"Allison! Wake Up!"
Allison woke up staring straight up in to the stoic face of her (supposed to be) deceased mother; her gaze cruel and unforgiving. She hazily gained her bearings and saw her aunt and grandfather were in the room as well.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You were doing so well Allison." Gerard started in on her. "I thought we had taught you better than this."
"You're all supposed to be dead." Allison stammers out as her whole body is shaking in fear. "Wh-Where is Derek?"
Kate is beaming down on her. "Really honey, while I can certainly vouch for Derek being a great lay. You don't go run out and marry one of these monsters." Kate opens the door to the bathroom revealing Derek. His arms bound to the ceiling and mouth gagged shut; His head hanging in fatigue, like he had been drugged with wolfsbane. His gaze meets hers and he looks like he is almost apologizing.
"No! Leave him alone. He hasn't done anything wrong! You can't do this!"
Kate is laughing as Allison is bursting in tears. "I don't know Allison. This seems like pretty average Tuesday stuff for us."
"Did you really think that we would allow you to disgrace our family name like this?" Victoria is behind her holding grabbing a hold of her face and forcing her to watch as Gerard pulls of the antique silver sword of her family. Allison struggles against her mother grasp but she is too strong. Her grandfather is behind Derek who has seemingly given up any form of struggle. She can do nothing but scream as the man she loves is cut in two.
"No!" Allison screams.
"Allison? Are you okay?" Derek walks in with just a towel wrapped around his waist still damp form the shower.
"Just… a. nightmare…a nightmare" She runs up and puts her ear against Derek's chest and listen the sound of his heart beating. Every strong thud is a blessing to her. She kisses his chest refusing to let go of him until she is sure that he is alive and well. Derek pets the back of her head doing all he could to calm his wife down. Emotions never came easily to him even less so after the fire.
"It's okay, Allie. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you."
"It's not me that I'm worried about Derek."
They ate a quiet breakfast. Allison refusing to leave his side, she was still so wound up by her dream that she could barely eat. Derek, with his wolf's appetite and insane metabolism, happily finished her breakfast. Derek loaded the truck before carrying her to the vehicle and driving off to their next destination.
They were due to meet two members of the pack's council that evening in Bozeman. Allison's mind kept going back to Derek mentioning the mating ceremony. What would that entail? How would it change their relationship? They had never really talked about it before. Derek being a man of few words and her being human, she hadn't really given it any thought.
"When you read about this ceremony? What kind of things did the couple have to do?"
Derek turned to his wife, happy she was out of her silent mood but not so happy to have this conversation. "It really depends on the pack's own traditions. I never saw anyone in my family go through a mating ceremony. Werewolves tend to be a little chauvinistic in their views. Gender roles are often heavily defined. More traditional packs have been known to poison the male mate with wolfsbane to see if he is strong enough to fight of the infection to be with his mate."
"But that could kill you!" Allison was appalled by what she was hearing.
"That's all part of the test. For me it all about proving my strength and will to be with you."
"What would they expect of me?"
"Well with the male's test being about his ability to protect and provide for his mate, the female mate must show her ability to care for him, to keep him strong and a valuable member of the pack."
"So only men and women can be mated? What if the wolf is female and the male is human?"
"No, two can be mated of the same gender but with all wolf relationships their will always be a dominant partner, our wolves need that structure in order to function. As for the human/wolf mating ceremonies; I honestly don't know anything. It's kind of a new thing for us to be mated to a human. I couldn't find any info on what to expect."
Allison smiled. The information wasn't really all that comforting but that was the most she had seen Derek talk in the entire time she had known him. She was excited to see how different life would be among werewolves and to learn about their customs and way of life. Her father had always had fascination with Were culture and now she would get to experience it firsthand. Maybe as a strong female she would be able to positively impact their opinion of women and make life better for them there. Derek was pretty traditional with her he opened doors and paid for everything, but always was wanted her input to make decisions. He never once made her feel less than his equal.
They pulled into Bozeman at around 5:30 that evening. They spent a good 15 minutes trying to find the restaurant they were to meet the council members at. It was a shabby chic kind of restaurant with typical country flair. Derek scanned the room and when he was sure no one would notice he flashed his red eyes to signal to the council their arrival. Two pairs of red eyes flashed back at them from the back corner of the dining room.
