Keeping promises

Chapter 5:Surprise

“Do,re,mi,so fuckin done with you..”

(Do re mi- Blackbear)

“What are you guys doing at home?” I heard Tanner ask as she looked at them, the confusion evident in her voice.

“Aunt Paige brought you a gift.” My dad said evenly. I popped out from behind him with a huge smile.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” We all yelled. I watched as she took a moment to process, then her eyes got misty and she ran over to me. I laughed as I held her, she began giggling between sobs.

“Thank you Auntie Paige.” Tanner said as she looked at her from my arms.

“You’re welcome dear.” She responded with a smile as she ruffled her hair.

“I take it you like your gift.” I felt Tanner nod into my chest before she pulled away and took a better look at me. She started giggling when she saw the shiny red bow on my head.

“Red looks good on you.” She said as she wiped away her tears, I gave her a small smile and kissed her forehead then shooed her toward the stairs.

“Go take a shower, I’m not going anywhere.” She nodded and hugged me again before rushing up the stairs.

“I remember when you used to fake having nightmares so you could sleep with us.” I heard my mom say as she looked at me lovingly.

“What you really wanted was to wake up and watch Tanner sleep in the morning.” My dad finished as he wiped a tear from his eye. “We’re proud of you Finn.” I stepped back into their arms and took in their scents. My parents, the people who raised me, mom who was tough because dad couldn’t do it. Dad taught us how to trim the shrub in the front yard. He also taught us about the best and worst car brands to own. I felt myself fall into a trance like state as I kept breathing them in, I felt safe.

(Finn) The semi-familiar voice called to me.

(Hello) I thought back

(You have done well)

(Thank you, what do I call you?)

(You can call me Ember)

(Thank you Ember, for coming back to me)

(That was all you dear, you are the one who rose from the ashes like a phoenix)

I sighed happily as I let my parents go with a light smile. “Should we watch Pride and Prejudice or The Princess Bride?” I asked.

“The princess bride.” My dad said hurriedly. “At least that movie is good.” My mom gasped and my aunt chuckled. I looked at my mom and she sent me an evil grin. I winked then sent them both off to their room.

“We’ll you won't be watching anything in those, now go get changed.” They both chuckled as they headed toward their bedroom. I walked over to the kitchen smiled as the over timer went off. I pulled out the roast chicken and placed it on the stove top before taking out the potatoes I had roasting on the rack beneath the chicken. As I was closing the over there was a knock on the front door. I walked over and opened it to find Alpha Jacob standing on the other side. His eyes widened as he realized I was actually there.

“Come in Alpha Jacob.” I said with a polite smile. He nodded and walked in, he didn’t speak until we reached the kitchen.

“I didn’t realize you were coming back today.” His voice came out a bit rough and questioning.

“That is my fault Alpha.” I said with a small bow. “I wanted to surprise Tanner and my parents can’t keep a secret to save their lives.” He nodded again before motioning looking at Paige who was watching us from the living room.

“Hello Paige.”

“Alpha.” She responded evenly with a slight bow of her head.

“I must ask, can you tell me..” I shook my head and look straight into his eyes, which is not usually a good idea.

“Again I’m sorry Alpha, however a threat was made on Tanner’s life, and that threat is real. I cannot risk her safety.” I then bowed my head again. “Excuse me.” I walked away and went up to my bedroom where I lightly closed the door behind me. I went into my closet and began pulling out more clothes. I found two sweaters of Christian’s and I almost vomited from the smell. I carried them down the stairs and handed them to Alpha Jacob.

“Please tell Christian I apologize for not returning those sooner.” He nodded as I walked back up stairs and walked into the bathroom. I turned on the faucet and began washing my hands, I could see dirt underneath my finger nails, as I tried to wash it out I saw blood on the back of my hands. I kept scrubbing trying to get it off, I felt myself sob quietly as I scrubbed harder and harder. I looked at Tanner as she walked in, her eyes full of worry.

“Finn.” She said as she walked over to me, she pulled my hands out of the water and began drying them off.

“It won't come off.” I whisper cried to her. “The blood, it won't come off.”

“Finn.” She said as she pulled the towel away, showing my perfectly clean hands. “You got it off.” I looked in her calm brown eyes and nodded, then began taking deep breaths to calm myself down. I pulled her into my arms and just breathed in her scent for a while. I finally managed to pull away and wipe my eyes. I took one final big breath and grabbed her hand.

