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Acacia/Ciarán - Age 8

After dinner, it was time for bed for the pups of Grandpa Keir's pack, and before he would let me protest to staying up, he quickly put me into that category and classified me with them. It still made him laugh though when I crossed my arms and gave him the silent treatment until he finally brought me up to my room.

Slipping under the sheets, Grandpa Keir pulls the covers up around me and chuckles, "How long are you going to keep the silent treatment up for?"

I arch a brow and turn my head away from him. A second later, I'm screaming in laughter as he attacks me in an all out tickle war. Tears spring to my eyes as another shriek leaves my lips, breathing hard as I try and get him back, but he hardly lets me get anywhere. After he gives me mercy, I continue to giggle as I calm down, a smile on his face as he sits on the edge of my bed.

Glancing at the clock on the bedside stand, I sigh and say, "It's only eight..."

"Acacia, you're going to need a good night's sleep because I believe Jelena's parents have something fun planned for all of you tomorrow," he winks at me and also notes, "I know you're mature beyond your years, but for my sake, please go to sleep, okay?"

I scrunch my nose up, and he chuckles again. Leaning my head back down against the soft pillowcase, he tucks the covers up under my chin. Grandpa Keir stares at me for a few moments before he says, "You know..." his voice trails off for a moment, hearing pack members shuffling down the hallway and on their way before he continues, "...Alpha Chris, what he said...it was a very different time before the world you live in now."

My eyes fall away from his, knowing somethings here and there about the days during the Code of Conduct and how the werewolves were treated among the humans as well. I didn't do anything to him though, that wasn't nice of him to treat me like that.

When I'm silent for too long, he says, "There's a negative connotation to the name Valentine. As some regard and recognize it as your mother who helped end the tyranny of your great uncle...others...others only associate the misgivings that came through Arthur."

"Is that why daddy only calls me Arin?" I try and sit up a bit and Grandpa Keir sighs while letting me scoot back.

"Not necessarily," he continues to enlighten me, "your father was regarded the same way as he was seated on the council many years before your mother brought about a change. Yes, even though it was your father's plan that helped set everything in motion, he was apart of the problem before he became the solution."

There is a moment of quiet before I tilt my head and look up into his eyes before asking, "Then...why did you introduce me to Alpha Chris as Arin-Valentine if you already knew that?"

"You have your father's wit, that's for sure," he rubs his chin as I question him further, wanting to know why he'd even place me under scrutiny like that if he already knew what the outcome would be.

"You know..." he chuckles and then releases a sigh, "...I honestly believed Alpha Chris would have reacted much differently...considering his younger brother was also your mother's mate."

Mama and daddies don't like to talk about Marc that much...

...at least, not while Ciarán and I are around.

"I wouldn't have done that to you intentionally, Acacia," Grandpa Keir begins to tuck me in once again, kissing me goodnight on the forehead before he rises slowly from the edge of my bed. Just as he is about to leave, something else bubbles up from within me, and I halt him in his tracks.

"Grandpa?" I ask with hesitation, he glancing over his shoulder as I continue, "Why did Alpha Chris treat Dexter like that? Sophia, Jelena, Dexter and I have always hung out...why was he so mean to him? You've never treated anyone like that, ever."

Grandpa Keir turns around and walks back toward me. He kneels down on the floor next to my bed and sighs, "Alpha Chris...he's what it's known more so as an elitist, one who believes your stature solely under the title you hold."

"Bu-But, you're never mean like that to Dexter or his family...even if he's an omega, he doesn't deserve to be treated like that," I stare at him with confusion, not able to believe that someone could easily be so cruel based on a title...

...a stupid title.

Fine, Alpha Chris...

...he's no alpha. Alphas are strong and protect their pack members, not singling those weaker out and excluding them, treating them differently just because of what they're born as. If anything, they should be protected more.

"I know Acacia, but unless time can change and alter the way he sees things, I have to be respectful in my own right and allow him his way and belief as well," Grandpa Keir makes me slightly angry at his choice of words.

"Grandpa Keir, that's what you want as the future of your pack?" I question him, and it's his turn to offer me a furrowed-brow stare, "That's how you want your legacy to live on?"

