Chapter 6: Four Ways To Go

I didn’t even wait until I was back on the main road before I made my call.

It wasn’t to my younger brother, Ivan. It was to the parents of my late wife, the only ones who talked to me after I was exiled from my Pack. Larry and Donna Winters had retired as Alphas of the Winona Pack ten years ago, turning it over to their oldest son. They practically lived with me as they watched their daughter fade away from the cancer ravaging her body. I called his cell. “Larry, it’s Leo. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas to you, son. What’s going on? You haven’t called in months.”

“I know. I found a reason to start going through some of her things; I’ve been donating them to charity and helping people. It’s time to let go.”

“It’s been a long time. I’m happy you’ve found the strength to tackle it at last.” I knew the decline of my wolf and my health had been watched by them, and that was one of the reasons I stopped meeting them in person. I couldn’t take the pain in their eyes as they saw what was happening to me. “Do you need our help?”

“I do, but not in that,” I said. “I would like to meet with you and go over a few things. I found something in my travels I didn’t ever expect to find, and I don’t know the implications of it.”

“What was it,” Larry said.

“I’d rather explain in person. I’ll bring along Catherine’s jewelry box; Donna can look through it and take back any family heirlooms.”

He covered the phone for a few minutes. “We’ll be in Red Wing tomorrow to meet some friends for lunch at the St. James. Why don’t you meet us at ten at the Caribou Coffee there? We can grab one of the rooms they use for meetings.” I loved that place, it was built into a historical building and was unlike any other store in the franchise.

“That sounds perfect,” I said. “Thank you.”

The phone got handed over, and Donna picked up. “Leo? This reason you mentioned; have you found someone? Are you finally ready to move on?”

“I found someone, but not to replace Catherine in my life. That hole will never be filled,” I said.

“She wanted you to live a full life, Leo. It’s all right to find love again.”

“I know that in my head, Mom, but my heart is still broken. Is it enough for my wolf to find a reason to keep living?”

“That Alpha… I still can’t look at the Welch Pack Alpha pair without wanting to smack the shit out of them. They should have been the ones to help you through your grief, not rip you from everyone you loved.”

“Water under the bridge, Mom. I’m still here. We’ll talk tomorrow.” I hung up and continued the drive, parking in the garage. I passed the cases of Jack Daniels by the door, reaching for one out of habit. I looked at the bottle and put it back. I’d told my mother-in-law I was bringing jewelry to look at, and I needed to get that ready. It also wouldn’t help to show up at ten in the morning smelling of whiskey.

I grabbed a Coke out of the fridge and brought it into the bedroom. She had a jewelry case in her dressing area, with four drawers and an area for her necklaces to hang. Werewolves had slightly different tastes in jewelry due to our shifting. Most didn’t wear many rings other than wedding rings, as the paws wouldn’t hold them after a shift. Wedding rings could be quickly removed and left with clothing, or attached to a clip on a necklace. The same issue arose during the shift with bracelets and watches.

Necklaces were like collars and could survive the shift, provided they were loose enough around the neck for the extra size and fur. A ‘choker’ style necklace would do just that to your wolf. Earrings survived the shift just fine, and some of the younger wolves had piercings. If we knew we were going to shift, we’d take it all off. The women, especially those working and interacting with humans, wore jewelry to blend in.

I had it easy, I never wore a watch and I only had my wedding band.

I opened the first drawer, which was filled with pins and brooches. It was easier to wear jewelry on our clothes instead of our body, and Catherine had accumulated quite a few of them. Some had hidden meanings; the old mill, with blue gems forming the river and rubies the wheel, was a symbol of the Welch Pack. I started sorting them, leaving the ones I had purchased for her, and setting the others aside on the counter. If I didn’t remember, I set it aside.

When I was done an hour later, I went back to the kitchen and grabbed a bunch of ziplock bags. The snack sized bags worked well for the smaller stuff; I used a bread tie to hook all the necklaces together before placing them in a larger bag. I put the small bags into a large bag, and that into a shopping bag with a zippered top.

The next morning, I drove into Red Wing and got to Caribou well before ten. I ordered a muffin and a large coffee, and arranged for a small room we could meet in upstairs. Larry and Donna arrived with their coffees just before ten. “Leo,” Donna said as I stood up. “You look… better.”

I kissed her cheek, then shook Larry’s hand. “I’ve made some changes in my life,” I said. “Please, sit. I’ll explain while you sort through that stuff. Anything you want, just set to the side.” I passed the bag to Donna, who laid the bags on the table.

“Who is she, Leo?” Larry didn’t mess around.

“In my travels, I met a child. Almost five years old, living with her human mother. She’s a werewolf, Larry, and she has the Alpha mantle on her.”

The resulting spittake and coughing fit took a minute to recover from and clean up. “Let me get this straight, Leo,” Donna said as she cleaned coffee off the table. “There’s a girl out there with humans, and she’s the firstborn of an Alpha.”

“There’s no mistake on either one,” I said.

“You have to tell her father immediately,” Larry said. “That’s his first-born, and you know how dangerous it is to have a pup being raised away from other wolves and an Alpha. She could shift at any time, and do it among humans.”

