Outcast's Song

Chapter 1-2

The elder was quiet for another moment as the other wolves began to gather around them, then finally gave her a little smile and a nod. “A rookie would have tried to kill anyway, and probably have lost an eye for their trouble. You gave up the kill but made sure the rest of your pack was with you, and put us in a position to finish the hunt properly.” He reached out, clapping her firmly on the shoulder. “Well done.”

Leah felt her knees go weak and it took an effort of will to remain on her feet and smile, giving Lewis a nod of thanks even as her brain jumped in circles from sheer relief, as Lewis shifted back and led the other wolves in a howl of victory.

I did it, Leah silently chanted to herself as she fell back into her wolf and joined in the cry. I did it, I did it, I did it!

* * * *

Amélie smiled as Leah finished retelling the story of the hunt. “I am glad the hunt was not as difficult as you feared it would be—and I am impressed at how well you handled yourself with the elder. You did very well, Leah.”

Amy nodded, radiating pride. “Quite.” She looked over to Leah, her eyes sparkling. “But of course, that wasn’t the end of it…”

Amélie raised an eyebrow as Leah started to blush again. “So you said. What happened afterward?”

Leah cleared her throat, shooting Amy a glance. “Council politics, I guess? One of the other elders started insisting I wasn’t done because I hadn’t demonstrated control of my wereself.”

Amélie’s eyes widened. “That is quite a lot to ask for anyone who has been turned so recently—or a naturally born were a few years after her first change.”

Amy nodded. “Martin—Elder Langsauer—was furious. Lewis, who had handled the hunt, was on his side too, and it all turned into a shouting match until Leah solved it for them.”

“Solved it?” Amélie blinked as she realized what Leah must have done, and turned to look at her with a new level of respect. “Unaided? In the middle of the council?”

“Yeah…” Leah scrubbed at the back of her head. “Not sure I could have done it without your help, honestly. I used the prayer you taught us to help me focus—help me concentrate on that part of myself. I remembered what you said about how my wereself was still me, and…well. It all worked out.”

“Remarkable.” Amélie smiled at her, feeling a little flutter in her belly as Leah began to blush again. “You should be very proud of all you did, Leah. There’s no need to feel embarrassed.”

Amy grinned. “I don’t think that’s it, actually…” She winked at Leah, and to Amélie’s confusion, Leah began to fumble for her phone. “We had a party here, Lady! Look at all these pictures Amy took and let’s not talk about the rest ever again!”

Amélie gave them both a bemused look. “Leah, what on earth happened?”

Leah groaned as Amy started giggling, burying her head in Amélie’s shoulder. “Okay, okay, you tell her.”

She raised her eyebrow as she met Amy’s eyes. “Tell me…?”

“Well,” Amy drawled, “you see, Leah obviously had to change back from her wereself.”

Amélie nodded. “Yes, of course. I’m sure it wasn’t pleasant.”

Amy grinned. “Well, as it happens, Leah found something to think of to help her change back.”

“I still don’t see…” Amélie blinked as she suddenly put Leah’s behavior and Amy’s amusement together. “You thought of me?”

Leah made a noise that was somewhere between a whine and a sigh. “Not exactly…I mean I was but…”

“She was thinking about waking up after the full moon and getting an eyeful,” Amy explained dryly. “So, Leah was right—she really couldn’t have done it without you.”

Amélie’s cheeks were burning even as a laugh burst from her lips. “Mon dieu!”

After they all had stopped laughing long enough to finish their meal and clean up, they settled in to show Amélie some photos and videos on their phones.

“We knew you couldn’t be there,” Leah began as she loaded up the first video on her phone, “So between the two of us I think we filmed or snapped photos of just about everything so you wouldn’t miss out.”

Amélie was touched at the sentiment and admittedly curious to put some faces to the names she’d heard them speak of.

Leah pressed play and handed her phone to Amélie as the video began.

“I really wasn’t sure I believed your stories about the cowboy,” Amélie commented almost immediately as the screen showed the man tussling Leah’s hair between her ears and laughing.

Amy chuckled, “I’m not sure I could come up with a person quite like Ashley.”

As the video continued, Leah and Amy took turns pointing out a few things here and there, but Amélie had to press pause as the camera turned and a slightly tipsy looking blonde woman appeared on the screen.

