Wolven Rising: Untold Stories

GR-12: First Impressions

Shasta

"So, you were orphaned at age eleven," Elder Jonathan said dismissively, flipping through some papers. "Your parents were...warriors, were they?"

"Yes," I said through clenched teeth.

"So you have no ranked blood in your veins," the asshole said speculatively.

"No, I do not. But I have the work ethic and drive that would rival that of any Beta," I said stoicly. I wasn't going to let this guy shake me. Now that we were here, proving ourselves worthy of leading a pack, I found that I no longer had any doubts. Not if we were being compared to jerks like the Elder currently interrogating us.

"And apparently a lack of respect and deference for your superiors," Elder Jonathan said snidely.

"I can assure you, Shasta means no disrespect," Kendria said before I could mouth off disrespectfully. "He is merely trying to answer your questions and communicate how seriously we are taking this."

"Well, that's not how it's coming across," Elder Jonathan said disparagingly. Seriously, whoever yielded the floor to this guy was the dumbest person alive. He shuffled the stack of papers again. "You seem a little young. Are you sure you're prepared for the responsibility of leading a pack and making difficult decisions?"

"Most Alphas and other ranked members in other packs gain their titles at a similar age," Kendria responded professionally, though I could tell the strain of being nice to this jerk was getting to her.

"This is true. But ranked members of other packs are usually trained for their positions from a young age. You and your...friends have no such benefit of instruction."

"May I remind you that my mother was a Luna?" Kendria defended us valiantly, though a small tic in her jaw gave away her stress. "We have had ample instruction from her. Plus, we've had healthy finances and growth for the past three years, which is proof of our hard work and dedication."

"Hardly sufficient when compared to a lifetime of training," Elder Jonathan scoffed.

I swear I saw red. It was all I could do to keep from shifting right there, to rip the guy to pieces. I barely paid attention to the rest of the meeting, since I was solely focused on keeping myself and my wolf in check. Luckily, it was over soon enough, and we quickly left the building into the late afternoon sun.

"Well, that's not quite what I expected," I announced, feeling nothing but relief at being out of that claustrophobic room.

"What was the deal with that guy? He was a jerk! Who does he think he is?" Harlie exclaimed angrily.

"Elder Jonathan? Yeah, he's been a piece of work all week. I wish he weren't part of Harvest Moon," Kendria said with a sigh.

"He's part of Harvest Moon? Ew," Harlie griped. She must have been really oblivious to the shiny Harvest Moon nameplate he had in front of him.

"He really has a stick up his ass," I grumbled in agreement.

"Who has a stick up their ass?" A sweet voice I recognized all too well piped up behind us. We all whirled around to find Alana, standing before us with the sun haloing her beautiful hair in burnished gold.

"E-Elder Jonathan has a stick up his ass," I stammered, recovering surprisingly quickly. Goddess, was that the first thing I had to say to her? Smooth. Hopefully she wasn't offended that I just trashed-talked her Elder.

Alana giggled, and tucked a stray flyaway strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, he's been that way as long as I've known him."

Whew, what a relief. "Too bad for you," I told her with a smile.

Alana giggled once more, and I committed the sound to memory. "You get used to it. Anyway, I went to the third floor to return your book and ran into Tamara, who told me you were here. So I thought I'd walk down and see if I could catch you." She held out my book like an offering.

I took it from her. "Finished already? How did you like it?"

Her cheeks once again took on a rosy hue, easily embarrassed. "I liked it a lot. It was exciting!"

"I'll lend you another sometime," I said. I didn't have the third book with me, unfortunately. I really wished I had packed it so I could lend it to her.

"I'd like that. I could share some of my favorites with you too," Alana said, her smile once again gracing her face. "Well, I have to check on preparations for the closing gala. See you later!"

She fluttered her fingers once, then was gone, disappearing inside the event building.

"What was that?" Harlie's accusatory voice popped the bubble I was just in. Wait, what was that? Never, not once, did Alana even speak publicly to me other than perfunctory greetings. Until now, apparently, when she confidently initiated not just a short hello but an entire conversation, that alluded to our exchange of books, no less! Maybe she wasn't ashamed of me, after all.

