stomach do flip flops.

“No one is manipulating anyone” He told her, as he moved his hand and cupped her cheek with his palm. Gemma was having trouble breathing again. She placed her hand on top of his and leaned her head into his hand. Her wolf was going crazy willing her to stop talking. She looked into his eyes and saw right into his mind, she pulled back in shock,

  “He is your father.” She exclaimed. Malcom nodded,

“You see, that is how I know he could never do anything like what you say” he told her. Gemma shook her head and placed both her hands on either side of his face and looked into his eyes.

“No, that is how it is so easy for him to manipulate you” she whispered. Malcom stared into her eyes and he felt her let down her walls and let him in. He saw everything she had ever been told about him. He saw the Lupa warn her about his father and then her wall was back up. He shook his head,

“No, he would never do anything like that. He has done nothing but help me. I am the most powerful alpha in North America because of him.” He said as he backed away from her and started pacing.

“And how did you accomplish that, by killing an innocent man and sending your warriors to track his mate and child.” Gemma questioned as she watch him pace. Malcom turned to face her, his face red with anger.

This is what she thinks of me? He thought to himself which only fueled his anger. “Who is this innocent man that you speak of?” He demanded.

“The alpha of the Southern Canadian pack” She answered.

“Gram broke one of our oldest laws! He took a mate that was not his Chosen before the age of 500. He tricked that poor girl with a glamour to think he was her Chosen which is punishable by death!” He shouted. “And I have been tracking his mate because she is the one that cursed me to never be able to leave this forest!”

“The Lupa cursed you to this forest to protect the child of the prophecy from you and from your father” Gemma shouted back. That made Malcom stop in his tracks,

“What?” he asked “The child of the prophecy?”

“You didn’t know?” Gemma asked.

“No. my father told me that I would father the child of the prophecy that is why it was so important for me to find my Chosen. He told me that the dark warlock king was planning to try and take control of the wolves so he can wage a war on the light warlocks” He explained. He shook his head again “No, there is no way my father could do the things you say! I don’t believe you!” He shouted taking a step towards her. Gemma jumped and took a step back holding her hands up.

Seeing her standing there scared of him broke his heart. He had been searching for her for over five centuries and she was scared of him. Shame filled his chest. He stepped towards her again and she took another step back, he stopped and held his hands up.

“I will never hurt you, my jewel. I would sooner cut out my own heart than hurt you.” He told her. Gemma shook her head,

“Then believe me, don’t become my enemy, I don’t think I could bare it” she begged.

“Enemy?” Malcom asked. Gemma nodded,

“There is a war coming and as long as you stand with Atticus you will be my enemy.” She said as tears streamed down her face and the wall fell she had been keeping up between them.

“He is my father” Malcom told her.

“And what am I?” She asked him.

“Gemma” He said her name as he walked towards, she just shook her head and he started to move faster as he saw into her mind knowing what she was about to do.

“Goodbye Malcom” She said.

“No!” Malcom shouted and reached out to grab her but she was already gone. “AARRGGG!!!” he yelled then phased into his wolf. He let out a sorrowful howl, and jumped from his three story window landing lightly on his feet. He took off running into the woods as hard and as fast as he could. She had left him, before he could even truly call her his.

Gemma fell to the ground, she couldn’t breathe. Malcom’s pain and anger coursed through her body and completely overwhelmed her. She looked around to try and figure out where she was. All she could tell was that she was in a field next to a forest before the next wave of anger hit her. She could feel everything he was feeling on top of what she was already feeling herself. She pulled her knees to her chest and laid her head on them.

Please, she begged the pain to stop but the waves kept coming.

Malcom skidded to a stop at the edge of the woods, this is as far as he could go. His Chosen was out there and he couldn’t get to her. She had called him her enemy and left. She thinks he is a monster! She didn’t say it but he saw it in her mind, all the things she was told he had done. How could she ever want him? He snarled in anger, please, he heard in his mind and it made him go perfectly still; and then he heard it, the crying.

He took off down the edge of the forest until he saw her. There she was, his Chosen, just out of reach. Her arms were wrapped tight around her legs with her head lying on her knees. It hit him than, everything she was feeling. The joy of finally having a Chosen, the despair that it was the monster from her childhood bedtime stories. Hope that he wasn’t the evil, that it was all Atticus. The pain caused by him not trusting her. The worry that he would not want her and that they would never be able to be together.

He wanted to go to her and pull her in his arms and tell her everything would be alright that he would fix it, but he knew he couldn’t promise that. She wanted him to believe that his own father was capable of these horrible things. How could the man that raised him be this evil she speaks of? He walked to the edge of the forest that was right in front of her and sat on his haunches.

Gemma he called through their bond.

“No, please. No more, I can’t take anymore.” She moaned through the tears, “It hurts so much” He realized then that like him she was feeling everything he was and he immediately blocked his emotions from her. He heard her sigh in relief and knew that it had helped her.

Thank you, he heard through their bond, though he did not know if she was talking to him directly.

Gemma he tried again. This time she looked up at him and the pain in her eyes knocked the breath out of him. He got up and walked over to one of the many, many hiding spots he kept fresh clothes in. For his wolves that patrolled the woods and for when he took off in a rage shredding his clothes. He phased into his human form and slipped on a pair of pants.

He walked back to the edge of the forest and sat down and held out his arms to her. She shook her head and he saw in her mind that she was worried once he got his hands on her, he would force her to stay with him.

Gemma, I couldn’t force you to stay with me, it would go against my oath as your Chosen. Now please come here and let me comfort you. He told her through their bond. She just stared at him for a good minute and right when he was about to put his arms down she crawled into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck and cried.

She cried for everything, the time lost with her mom, the fact that she was going to have to leave a life she had come to love, that she had finally found her Chosen when she had never thought that was a possibility for her and she didn’t know if she could trust him, the fact that she didn’t know if he would choose her or abandon her for his evil murdering father. She cried for it all and he let her cry. He just held her and rubbed her hair. He would whisper lovingly to her in French every now and then; and it was the safest she had ever felt.

It had been about five minutes since Gemma had cried herself out. There was a couple things that he had continuously heard going around in her head that he wanted to clear up.

“Gemma” he said as he pulled back a little so he could look her in the eyes. “I will always choose you” He said fiercely. “Always. But I cannot condemn the man that raised me on your word alone. I’m sorry if that hurts you but he is my father. If it was the other way around and I came to you about your father, you would want proof, you would want to look him in the eyes when you asked him about it.” Gemma thought for a moment and then nodded,

“You are right, I understand.” She told him.

“Another thing, why did you think you would never find a Chosen, it can take centuries but the majority of our species that waits always find them” Malcom said.

“I’ve been hiding in the human world with no connection to any pack. Before yesterday I never had any intention of rejoining a pack, so how could I ever find a Chosen” She answered. Malcom took all that in and asked,

“So you would have mated with a human?” He felt Gemma’s wall go up and knew the answer was yes. “What changed?”

“My step–sister Hanna is the child from the prophecy. Her wolf was bond at birth so we didn’t know until she became of age and now the Lupa wants us to leave the human world and get ready for war” She answered. Malcom was quiet for a moment,

“I don’t want my father to know I have found you. If everything you say is true then that would put you and the others in danger.” Malcom told her. He cupped her cheeks with his hands. “Once I learn the truth and if you are right, I will do what needs to be done and then I will find a way to rid myself of this curse and I will stake my claim as your Chosen.” Gemma looked up into his eyes and saw everything he said was true and then he kissed her.

Gemma felt as if she had just jumped out of an air plane without a parachute. No one had ever kissed her like that and she felt like her heart was going to beat its way out of her chest. He released her and stood up with her still in his arms.

“Do not give up on us” he begged her as he set her on her feet kissing her again. “Promise me!” he demanded between kisses, she nodded and he pulled her closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck and fisted her hands in his hair. Malcom growled and ran his hands down her body until they reach her hips and he lifted her into his arms wrapping her legs around his waist. Gemma sucked in a breath in surprise and Malcom took advantage of her open mouth, slipping his tongue past her lips and deepening the kiss. There was a howl in the distance and they broke apart, both breathing heavily.

