I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.
Trust
I looked at the calendar moodily fingering the upcoming date with dread. Father Day, Fathers Day had always been a hard day for me. I hadn't met my father until I was 15 and even after that we fought so much Father's Day was not much to celebrate. No, my good memories about this day involved me and Dennis. The first Father's Day I celebrated was with Dennis; Joseph was away on a business trip, whether he knew the day was upon us or he just wanted to leave in case it didn't work out, he left. So I researched what normal people did on this day and ended up making Dennis breakfast and buying him some research. He was researching the mythical creatures in Alaska and he had been interested in shape shifter information. I went to talk to a woman who had done a lot of this kind of research in Alaska and bought some, well she actually gave it to me and instead I bought him a program to write up the information on his computer. He loved it.
I had no idea what the pack did or what Nick did for Father's Day but it was fast approaching. I was dreading this. I knew I had to ask Nick about it and get in on the gift or whatever he usually did. Antonio had been more than a father to me in the last year and I owed him at least this. I got up and walked towards the kitchen door setting down the calendar and going in search for Nick. I followed his scent and found him in his study. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door going in when Nick said it was alright.
"Hey Nick," I smiled. I strode into the room and thumped down in his leather office chair. The chair squeaked as I sat and started spinning around. I brought it back so I was facing Nick.
"Hey, just a sec," he said typing furiously. Lately Nick had been really into work. I wasn't sure if he had a project he wanted to get in or if he was trying to prove himself to Antonio again. The thing was Nick never had to prove himself to his father, Tonio accepted whatever Nick did and whatever he was doing. Nick was determined, though, so Tonio usually left it alone unless it went too far.
"What's up?" Nick said cutting through my thoughts. I looked over and saw he had closed the laptop and was looking at me curiously.
"Well Fathers Day is coming up soon and I was wondering what you usually did for Tonio," I asked him. He leaned back in his chair and put his arms behind his head regarding me, maybe trying to figure out my motives.
"Usually dad I have a father/son day. We do diner, go out to a play or a movie and walk around. We usually end up at Stonehaven for a big diner with Clay, Jeremy and Elena," he explained and I nodded. This made sense to me. The Sorrentino's were rich and so buying big extravagant gifts wouldn't be as appreciated as spending time together or making something simple like food or homemade gifts.
"And what do you usually get him for a present?" I asked next. Nick smiled this time probably thinking about past years as he went over them in his mind.
"It depends. One year I redid his room for him, well I had others redo it. One time I sent him and Jeremy on a trip to Europe and this year I was thinking of surprising him with a Jack Georges Leather brief case. They are expensive but last for years and are definitely worth it. Plus Tonio is really particular about his brief cases," Nick grinned. I nodded having never heard that designers name before.
"Oh," I said my heart sinking. There was no way I would have enough money to help with that. I doubted even Reese could help with that even though he had been working his butt of for the Sorrentino company. He saved everything he didn't use to pay rent with or help with a bill or two. Even though the Sorrentino's were rich Jeremy thought it was better if when Reese and I got jobs, and weren't in school, that we paid rent or helped with bills or food. It was only fair and it was the responsible way to do it.
"You don't have to get him anything Noah. No obligation at all," he said sensing the direction I was going in. I nodded biting my lip disagreeing with him.
"I know, but I want to you know at least do something for him before you guys take off for the day," I told him. I thought about what I could get for him and how to get the money for it. I was currently in my last year of high school and had no job. I assumed I might get a job at the company, at least at first, when I graduated in a few months.
"We're taking you and Reese along that is if you guys want to go. We're not going to force you but we thought it would be a fun guy's day out," he said. I nodded. Great, now the pressure was on but Antonio was worth it. He was not my father but he was amazing to me and to Reese. A man who was willing to give advice, treat us like his kids and made sure we had what we needed. He was always there for us, guiding us through changes or helping us with control or even something as trivial as girl problems.
"Sure," I answered before getting up. Nick said nothing as I exited the room and tried to think of the perfect Father's Day gift for A) the man who was rich and B) who had everything he needed and probably wanted already.
