A small town in the north of British Columbia, near the Sunshine Coast, was in the midst of summer.
It was the same old town cliché. Everybody knew everybody and took care of one another. And acres of trees and groves surround it, and lakes are ideal for fishing and swimming.
On the outskirts of the town lay a home, a manor, called Daunt Hall.
It is unknown when the Daunt family settled, but they have been here for generations. Maybe even before the town was founded. Despite the fact that they are a peculiar family, they were very charming people. They own a thriving orchard and others across the country. Their main product is cider which tastes so sweet when fresh and burns your throat when fermented.
They don't know how they did it. Due to the cold weather in the north, it was practically impossible to grow an orchard. Other local farmers tried to follow the Daunts' methods. Still, none of them could even come close to replicating the family's orchard's unique taste of apples. And when they asked what their secret was, it was always the same response.
"Magic."
It irks some farmers, but most of them find their presence comforting and delightful.
If you were to even see a Daunt walking in the town's streets, it would be easy to find them. They had dark hair or brown hair as a family trait. Eyes of brown or blue.
Yet out of all the new generations of Daunts, none held the distinguished color of blue eyes than the eldest daughter of the family, Frances Augusta Daunt.
British Columbia
July, 2006
Franny felt something crawling up her arm when she woke up. Blinking her eyes, she looked to see what it was and smiled softly.
"What are you doing out of your cage?"
She gently picks up the suspect and cradles it in her hands. When she placed them on her bedside table, the Chilean Rose critter didn't bother to move. She got up from her bed to change out of her pajamas.
"Come on," She takes the spider into her hands again and places it on her shoulder. "Let's get you back to where you belong."
Franny seemed unfazed that it was early in the morning and walked down a hall filled with pictures of her family members and portraits of her ancestors that were dated back to who knows how long.
Her grandfather, Oswyn Daunt, tells many stories of how their coven came to be. How their family was worshipped by mortals before the Night War began. A time when her kind suffered and countless lives were lost. Witches are less common today, and covens have dispersed throughout the world. Practically being diluted in the mortal world.
Franny stops to look at a portrait of a single woman in a blue dress, born with the Daunt's hair trait of black. Her great-great aunt, Louisa Traya Daunt.
Every time she stares at it, she is fascinated by how alike they look each other. She looks away from the painting and turns to the left, where the library is located. Passing through the shelves of old books and memoirs, she reaches the insectarium that was placed in a small alcove. His owner, Franny's cousin Analee, thought that it was the perfect space for her dear little Fluffy. And just as Franny had expected, the cage was opened.
"There you are, home sweet home." She smiled as Fluffy crawled back under his usual spot in his home. She taps the glass goodbye and heads to the kitchen to begin breakfast.
Once she got there, she put on an apron. She took out the necessary ingredients to make Grandmother Joanna's apple fritters. God rest her soul. Her uncle Henry entered the kitchen just as the fritters were frying in the hot oil.
"Morning, Fran." He waves and goes to the cupboard to make coffee.
"Morning, Uncle Hank. Is Gramps awake?" Franny asked as she flipped the fritters to have an even brown on both sides.
"Yup, Analee is awake too,"
Uncle Hank is the second sibling of Franny's father. He organizes the manufacturing of the ciders and the deliveries of their products to local markets and grocery stores around the country. He often comes to the Manor to relax and spends time with the kids, Franny's cousins. He didn't always have it easy. None of them did.
Hank's wife, Hollaen, Franny's aunt Holly, died when Analee was only a 6 years-old.
And his brother, Franny's Father, was gone due to a disastrous car crash.
They did their best to keep the family business running and keep up with the annual festivities in honor of their passed loved ones.
Franny turns off the stove and pulls the string on her apron to take it off. She takes the plate of hot fritters and sets them on a rack to cool down while she makes some eggs and bacon.
"Okay, and when you see her, could you remind her to close Fluffy's cage before bedtime? I caught him crawling on my bed."
Hank groans. "Again? Honestly, why have a spider if she can't take care of it?"