“I should go” Gemma said as she slowly backed out of the forest into the clearing,

“One more question,” Malcom said pulling her back to him “Why would you think I wouldn’t want you?” Gemma looked down at her feet and shook her head and stepped back into the clearing and then looked back at him. He saw in her eyes that he would not get the answer to this question right now. “Well hopefully, I have put your worries to rest” he said with a sexy smile. She blushed and continued to back into the clearing.

“You won’t find a way to break your curse.” She told him, he looked at her in confusion and she continued, “I am the key to breaking your curse, only I can free you.” His eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of his head. She held up her hand before he could bombard her with the questions she could see running through his head. “I have no idea how I am supposed to do it, I just know that I am the key. And when you have seen the truth and have Chosen the right side, I will ask the Lupa to show me the lock.” He pinched the bridge of his nose

“That is why it was so important to him for me to find you.” Malcom realized.

“How does your being free affect him?” Gemma asked.

“Because he is bound by my curse as well, the curse used my blood to bind me to this area. He is my father so we share the same blood” He answered. Malcom looked up as he heard the sound of wolves running not far from where they stood. “The patrol is coming you must go now” He told her.

She nodded and started to concentrate on her bedroom but then stopped. She walk right up to him and kissed him passionately.

“Make the right decision” she told him and then she was gone.

 

~*~

 

Malcom stared off into the clearing, he took a step forward and like every other time he had tried he walked into an invisible wall. He growled and then turned back to the woods and put the pants he had found back in the hide. He phased back into his wolf and decided he needed to hunt. He took off towards a little stream where he knew he would find something to sink his teeth into. He heard someone coming up behind him fast and was about to turn when he heard,

Would you like some company on your hunt alpha? It was his beta and his closest friend, Owen.

 I would like that very much, my friend. I have much to speak with you about. You can speak to no one of what I am going to tell you, not even Nevia. He answered.

You wish me to keep something from my Chosen? Owen asked.

I would not ask if it was not of great importance, you know that, Malcom replied. Do I have your word and your confidence? He asked.

Yes alpha, Owen replied.

Good, but first let us hunt, Malcom said as they came upon the stream and saw a huge buck taking a drink.

 

~*~

 

Gemma opened her eyes and she was back in her and Hanna’s bedroom. She looked at the clock and saw that she had only been gone for a little over an hour. She shook her head, it felt like she had been gone for weeks. She looked at Hanna’s bed and saw that she and Jared were still asleep.

Good, she thought to herself. She removed the extra pillows and blankets from her bed, grabbed a fresh pair of clothes and headed to the shower.

She let the hot water run over her head, she couldn’t believe she had gone to see Malcom. Her entire body started shaking when she thought about just how stupid it was.

 What if everything I had been told about him was true? He could have locked me away forever. She told herself as she turned the water up as hot as it would go, she couldn’t get warm.

I do agree, that with everything you thought you knew about me, it was a very bad decision and would ask that you would not make such irresponsible decisions that put your life in danger in the future. She heard Malcom tell her through their bond, she hadn’t realized she let down the wall she put up when she left him. I would prefer if you do not completely block me out, that way I know you are safe. Malcom told her.

Only enough so we can communicate, she told him.

You still do not trust me, he stated and she could feel his disappointment.

You still don’t fully believe that your father is capable of doing evil. I am sorry but I will not endanger my family. What if he put a glamor on you to make you tell the truth and he asked where I was, she explained.

I understand, I do not like it, but I understand. He told her and she instantly relaxed. She noticed she had stop shaking. It amazed her, at how just hearing his voice could calm her. She could still sense his presence in her mind,

Um, trying to shower here, she told him.

Oh do not let me stop you, I was hunting and then discovered there was something much more worthwhile going on to keep my attention. He replied and Gemma laughed to herself and then stopped,

You can’t see me can you? She asked.

I can see what you see if you wish it, but you would have to send me an image, once we have mated though I would be able to pluck an image from your mind if I chose.  He answered.

Gemma smiled to herself as very naughty idea popped into her mind. She looked down at her feet and then slowly looked up her legs until she reached her thighs and then sent the image to him. She heard him growl in her mind and giggled.

Behave yourself, my jewel, Malcom told her.

Make me, she fired back playfully.

Oh, my pleasure, he told her and then she gasp and reached out a braced herself on the shower wall, as she felt his hand on her waist and then his lips on her neck.

How? She asked breathlessly.

The mind is a powerful thing, my beauty. He answered, would you like me to show you just how powerful?

No thank you, she squeaked out. Malcom laughed,

I must speak with my beta now, be safe. She felt his lips press against her forehead and then felt his presence leave her. She took a shaky breath and then grabbed her shampoo and turned the water to cold as she finished showering. Once dressed, she walked back into the bedroom and saw Hanna sitting on her bed. Jared was nowhere in sight.

“What’s he like?” Hanna asked “obviously he isn’t the monster we’ve been told since you were able to come home”.

“What are you talking about?” Gemma played off.

“Oh please Gemma! Do you think I am stupid? I know you and there is no way you would just sit here while everyone tells you that your Chosen is a monster. You have never been one to believe anything you didn’t have proof of!” Hanna shot back. “Not to mention our entire room reeks of woods and snow. Do you realize how incredibly stupid that was? What if it was all true?!”

“I know, I know” Gemma relented throwing her hands in the air. “But I had to know, Hanna! What if it was Jared?” Hanna nodded.

“I understand.” She closed her eyes for a couple seconds and then opened them “everything has been so crazy, I can’t tell which way is up anymore, just promise you won’t do it again.”

“You want me to promise to never see my Chosen again?” Gemma asked, her wolf growled at the mere thought.

“No!” Hanna exclaimed, “Promise to never sneak off like that again, what if something happened, we wouldn’t have known where you were or what happened.” Gemma nodded,

“Ok, that I can promise” she agreed. Hanna stood up and hugged her,

“I don’t know what I would ever do without you.” She whispered. Gemma hugged her back,

“Ditto” she whispered back.

They sat on Hanna’s bed and talked for a while, Jared came in a brought them each a couple of sandwiches and then headed back out to give them time. Hanna smiled after him, she would have to thank him later. They talked about everything that had happened and Gemma gave Hanna some background on wolves and what it was like when she grew up with a pack and then when she had to hide who she was.

Hanna had a lot of questions but was cut off by Gemma asking for details about what went down in the woods the day before with Jared. They were so engrossed in the conversation they had no idea how much time had passed until Jared walked into the room,

“Gemma Mike is here. You girls ready to go? I think he is a little freaked out by all the supernatural energy going on in the living room.” He told them.

“Where are we going?” Gemma asked.

“The Summer’s End Festival” Hanna told her.

“OMG with everything going on I totally forgot all about it. I need five minutes.” She told them as she ran into the bathroom. She stared at her reflection in the mirror,

 What am I going to do about Mike? She asked herself as she started putting on her makeup.

Who is Mike? Malcom asked, Gemma immediately threw a wall up again. She had to stop letting it slip, otherwise Malcom might discover something important that he shouldn’t know.

Crap, crap, crap, She thought.

Gemma? Malcom pushed against the wall.

Well…he’s kind of my boyfriend, she told him and then braced herself for his reaction.

BOYFIEND! You cannot have a boyfriend, you are MINE! He roared and she could have sworn she heard something smash against the wall through their bond.

Hey don’t you even think of getting pissed! I have been hiding in the human world for ten years, so of course I am going to have a boyfriend! Having a Chosen was never an option for me because I was hiding from my own kind! So I wouldn’t get shipped off to some crazy mating ceremony, hosted by your father by the way! So if you don’t like it then go talk to him! She shouted back through their bond and then slammed a wall down before he could reply. She could feel him pushing against it but she ignored it and continued to get ready for the festival.

Once Gemma was done with her hair and makeup she went back into the bedroom, she looked down at her yoga pants and tank top she had grabbed before her shower.

This will so not do, she thought to herself. She went into the closet and looked at her clothes. She knew it was wrong but Malcom getting upset with her about something that was his own father’s fault really ticked her off.