“Let's go get dinner.” She gave me a small smile and let me lead her to the dining room that was now cleared of Alpha Jacob.

“Are you alright sweetheart?” I nodded at my dad and sent him a weak smile.

“It’s still a process.” I said truthfully.

“You did well.” Aunt Paige said as she placed a kiss on my temple. “I want you to come see me in my office after school on Monday.”

“I’ll be there.” I said, she gave me another smile before she pressed a kiss on Tanner’s head. Then left with a small wave and we all settled in for dinner.

………….Jacob POV…………

I felt hot rage stir within me, my wolf was snarling and pacing around as we walked into our home. I went to the dining room where my son and wife were waiting. I threw the hoodies on the table in front of him and I watched as his eyes narrowed then widened. He tried to hide the worry but I saw it there anyway.

“I haven’t seen these in a while.” He said neutrally. I felt something in me snap as I slapped my own son across the face.

“JACOB!” Laura screeched.

“You are lucky that is the only punishment you get.” I looked at Laura, she shrunk back feeling the rage pouring off of me. “This little prick is the rapist.” Her face went white as she sunk back into her chair and looked at our son in horror.

“What?” She gasped. I looked back at my son who’s eyes were burning with fury.

“She didn’t even have to say a f*****g word.” I snarled at him. He looked back up at me in shock. “Hell I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t hear her trying to scrub her skin off after she handed these to me. She even asked me to apologize to you for not returning them to you sooner.” He clenched his jaw and I grabbed his face and made him look at me.

“If you ever go near that girl or her family again I will find someone else to take over this pack and I will have you executed. Do you understand?” His eyes went wide but he nodded anyway.

“You f*****g better.” I growled at him.

“I failed.” I heard Laura whisper as she looked at our son, agony and disgust clear as day on her face. “I failed as a mother and a luna.” She stood up and rushed from the room, I followed my mate with one last huff at our offspring. I caught up to her and pulled her into my arms. She began sobbing into my chest.

“I failed too, as a father and an Alpha.” I told her. “There isn’t anything we can truly do for that poor girl now.” I had high hopes for my son when he first started bringing Finn around. Not only was she pretty, her head was tight on her shoulders and she wasn’t afraid to put her foot down. When Christian came home with the Brooke child I was so disappointed. I knew he had lost something special. Now I had to carry the weight of knowing just how badly he f****d up.

As I stood there with my mate I realized that my pack deserved better. I couldn’t trust my own son to keep them safe after I was gone, hell, he may be the one they needed protecting from.

(I think we need to talk about finding a different heir) I said to my mate in our mind-link. (I can’t trust him to keep them safe.) I felt her nod in my arms.

(I agree) Her voice sounded so broken even in the mind-link. (I don’t think I can even look at him)

I sighed and thought back to the face of that poor girl the day Fay had brought her out of the woods. She was horrified, it was written all over her face as she tried to scream and get away from everyone. I couldn’t even hold it against Fay when he snarled at us all. I knew that if she had been my daughter I would have been the same if not worse.

………….Finn POV……..

Against my father’s wishes we ended up watching Pride and Prejudice. Tanner sighed as the movie came to an end.

“I should get ready for bed, I still have school tomorrow.”

“Actually we are going shopping as a family, Finn needs some new clothes and you should spend some more time together.” Dad said with a smile, I heard Tanner squeal with happiness as she ran over and hugged him. “Plus you did get a fifty dollar gift card to Pennies.”

“Well then I’ll need rest for tomorrow.” I yawned in agreement, then kissed each of my parents good night before Tanner and I shuffled up the stairs. I paused at my bedroom door and watched Tanner walk into her room. I went into my room and pulled off the clothes I put on after my shower and managed to fit into a pair of pajama pants and one of my dads old shirts. I left my bedroom and went into Tanner’s room. She was just crawling into bed, she looked at me concern evident on her face.

“Can I stay with you, I don’t want to sleep alone tonight.” She nodded and made room for me in her full sized bed. “Thank you.” I whispered as she turned out the light.

“I’m happy you felt safe enough to ask.” She whispered back. It didn’t take long until I felt sleep take over my body, I descended into the darkness calmly, ready for whatever was coming my way.