"She does," Franny chimes as she sifts powdered sugar over the fritters. "She just doesn't care where he wanders off to. At least she isn't hanging out with boys."
She could feel her uncle's narrow eyes stabbing at the back of her neck. She picked up the plate of baked goods and turned to the kitchen door. "Did the girls set the table?"
"Uh-huh." Hank hums an answer but still glowers in his discomfort as he follows his niece out of the kitchen.
The dining hall was filled with chatter and laughter when they entered the room. A brown wooden chandelier with candles for light was hanging above their heads and there were many of the Daunts in present for breakfast time. But few were not present.
Franny placed the fritters on the table."Morning, Gramps." She said.
Oswyn Daunt, the family's patriarch, was a man that had seen wonders throughout his life. And looks like it as well. By the time he was sixty-two, his gold-colored hair had turned white due to old age. He smiled at his granddaughter.
"Frances, sleep well?" He asked.
She shrugged. "Enough." And took her place at the table next to her younger brother, Matthew. "Hey, Rat."
"Hag." He said without looking at her as his eyes continued to review the book Gramps gave him to read for the week. Since their father passed away a while back, Franny and her mother did their best to ensure that Matthew was educated about their family's heritage.
"Where's mom?" Franny asked as she looked for her mother.
"She left early to cover for Margaret," Gramps answered as he continued to read his morning paper. "She called in sick. Coughing and stuff."
"Have you finished the book yet, Matthew?" Oswyn asked his grandson. He had given him a book that he was sure would increase his interest in their family tree. Lately, he's been slacking off of his lessons and was often found by the forest, catching local critters. It wasn't bad, but Oswyn really wanted him to focus on his given tasks.
"Not yet," Matthew answered.
"Well, finish it today. And Franny, I need you to go to the woods tonight and harvest some mushrooms. There should be hundreds of them scattered in the season."
"Sure, Gramps."
''Analee,''
Hank's eldest daughter abandons her talk with her sister, Maya, and looks at her grandfather. ''Yes.''
''Keep Fluffy in his cage.'' He sends her a warning look.
She looks at him sheepishly and nods. ''Okay.''
Suddenly the door opened and walking in is Aunt Valerie. The bottom of her pants is covered in mud, which indicates to Franny that she was cleaning the den. Her aunt, though tired, gives the family a bright smile either way. "Morning, people."
"Aunt Valerie." Franny presented her with a fritter, earning her a small head pat from her aunt.
"Thank you, Honey," she says as she bites into the sweet treat, humming with satisfaction. "Mmmh, perfect. Dad." She digs into her pocket and shows a vial containing a blue liquid substance.
Gramps sighs loudly and closes his paper. "Now?"
"Yes. Now, here you are." She walks over to him and hands him the vial. "Bombs away,"
Muttering about his discomfort about the vial in front of him, he set his paper on the table and took it. They all watched as the patriarch quickly popped open the vial, tilted his head back, and downed it like a shot of whiskey. He grimaced at the taste after swallowing it and took a deep breath. There was a long pause, followed by silence, before he opened his eyes, revealing bright white flashes of light that filled the room. He exhaled his breath, and the glow disappeared.
"Revolting." He says, and they smile. "Why couldn't you make it sweet like how Franny makes it?"
Valerie shows an innocent smile. "Because I like how it bothers you."
When Oswyn was about to strike her, she dodged away to avoid his hand while laughing. She stuck out her tongue and quickly sat at the table to finish her breakfast.
There are many similarities between the magic of each witch, but there are some differences between them as well. A lot of it depends on how well they understand the ground they step on and how much they are accustomed to living in harmony with nature. Magic is the essence of the Daunt Coven, and it is powerful and sacred. There is no doubt that their blood is what drives them to become the people they are and what makes them who they are.
Franny however, was an exception.
No matter how difficult it was to master, or to control, she just does it. Magic requires no chant or a cry of a term, a witch must concentrate and visualize what they want to do and how to achieve it. Franny just does it.
