Jeanie and some of the other women had taken the dessert containers from Harlow, setting them in the kitchen to be brought out after dinner. They brought the rest of the food out, making sure everything was still hot before coming to Emery, telling him dinner was served. Following pack hierarchy, Emery allowed his guests to have the first pick of food before allowing his head table, including himself, to follow in their footsteps. Once they were all seated, he called for the table of elders to make their way through the buffet, directing each table to follow until the last child from the children’s table was seated.
As they ate, the conversation flowed. Emery asking Harlow about all the places they had been. Alex once more bombarding everyone with questions about shifting. Leah and Matthew quietly learning more about one another. The Beta and enforcers wanting to know about Leah’s ranking in the Shadows of Tyaos. The occasional wolf coming to introduce themselves to Leah.
Soon enough everyone had finished eating and Emery once more called order to his pack. “Tonight is a special night. We have friends who have come to share our territory. And we welcome them with open arms!” Loud applause followed his words. “However!” The quiet that fell was immediate. “More important than new friends is a new family. Matthew has found his true mate! Leah Kearney, Alpha of the Lonepaw Pack!”
Leah and Matthew both stood, taking in the cheering and applause from Matthew’s pack. As they sat back down, Emery said, “Let us celebrate and run!” A cheer sounded and quickly died as the pack flowed out of the banquet hall and into the forest surrounding the mansion.
Emery turned to Alex and said, “Some of the other younger children who haven’t shifted yet, like to run in their human form with us. It creates a stronger pack bond. You are welcome to join them if you wish or you can sit at the bonfire with the others who don’t shift. The choice is yours.” Turning to Harlow he said, “You can join the others at the bonfire. We have a few latent wolves as well as some who are pregnant. I know the women will welcome you into their group without reserve and I can introduce you if you would like?”
Harlow accepted his invitation and followed him through the house to a large fire pit to the side of the house. Alex followed Leah and Matthew after Matthew promised introductions to some of the young wolves that would be in the same year in middle school. After Alex was introduced to a few younger males, Leah led Matthew towards the mouth of the forest before dropping her clothes and shifting. Her near-instant shift caused others around them to freeze. The shifting of forms typically took a few minutes, depending on the strength of the wolf, meaning Leah’s seconds long shift depicted her great strength and dominance. In place of her human self, a black wolf stood.
Leah’s wolf was such a dark black, that she blended in with the shadows. The little grey in her face and spine, added to her shade-like presence rather than took away from it. The wolf stood staring at her mate, ethereal emerald eyes bore into him, daring him to disrobe and shift in front of her, knowing his shift wouldn’t be as swift. With a smirk, Matthew ripped his clothes off, beginning his shift before he was done. Just under a minute later, his wolf took his place in front of their mate. Matt was a dark grey with black and white coloring mixed in and would usually be one of the darker wolves in the pack, however, standing next to his mate, he seemed far lighter in color than he typically would.
Nuzzling her head into his neck, Leah’s wolf added her scent into that of her mate as he returned the affection. A quick nip to his side let Matt know she was ready to run. Without further interaction, Leah loped off into the dark woods, Matt trailing close behind. The pack spent hours running and playing, chasing and fighting before slowly trickling from the depths of the trees to head back to their homes in their human forms. As Leah said goodbye to Matthew, she could feel their bond had strengthened from the long hours in wolf form.
On the way home, Alex described each of the young wolves he met that would be going to school with him; from what they looked like to who their parents were and what ranks they had. He talked about the older wolves that advised on how to get through the first shift and how they had managed the weeks and months leading up to their first shifts. He was eager for his first shift and couldn’t wait to meet his wolf, wondering what his fur would look like. Harlow and Leah kept exchanging glances, knowing that Alex’s natural curiosity and inquisitiveness would be amplified the closer he got to others in the pack, and the closer his first shift got.
Arriving at home, Alex was nearly asleep on his feet but was still asking questions as Harlow sent him to bed. Sitting in the living room, Harlow and Leah spoke for the first time together since they had left their house earlier that evening. “They seem like a nice family, a nice pack.”
Leah was hoping that her mother approved of them, knowing she had to broach a delicate subject. “Mom. I know this isn’t what either of us wanted, but I think this could be our home. As in, our final home. A place we can settle down in.” Nervously she glanced at her mom’s face, hoping she hadn’t upset her.
With a sigh, Harlow quietly said, “I think so, too. I don’t want to stop looking, but I feel like we haven’t made any progress since we started our search. Maybe this is what we need to do, to move forward.”
Leah gasped, the last thing she wanted was to forget about her brother, her twin. Quickly stepping in, not wanting to distress her daughter, Harlow continued, “I don’t mean that we forget about him, Leah! I think we need to change the way we look for him. You have contacts all across the country and even in other countries. If nobody has been able to find him, and our random searching through different states hasn’t worked, then maybe it's time we settled and have others come to us with information.”
Nodding along with her mother, Leah agreed; it was what she wanted as well. “Yes. My mate is here, I wouldn’t want to leave him and this would be a good place for Alex to learn to be a wolf. He could finish school with people who know and care about him.”
“The hospital wants me to stay, permanently.” Shaking her head, Harlow said, “I just wasn’t sure how to tell you. I know what finding your brother means to you, but I also feel that this is the best option for us at the moment.”
Agreeing with her mom, Leah said goodnight. Collapsing on her bed, Leah tried calling out for her brother, pleading his forgiveness for not finding him after all these years, and begging him to understand that they weren’t giving up on him, just trying a different strategy. Falling asleep, her last thought was that she hoped he heard her and that he would find his way to their new home; their new family.
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