~~~Rachel's POV~~~
"Quinn," I shout at the wolf that was just a girl a second ago. "Quinn!" The animal turns her heads towards me and tilts it curiously as she looks at me. The gold eyes feel as if they're seeing right through me and into my soul, just as they have every night for the past week. She stares at me for a few more minutes until Quinn's father tries to stand, pushing for Quinn to move off of him. Her massive head swings around to him, snarling and snapping her teeth shut centimeters from his face. He freezes in fear, his mouth opening and closing out of shock. "Quinn," I yell again, making her piercing gaze turn on me, her head shifting to the side again. "Get off him," I command the white wolf. When she doesn't listen, instead developing what looks like an amused expression, I tell her more forcefully, "Now!"
She hangs her head in resignation and turns again to face Russell. Quinn growls one last time for what seems like good measure, before she huffs in disgust while hopping off him, and coming to stand a few feet in front of me protectively. Russell scrambles to his feet and wipes himself off, rather haughtily for a man who seemed to have almost wet himself a moment ago. As he turns to leave he looks back at the two of us and slurs, "Well, Lucy, glad to see that you're taking orders from another bitch."
Quinn goes to lunge for him again, but I grab the scruff at the back of her neck, barely in enough time. Quinn begins to growl loudly towards him, so I look at the detestable man in contempt, and tell him, "If I were you I'd leave. Right now." He snorts derisively and stumbles drunkenly back from where he came. I glance around to see if anyone had been watching the confrontation between Quinn and her father. Thankfully, no one had since I couldn't see any human activity. I look worriedly down to the wolf who I've seen every week night since Monday, which also just so happens to be the girl I've spent the past six days with together, and plus just went on a date with.
"I knew it! I knew it! I knew those gold eyes were too familiar to Quinn's and her howls in Glee were just too surreal for it not to be true. But what of the others? My peers' howls were uncannily similar to Quinn's. Maybe they are as well. Lets see, Noah's eyes definitely turned a brighter shade hazel, making them appear almost green, the other day when Azimio was harassing Kurt and Blaine. Mercedes's eyes flashed light brown when that Cheerio decided to flirt with Sam right in front of her, and Santana's did the same when she attacked Noah earlier. She also seemed to with be Brittany and Sam one-second then hitting Noah the next. Maybe those three are, but what of the others? It's highly improbable that an entire Glee Club is full of wolves, but Quinn turning into one and attacking her father would seem just as impossible," I ramble quietly to myself, no louder than a mumble, before hearing a slight whimper.
I barely look down, since Quinn's head is at my chest now, and see that I'm still holding the fur tightly. I realize that I'm probably hurting her, I go to release the soft coat but decide to ask first, "Are you going to go after him, Quinn?" She shakes her head as well as she can in my grasp.
I let go and she moves a few feet away from me, her tail between her legs and her head hanging low. I go to move closer to her, but each step I take she takes two back. I frown as I ask her, "Would you like to go home, Quinn?" She nods her head slightly, it still lowered in, what I assume, shame, and begins to root through her shredded clothes for something. Finding what she was looking for she cautiously makes her way to me, bringing me her keys and cellphone in her mouth, and sitting them in my outstretched hand before hurrying away from me, heading towards her truck at Breadstix.
I finally catch up to her just as we reach the vehicle. She maintains a slight distance from me as she stands on her hind legs and placing her front paws on the windows, indicating that she wants me to open it. I go to open the door and Quinn instantly hops back like I was going to burn her if I go to close, her tail in-between her legs again as her ears flatten. I stare at her, trying to read her mind, while I unlock and open the door. I move to the driver's side and get behind the wheel so Quinn could hop in, but she doesn't. Instead, she scratches gently at the glove compartment then moves back for me to unlatch it.
I find only her registration, insurance card, truck manual, and what I'm guessing she wanted me to, her GPS. "Is this what you wanted," I ask the wolf. She nods her white head as she sits on the pavement, waiting for me to set up the gadget. "Okay. Well it's a good thing that it uses a 'current location' feature, because the longer we're here the more likely it is that someone will see Quinn," I say to myself, filling the silence. Quinn shakes her head in light amusement, making me smile, thinking that she's loosening back up as I hit 'Home' for the end destination. "Are you rea," my question is interrupted by the sound of the passenger door being pushed shut by a massive hulk and the truck shaking as Quinn jumps into the bed. "Quinn," I sigh downheartedly, starting the engine and putting the vehicle in gear, following the directions the GPS gives to Quinn's house.