She pulled on a pair of white jean shorts and her new crochet yellow halter top that left her abdomen completely exposed. She took a mental image of herself and then lowered the wall, just enough for Malcom to get a peek. When she heard him growl she threw it back up. Her wolf did not approve, she was not happy of another male looking at her the way only her Chosen should. Gemma ignored her and walked out of the room.

Hanna, Jared and Mike were standing in the living room. Mike kept nervously looking over at their parents who were sitting on the couches talking. He looked as if he were about to run out the door at any second. Gemma couldn’t help but think how weak and timid he looked compared to Malcom, she used to think he was super–hot but his looks just seemed plain compared to Malcom’s.

She mentally shook herself; she had to stop comparing the two. Of course Mike wasn’t going to measure up, Malcom was her Chosen and Mike was just… Well he was just a kid that she would probably never see again after tonight. That thought made her sad, not necessarily because she would never see Mike again but because it reminded her that she was going to have to leave the life they had built here. She felt Malcom push against her wall again which brought her back to reality.

“You guys ready?” She asked as she walked the rest of the way into the living room. Mike smiled big when he saw her.

“Hey Gem, you look great” he said as he walked up to her and put his arm around her. Gemma had to force herself not to cringe away from his touch. Her dad cleared his throat and Mike took his arm from around her and stepped back a step. “Uh, I’ll go get the car cooled down” Mike stuttered as he headed for the door. Frank walked up to Gemma,

“Are you alright?” He asked. Gemma laughed out loud

“Really dad? Please tell me what in my life would be considered alright right now.” She replied. Frank pulled her into a hug,

“I know honey, and I am sorry. But we will figure all this out, try to have fun tonight.” He squeezed her one last time and then released her. “You sure you don’t wanna grab a sweater or a shirt that actually covers, you know, you?” He asked.

“Nope I’m good” She said and then headed out the door. Hanna laughed,

“Don’t worry dad, by the look on her face when Mike put his arm around her I think it is very safe to say she is gonna have a G rated night.” She grabbed Jared’s hand and started out the door.

“Don’t forget to shield yourself! And check in every hour!” Sasha called.

“Ok, bye” She said as she practically dragged Jared out the door.

“We’ll be careful” Jared assured them before he closed the door behind them.

 

 

 

 

Trouble

 

Gemma was able to pull off sitting in the back seat with Hanna and have Jared sit up front with Mike on the way to the festival. Jared seemed to understand what she was doing and distracted Mike by talking about football. Gemma looked at Hanna who winked at her letting her know that she put him up to it.

Did you tell him about Malcom, she asked Hanna through their pack bond?

Yes, Hanna answered without any other explanation. Gemma nodded and then turned to stare out the window. She felt Hanna’s hand on her shoulder and then heard her start to go on and on about what happened on Pretty Little Liars last week. Gemma silently thanked the Lupa for Hanna, she knew her so well. She understood that Gemma needed a moment to ready herself for pretending to be into Mike for the rest of the night. She realized that she hadn’t felt Malcom push on the wall she had put up since they left the house and hoped that he had calmed down. Mike pulled into one of the designated parking lots.

“Ten dollars to park? They bump the price up every year.” He complained as he paid the attendant.

“Yeah, that’s why we usually just walk” Hanna said. He parked and they all got out of the car. Mike walked up to Gemma and took her hand,

“You look really hot tonight” he told her.

Gemma had to fight the urge to pull her hand away and wipe it on her shorts. Instead she smiled up at him and flipped her hair over her shoulder

“Of course I do, I didn’t let Hanna torture me all summer with that crazy training schedule for nothing”. Everyone laughed at that and Gemma sighed in relief. It’s just like theatre, just play your part, she told herself.

“So what’s this festival like?” Jared asked.

“Dude, I totally forgot you just moved here!” Mike said turning to Jared, “It’s really just like a huge fair, with the rides and games. They shoot off fireworks at midnight and have all kinds of competitions.” While Mike talked to Jared, Hanna slid up to Gemma and locked arms with her and walked a little ahead of the guys.

“You’re doing great.” Hanna told her. “Try not to let it ruin tonight for you. We are leaving Monday morning and I don’t know when we are coming back, so let’s enjoy ourselves.”

“You know what, you are absolutely right.” Gemma said and then turned to Jared and Mike, “Hey Jared why don’t you and Hanna go ahead, I need to talk to Mike.” Jared looked between Hanna and Gemma confused,

“Uh, ok” he said and walked up to Hanna and took her hand led her up the sidewalk.

Mike stopped walking and Gemma walked up to him, before she could say anything,

“It’s time isn’t it?” he asked. Gemma looked up at him confused,

“What do you mean?” she questioned.

“Come on Gemma, you never date a guy longer than a month. It’s been almost two, I knew my time was coming” He told her.

“Wow, am I really that bad?” She asked,

“No” Mike answered. “I mean it’s not like you’re sleeping with every guy you date. I think you just know what you’re looking for and when you don’t find it, you don’t drag the relationship on.” Gemma nodded,

“Well that’s true, but I was going to tell you that my dad got a promotion and he has to start in a week. So we have to move. My mom just has to get everything settled with the shop and then we are leaving.”

“Wow” Mike said “What is your mom gonna do, her shop is like her life.”

“She is going to open another one” Gemma covered quickly.

“Well that’s cool, I guess. It’s going to suck not having you and Hanna here though.” He told her.

“I know,” She agreed “Oh hey, don’t tell Jared. Hanna wants to tell him after the festival” She lied, that way she had time to tell Hanna the cover story.

“Yeah totally” Mike said. “Dudes gonna be bummed, you can tell he really likes her.”

“I understand if you don’t want to go to the festival with us anymore” she told him.

“Hey, we were friends before we dated, no reason we can’t be friends again.” He told her.

Gemma smiled up at him,

“You’re a really good guy Mike” she said lightly tapping him in the chest.

“Yeah, I get that a lot” He laughed “let’s go catch up with Hanna and Jared. They started walking again and caught up with Hanna and Jared pretty quick. They had stopped a block up and were waiting on a bench. They both stood up when they saw them coming.

“Everything good?” Jared asked them.

“Yeah man, we’re good” Mike answered and then started telling him about the strength challenge that they had to try when they got to the festival.

“You ok?” Hanna asked and she locked elbows with Gemma.

“Yeah” Gemma said “Do I really date a new guy every month?” Hanna laughed,

“Saw it coming did he?” She teased. Gemma laughed too and then told her the cover story she had told him about the move. Hanna agreed that it was a good idea. Gemma felt much better after talking to Mike and felt like she could really enjoy herself now and finally relaxed.

She started to feel Malcom push against her wall again and was about to let her wall down a little when they arrived at the festival. They all hurried a head excitedly talking about what they wanted to do first.  They decided to hit the rides first before they check out the food, that way no one got sick. They didn’t see the group watching them and slowly following them from ride to ride. After about the sixth ride they all decided they needed some food.

“How about we split up, Gemma and I will go to a few places and get some stuff and you two do the same. Then we will meet up at the picnic benches” Hanna offered.

“Yeah sounds good” Mike said and Jared agreed. Hanna and Gemma started walking towards the nearest vender,

“Uh, I feel like I could eat all the Jumbo in the entire state.” Hanna said.

“Yeah it’s gonna take some getting used to having to eat so much. I’ll show you where I stash my protein powder when we get home. Well I guess I don’t really have to stash it anymore.” Gemma said.

“Yeah I am going to need something” Hanna said holding her stomach “because this is crazy.”

The first vender they came to was selling Italian chicken Po–boys, they ordered two and they shared one and saved the other for the boys. The next vender was selling red beans and rice, again they ordered two. They went from vender to vender, ordering two of all their favorites. They also got some fried catfish and fries with rocky mountain oysters, some bacon wrapped shrimp on a stick, and some fried jalapeno poppers. They headed to the picnic benches where the guys had got their own load of food and some frozen lemonade for them all too.

“Wow, I don’t know if we are going to be able to eat all this” Mike said.

“Oh we will, we have been training all summer for this very moment” Gemma laughed. “How are those frog legs Jared?” Jared froze mid bite,

“I thought they were chicken legs. It was the only thing that was normal food” he whined.