I wandered around the huge home thinking about what to get both Antonio and Jeremy. No, Jeremy was not my father but he treated me like one of his kids. I didn't see him as much as Antonio but he was my Alpha and in my mind he deserved to be honoured as well.
Suddenly the perfect gift hit me. Through spending time with Dennis he and I both had been refining our woodsmen skills. At one point he decided he wanted to learn to carve wood, he had taken me along when he went to a Haida man who lived on the edge of town. The man kept up the long tradition of his people by making baskets and carving wooden figures. He was one of the wisest men I had met in my time in Alaska. I liked him instantly and so did Dennis. We went back multiple times until we got the hang of wood carving and our wooden pieces actually became somewhat recognizable. Somehow I thought the perfect solution to this dilemma would be in making something myself instead of buying something.
Sorrentino Estate was situated on multiple acres of woods so the pack members could run. I wanted this to be a surprise so I checked to make sure everyone in the house was busy before heading out. My first task was to find either an Oak or Maple tree branch that was big enough for the job. On my walks and runs around the woods I had taken notice of the specific tree types, courtesy of Dennis, and knew that Red Maple and Blackjack Oak were the most abundant here. The branches would be easy to find.
I collected them and brought them to a clearing near the house where I could easily work and then went in search of something to use as carving tools. Carving tools were very specifically made for their task so I needed to find something very specific. As long as I could find a small knife that I could use to cut, pare and smooth out the finished product I could do it. Other tools were required for masterful art pieces but I didn't plan for this to be too masterful just recognizable. I would also need to search for or purchase paint, I knew Jeremy had paint though so I could easily take some of his and explain later which is what I decided to do.
I ended up disappearing and going out to the woods ever day making sure no one saw me or knew where I was going. I could easily hide my work from any curious pack member and it wasn't like I was doing something illegal which I knew the pack still kept an eye on given my past misbehaviours.
The day before Father's Day I arrived home from school early to find everyone was still at work. Doing a small mental dance I set my bag down and proceeded to go out into the clearing. The small wooden objects were almost done and just needed a bit of touch up before I could paint them and give them to Tonio and Jeremy.
I grabbed a beer from the fridge on my way to back yard; no one cared if I drank here as long as I did it responsibly, and dug the small figures from their hiding place in the house, an envelope shoved under the utensil rack in a kitchen drawer. I then headed to the clearing to work and hopefully get back before anyone came home. All the sneaking around probably wasn't necessary but I wanted this to be a surprise.
"Noah, what the hell are you doing," I heard from across the clearing half an hour later. I turned surprised almost kicking over my beer and slicing through my palm with the knife as I tried to hide the figure from view. Reese strode across the clearing looking concerned and cross.
"Nothing," I said and stood shoving the knife in my pocket and trying to look innocent as I took another swig of the beer.
"Hand it over," he demanded holding out his hand and looking like every bit the older pack brother he had started being when I started living here. Not that he treated me like a kid but he gave me advice and along with Nick and took me to the bar a lot. I was technically not old enough to go but that never had stopped a pack member before and as long as I was with another pack brother or member it was fine with both Tonio and Jeremy.
"Noah," he scolded and came forward. I backed away knocking over the beer I had set on the ground in the process.
"Reese, this is none of your business," I said crossing my arms. I had no reason to keep this from Reese but I wanted this to be as much a surprise to everyone as to Jeremy and Tonio.
"Whatever your doing Noah, I can help. What is it drugs? Stealing?" he asked calmly and I gave him a 'really' look. I had been with the pack for a year and had done nothing worse than get a fake I.D., provided for me by Nick, and go out drinking and carousing underage.
"Reese, what I am doing is perfectly legal; I can't even believe none of you trust me to stay out of trouble even after a year of good behaviour," I growled at him but his look didn't soften. Throwing comments like this to Reese never deterred him it usually just made him more determined and I cursed myself forgetting how I should be dealing with him.