I pull into Quinn's gravel driveway forty minutes later, and marvel at the house in front of me. A beautiful log home with high windows on the front, giving a view of the second floor landing and an elegant chandelier. A porch looks as if it wraps around the entirety of the building, wooden rocking chairs and table are placed a few spaces from the door. The shutter, door, and roof were a forest green, giving the perfect touch to the home. From the looks of it, I would guess that Quinn's family owns a lot of the land that surrounds them as well, since I can see a lit massive dirt track on the right near the woods, a huge stand alone garage on the left, and a trail leading into the woods.
"Wow," I say quietly to myself. I continue to stare at the house until the truck shifts underneath me and I see Quinn trotting to her front door. I hastily unbuckle myself and stumble out the driver door to follow her. I pass Brittany's jeep, a red Camaro that I'm assuming is Santana's, and three SUVS each a different color, before catching up to her at the front steps of the porch.
"Quinn," I say, trying to get her attention. She tenses slightly, but besides that she gives no sign that she heard me, instead she paws at the door. Getting the hint, I knock on the door a few times before a man answers. He stands around six-foot-four and is in extremely good shape considering he seems to be around his early forty. His fair blonde hair cut military style, and if it weren't for the genuine smile and kind blue eyes he'd be incredibly intimidating.
"Good evening sir. My name is Rachel Berry," I say sticking my hand out to shake his.
"Oh yes! Rachel, I've heard about you. Quinn speaks of you very fondly," he replies in a rumble of a voice, wrapping his massive hand around mine and shaking it lightly. I blush at the information as I see Quinn fidget out of the corner of my eye. "Speaking of Quinn, aren't you two supposed to be on a date right now," he asks curiously, not seeing the wolf.
"Yes sir," I answer, before hesitantly pointing to my left where Quinn stood. "But something happened so I brought her home sir," I tell him as he stares in disbelief at the wolf.
'Oh no! What if they don't know?! I probably just unveiled Quinn's secret. Just great! Now she really is never going to speak, let alone look at me again. But she had me knock on the door so they must know. Unless she only want me to open it and for us to sneak in,' I ramble inside my head, before realizing I was being spoken to. "I'm sorry, what did you say sir?"
He smiles lightly at me and says, "I said you can stop calling me sir, Rachel. It makes me feel old. Everyone calls me Dr. Pierce, but I prefer Bryan. Please come in and tell us what all happened."
He moves aside and through the foyer, past the living and dining room, before walking into the kitchen. I take my sandals off and follow closely behind after sitting the shoes by the door with the others. Glancing over my shoulder when I hear a slight scoffing, I find Quinn wiping her paws on a mat by the door. I smile when she moves to follow after us, our eyes meeting for a split second until she looks away and moves her right paw in a 'go on' motion. I slowly make my way into the large rustic, yet modern, kitchen and see five people waiting for us. Santana and Brittany at the breakfast bar, and Dr. Pierce sitting at a small dark wood table with two adult versions of Quinn and Brittany.
"Hey Rachel," Brittany greets enthusiastically.
"Berry," Santana says, nodding in my direction, her inquiring eyes never leaving Quinn though. The women each take in the huge wolf with reproachful expressions. Quinn sinks further into herself, so I bring the focus off of her.
"Good evening everyone, I'm Rachel Berry," I say with a bright smile and a small wave.
"Good evening Rachel. I'm Judy Fabray, Quinn's mom, and this is my sister, Renee, Brittany's mother," Mrs. Fabray introduces from the middle of the Pierces, while I shake the women's hands. She motions to seat across from her and with irritation obvious in her voice, says, "Please sit and tell us why my daughter deemed it wise to become a wolf in public, since she obviously refuses to shift and defend her own actions." Finishing her words, Mrs. Fabray's eyes shift from me to stare challengingly at her daughter. Quinn stiffens under the gaze, but her eyes never break from her mother's until I fill the silence. I sit at the table, Quinn slightly off to my right, drawing everyone's attention to me at the same time.