Everyone laughed and Mike handed him a container of chicken wings,

“This is normal food to us” he told Jared. Jared took the chicken wings but still finished his frog leg.

“Taste pretty good though.” He told them. They all laughed and finished eating their food. Hanna and Gemma shared a looked between bites and smiled at one another.

Feels like old times. Hanna said to her through their bond. Gemma gave her a sad smile,

Yeah, I almost forgot everything was about to change. She replied. Hanna nudged her with her shoulder and then reached for the last bacon wrapped shrimp.

“I have no idea how, but we ate it all” Mike laughed as he rubbed his full stomach “there is no way I am going on any rides now.”

“Games it is!” Gemma exclaimed.

“Ok, I’m gonna go get us some refills first” Jared said taking everyone’s cups.

“I’ll come with” Mike said as the girls started gathering the trash and throwing it away.

“Hey Gemma, hey Hanna” they heard from behind them and they both sighed and rolled their eyes.

“Hello Olivia” Hanna said as she and Gemma turned around, seeing that she was accompanied by her usual pose’.

“Becca” Gemma sneered “how’s the nose?” Becca took a step back and covered her nose. Gemma chuckled, “What’s the matter Olivia? You wanna match Becca, feeling jealous that she’s getting all my attention.”

“Not at all, I just thought Hanna would wanna say hello to an old friend.” Olivia sneered back. Hanna could smell him before she saw him. He still wore the same cologne. The girls split apart so he could walk up to her. Hanna froze as panic took over her body.

Hanna, what’s wrong? Jared asked through their bond, but she couldn’t answer.

“Hey Hanna, it’s been a while” Matt said as he sneered down at her. “My sister tells me you’re back in the dating scene, and well I just had to see for myself.” He walked closer to her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off of him. “I was thinking once you’re done with this kid, you might want to start up where we left off.” He said as he trailed a finger down her check.

She could hear Olivia and Becca giggling behind him. Then he was gone, and she could breathe. It took her a couple seconds to figure out what had happen and then she turned and saw that Jared had Matt pinned to one of the picnic tables with his arm twisted painfully behind his back. Matt let out a cry of pain,

“If you ever touch her again I will rip you to shreds and then throw whatever is left of you in the swamp.” Jared roared at Matt. Hanna shook herself and then she went over to Jared and placed her hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her and she saw that his eyes were glowing.

“Take me home please” she asked him.

He immediately released Matt and turned to her and started leading her away. Matt spun up from the table and went to attack Jared from behind. Hanna spun around and punched him right in the jaw knocking him out cold. Everyone around her went silent. Her eyes were glowing bright and the wind started blowing hard. She looked to Olivia and Becca and then back to Matt.

“May you suffer all the hardships that you have bestowed upon others” She said in a voice full of power.  Then the wind stopped and Hanna turned back to Jared, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and lead her away from the festival. Gemma turned to Olivia and Becca,

“Guess that didn’t turn out the way you expected” she sneered. Matt started to wake up and Gemma walked over to him. She leaned down real close so only he could see her face. She let her wolf show through her eyes and felt her canines grow. Matt’s face turned as white as a ghost,

“If you ever hurt another girl in any way again, I will find you and make your worst nightmares come true.” She warned, Matt nodded and then scrambled away from her. Gemma let her face go back to normal before standing up and turning to Mike.

“I think we are going to walk home Mike, if that’s ok.” She told him. He nodded and she turned and followed after Jared and Hanna. She caught up to them and stopped in front of them making them stop.

“First, are you ok?” She asked Hanna.

“Yeah I’m good, I finally realized I don’t have anything reason to be scared of him anymore” Hanna said.

“Good” Gemma said and hugged her, when she pulled back she continued. “Now second, what are we going to do about the little spell you just cast?”

“I don’t think she did any real harm” Jared said.

“No, but that spell is defiantly going to wave a huge red flag saying ‘I’m over here’, to anyone in the city who is looking for her.” Gemma told them.

“I didn’t even think of that” Jared said. “We have to clean the area”.

“Oh, I wouldn’t bother doing that.” All three of them turned to see a man with shaggy blond hair that looked like it hadn’t been washed in weeks. “We figured out you were in New Orleans when we followed lover boys trail and it ended in the city instead of going through to Houston where the next lead was”.

“You’ve been following me?” Jared asked.

“What better way to find the girl with Violet eyes then to follow the boy with Silver eyes to her.” The man replied. “And I was right, here you are together, how convenient, Atticus will be pleased.” He said and then whistled into the darkness. Suddenly they were surrounded by at least ten wolves. Gemma had never been so scared in her life. She felt Malcom pushing against her wall again, but she didn’t have time to think about that. The wolves were getting closer.

“Grab on to me,” she told Hanna and Jared,

“What?” they asked in unison.

“Grab onto me!” She shouted, they instantly obeyed and just as the wolves went to attack she felt the dropping sensation in her stomach.

 

~*~

 

Malcom was in his room pacing back and forth, trying to calm himself.

“A boyfriend!” he shouted at the room. “Talk to your father!” he mimicked her. He knew she was right but he was too angry to admit it to himself. He tried to push against the wall she had put up. Though he noticed that she didn’t completely close their bond, he could still feel her emotions. Right now she was happy and he couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not. Was this Mike guy making her happy? How deep were her feelings for him? Did they do the things that human boyfriends and girlfriends do?

He threw a vase across the room, just the thought of another man touching her made him want to kill something. He needed to run again, get rid of this pent up energy. For the second time that day he opened his window and jumped out, he was in wolf form before he hit the ground. He was glad he and Owen had hunted earlier, the extra energy boost had him running so fast the trees were just blurs as he past them. Owen had been truly surprised at what Malcom had told him and he had promised to keep it between the two of them.

Malcom had asked him to quietly look into Atticus’ dealings and see if any truth was behind the things Gemma had told him. He saw a blur of brown to his left and slowed down to see that it was a rabbit. He decided he could do with a snack and right when he was about to pounce, a wave of pure panic washed over him.

Gemma! He called through their bond and tried to push through the wall again. It was useless, he might not be able to push through her barrier but that wasn’t going to stop him from trying another. He ran toward the edge of the woods, Gemma’s fear pushing him to run faster. He could see the edge of the forest come into view, but he didn’t slow down. He pushed himself harder.

Lupa he pleaded, please let me go to her! Please let me leave this retched forest! His heart almost exploded from his chest when he heard her answer him,

It is not yet time my child and his heart broke.

 

~*~

 

Sasha and Frank were on the back balcony sitting on the porch swing. Everyone had gone their separate ways for the night and had agreed to be back bright and early in the morning. Sasha lay her head on Frank’s shoulder and sighed.

“Were you able to get everything settled with the shop?” Frank asked.

“Yes, Steph was both excited for the opportunity to run the store and sad to see me go. But she is excited that I have the opportunity to franchise the store” Sasha replied.

“Maybe we will one day once all this over. You love running the store maybe we could open another wherever we end up settling down if we don’t come back here.” Frank said. She smiled up at him,

“Maybe–” There was a loud crash inside and they both shot up and ran into the living room. Gemma, Hanna and Jared all lay in the middle of the living room, the coffee table smashed beneath them.

“Nice landing there Gem” Hanna groaned as she sat up and rubbed her back”.

“Sorry, I didn’t have time to really concentrate.” Gemma groaned back as she stood up and brushed herself off. Jared sat up and rubbed his head,

“Yeah well I rather be a little bruised then be torn apart by the Canadian pack, so thanks.” He told Gemma.

“What!” Sasha exclaimed as she rushed forward to make sure Hanna and Gemma were alright. “The Canadian pack attacked you?”

“They tried, but then Gemma saved our butts and teleported us here” Hanna replied.

“Yeah, sorry about the coffee table mom.” Gemma said as she looked down at the pieces.

“Forget about the table, what matters is that you’re safe.” She was quiet for a moment and then continued “I have shielded the house, so we should have some time. “You girls need to go pack now, use the duffels you took with you to Egypt. Pack all your warms clothes and your winter boots, only pack the necessities and your school stuff. Jared call your parents and let them know what happened and that our plans have changed we are leaving tonight.” They all nodded and went to do as instructed. Hanna and Gemma went to their room and pulled out their duffels from under their beds. Gemma headed to the closet when she felt Malcom push with all his power and break through her wall.

