"She's my mate," Beca glared as she stood with a stiff posture, shoulders squared off against Calamity.
"She's a threat," came the anticipated reply, Calamity not at all happy about the current situation.
Chloe just sat on the couch staring up between the two. It was like watching a tennis match, the argument just going back and forth, back and forth until her head began to spin.
The others just sat watching with rapt attention. From the looks on their faces, these little arguments or disagreements were a common occurrence between the two women standing before her.
Whatever the reason behind it, she would find out later, for now, she was trying to wrap her head around everything else and watching Calamity waste time by picking a fight with Beca wasn't helping.
She looked towards Gail for help but the woman seemed to have an expression of resignation on her face, clearly she too had seen this kind of thing happen once too often and was running out of reasons to bother separating them.
But it was frustrating for Chloe. She came for answers, to understand their kind and what she was getting herself in for and instead, Calamity insisted on accosting her, going so far as to try and make her feel inferior.
It didn't take much for Beca to go on the defensive. Clearly whatever loyalty Beca had to her pack, came second to her mate. The moment the small brunette had leaped to Chloe's defence, the redhead felt something inside of become reinforced.
Beca was coming to her defence, had always been coming to her defence. For years the brunette had worked tirelessly to create a battle line between Chloe and anything that could hurt her. The consequence of crossing that line? An angry wolf who would do anything to keep her safe.
It seemed that line included pack members too. Chloe really didn't appreciate how hostile Calamity was towards her, considering she had shown up with every intention of doing something very few humans had ever dared to do before, acknowledge them, accept them.
Chloe had expected some resistance, considering what Beca had told her about the relationship between wolves and humans, but not to this degree. The others seemed at least prepared to hear her speak. But not Calamity, and to an extent, it hurt Chloe.
This pack was the only family Beca had left, she didn't want to see it come undone by her presence. She cared deeply about the woman standing before her, defending her honour, she couldn't bear to be the reason that Beca was left without a family of her own.
Based on the way the two woman before her were snarling at one another, she had a feeling if she didn't intervene soon, then that was exactly what would happen.
"Stop it!" She cried out, as she stood from the couch, hands coming between both women to separate them. Beca instantly backed down, her wolf willing to do whatever her mate wanted. Calamity wasn't so accommodating and instead fixed her glare on the redhead.
Stepping through the two women Chloe moved over towards the fireplace so that she was standing in front of everyone in the room. Gail sat back in her seat, arms crossed, watching intently at what was about to unfold.
"Look, I get that this whole situation is screwed up, believe me I get it. A couple of hours ago I didn't even know your kind existed, now I'm in a house I'm not familiar with talking to a bunch of people I've never before trying to come to terms with it."
Serenity tipped her head from side to side in a way that suggested she was somewhat understanding of where the redhead was coming from. Theo and Luke just sat and watched her.
"But, regardless of what you think of me, I care about Beca. I would never to do anything to expose her, or any of you by extension," Chloe reasoned, gazing at every one of them to show that she was being genuine.
"She has saved my life so many times, the least I owe her is the promise to protect her secret. And..." she trailed off, nervous about revealing feelings to a room full of people she'd never met before, but knowing she had to in order for them to take her seriously.
"Even though this is new, and we're still trying to work things out and take things slow, I really want to make this work," Chloe sighed, her eyes landing on Beca who was smiling warmly back at her.
"But even if it doesn't, even if this doesn't go the way we want it to, I want you to know, that I will never expose you to anyone, not even my family. Not without your blessing. You have my word on that."
Gail was gazing across the room at her with an unreadable expression, one that unnerved Chloe because she knew she was being studied, observed. The others seemed to be waiting for guidance from their elder as to how they should react and Calamity, she just rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"Yeah, because the word of a human can be trusted right?!" She spat, looking Chloe up and down like she were the scum beneath her shoe. Beca rounded on her in an instant.
"You shut your fucking mouth. If Chloe says she won't do it, she won't do it. She's not like other humans," Beca argued back, her jaw flexing as she tried to reel in her emotions, but Calamity wasn't backing down.