"Well, after having dessert at the ice cream shop, following our delicious meal at Breadstix, Quinn and I were walking back to her truck. See, we had decided to walk down the street to the parlor since it was so nice out, plus walking is really better for the environment. Anyways, half way back to the restaurant, we hear a man call for a Lucy."
Hearing the name, Mrs. Fabray's eyebrow does the same infuriating lift that Quinn's does. I ignore the curious and concerned countenances that keep shifting between Quinn and I, to continue the recount of tonight's events. "Quinn spun us around, placing herself between the man and me. Quinn greeted him with obvious disdain to which he replied with 'Is that any way to greet your daddy?'. Ma'am you could smell the alcohol coming off of him from feet away." I pause while Mrs. Fabray nods her head slightly, unsurprised by the bit of information, and motions for me to proceed.
"Then I gripped the back of Quinn's shirt to attempt to pull her away from the pronounced tension filled atmosphere, but Quinn's father saw and said something about Lima going to the dogs. After saying that he sneered and asked in these words 'Speaking of dogs, how is that drunkard mother of yours?'"
Hearing Russel's words, the Pierce adults growl so menacingly that the hair on the back of my neck stands on end, while Santana and Brittany develop deep scowls.
Mrs. Fabray raises her hand, instantly silencing the growls, and say, "Please, go on Rachel."
"Quinn then said that he had no room to speak of drunks and that you were no longer any of his concern. She also told him to leave and never come back. Her father looked between the two of us and commented that he couldn't believe that Quinn was out with an abomination like me." I stop for a second to take a deep breath to ward off the feeling of hurt that stems from his word.
Quinn whimpers quietly, still seeing past the facade to glimpse at the hurt, and begins to move towards me before thinking better of it and lays down beside Luna a few feet further from me.
I frustratedly sigh, as I finish the story, "When he said that, Quinn growled extremely loud while tearing herself from my hands to attack him. She jumped at him and in the middle of the leap she turned into the gorgeous white wolf before you."
Mrs. Fabray smiles proudly at the description of her daughter before turning grave, and asks, "Did anyone see her?"
"I don't believe so ma'am," I answer, "No one besides myself and her father."
"Good, because it is strictly forbidden for a werewolf to reveal his or her secret to a human who is not their mate. As Quinn should well know by now," Mrs. Fabray say, reprimanding her daughter.
I go to defend Quinn, but one word catches my attention. "Mate," I ask.
"Yes, Berry, a mate. Every werewolf has that special someone, werewolf or human, that pretty much completes them," Santana answers. At first her words are harsh, but towards the end her words soften as she looked at Brittany with pure admiration.
"Santana is correct," Mrs. Fabray says. "A mate is someone who compliments their wolf's differences. For example, say a wolf thinks everything through internally, they cannot reason very well out loud. Their mate, on the other hand, would be someone who has to speak their thoughts to be able to sort through them properly. They also enhance the similarities between each other, as well as bringing out the best characteristics. A wolf will do everything they can to ensure the safety and happiness of their mate, and same could be said for the mate. They both share an incredibly intense emotional bond too, which serves to help the wolf keep a level head when it's crucial that they do."
"So basically, they're soul mates is what you're saying," I curiously ask, my heart refusing to give up the desire to be Quinn's mate.
"So to speak," Mrs. Fabray tells me. A smile on her face, making me believe she could read my thoughts, before she winks and hypothetically asks, "But I can't be giving away all the secrets now can I?"
"Can you tell me how you know if someone is your mate," I inquire, throwing a glance at Quinn.
Hearing the question, Quinn quickly stands and goes over to a now cuddling Santana and Brittany. She presses her nose against Santana's knee, making me scowl in jealousy at the contact. Santana gives a light nod and goes to open the back door for her; Quinn sorrowfully looks back at me before sprinting out towards the woods. I go to follow after her, but Santana stands in my way.
"Move Santana," I plea desperately.
"No," she tells me firmly, shutting the door. "Q-tip needs some time. Don't worry, I'll be taking you home."
