Chapter 16:

"Welcome back Matt!"

Matt Donner walked past the Pack Keeper giving him a tap on the back gesturing his thanks, "thank you."

"How was your trip?" Sherman stated as he took Matt's coat and hung it on the coat rack beside the door.

"Alright. I just had to go to Seattle to drop of some forensics and paper work to the insurance company from the Ergo Food Industries from when there truck flipped over."

"Ahhh, you ever get Tyler to confess to his participation in bringing that trucker here?" Sherman watched as Matt sat in one of his brown leather chairs and turned and walked over to the bar and began pouring some vodka into one glass, "drink?"

"Sure," Matt watched as Sherman flipped a glass over and began pouring some vodka into another glass. Turning to face Matt, Sherman walked over to him and handed him one of the glasses and took a seat in a same exact chair like the one Matt was sitting in,listening to Matt talk, "no…no I didn't", Matt took a sip of the clear liquid, "Creed is as dirty as they come but he is no idiot. He is smart enough to cover his tracks. That is one of the main reasons for me hiring Kanin. I needed another set of eyes to help watch my back."

"Well Kanin has an impressive background…military status and recognition…book and street smarts…and a love sick puppy which makes him sensitive."

Matt giving him a slight chuckle, "yeah…I have noticed since that man has arrived you have taken a particular interest in guiding him and giving him praises…anything I should be worried about?"

Sherman's grin slowly faded. His reasons were his reasons and his alone and one thing Sherman Blackstone did not do and that was share his feeling and thoughts this time would be no different…or could it? Looking down at his glass, "I don't know Matt…when he came in search of Ruby the man's face and resilience to believe in faith and in love reminded of a good friend I know…anyone you might recognize?"

Matt grin too also fading; Matt knew that Sherman was talking about Marie and him. The backlash that both and Marie and himself had to endure and when the talk of children came out even more scrutiny and pain came upon them, but their love pulled them through and itdid in every crisis…that was up until her death in a car accident. Taking his finger and rubbing it around the rim of his glass, "yeah…I guess I see your point."

"You should never keep destiny apart…if you did you wouldn't have Sophia."

Giving him a light chuckle, "yeah I guess so."

"If you guess so and are agreeing with me…why are fighting Sophia and Luke so much?"

Bringing his eyes up from his glass, Matt's soft demeanor immediately changed to coldness, "that's easy Sophia is too good for Luke."

Placing his glass on the coffee table and resting his elbows on his knees Sherman leaned forward to try and reason with the angry sheriff, "Matt…everyone knows that Sophia is your only link to Marie and she is your little girl, but she is strong and smart, she may be young, but she knows what's right for her." Matt stood from his seat and went over by the window to listen to Sherman from a far. "I mean you're a skin walker yourself you know about mates…she has found hers. You and everyone else have known since they were able to walk and talk. So why now?"

Turning around to face Sherman, "Sherman…I saw how that boy tormented and hurt Sophia. Trust me I know better than anyone the connection that they had…and THAT is what is bothering me. Because I know that they had…HAVE…that connection and he still treated my daughter like that. I am not ignorant to mates and what they need, but first and foremost I am a father and I promised Marie that I would look after her…what kind of father would I be if a accept this relationship knowing that it has brought her nothing but pain?"

Standing up and walking to stand in front of his friend, "Matt…the relationship has not been nothing but pain…just maybe the last two to three years, yeah but…HELL THAT'S PUBERTY!" Matt had to crack a grin. "Matt…Luke was going through the exact same stuff that you did…he had to stick with and lead his kind…the skin walkers were his kind…Sophia was not. But I truly believe that after his…stupidity was on pause and his hormones calmed down and even if Sophia did not flip I believe he still would have chosen Sophia…I mean hell Matt have you seen your daughter?"

Knowing that Sherman was a sick twist in his own right let simple comments like that slide…sometimes, "Sherman…you're talking to the girl's daughter."

"I am not saying go and take the young lad on a fishing trip…I think we both can agree that most likely that he would be thrown over board and never seen again but that is not my point…I think you might wanna try to show little as possible resentment towards him, because he is not going away and as much as you hate it, he is Sophia's mate and if you try and keep them apart the only person she is going to resent is…" pointing to him, "you. Also Luke is the future Alpha, with Sophia being his mate, she is going to need all the support…having her dad and mate going after each others throats is not the best way to show pack unity."

Watching Sherman walk back to his seatand sit down, Matt was registering what was just said to him. Matt walked back to his seat as well and took his seating position in his exact same chair crossing his legs and took a sip from his drink, "I am not saying that I will be all chummy chummy, but I will TRY to be nice as much as I can…I am sorry Sherman but I can not make any promises. It is still hard for me to get around all the girls that little male whore has been around."