He gave me another look before striding quickly forward and grabbing my arm. He reached into my pocket now and I tried to deter him by pushing him away which only made him turn me and twist my arm behind my back in one quick move to get what he wanted. Reese was a born fighter and would probably be an enforcer someday or so said Clay and Antonio who were showing him the ropes of this particular job. I also had a feeling that even though Reese said he was never going back to Australia again there was something there he did want to go back for and possibly becoming a pack enforcer would help him reach his goal.
"What the...," he said as I felt his hand clamp around the objects in my pocket. He let me go as he examined them and I turned around looking from him to the knife and wooden figures in his hand.
"Your wood carving?" he asked an odd look coming over his face as I nodded and he examined them.
"There for Antonio and Jeremy, I just need to paint them. What do you think?" I asked as he looked from them to me and a wide grin spread across his face.
"I think their amazing Noah; they actually look like little wolves," he said next. I nodded to this smiling now and pleased he recognized them as wolves and not just odd shaped wooden blocks.
"I am going to try and sneak in Jeremy's studio to paint them. One dark brown for Tonio and one black for Jeremy," I explained as he continued to look them over and nod his approval.
"God, I was so scared you were...," he let the sentence hang and I felt my face heat up. Yeah, everyone was scared I would screw up again but I guess the only way to prove that I wouldn't was by not doing the things they feared I would do which would take time.
"It's alright Reese," I grinned satisfied I had proven him wrong and Reese wasn't a guy who liked to be wrong. He was a great friend and pack brother but he was also arrogant to the core and fierce. Of course his arrogance usually didn't show too much around the pack or one of them would put him in his place. I was getting to know Reese pretty well after spending so much time with him. He was getting to be my closest friend here and I knew someday I would be accompanying him back to Australia to do whatever it is he needed to do there when we were both top notch fighters and were ready.
"These are Father's Day presents then?" he asked. I picked up the now empty beer bottle and we started heading back to the house.
"Yeah, I just wanted to you know...," I shrugged letting my sentence hang so he could interpret it how he wanted. We hit the edge of the woods and I saw Nick was on the porch scanning the woods for us. He waved when we emerged I nodded to him quickly hiding the presents in my pocket along with the knife.
"I think it's a brilliant idea," he said lowly so Nick wouldn't hear just in case. I noticed there was a distant look in his eyes now and wondered if he was thinking of his own father. I knew I had been doing that a lot lately. Since pack bonds relied so much on father and son relationship I knew we were both feeling at a loss especially on and around this day.
Father's Day
The day had been a wonderful success. We had gone out on the town, ate, drank, saw a movie and took a walk in Central Park. Antonio enjoyed his gift from Nick and Reese very much handling the brief case with care. I promised him I would give him my present later and he shrugged it off saying he didn't need me to but if I wanted to that would be fine. I got the sneaking suspicion that he thought I hadn't even bought anything yet and would go off on my own to do this later. They would learn to totally trust me one day I knew it would just take time.
We arrived at Stonehaven by supper that night and enjoyed a delicious meal cooked by Elena, Jaime and Clay. Jeremy had been permanently booted out of the kitchen now that Jaime was around a lot more which suited him just fine. I knew he would rather be cleaning then cooking anyway.
I saw Kate and Logan had each made multiple cards and crafts for both Jeremy and Clay, the messy painted and glittery cards had been put on the fridge on full display. Antonio and Nick also received cards for what they called Uncle's day which made them both extremely pleased. They loved being Uncle's to the youngest pack kids and especially Antonio loved kids so he took extra pleasure in them making things for him. I knew Nick and Antonio's cards would be placed on the Sorrentino fridge for many years to come.
After coffee and desert was passed around and everyone was engaged in talking and spending pack time together I snuck out. Reese said he would try and cover for me so I could finish my presents but I knew I had very little time before someone would notice and come looking for me. Not that I was a little kid here, well I was still a kid to the pack because I had little experience and had only just started changing, what I should say is they didn't treat me like a child most of the time but I knew I hadn't fully earned their trust yet either.