I feel an extremely warm hand on my shoulder and I look into the hazel eyes that are similar to Quinn's, but they don't have the same effect on me. "A true one always comes back," Mrs. Fabray cryptically answers my questioning expression.
A loud howl, full of hurt, pierces the night; tears fall from my eyes, knowing I could do nothing to ease Quinn's pain…yet.
~~~Quinn's POV~~~
'Stupid, stupid, stupid! God! I'm such a fucking idiot. How could I just turn in front of her like that?! I probably scared her so bad that I put her in shock. That would explain why she was still talking to me and came into my house to talk with Mom. Shit! This was not how I wanted her to meet Mom. This isn't how I wanted to tell Rachel. This wasn't supposed to happen like this at all. Damn idiot,' My self-loathing driving me further, faster, before I hear my wolf speak inside my head.
'Quinn, stop,' she commands. 'We were just doing what we were made to do, protect Rachel.
'You,' I roar back, 'You caused this! How could you take over like that in front of her? What if somebody would've seen? What if you had hurt her?!'
She growls, 'I would never do something like that. I'd protect Rachel with every last ounce of energy I had and then more, just as you would. And we both know that I wasn't the one in control Quinn, that was all you. That was your instinct telling you to protect your mate, and you listened without question.'
'Yeah, well what do you know,' I ask, pathetically trying to scramble from the thought.
'More than you think,' she states proudly. Before her voice fades she snarls, 'Idiot.'
'I know.'
After running for another hour I finally reach my destination, the concrete foundation. I move to the center and fall to the earth, rolling onto my back to stare up at the waning moon.
"If you running off on your own is going to become a weekly thing, I'd likes to know so I can start preparing to deflect question," I hear Santana voice snarkily say.
I sigh and flip to my stomach, asking, "What are you talking about?"
"You took off last weekend too, Q-ball, after our first full moon remember?" I huff in acknowledgement, but don't voice an actual answer, so San continues speaking. "Where are you anyway, Q? Berry's over here flipping out and not even Britt-Britt can help her calm down. Damn it, you need-"
I cut her off angrily, "What do you mean Rachel is still there? Santana I told you to take her home, not change in front of her. What the hell is wrong with you? No wonder she's freaking out. She just saw two of her classmates turn into damn wolves."
"First off Fabray, unlike you, I switched away from Berry. Secondly, she isn't freaking out about the werewolf thing, she's worried about you. She seems to have this insane idea that you aren't ever gonna have something to do with her."
"Well, she wouldn't be too insane to believe that,"I tell San sheepishly.
"What the fuck are you talking about Quinn? Of course you're going to talk to her. I haven't seen the Quinn she makes you before, and despite what I said earlier, I actually like this Quinn. You look at Berry the way I look at Brittany, and not even Finnept can deny that. Why would you not want this?" When I don't answer, she exhales deeply and says, "Come home Q and fix this."
"Go away Santana," I command fiercely. She reluctantly pulls away, and in the absence of her thoughts and emotions, I know she listened and switched back.
I breathe in relief, taking in the surrounding area, I see that some of the concrete is beginning to crumble and ivy is making its way over the southern wall. I hear a trickle of water and realize there's a creek not too far from me. I sniff the forest air taking in the smell of decomposing leaves, the aroma of rich dirt, and even the scent of water from the creek. I barely can enjoy my reprieve of Santana before my mom's presence fills my head.
"Quinn Fabray come home, right now," she commands.
"I can't Momma. Please don't make me," I plead. "I can't see Rachel right now."
"Quinn, San just left to take her home, and we need to discuss what happened tonight with your father."
"Good. And you can punish me for that Sunday, when I come home."
"You're coming back tomorrow morning at the latest. You have your next lesson, which you'll find beneficial and incredibly relevant now," she reminds me.
"Fine,"I answer petulantly. "Now, please, leave me alone," I say as respectfully as I could.
"Tomorrow Quinn or you'll regret it," she says before her thoughts recede as well.
'I've been regretting a lot lately,' I think disdainfully, before the day's events finally catch up to me and I fall asleep.
