Enjoy :D
As they got closer to Ichigo's home, he offered further explanations as to who the pack members were as well as pointing out areas of interest. There was a town nearby that they went to for supplies, though for the most part the pack stayed within their territory. It was heavily wooded and at the farthest point came close to her father's land. They stopped once along the way to get gas and then Ichigo pulled into a small strip mall, explaining that he needed to pick up a few things. She watched Ichigo sauntering down the sidewalk. The few people he encountered nodded at him but none stopped to talk. She wondered what the pack's relationship with the townsfolk might be like. Were they friendly or did they secretly whisper about the strange group of people who lived just outside of town?
From her own experience with her pack, she knew that most people were wrapped up in their own lives and didn't give a great deal of thought to the close group that lived nearby. People thought they were odd but that was it. No one suspected that a pack of werewolves lived next door.
By the time they pulled into the driveway that led to Ichigo's house, Rukia was a bundle of nerves. She did her best to mask the fact, it wouldn't do for the others to smell fear on her. As the Alpha's mate, she had a status to maintain. In ancient times, a weak mate might have been challenged by one of the other females who wanted to usurp her position, but that wasn't done now and Rukia was thankful for the fact. Being a new pack member would be hard enough without someone wanting to bump her position.
The truck came to a stop in front of a two storey home that featured a wrap-around porch. Situated in the middle of a large treed lot, there were woods on three sides. As Ichigo climbed out, the front door opened and people spilled out, calling his name and enveloping him in hugs. Rukia watched the activity from inside the truck and when she realised that it would be awhile before Ichigo could free himself from the crowd, she stepped out of the cab on her own. Hesitantly, she stood by the vehicle, unsure of what to do. Ichigo looked up at that moment and, catching her eye, made his way over to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
"Everyone, this is Rukia, my mate."
Everyone stopped talking and stared at her, the silence was uncomfortable. Tentatively, she smiled at the small crowd and finally a tall, orange-haired woman about her age stepped forward with her hand extended. From the size of her belly.
"Hello, Rukia. I'm Orihime. Welcome to our pack."
Her voice was sweet and friendly, making Rukia immediately feel welcomed. Some of the tension in her body began to relax.
"And I'm Uryu, her mate, and Ichigo's Beta." The man was about the same height as Ichigo, with black hair and friendly blue eyes.
"I'm pleased to meet you."Rukia shook their hands firmly. After that, everyone started talking at once, stepping forward with greetings. Soon her head was swirling with names. The group moved towards the house and Ichigo grabbed two of her bags from the vehicle.
"Come on inside. The others will bring the rest of your things."
A few of the men immediately headed towards the truck, grabbing the remaining boxes. Ichigo hadn't issued a command, but they knew implicitly what he expected and obeyed unquestioningly. Rukia followed behind Ichigo until they got to the door. Just as she was about to walk in, another female pushed her aside with her hip and cut in front.
"Excuse me."
The tall, red-haired woman threw the comment over her shoulder, blocking the doorway for a moment, effectively separating Rukia from Ichigo. From her tone of voice, Rukia knew there was no real regret for the action and frowned, wondering at the aggression she sensed emanating from this new person. She searched her mind for a name but then realised that this female hadn't stepped forward to introduce herself outside.
"Riruka." Uryu was standing behind Rukia and growled a low warning to the individual blocking the doorway.
"Oh. Am I in your way? Sorry Ishida."
The woman flashed Uryu a smile and sauntered on her way as if nothing had happened. Rukia looked at Uryu but the man shrugged and gave her a slight smile.
"That's Riruka. Just ignore her. She has some… issues."
Watching the woman slide up to Ichigo and rest her hand on his arm while smiling brightly, Rukia wondered what the 'issues' might be. Somehow, she just knew that Riruka was not going to be welcoming her to the pack.
Once Riruka stopped blocking the doorway, Rukia made her way inside and looked around with interest. She could see into several rooms from Rukia first impression was that the house was simply, yet tastefully, decorated in a homey, traditional way with comfortable looking stuffed chairs and small occasional tables scattered about. Gleaming hardwood floors and neutral walls were a perfect foil for the dark green curtains that hung from the expansive windows.
Not sure if she should follow the men carrying her boxes upstairs, or wait for Ichigo, Rukia stood in the middle of the foyer, debating the best course of action. When she hesitantly stepped towards the stairs, Ichigo quickly called out her name.
"Rukia, wait! I'll just be a minute."
She wondered how he knew what she was doing, when his attention was focussed on Riruka. The other woman was speaking intently to him and Ichigo nodded several times before giving her a one armed hug and walking over to her.
"Sorry about that. Riruka needed a bit of reassurance."