At a young age, Oswyn and her father took her aside and lecture her about her overwhelming abilities and how she must take control of them to guarantee the safety of the coven since she'll be next in line to be Sovereign for the Daunt Coven. The family had a pretty good reputation in the witch community. Other than their businesses, they were considered to be one of the most powerful covens and families and should never be crossed with. Franny knew the responsibilities and prepared her whole life to one day upheld the title of Sovereign, just as her ancestors had before her.
But that day won't come for a long time now. Or ever.
To be frank, Franny wasn't sure if she wanted to become Sovereign, but everything changed when her father passed away. Before he did, she was sure she would be ready until she was a woman, married even, with kids. She blamed herself for not better preparing herself for the day she would lead the coven for prosperity.
For now, what she needed to prepare for was Harvest day.
On her knees, Franny was on the ground as noon approached. She was helping the workers plant pumpkin seeds for the fall, even if it was a pointless task since she wouldn't be able to stay long enough to see them grow. Although her family grew up in the north of British Columbia, where she and her brother grew up, the area lacked educational opportunities. In order to better support their children, Franny and Matthew's parents have decided to move to Montreal, so they make sure that they are given a chance to choose their career path. Gramps was not happy with this development. Witches are meant to stay together and survive together. They are nothing without their covens.
So his son offered a deal. They could remain in Montreal as long as they returned to their home for their rituals and holidays on winter and summer solstices.
After a few years in Montreal, Uncle Hank followed their example and took his family to Vancouver. Gramps felt abandoned for a while, but new witches joined the Daunt Coven over time.
Having a very unique character, the manor was an extraordinary home. When Solomon Daunt constructed it, he placed a protection ward over their home and land. His main goal was to keep unwanted visitors from wandering into his house and land. Especially nomadic vampires.
A complex relationship exists between vampires and witches. The books in the manor's library tell different stories. One in which vampires served as slaves to witches or vice versa. Or the rumored tale where a coven created these monsters out of curiosity, etcetera.
However, none of them were as difficult as their relationship with the Volturi.
Gramps only warned her about the Volturi once before she left for her new home. According to him, they were the high authorities over all vampires. The law was their word and must be obeyed accordingly.
And the worst part, a witch had a play in their empire.
Every witch knew the story. Before the Volturi came to be, a witch crossed paths with the three vampires that would be kings. Marcus. Caius. And Aro.
It was a period full of destruction and pain. The debut of the Volturi. But their control soon ended when a rival witch foresaw a future of everlasting torture and blood. With all of her magic, she cast a spell that would ensure the safety of her family and witches and all beings that walked the earth, even vampires themselves. No matter what their circumstances was, the witch still managed to give mercy on the innocent souls who were forced into a life of a natural killer, clinging on the hope that they would stray from the taste of human blood to animal.
Long forgotten that a witch was responsible for their everlasting rule and the memories of it became dust, but those who remembered took it as a lesson to never take their powers for advantage so great that the results could be unstabled.
It was a lesson that Gramps had taken to heart. His trust on vampires was so thin, he could never believe such a creature that was designed to kill can ever resist the temptation for the one thing they survive on.
Franny lifted her hand, she made a pulling motion, and the holes were filled with dirt.
Standing up from her position, she patted her thighs with her hands. "Tapos na ako, Isadora!" She shouted at one of the workers from the other side of the field and Isadora straightened her back. "Oh! Salamat, madame!"
Franny smiles and waves goodbye before leaning over to grab her shovel from the pale bucket with her shovel. Inside was a gift she had prepared for Margaret after hearing she was feeling ill.
On her walk, her attention was drawn to a few workers who passed by on a tractor.
''Hey, Fran.'' One of them greeted
''Hey,'' She greeted back and walked down the path to Margaret's home. Today was a pretty decent day. She looks up at the cloudless sky and began to hum a soft tune. She skipped a step as she passed the barn, and the pigs oinked at her.