I see Rachel standing before me, but instead of the warm chocolate eyes I'm use to, I see that they're actually a glowing silver. She begins saying my name in her sweet voice and beckoning for me to come closer, each time I take a step back. The further into the woods I go, the louder she gets, until she's practically screaming my name, her voice seeming to echo off the trees. As I step into the concrete foundation Rachel's voice just stops, and silence pervades my senses. I start to panic as I begin to run back to where I last saw Rachel. I break through the woods what feels like a second later, and see that she is no longer there. "Rachel," I call, "Rachel! Answer me!" The quiet is my only answer and I realize that Rachel is gone...for good. My heart shatters into pieces that could never be repaired, as I scream into the night.
My own screams wake me, jerking me to my feet in my panic. I pant, my tongue actually hanging out of my mouth, trying to keep my heart under control. 'My heart,' I think in relief, 'It's still there, it's okay.' I stand there, reveling in the fact, that my heart is still intact, that it was only a dream.
'More like a nightmare,' my wolf says, popping in.
'What do you want now,' I ask, annoyed, making my way back home.
'What I want is for you to fix this, because if you don't the nightmare will become a reality,' she warns unsuccessfully.
'Whatever,' I answer, trying and succeeding in a mental block between us.
It takes two hours for me to make it back to the trail head behind my house, and I see my mom standing there with her hands on her hips and her mom face on.
"Come here. Right now," she demands, pointing to a patch of dirt in front of her with her right index finger. I move cautiously in front of her, as I reach my mom she drops to her knees and throws her arms around my neck, making me flinch, hugging tightly. "I'm so sorry about your father, Quinnie," she says quietly into my ear while I lay my head on her shoulder.
We stay like that for a few more seconds before she squeezes tight one more time then stands again. I smell a rabbit and hear a twig snap behind me making me turn around to try to find it. Missing the rabbit , and not feeling like chasing it down, I turn around finding my mom on four paws.
Her blazing gold eyes meet mine as she mentally sends me, "Today, Quinnie, we are going to be talking more than anything else."
"Okay Momma. Are we talking here or somewhere else," I ask.
Without answering, Mom begins to walk deep into the woods. I stare at her, confused, for a moment then rush to catch up with her. We walk side by side for a half hour in silence, before we pass through some brush and into a perfectly round clearing I've never seen before. There were about eleven tree stumps in a giant half circle, the focal point a stump that's almost a foot and a half taller than the others. Between the high stump and the others sat a massive fire pit, wild flowers of multiple colors growing everywhere.
"Where are we," I ask in awe, as we move to sit in front of the head stump.
"We are at the meadow where my pack gathers for our meetings," she answers. She looks at me with pride then and adds, "This is also where you'll be named my successor."
"So, why are we here now?"
"Because Quinn, we need to talk without getting distracted. Also, you needed to know where the clearing is, because you will be bringing your pack here one day." Her eyes narrow slightly and says, "Now, it's your turn to tell your side of what happened last night."
"What Berry said last night was the truth," I answer coldly.
"Since when did she become Berry to you? When did you start speaking of Rachel that way," she asks, taken aback by my tone.
"Since last night," I answer, my voice sounding dead.
"Why Quinnie?"
"Why does it matter," I shoot back aggressively.
She takes a deep breath before answering, "We both know why it matters."
I growl deep in my throat, knowing what she's hinting at, and adamantly say, "She is not my mate."
"Quinn," she begins, trying to reason with me, until I cut her off.
"She is not my mate!"
"Why are you not allowing yourself this gift, Quinn?"
"Because I can't allow myself to have this," I admit, dangerously quiet.
"You're running away from her, from love. Mason Alphas do not run, Quinn. No matter what they are faced with. I did not raise you to be a coward," she says, losing her patience.
"That's because you didn't raise me at all," I mentally yell at her, while I physically bare my teeth in her direction making her step back in shock. "You did not raise me! Aunt Renee raised me! Uncle Bryan raised me! Hell, even Santana's parents had a hand in raising me! You didn't! Because after my father left us, you left me. You left to go play house with another family, leaving me behind like forgotten baggage, after you were already disappearing right before me to become a drunk. You left me! Russell left me! You both left!"
"I thought that you had forgiven me for that Quinn," she says, her voice breaking at the end.
"I did, I have, but Mom that killed me. It absolutely destroyed me," I admit, breathing hard.