He shakes his head and asks, "What are you talking about? Alpha Chris will not lead this pa-"

"Taron," I'm short when I interrupt him, cutting him right off before I finish, "apples don't fall too far from their trees...what if he's just like his father? Do you want that to be your new lineage?"

"I..." Grandpa Keir is somewhat stumped, standing to his full height as he stares down at me with a very critical stare. His irises shift slightly, a golden glint reflecting through and then I believe I might have offended him and his wolf...

"I'm sorry," I apologize quietly, knowing that this isn't my life, it isn't my place, "I'm sorry I overstepped my boundaries, Grandpa Keir," my gaze falls on the blankets in front of me.

I feel the deep vibration of a growl that was lingering in the back of his throat, reverberating through his chest before I see a shift back and he releases a sigh. With a shake of his head, he informs me, "No Acacia..."

"What?" I ask while raising my gaze to meet with his.

"You are a princess, knowing the order of a hierarchy is within your blood and that of your mother's," he continues to surprise me as he contradicts himself in a positive light, "this is who you are and who you will be one day. I'm just an alpha of a pack..." his voice trails off as he smiles and states with pride, "...but you...you will be a queen one day that reigns over the entire world, there are those that will look to you for guidance as your mother before you."

Ciarán is older; he will become the king and rule, not I. He's also a hybrid; I'm nothing.

A smile is on my face when he gives me one last kiss on my forehead before walking back toward the door, crossing the room before he pauses, "Keep asking questions and always lead with your heart because it's sometimes much smarter than your head and what you are led to believe."

I nod quickly and shuffle down under the covers as he smiles, "Goodnight, Acacia."

"Goodnight," I replied lazily, feeling the warmth of the covers cradle and embrace me.

I'm not sure how long I am asleep for before I hear whispering coming from the other side of my door...

...correction, under my door.

"Pst...Acacia," it's Dexter's quiet voice that startles me once I figure out who it is. Lifting up in bed, I turn to see that the clock reflects ten and I quickly glance outside the bedroom window to confirm that it is still nighttime.

"Heeeeeeeeey," I can see the light coming from beneath of the door, and he again calls, "psssssssssst, are you awake?"

I shake my head while giggling quietly to myself. Getting down out of bed and crossing the room, I crouch down on the floor and lay the side of my head against the wooden boards before I state, "Well...I am now."

"Oops," he returns, and I'm blinded for a split second. I see black spots as I sit up and try to clear my vision before he mumbles, "whoops, stupid flashlight."

Standing to my feet, I grasp the doorknob and open the door quietly. Dexter is kneeling on the ground while hitting the side of his flashlight. When he sees me, he points it at the floor and asks, "Hey, scary story?"

I grin from ear to ear before asking, "Who ya got?"

"Jelena," he pauses and says, "I tried to get Sophia, but she wouldn't even come to her door. I know she's awake, but..."

"It's okay; I'll come," I smile while nodding in the direction of the hallway. Quickly dashing back toward my bed, I make it up with pillows to believe I'm still in it, coming back to join Dexter in the hallway when I ask, "The adults?"

Dexter says, "They're still up downstairs and outside," he peers down the hallway with his flashlight out before motioning for me. Creeping down through the hallways, we reach a corner, and he whispers to me, right next to my ear, "The Crusaders Pack are staying in the next few rooms, just be quiet."

Nodding, I follow closely behind him making it to the end of the hallway before a creaky board lifts from beneath of my heel. We both freeze, Dexter looking back at me as we hold our breath. A few seconds pass by, my heart leaping from my chest before no response strikes us as alarming. It's only a few more seconds before we reach his room, ducking down into it before he shuts it quietly behind him.

Jelena bounces off Dexter's bed as she grins, "Acacia! You were awake!"

"Uhh..." I stare off at Dexter who is whistling with his flashlight behind his back.

"Come on, come on," Jelena grabs the pillows off the bed and the ones she's brought with her as well. The moon is bright from Dexter's window, the moonbeams cascading down through the drawn back curtains.

