The Human In The Wolf Pack
Chapter 23

Waking up in Rider’s arms had become surprisingly familiar. The warmness of his embrace, as his strong arms engulfed me. He slept heavy once he fell asleep, which I found oddly endearing. His intimate warmth was something that I loved, a feeling that I had grown fond of. As I awoke, the dull throb of my fresh mark made itself known, causing me to remember all that had happened yesterday. Reality was like a splash of cold water, sucking away all of my peaceful happiness. Now that I was fully rested, my mind felt clearer. Yesterday, I was too shocked over what Tristan told me.I hadn’t had time for it to sink it, and I couldn’t react to the situation properly.

I believed Tristan when he said a war was coming. I wasn’t sure why I was chosen to receive this gift, but Tristan was chosen for the same reason. Even though there was no logical reason as to why, I trusted him. Having my mate’s large body wrapped around my own, it made it even harder to accept that I had to leave him, but this wasn’t forever. It was true that I was weak. All I knew how to do was to read a person’s emotions, and that was not enough to protect all the people I cared about. I had to go, but when I come back, I will be a reliable person that can safeguard all that I held dear.

Rider’s arms seemed to tighten around me marginally, as if sensing my train of thought. He slept curled around me, and would occasionally let out soft, content snores. He was precious, this man that I had come to love. The pack grounds seemed oddly quiet, even as the sun began to set. Perhaps because everyone was so tired after searching for me the night before. I sat in his arms thinking. When would Trenton be back? How would I escape? Rider expects it now, I no longer have the element of surprise.

I can help. Terran supplied.

How?

We have gifts, Vera. It’s not too hard to slip past a sleeping wolf pack. Just let me take over.

You can do that?

With your permission. And you’ll always be able to gain back full control.

Ok… How will we replace Trenton?

Leave that to me.

Give me a sec?

Of course.

I turned my attention back to my sleeping mate. I took an unsteady breath as I leaned over him, placing a k**s on his forehead. His skin felt warm, radiating a comforting aura that I had come to rely on. It was odd to think we had only been together for a few months. It felt like a lifetime, but also like it hadn’t been nearly long enough. He was quick tempered, but kind. He was playful, and mischievous, but he always took care of me without asking for anything in return. I hoped that his patience would hold on, and that he could forgive me.

“I love you,” I whispered softly against his skin. Then, I closed my eyes, letting Terran take over. It was an odd feeling, like my consciousness was sinking backwards. I watched everything with my own eyes, but my body no longer followed my directions. I didn’t fight the sensation though, and trusted Terran to do what needed to be done. Terran moved away from Rider, gently removing his arms that held my body close, leaving him undisturbed. She shifted to get off the bed, but before our feet could touch the floor, we began to levitate.

We moved soundlessly across the room, to the window. The window unlocked and opened without my body lifting a finger. Though I knew that I should be shocked, I was more in awe than anything. Outside there was a two story drop. For a werewolf, it wasn’t a big deal, but for a human like me, the most common injury would be a broken bone, and worse case scenario, I could die. I felt a sense of detached skepticism as Terran climbed through the window, but performing a gentle leap. But what I had expected to happen, didn’t. We gently floated down to the ground, defying gravity. It felt as if I was a feather drifting on the breeze.

It all seemed so impossible, but I continued to watch, fascinated. A path seemed to glow a soft, heavenly blue, as we descended, my feet still not touching the bare ground as I looked around for a moment. I followed the illuminated path, somehow knowing where it would lead me. Plants seemed to lean toward me as I passed, like they were stretching to touch me, like children reaching up to be held. I didn’t know how long it had been, but then, there was Tristan, awaiting me.

“Terran,” he said, nodding his head reverently.

I felt a small smile touch my face as I slowly landed on the ground. Where my feet touched, a dozen morning glories sprung out of the ground, their vines curling gingery around my legs. Then I was back in control. The feeling of swimming to the surface reached my mind, and with a hard blink, I felt Terran fall back. I looked down in surprise at the ankle that I had just sprained. No longer swollen, the skin was pale and flawless as I stood on it confidently. It had healed in just a few hours. Shaking my head, I turned back to the blonde man that stood wordlessly before me.

“Let’s go,” I told Tristan.

He nodded, and then we continued on our journey. I didn’t feel sad anymore, just determined. I will become strong. I’ll do what I need to so that I can fulfill this duty, and return to Rider. I didn’t have time to sulk, I would fly through my training so that I could see him again. I touched his mark, gingerly. I will be back. This was not goodbye.

…..

Deep in the woods, a solemn door stood. The wood was painted a deep green, and it housed a golden knob in the shape of a delicate and intricate star. It was odd to see it stand up straight on it’s own in the middle of the forest. I looked at Tristan in question, but he just smiled.

“There are plenty of talented, gifted people awaiting us. They are extremely unique, everyone of them,” He spoke, clearly fond of those he spoke of.