"Oh yeah, try telling that to your dear old mum and dad."
"ENOUGH!" Gail bellowed, standing from her chair and striding across the room in four thunderous steps. She came to a stop behind Beca and glared at Calamity.
"You need to go cool off. Leave, now!," she ordered, further fuelling the anger in Calamity, but the looks from her fellow pack mates told her she had overstepped the line.
Without a word, Calamity turned on her heel and stormed out of the house. Chloe watched on with sad eyes. Beca's head was down, shoulders slumped, but her hands were clenched into fists by her side.
Her heart ached, from the few conversations they'd had about Beca's parents, she knew that their death had caused unimaginable pain for the wolf. To actually see it inflicted upon her, it made Chloe long to reach out and pull her into a hug.
But as she watched on, she knew now wasn't the time. She saw Gail try to place a comforting hand on her nieces shoulder only for it to be shrugged off as Beca excused herself from the room.
Chloe glanced around at the remaining faces in the, unsure as to what to do now that Beca wasn't there to guide her. Was she supposed to leave? Stay? Sink into the floor and just disappear? Before she could think too much about it Gail approached her.
"Go to her," the woman said, flicking her eyes out towards the balcony off the kitchen down the hall. Chloe seemed confused for a moment and Gail sighed.
"You feel it. That urge, that need to be with her," Gail said and Chloe swallowed thickly because yes, she did. She felt it stronger than she's ever felt any desire to be with someone. In fact the only time she felt a longing as strong as what she was currently feeling, was when she would stand on her porch at night waiting for Bella to appear.
The redhead nodded, her eyes welling with tears as she thought about the other girl standing out on the porch alone, grappling with the pain of her past. Gail tipped her head to catch her eye.
"That's your bond. The more you give in to it the more you'll feel, the stronger the connection will be. Go to her," she instructed and Chloe didn't have to be told a second time as she tipped her head at Gail and then swiftly made her way down the hallway.
As she reached the kitchen she came to a stop, her eyes landing on the form of Beca standing out on the balcony, hands gripping the railing in front of her, the moonlight casting a glow around her, a stark contrast to the night sky.
The image reminded her of the picture in her room, the one of Bella howling up at the moon. In that moment Chloe thought about what it meant to know that Beca and Bella were one in the same. Did that mean she referred to Beca as such in both human and wolf form? Or did she continue to refer to her as Bella whenever she transitioned.
Part of her mourned the thought of never using the name Bella again when it had played such a huge role in her childhood and adolescence. But then she had come to accept Beca as a wolf, and she knew she would need to figure out the proper way to refer to her.
She knew to protect Beca's secret, that it wasn't conducive to be referring to a wolf by its true name. But she also felt weird about referring to a single entity by two names. It was another cog on this crazy machine she would have to figure out later.
Taking a step out onto the balcony, she quietly closed the double doors to create some sense of privacy between them and the people still within the house. She saw Beca raise her head, acknowledging that she was there but never turning to face her. Probably to hide the tears Chloe knew were rolling down her cheeks.
The redhead walked up to the rail and came to a stop, her front pressing against the glass steel framed barrier. She didn't say a word, just simply lifted her hand and placed it over Beca's, caressing it softly before gripping it, feeling Beca turn her hand and lace their fingers together.
"I'm sorry," the brunette whispered as she wiped at her eyes. Chloe frowned as she gazed down at the girls slouched frame.
"For what?" She asked and Beca finally turned to face her.
"For walking out like that, for leaving you in there alone. I promised I would be there every step of the way and I just left you with a bunch of people you don't even really know."
Chloe shook her head with her free hand, yanked Beca's other hand that was still holding the rail into her own, stepping closer so that she was inches away from the woman standing in front of her.
"Beca, you stood up in that room and defended me against your family, your own pack. I don't know what happened to your parents and I'm not going to ask, but clearly it left a mark on you. What Calamity said was way out of line. I completely understand you needing to take a breather."
