Unsettled Magic

Chapter 6 - Meeting Theo

        Rowan and I barely made it through the next day.  I wasn’t having the difficulties with focusing that most people do after a treatment.  It was the ache and soreness that came with suffering through such a harrowing ordeal.  Outwardly, there was no indication of what I went through yesterday, but my body certainly felt it.  I tried adjusting my walk to ease the discomfort of my internal bruising.  That was until Ro pointed out I looked like I was sporting an invisible suit of duct tape. 

        Even Rowan was doing better than I had expected.  Normally, she moved slower than a slug.  The disappointment of failing to catch up to the mystery guy weighed heavy on her last night.  When I reminded her this morning that I would see him again in Mrs. Emmerson’s history of wolves class, her behavior did a complete shift.  Now that he did not show up for class, I didn’t have the heart to confront her with the truth.  I kept glancing at the empty seat and back at the door, hoping to see him walk through.

        One point Rowan brought up had me questioning myself all day.  She asked me why I’ve never noticed him before.  Truth be told, it was a question I could not get out of my head.  I had always had a keen sense of observation, so I didn’t think I would have missed something so grandiose as another conscious walker.   It wasn’t likely that he was a new student.  It was unheard of to change packs without going rogue now that the contagion hit.  Theoretically, he would have had to be of ranked blood for it to even be possible. 

        It was a little disheartening when the day ended and I was greeted at the classroom door by Rowan’s hopeful face.  I could sense her feeling of defeat ran deep when she realized his absence.  I followed the class out into the hallway to gather my belongings from my locker. 

        The lack of enthusiasm for the weekend was palpable, excitement was nowhere to be found among my peers.  It was common for the average wolf to get their treatment on the weekend because they had another day to recover before returning to day-to-day life.  Rowan and I went during the week because we joined the pack training regimen on the weekends. 

        Running up to Rowan, I laced my arm through hers.  I knew the perfect thing to say to cheer her up.  At least, I hoped it worked.  Especially since I had all class period to think about it.

        “Come on… it's not that bad.  We have two days now to figure out how to corner him and keep him from running.  We’ll just have to see him on Monday instead…”  I tried to reassure her the best I could, giving her a smile even though my face still hurt from all the screaming yesterday.

        “Well… I guess that is true.  And it will make Monday more tolerable.  What do you think his name was?  I bet it was something exotic… like Lorenzo.”  Her face turned dreamy as she stared off into space.

        “Lorenzo?  He looked more like an Angelo to me…” She gave me a look that said I was definitely wrong.  I smirked at her.  

        “I guess we will see when we finally catch up to your ‘Mr. Hottie.’' The last time Rowan was this enthusiastic about anything, we had convinced our dads to let us join training on the premise of self-defense.  If a cute guy is what got Ro excited about something, I was all in.  Afterall, there wasn't much to be excited about anymore.  We would take positives anywhere we could get them. 

        Rowan and I made quick work of gathering our things from our lockers and heading home. When we were almost within sight of our pack house, the warning horn for rogues began to blare.  Panic filled me and I looked around for a place for us to hide.  

        There was no safe place to get to with a clear sight line.  Clear sight lines were important to make sure we didn't get unintentionally surrounded.  The last thing we wanted was to be backed into a corner with no way out.  

        “We could climb the trees…” Rowan suggested.  She was always coming up with creative ideas like that. It was not a bad option, but there was no indication whether rogues had enough mental capacity to climb them as well.  One thing is for certain.  We didn’t want to be caught out in the open for an easy picking. 

        “Yeah, okay.  It is our best option at the moment.”  Rowan and I dashed to the nearest tree and secured our belongings around us.  The less we leave behind for the rogues to catch our scent, the better.  Just as we began our climb of the tall tree trunk, a realization hit me.  It was the first Friday of the month.  I nearly laughed as I dropped back down to the forest floor. 

        “Rowan, come down here!  It was a false alarm! They were testing the emergency alert system. Remember what day it is?!”  Relief flooded through me.  

        “That always freaks me out!”  Ro hissed as she landed with an ungraceful thump on the ground. 

