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Acacia/Ciarán - Age 15

Jelena and I walk down the stairs, observing as everyone is gathering to greet their merger pack per the formality. I remain behind a lot of those who are standing outside now, some welcoming those who have become family and friends over the years while others just are being courteous. Marcus is already making friends with one of the pups in Grandpa Keir's pack, seeing how they are weaving between the legs of those older than them.

I catch sight of Alpha Chris, though I take a step back behind Jelena for a moment as he greets Grandpa Keir. They speak with one another as most of the pack members of both begin to disperse to go about their day.

"Owie!" Marcus suddenly cries out, and I quickly step around Jelena to see what's happened.

"Awe, hey there little guy," Ridge's voice melts my heart, the feeling of how numb and cold I've been growing over the year slowly slips away as I see him kneel down in front of my little brother. He helps Marcus to his feet, his eyes looking over him as he also takes in his scent. A chuckle leaves his lips as Marcus attempts to fake cry and he says, "You don't need to toughen up," he bops his noise with his finger and cautions, "but, don't cry wolf."

Jelena and Dexter are chasing after a few pups that are tinkering around with the cars that the Crusaders Pack arrived in, a small smile on my lips as I watch Marcus reply to Ridge, "Okay..."

"Marcus," I call out to him, and I instantly see Ridge's gaze land on me. He stands to his feet while my little brother runs over to me, quickly grabbing onto my waist and hiding behind my back.

Ridge walks toward me, a tiny smile beginning to form on his lips as he asks, "Acacia?"

"No!" Marcus holds onto me tighter and growls, "My Cacia!"

Ridge throws his hands up defensively and says, "Oh my...don't worry though, I won't take your sister."

Marcus sticks his tongue out before I tell him, "Go inside and eat lunch...you didn't eat anything all morning."

He releases a sigh and looks Ridge square in the eyes before he motions the 'I'm watching you' look and takes off back into the lodge. I can't help but giggle, Ridge also laughing as Marcus moves entirely out of sight.

"Hey," I feel a little awkward...

...it's been so long...and I don't know how he feels toward me after what happened with Ciarán rejecting him.

"It's nice to see you," he drops formality and suddenly hugs me very tightly. I can hardly breathe as I also embrace him back, remembering the scent of each wolf as they surround me by merely being among them.

"What did I tell you?!" Marcus is growling on the front porch at Ridge.

"Marcus!" I snap, and he finally goes back inside, Ridge releasing me from his arms as we take a few steps away from one another.

He chuckles and says, "Your brother is quite cute."

"Mmhmm...he tends to have that effect on people," I watch as he peeks around the corner again and I narrow my eyes at him. A second later, Marcus is back out of sight, and I release a sigh.

Alpha Chris and Grandpa Keir are still talking, though they walk closer as I notice one of the car doors open. I didn't realize...

...Taron steps out of the car before shoving his cell phone into his pant pocket.

The moment he sees me, he stops in his tracks for a second. He shakes his head as though clearing his thoughts, walking toward his dad as I hear Alpha Chris tell Grandpa Keir, "She'll be staying the summer at the Crusaders Pack lodge...she's not been feeling well."

Sophia?

Please...

...tell me...

Do I get a Sophia free summer...?

"I'm sorry to hear Sophia's been so ill," Grandpa Keir nods and mentions, "I'll have Coen visit with his daughter as I'm sure he'll want to check on her himself."

"Yo! Let's get going!" Holden finally waits patiently before once again bringing up their already planned trip to the lake that Marcus and I seem to have interfered with.

Dexter heads back to the lodge to gather his things, Jelena running by Ridge and I before she halts and says, "Acacia, you down for a swim?"

Ridge smirks and appears hurt, "I'm not invited?"

"I never said you weren't," Jelena pulls down the lower lid on one of her eyes while sticking her tongue out at him. She's jogging into the lodge before she calls, "Get your trunks dummy and let's go!"

"Marcus?" I ask while furrowing my brows.

"He can go out tomorrow," Grandpa Keir is now near us as he chuckles and says, "I want to go over a few more things with him before he ventures out in the territory with other pack members."

How could I have forgotten so quickly?

Grandpa Keir will help Marcus learn and understand more about pack life than my parents ever can...a good start to the summer for him, and I feel a little less guilty that I'm going to spend time with my friends.

Taron stands alongside his dad, Alpha Chris regarding me briefly before saying, "I'm glad to see that everything between the packs is intact."

The whole reason Taron came to the end of the year dance last year...

...me being here is proof that everything is alright between us and that we can act as cordial friends.

"You coming with us, Taron?" Ridge asks while I see Taron break the brief eye contact we hold.