It was only a few minutes walk from Henrietta's house. It was a cute decent beige home with flowers growing wildly on the front porch. Henrietta was outside, sitting on her rocking chair with a blanket over her legs and reading a book.
"Hey, Maggie." Franny greeted the older woman with a grin.
Margaret Brenton was a kind woman whose family worked in the Daunts' orchard farm since forever ago. They know about the Daunts' being witches. Maggie's ancestor was once a slave to a misogynist man that would beat her with a fire poker that's been heated over the fire. Franny's ancestor, Solomon Daunt, bought her from the waste of a man and gave her sanctuary in his home. From then on, Maggie's family owed a long-life debt to the Daunts and worked for them till this day.
Maggie smiles as she places her knitting down on her lap. "Well, look who comes to pass by. Jim! We got a visitor."
Maggie's husband came out and smiled at their guest. "Welcome, Miss Daunt."
Jim and Maggie had been married for over twenty years now and their son was off at college in Vancouver.
"You know I hate that." Franny pouts playfully.
"I know. Come inside. We're just about to have lunch."
"Oh, no thanks. I'm just here to drop off some tea." She hands a tin cylinder with dried leaves to her longtime friend. "I heard about your cough."
"Thank you, sweetheart." Maggie thanked her and pulls the lid open to smell the aroma of the tea. "Mmmh, the best in the North."
"Here, " Jim takes the tea. "I'll boil some water."
"Thanks, Honey." Franny respectively looks away as the couple shared a quick kiss, and Jim went inside.
"So, other than the tea," Maggie sits back in her rocking chair with her hands folded on her lap. "What was the other reason for this lovely visit?" She asked.
Franny shrugged and sat on the first step of the porch. "I needed a break. The sun's been getting to me lately."
Maggie blinked and then looked down at her project. Fiddling it. "And nothing else?"
The young girl looks over the horizon of her family's land. It's beautiful scenery with a blue barn. Next to it was a small horse layout where all of Daunts' healthy horses roamed around. One of them was Franny's dark bay mare, Daliah. And then the pigsty that lay across the barn a few yards away. Their orchard and the fields are on the outreach of the manor and the farm. Surrounding it all was all forest and beautiful mountains. The land's air and beauty enchanted Solomon Daunt to build his home right here.
Franny takes a slow deep breath of that air and finally confesses. "I had a dream last night."
"Oh? What of?" Maggie asked.
"The moon. I've seen it in full so many times in my life. But in my dream. . ." Her eyes turned wistfully as she remembered how cold she felt when she saw it in her dreams. ". . . It was so big and bright. . . And there was this howl."
Maggie looks at the girl from behind with curiosity as she listens. "Next thing I knew, I woke up to Fluffy walking on me, and that's it."
"Is this one of your witches' premonitions?" Maggie crosses her legs and leans back further into her chair.
The black-haired beauty looks at her friend over her shoulder. "No, there hasn't been a seer in the family for years."
The older woman laughed and stood up, walking to sit next to the girl. "I wasn't being literal." She places a hand on Franny's back. "Come on. Why is this bothering you?"
Franny pursed her lips and shook her head. "I just. . . I don't know. When I heard that wolf's howl. It sounded. . ."
"Sounded like what?" Maggie asked.
Franny looked at her and muttered. ". . . sad. And I don't know how to help it. Or why I wanted to."
Maggie closed her mouth as she saw how bothered her little Franny was. She gently pulls Franny's chin to make her look at her.
"Whatever it means, Sweetheart. It'll come clear to you soon enough. You may not be a seer, but a witch's dream always has a meaning. Now, don't you doubt about that."
She pulls the girl's head to lie on her shoulder. Franny nuzzles her shoulder to suck in the comfort. They sat there for a full minute before Franny announced that she had to return before lunch started at the manor. They shared a hug, and she waved Jim goodbye through the window.
Franny walked back to her home and quickly went inside for her lunch.
Before she knew it, the evening had come, and lunch became dinner. After they ate, Franny changed from her jeans and shoes into a summer dress. She took the basket hanging by the kitchen entrance door and went off to the woods alone.