Glancing over at the woman, Rukia noted that Riruka was shooting daggers at her with her eyes and wondered why the woman seemed to have taken an instant dislike to her. Before she had a chance to question Ichigo, he took her hand and led her upstairs. As she trailed her hand on the wooden rail, she could feel eyes watching her and had to resist the urge to turn around and see who it was. At the top of the stairs, a hallway led in two directions. Ichigo turned to the left and guided her to a set of doors at the end of the small corridor.
"Our rooms are up here. Since the house is usually busy, I have my own little retreat. There's a bedroom, bath and a sitting room that are strictly off limits to the rest of the pack. Sometimes, even social animals like wolves need their own space." He offered this explanation with a crooked smile, while opening the door and ushering her inside.
The room was large and bright with sun streaming in from three sets of windows that spanned the outer walls. A large bed dominated one side of the room and a large closet took up most of the other. It was much grander than she'd expected. Apparently Ichigo's pack was well set, financially.
"It's very nice." Rukia wandered about the room, peering into the closet and then into the sitting room
"Orihime moved some of my stuff over, so there'll be room for your things. She'll help you unpack or rearrange anything that you want."
"Thanks, but I can do it myself. If she's going to help soon, I'm sure she's tired and doesn't need the extra work."
"That's considerate of you, Rukia." Ichigo came up behind her and squeezed her shoulders, then guided her to the window. He pointed over her shoulder and explained the view. "See over to the west? That's the direction of your father's land. Of course, you can't see it, but possibly it will make your old pack seem not quite so far away."
Rukia looked up at him in surprise. It was a nice thing for him to say. She hadn't supposed he'd realise how she felt. Ichigo guided her around so she was facing him and cupped her face.
"I know this has been hard on you, Rukia. Leaving behind everything you know on such short notice has probably been a bit overwhelming, but I'm proud of how you're handling things, no whining, no temper tantrums, no angry accusations. I was expecting all of that and more."
His words filled her with warmth but also made her stop and reflect. After a moment, she responded to his comment, "I think I'm sort of… in shock, maybe? Everything happened so fast, that I didn't have time to think or react. I just instinctively followed the Alpha's orders, I'm not usually considered that passive." She shrugged and sighed. "There really wasn't much choice was there? I could fall in with the plan or leave the pack."
"You're right. A wolf that refuses to comply with the Alpha doesn't stay in the pack long, though I doubt your father would have immediately thrown you out."
"Maybe not right away but he's rather traditional and expects obedience… " Rukia let her voice trail off, wondering what would have happened if she had kicked up a fuss. Frowning, she tried to recall an instance when her father hadn't been obeyed and what he'd done as a result, but no such occasion came to mind. Suddenly, she realised that Ichigo was still talking.
"-and after supper, I'll take you for a walk around the immediate grounds. Tomorrow morning, we can go for another run."
"I'd like that. It looks to be a nice territory."
"It's a beautiful place, especially down by the lake. I think you'll like it, but just like at your old home, don't go too close to the edge of the property. We have the same problem with hunters and trappers that your old pack does."
She murmured her agreement, his comment about her old home causing her to shift slightly and study the view to the west—that was where her pack was. Pressing her hand against the window pane, she felt a wave of homesickness wash over her. Ichigo turned her in his arms once again, running his hands down her back, then pulling her body flush against his.
"It will take some time to adjust, but soon this will feel like home. Don't worry. I'll be here to help you."
Rukia studied his eyes, wondering how he knew what had been running through her mind. At this moment, he seemed so kind and understanding. Heat from his body seeped into hers. It caused a funny little flutter to occur in her stomach. Before she could examine what the feeling meant, Ichigo pressed a kiss to her forehead, then let her go.
"I have a few things I need to do. You stay here and get settled. Check out the sitting room, feel free to move my stuff about, I'm not fussy. I'll be back in about an hour to give you a tour of the house."
Well, she'd unpacked, and explored, and shifted things about, now what? The idea of wandering around the home of a new pack by herself was rather intimidating. Wolves were territorial and her unknown scent might cause some ruffled fur, she'd much rather be escorted by her mate the first time she ventured out. Still and all, sitting and waiting endlessly for Ichigo to return wasn't that palatable either.
Rukia decided she'd had enough of waiting. For whatever reason, Ichigo seemed to have abandoned her, so it would be up to her to establish herself in the house. Setting her chin, she put on a brave front and exited the bedroom suite. The hallway was quiet but she could hear the sound of voices below and the scent of cooking was drifting enticingly through the house. Well, the kitchen was as good of a place to start as any. Following the mouth-watering aroma of roast beef and fresh baked cookies, Rukia made her way down the stairs. Even though she thought she could pick Ichigo's voice out of the general murmuring, the idea of food was more intriguing at that moment. Her stomach was growling, causing her to recall that she'd been too worked up to eat lunch.
