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Acacia/Ciarán - Age 16

"RUN!" Holden screams like a five-year-old girl as he comes down the muddy hill, slipping on the pathway and nearly falling head over heels. Jelena and Dexter are staring at him with wide eyes as his face is pale as a ghost...that is before his face ends up eating the mud in front of him as he comes crashing to our feet.

Dexter appears to shrink back slightly as well, glancing to Jelena and saying with worry, "I can feel that."

"Alpha," Jelena concurs, though Holden's face lifts from the mud as he scrambles to his feet.

"It's a she-wolf!" He yells, my brows furrowing as my gaze flickers to Jelena. I see the way her eyes darken slightly, knowing she's mind linking with the pack.

Shaking my head, I glance toward the top of the hill and finally see what the commotion Holden is causing. A slight giggle surpasses my lips, and I swear the second Jelena's eyes brighten once again, not only her, but Dexter and Holden are staring at me like I don't understand the severity of their apparent situation.

"What?" I ask while shrugging my shoulders.

"Acacia, this is bad," Jelena's gaze flickers away and states, "we need to run, others from the pack are on the way. A she-wolf alpha? No, this is insane, and she's on Alpha Keir's territory..."

Rolling my eyes, I turn away from her and start walking up the hill toward that which is making everyone so frightened and cautions. I can hear Holden screaming after me, "ACACIA!"

Turning around, I ask, "Can we just...chill for a second?"

She's beside me in an instant and causing another round of screams to erupt. I see she has on a backpack but doesn't carry any weapons...I don't think she needs them anyways.

Arching a brow, Etain and I glance at one another before I state, "She's like my step cousin...right?"

Etain laughs and nods replying, "Step cousin...ish, I guess."

"A-A-Aca-cacia?" Jelena is stammering as I'm so casual with her. It's not moments later that so many from the pack are drawn to our location, many already shifted and ready to take down this alpha who's breached their territory.

Even Grandpa Keir steps forward, and I see the way he regards Etain and then his eyes land on me. He appears slightly on edge, that is until I tell him, "It's Etain."

Grandpa Keir releases a sigh of relief, and I see a lot of others releasing their tension as their alpha deems this situation no longer hostile with the possibility of violence. Etain glances to me and informs me, "See, this is the type of reception I try to avoid...though Dante wanted me to drop off your work sooner than a notice of my presence could be made."

I understand now.

Grandpa Keir walks forward away from the rest of the pack, coming just a few feet from the two of us. He nods at Etain and introduces himself, "Alpha Keir Wood of the Silent Stars Pack."

He outstretches his hand and Etain acknowledges him while returns the introduction when she states, "Alpha Etain Matz, Envoy of the Mercy Matrons Pack."

There are so many murmurs that break out among the pack members, recognizing the very pack she belongs to. Of course, they would recognize it, yet she's never once come to Grandpa Keir's pack...

...because he'd never turn anyone away, regardless if they were orphaned.

Etain tilts her head to the side and apologizes, "I'm sorry to frighten your...juveniles," she pauses a moment as I see the way Jelena takes slight offense because, despite her age, she thinks much more like the young adults of the pack. Etain then finishes with, "Dante asked me to remain with Acacia so long as she wants considering...everything. Even I don't know how long I'll be around for her as I have obligations to the Mercy Matrons, though I'm sure I'll see her to the end of summer and the start of her senior year at Meliorist Sanctum."

Grandpa Keir nods and replies, "As alpha and envoy of the Mercy Matrons, you are by law allowed to remain as long as you wish, so long as you respect our pack laws."

"Understood," Etain agrees, and the last of the tension disperses.

"Now, I'd like to invite you for lunch if you'd be so inclined," Grandpa Keir is playing the role of alpha, especially in regards to another, he isn't familiar with. It's interesting to see the difference in how he acts to others...

...though he'll always be my snugly bear of a grandpa.

Etain glances to me, and I shrug my shoulders stating, "I'm getting hungry."