Looking up at the sky again, she felt relaxed knowing the stars were out and a quarter moon was shining brightly above her home. She let the wind take her away from the manor and lead her to the scent of the oyster mushrooms that were just beggin' to be found.
Not needing a flashlight, Franny closed her eyes and flowed her magic through her body. Once she opened them, she could now easily see the dark and smiled in triumph. No one knew how magic came to be. Their only full theory was that the earth was their source and that witches were the only creatures that could tamper with it. Master it. They were also evidence of humans that have similar abilities, but they weren't powerful enough to be considered a witch.
It is still a mystery why humans could gain these powers. Just like how it was a mystery how werewolves and vampires came to be.
The young heiress comes across a large dead tree and frowns when she sees the mold on the trunk. It was infected. Feeling sympathetic, she outstretches her hand slowly and closes her eyes. She ignores every feeling within her body. The summer air was touching her skin and the smell of wet earth beneath her bare feet. The only thing that mattered was the tree.
The molds around the trunk suddenly shrank fast, almost as if it was running away from what was left of the tree's healthy spots. And then, it was gone. Blinking, Franny smiled softly and continued her track through the thick forest.
She was lucky to enchant her eyes to see better through the night. Otherwise, she would've accidentally stepped on one of her aunt's traps that she set up for the bears that occasionally roam around the area. She has a disturbing fascination with extracting animal bones.
No one in the family was concerned. Everyone has their pleasures. And Franny's pleasure was playing tricks. Especially on the bullies at her school whenever they tried to wrong her in public. One bully found a snake in his locker and was considered a lunatic. A girl who thought it was funny to spray paint 'freak' on Franny's desk became terrified the next day when she saw her. A simple night terror had a play in it. As sweet as they like to picture her to be, Franny had always loved the sounds of screams. It just seems right to her.
Finally, she found the mushrooms and began foraging them. She made sure to leave some behind as much as she could to ensure that more would grow so that she could return and retrieve them next week.
Satisfied with her find, she pats the dirt away from her bruised knees and follows back her trail back home.
But as she walks, she feels something strange and stops. She looked around to see what was bothering her so much, and then she heard it.
A whimper.
It was so faint, but she heard it. She closed her eyes and heightened her hearing to find the source of the noise and heard that it was coming from the south. Without any hesitation, she follows it blindly and runs to it. As she marched through the trees, the whimpers became louder and more painful to hear. She ignored the mud and branches she stepped on as she gracefully jumped on the boulders and fallen trees that were blocking her way. Finally, she came to a grove where the moon was shining above her head. Their heads.
She found it. The source.
It was a wolf-no. . .it was too big to be a wolf, but that's what it was. A wolf with russet-colored fur lying on its side. But it appears to not be sleeping. And she found out why. Franny gasped as her trailing eyes found out why he was whimpering. One of her aunt Valerie's bear traps had latched on its legs, and a pool of blood was there. Becoming bigger and bigger.
Dropping her basket, the mushrooms fell out, but she didn't care. Franny ran over to the horse-size wolf and kneeled next to the back of his legs, where the bear trapped was latching on. The wolf seemed to finally notice her when she touched its side after a great amount of hesitation. It growled at her.
"Shhhh." Franny says tenderly. "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you."
It didn't stop its growls and looked at her with cautious eyes. Time almost stopped when she lost herself staring at them. They were brown and passionate that Franny found them so beautiful, and she couldn't look away. Neither did the wolf, and its mean demeanor softened. It whined. It almost sounded. . . relief.
Its head drops, and Franny snaps herself into action and goes back to the injured leg. The trap's jaws were very deep, but she found the small yellow instruction label on the trap and skimmed it.
"Okay, okay. . ." She mutters.
1. Place both hands on the springs. Avoid the jaws.
She places her hand on the spring.
2. Grip it, and push it down.
And she pushes it down.
