Hello Again

Unexpected

Snow POV

It has been six months since Con and I stayed up all night drinking in his kitchen, and a lot has happened. Right now, I'm packing my stuff to be shipped to my new home.

I bought a large piece of land right next to Spring River. A small, peaceful town with mostly older people. The town itself reminds me of the Victorian period, which I love. Its town center even has cobblestone streets. The perfect place for me to relax and paint. The house was just finished last week. It is a large 12 bedroom stone home overlooking a valley and has a forest to its back.

It's significant for just me, but my gut told me I'm going to need a huge house, and I was right.

I talked to Jack a few weeks ago. Jack, Garth and their cousin named Nickili are coming to live with me. They said it's getting too crowded and they want to live someplace sunnier. I couldn't say no to them, even though they didn't ask.

When I talked to Max, he told me how he and Jane were having trouble in their pack. Max and Jane moved to Max's old pack of wolves who don't care for mixed shifters. I told him about Garth and Jack coming to live with me and invited them too.

"Do you really have to go, Snow? I'm gonna miss you." Willow said sadly. Willow is Con's, true mate. They found each other four months ago. She despised me at first. She even went as far as threatening to move out if Con didn't kick me out and never talk to me again.

I understood her; I wouldn't want my mates' ex living with us either.

Con didn't, of course, and he didn't let her leave either. He can be unreasonable at times.

Willow started liking me after I risked my life to help Con and his brothers rescue her from a clan of dragons. Now she doesn't want me to leave.

"Yes, I told you my brothers are already on their way, and I need to be closer to manage the Oil Company," I tell her as nicely as I can. Willow is a human with long brown hair. An elf-shaped face with large glasses on top of her small upturned nose.

"I know; it's just I'm going to miss you." "don't worry, you have Con and his family and I'm only a phone call away," I say. "I know, but your family too." She has no idea how happy it makes me hear her say that.

I stopped at a diner on the way to my grandmother's house. Her birthday is in a few days, and I want to be there for her. She'll be turning 80yrs old, which isn't too old considering she'll probably live to be 200 or more. She acts more like she is in her mid-30s.

I was disappointed when she declined the offer to move in with me, but everyone has their own path to follow.

It's been a month since my brothers, and I moved into the house, and it's been a little crazy but, good. Max and Jane, their daughter JK who is now 6, and their son Maddox who just turned one are finally settled in. They are both beautiful and sweet kids. I can't wait to see them grow up.

Jane was an English teacher before the E took her. She and the Kids spend most of the time in the library.

While Jack, Garth, and their cousin, Nickili, were on their way to Spring River, they stopped in to check on Aden. Nikili found his mate there, a wolf named Lilly. He tried to get her to move here, but she refused something about her brother and nephew needing her. So like any good mate, he stayed with her.

Jack and Garth found a middle-aged lone wolf who looks like he's lived a long life named Jimmy at a bar playing the guitar. A few towns over. I don't know what Jack said to him, but he convinced Jimmy to move in with us. Without asking me once again.

Jimmy is tall, scraggly looking, and has long hair and a beard. He chooses to live in the spare bedroom in the basement where all the games are. I don't see him much except at mealtime; he likes to keep to himself.

The Snow is picking up outside. The weatherman said that there's a dangerous blizzard coming in tonight.

I asked the waitress for my bill; I need to go before I get snowed in.

"Did you hear about the Bishop family?" I can't help but overhear the group of teenage wolves in the next booth.

"I heard their daughter got with a lion and got pregnant." The girl said with disgust. "Ya, apparently she had the baby a few hours ago, and her father took it to the woods." The boy says with humor.

In the old days, shifters would take children they thought were weak or different to the woods to survive or die alone. No child, not even a strong shifter child, can endure this blizzard.

I'm on my feet in an instant, grabbing the boy by the throat. "Where?" I ask through clenched teeth. I'm barely holding on. Beastly is ready to murder everyone in this place. Luckily the only people in the diner are the teens, and the waitress, who scurried off as soon as I grabbed the boy. "The baby," I growl as I squeeze harder.