“The blonde…is that the Abigail you mentioned?”

Amy grinned as she watched Abigail drunkenly attempt to dance. “Yes, that’s her. How did you know?”

“Blonde hair, blue eyes…” Amélie smiled. “She looked the part.”

Amy laughed. “Yes, I suppose she does!”

Amélie paused the video and looked at her thoughtfully. “She does not have ears or a tail out…”

“Oh, no.” Leah shook her head. “Abby’s human.”

Amélie’s eyebrows raised. “Really?”

Amy nodded. “She’s the doctor I took Leah to, after our first full moon together. She runs a clinic not far from The Howl. It’s…something of a family tradition, from what I understand.”

Amélie would swear her heart skipped a beat as she looked more carefully at the still image of the doctor, her eyes bright with laughter as a darker skinned woman in a button-down shirt steadied her from behind. Could it be…?

“I…see.” She let her finger hover over the play button as she tried to keep her voice calm. “That’s quite remarkable.”

“I think you two would get along like a house on fire,” Leah grinned. “She’s a good one, Abby is.”

Amélie looked down at the phone again, nodding to Leah as she restarted the video, not trusting herself to speak. If she is who I believe, I would expect nothing less.

The movie ended not too long after that, and they switched to swiping through photos. Most featured Leah, and Amélie realized Amy must have been the primary photographer, though there were a couple selfies thrown in with Amy and various others.

One such photo toward the end took Amélie’s breath away.

“He looks…very distinguished, these days.”

Leah and Amy stood side by side, smiling happily, while a proud looking Martin stood behind them, beaming as he had his hands on their shoulders. There was a woman Amélie didn’t recognize beside him with a blue headwrap, eyes twinkling with amusement at the camera.

Leah raised a brow at that, “You know Martin?”

“We…met on a few occasions,” Amélie answered softly. “The last time was just before…” She closed her eyes for a moment to help herself push away the painful memories, refusing to allow them to overshadow the pleasant evening. “He was…always very kind. I did not expect him to be in London, though. You said he was at your trial…is he truly part of the council here?”

Amy nodded, “He’s the head of it, actually.”

“He stops by The Howl now and then to check in on us and relax,” Leah added as if to help explain his presence at the party, “He even offered Amy and I to join his pack if we wanted.”

“You refused?!” Amélie was shocked. Beowulfsohn was an old, old pack. To be offered a place in it without ties of blood or marriage…

Leah looked over to Amy. “Not…exactly? I thanked him for the offer, but I wanted to concentrate on the exam…and I wouldn’t have gone without Amy, anyway.”

Amy leaned over to kiss Leah’s temple. “I wouldn’t do it without you, either, pup.” She looked back to Amélie and gave a little shrug. “I’m not…necessarily opposed to the idea, but I left my parent’s pack because I wanted a chance to be…to see who I was without thinking of myself as a member of a pack first, and an individual second. I’m still not quite sure I’m ready, honestly. It just…didn’t quite feel like the right time.”

They settled into a contemplative silence for a little while after that, until Amélie broke the silence with a yawn. Her body was still on American time, but it really was getting quite late. Her eyes fell on her suitcase, and it reminded her that there was one more thing she wanted to do tonight.

“I almost forgot,” she explained as she stood, “I have…” She paused, suddenly seized by a flash of nervousness. “I brought gifts for each of you…I hope that’s acceptable.”

She looked to see their reactions, unable to keep her tail from fidgeting. It’s been years since she had even considered giving anyone a gift outside of professional courtesy, and part of her wondered if she’d overstepped as she took in their expressions of surprise.

“Lady, you didn’t have to do that!” Leah’s eyes widened with surprise. “That’s so nice of you!”

Amélie knelt down next to her suitcase to open it in hopes of hiding her blush. “Perhaps you should see what I have for each of you before you decide that.” Taking the packages from her bag, she handed a wrapped box to each of them before sitting back down to see their reactions, keeping one small parcel in her lap.

Amy looked down at the box wrapped in elegant white paper with a wide black ribbon, running her fingertips along the bow. “You know…the only gift we were hoping for was for you to come back home to us, Amélie.”

The tenderness in the alpha’s voice took her breath away, and Amélie found herself retreating into some of the manners she’d cultivated for her business dealings, her bearing stiffening and her voice growing tight.