She heard the wolf sighs in relief and throws the trap away from them. Ripping the ends of the skirt of her summer dress, she wraps it around the wolf's leg, hoping to stop the bleeding. But then mid-stops when she notices something peculiar.
The wolf was shrinking and lost its fur. Now all the remains of the wolf were a human leg. Eyes widened. She looked to where the wolf's head should be but found a man's face instead. There was a bit of facial hair on his tan-skinned face, and his short hair was a bit disheveled. His body was very well built like he was made to lift iron twice his weight and wrestle mountain lions, even if he lying down, Franny could tell that he was tall. But what stood out the most to her was the tattoo on his arm. It was a symbol of some kind. Possibly from a native culture due to the thick outlines and their shapes.
Ignoring that he was still in his birthday suit, she began to wrap the makeshift bandage around the young man's leg again to stop the bleeding. Once it was secure enough for the journey, she looked at him again and cupped his face as she focused on his breathing patterns.
"It's alright. . . you're safe now."
If she wasn't so distressed by her new founding, she would've noticed the soft purr under her touch.
La Push, Washington
August, 2006
*One Day Before the Wedding
Franny watches the trees calmly with her hands on her lap and music playing softly on the radio. She was twiddling with her thumbs as Jacob drove the gateway sign of the La Push. The reservation was what Jacob had described. It was beautiful with its breathtaking trees and land. It reminded her of home.
She can see why Jacob loves about this place. It was quiet and lively at the same time. She smiles as they pass a home where a couple of kids were playing with a rez dog, then ran away as it started chasing them, laughing and screaming as they do.
Her amused smile then drops slowly as the nerves came back.
Jacob looks at her from the corner of his eyes and takes her hand while he lets the other one steer the wheel. He brushed his thumb on the outside of her palm, hearing her heart thumping every moment as they got closer to their destination.
"Don't worry." He consoles her. "They're gonna love you."
"I'm not worried about that." Franny counters. "I know they're going to love me." She sent him a confident look with a smile that made him return it lovingly. "I'm worried about the Cullens."
When Edward found Jacob, Franny's interaction with the vampire was pleasant, as well as unpleasant.
Mostly because she couldn't deal with his toxicity.
The only good thing about him was that he was a 'vegetarian' and that he plays the piano very well. But Lord forbids if he ever touches her great-great aunt's piano again. Oswyn was almost set on catching him on fire if Franny hadn't intervened.
Her wolf then has a hard look on his face. Just the thought of any of the Cullens even getting near her irks him. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. You know that right?"
She can only nod as a powerful memory comes to her mind. Jacob hadn't been the same since that night of her debut as the coven's new Sovereign. It should've made her feel crazy the way he hovers her almost every day, but she wasn't. In truth, she was glad he was close by, it made her feel safe.
"I'm not worried about them hurting me."
"Then what?"
"Of what it would it lead to." She confesses.
They passed a few more kilometers before they reached a road with trees filling on each side, hiding the view of the hills and the ocean nearby. Jacob had promised back on the farm that he would take her tide pooling once they got to the beach. She couldn't wait. The aqua life always fascinated her, not to mention the plants that could be found inside the pools.
"Over there." Jacob points ahead, and Franny tilts her head to get a better look at what she was supposed to see. She smiled and got a little excited when she saw it.
It was just as Jacob had described, a small red house with a ramp in front and a small river ditch with a tiny bridge built over it. A garage was placed nearby a few meters away from the homey-looking house.
"Welcome home." He mutters to himself, but to Franny as well.
Though he agreed to keep their . . . whatever they had, subtle and slow, he knew that Franny wasn't ready to hear his fantasies. Yet, it didn't stop him from thinking about it. A home built from his own hands and a litter of pups running around to fill the empty space.
He let go of her hand, hating doing so, and parked the car next to his home. The car was sent by Oswyn to make their journey from the airport easier. How he got it there before they arrived was still a mystery to Jacob.
As if they knew they were coming, an older man in a wheelchair came out and a young woman followed him outside. Franny eyes squinted to get a better look at the young woman's face and notices the smallest familiarity in her face.