Gemma! What has happened are you alright? He asked, Gemma had to steady herself on her bed as she felt all his anger and worry flow through her body.

“Are you alright?” Hanna asked as she stopped what she was doing and came over to her side.

“I am fine, it’s just Malcom he felt my panic and was worried.” She replied to Hanna, who nodded and then headed into the closet.

Your pack mates found us while we were at the festival and they tried to attack, but I teleported us out of there before any one was hurt. Now we are packing everything and leaving. She told Malcom and felt his instant relief.

I was so worried and so angry that you were in trouble and I am stuck in this retched forest unable to do a thing about it. I need to see you. He told her,

I can’t leave now I am packing up my life and leaving to go to some island in the middle of nowhere. She stopped herself realizing she was about to tell him where they were going to be. I am sorry I scared you and that I blocked you. She finished.

I am also sorry for getting so angry with you about having a boyfriend, it is not your fault that you have had to hide in the human world. Just the thought of you being with anyone else… He couldn’t finish.

Are you a virgin? Gemma asked bluntly as she stood up and went into the closet to get her clothes.

What? Malcom asked, he was surprised by her bluntness.

Have you ever been with a women in a sexual manner? Gemma clarified sarcastically.

Yes, I know what you are asking me but that is just not something I ever expected you to ask. He replied.

Well why not, obviously you are curious to know the type of relationship I have had with Mike. Gemma replied.

Well yes, but– Malcom started.

But what, because I am a women I am supposed sit around and twiddle my thumbs or knit while I wait for you to find me? She asked him as she threw a pile of winter clothes onto her bed and started taking them off the hangers and putting them into her duffle.  He was quiet for a little while and Gemma took the opportunity to change into a pair of jeans and a long–sleeved shirt that said “troublemaker” across the chest then she slipped on her winter boots.

No, Malcom said.

To which part? She asked holding her breath.

No I am not a virgin, but I am 518 years old, did you really expect me to be. Gemma felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her. But she had expected this answer of course there was no way he would be.

No, I didn’t, she answered.

Have you and Mike? Malcom gritted out.

No we didn’t, and I broke up with him tonight at the festival. She told him. She could feel how happy that made him, but then he asked,

Have you had many boyfriends? That caused her to laugh out loud.

Yes, I have but I never slept with any of the guys that I dated here. She told him.

Good, he said. She probably should have left it at that but she didn’t want to deceive him.

But I’m not a virgin, she told him and then she felt him put a wall up between them. She couldn’t breathe, this is what she had been afraid of, that once he knew he wouldn’t want her.

Gemma got the rest of her clothes put into the duffle bag and then she reached for her Fae wolf stuffed animal that she had, had as long as she could remember; she placed it into the duffle as well. She grabbed some pajamas and then went into the bathroom to get her shower bag, hair products and makeup. She was working on autopilot, she grabbed her winter coat and put it on top of her duffle bag then went back into her closet to grab the hoodie she left out to wear for the trip.

“I thought cold weather didn’t affect us the same way as humans” Hanna said, making Gemma come out of the fog.

“It doesn’t, where we are going humans would have to be bundled up in thick snow suits and parkas, where we just need hoodies for the days and our winter coats for at night.” Gemma answered.

“Oh, cool. I’m done with my stuff, wanna come help me get Caleb and Lucas packed, the clothes they took to Houston are defiantly not going to work.” Hanna said. Gemma looked around to make sure she wasn’t leaving anything important, she quickly grabbed her laptop and put it and its charger into its case. She saw Hanna do the same with hers.

“You know if we just left them we wouldn’t have to do any school work.” Gemma said as she and Hanna headed towards the twins room. Hanna laughed,

“You know as well as I do that mom would make someone come back and get them. “My kids are going to college, no matter what” She mimicked her mother, she had been telling them that since they were little girls. Gemma laughed with her as they entered the boy’s room, they got some extra duffle bags from the hall way closet and then packed all the boys winter clothes and boots. Gemma also packed some of their books.

“Did they take their Nintendo 3DS’ with them?” Hanna asked “All I can find are some games for them”

“Yeah they took them, but go ahead and pack all the games” Gemma answered.

“Ok, I think that’s all done, I’m going to go see if mom has started on Sophie’s room yet.” Hanna told her.

“Ok, I’ll go ahead and take our bags and the boy’s to the living room.” Gemma replied as she picked up the boy’s duffle bags and dragged them to the living room. Cyrus and Jared were sitting on the couch talking when she came in. Cyrus stood and offered to help her with the bags and she let him.

“I’ll go ahead and take these to Attu” He told them.

“Can I come with you?” Gemma asked “That way we won’t have to make as many trips when everyone gets here. I can take Hanna and Jared with me.” She quickly explained as her mind was going a mile a minute.

Hey Han, this is your warning that I am about to do that very stupid thing again. She sent Hanna through their bond and by the look on Jared’s face he heard it to.

Aw, crap was the only reply she got.

The look Cyrus gave her told her he didn’t believe a word that was coming out of her mouth but still he grabbed onto her arm and then she felt the dropping sensation. She looked around her and she was in a small village of tents. They weren’t like normal camping tents, they were circular with pointed tops and were big enough to fit her and Hanna’s room in and still have a little room to walk around. In the distance Gemma could see larger versions of them that could probably fit a large class room in it, then she saw three giant ones that could probably fit her school’s gym. She realized that there wasn’t any snow, and it wasn’t as cold as she expected, instead of a winter coat all she needed was her hoodie.

“Where’s the snow?” She asked Cyrus.

“The shield that is protecting us from being found also keeps most of the cold at bay” he answered.

“Would have been good to know before we packed everything” She told him, when he didn’t reply she looked over at Cyrus who was studying her.

“What are you planning?” he asked.

“What are you talking about?” She asked.

“You have the same look on your face your mother did when we were kids. When she was planning on doing something that was going to get us in trouble” He replied smiling at the memory. Gemma nodded,

“It’s probably better if you didn’t know” She told him. He looked at her for a moment, “There is no way I can stop you is there?” he asked. She shook her head,

“Nope” and then she was gone. Cyrus smiled and shook his head,

“Just like her mother” he said out loud, and then went to put the bags in their tents. “Amara is going to have my head”.

“And why is that dear brother?” Amara said from behind him.

 

 

 

 

Truth

 

Malcom was sitting in his room talking to Gemma when he heard a knock on his door and his father’s voice asking if he could enter. Malcom immediately threw up a wall between him and Gemma so Atticus wouldn’t suspect anything. But before the wall was completely up he heard but I’m not a virgin, he felt as if all the breath had been sucked out of him. He froze in place, if he moved he knew he would break something or kill someone. The knock came again and he composed himself.

“Enter” he called and went to greet his father. Atticus walked into the room. His long black hair and a goatee perfectly groomed. He turned his bright green cat like eyes to Malcom,

“I have some amazing news” he told him.

“What is that?” Malcom asked.

“I received a call from the team we sent to America to find the Mystic who cursed us to this forest. They have found them.” Atticus said,

“Them?” Malcom asked.

“What?” Atticus questioned.

“You said them, I thought we were looking for a single Mystic” Malcom told him.

“W–well she and her pup of course” Attics stuttered. Malcom nodded,

“I want the pup left alone, we need her mother to release the curse and that’s all”.

“We might need the daughter as leverage, to make her release you.” Atticus argued.

“Then tell her we have her, she needn’t know otherwise.” Malcom said. Atticus was quiet for a moment and then looked back at Malcom,

“You are tired, being locked in the forest for almost 18 years has taken its toile on you. Let me handle everything and you relax.” Atticus soothed. Malcom could feel his father’s magic persuading him to do as he said. He wondered how often his father had done this over the years and why he could actually sense it now.

Because she has opened your eyes to the truth. He heard the Lupa’s voice in his head and he knew she was right. He instantly made himself relax and sat down in his chair in front of the fireplace.

