Chapter 7 is here! 2 Chapters in one day!
Chapter 7
We all waited until Jeremy took his first bite at the head of the table and then we all dug in. Sausage links, a full ham, eggs, bacon, pancakes, and gallons of maple syrup sat atop the table. My appetite has expanded ten-fold since becoming a wolf and yet I have not gained a single pound.
"I need to go into town later today so if any of you need anything write it on a list. Rose, would you like to accompany me since you have yet to see Bear Valley?" Jeremy asked of me. I looked up at him, shocked that he actually invited me out with him. I itched to get out of the house so I eagerly agreed.
"Yes! I would love that." The tips of his mouth twitched upwards, pleased at my response.
"Good. We'll leave in an hour." I nod and happily finish off my plate.
After eating, I eagerly go upstairs and get dressed for my outing with Jeremy. I pull on a pair of dark washed, high-waisted skinny jeans with a plain t-shirt tucked into it, pulling a little slack out for comfort. I laced a skinny, white belt through the loops of my jeans to pull the look together along with a pair of brown ankle boots and a maroon sweater. I could hear Jeremy getting ready next door and I could sense that he was almost ready. I quickly judged that the curl of my hair wasn't too terrible today so I just left it down. I didn't do a lot make-up wise, just some concealer, eyeliner, mascara, and some red matte lipstick. My complexion has improved since becoming a wolf, not that it was anything terrible to begin with, but I could really get used to how clear and glowing my skin looked. I opened my door the same time Jeremy did and as usual he looked dashing but instead of dress suit today, he wore actual jeans, a flannel shirt with a puff vest over it for warmth.
I thought he was going to tell me that I looked good but his mouth opened and nothing came out. I gave him a small smile and together we headed down the stairs. Elena handed Jeremy a list of things we needed to get and off we were. I suppose I should have expected it, but Jeremy looked exceptionally masculine as he controlled and maneuvered the jeep through the wilderness.
He felt me looking at him and he glanced over at me for a second before looking back at the road. "What?" He asked, a curious smile on his mouth.
"You look like an entire world has been lifted off of your shoulder since we've been out of the house." He said nothing so I continued. "Being Alpha must be incredibly stressful."
"I wouldn't change it for the world."
"I know you wouldn't but the safety and responsibility of your pack falls solely on you. Do you have anything to release the stress? Yoga, perhaps?"
"No, I go running."
"As a wolf?"
"Yes."
"So is there like a Beta in the pack or something, someone to help you with the burden of Alpha?"
"Clay helps me immensely, I suppose you could say he is my second-in-command. But he is so young, all of you are. Before he died, I had Antonio, Nick's father, and he was a great relief to me. There used to be more of us, before you arrived, but there was a struggle with several forces that took out a few of our own: Antonio, Pete, and Logan."
"I think I heard Clay and Elena talking about a Logan. Is he the one that had a son?"
"Yes." His grip tightened on the wheel. I was getting close to a sensitive subject.
"Pack Law dictates that the son be taken away from its mother."
"Yes."
"Logan is dead and there is no baby at Stonehaven, so is the baby still with its mother?"
"Yes."
"Will you steal the child eventually?"
"Yes." He took a deep breath. "Things have become difficult though. During one of our dark times, Rachel, Logan's girlfriend, was kidnapped and experimented on by a powerful Witch and because of that, she has now become a Witch with powers to stop us from taking the boy, Roscoe." This was new information. Witches?
"If she is a Witch, will her son also become a Witch?"
"It has remained to be seen."
"Then when it is time you will have him. If his mother is protecting him, and he does turn out to be a wolf, maybe you can convince Rachel that he needs to be with you. Maybe then she will see reason."
"Maybe, but alliances need to be made as early as possible. He needs to be loyal to me, not his mother." He sighed. "It is a hard situation. One that none before me has experienced."
"One day at a time, Jeremy." We arrived into town and it was a barren little town. "I expected something …. more." He chuckled.
"Bear Valley's size is what allows us to have our privacy."
"I can see that." I follow him out of the car that he had parked and down the sidewalks of Main Street where we garnered looks from everyone in the town. "I take it you're a rare commodity?"
"My family is regarded as being outsiders, but it's okay. Let them talk. Their gossip keeps those would otherwise trespass on our land away."
We stopped at the hardware store where we picked up an ax, concrete mix, propane, and various other items that I was unsure of their intended use. We dropped those off in his Jeep before heading back down the street. He had a look on his face like he was hiding something from me. I eyed him curiously but he just smiled, a real smile and I think my heart skipped a beat. He suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me into a store and when I looked around I realized why he was being sneaky, he had dragged me to a paint store. I laughed which drew the attention of the store clerk who eyed us with wary curiosity.