Beca solemnly nodded her head, thankful that Chloe was understanding of her situation. Gazing down at their joined hands Beca gave Chloe's a gentle squeeze before lifting her head, swallowing around the lump in her throat.
"I will tell, about what happened to them. I just, I need time. It's just, it's h-hard..." Beca trailed off, struggling against the tightness in her throat from her emotions trying to bubble their way to the surface. Chloe just shook her head and leaned her forehead against Beca's.
"Hey, it's okay. Whenever you're ready, I'm here," Chloe whispered and Beca closed her eyes and nodded her head. Wondering how she could've gotten so lucky to have found a mate in someone like Chloe.
Down below, under the cover of darkness, Calamity watched the scene unfold, snarling and revealing her canines as she huffed out a breath through her snout and bounded off into the woods. Knowing that from that point on, the world around her kind, would never be the same again.
"I should really get going. My folks will be asking questions if they get home in the morning and I'm not there. Plus I'm pretty sure I left a bloody rag laying around and I'm not sure how to explain that one away," Chloe said with wide eyes, making Beca chuckle.
"You could always just say Bella showed up with some new battle wounds," Beca replied with a grin and Chloe just rolled her eyes, before her face turned serious.
"Actually, theres something I've been meaning to ask you. What do I call you now?" She asked, and Beca chuckled.
"I mean most people just call me Beca but if you wanna give me a pet name that's totally up to you." Chloe just shook her head.
"No, I mean, when you're a wolf what do I call you? I just, I don't wanna risk exposing you to anyone, not when there are hunters out there looking for you," Chloe sighed, the worry she felt rising up again in her chest, but she pushed it back down.
Beca obviously felt it as she stepped impossibly closer and softly gripped Chloe by the upper arms, rubbing them gently in a bid to create friction and generate warmth.
"Chlo, the hunters know who I am, who we are. They know I'm a wolf. The only reason they haven't exposed me is because they can't risk exposing themselves," Beca replied, and this instilled an even deeper fear in Chloe.
Would the hunters risk taking Beca out as a human? Beca decided that was a conversation for another night. There had already been enough discussed and they didn't need to go over everything that night. So Beca decided to answer Chloe's first question.
"You call me what you've always called me, Bella. But if we're alone, you can call me whatever you feel comfortable with."
Chloe nodded her head, thinking about it for a moment and envisioning it in her head. Eventually she came to a decision.
"I wanna call you Beca, because that's who you are, who you've always been," Chloe acknowledged, bringing a smile to Beca's lips, "but I'll keep calling you Bella around my family, just to be safe."
"Okay," Beca replied, grateful that Chloe was being cautious about not exposing her secret. Again Chloe noted the time from the clock hanging on the wall in the kitchen, she really had to get going. But Beca had something to do first.
"Hey, before you go, I wanna give you something," She said, as she laced one hand with Chloe's and led her inside the house, using the back stairs to avoid running into the others.
Once upstairs, she guided Chloe down the hall into her room. When Chloe stepped inside she was mesmerised by what she saw. Beca's room was more like a loft. There was an overhang to one side with a spiral staircase that lead upstairs where there was a personal library, a reading nook and an area with a guitar and baby grand piano tucked neatly away.
Downstairs was Beca's bed, a walk in wardrobe and a huge window that acted as a wall giving Beca the perfect view, the windowsill cushioned off with pillows and throw blankets acting as a secondary seating area. There was a study desk in the corner of the room next to the en-suite but from what Chloe could tell, it was mainly used as a drawing area
Beca basically had a home inside her home and it was stunning. Then something caught her eye. She walked over to the desk and gazed at all the drawings that were hanging on the wall. There, right in front of her eyes, was a lifelike portrait of her, black and white except for the stark contrast of the bright blue eyes gazing back at her.
"They were the first thing that caught my eye the first time I met you," came Beca's voice from behind her. Chloe turned around, a small smile on her face.
"Beca it's beautiful, I didn't know you could draw like that," she said, again assessing the detail of the drawing. Everything from every whisp of hair, the light freckles on her cheeks and even the scar on her forehead were right there in exact detail.