“You are right” he told his father, not wanting to let on that he knew something was wrong. “You handle it, have Owen help with the Mystic. He has a way of making people do what he wants that I haven’t seen since Drustan.” Atticus nodded,

“I will let you know when they have her.” He placed his hand on his son’s shoulder “We will be out of this retched place very soon son. Now I am off to get Owen and ready for our guests’ arrival, you rest now.” Again he felt the push of his father’s magic so he nodded and made it look as if he was about to fall asleep. He heard his father shut the door behind him as he left and then waited a few extra minutes to make sure he was really gone. Then he shot up from his seat and threw the side table across the room where it shattered against the wall.

“Ok… maybe I should have kept that little tidbit to myself after all.” Gemma stated. Malcom turned around to face her eyes blazing.

“What are you doing here?” he asked as he started walking towards her. He waved his hand towards the door saying “kilp” and a faint blue light shot from his hand.

“You told me you needed to see me! So I found a way to make that happen and what? You find out I’m not some pure, perfect little wolf so you don’t want me anymore?!” She shouted. “And what was that thing you just did with your hand what is ‘kilp’?” Malcom stopped,

“I’m half warlock. I was shielding the room. Since my father just left not five minutes ago and I didn’t want him to detect your presence.” He told her as if it should have been obvious. “And what is this nonsense about me not wanting you? You are my Chosen I will always want you.”

“Then why did you block me out as soon as you found out I wasn’t a virgin?” Gemma asked “It’s not like you’re any different, though considering your age you’ve probably slept with way more than just my one.” Malcom felt like she had slapped him in the face. She was right, how could he be upset when he had done the same thing.

“You’re right, I have no right to be upset with you, but that isn’t why I blocked you. I blocked you when my father came because I didn’t want him to suspect anything.” He told her.

“Oh” She said looking down at her feet. Malcom walked up to her and lifted her chin so she was looking him in the eye.

“I am glad you are safe.” He told her as he leaned down to kiss her. Gemma put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer and deepened the kiss. The pull she felt for him was like nothing she ever felt before. It was as though she had been drowning all these years and she finally broke the service and he was the air filling her lungs.

Malcom picked her up and walked over to his chair and sat down, without breaking their kiss. Gemma was now straddling him. She twisted her fingers in his hair as he started kissing down her neck. He slid his hands up her back and pressed her closer. He felt his canines grow when he reached the place between her neck and shoulder where his mark would be and he pulled back. Gemma looked down at him with glowing eyes,

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

“If we do not stop now, I don’t know if I will be able to stop at all.” He told her as he lifted her and set her back down so she was sitting across his lap instead of straddling it. She rolled her eyes,

“Now you choose to be a gentleman.” She teased. He laughed and kissed her on the forehead.

“May I ask you something” he asked thoughtfully. She leaned back and studied his face,

“ok…” she agreed.

“When was the last time you… you know” He asked, Gemma sighed.

“Two summers ago. I was sixteen and we were spending the summer in Egypt with my dad. I met a guy my age there, his dad was on some business trip and we just hit it off, spent the entire summer with us hanging out.”

“You cared for him deeply?” Malcom asked and he held his breath waiting for her to answer.

“Not anywhere near to how I feel about you.” She told him. He smiled down at her and kissed her on the nose.

“What happen between you to? It obviously didn’t last since you were with that Mike guy” Malcom questioned.

“I don’t know,” Gemma shrugged “I never saw him again.” She looked down at her hands.

“You were hurt by this” He asked quietly. She shrugged,

“It doesn’t matter it was a long time ago. But Hanna says that’s why I don’t date anyone for more than a month, so I won’t get attached.” She explained. Malcom nodded,

“And he was the only one?” He asked.

“Yes” Gemma sighed. “What about you, when was the last time you… did the deed?”

“It’s been almost 18 years.” He answered.

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting that” She said. “How many?”

“Gemma I am 518 years old” He said in answer.

“Good point, it doesn’t matter anyways, that’s the past.” She positioned herself so she was straddling him again and placed her hands on either side of his face.

“We are the present and the future” she told him and then she kissed him.

“Gemma–” he warned.

“You just keep your teeth to yourself and everything will be fine.” She told him and kissed him again. This time he didn’t protest but grabbed her hips and pulled her closer.

Um, Gemma I hate to interrupt but Cyrus said Amara is on her way wanting to know where you are. Gemma heard Hanna’s voice tell her, and she sighed in disappointment.

“You have to go.” Malcom stated.

“I have to go.” She confirmed. Malcom nodded and then kissed her forehead and whispered,

“Vaimu kaitsta oma armastust” He pulled back, “Be safe, my heart.” Gemma stood up.

“I will if you will” she told him and then she was gone.

 

~*~

 

“Cyrus, where is Gemma?” Amara demanded “I know she was here, I felt her presence”

“She was, she wanted to see where they were coming so she would be able to teleport here on her own” Cyrus answered.

“So she went back to the apartment?” Amara asked.

“I assume so, I don’t know anywhere else she would want to go, do you?” He asked innocently.

“You don’t think she has gone to see Malcom?” She questioned.

“Only one way to find out.” Cyrus said and then he was gone. Amara had to calm herself.

“She could be there” She said out loud, though she didn’t believe it for a second. She saw the apartment in her mind and willed herself there. When she arrived Cyrus was talking to Hanna and Jared they all turned to look at her.

“We are just waiting on mom and dad then we will be ready to go.” Hanna told her “Where is Sabin?” She continued stalling for time.

“I am here” Sabin answered from behind her on the couch. Hanna jumped and squeaked at his sudden presence. “Sorry I’m late. I was dropping Nathen and Natalie off.”

“I really think you enjoy doing that” she told him.

“I don’t know what you are talking about” he said with a wink. Frank and Sasha walked into the living room carrying their bags.

“Well we are ready” Frank said. He turned to Cyrus “I called my sister and let her know that we would be on our way soon.” Cyrus nodded.

“I am ready when you are” he told him.

“Where is Gemma?” Amara asked a little too aggressively. They heard the toilet flush in the hallway bathroom and then Gemma came walking out,

“I’m right here” she said leaning against the entry way of the living room. “What’s up?”

Amara was speechless for a couple seconds but recovered quickly.

“Nothing, I was just worried that you might have gotten lost since you are so new to teleporting.”

“Nope, right where I need to be” She told her.

Amara nodded and turned to Frank and Sasha. She missed the wink Gemma sent to Cyrus, Hanna and Jared.  Hanna let out the breath she had been holding and plopped down on the couch. Cyrus just smiled and walked up to Frank and put his hand on his shoulder.

“Shall we?” he asked him. Frank nodded and turned to Sasha and kissed her,

“I will see you there” he told her.

“Be careful.” She told them both before they disappeared from the room. Sabin stood up and grabbed the rest of the bags blew a kiss to Amara and then teleported.

“Ok, are you sure you have everything?” Amara asked Sasha.

“Yes” She said and walked over to Gemma. “Why don’t you take me and let Amara take your sister and Jared. I know you teleported both of them before but that was under duress, best not to push it.” Gemma shrugged,

“Ok” she agreed. Amara walked up and stood behind Hanna and Jared placing a hand on each of their shoulders. Hanna and Gemma shared a look,

You are so busted, Gemma heard Hanna say and then they were gone. Gemma turned towards her mom,

“You ready to go?” She asked playing off her uneasiness.

“I can smell him on you.” Sasha told her crossing her arms over her chest.

“Smell who? I did just come from an island with a wolf training camp” Gemma replied.

“Do you really think I’m stupid? The packs had a truce before Hanna was born, not to mention he was your father’s best friend. I knew him well, obviously not well enough, I never thought he would do the things he has done. But I know his scent, you have been with Malcom Black! Do you have a death wish?!” Sasha exclaimed.

“He is not evil mom! I swear, it’s the warlock, Atticus, that is the evil.” Gemma told her.

“Atticus? Atticus is the warlock manipulating him?” Sasha asked.

“You know him?” Gemma asked.

“Atticus was the name of the Canadian warlock adviser who betrayed us in the old war. But he was thought to have been killed.” Sasha said. “Are you sure that is his name.”