An audible scoff reminded me that Harlie was waiting impatiently for an answer. "What?" I said defensively.

"You know what. Are you trying to move in on my mate's sister?" Harlie screeched, poking me in the chest. "Because you better not be messing around with her."

I held up my hands. I didn't want her to think that I treated Alana like other girls in the past. "Relax, nothing's going on." Even though part of me wished there were.

"There better not be," Harlie said, glaring at me. I was starting to get angry. I mean, it's not like I was a horndog that was going to rut with whatever girl crossed my path. I had some self-restraint, damn it.

"Hey, cool it," Kendria said placatingly to Harlie. Then she turned to me. "I think she's just trying to make sure you're not going to break her heart. You know, given your history."

Ouch. "Look, we just got to talking about books, okay? So we've been lending some to each other. I'm not going to break her heart," I said seriously. I was 100% determined to never do that.

Harlie eyed me speculatively, and I was suddenly worried she knew what was going on inside my mind. At times like this, I was grateful we weren't an official pack yet with mindlink capabilities. "Okay," she finally said grudgingly. "But just so you know, I'll kick your ass if you step out of line."

This was going too far. What was I supposed to do while they were all over their mates, anyway? Sit in a corner by myself? "Yeah, yeah, I know," I said, rolling my eyes. "You know, we really only started talking since you two have been so busy with your mates." Not really the truth, but they didn't need to know that.

It wasn't Harlie, but Kendria who responded. "I'm sorry, Shasta. I didn't mean to be neglectful. Or to accuse you of not being above board regarding Alana. I trust you, okay?"

I nodded at her, truly grateful that Kendria was able to see that I was capable of being a respectful person. "Thank you. That means a lot." I did feel guilty though, that she trusted me with regards to Alana. But, in truth, I hadn't done anything with her that would be considered inappropriate. I sure as hell thought about it. But that was far from the only thing I wanted. I wanted everything.

"I'm sorry, too," Harlie mumbled.

"How about, instead of letting things get tense, we celebrate?" Kendria said, clapping her hands. "We're done talking to the council, I think, and we've done a good job making our case as far as I can tell. Let's have dinner, just the three of us."

I grinned, recognizing it as a peace offering for ditching me so much this week. "I'm in for dinner."

"That sounds good," said Harlie enthusiastically, also jumping on the 'I'm sorry' train.

We walked back to the packhouse, planning what food we were going to pack for dinner along the way. I'd just have to process what Alana's actions today meant later, when I was alone. Because for now, it was like old times with my two best friends.

---

Alana

My heart sank from behind the front doors of the event building, where I had stopped to catch my breath after having a complete conversation with Shasta in front of both Kendria and Harlie. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I really didn't. But when Harlie started yelling at Shasta about me, I couldn't help but stick around to listen.

It hurt to hear Shasta say nothing was going on so adamantly. I mean, I guess there wasn't really, not for him anyway. But for me, I was a riot of butterflies whenever I saw him, combing over every word, every expression, every smile. So hearing his denial of anything going on between us felt like a huge stomp on my fluttering, fledgling feelings.

But maybe it wasn't the truth? I had caught him off guard, I could tell. We had this unspoken agreement to not let on that we were friends in front of our fellow pack members, so my sudden public acknowledgment must have been a surprise. My cheeks burned with embarrassment at how spectacularly my idea had backfired.

I wondered what Kendria meant about Shasta's history. Had he broken someone's heart before? Did he maybe have a mate but reject her? No, I couldn't see him doing that, not with how much they treasured mates fated by the Moon Goddess. Maybe it was someone he dated for a long time, then left her because she wasn't his fated mate.

I shook my head. I had to stop imagining all of these outlandish scenarios. At least I'd returned his book to him. I was planning on lending him another one of mine, but quite frankly I was too mortified to approach him again. If he wanted to keep our friendship going, the ball was in his court. If he didn't, well...I'd get over it. Eventually.

But I still wanted to somehow get mom to change her opinion of Shasta, no matter what. He was a good person, and I didn't want my family to think ill of him. It was clear, though, that to do that, I was going to have to change tactics. Starting with Harlie. She seemed to be quite certain that Shasta was bad news, so far as I was concerned. If she thought that way, it would be only too easy for her to put a bug in Mason's ear, and it would all be over.

