The guardian and his last chance. Realization

XI

My eyes were locked with Jacob´s grayish blue ones. He didn´t break away even as he sat down. No movement from me. He let out a sigh. “I thank you Dragol.” He broke his gaze. His fingers intertwined together. On it he rested his jawline. “For saving the life of my daughter, I owe you.”

I shrugged my shoulders. He doesn´t owe me anything. Because I did what I had to do. “I did what everyone would do.” He didn´t move at all. “If I can hinder tragedy. Then I will.” He locked gaze ones more. “It´s that simple, Jacob.”

“Say Dragol.” He said looking at something through me. “Jackson told me, you are looking for a place to call home.” He got a devilish smirk on his lips. “I know, you are no human.” Now I glared at him, with my browns frowning. He put up his arms. Showing his hands. “I will not tell the rest, I promise.”

Slowly I rounded the corner of the sofa and sat down across of him. Not breaking the gaze at all. What is he scheming? I don´t know if I want to even know. But still I want to. Fast I looked at the stairs, then back to Jacob.

“You are the alpha?” I asked, even if I knew the answer. He grinned. “So, what did your Beta tell ya?”

He looked a bit taken by my sudden words. “He told me that you killed 4 rouges and helped Clarice in given birth.” He shrugged his shoulders like it was nothing. “It was implying that you are no human.”

“I´m not.” I said with a grin and relaxed my position a bit. That I didn´t hide it at all made Jacob´s eyes turn wider. “Still I am no foe to this town´s peace.” He didn´t believe me. It was written in his eyes clear as day. “If I was.” I said relaxing a bit mor, by leaning back. “this town would have been painted in blood, by now.”

Jacob´s eyes go darker. “Is that a threat?” he growled.

“It is not.” I sighed softly. “I just want to live the rest of my life in peace.” I heard the stairs creak. “To do so, I am in need of land outside of a town or city.”

Jacob´s wife came in to the living room, after she had gone in to the kitchen. She had a tray with her. The sound of ice clashing against glass, caught my attention. “Boys.” She hummed, as she put down the tray. “Something to drink in this evening.”

With great interest I watched her pour up two glasses of bourbon. She had a warm and kind smile on her lips. It made me smile back. I gave her a small nod, when she handed me my drink. After me she handed her husband, his drink. Then just then she poured her own glass, but with baileys. She was clearly happy and pleased, when she sat down on the armchair beside Jacob. Her slender legs folded under her. Jacob seemed to look at her with a look of chock. When he spoke, I understood why? “Mirai, that bourbon is the one I got, from your father, as a wedding gift.” She just nodded, looking at her own glass. “It is one of the finest bourbons in the world.” She nodded again. His voice starting to fill with confusion and panic. “So why did you take it for this evening?”

“Because, “she said without lifting her head. “I wanted to thank Dragol, for what he did again.” She looked at him thru the corner for her eye. "And you have not even tasted it yet." She turned to him, and batted her lashes at him. "So, I thought now was a good time to taste and drink it."

I chuckled, at his expression. In chock he glared at me then at her. The glass I put to my lips. One small sip. By the aroma of the corn, barley and roasted oak, I knew it is a good drink. The alcohol content seems to be just right. “Your father-in-law, has a great sense for bourbon.” I said as I bent my neck, in a siting bow. When I straighten up, I see them look at me not knowing what to do. “I did what I could do. So, Mirai you don´t need to thank me anymore.” She opened her mouth to say something. But I interrupted her. “You have done enough. You patched me up, fixed my jacket and shirt.” She got a small smile on her lips. Jacob laid a hand on her arm, smiling. “You even let me eat dinner together with you two and your kids.” I looked down in to my glass, twirling the ice around. “Me a stranger to you all. As I am just passing by.”

Mirai looked at Jacob and then at me. I saw small tear droplets in the corner of her eye. But it was from happiness. Even Jacob seemed a bit happy from my words. Of course, I praised his mate in front of him. Jacob put down his glass, it was empty. With a small smile, I emptied my own. He poured us one more. We sat maybe ten minutes, in silence. Then Jacob nodded to himself. A movement that Mirai seemed to know well. She laid a soft touch on his arm. He smiled big to her. He has found out something.

“Mirai.” He said with a smile. “You know the old homestead.”

She looked a bit taken by his words. “Your great grandparents place?” He nodded. "Yea, what are you thinking now?"