"Sure," he's very short in his response and hardly casts me another glance before he heads inside the lodge with Ridge staring off at him. He's quick to follow and get this swim gear as I'm left with the two alphas.

"The queen to be..." Alpha Chris' voice trails off as he regards me.

Grandpa Keir shakes his head and says, "I haven't told the pack as I'm sure Acacia will want to tell others when she's ready."

Of course, news has spread about my parents' decision to name me heir to the throne.

"I'm going to...uhh..." I'm left awkwardly fumbling.

Grandpa Keir chuckles at this and nods, "Go on and have fun. I'll be spending some time with your brother shortly."

With that in mind, I'm already up the stairs and in my room, searching through everything as I thought I'd packed my swimsuit...come to think of it...

...I never unpacked it.

"Great..."

"What's up?" Jelena stops by my door.

"I left my swimsuit at home," I release a sigh and throw my bag back down onto the floor, kicking it beneath the bed.

Jelena lets out a snort and says, "Really? That's what you're worried about?" She pauses a moment and motions, "Come on, borrow one of mine."

She leads me to her room, shutting the door behind her before she rummages through her top dresser drawer. After a few moments, she pulls out a few options...all of which...

"Jelena..." my voice trails off as I furrow my brows at the selections on her bed, "...do you have any one piece swimsuits?"

"And get worse tan lines then I already do?" She arches a brow before laughing, "Nah, these are my only ones."

Great...

...I don't feel comfortable in the bikini options she has.

After selecting the least of the revealing ones, I change out of my clothes and pull on the bottoms. The black base is a nice contrast to the vivid pink and green flowers that are the pattern on this set. Drawing on the top, it clicks around my back and behind my neck, the middle section tied together by multiple strings. It surprises me when I fill out some of the top as I'm not as developed as Jelena...

"Daaaamn girl, why don't you wear two-piece swimsuits again?" She furrows her brows while I slip on my jean shorts and pull a shirt on over the top.

I scrunch my nose at her and state, "Because I'm a lady, that's why."

"Oh, I see...been watching the classics," she laughs at my response, and we slip on our shoes, heading out her bedroom door and meeting up with everyone outside the lodge.

Jelena, Dexter, Holden, Ridge, Taron and I head out in the direction of the lake, taking our time walking through the forest. It reminds me of the last time...with the rogues that attacked and how it was the beginning of me not living up to everyone's expectations.

We're walking around the back area of the lake before coming out toward all the picnic tables, Holden asking innocently, "Soooooo...how's Sophia?"

"Fine," Taron replies as Jelena and Dexter set their backpacks down on the table that contain the towels.

Dexter kicks off his shoes and throws his shirt onto the backpacks before walking away from the tables. Jelena is next to remove her clothes, a tiny bikini hardly covering much of her flesh. Well, she's confident in herself, and I'm proud of her for that...but, maybe Ridge can throw me into the water again, so I have a legitimate reason to be in my clothes.

"Don't you sneak attack Acacia again," Jelena warns Ridge while he throws his shirt onto the table, kicking off his shoes and offering her an innocent smile.

Holden is already jumping into the lake from the rocks, Dexter running to join him. Taron removes his shirt and shoes before casting Ridge a quick glance, right as Jelena waves her hand in front of her nose and states, "Wow...your scent is of-"

"Fluorescent rocks!" Ridge quickly interrupts her while Taron briefly regards Jelena. Jelena throws her hands up into the air and turns away from us, heading toward the lake. Ridge grins at me and says, "Vampire girl staying indoors a lot needs sunscreen, no?"

"I'm not a vampire," I retort, though I do unzip Jelena's bag and withdraw the sunscreen.

I catch Taron mutter, "Psh, yeah right...vampire's girl anyway," though, he's already walking away toward the lake, Ridge lingering behind.

Ouch.

The bridge of my nose stings and I breathe in and out calmly, pushing away the tears. I step out of my shorts, removing my top as I begin to put on a light layer of sunscreen. Ridge is kind enough to ask, "You want help with your back?"

"Yes please," I take his offer, handing the container to him while I finish smoothing out the amount I have on my arms.

"Ridge!" Taron yells, and I feel it in my muscles with the way his tone implies...that alpha tone.

Ridge releases a sigh before he quickly helps me and then turns to walk toward the lake, my heart also dropping into my stomach as I turn around and gaze out to see Dexter and Holden taking turns running and jumping off the rocks. Jelena is wading in the water, laughing as Ridge finally splashes into the water, spraying it everywhere in the process.

I step closer to the water's edge, feeling the coolness of the lake ripple over my feet as I brace myself for the full plunge. I'm muttering under my breath, "Cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold," until I'm up to my chest, Jelena swimming over toward me.