"Is that. . .?" Franny trails her eyes over the man that is the father of her imprinter.
"Yeah," Jacob breathes in surprise.
It was Rachel. Before he ran away and the invitation, he got word from his sister that she graduated early and was coming back home, for a short while anyway. He knew that Rachel was almost broken when they lost their mother, he knew that the LA Push would be too emotional for her to live in. "Looks like Rachel's been taking care of him." He takes a deep breath. Again, the guilt was eating him away, and looking at his father now. He doesn't know if he could have the courage to get out of the car and talk to him.
Franny noticed his struggles and grabbed his hand. "Hey," She whispers. "It's gonna be okay."
Jacob turns to her and squeezes back. Holding on to her hand for a short moment before blowing through his mouth out of anticipation. He looks back at his dad. "Here goes nothing." He mutters. Jacob turns to Franny once again and asked. "Come with me?"
She smiles and chides teasingly. "Baby."
He rolls his eyes in response. Not surprised that she would tease him right now. Especially in a moment when he can't admit that he's scared.
Giving her one last smile, he opens the driver's door and steps out of the car. He prepares himself as he looks at the man who he had no excuse to give. He walks timidly to Billy as courage begins to build up within at every step he takes. Once he was finally in front of his father, he gulped and spoke.
"Hey."
Rachel was the first to answer. " 'Hey'? 'Hey?!' That's the only thing you can say?" She says angrily at him. "Do you know how long and far we tried to look for you? Your friends barely slept, and Seth was the worst one out of all of them!"
Jacob ducks his head at the volume of her voice, but he is most afraid of what Billy would say when Rachel is done venting.
When she was, they both looked at Billy who looked up at Jacob up and down quietly. "Come here, son."
Jacob obeys and steps closer to Billy. Waiting for the lecture of a lifetime. How disappointed he was. Screaming, and yelling at his son for being so idiotic and selfish for running off over a girl who wasn't his. He had every right to never let Jacob step a single foot in his home ever again.
But the words that came out were the opposite.
"Welcome home."
Jacob raises his head in surprise and Billy's arms were raised, signaling his son for a hug he couldn't reach. Jacob hesitated but bents downs and hugged his old man. Billy patted his back as his son whispered.
"I'm sorry."
Billy mutters "Don't be. I'm just happy you're home"
It was when they pulled away that Billy finally noticed the beautiful girl behind Jacob. Her hands were folded at her front as she stood there patiently for them. Jacob signals her to come closer by lifting his hand like he was eager for her to hold it. She walks over and grabs it and slowly stands in front of Billy.
"This her then? Your chosen one?" Billy asked, not taking his eyes off her.
Jacob nods and smiles in pride as he wraps his hand around her shoulder. "Dad, this is Franny Daunt."
"Hello." She shyly greeted him with a tiny bow of her head.
Billy smiles slightly and beckons her with his hand.
She steps forward and he gently takes her hands in his while studying her face. Once he was done, he smiled and looked at Jacob.
"Spirits have blessed you, son. She's a looker." Billy chuckled lightly and the young teens both laughed. Jacob mostly out of embarrassment because of his father's compliment and was about to berate him but hold his tongue when he saw the brief teasing look his imprint sent him.
"Why don't you get your bags, Jacob? While Franny and I get to know each other better." Billy suggested
"Not even a minute and you got me working like a mule." Jacob simpers and Franny scoffs.
"With good reason."
Jacob looks as if he was betrayed while Billy laughs, even Rachel, who was still salty about the whole ordeal, smiles at the girl's comment.
"You and I are going to get along very well." Billy turns his wheelchair and Franny offers to push him which he gladly lets her.
Franny sends another smile to Jacob, and he watches them both heading inside the house with a excitement. Jacob sighs in relief but only for a short moment. Sooner or later, he's going to face some consequences when Sam and the pack show up. But for now, he's going to enjoy the time he has with Billy and Franny.