"You buy your paints here?" I asked.
"Oh no, I have to order mine online from a specialty store but I thought since you wanted to watch me paint, that you could join me in painting instead."
"So you dragged me here to buy me a starter kit?" He chuckled but nodded. "Smart. I'll probably be terrible at it and I would hate it if you spent a fortune on me, a beginner." He grabbed a basket and handed it to me while he put colors he deemed important into the basket, unconsciously keeping our hands together. His hand was warm and rough, but his fingers were long—piano fingers. I marveled at our hands together, they fit so perfectly and I couldn't help wondering if he was thinking the same thing. I had opened my mouth to ask him about his hold on my hand when the door opened and a familiar face walked through. Sheriff Morgan. Except she wasn't in uniform and instead wearing a casual outfit of jeans and a sweater. Her hair was down and she was wearing a smidgen of makeup. She didn't strike me as the painter type but then I realized that the windows weren't tinted and that she could clearly see the two of us in the store. I take it she didn't see our hands intertwined by the mildly shocked look on her face as she took the two of us in.
"Sheriff Morgan. How lovely to see you." Jeremy said, polite as ever. His hand was still in mine.
"I was just coming in here for some more paint. I was thinking about making some cheap art for my house." Lie. She didn't strike me as the decorator type. She was too dedicated to her job to take up something as superfluous as painting; she didn't want any hobby to distract her from her duty. She had to be ten times better than any man in her field to be considered a decent sheriff, so I could understand her absolute focus, after all, I had the same motivation when I completing my Master's Degree. My work had to be twice as better as any thesis with a man's name on it. And it was. I was the only one in my major of my graduating class to be offered a teaching position while I completed my Ph.D. there. Not that that was going to happen now.
"Painting is a good way to do that." Jeremy agreed. He looked to me to see if I could read that she was telling the truth so I smiled and discreetly rolled my eyes so he knew she was lying about the painting. "I was just buying some paint for Rose here so that she can paint with me."
"I like to have my options open to me, you know, painting and reading are my two options now."
"Mr. Danvers mentioned that you moved down here from Italy. Things here must be incredibly different."
"You have no idea but Bear Valley has its advantages." I said looking at Jeremy who smiled at me. Sheriff Morgan grabbed her phone as if it was buzzing which it was not.
"I have to go, but I'll see you at the gala?"
"Yes, we wouldn't miss it for the world." She left the store without buying her paints.
"She's got it bad for you, Mr. Danvers." He gave out a sound between a mix of a chuckle and a sigh.
"Yes, she does."
"You're such a gentleman though." I felt his thumb caress the inside of my hand which reminded me that his hand was in mine. I squeezed his hand in response. He paid for the paints and then we walked down the sidewalk into a small, under-stocked camera store.
"You should print off your pictures. So you have something of home." I had, unfortunately, completely forgot about the flash drive due to my little episode yesterday but fortunately, I did grab it before I left today. I rose up on the tip of my toes and kissed his forehead. It was such a comforting feeling when he did it to me and I know he kisses Elena's forehead when she's feeling anxious to calm her down so I was hoping it would have the same effect on him. "What was that for?" He asked, completely shocked by my action.
"For being you; you are just the most thoughtful man I know and I had to travel all the way to New York to find you." He gave me space while I printed off my memories and he paid for all the print offs, all two hundred of them.
We left back to Stonehaven after that, neither of us saying anything, his hand was no longer in mine. I felt as if I crossed a line kissing his forehead like that. I didn't plan it, it just happened and I if would have known that it would have caused this awkward rift between us now then I wouldn't have done it.
When we arrived, Jeremy went to the library and Nick wanted me to show pictures. As I was going through them, Elena wanted to join and eventually Marsten, Aleksei, and Kane had gathered around. I didn't understand why my mundane human life intrigued them but then it hit me halfway through that none of them have had the experiences I have had, that none of them had a normal life growing up. With that in mind, I started telling stories from my extraordinarily average childhood and college experience and they ate it up.
It was well past midnight when I yawned for the last time. "Time to go to bed." Marsten announced. I gathered my pictures and he escorted me to my room. "Sleep well, Rose."
"Thank you, Karl."
He feigned a grimace. "Please call me Marsten. Karl is just such a hideous name."
I chuckled. "Okay, Marsten."
"Thank you." He leaned forward and kissed my cheek. "Goodnight, Rose."
"Goodnight, Marsten."
Thank you for reading and being patient with me! Next weekend, I have a wedding to go to, so I don't know when I will be able to upload, but I will definitely get a chapter uploaded to you guys by Sunday! Thank you!