Walking toward her, we all set the pillows out so we can sit on the wooden floor. Once we are all set, Dexter grabs the blanket, and we maneuver it, so it's covering our heads, just a few feet of space between the three of us. We grin at each other while Dexter holds the flashlight in his hands and asks, "Ready?"

Nodding, Jelena grabs the flashlight from him and holds it under her face before she says, "In the beginning...there were vampires," she pauses for dramatic effect, "evil beings that wanted nothing more to take over the world like Pinky and the Brain!"

I giggle while Dexter takes back the flashlight and holds it under his face, casting shadows around the blanket, "They hunted our alphas, eventually coming into our homes and destroying everything...but..."

Jelena snatches the flashlight back and continues, "Pups were spared. Pups were safe, so long as we hid during the full moon on the winter solstice otherwise..."

Dexter takes the flashlight back again, and I have to cover my mouth with my hand as I continue to giggle, their scary story, not that frightening tonight, "...the evil vampire king would creep into your bedroom and drain your blood!"

"Oh, how scary," I roll my eyes as their storytelling game is so not up to date and they both look at me with despair in their eyes. It's not what I believed it was from...my laughing reaction I thought them to be regarding...but no...

In our slightly raised voices and laughter, I hardly noticed the sound of the door opening and closing to Dexter's room. Jelena's face is full of terror, Dexter fumbling to quickly turn off the flashlight as the light sounds of footsteps approach our makeshift blanket tent. My heart beats fast in my chest, Dexter pipping up a wheezy whisper, "Is it the vampire king?"

Oh please...gone and scared themselves for no reason...maybe one of the adults heard us...

"That's not a scary bedtime story," a voice I've never heard breaks through the silence, all of our eyes widening. It's not an adult's voice, but it's still slightly older, and as Jelena slowly grabs the blanket and pulls it from off our heads, I see them lock stares with the individual behind me.

When I quickly whirl around, I see him.

Taron's brown hair is slightly askew while his matching eyes stare at each of us but finally comes to rest on me. Dexter shifts somewhat and moves closer to Jelena, maybe seeking out protection from her as I'm not sure how this kid will act...if he'll be just like his dad.

He arches a brow and asks, "Do you want to hear a horrifying bedtime story?"

It's very faint, but in the corners of Dexter's room, the delicate spiderwebs begin to take hold, shaping and distorting the space around me. Glancing around, the purplish hues take on a new tone when I look around, Taron appearing a little perplexed at my immediate actions.

I can feel Jelena and Dexter turn to one another behind me, but I silently nod. Taron walks around to sit down right next to Dexter. Dexter practically yelps when he does this and Jelena quickly throws a hand over his mouth to quiet him.

I see the shadows forming again, glancing toward the corner nearest to the bedroom window and I nearly shriek myself...only it wouldn't have been from Taron's sudden arrival.

I question to myself...

...isn't that Lars?

I glance at each of them, and it appears that none of them can see the dark-haired amethyst-eyed warlock that stands closer to the window panes. A look crosses his features as I'm about to part my lips and speak, bringing his index finger to press against his lips as a sign for me to hush. I want to stay silent, but I'm bewildered as to how he's even in here...and how I'm the only one able to see him.

I feel something smooth slip past my mind, almost a dark feeling...

...but as the moon holds its light over me, the strange pull instantly fades away, images flashing through my mind. In a golden hue, a glow bathing me in warm light, whatever weird apparition I'd seen of Lars fades away too but a fleeting memory, a figment of my imagination.

While Jelena quiets Dexter and reassures him after Taron's startle, I turn so that I'm facing the group once again, Taron eyeing us before he begins his tale.

"There's a reason pups aren't allowed out at night, that the curfew is eight," he begins, and I suddenly get goosebumps, staring at him hard before he continues, "it's said, if you're out at night after curfew, the rogues will come for you."

Dexter is quickly gazing between Jelena and me, holding his legs tightly while Taron continues, "out at night, howls sound and come breathing down your back quicker than you can bat your eye...they come for you, silently creeping in the shroud of darkness. Trees blend with one another, molding into a background of endless loops, twists, and turns and then," he pauses a moment, and I see Jelena gulp down the knot at the edge of her throat, Taron quickly catching my gaze out of the corner of his eye, "when you think it can't get any quieter, when you believe the monsters have all but faded into a distant memory...they go for the kill." Taron moves and lunges slightly forward, scaring Dexter and Jelena as they try to stop themselves from shrieking.