……………..Fay POV………………

I knew something had happened when Tanner and Finn came downstairs and Finn’s eyes were red-rimmed. I looked over at Paige who just smiled at them calmly and told Finn she did a good job.

(What did we miss?) I linked to my sister-in-law, including my mate in the link.

(Finn told Alpha Jacob calmly why she couldn’t tell him who her assailant is.) Paige linked back as she was getting ready to leave. (She also handed him Christian’s old hoodies that she still had in her closet.)

(I see, so you were proud of the way she handled Alpha Jacob) Paige waved as she headed out the door and closed it behind her.

(Yes. She was very clear and calm, she made her boundaries known,) I smiled at my girls as we began eating the dinner Finn and Paige had prepared for us.

(The chicken is wonderful, thank you for helping Finn with it Paige)

I linked her after we were done eating.

(That was all Finn, I guess there is a cooking class at Ocean Blues so that people who are treated there can feed themselves once they are ready to go.)

“Dinner was delicious, thank you, Finn.” Donna said from beside me as I told Paige to have a good night in our link.

“I’m glad you liked it.” She said with a genuine smile. “I know chicken is Tanner’s favorite.”

“Damn straight.” Tanner said, earning a glare from my mate.

“Language.” That was all Donna said, Finn and I chuckled. I looked at my little girl and noticed how brightly her hair was shining, not to be outdone of course by her amber eyes. Other than my eyes and my mouth she looked like her mother. Same heart shaped face, same short straight nose and upturned eye shape. Her golden blond hair fell to her mid back in short waves. Tanner looked almost exactly like her other than her light brown protruding eyes and dirty blond hair. After the terrible movie was over Donna and I watched our girls shuffle up the stairs.

“I missed seeing them together.” I looked at my mate who had fresh tears in her beautiful brown eyes. I nodded and kissed her forehead before I held her close to my chest.

“We did a good job.” I told her softly. “They are both so strong.” She nodded into me, we sat there for a while before we decided to get some sleep too. We walked up the stairs and noticed Finn’s door was open. I walked in and had a mini heart attack when I realized she wasn’t in her bed. I headed over to Tanner’s room where my wife was standing and could finally catch my breath as I found Finn curled up with her sister. We stood there for a second, then closed the door and went to our own room. We got settled into bed and I drifted off into a deep sleep almost right away. Happier memories raced through my mind, my daughters calling out to me for the first time.

The day Tanner discovered she liked chicken more than baby food.

…………Finn POV………..

The morning came too soon. In my dreams I was running around, playing with a beautiful golden wolf. I stretched my arms and accidentally hit something soft, I opened one eye and looked over at Tanner who was now waking up.

“Sorry.” I grumbled as I slipped out of her bed and stretched my legs. She shook her head and rolled back over before drifting back to sleep. I left her room and went into the bathroom, after relieving myself I brushed my hair and pulled it into a messy bun. I then went back to my own bedroom and found a pair of sweat pants that still fit. I kept my dad’s shirt on and made my way down to the kitchen where I made myself a bowl of cereal. After I was done I washed my dishes and went to the backyard.

I went into the small shed and pulled out my dads trimmers and walked around to the front of the house. I trimmed up the sacred bush and made sure it looked proper before walking over to the flower beds and pulling out the overgrown weeds. By the time I had finished and put the trimmers away it was still only 7:40 AM. I washed my hands then went into my bedroom and finished putting all of my old clothes in the big garbage bag. Once I was done I sat down at my desk and made a list of the items I was going to need. While I was thinking I looked at my closet and saw my jewelry box sitting on the top shelf. I walked over and pulled it down and pulled out the necklace my dad brought to the facility. I put it on and placed my jewelry box back on the shelf. I went back to my desk and rummaged through the drawers, pulling out all of the old school work and useless text books. As I was finishing up I heard shuffling in my doorway. I looked up to see Tanner rubbing her eyes, she looked like she was crying.

“Are you okay?” I asked her as I pulled her into a hug.

“I thought it was a dream.” She sniffled. I held onto her for a minute before I pushed her toward the bathroom.

“Why don’t you go get ready okay?” She nodded and walked to the bathroom. I brought out the three bags of old clothes and brought them into the living room. I grabbed another bag and went through my shoes, I only had the one pair from Ocean Blues that still fit my feet.