Sniffing the air, she stepped eagerly towards the delicious scents. Two women were standing at the counter and immediately looked up at the sound of the door swinging open. One was Orihime, the Beta's wife, who she'd met earlier. The other woman was older with a hair same color as Orihime's and a rounded figure. She was probably in her early thirties.
"Oh, Rukia! Good to see you. I was just saying to Rangiku that I wondered when you'd appear."
Orihime smiled over at her and Rukia felt herself relaxing. The tiny redhead had a soothing quality about her.
" I was unpacking and waiting for Ichigo. He said he had a bit of business to attend to and then he'd be back, but I guess he was delayed so I'm exploring on my own." Rukia shrugged, not wanting to let on that she was upset by Ichigo's abandonment.
"Welcome, Rukia. I'm Rangiku." The older woman eyed her up and down before smiling.
"Hi, Rangiku, I'm pleased to meet you."
Orihime gestured towards the table. "Why don't you sit down and we can talk while we finish making dinner."
"Isn't there something I could do?" Rukia looked around, thinking she should offer to set the table or prepare vegetables.
"Not today, Sweetie." Rangiku pulled out a chair and indicated that Rukia was to take it. "It's your first day here and we already have everything under control. You sit back and let us talk your ear off. Would you like some coffee and cookies? They're fresh."
Rukia smiled and nodded, sitting down as she'd been told. The two women seemed genuinely pleased to meet her. As Rangiku handed her a plate of cookies and a cup of coffee, Rukia felt she should offer condolences to the old Alpha's widow. "Ichigo told me that your mate died recently. I'm sorry to hear of your loss."
Rangiku paused and looked sad for a moment before giving herself a little shake and heading towards the sink. She picked up a peeler and began to prepare some carrots. "Thank you, Rukia. It was a… shock, to say the least. Some days I still can't believe Gin's gone but we're lucky that Ichigo was here to take over. He's doing a fine job. You can be very proud of how he stepped up to the plate."
Purposely sipping her coffee to negate the need to respond, Rukia murmured in what she hoped was an appropriate manner. Was she proud of him? He was her mate and she supposed she should be, but she didn't really know the man. It was hard to be proud of someone you'd just met.
"I can tell you from personal experience that an Alpha's work is never done. I had to force my Gin to set 'office hours' so that we could have some semblance of a normal life together. You'll likely have to do the same if you ever want to see him outside the bedroom."
Orihime giggled. "They were just bonded yesterday, Rangiku-san. I imagine Ichigo's going to be more interested in mating than in working for the next little while."
Rukia wasn't quite comfortable with the direction the conversation seemed to be heading and swiftly tried to change the topic. "So Orihime, when are you due?"
The pregnant woman rubbed her belly. "I've only got six weeks to go and I can tell you, it won't be a minute too soon. My ankles and I haven't seen each other in months and this one kicks up a storm at night. I can't wait until I can get a good night's sleep again."
"Believe me, once that little pup is here, you won't be getting any sleep. This is the voice of experience speaking." Rangiku chuckled as she finished with the carrots and set them in a dish.
"Do you have a large family, Rangiku-san?" Rukia wondered how old they might be and if they still lived here.
"I have two girls. One is married and part of this pack. My baby, Ayumi, is in university right now. She's studying environmental science."
"Ayu is one smart girl." Orihime added as she peered at the roast, checking its temperature. "Ichigo's hoping she can give him some advice on what to do about the northern land." Glancing over at Rukia, Orihime explained further. "There's been a big push by an oil company to allow them to do some exploratory drilling in the northern part of our territory. They want to buy a large tract or at the very least, rent it. Of course, we're all against the idea, but they've been lobbying the local government. Ichigo, and Gin before him, have been busy keeping them away."
"But if it's your territory and you say no, they can't come in, can they?" Rukia furrowed her brow trying to understand the situation.
"You'd think." Rangiku scowled as she dried her hands and then leaned against the kitchen counter. "But the humans want oil and feel that it's their right to get it, even if it means destroying some of our property. Ichigo's probably going over the company's latest proposal right now. They seem that if they just offer us enough money we'll give in, which is ridiculous. Werewolves don't need money, we need space to roam."
Rukia was nodding in agreement when Orihime spoke. "Unfortunately, not everyone feels that way. A few in the pack like the idea of the money."
Rangiku snorted. "Yes and we all know who they are." The two women exchanged knowing looks and Rukia wondered who they talking about.