Hi all;

Sorry for the long wait, my computer had to go in for it's yearly check up, you'll be glad to know that my computer come back with only a few files missing... This story is slow starting, and it is and will stay a Paul abd Bella, in fact Paul comes into it really soon, and doesn't plan on leaving just yet.

Anyway... I would like to thank you all for your lovely reviews and for my amazing Beta KCLutz447 for doing her magic on this chapter, she is amazing.

Chapter Ten Wise Woman

Quil senior sat staring at the fire as his mama stoked it up, he wandered how someone so fragile could lift the heavy logs and place in on the fire, he wanted to know why she had lived so long, seen so much but still would not divulge what had happened in her past, what had happened to his own father.

She was the only connection that they had to the last pack, the imprint to the last wolf that had lived in the old pack, and she guarded her secrets very well.

He wasn't sure how she had lived so long, but pushing up 100 he know that it had to be something magical, something to do with being mated to the wolf, something about the imprinted, something related to the burning mark on her throat, that even now with all the wrinkles that covered her skin you could still see the mark of canine teeth where his father had bitten her.

He know that she hid herself away from the rest of the reservation, simple because she looked to be in her early sixties late fifties, not near a hundred, she could life heavier things then he could and he himself was an aging old man that wouldn't get to outlive his own mother. She had birthed three sons and a daughter all of them were dead now, with only two of them having a child each, he know that the Aterea line was coming to an end, and he wasn't going to be around to see it, but he was certain that his mother would be.

He wandered how she could live her day by day life up in the mountains when all her family and friends were dying around her, he himself know that when he lost his son in the fishing accident if it wasn't for Helen and Quil junior he wouldn't have been able to get through the day, he thought not for the first time that his mother was able to shut all her emotions away and only think of herself.

His mother not informing them of her visions were another thing that she kept to herself, she could have saved a lot of heart break if she had informed the tribe of them, before the devastation happened.

She could have informed them of Sam, saved Emily her scars and even his own son's death.

Watching as she stared into the flame pit she had in the centre of the living room he asked "What do you see?" he tried to keep his voice even as he peered at his mother in earnest; she had to know how important this matter was, this matter couldn't be kept to herself

She clicked her tongue at her son's behavior she stated "We may have another wolf, join us soon a young one, to carry on the Alpha line, to cover up the Black discretion."

Quil nodded, it would be good if another of Jacob's cousins phased and was able to take on the leadership of Alpha, he knows Billy wouldn't like it, but they both know that Sam could not be a Alpha for much longer, he would want to stop phasing as soon as he and Emily conceived a child, clearing his throat he asked the one question that the whole council has been dying to know "The pale face?" Quil asked "do you see her son being a wolf? If so will she make more?"

"It's undecided whether she stays, but the boy he might phase now or later, his fate is tied with his mothers."

"So he will phase when he is older?" Old Quil asked as he leaned on his cane.

"It could go either way" She snipped as she went back to starring at the fire, her hands curving above the flames as she through powder into the flame "and as for the paleface it's undecided with whom she will make more wolves." she snapped as she looked away from the fire, starring at her son she whispered "Imprinting is not all good, sometimes it can go horribly bad if the wolf dies before the mate, sometimes when a wolf taken a non-imprinted person devastation follows there line for generations."

Feeling like Quil had missed the warning his mother had given him, he decided that he had better asks the other questions he came here for before his mother changed her mind about seeing him.

"What of the Black line mother, will Jacob be able to carry on the gene with his imprint?"

She laughed "I'd be more worried about what that girl brings home then makes with that boy."

"Mother, she is an imprint she needs to be shown respect."

Clicking her tongue she snapped "A flea on the back of a dog deserves more, but then the Gods were always known to pick a dud imprint, she might be able to change one day."

Breathing a sigh of relief at his mother's mood change he brought up his last question before he could escape his mother's house. "Mama is the pack going to grow much bigger, is there a threat looming?"

"There is always a threat," she stated as she rose from the chair and went to fetch a glass from the side table "but none we need to worry of just yet, it will be awhile before it occurs." Turning to look at her son she added, "Now go report back to your Chief and pretend I'm not up here all on my own."

Quil senior bowed lightly, kissing her cheek he whispered, "Thank you mama." walking with a stiffness, old Quil exited the house, he promised that he would come visit his mother more often, and he will bring his grandson and great nephew with him to visit her as well, they both needed to start learning the ways of the old.

As he closed his mother's front door, he wandered if she had even made sense in anything she had said. He knows from the visit that another younger wolf would phase, but the pack would not grow any bigger, but they needed to prepare themselves for a threat that wasn't going to occur for a few years.

Sighing he rubbed at his brow before nodding to his great nephew, grasping his elbow he allowed Daniel to help him down the stooped steps that led to the pathway that would take them down the side of the mountain and away from his mother and her horrible black cloud of doom.

His thoughts a whirling around his head as he asked his great nephew the one question that had been plaguing his mind for a while, "Have you spoken to Miss Swan, Daniel?"

Nodding slightly Daniel stated, "Yes grandpa, I talked to her once."

"Do you see her often on your patrols? Do you know if she is able to provide for the boy?" Old Quil asked as he wrapped his arms around the boy's neck, allowing the boy to hoister him on his back, and piggy back him down the side of the mountain.

He wondered at the ingenious of his mother for making sure that no car could ever reach her this far up the mountain.

Daniel frowned at his grandpa's question, for a strange reason he didn't want to bring up the fact that he had shoveled her drive way, and chopped some wood for her, swallowing he stated, "Better than most I know, but then again my parents weren't really around were they, you and Aunt Helen tended to help me more than they did."

Taking his grandpa's silence, Daniel ran down the mountain as fast as he could in his human form.

Feeling the urge to get away from the old man, he tried not to seem as eager as he was to leave his grandpa's presence.

Old Quil hummed lightly as he walked ahead of him, he wandered if the Pale Face was destined to be able to help their tribe or would she bring them to their knees.

And what of the little boy that she bore from a wolf, was he destined to stay here and follow his father's footsteps or would he be like his mother?

So there is some inside into the Packs Sharman or woman in this case. I hoped you liked reading this chapter and thanks in a head to all that will review.

OH and Paul will be in the next chapter.

lily.