“Yes” Gemma answered “Why do you look so scared?”

“Because, he was the man who killed my grandparents. The stories my mother told me about him were horrible.” Sasha said “He is the worst type of evil, one that you do not see coming. We must go tell the others” Gemma just stood there looking at her mother, “Gemma we need to go, everyone needs to know what we are up against”

“Do you think I can save him?” Gemma asked.

“What? Who?” Sasha asked.

“Malcom, do you think I can save him? He already suspects Atticus but do you think he will really turn his back from the man who helped him become alpha?” Gemma asked tears in her eyes. Sasha took her in her arms,

“Yes, if he truly is your Chosen, though it won’t be easy” she told her.

“Nothing worth having is every easy” Gemma said and she wrapped her arms around her mom. She pictured Attu in her mind; and then they were there. Sasha released Gemma and looked around.

“Tents?” she asked “There has to be hundreds of them and where is the snow?”

“They are not your average tents” Sabin responded from behind them. Gemma shrieked and whirled around to look at him. A faint blue light struck out from around her knocking Sabin to the ground. He stared up at her in shock.

“I’m sorry!” She told him. “But it serves you right for always scaring everyone.” She looked down at her hands, “was that another Fae ability manifesting?” She asked as he stood up.

“No, that was warlock magic.” He answered sternly. “Would you mind explaining why you are surrounded in it.” Sasha turned to Gemma,

“Did Atticus know you were there when you went to see Malcom? He could have spelled you with something.” Sasha started running her hands over Gemma trying to assess what kind of spell it was.

“She has been to see Malcom?” Sabin questioned. They ignored him.

“No, he didn’t know.” Gemma said brushing her mom’s hands away. “Malcom shielded us.”

“How did he do that? He is not a mystic.” Sabin said and then finally realized what Sasha had said “Atticus is alive?”

“Yes” Sasha told him and then turned back to Gemma “how did he shield you?”

“Atticus isn’t just his pack advisor, he is Malcom’s father.” Gemma answered. Both Sasha and Sabin were quiet for a second as they let that sink in. Then Sabin came over and waved his hand over Gemma’s head.

“Did he say anything in a different language while you were there?” he asked.

“Yes right before I left he said ‘vaimu kaitsta oma armastust’” Gemma replied. Sabin took a step back in surpirse. “What? What does it mean?” She asked.

“Spirit protect my love” He answered. “It is a protection spell”. Gemma smiled and looked at her mom,

“Maybe I don’t need to save him after all” she said happily.

“Save who?” Hanna asked as she Jared and Amara walked up to them. “What took you so long?” she asked. Sabin turned and looked at Amara,

“I need to speek with the elders now, the warlock is Atticus.” Amara’s eyes widened and a flash a fear crossed her face before she composed herself again.

“Yes, go.” She told him. He nodded once and then was gone.

“Would someone please tell me what is going on?” Hanna asked.

“Malcom’s father is the warlock manipulating him, his name is Atticus and he is a really bad guy from the Canadian pack war who killed mom’s grandparents and everyone is freaking out because they thought he died.” Gemma explained. “Everyone all caught up?” Hanna and Jared nodded.

“How could you possibly know this?” Amara asked.

“Well, I’ve actually been to see him. Twice” Gemma answered.

 

 

 

 

Attu

 

Amara was quiet for a moment then cleared her throat.

“Well there is nothing we can do about it right this second, so why don’t I show you all to your tents. Jared, Gemma and Hanna you all will be with the other of age unmated wolves who are still in school. Gemma and Hanna I was able to get you two in the same tent.” Amara explained and she lead them to a section of blue tents. “Blue tents are for the of age unmated wolves, of course the males and females are seperated. Male tent numbers are even and the female’s are odd.”

“Why can’t Jared and I share a tent?” Hanna asked.

“Because you are not mated yet, and regardless of your upbringing you are a wolf and have to follow the ways of your kind.” Amara answered “It would not be fair to the others around you that also have to wait.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Hanna agreed and Jared nodded, though neither looked happy about it.

“The larger of the blue tents is a common area with games, tvs and anything else one would find entertaining. With in reason of course.” Amara continued as they came upon a blue tent with the number 33 printed on it in black. “Gemma and Hanna this is your tent. Your bags are in there, go ahead and get settled and meet us at the big white tent in a half hour. ” Amara told them.

Gemma and Hanna looked at eachother and shrugged

“Guess I will see you in a half hour. ” Hanna told Jared and then turned to follow Gemma into the tent.

Hanna bumped into Gemma as she entered the tent. She was just standing in the entry way wide eyed. Hanna looked up and her mouth popped open. The outside was a tent but as soon as you walked through the entrance it was like a little apartment. To their left there was a little kitchenette with a sink, mini fridge, microwave and a small table with four chairs. To their right was a little living room area with a small sectional couch facing a wall with a flat screen tv hanging over a huge fire place and straight ahead there were two doors.

“Wow” Hanna said.

“Yeah” Gemma agreed, as she walked towards the door. The one on the left had her and Hanna’s name scarled on the door in beautiul handwriting. She stepped back and looked at the other door. The one to the right had the names Madison and Nicole written on it.

“Looks like we are going to have roommates Red” She said.

“Whats with the names?” Hanna asked.

“Wolves can be very territorial, especially the more dominant ones” Gemma explained. “Don’t be surprised if they try and push their dominance on you to see who is more dominant”.

“Seriously?” Hanna whined.

“We both know you will be the most dominant. But it’s not a bad idea to see who is next.” Gemma said.

“But you will be next” Hanna said. “You are the Chosen of the Canadian pack alpha, which means you will be alpha female. That requires a certain amount of dominance does it not? I’m new to this world and even I knew that.” Gemma laughed,

“Well ok then. Lets check out our room before we have to meet everyone” she told her.

“I hope there is food in that white tent.” Hanna said as she and Gemma headed to the room with their names on it. Hanna opened the door and they both walked in. There were two full beds on either side of the room, with big fluffy white comforters and pillows to match. Each bed had a side table with a lamp and alarm clock. There were two desks and dressers with vanity mirrors. There was a small walk–in closet to the left.

“Not bad” Gemma said.

“I know I am almost tempted to just crawl in bed and sleep for a week”. Hanna said “What time is it anyways?” She asked. Gemma looked at the alarm clock on her side table,

“12:45am.” She answered with a sigh.

“Uh! Seriously? We better go meet the others.” Hanna whined.

“Ok, lets go.” Gemma replied looking longingly at her bed.

“Where is the bathroom?” Hanna asked.

 

~*~

 

The sun had just started to rise on the horizon when Malcom woke. Deciding to take a run around the territory, he opened his window then jumped to the ground. He phased and took off towards the East. It felt good to run, feeling the stretch and pull of his muscles, it helped him think. After the meeting with his father yesterday he had a lot to think about. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear that someone running behind him until they were just a couple feet away. When he realized it was Owen he relxed.

Report? He asked through their bond.

Atticus recieved a call that they lost the boy and the girl. Owen replied.

The boy and the girl?He told me he had found the Mystic who cursed me. Who are they? He asked Owen,

The wolf he spoke to was Malaki. From what I could hear of the conversation was, the boy with silver eyes had led them to the violet eyed girl. They were about to capture them but they had a Fae with them and they got away. Owen reported.

So they think she is Fae? Good it is better that way, they would never attack a Fae and risk their anger. What of the Mystic? Malcom asked.

The only thing he has said is that if you ask about the Mystic’s capture that I am to tell you everything is going as planned, but as far as I can tell he isn’t searching for any Mystic. Owen answered.

So he knows that a Mystic didn’t really curse me to these woods. She was right about everything. Malcom replied.

Alpha, what would you like me to do? Owen asked.

I want you to quietly find out who is loyal to Atticus and who is loyal to me. There is a war coming and it’s time to pick a side. Start with our top wolves in the mansion.We will meet again on this subject in two days time, bring those that you beleive are loyal. Malcom ordered.

Yes, alpha. Owen replied and then he turned and headed back to the mansion. When Owen was back at the Mansion, in his room and dressed there was a knock on the door. Owen opened the door and saw Atticus standing outside.