I walked quickly down the hall and through the kitchen to Jeremy's studio and shut the door. Grabbing a medium sized and a small brush and some black and brown paint I took my figures to the corner of the studio to finish them. The wolves themselves would be Jeremy and Antonio's colours but I wanted to make the eyes look like theirs and put a light pink inside the ears as well. I had just finished Antonio's eyes and Jeremy's ears and was looking at them for defects when I heard a throat clearing behind me. Usually I would have heard the door opening or footsteps but I was so intent on my task I forgot to keep an eye out for noises and people coming near the room.
"Noah," I heard the Alpha's voice as I turned and blocked my work from view. I looked up at him hoping my expression did not convey guilt that would only make him think I really had done something wrong.
"What are you doing?" he asked next and in his words were a command to tell him the truth but I hadn't grown up pack so I wasn't necessarily as compelled to obey, at least in this instance, as the rest would have been. He brushed his dark hair from his eyes as he regarded me and I tried not to look away.
"I...was just looking at your paintings Jeremy," I said coming up with a quick excuse. I noticed him sniff the air and then glance over to where he kept his paints and brushes mentally cataloguing that some of them were missing before turning back to me.
"Did we not go over the consequences for illegal activity or misbehaviour of any kind here Noah? I think given you past you would have learned by now," he said. My face became hot and I got frustrated. Would they ever trust me? Would Jeremy ever trust me?
"I wasn't doing anything wrong or illegal Jeremy. I promised I wouldn't," I said grating my teeth against one another and trying to keep the anger away. It wasn't fair to be blamed for something you didn't do and usually the pack didn't blame before they saw the evidence. Jeremy was trying to put two and two together and coming up with the answer that seemed reasonable to him. He smelt paint and wasn't sure what I was doing with it. Before the pack I had been into drugs and drinking and lately there had been some articles in the paper about local kids sniffing paint or other things to get high. He put these facts together and decided this might make sense for me because he didn't fully know me or trust me yet.
"Then show me," he demanded in a quiet voice ringing with authority that I would not be able to disobey if I tried. I sighed and stepped aside so he could see. He looked down at the small table I had been working on and then stepped forward and fingered the black wolf carefully between thumb and forefinger.
"Happy Father's Day," I said. I shoved my paint stained hands in my pocket waiting for a response.
"The black one is for you and the brown one is for Antonio," I told him as he continued to look at them and not speak yet. I hoped this wasn't a bad sign.
"I...ah...hope you like them. Dennis and I learned how to carve wood a few years ago and I thought it would be a good present," I shrugged. He now took the small figure carefully in his hand and looked it over examining every detail.
"This is...not what I expected," he admitted and I nodded knowing this.
"Jer, did you find him?" Antonio voice came now near the studio doors. He bounded in and grinned when he saw us but his look faltered a bit now sensing something might be wrong. He sidled up by us and looked down at the wolves and then at me.
"Happy Father's Day Antonio," I smiled. Jeremy picked up the small brown wolf for him to examine. He took the wolf gently as well looking it over curiously.
"You made these," Tonio asked as he looked his and Jeremy's over and I explained again about learning to carve wood with Dennis and the Haida man.
"I know it's not you know perfect but it's a small thank you I guess, the pack's been really awesome to me just like Dennis said and well it's not much but just you know something small," I shrugged again not knowing what to say now. Antonio instantly came forward and wrapped me in a bear hug patting my back.
"Thank you Noah, it's beautiful," he said close to my ear before letting me go. I saw the look of relief in his eyes now that he knew I was not up to anything bad. I saw it shine in Jeremy's eyes as well and I briefly wondered how long they had been worried about me screwing up but I hoped this was a step in the right direction to earning their trust and keeping it. I was here for good and I planned on cleaning up my life for good too.
"Yes, thank you Noah. I apologize for suspected you were getting into something forbidden. I appreciate this," Jeremy said and I knew he really did when he put arm around my waist in a half hug. Jeremy was not one to initiate contact, he wouldn't shy away from it but he often didn't initiate it. This small gesture told me I had definitely taken a step in the right direction with him and with the pack.