 “I will tell soon.” He said. My eyes got smaller as I looked at Jacob. He shifted his gaze to me. “Dragol, I am this town leader.” I knew that. But what is he planning? “You have done much for our town, these few days.” Mirai looked at Jacob confused. “First you killed a few rabid wolfs. Saving life, by doing so.” Now she looked at me in chock. She didn´t believe it. Not at all. “After that you saved Clarice and her daughter.” I leaned back again. Still not knowing what he is thinking. Even this seemed to be news for Mirai. Jacob stopped her from asking questions. “And then to day, you saved my only daughter.” He put down his glass. His elbows on the armrests, the hands under his chin. A smile on his lips. “In our family there is an old homestead. The farm is not modern, it may be a bit rundown even.” He looked at his wife in the corner of his eyes. Then locked eye with me. “I would like to give it to you. A place for you to call home. Your own place.”

So that was his plan, his idea. Mirai´s face changed, and lit up with great smile. “Love, that’s a great idea.” She was literally beaming. “What do you say, Dragol.” Her voice was so filled with happiness.

“I don´t know.” I said. The truth I spoke. I really want to find a place to call my own. Is this place good. I don´t really know what to do. In my long life this is one of the few times I am perplex about what I want. “I must think about it. But still thanks for the offer Mirai and Jacob.” I said as I downed the drink.

My empty glass, got filled by Mirai. She put in new ice too. “If you killed those wolfs?” she asked, I nodded looking down into the glass. “That would explain the scars you have on your body.” She took a sip of her drink. Jacob looked at her curiously. “They are from claws and fangs. Aren´t they?” she asked.

Her question startled me a bit. But I relaxed after one mor sip of the bourbon. “Yes, they are from claws and fangs.”

They looked each other in the eyes. I put my glass on the armrest. My mind seemed to drift of somewhere. Without thinking about it I started to stroke my right ring finger. More precise the ring on the finger. The simple wedding band, in solid gold. Against my rough finger it felt smooth and ensuring.

“Are you married, Dragol?” Mirai asked curious.

The question made me snap back to reality. “Was.” Was my answer. I took another sip of the bourbon. I saw how she looked at me. Wanting to know more. A fast glance at Jacob. He seemed curious to. “My love together with our children died a night.” My voice had a bit off sorrow in it. I saw pity, genuine one, in both of theirs eyes. I took a mouthful of the strong drink, it burned all the way down my throat. “That night didn´t just take my family away from me, but the whole of my clan.”

“I am sorry for you!” Mirai cried. Tears freely dropping from her eyes.

Jacob dried them with his thumb. “What a tragedy!” he said. His voice had sadness in it. “Was it a disease or a catastrophe?”

“Neither. You will not believe me.” I said, knowing fully well that they will. I am still playing my role as a human. They shook their heads. By their action wanting me to continue. “That night my clan was attacked. My clan who loved peace, was attacked by beasts. Monsters from the legends and myths.” I took a sip. “Even if we loved peace, we were trained to defend and kill to protect our own. “I could see how they looked at me with a baffled look. “When the dawn came, the village was silent. Blood filled the air. As the sun rose, the devasting outcome of the battle was shown. “I could hear their heartbeat was a bit high. “I was left alive, my clansmen died in our defense. Our families dead because we couldn´t fulfill our oaths.” A few tears escaped my eyes. Mirai was now bawling. And sitting in Jacob´s lap. As he tried to give her comfort. “Still I am glad for one thing.” I said touching the ring absentminded. “The monsters were all slain by us.”

“What monster were they?” Jacob said intrigued by my story.

I emptied the glass. “Werewolf.” Jacob´s face got a bit paler. Mirai gave me a look of pain. “Vampires and some others.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I will not force you to believe me. But I know what I saw.”

Mirai sniffled hard. “Dragol.” She sniffled, still tears on her chin. “I don´t know what you have been through.” She got a tissue and blow her nose. “But I know this, you need to settle down again.”

“My dear wife is right, Dragol.” Jacob said with his eyes on me. In his voice I could feel and sense a bit of anger. That baffled and intrigued me deeply. “I will not force your hand.” Jacob said more calmly, the anger is still there. “Just look at the homestead. After that, just after that you can make your decision to stay or continue your journey.”

I filled up my glass. “I wi-will take a a a look.” I faked that the alcohol started to get to me. “Thanks. For listening” I swept the glass. Slowly I started to lean on my side. After just a sec, I crashed to the sofa. My breathing evened out. I fell asleep.