(Ember?)

(Yes child.)

(Is there a reason I haven’t shifted yet?)

(There is a reason for everything. You’ll know when it’s our time.)

(Okay) I let out a big breath as I placed the fourth bag on the living room floor. Once I was done I walked into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. Tanner came down and I made her a bowl of cereal while she poured herself a glass of orange juice.

“Thank you.” She said as I kissed her temple and placed the bowl in front of her.

“Anytime.” I replied as I poured the hot coffee into our parents mugs and added the proper amount of sugar and cream into each one. Just as I finished they both walked down the stairs, I handed them their coffee as they sat down.

“Thank you sweetheart.” My dad said as he sat down.

“What are the bags, honey?” My mom asked, pointing to the living room.

“One is for donation, the others are my old shoes and clothes that can’t be saved.”

“Okay, we’ll drop them off on the way into town.” I smiled at them and sat beside Tanner while thinking of how to ask them a question.

“What is it Honey?” My mom said raising her eyebrow.

“You remember Rose right?” My parents nodded. “I was wondering if she could come and stay with us after she is done with the program.”

“May I ask why?” I nodded at my dad.

“Her parents and her pack are why she ended up there. Her plan is to stay there until she turns eighteen, then her plan is more fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of thing.”

“I see.” My mom said as she took a sip of her coffee.

“I’m not expecting an answer right now, I know you’ll need time to discuss it. I just wanted to put the idea out there.” I told them as I grabbed Tanner’s hand under the table. My dad smiled at me and reached across the table to ruffle my hair.

“We’ll talk it over later, why don't you go get ready.”

“This is all I fit in.” I said innocently. Both my dad and Tanner chuckled while my mother sighed.

“You could have tried to not grow.” She said jokingly while sending me a wink. I winked back and shook my head sadly. After Tanner was done with her breakfast and their coffee was gone we loaded the car with my old things and got ready to hit the road.

“Is that why you were up so early?” Tanner asked, looking at the flowerbeds and the shrub.

“It wasn’t the reason.” I replied smoothly. “I just figured I’d do it since I had time.”

We drove to town, singing all of the songs on the radio. When we reached pennies at around 10:30 the parking lot was only a quarter of the way full. Mom and Dad got right into shopping mode and whisked me away to the young ladies section while Tanner followed behind us giggling at the clothes they were picking out.

Eventually, I had to remind my parents that they weren’t shopping for a child anymore and we went to the adult section. My dad seemed to lose a bit of sparkle as we walked away from the pink sparkly section. I carefully selected the wardrobe that I felt suited my tastes, right down to the sock design. As we were getting ready to leave I got bumped into by a boy around my age, he looked down at me and he sighed like it was an inconvenience to apologize.

“Sorry bout that.” He said as he rolled his eyes.

“Okay.” I said easily, walking away. I could tell my father glared at the kid as we walked off. “Dad, he apologized.” I reminded him.

“He didn’t mean it.” He grumbled.

“I still accepted it.” I said simply. “It’s my choice to remain angry or let it go.”

“You’ve got a point.” My mother said, brushing my hair away from my face. I gave her a small smile as we loaded the back of the station wagon my dad refused to get rid of. Tanner smiled at me as she climbed into the back seat opposite of me and we began playing the I-spy game.

We pulled into a smaller plaza and parked the car in front of a hair salon. My mother, Tanner and I walked in while my dad went to the sports shop two doors down. I got my hair washed and trimmed, same as Tanner and mom. I was pleased to see that my hair still reached the middle of my ribcage.

After we were done we met my father at the shoe store at the long end of the plaza. I got two pairs of converse, one pair was all black, the other pair was black and white. I also picked out a pair of black Mary-Jane heels just in case there was a formal event I needed to attend. By the time we were done shopping it was nearly 3pm. As we were walking back to our car I heard a very familiar laugh. I turned my head and caught the eye of Brooke, who just happened to be on Christian’s arms.

“Finn?” I sent her a small smile. “I didn’t realize you were back.”

I ignored Christian, pretending he didn’t exist. “I just got home yesterday. I’m sure you’re doing well.” She nodded and I waved gently before walking away. We got to the car and slid in, I hadn’t even realized I had started crying until Tanner asked if I was okay. I nodded and sucked in a deep breath.

“I’m fine.”