When she gets close enough, she smiles, tilting her head to the side before she splashes water right at me. I scream, "JELENA!"

"Hahahahaha!" Jelena cackles like a banshee as she starts to swim away from me. I begin to chase after her, but I don't get far as Holden once again plummets into the water and it causes almost a tidal wave with his cannonball. The water goes over my head briefly before I surface again, smoothing my hair back and out of my eyes as I get my bearings.

There's no one around me.

It's silent.

A purple aura surrounds the clearing, smog-like smoke coming from the trees as it evaporates into the air. The air is thick, finding it hard to breathe as I whirl around standing on the bottom of the lake, the water coming to my chin.

I can smell it creeping from the edge of my senses...blood. It's heavy in the air, the distortion of many wolves coming into view from the tree trunks, though their bodies are mangled, some ripped limb from limb. My heart rate skyrockets when I swallow hard, watching as even though they should be dead, they fight back and attack those coming from the other side of the lake bank...

...it's horrible. My heart aches, my mind unclear as I keep hearing my name being called.

"Heeelllooo? Acacia? Hello?" It's Jelena...my eyelids blinking rapidly, and I finally see her standing in front of me in the water, waving her hand in front of my face.

"Yeah, sorry," I shake my head and see Dexter aiming to splash Jelena from behind. I cry out quickly, "Jelena!"

She quickly turns around and tackles Dexter into the water, their cries muffled beneath the water's surface. Ridge swims over and asks me, "You okay?"

"Ridge, stop wasting your time with an ulterior motive liar, who only seeks attention from others," Taron's words cut through me clean and deep, my heart stopping in my chest as I feel a hand slowly squeezing it.

"I..." my voice is barely above a whisper, swallowing hard before I turn away from Ridge, not able to even look at Taron as I swim back away toward the picnic tables. I get out of the water, reaching for Jelena's backpack and taking one of the towels out before wrapping myself up in it.

I can barely make out Jelena calling, "Acacia?!"

A Sophia free summer means nothing...

...when I'm treated like this to someone I believed was my friend.

Tears are in my eyes as I walk toward one area of the treeline meeting the edge of the lake, hearing Jelena snarling, "What the hell did you say to her?!"

"Watch it," Taron snaps right back.

"You're not my alpha you asshole!" Jelena is right back at it, her mouth fired off as I walk past a few of the tree trunks, resting my back against the bark once I sit at its base.

There's arguing going on it the distance, but I shut it all out, bringing my towel covered knees to my chest and resting my chin on them.

No matter where I go...

Footsteps cause me to look up slightly, and I see it's Taron standing a few yards away. The water from the lake rolls down his pecs and over his abs, my gaze quickly flickering away at how much he's matured over these years. I flinch slightly when he strides over and halts just a few feet away, kneeling down before he snaps, "Why did you bother coming back?"

...I can't.

Hot angry tears begin to slide from the corners of my eyes as I bring my gaze back to meet with his, telling him, "You never cared even to hear my side," he's about to say something, and I cut him off, "you're just like everyone else, so eager and finding it easy to follow what you see blindly. Mercury has tormented me for years...why bother fighting anymore when no one's on your side?"

Taron stares at me hard, though his eyes soften as I see that golden glint reflecting off his irises. I can see him parting his lips to speak, but I beat him to it and snap, "I thought you were my friend...but I guess you're not. You'd rather find it easier to write me off by what you saw...but that doesn't mean it's what I wanted you to see...that was him..." a hiccup surfaces and I cry out, "...he takes everything from me, and everyone around me is too blind to believe me...I thought I found safety in your friendship, even after we made a mistake I thought that just maybe...maybe we can at the very least be friends," tears are streaming down my face now, my body slightly vibrating from how upset I am, "but I guess I was wrong. He's won...and I'll never be anything other then what he wants me to be."

It's silent.

Taron's eyes search mine and after a few minutes, I lower my forehead to rest back on the top of my towel covered knees. I sniffle down the pain and anger, the emotions that are so wrapped up in me that I can't do anything about them and speaking out shows me the realization of my reality.

The warmth breaks through the icy barrier guarding my heart the second I feel his hands grasping my upper arms. The pads of his thumbs brush over my skin, feeling the heat move beneath my flesh as I slowly bring my gaze back up to meet with his, though I know my eyes are red from crying.

Taron looks at me...this time, I can see he's looking at me, his irises utterly golden as though it's our souls staring into one another. His eyes deeply search mine as I release a very shaky breath...yet I never release it entirely, because a second later...

...his lips claim mine.

💫--To Be Continued--💫
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