After what I had seen myself do, I didn’t question him and just nodded, grasping the door knob. It turned with a heavy click, and on the other side, I saw a scenery that differed greatly from the wooded land I was currently standing in. I could see a large house, a mansion that sprawled across green grass. I didn’t see any mountains but I could smell the salty scent of the sea. A bright blue sky shined through, even as the sun set where I was. It was picturesque, and after a deep breath, I stepped through the door with Tristan on my heels.

As soon as we entered, the door closed and disappeared with a final thud. I looked at where it had been for a moment, before turning my attention to the new, and unfamiliar scene. Now I could see that it wasn’t just a large mansion, but I could see tropical trees. Birds called in the distance, calling out to the other creatures that lived alongside of them.

“Where are we?” I wondered, turning to the blonde man.

“It’s an island. Don’t worry, we won’t be found. To everyone on this planet, this place doesn’t even exist,” He told me.

His blue eyes were bright as he took in the place, and he seemed much calmer now that we had arrived.

“This place was created by the Goddess. She was the one who gave us our Gifts in the dream. I was the first she chose, and she gave me the ability to track down the rest of the Gifted. I can temporarily take on others Gifts, but only for a short time. In that time, I can perfectly use and understand their abilities, which makes me the perfect person to train everyone,” He informed me, finally giving me answers now that he felt safe.

“So you can use my abilities too?”

He laughed as if I had asked a funny question.

“I can use some of your Gifts, but you have an incredible amount of power. The only thing that can limit you is your capacity of using them. Unfortunately, my body is not strong enough to mimic even half of your power.”

I swallowed. Was I really that powerful? I didn’t feel invincible or anything. If he was referring to physical strength, I was still much weaker than Rider.

“You don’t need to overthink it. I’ll explain everything soon, but for now, what about meeting your people?” He asked.

My people? It sounded odd, thinking of complete strangers as mine. What made me capable of leading anyone compared to Tristan? And a Goddess? Was it the Moon Goddess? Though I was confused, I was determined to press forward. I had a feeling that everything would be explained sooner or later anyone.

“What should I expect?” I finally asked him, wanting to be mentally prepared.

“Right now, there are about a hundred Gifted, but I expect more will awaken before it’s time for the battle. Each and every one of them has their own unique power. We have a system to help train and assist everyone for now. The first five of us awoke a year ago. We’ve had the longest to train and become accustomed, so each of us have about twenty Gifted we are in charge of. The Five of us make up the council, and we sort of act like teachers for the newer members.”

I was surprised how different their approach was to that of a pack. Rider, as the Alpha was in charge of internal and external affairs. He kept everyone safe, making sure that the pack ran smoothly, like managing money and ensuring everyone had housing and food, while also assigning roles for all the pack members. The Luna was like the pack’s mother. She was kind of like the customer service department of the pack, if you compared it to a business. She listened to their troubles, and provided personal support to both the members and the Alpha. She would take any problems to the Alpha, who could help replace a solution. Then there was the Beta, who was the Alpha’s right hand. Most of the time, the Beta was in charge of training the warriors and trackers. He was almost like a talent scout, and would usually be the strongest member after the Alpha.

“We’ve been running this way, because you hadn’t awakened yet. Now that you’re here, changes can be made to management if you think that’s what we should do,” Tristan said, breaking me out of my train of thought.

I was surprised. Did he take my silence as disapproval?

“No, I think it’s a smart way to run things, but there may be problems in the future if the number of Gifted greatly rises. Right now, it’s similar to that of a school. If I think of the five of you as both teachers, councilors, and dorm managers, it does make me think you must be overwhelmed with work. It’s really different from how a pack usually runs, but I can see the benefit of it,”

He looked at me, a bit surprised by my analyses. I averted my gaze, a bit embarrassed. I had been in leadership training. I was the upcoming Luna of one of the largest packs in America, so of course I learned skills on how to manage large amounts of people. Just a hundred would be a piece of cake.

“Well, we are all human. None of us had even known about werewolves or anything crazy like super powers before all of this, but we are all trying to take the best approach we can,” He explained, chuckling lightly.

I was shocked for a moment. All of them were human? I knew that there were more humans than werewolves, but why would a Goddess choose humans to have such great Gifts, when the werewolves presented an already strong base for powers? Either way though, I looked at the situation in a new light. I had always wished to become close with humans. I had spent my life avoided by normal people, because I was too close to the werewolves for them to feel comfortable. Now, I suddenly felt this feeling of belonging. I looked at the large mansion with new found interest.

“I’m sorry. I’m not sure if I am qualified to lead you all. I don’t know anything right now, about what’s going on or my capabilities, but I promise I will do my best. If you teach me, I will learn gratefully. I know I’m probably not what you were expecting, but I will work hard not to let you all down,” I promised him, earnestly.

He stared at me, shocked, wordless for a moment. I’m sure I didn’t give him the best first impression, afterall, I had just been sulking and whining like a baby, but I was determined. After a second, I thrusted out my hand for him to shake.

“I know this is kind of a late introduction, but my name is Vera Stone. I won’t disappoint you.”

He smiled after a moment, taking my offered hand gently and surprising me by kissing the top of it.

“Tristan Williams, at your service, my Queen.”