Derek shook hands with both of them. There was a female named Nora, she appeared to be in her late 40's her hair was black and had tied back into a bun. She was impeccably dressed. This shocked Allison, Derek barely had any clothes apart from the ones she bought for him and they all ways seemed to be destroyed. The other was a male in his early thirties named Adrian. He was a few inches shorter than Derek but somewhat heavyset. Allison had never seen a wolf with weight issues before. Adrian was, as it turned out, Derek's half-brother. He was born to his father's human mate and seemed less than thrilled to have his new sibling in his life.
"Well let's go ahead and get down to business." Nora's voice was warm and comforting. "We take the safety of our pack extremely seriously. With that being said having a member of the family Argent moving in does cause some concern. We want ask a few questions to make sure that everything is on the up and up."
"Allison and I have nothing to hide." Derek stated. "We will be more than happy to answer any of your questions."
"Well Derek most of the questions are regarding your peculiar taste in your mate." Adrian quipped and turned to Allison. "Our research that your mother killed herself after being bit by Derek. You attacked his pack and had intent on killing him. And now you are married to him?"
Allison was shocked. She expected this question. But she didn't expect to go from zero to sixty that fast. "I…did. I was confused my grandfather manipulated me. I didn't know everything…" She was quickly losing her composure. She felt Derek's hand grasp hers and giving her a reassuring glance. "The experience really changed my outlook. I saw how my family had been corrupted by hate. Werewolves shouldn't be hunted simply for existing. Derek didn't choose to be a wolf any more than I chose to be human. The strength it takes him to be so in control never ceases to amaze me. I'm thankful I've been given the opportunity to not be the bigot hunter my family tried to create."
"Allison also has the influence of a father who respects the code. She has had the chance to see the good and bad of both sides." Derek added.
"Derek, always the hunter sympathizer. Does the name Katherine Argent ring a bell to you? Did your relationship with her having something to do with your family's demise?"
Allison could feel Derek tense up. "Derek was sixteen and that was 7 years ago. I'm eighteen and know I have grown up a lot in the two years since then and I haven't seen half of what Derek's has. Kate's actions closed Derek off from the rest of the world. I had to earn his complete trust and it was not easy."
"Do you always let your woman talk for you Alpha?" Adrian was pushing all of Derek's buttons.
"If she wants; her words are worth just as much as mine."
"That's all the questions we have for right now. Adrian and I are going to step out for a moment." Nora gave Allison gave reassuring glance before leaving the table.
Allison laid her head on Derek's shoulder. She felt him place a quick kiss her forehead as he wrapped his arm around her. She couldn't but help but feel like they failed this test but part of her didn't care. It felt amazing the way they had worked together and supported each other. She knew that Derek safety was on the line though. Without a pack, Alpha or not, Derek was as vulnerable as an omega. Allison felt the tears start to well up in her eyes.
"Allie, whatever happens. I regret nothing." Derek reassured her placing a quick peck on her lips and brushing the tears off her face.
Adrian and Nora returned to the table. "Well after speaking with your father Derek. I am happy to say that we will allow both of join our community." Nora explained. "However with the safety of the pack in mind and considering keeping both of your tumultuous pasts, we would expect that neither of you have contact with Beacon Hills for a year."
"What about my Father?"
Adrian rolled his eyes. "Your father especially; He is still a hunter and the last thing we want is bunch of hunters coming after our pack."
"Allie, I can't ask you to do this. We will find another place to live." Derek would not entertain the idea of separating her from her Father.
"Can I at least call him tonight and say goodbye?"
Adrian was about to deny her when Nora spoke first. "Of course. You have no idea where the compound is and not ALL of us our so cruel where we would ask you to not be able to talk to him."
"I accept your offer. I want a place where I can live with my husband without worrying about him being a target." Derek looked like he wanted to object but he knew he would be unable to convince Allison otherwise and gave up his fight.
The conversation with her father was emotional. Chris reassured her fully supporting Allison and her relationship with Derek. Although he did make Derek promise a hundred times over to protect her. He pointed out that a year wasn't that long and they would be reunited.
"Allison when you love someone you have to accept them regardless of the obstacles. Everything worth having is worth fighting for. I love you and I will talk to you again a year from now, I promise."