“I can’t tell her father,” I replied. “The father cheated on his mate with the human mother, leaving her pregnant, and offered to pay for an abortion. She didn’t accept, obviously.”

“He’s going to figure it out,” Donna said. “The child is four, so this happened around 2014?” I nodded. “He’s a current Alpha?”

“He is.”

“Oh, his wife is going to serve up his nuts with barbecue sauce and cornbread,” Donna said. “Do they have children?”

I nodded. “Several.”

She just shook her head sadly. “Then they already know his child is out there somewhere. The Alpha mantle goes to the firstborn child about 95% of the time, male or female. In every instance where the firstborn does not get it, the second does. Since the father can only pass the mantle to one of his children, they have to know there is another out there.”

Larry leaned forward. “The child is in great danger, Leo. This only goes one of three ways. One, the father claims the child, allows her to grow with his family in the Pack, and turns the Pack over to her when they retire.”

I snorted. “Like his mate is going to let his bastard daughter take her family’s Pack,” I said.

“He is Alpha of a Pack where he mated into the position? It wasn’t his Alpha mantle to begin with?”

“Correct. He mated the eldest daughter of an Alpha.”

Larry shook his head. “You probably didn’t pay attention to this, since you were born with the Alpha mantle, but it’s different when the Alpha mantle goes to a female. When she mates, the Alpha mantle extends to him too. The firstborn of either will get it. Now, obviously her child will not be a problem, but if he knocks up another wolf, the first-born gets it. The mantle will stay with this child unless she is killed. If that happens, and the Alpha is still in power, the mantle would shift to the second-born child.”

“The one that is HER son or daughter,” Donna added. “The one who is supposed to inherit the Pack.”

“Given the choice, they will kill her in a heartbeat,” I said. “That’s the number two option.”

“And her mother, to cover the whole sordid affair up,” Donna said. “The longer this goes on, the more pressure there will be to eliminate her. Your parents are an example of how quickly things can change. If this Alpha pair died today, their Pack would have no true Alpha. It would be like the Welch Pack now; a Beta playing Alpha, but always vulnerable to takeover.”

“Your own Beta never would have defeated you if your wolf hadn’t given up,” Larry said. “An Alpha wolf with the Mantle doesn’t lose to a Beta unless he wants to.”

“You know what happened, Dad.”

“I do. It was a mistake, but it’s done now. The question is what to do with this girl. Since you didn’t call the father and you’re asking our advice, I assume you want to help her.”

“It’s like I NEED to help her, Larry. Our wolves, they’ve bonded. Four years of fading away, and suddenly my wolf perks up and claims her as his own pup.”

“You’re shitting me,” he said.

“Nope. At first, I didn’t know what to think. When I looked into her eyes, her wolf submitted to mine. ‘MY PUP, MY PACK,’ is what he told me. So, yeah, I need to help her.”

Donna was shaking her head. “That’s crazy. I’ve heard of that happening with a mate, but never with a pup.”

“She’s not a second-chance mate; it’s not that at all. My wolf sees her as his daughter.” My human side did too; she needed protection, and I wanted to be there to protect her.

“What about the human mother,” Donna asked. “Is it possible she is your mate?”

“She’s less than half my age, Mom, and I’ve never seen her that way. My wolf is not interested in her, and I’m not interested in anyone else.”

She put her hand over mine. “This is an answer to my prayers, then. Not the answer I thought I would get, but an answer none the less.” I raised an eyebrow at her. “I’ve been praying for a woman to come along and rescue you and your wolf from the trail to death you’ve been walking. This girl will be your salvation, Leo. Love and protect her with all that you are, and who knows? Maybe someday you’ll find a woman to run at your side again.”

“No woman wants a fifty-one year old former Alpha who’s been banished,” I said.

“I see an Alpha and his heir, ready to make their own Pack a reality,” she responded. “Keep her hidden; if a Pack wolf smells her and word gets out, either she’s killed, or someone force mates her to bring the Alpha mantle into a Pack that doesn’t have one.”

“Option three,” I said as I shook my head.

Larry looked me in the eyes, his wolf staring mine down. “There is an Option Four, where she becomes Alpha of the Pack she chooses. If you don’t want to run a Pack again, prepare her to run her own. Train her to be a good Alpha. It’s her birthright, Leo.”

“What about her family? Her human family?”

“I can’t tell you what to do there, son. You know the rules. You also know the risks of a werewolf child among humans. They are helpless and clueless against the danger she is in, just because she exists. If you can’t remove them from the situation, you’ll have to convince them to let you help.”

I took a sip of my coffee as I thought, the temperature now low enough to drink. “I’ll just have to convince them.”

Donna had only taken a few pieces out, and she returned the rest to me. “Your daughter should inherit Catherine’s jewelry,” she said. “We have to leave, but we’re a phone call away, Leo.” We stood up, and she kissed my cheek. “You and your wolf are going to live and love again. I can feel it.”

I watched them walk out and sat back to think. I had to be close, and for that they needed to trust me.

Trust isn’t easy to establish or maintain.

I was going to have to show them.