Giving Matt a grin, he himself knew that Luke has been with several girls, hell no father wants to know that his daughters' significant other is a womanizer…no father! "Matt if Sophia did not trust him, she would not be with him. She is smart and strong…I mean she is a white wolf."

That last statement rang a bell in Matt's mind for the main reason for him stopping by Sherman's house in the first place, "speaking of that did you find out anything?" Sherman's face turned to an immediate face of mixed emotions that made Matt very, very nervous.

"Since her flip I have been working on this day and night trying to find anything to go with what is going on", getting up from his seat Sherman walked over to a painting of a group of wolves on it. Grabbing a hold of the side of the painting, Sherman opened it like it was book having a safe that was behind the painting become visible to the eye, still with his back turned Sherman began undoing the safe, turning the knob, from right to left, back to right again until it clicked open. Reaching into the safe, he pulled out a black leather covered book, with the skin walker symbol of the ancient R on it. Closing the door on the safe so where it would not seal it, Sherman walked over to his seat and placed the book on the coffee table, "I searched in every text known to the skin walkers from word to word from page to page…then I thought what if the prophecy is in the ancient text of the skin walkers forefathers."

Mattlooked at Sherman with a very confused look on his face, "what?"

"Your not a Pack Keeper…only Pack Keepers…well I guess with the exception of you and I guess Vivian, Sophia, and oh Luke as soon as we see them and tell them they will know…"

Noticing his ramblings, "Sherman!"

"Oh sorry, only Pack Keepers know of this book…it is like the bible, of skin walkers. The most powerful mysteries and prophecies of the skin walkers and the pack were written in this book. Rianna and the very first gods of the skin walkers our creators developed this book of all good things that will come to the pack and all the evil that they will endure to overcome and survive…at the time this book was written some prophecies happened or somehappened within two days or even two years after this book was written…but other prophecies would not take place until decades even centuries later. Books were written to help educate and guide the skin walkers to help evolve and direct them, but also the gods did not want to disrupt destiny so they wrote all the prophecies into this book and created the Pack Keeper to help guide the skin walkers and the pack either into the destinies or to their deaths, that is why you and no skin walker has heard of this book. Also this book was written centuries ago, so the writing was written in ancient text…it is almost as old as the written word itself…so much time was translating…" Opening the book, Sherman began flipping through the book until he came to halt taking his hand he rubbed it down the center of the book where the pages met, to keep the book open and at that page, "anyway…I came across something…" reading from the text, "before the battle of power should bestow there will be two of a kind that arise…for it is told that they will unite to bring a new dawn…but don't be alarmed survival of the pack rests solely on a new dawn… in the mist of this troubled time the survival of the two…rests solely on the dark." Sherman raised his head and his eyes met with Matt's who had an even more confused look than ever.

"Okay…what the hell does all that mean?"

"What it is saying is Sophia and Ruby will lead the pack into some kind of battle or force to help determine if the pack survives or not."

"What kind of battle?"

"That's it…I don't know I am still translating."

"When will this take place?"

"Don't know…this could happen ten…twenty years down the road."

"Or it could happen tomorrow." Pausing to look at Sherman, then something else clicked with him, "you mentioned something about a survival of the two rests with something…what was that…the dark?"

"Yeah."

Only one thing about dark came across Matt's mind, a knot formed in his stomach, "that does not mean…uh…death…does it?"

Sherman was having a hard time looking at Matt, but he kept his composure, "Matt I don't know…like I said I am still translating…but the prophecy said "don't be alarmed"…see they are giving you a heads up not to worry", Sherman cracked a grin to help try and ease Matt's mind, but he could tell it was not working.

Leaning back in his chair, "well until we have more, I don't want to alarm Sophia, so if you could, I know Vivian is the Alpha, but could we just keep this between us until we have more information?"

Knowing that Matt was just looking out for Sophia, Sherman understood his wishes, "sure."

Standing up from his seat, "well…listen…I got to get to the station and check in with Kanin and Molly and I am having dinner with Sophia tonight so…"

Sherman stood up to walk Matt to the door. Sherman handed Matt his jacket and watched him put it on, "listen Matt don't worry Sophia will be okay." Shaking Matt's hand he could tell Matt was just putting on a show even with a small grin. Nodding his head goodbye Matt was out the door. Closing the door behind him, Sherman knew he had to find out what was going to happen would Sophia die...or Ruby?