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Is everyone ready? Rowan asked, shaking his body as if he were covered in water. It was cold where we were, meaning it would probably be even colder in Alaska. I assumed it would begin to snow while we were away. After all, winter was really beginning to set in.

 I counted the cubs for the seventh time and nodded.  I had never felt snow before, and I was excited. Like the cubs, it would be my first time experiencing the cold, wet feeling beneath my feet, and I intended to enjoy it to the fullest.

Rowan nudged my side playfully before sprinting off after Aspen and Khione. I barked and followed, making sure the cubs followed me. We were probably going to be travelling for a while, and I didn’t want to lose any of them during the journey.

~~~*~~~

We had been travelling for approximately three and a half days when we finally reached the border of the White Claw’s territory. It was a large territory, for there weren’t as many wolf packs in this part of Alaska, so the pack could afford to spread out. According to Khione, however, the White Claw pack preferred to stick together, sending various members to do perimeter checks for intruders. Although their territory was large, this pack were a family who preferred to live close together and build a stronger pack with numbers; unlike our pack, who lived separately to form isolated families who banded together under one larger name.

The white snow was thick beneath our feet as the pups ran ahead, jumping, bounding and rolling in the icy powder. The rest of us watched on, keeping a careful eye on the cubs and our surroundings, and watching for any signs of the White Claw pack.

I stepped forward to keep close to the pups and crouched down. I had decided to play a small prank on them, and teach them to always be on guard. I squinted and slowly inched forward, dragging myself closer to a place behind Amber, who was digging furiously in the snow. When I was sure she didn’t know I was there, I pounced, tackling the sooty pup.

She yelped, her hind fur standing on end as she rolled across the snow. The adults laughed as Amber stood up and shook the snow off of her fur, barking at me for good measure.

I poked her with my nose in apology, but the cub turned around, hitting my face with her butt in the process, and trotted off to play with her siblings. That girl holds a grudge, I said, and the others laughed again.

Khione sat back on her haunches, tilted her head up and howled. The rest of us listened, hoping to hear a reply from another member in the pack. Finally, the reply came, and we ran towards the place where the howl had emanated from.

Three white wolves emerged from the edge of the woods, no longer letting the trees act as their shield. Their eyes were a multitude of colours; green, orange and purple. The larger one, the one with purple eyes, stepped forward. You’ve returned, Khione, he said.

Our guide nodded and proceeded to follow the three through the thick forest, so we followed her as well. When we finally reached the end of the wood, we were greeted by a hidden winter wonderland. One-story log cabins were positioned in random places in the large clearing. Wolves and people moved around doing their day-to-day activities. We followed the three wolves to the centre of the village, where a woman in her mid-thirties stood waiting for us.

Her white hair was pulled back in a plait and her eyes were a bright but dark green. She smiled at us as we approached her. “Welcome,” she said gently. “My name is Malvina, I am the Alpha of this pack.” Her eyes landed on me. “You must be Jay. You know, yours aren’t the first pair of red eyes we’ve seen come through here.”

I smiled. She must have been talking about my grandmother. She couldn’t be talking about anyone else.

Malvina noticed the pups. “You must be exhausted,” the said sympathetically. “Feel free to make one of our spare cabins your temporary home. Khione, you may rest. Nevada, show them to a cabin.”

The purple-eyed wolf nodded and gestured for us to follow him. He led us to a cabin big enough for our family, before leaving to take Aspen to a separate place. Rowan shifted to his human form and looked around. I shifted as well and so did the pups.

Rowan went into one of the rooms and returned with clothes for us. I changed into the shirt and jeans and slipped on the hoodie. I slipped my glasses on and ran a hand through my hair. I could relax now. I flopped down onto the couch in front of the fireplace and curled up into a ball.

Rowan emerged with the kids, who were dressed in thick parkas and boots. My mate was also dressed warmly. “Aren’t you cold?” he asked, looking at my attire.

I shook my head and shrugged, but grabbed a beanie and slipped it onto my head. “Are you happy?” I smiled.

“I’ll take the kids outside to play,” Rowan offered. “Rest; you look tired.”

Nodding, I waved as they left before making my way to the master bedroom, where a plain double bed with white sheets. I checked the other bedroom, which had a bunch of large futons laid out on the floor and smiled. This pack had gone to all this trouble for the pups and probably expected either Rowan or I slept in the same room. I snorted to myself at the thought and returned to the larger bed, flopping onto it and curling up against the pillows. I closed my eyes and relaxed, letting the warm blanket of sleep cover me.

~~~*~~~

When I woke up I found Rowan’s coat draped over me to keep me warm. He was looking through our closets at the clothes and other items the pack had supplied for us, although we would only be staying one night – long enough to get some answers.

“Didn’t I tell you I wasn’t cold?” I asked, sitting up.

Rowan smiled up at me. “It was hard to tell with you huddled up in that position, so I took a precaution.”

“Did you have fun?”

He nodded. “It’s weird. Are all arctic wolves androgynously girly-looking? And I mean that as a compliment,” he quickly added.