"Here," Beca said, feeling slightly awkward as she tried to get past the drawing and onto why they were there. She lifted up a small box and handed it to Chloe.
The redhead gazed at her curiously as she accepted the box and opened it up. She moved aside the paper that was concealing the contents and her breath caught in her chest when she saw what was inside.
Reaching in, she pulled out her hand to reveal a silver crescent moon pendent, a full moon with a turquoise stone set in the centre. Chloe was in awe of it.
"Oh my God, Beca, it's beautiful," she sighed, eyes transfixed on the item in her hands. The look on Chloe's face made Beca smile as she fidgeted with her fingers.
"It's been in our family for generations. My Dad gave it to me before..." Beca trailed off and Chloe instantly began to move the necklace and box back towards the other girl.
"Beca I can't take this, your parents gave you this I can't..." she tried to say but Beca cut her off, taking the necklace from her and opening the clasp, reaching up behind Chloe and fastening it so it was secure.
"Yes, you can. My parents gave me this to give to my mate when I found them. It's for protection. No matter where you are, if I can't get to you, someone from my pack will know if you're in danger and will come for you."
Beca, it's beautiful...
Just like you...
Chloe's eyes bulged out of her head as she looked up at Beca who was grinning at her.
"Oh my God, did we just..." She asked and Beca nodded.
"As long as you're wearing this necklace, you'll be able to communicate with me telepathically. If or when our bond is sealed, you'll be able to do it with or without the necklace. For now at least, you have a way to communicate with me when I'm, you know, a wolf."
Chloe couldn't believe it, she was mesmerised by the jewellery hanging around her neck. It was beautiful, more importantly, it held important sentimental value to Beca, and she was entrusting her with it.
"I'll keep it safe, I promise."
With that, the girls made their way back down stairs and headed for the door. Chloe said her goodbyes to the members of Beca's pack still remaining and then Beca escorted her to her car.
"Be safe," Beca said through the window once Chloe was situated safely inside. The redhead smiled at her and placed her hand over the pendent dangling from around her neck.
"Something tells me that won't be a problem," she grinned, and Beca snorted out a laugh and stood back, giving Chloe room to take off without running her over. She watched until Chloe was gone and then once she was out of sight, she made for the woods.
Chloe pulled up at the ranch, just in time for the clock to hit 3:30 in the morning. Thankfully she didn't have to get up for school, but she could still feel the exhaustion weighing her down.
Climbing out of her car, she trudged up the steps of her house and unlocked the door, stepping inside to find that the embers of the nights fire were still glowing enough that she could rustle it back to life if she chose to.
Rounding the coffee table, she picked up the clothes Beca had shed out of as she shifted into her wolf form and she quickly rolled them up and brought them down to the laundry room, dumping them in the wash basket.
Upon entering the kitchen, she gathered up the supplies she had left lying around and cleaned down the table and then gathered up the bloody rag and took it outside to the garbage, making sure to shove it right down into the rubbish so that it wouldn't be noticed.
When she was finally sure that everything had been cleaned up, she made her way down to her room and closed the door. She quickly changed into some PJ's and sat upon the edge of her bed, glancing down at the necklace that was still hanging from her neck.
Things had taken a dramatic turn in the part 24 hours and, even though she should've been overwhelmed, she found she was rather calm. Chloe had been given the privilege of stepping into a world humans were usually forbidden from knowing about.
It made her slightly giddy, to know that she had something that no one else, not even her peers could claim. Then her thoughts turned to a brown wolf, and the brunette girl who had changed her whole life.
Chloe wasn't sure what would happen over the days and months to come, but one thing she was certain of, Beca would make sure that Chloe was safe.
Goodnight Chloe...
Came the voice of Beca, and Chloe grinned as she thought of her response.
Goodnight Beca...
Off in the distance, a wolf sat upon an overlook, high up in the woods, gazing down at the ranch below. A small smile on its face as it darted off into the trees, knowing its mate was home safe.