"We don't know where the baby is for sure, but I can give you the Bishop family address," the girl said.

Not bothering to knock, I kick the door in. I'm hoping the kids are wrong, but deep down, I know they are not. The family is sitting on the couch watching Jeopardy. It didn't take long to get the information I needed out of them. The dad tells me he left her in a rabbit hole next to a willow tree about 5 miles into the woods 4 hours ago. The daughter looks ashamed while the mother acts as if I'm not there. I really don't care what they think; I just want to save the baby.

After getting whatever sent I could from the child's mother's room, I'm on all fours running through deep snow.

The snow begins to come down even more brutal, and it's slowing me down. I'm having trouble seeing even with my shifter senses. Doesn't help that it's getting dark.

Finally, after what seems like a lifetime, I see a large willow tree.

The ground is covered in a thick blanket of snow and ice; I'm starting to lose hope. Most shifters can't change into their animal until 5 years of age. In some rare cases, under extreme distress, they can turn early. Even as early as a few hours old.

I start making loud whimpering noises hoping the baby will hear me and know I'm not a threat. I start to give up hope when I finally hear a small wine. Digging as fast and gently as not to hurt the baby. I finally see a small ball of blonde fluff. She is alive and in her animal form, thank the Goddess.

I released a breath I didn't even know I was holding. She is alive!

The danger isn't over yet though. If I don't get her warmed up soon she will die, and I won't make it back to the car with the weather like this. There's no time to overthink it. The snow is over her head. She can't walk through it, and I need to get us someplace safe and warm now.

I grab her by the scruff of the neck and rush to the cave I saw not too far away. I'm in my animal form, so I don't have anything to start a fire for warmth. Doing the only thing I can think of to keep her warm, I curl my body around hers and pray for the Moon Goddess to bless us once again.

As the sun started to light the cave, I could hear the birds and know the storm was over. The pup is starting to whimper. It was time to get someplace warm and feed this little one.

The snow was challenging to walk through even though it wasn't coming down anymore, with a pup in your mouth. Before I know it, we are in my car. I immediately got the heater going and wrapped her with a blanket, I found in the backseat.

I called my grandmother on the way to her house to let her know what happened. By the time we got there, she had everything we needed: bottles, formula, clothes, blankets, toys, and even a car seat which would be hard to use if I can't get her to change back to her human form.

After getting fed, warmed, and about half a day of sleep, she finally changes back to her human form. She is the cutest baby I've ever seen. She has rosy pink cheeks with bright blonde hair that's a bit on the yellow side and big blue eyes. I know instantly I was meant to be her mother.

"What are you going to name her, sweetheart?" My grandmother asked lovingly.

Gazing at her, I say, "Amelia," After my mother.

"That's an excellent name," she says as she starts packing a box.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm packing. You did ask me to move in with you, did you not?" She says with her hands on her hips.

"I did, but I thought you said no?"

"I don't want to hear any of that now. I'm not going to miss my great-grandchild growing up! Also, I don't want to be called grandmother anymore. I want to be called Gigi." She says a matter-of-factly. "Gigi?" I ask amusingly.

"Yes, Gigi. Grandmother makes me feel old, and I don't have a single gray hair". She says as she continues to pack.

Three days later, the Snow is finally melted enough for us to make the journey home. I called the boys soon after I found my new daughter to let them know what happened. They were all very furies about the whole situation, but happy that I found her safe and there ready to be uncles.

I follow a giddy, Jack, up the stairs to put Amelia down for a nap in my room. "Not that room, this one," Jack says as he jesters toward the room across from mine. "Why are you so giddy, Jack? And why am I going in here?" As he flips on the, switch; I see the most adorable pink room with a white dresser, crib, and rocking chair. I'm shocked. I didn't expect to get this done for another week or two.

"We would have done more but with the snow and all," Jane says as she walked into the room.