When she looks back to Grandpa Keir, she acknowledges him and replies, "Lunch it is then."

Without another word, the pack members slowly draw away, heading back to the pack lodge or off to doing what they were before Jelena calling for help. As we walk back toward the lodge, Etain, and Grandpa Keir further up ahead as they talk lightly, Jelena comes up beside me and whispers loudly, "What the hell?! I've never met a she-wolf alpha..."

"Neither have I..." my voice trails off as I stare on ahead, admiring who she is and the respect she does hold, "...until she helped save my life."

We're all sitting at the table, and it comes as a surprise to me when Grandpa Keir offers Etain the seat at his right, and I shift to his left. While we are eating lunch, I can hear them talking about what it is she does and how many lives she has saved...

...though one thing, in particular, is mentioned that draws my attention.

"A pack of rogue wolves," Etain nods while she captures Grandpa Keir's attention.

Grandpa Keir nods and replies with, "We've encountered two major rogue attacks that were coordinated over the past eight years...though I believed they just happened to be coincidentally traveling with one another."

Etain releases a sigh and states, "While that is the case with rogues, abandoning their packs due to the structure they don't want to adhere to, it wouldn't make sense for them to band together...let alone a wolf pack recognizing the rogues as a pack of their own."

"Yet, you know something, don't you?" Grandpa Keir arches a brow while Etain finishes another bite of her sandwich.

A light laugh leaves her lips soon after and she notes, "Why yes...yes I do. I'd come across them a few years back while bringing back an orphaned pup where the parents had died during a dispute among pack territory...it's sad to say that neither pack feuding would respect and take the pup into their care," she shrugs her shoulders and continues, "it's not my place to judge, that's what I do."

I catch Jelena listening in as much as I am, though I don't lift my gaze to glance at the two alphas. Jelena's face reflects the wide curiosity that many seem to be having in regards to their conversation.

Etain sets her silverware down and continues, "I caught one of the rogues' trackers following me while I had the pup in my care, more than likely disregard the power I possess..." she giggles and sighs, "...his mistake, my fortune. I interrogated the tracker, to the point I received two instrumental pieces of information. One, the rogues have banded together into a pack, and they refer to themselves as the Broken Edge Pack," she pauses as I know Grandpa Keir is registering this information.

"At the summer's end of last year, it has to have been this pack you speak of that attacked, though I don't understand why," Grandpa Keir continues with, "we managed to kill nearly all of them, capturing three while a few managed to evade and escape during the carnage."

Etain shifts in her seat while I stare at the bottom of my soup bowl. She then tells him, "The second thing I learned, is the whole reason they were stalking between these two packs' lands...their so-called 'alpha' was looking for his mate that seemed to elude him at every turn."

"The feuding packs?" Grandpa Keir asks with hesitation.

My eyes suddenly widen when Etain confirms, "Come now Alpha Keir...you should very well know who I am referring to," I glance up briefly to see her arching a brow at him before she confirms, "the Crusaders Pack and the Primordial Snare Pack."

My heart beats fast, as I start to piece many things together...

...that man, his gaze never pried away from Sophia. He kept yelling incoherently for her.

My eyes widen as I recall now...

Coen...he was interrogating the three rogues that were captured, and it was the same man...

His voice is raised when he snarls, "Liar!"

"She's mine!" The man loudly claims, my eyes widening for a moment, "I will take what's mine!"

She.

She as in...Sophia?

Is that man...is he the alpha of this rogue Broken Edge Pack?

Grandpa Keir replies with a sigh, "Unfortunately, there's no useful information we received from the three we captured as they were shortly after that executed."

Was...

...was this man...?

Etain glances at me and states, "I almost forgot," she kicks the backpack of hers under the table and notes, "Dante said this is the schoolwork you have to complete by the end of the year to move on to senior year. It's up to you whether or not you want to return for the end of the year ball, but they do not require your presence to be there."

Smart of them...after everything that's happened, it wouldn't be wise for them to force me to do something I don't want to.