I nodded to myself, then started walking to the banquet hall. The closing gala was still a couple of days away, but I wanted everything to be perfect for it. The opening banquet had gone really well, but for me, that was only my job half over. The rest of it depended on the gala going without a hitch. Not only that, but for it to be spectacular. I wanted to show my mom that I could still be the perfect Beta's daughter, while also fraternizing with someone she thought less than worthy.

Wait. Fraternizing? I must be slowly going crazy.

---

Later, I collapsed into my bed, exhausted. Somehow, my instructions to make sure the trees in the banquet hall got daily sun and water had gotten lost, so I spent nearly three hours dragging pots outdoors, watering trees, sweeping up dead leaves, and trying to perk up the wilting plants so that they would heal within the next two days. I ended up snitching leftovers from the pack kitchens, then trudging upstairs to shower off the streaks of dirt and fertilizer I had earned from my efforts.

I rolled over on my side, looking at the clock. It wasn't that late, but late enough, and I was tired. It had been a long day, and I had strained myself both physically and emotionally. All I wanted to do was go to sleep and, hopefully, not dream.

I was just about to turn off the light when there was a light knock on the door. "Alana, sweetie, are you still awake?" My mom's muffled voice came through.

"Yes, but I was planning on going to bed," I said, yawning.

"You have a visitor."

I sat bolt upright. "Who?"

There was a pause. "It's Shasta Bernard."

Oh. My. Goddess. "What!? Are you serious?" I squeaked, flying out of bed. I was in my pajamas! I threw open my closet and started rummaging through it, looking for something to wear.

On the other side of the door, my mom sighed. "Yes, Alana, I wouldn't joke about something like that. Should I tell him to wait until tomorrow?"

"No!" I screeched, yanking on a pair of dark skinny jeans and a brown sweater. "No," I repeated at a quieter decibel, opening the door. "I'll see what he wants now."

I walked through the living room, ignoring the curious eyes of my dad and the what-the-heck gaze coming from Mason. What was Shasta doing here, at this hour, no less?

Turning the corner to the front door, I saw Shasta waiting just inside the doorjamb, shifting his feet nervously. "Hello," he said, with an awkward wave.

"Hello," I said cautiously. "What brings you here this evening?"

"Oh! Um, I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you at dinner, but you weren't there, so I...came here," he rubbed the back of his neck, his ears turning red.

"Could this wait until morning?" My mom asked over my shoulder.

"Uhh, sure. You're right, you're absolutely right, Mrs. Hoffman. I'm sorry I showed up so late, that was rude of me. I apologize. I'll catch up with you tomorrow, Alana," Shasta said, flinching a little as he turned to go.

"Wait!" I said quickly, stopping him in his tracks. "Mom, it's not that late. Is it okay if I go out for a little while?" I knew this was hurting my chances of getting my mom to approve of Shasta, but I couldn't pass this up. He came to see me. After this afternoon, he came to see me.

"What do you think, Vince?" My mom said, turning to my dad. Please, don't be the Beta right now, please, please...

My dad stood up. "You'll have her back before too long, won't you, son?" He boomed, giving Shasta a stern look. But I saw the twinkle in his eye.

"Yes, dad, I will return myself home before too long," I said, protecting him from answering my faux-domineering father. Beta Dad would have been too much, but this I could handle. I could kiss him for saving Shasta from being kicked out by my mom.

My mom sighed, defeated for now. "Well, as long as you're not home too late. Tomorrow is a long day."

I nodded vigorously. "I know. I'll be back soon."

I went toward Shasta, who was still rooted to the spot. "I really am sorry for stopping by so late," he said to my parents, who were now side by side in the entryway.

"It's no problem, we're not so old that we go to bed when the sun does," my dad joked. Mason joined them and raised an eyebrow at me. Are you okay, bug? He linked.

Yes, I am.

You better have some answers when you get back, he warned.

I will, I promise. I was shocked that Mason was being so calm. Maybe it was because my dad was so obviously okay with it. Which was a total surprise.

"Well, I'll see you in a bit," I said out loud. Then I turned and nudged Shasta out the door, shutting it securely behind me.