"What are you talking about? I don't know how you got this much done?" I say happily.

"Well, Max and I had enough paint leftover from JK's room, so the boys came up here and started painting as soon as we got the call, and Garth and Max got the furniture this morning. They just got done as you pulled in." Jane says modestly.

After thanking everyone and getting Amelia down for a nap I join everyone for coffee in the kitchen downstairs.

"So I know this might not be the best time, but we need to have a meeting," Garth announces to the room. I'm curious what Garth has to say. He's usually very reserved; Jack does most of the talking for the two. I can go days without Garth saying more than a few words.

After everyone is settled at the large oak dining table, Garth with a serious tone as always says. "So, as you all know, some friends and I are trying to take down several operations like the E"

Garth has friends who basically keep their ears to the ground trying to make sure nothing like the E happens again.

"Well, a group was found kidnapping young children,".

Max hits the table hard enough to crack it. "This is bullshit. When do we leave? We have to take them down immediately!"

I'm in total agreement with Max and ready to go straight away. Garth holds his hands up, silencing us. "The operation has already been put down, and the kids are safe. Five kids between the ages of 6 and 10 were found. They are all mixed shifters; we believe most of them came from breeders."

I know this information is hitting a sensitive spot for Jane. Considering she was a breeder when the E held us, prisoner.

"so that being said, they're having trouble finding a pack or a family that will take them in." Garth pauses for a minute to let everything sink in.

Jane is crying while Max is trying to comfort her. Gigi and Jimmy are holding hands. I'll have to ask her about that at another time. I know Garth has more to say. He looks like he's about to tell me something I won't like.

"I... told them we would take them all in,"

I don't know what to say or think. Typically it's Jack who does things like this, not Garth. I'm not ready to become a mother to 5 more children, and I don't think Jane wants 5 more either.

"Well, that's just excellent Garth, good job. This is the perfect place for them to be." Gigi said with a warm smile.

"What are we gonna do with five orphans, open an orphanage?" I asked sarcastically. I don't know what to think of my grandmother at this moment.

"O, I do hate that word. No, not an orphanage, per se. Let's call it a boarding school." I could just see the wheels turning in her head.

"Boarding school? Doesn't sound much better," Max said.

"Yes, a boarding school is just right. The children will live and learn there. We can take in all the children without families or for any other reason they may need a home." Gigi said with delight, ignoring Max.

"Yes, that sounds perfect. We can send all the kids from the pack there during the day to learn like a normal school and I can teach a few classes," Jane said with hope.

"Yes, I'm 100% in. We can start building as soon as the snow and ice are gone," Jack says for the first time during this meeting.

Everyone is looking at me questioningly. I'm not sure when I became the leader of the group. Perhaps it's because I own the house and land. Either way, I couldn't say no if I wanted to. Everyone is right; this is the best place for them. It's just, we are so unprepared.

"Yes, I'm in. There's a lot to do, and everyone will need to help," I said, starting to feel very exhausted.

Jack stood up with an enthusiastic look on his face and announced, "Ok, if we're doing this. We are going to need a pack name."

"Normally, a pack picks an alpha before picking a name," Jimmy said as he looked at us questioningly.

"Not it!" Garth, Jack, Max, and I say at the same time. All four of us are alphas in our own right. It's a big responsibility to lead a pack. A responsibility none of us really want.

"I vote for Snow," Jack says with a smile.

"Who's ever heard of a mixed-breed woman being alpha?" I ask.

I do not want to be alpha!

"I have; her name is Snow," Gigi says.

Garth raises his glass and says, "Hears to Snow"

Everyone raised their glass and takes a large drink. I'm feeling out of my depth. I've never even thought about being alpha before. Gigi pats my arm proudly. "You got this, dear."

"I don't recall a vote," I say, trying to get out of this.

"I vote for Snow!" everyone says at the same time.

How did I get here? One day I'm in Italy drinking wine and painting the next I'm a mother and an alpha. Life can take some unexpected turns.

"Now for the name," Jimmy says.