        “Me too!” I nodded my agreement, sighing as my heartbeat returned to a normal level.  Even though we knew it was a test, we still hastened our pace to get in the door before anything happened.  It was not uncommon for such a noise to draw attention to us. The rogues in the area seemed keenly astute to our presence despite our pack living deep within the forest.

         We both panted as we dashed through the front door and closed it in a hurry.  I grinned at Ro as she struggled to catch her breath. 

          “You do realize, if we ever got attacked by rogues, you would be food.”  Smirking, I knew that comment would bait her to work harder tomorrow at training. 

          “You’re only saying that because there’s no REAL rogues chasing us.  I run a lot faster in real danger. Besides, what are you even saying?  You know you wouldn’t leave THIS behind…” she gestured to herself as if she were a prize that was just won. 

          “Just don’t let your dad see you all out of breath or he will triple your training.  But you’re right.  Wherever you go, I go.  To safety or into a rogue’s stomach, you’re my ride or die…”  I told her.  We fell into a fit of giggles as we took off our shoes and set our backpacks down.  

        “Rowan?  Logan?  Is that you?”  Alpha Roman, Rowan’s father, calls from the other room. 

        “Yes, Alpha Rome!”  I managed to bow just in time as he entered the foyer. 

        “Perfect timing.  You must meet Beta Tomas’ nephew!  He is going to be Tomas’ heir when the time comes.” 

        My eyebrows shot up into my hair.  Beta Tomas Giovanni and Gamma Dean Fink were mates before the contagion hit.  Never having any children of their own, they had to seek outside options for heirs to their position when they retired. Before the Contagion, it wasn’t uncommon to select a family member when there were no heirs to take your place.  I knew our beta had two sisters with children, but I’d never met them as they moved to other packs before I was born.

        Rowan and I met each other’s gaze.  Hopefully the new future beta was a capable contender for our pack.  We were optimistic that the new guy would get along well with us.  It can be difficult, being the only conscious walkers we’ve met in our age range.  Ro was hopeful that I would have the same effect on the new member that I did on her.  I was too.  It would make things easier when it came to communication between ranked members. 

        It had been so long since we had a new pack member, we were both eager to grill him about life outside the pack.  The fact that he made it here without turning rogue was a miracle in itself.  Communication with outsiders was restricted to current ranked officials, the elder representatives to the council, and medical personnel.  

        The council elders explained it is to prevent temptation from leaving the pack lands in search of other friends or family and turning rogue.  As much as there was resistance to this mentality at first, the reasoning was sound and eventually, accepted.

        Rowan and I followed Alpha Roman to the dining room.  An extra place setting had been created for our newest member.  Nine chairs and a singular high chair for my baby brother lined the long mahogany table.  This was clearly a special occasion as the Alpha had the good china brought out, the golden rimmed plates sparkling under the chandelier’s reflective light.  My stomach was beginning to rumble as food was being brought out to set the dinner table, family style.

        “Girls, I’d like you to meet Beta Tomas’ nephew, Theodore Giovanni.  He comes from the Silent Moon Pack out in Idaho.”  Alpha Roman smiled excitedly. 

        In typical wolf culture, adding new pack members was a boon for the pack.  It represented an increase in pack power, strength, and ability. 

        Theodore walked into the dining room from the direction of the kitchen, hand extended in preparation for greeting.  My eyes went wide, mimicking his rich amber ones, as I hurriedly took his hand to shake.  It was the mysterious blond guy that had been dodging us!

        “I…I’m Logan Shaw.  Daughter of Delta Henrick Shaw. N-nice to meet you.  Welcome to the Hidden Valley Pack.”  The look in his eyes and the tightness of his grip let me know not to bring up our prior encounters.  I gave him a curt nod but gave him my own look.  I had to make sure he knew we would be discussing things when the parents weren’t hovering. 

        Rowan stared at Theodore with her mouth wide open and her eyes dancing over his frame with approval as the rest of her body stood in shock.  Putting my hand on her shoulder, I tried to shake her out of her trance.  Alpha Rome cleared his throat.

        “Theodore… this is my daughter.”  The Alpha gave Ro an angry scowl. “Rowan.  Say hello.”  Rowan squeaked as her father used his powerful alpha tone.

        “I’m R-R-Rowan O’Riley…” she hastily stuck her hand out to greet the vaguely familiar newcomer.