Nodding my head, I reply, "It won't take me that long."

"Brilliant Arin as always," she muses while noting, "I'm sure it'll take you less than a month if I presume correctly?"

"Yes," she understands that I don't care about my social life anymore within that school. I had even asked Dante in the past if I could do all my schoolwork, but not have to attend the school physically...

...and see where that got me?

The rest of the months passed by quickly and Etain was right, it only took me a month or so to finish my work, and I was able to relax with Jelena, Dexter, and Holden. We spent a lot of time talking indoors, but I was also able to see them train. It was interesting how they were matched against others within their pack, and seeing how strong they have grown reminds me just how to put together a werewolf pack is...

...the strength of each wolf adds to that of the pack.

Spring came and went, Etain providing more knowledge and sharing with Grandpa Keir while he also seemed to be warming up to her. She left for a few weeks on an envoy mission to one of the neighboring packs as she'd received word from one of her trackers that a pup was being exiled due to the last member of their family dying and they didn't want an omega among them to bring down the strength of the pack.

It was heartbreaking hearing about this, but Etain performed her role, and she'd garnered so much respect from the Silent Stars Pack. She came back late into spring after dropping off my assignments at the school, the summer creeping up ever so slowly.

I didn't hear anything from my friends...

...I didn't want to. Everything was just so chaotic, and I wanted to live with Grandpa Keir's pack forever as it seemed the most inviting place for me to be...despite knowing that the Crusaders Pack would be arriving any day now.

Etain is taking a rest for once, in her room while Jelena and I are sitting on the front porch of the pack lodge. She and I are weaving fabric as we are making light blankets for Etain to eventually take back to the Mercy Matrons on her next return trip home, hoping they will become of some use to those within the pack.

I scratch at my neck, tilting my head back and forth as the muscles in my neck tense from staring down. My braided hair is down the length of my back, my eyes fixated on the weaving. Jelena laughs and says, "Try sitting up straight now and then."

"There's already so many things I have to do proper...I'd rather not add another," I tease her as we are finishing the blankets.

My eyes are drawn to the cars that are pulling up toward the pack lodge, Jelena slowly standing to her feet as we both know that it's the Crusaders Pack. My heart begins to race, trying to figure out how I'm going to keep my emotions in check...

...perhaps I can stay away from everything and avoid both Taron, Sophia and...

...the pup.

Sophia steps out of the car with a small bundle in her arms, though she's got an angry look set on her face. While Taron storms out of the car from the other side, I can see Alpha Chris and Coen moving quickly from the front seat.

Taron is beyond livid as he's calling angrily, "Alpha Keir!"

Even Alpha Chris is beyond words at the way his face is set with the same amount of anger his son has. My brows furrow with confusion because the second Taron's eyes land on me...

...all his anger disperses.

In fact, I see some sense of relief wash over him, but I don't understand why.

"You can't jus-"

Sophia is cut off while she screams at Taron. Taron is quick to snarl back at her, "YOU made your choice!"

Grandpa Keir is quick to emerge from the pack lodge while he meets with Alpha Chris at the halfway point where Alpha Chris notes, "Our agreement-" though he cuts himself short once he sees me as well.

"Acacia."

There are so many that say my name in unison, but I'm still unsure of what exactly is happening. Coen is trying to comfort Sophia as they draw closer to the two alphas. Ridge appears from one of the other cars, his face lighting up with a smile as he cries out loud, "ACACIA!"

"I-"

My voice becomes nonexistent though when Taron draws a few feet closer to me. There's so much relief...his eyes soften, seeing the way his wolf briefly flickers forward while he restrains him slightly. Taron releases a sigh and begins, "Acacia...I-"

Though, he's cut short...the way his eyes flicker over the side of my neck.

The anger that comes from his voice startles me...I guess I'd scratched some of the concealer off...

Taron snarls with such anger and frustration, "Well...my mate is marked and claimed by a vampire...and my choice mate for the sake of a pack merger is a whore."

💫--To Be Continued--💫
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