“Even so,” she gestured to the package in Amy’s lap, “please, open it.”

Amy gave her a searching look, then smiled as she undid the bow, putting the ribbon beside her before raising a seam on the wrapping paper and tearing it away. She lifted the lid of the box, gasping as she lifted out a shimmering green silk blouse.

“Oh…Lady, this is beautiful!” Amy held the blouse against her chest, and Amélie was relieved to see it looked like it would fit quite well. She’d thought she remembered the sizes from the clothes Amy had lent her on her first visits to the cabin correctly, but she’d been nervous. After all, it wasn’t as if they could return it to M. LaFleur for an exchange without a transatlantic flight.

“I saw it, and thought the shade matched your eyes.”

Amy gave her a shy little smile. “Well, part of the time, at least. Thank you so much, Amélie.”

Leah grinned. “It’s absolutely gorgeous!” She looked down at the bundle in her lap. “So…guess I’m next?” Without waiting for confirmation, she began to undo the bow and unwrap the package, giving a little ooo as she unfolded a long black apron made from a treated canvas material, with several pockets and a wide loop sewn into the side for towels or tongs.

“Oh,” Leah smiled as she stood, slipping her head through the neck loop, adjusting the metal buckle to take up the slack, and tying the apron around her waist, “this is fantastic!”

Amélie smiled, her shoulders relaxing slightly with relief at how both of them had appreciated their gifts. “I’m glad you like it…especially since you seem to enjoy wearing little else while you cook.”

“Thoughtful and practical,” Amy agreed. “It’s quite lovely.”

Leah laughed, twirling back and forth before undoing the knot and slipping the apron off. “I’ll just hang this up in the kitchen!”

Amélie cleared her throat softly. “Before you do…I have something else for you.”

Leah turned back to her, raising her eyebrows in surprise. “Really?”

Amélie nodded as she stood up, turning the final package over in her hands before offering it to Leah. “I did not know you when you had your First Moon…but after you passed the exam your council placed over you, I thought that perhaps I could find something for you to mark both occasions.”

Leah handed Amy the apron, and Amélie’s fingers trembled just slightly when they brushed together as she took the box. She smiled at the deep blue paper decorated with silver moons in different phases. “That is really cute!” The paper fell away to reveal a flat rectangular jewelry box, and Leah’s jaw dropped as she lifted the lid.

“What is it?” Amy stood and moved beside her, trying to get a better look at what was inside, and her eyebrows jumped up to her hairline. “Oh my.”

“I found it in a jeweler’s shop near my hotel,” Amélie explained as Leah carefully pulled the wide oval pendant from the box, marveling at the brilliant blue stone in the setting, that almost seemed to glow with an inner light. A series of ring-shaped links rose from the pendant in a V-shape, joining it to the long, elegant chain that spilled down Leah’s fingers as she admired it.

“The chain and links are made from stainless steel, and the pendant was carved from platinum.”

Leah nodded. “I almost wondered if it was silver for a moment, but I realized if it was, well…” She blushed. “Still getting used to that.” Her finger ran over the polished face of the stone, tracing the veins of iridescent color that could be seen running through it. “What sort of stone is this? I don’t recognize it.”

Now it was Amélie’s turn to blush again. “Moonstone. Rainbow moonstone, specifically. It normally is used to represent growth, and strength. I…found it very appropriate.” She looked at Leah as she held the pendant, watching as she turned it around in her hands, tension growing in her stomach as she waited for Leah’s reaction.

Leah carefully straightened out the chain, making sure there were no kinks or tangles, then slipped it over her head, letting the pendant settle just above the swell of her breasts.

As the silent moment began to stretch toward awkwardness, Amy placed a hand on Leah’s shoulder and Amélie began to worry that she’d made a mistake—that somehow, her intentions had gone wrong.

“Do you like it, Leah?”

Leah looked up from where she’d been looking into the moonstone, tears starting to fill her eyes before she wrapped her arms around Amélie as tightly as she could.

“I can’t even begin…God, Lady…what this means to me,” she whispered softly. “I love it.”

Amélie returned the hug, tears beginning to fill her own eyes as she felt Amy joining the embrace.

Je t’aime, Je t’aime, Je t’aime.

Je suis là.