"What does your father and I leaving you as a child have to do with how you are acting with the girl now, Quinnie," she asks, confused.
"Because once I get attached to Rachel and admit that she's my mate, she'll leave me too," I answer, pain from the mere thought threatening to over power me. I meet her eyes reluctantly and see the gold is shimmering from the tears threatening to fall. I feel a wetness running through the fur under my eyes and know that I wouldn't have been able to stop the tears if I had wanted to.
"She'll leave, like he left, like you left," I mumble
"Quinnie," my mom murmurs softly, moving towards me.
I step back and say, "No, no! I don't want comfort right now. What I want is to know something."
"Okay, what would like to know," she inquires as she stops moving.
"Russell left because he found out about you being a wolf, didn't he," I cautiously ask, knowing this was dangerous territory.
She breathes deeply as she lays down onto the soft grass in front of the stump. She moves her head for me to join her. Once I do, she distantly answers, "Yes, Quinnie, that's why he left. After you were born, I knew it was time. Especially since your eyes kept switching colors when he wouldn't read to you when and what you wanted him to." She finishes the sentence with a light chuckle before continuing. "I found it quite cute, but he didn't and he kept asking questions, and I believed that he was my true mate, despite knowing deep down that he couldn't be, so I transformed in front of him. Let's just say that he was so terrified that he wasn't of sound mind so he said quite a few…colorful things…and then he left." She trails off as realization shines through her eyes, "You're scared she'll leave you because of this."
"Yes ma'am," I tell her quietly.
"Well, sweetie, I've never told you this and its time you know. The Alphas in our family were condemned so that we would never be able to find our true mate. The Mason Alphas will always find their mate in a human, but the human will never be the true mate our wolf seeks," she says sadly.
"You know, this isn't exactly making me feel any better," I sarcastically throw in.
"Quinn, quit being a smart ass for once and listen," she commands sharply.
I nod and she continues, "As I was saying. The human will never truly love us the way they're supposed to. But it was foretold that this will continue to be true until a female Alpha comes into the world with extraordinary happenings surrounding her and find her mate within another of her gender will the 'curse' end."
"So you think that this so called premonition is talking about Rachel and I," I ask skeptically.
"That's exactly what I think," she answers with a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.
"Yeah, well it's not," I tell her seriously. "Because she'll realize how insane this all is and leave."
"Sweetie, I'm just going to let you be proven wrong for the first time in your life," she says, laughing lightly, successfully alleviating the tension when I stick my tongue out in reply.
Her lips pull into a smile as she asks nonchalantly, "What do you say about taking your birth right, say, tomorrow night?"
"Are you serious?" The excitement already beginning to pour off me.
"Of course Quinnie, some responsibility just might do you some good. Do you have your Betas picked yet?"
"Yes Momma. San is my right flank with B on my left," I answer, proud of my decision.
"Perfect," she commends, standing up and shakes. "Anything else you need to discuss?"
"Yes it turns out that, unlike Rachel, one of her fathers is a werewolf," I tell her as I repeat her actions.
"Are you sure," she asks.
"Yes ma'am. He told me, and he knows of our pack. Also, he knows that you're the Alpha and I'll be taking over soon. I was wondering, if he agrees that is, if it would be all right by you that I introduce him to the pack and allow him to join the family?"
"And Rachel doesn't know?"
"No Momma, he never told her. So is it okay?"
Her smile grows as she answers, "I knew he was in town, I smelt him in the supermarket one day. Yes, it would be okay by me, from what I've heard from Bryan and Juan he's a good man. Have him come tomorrow night, and before the transfer of power, we'll initiate him so he'll be under my command."
"Okay, and well, I was wondering. Will you call and ask him," I basically beg.
She looks at with slight disappointment when she answers, "Yes I will, but you can't avoid her forever."
"Yeah, yeah," I say as I deep breath in the scents around me and look around for a distraction. "Wanna race home," I ask, finally thinking of one, crooked smile in place. She smirks and takes off.
"Well come on pup," she sends back to me.
"Cheater," I call back playfully, sprinting after her.
AN: Thank you all once again for your reviews and input :) I hope that y'all are still enjoying this story, and I plan on updating soon. I have most of Chapter 10 planned out in my head already. Thank you once again :)