        “Theodore Giovanni…” he introduced himself formally, taking her hand.  His voice had a velvety smoothness to it that was hard to find in people our age.  This kid was clearly cultured in ways we knew nothing of.

        Their joint gasp had me letting go of Ro’s shoulder unexpectedly.  I recognized the look on their faces, I was just hoping Alpha Roman didn’t.  Mrs. Emmerson had taught us about mates in wolf history class.  

        At thirteen, you used to be able to identify your mate by touch.  It was rare but it could happen.  As you matured, at seventeen, mates could identify each other if eye contact was made.  Once you became a fully matured wolf at twenty-one, if you were within a one-hundred-mile radius, the pull of your mate’s presence would draw you closer to one another.

        “Everything alright…?”  the Alpha asked hesitantly.  Finding your mate was supposed to be impossible with the contagion.  Something in me said now was not the time to make others aware of the revelation the two just had.  My instincts never led me astray before, so I decided to follow them.

        “Yes, Alpha! Just a bit of static charge from the carpet.”  The Alpha had a look of confusion on his face but nodded his acceptance of my lie anyway.  I breathed a small sigh of relief as my father came into the room, carrying my baby brother.  I smiled big and took little Griffin in my arms, cuddling his tired body to me as he wrapped his tiny arms around my neck. 

        Alpha Roman pulled Theo away to introduce him to everyone else that lived with us in the pack house.  Keeping the two of them distracted and away from each other at the moment was probably the best decision.  I leaned over to Rowan and roughly whispered in her ear. 

        “What the heck was that!?”  Though I knew, I was curious if she had made the connection as well.  Her eyes were tracking all the moves that Theodore was making as the Alpha dragged him from person to person. 

        “I… I think he is my….” I hurriedly shushed her and dragged her out of the room and around the corner. 

        “You can’t say it out loud around here, Ro!” I said, hissing urgently at her.  “If the pack elders or the heads of the clinic hear you, they will want to experiment on you both to figure out how this happened!”  The realization of what I just said hit her hard as she gasped and slid down the wall to a sitting position.  I crouched down next to her, still cradling a sleepy Griffin in my arms. 

        “The three of us will talk about this when there are less people around, listening.”  I promised her.  She nodded, tears in her eyes as she became lost in her thoughts.  I nearly fell back on my bottom when Theodore came out of nowhere.  He seemed to be in a panic before catching sight of us and calming down.

        “I thought you ran off…” he whispered in Rowan’s direction, taking a step towards her.  I put my hand out against his chest to stop him. 

        “Not here!” I said to him, rolling my eyes and repeating what I just told Ro.  Glancing at her, I was surprised to see her already standing and shaking with a silent rage. 

        “Get your hand off him, Lo.”  She was trying to be quiet by gritting through her teeth.  The elated grin on Theodore’s face at Rowan’s jealousy was clearly a welcome response to him.  I removed my hand from his chest and shifted Griffin to my other hip. 

        “Relax, Ro. I have no intention of laying claim to your…”  I glance around, catching movement through the doorway of the dining room,  “…new friend.” I finished.  I turned to Theodore as I heard him chuckle. 

        “Ro and Lo?  Like the candy?” He glanced back at his mate and his features immediately softened.  What about… Rori?  It’s a combination of your first and last name… and is the perfect name for a kick-ass angel like you…”  the immediate devotion in his voice was unmistakable. 

        “I love it!  Can I call you Theo?”  The smile on her face grew as he nodded.

        “Theodore, the three of us should meet up later.  You can tell us more about yourself.  In the meantime, cool it with the goo-goo eyes!”  I didn’t want to call him anything other than his full name until I was told.  To do so would step on Ro’s territory.  My statement held multiple hidden messages directed at both of them.  If we were going to make it through this dinner with everyone oblivious, they needed to calm down and I would need to be running a lot of interference.  I leaned forward and grabbed Rowan’s hand, pulling her with me. 

        “We can’t stay hidden for long, or our fathers will come looking for us.”  I remind them.  Rowan quickly leaned back and grabbed Theodore’s hand, whispering instructions on where and when to meet us.  The look on his face when they touched again brought a smile to my face. He was hanging on her every word, nodding committedly to her instructions.  This was going to be a long dinner.