I thanked him and patted the mattress beside me, wanting Rowan to sit next to me. When he did, I kissed his cheek, my lips trailing down to the curve between his neck and shoulder. My mate’s arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me onto his lap, letting me straddle him. I pulled away from his neck and placed my lips on his, waiting as he gently opened his mouth for me.

Before we could continue any further, a knock sounded at the door and we stopped. I reluctantly slid off of Rowans lap to answer the door. Malvina waited on the other side with a stack of books and folders. She smiled at me. “I’m sorry for interrupting your rest, Jay. But I thought you might want to learn more about your grandmother and this pack.”

I nodded quickly and stepped aside, letting her in.

Malvina dropped the documents on the table and sat down, sorting through the various files and folders. “Your grandmother used to send the pack letters and photos from when she married your grandfather,” she said as s hand me a photo, the same photo I had seen when I was in my brother’s study. My grandmother sat on a swing while my grandfather stood in front of her.

“They looked like they were completely in love with each other,” I said, smiling at the photo.

“I hope you find a mate like that one day,” Malvina smiled.

I already had, but since I was told to keep the relationship between Rowan and I under wraps, I merely said, “I will.”

In the hour that Malvina was at our house, I had learnt so much. My grandmother was Malvina’s grandmother’s youngest sister, and was named Rotsukhon before she changed it to Robyn when she joined the Red Wing pack. The letters stated that she had given birth to a litter of three which included my father, and later that my father had married and had the litter of five with my mother and later a single child born in human form – me. The one about me talked about the fact that she would have to scold my older siblings for being rough with ‘little Jay’ who couldn’t shift. Attached to this letter was the photograph of my siblings and I. Once again, it was the one that I had seen before; the one where everyone is smiling.

I looked up. “Is there any more?” I asked, wanting to read the next letter.

Malvina shook her head. “The last letter we received was from your father, a few months before the crash.” She handed me the last letter which had been written in a different handwriting.

I chewed my lip nervously as I read. It had taken ages for the pack to finally explain to me about the death of my parents, and now, after all these years, I was about to find out about that of my grandmother. I smiled sadly when I had finished reading. The letter stated that she had passed away peacefully in her sleep, which is what anyone could have asked for.

“Thank you,” I said as I handed the letter back to Malvina, who took the documents and refiled them.

“I was wondering if I could talk to the man you brought with you,” Malvina asked, tucking everything she brought with her under her arm.

I nodded. “Sure,” I said as I leaned back into the couch.

She and Rowan excused themselves, leaving the house to give them some more privacy.

I began to piece together my situation. It seemed that my siblings would only behave when my grandmother intervened. So, when she was gone, they found they were able to get away with being more aggressive towards me – especially when I was able to shift. When my parents died, that was it. Cole became the pack’s leader when he was only thirteen. Once he became leader, there was no questioning his authority. In our household, what he said was final, and none of our caretakers through our teenage years dared to speak against the eldest son of the powerful previous alpha.

My hand rubbed across my face and I sighed. I now felt that I could relax. I knew where I came from. I knew my grandmother’s story. I knew why my siblings were so horrible to me.

Something grabbed my leg and I looked down. It was Marble.

I smiled and picked him up, setting him on my lap. “Shouldn’t you be asleep?” I asked.

Marble blushed and looked down, twiddling his thumbs. “I should,” he said slowly. “But I’m not.”

I chuckled and hugged him.

He was the only one of the pups who had inherited the red-eye gene. Anyone, wolf or human, would know that he looked a little different to his relatives. His auburn hair was streaked with natural silver-grey highlights. Marble’s eyes were identical to mine; dark, bloody red.

The door opened and Rowan walked in. His eyes landed on Marble and I and he smiled, approaching us and lifting Marble off of my lap and into the air. Setting the boy back on the ground, Rowan gave his back a light push and told him to go back to sleep.

We were alone at last. I stood up and wrapped my arms around his waist, leaning my head against his chest and looking up to meet his eyes. “What did Malvina want to talk to you about?” I asked.

Rowan shrugged. “Wolf political stuff,” he said. “Nothing you need to be concerned about.”

I nodded and kissed his chest. My hands wrapped around Rowan’s and I led him to our bedroom.

“Oh?” Rowan smirked. “I thought we were waiting until the after we made this whole bond official.”

I giggled as I let my hands slide up his chest and around his neck. “We are,” I teased.

Rowan sighed, a frustrated growl radiating from his chest.

“Aww, don’t worry,” I cooed, letting my fingers knot into his hair. I brushed my lips softly against his, enjoying how docile and patient he was being and knowing that he was doing it for me. Again, I kissed him. This time it was harder and the kiss lasted longer.

One of Rowan’s arms circled my waist and the other’s fingers laced into my white hair.

I smiled against his mouth and pulled back, resting my head against his chest again. “I love you,” I whispered and pressed my face further against the warmth radiating from his chest.

Rowan’s fingers combed through my hair soothingly and he kissed my forehead. “I love you too,” he said softly. And I knew that he definitely meant it.

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