While I remain sitting still, I tilt my head to the side and ask, "Is that how your mate was killed?"

"Acacia!" Jelena's eyes widen in horror at the words I've spoken, both Dexter and her face paling.

Taron turns his gaze on me while his eyes search deeply into mine. When he parts his lips to speak, the door to Dexter's room nearly comes flying off its hinges. Alpha Chris and a few other of his pack members stand occupying the space in the frame and the hallway.

His eyes land on each of us, darkness crossing them before clouding his entire perspective on the situation. Before he can fly off the handle, Grandpa Keir is also in the hallway, making his way through the men with Coen and his third in command Otto. Grandpa Keir is quick to sweep his gaze over us all before he stops a situation from escalating, "They're just sneaking around trying to have fun..."

"Alpha Keir...you know how I feel-"

"Then let's break up this little bedtime party, shall we?" Grandpa Keir wants to step in front of Alpha Chris to avoid this getting any worse. He stares down into my eyes, and I feel like he's disappointed in my actions of getting out of bed. We are all dispersed, taken back to our rooms without another word, no argument or rebuttal.

When Grandpa Keir tucks me into bed, he hardly says a word until I whisper, "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay...any other time, you would have been fine," he turns to me once more before he requests, "please just adhere to the rules this summer, okay?"

I nod quietly, sinking into my covers and rolling on my side. I hold the pillow tight to my head while I slowly drift off to sleep, only to be awakened by the sun's rays shimmering down through the window panes.

As I get ready for the day, Jelena's parents Goran and Aleksa Prize had announced that we'd be going to the lake today to spend some time outside of the lodge. We are leaving for early afternoon, putting on my blue and yellow strip top that rests just above my navel while pulling on the frilly bottom matching blue piece and readying for when we would leave. Pulling on jeans on top of my bottoms and a light blue tank top, I slip on my sneakers after putting on fresh soaks and head down to the hangout game room.

Most of the teenagers are playing video games, some of the older ones shooting pool. I see a few of the pups waiting on the couches, but I head toward the only small table that isn't occupied...

...the chess set.

Sitting down on the black chess pieces side, I admire the new set that Grandpa Keir had gotten since the last summer I'd spent here. Smiling, it soon fades when I hear footsteps approach from beside of me. Even some of the teens quiet just a bit, but when I lift my gaze, it locks with Taron.

"Can I match against you?" Taron asks, and I find it very odd at his choice if words, perhaps simulating what a physical fight might be.

Is he sizing me up?

He's only ten, and I'm eight...really now?

I shrug my shoulders and nod saying, "Go ahead."

As he settles down into the seat, he informs me, "I never really get to go first."

"Doesn't an alpha always make the first move?" I arch a brow at him and draw slight attention from those close by, some resting their pool sticks against the table.

I read him, understanding very quickly that I don't think he plays often...

...opting for physical strength, just like my brother.

Taron doesn't respond and makes his first move. Grasping the pawn directly in front of his bishop beside of his king between his fingers, he moves it two spaces forward.

He's opened up his king's diagonal, opening up a weakness instantly.

A moment later, I move the pawn in front of my king one space forward, allowing the use of my queen and bishop should he play the part of a fool. His gaze lands on the board for a split second before he takes the pawn next to the one he's already moved, the one directly in front of the knight and rests it next to his first pawn.

Taron, apparently you've been taught to build a strong line and move it forward, but not paying attention to the weakness you created from your first move. You've left yourself exposed and wide open.

I hadn't noticed how quiet it had become until Grandpa Keir and Alpha Chris are walking through those doors, apparently each looking for their respective child. My eyes lock with Taron's as I move my queen diagonally until it's next to the second pawn he moved.

Lifting my fingers from the piece I announce, "Checkmate."

Fool's Checkmate that is...

Taron's eyes widen as he quickly glances down and realizes there are none of the threes ways

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