“May I come in?” he asked. Owen opened the door more to let him in and then went to shut the door to his bedroom so his mate would not be woken. They had been together for 10 years now and had finally decided to start a family. She was in her last month of pregnancy and she rested often.

“I have just returned from patrol with the alpha.” He told Atticus.

“I know, that is why I have come.What was discussed between the two of you?” Atticus asked. Owen could feel Atticus magic urging him to be truthful, and he wondered if Malcom had not told him about his father’s betrayal if he would even notice and be ammune.

“He asked if we had captured the Mystic yet. I told him that everything was going as planned as you instructed. It was true what you said, being locked in this forest has truly taken it’s tole, he can think of nothing else but leaving the forest. He even threw himself against the barrier a couple of times trying to break it. I feel as though it might affect his ability to lead.” Owen finished knowing Atticus would be please if he thought Owen was losing confidence in Malcom.

“Then I am not the only one who has noticed it. I have feared the same for quite some time now. Do you think you will be able to do what is needed if the situation calls for it? With my full support of course.” Atticus replied.

“I will always do what is right for the pack” Owen answered.

“Good, keep me informed on his actions. The Malaki and his wolves have found where they were living but it looks like they have left and don’t plan on returning anytime soon. I can not sence their magic either, so that leads me to believe they are being helped by the Fae.”

“I have some connections with the Fae if you would like me to ask around. Do you really think these children could help break the curse?” Owen asked.

“These two children, as you call them, are the most powerful of all the witches, wolves, and warlocks alike. They could possibly be as powerful as the Fae, with me controling them I could not only break this curse but I would be the most powerful being in this relam.” Atticus replied and then looked at Owen “And I reward those loyal to me.” Owen placed his hand over his chest and bowed to Atticus it would look as if he was pleding himself to him, but truly he was trying to stop himself from ripping Atticus’ throat out for betraying the alpha.

“I have my own connection with the Fae, someone who also believes that change is needed”, He turned and looked towards Owens bedroom. “I will leave you to care for your mate, I remember what a pregnant female is like at this stage. I will summon you when I hear something.” Owen nodded and watched him go. Just then his mate, Nevia, opened the door and came out of their bedroom.

“Something is bothering you, I can feel it”, She told him as she walked up and put her arms around him, her swollen belly keeping her from getting too close.

“Yes, I have much tell you, but I must speek with the alpha first.” He kissed the top of her head, “I will return shortly.” Owen left the mansion and walked the short distance to the town where other member’s of the pack, who were not in a position of command, lived with their families. He went into the only pub and took a seat in the back.

Alpha, he called through the pack bond, I must speak with you, it is urgent. A few seconds passed and he heard a reply,

Where are you? Malcom asked.

I am in the town pub. He replied, Malcom did not respond, though Owen did not expect him to. A few short minutes later Malcom walked through the door. All the wolves in the pub stopped what they were doing exposed their necks to him and then continued on with their conversations and drinks. Malcom walked towards the back and sat down at the table Owen was sitting at nursing a beer. The waitress came, exposed her neck in respect, and placed his usual double shot of whisky on the table and then hurried away.

“It is worse than you feared, he is planning on capturing the ones of the prophacy and using their magic to become the most powerful being in the realm. I fear he wishes to control all the supernaturals. He is even planting seeds in the pack that you are unfit to be alpha. He has already asked me to be ready to challenge you”, Owen told Malcom. Malcom threw back his whiskey and then motioned the waitress for another.

“We need to find out how many follow him” He told him.

“Yes alpha, I agree” Owne said.

“But?” Malcom asked, he could see that there was something Owen wanted.

“But I want Nevia to go to the safe haven where your Chosen is. Once Atticus finds out I have been loyal to you and not him I fear he will harm her.” Malcom nodded,

“I agree. I will speek to Gemma, I have a feeling we are going to be moving a lot of our people there in the days to come” he told him.

 

~*~

 

Gemma and Hanna were slowly making there way to the big white tent. They had finally made it out of the living quarter tents and came across a line of seven bigger tents. They each had a number on them and then a subject written above the entrance. Hanna read aloud

“Tent 1– Mystic magic, tent 2– Fae magic, tent 3– herbs and plants, tent 4– weapons, tent 5– war strategies, tent 6– survival skills” she stopped and looked at Gemma “what do you think that’s about?” Gemma laughed,

“Looks like we are going to be learning more than just math and science.” she told her.

“Oh” Hanna said and started walking again “this is all so crazy.”

“Yeah it is– wait do you smell that?” Gemma asked, Hanna took a deep breather and then looked at Gemma and smiled,

“Food!” She said excitedly.

Both girls picked up the pace and came upon the huge white tent. They walked through the entranced and stopped dead in their tracks. It was a huge dining hall with rows and rows of tables. At the back of the tent was a huge buffet line in front of a kitchen and to the left of that were soda fountains and huge pitchers of other drinks. The theme seemed to be centered on Italian food but there was some American cuisine thrown into the mix as well.

“Red, I do believe we have died and gone to heaven.” Gemma said.

“I think I am going to cry.” Hanna replied with a laugh.

“Hello girls.” Cyrus said coming up to stand beside them. “Are you just going to stand here and drool or are you going to fix yourself a plate so we can get this little meeting started and completed so I can get some shut eye?”

Both Gemma and Hanna looked up at Cyrus in confusion, he gestured to the table where, Jared, his parents and their mom sat waiting. The girls snapped out of their daze and hurried up to the line of food awaiting them. They both grabbed one of the oversized plates and started piling on food. Gemma opted for a steak, some chicken Alfredo, spaghetti and garlic bread. Hanna decided on a big pile of seafood Alfredo, and grilled chicken breast. When their plates were full they both went and got a large glass of sweet tea then headed to the table everyone was sitting.

“Well now that everyone is here, let me tell you a little bit about our little island” Amara started. “There are different levels of training you will be assigned to and have to graduate from before you are given a final job assignment. These will go along with your normal school studies. Each level has a different training tent and type of job assignment. Everyone works and does their part here. Now, Gemma and Jared you are going to start out as level ones with Hanna. I know you have probably already had training in some of these areas and if you wish to test out and move on to the other training tents that is allowed.” She paused to see if anyone had any questions,

“Am I going to be in the same class as my younger brothers and sister, because that would be embarrassing” Hanna asked.

“The younger ages are taught in a different setting the levels don’t start until your last year of school when you are about to graduate and get your final job assignment. Everyone has to participate in combat training, there is AM combat training and PM combat training. If you have a PM Job assignment then you have AM combat training and vice versa. AM training is from 6am to 8am–”

“6am!” Gemma whined “Do you not believe in sleep?”

“Sunday is a free day for your group, you may sleep all you like then” Cyrus told her.

“Well thank the goddess tomorrow is Sunday… or today is-” Amara cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention back and continued,

“Then school is from 9am to 12pm, the big orange tent is the school and there is a public internet base curriculum you three have been enrolled in. Then you will have an hour to eat and then go to your levels training tent from 1pm to 3pm. After that you have your job assignments. For those of you who have AM job assignments PM combat training is from 4pm to 6pm. After that you may use your time as you see fit.” Amara finished. “Any questions?”

“When do we get our job assignment?”  Jared asked.

“You were the kid that always reminded the teacher about homework in school weren’t you?” Gemma asked. “Why not suggest everyone has to wear matching uniforms too.” Hanna almost spit tea across the table from laughing so hard.

“Really, you’re gonna just let her talk to your Chosen that way?” Jared teased.

“When my Chosen reminds the teacher about the homework, yeah.” Hanna teased back.

“Anyways” Amara started again, “Work assignments are hung on the bulletin board at the entrance of the dining hall every Sunday morning. And also as alphas you all are required to attend any meetings with the elders or other pack leaders.”

“How many packs are here?” Gemma asked.

“There are two full packs The Golden Valley pack from Montana and the McKenzie pack from North Dakota. However there are many members from packs all over North America who believe that war is coming and are ready to fight. Then of course we have some Fae families here as well.” Amara answered.

“Do they go to school too?” Hanna asked.