Chapter 18

Chrissy woke early next morning and fed and resettled Kyle leaving Nicolas to sleep as she showered, dressed and made her way down to the kitchen to make a start on breakfast. The coffee was brewed and the food was ready to put on the table when she heard footsteps and turned to see Nicolas coming through the doorway grinning because he could smell coffee.

Erica arrived a minute later and tried to take over the serving but Chrissy ushered her into chair. “Sit please I’ve got everything organised, let me serve you for a change.” Then she placed a plate of food in front of them both before pouring coffee.

Once breakfast was over she helped Erica with the dishes and was on her way up to check on Kyle when she heard noises outside. She called silently to Nicolas and waited for him to meet her at the front door.

Nicolas pulled her behind him and moved towards the door. He didn’t seem worried but was being cautious all the same. He opened the door and stepped out onto the porch before stopping dead in his track at what he saw. The entire Pack was amassed in the front of their house and standing right in front were Kasey and Jaz. He looked around and saw Braedon, Jacob and even Gilbert standing to one side.

He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words. He turned back to the house, to his mate and held out his hand for her. She took it and he drew her to his side. What she saw startled her and she moved closer to Nicolas needing his comfort and strength.

Chrissy looked up at him questioningly but he shook his head and she moved even closer turning her face into his chest not liking the feeling of being so exposed. She peeked out at those standing on the lawn and realised that some of them had been crying and she suddenly felt tears come to her own eyes.

Nicolas knew the instant this happened and lifted her face to his giving her a kiss on the forehead. Kasey and Jaz moved forward then and they waited to see what they had to say.

“It worked Chrissy,” began Kasey. “Everyone you touched last night now knows how you felt, what they put you through and what you’ve lost.” She turned to look at the people gathered there before turning back to Chrissy.

“They are all here to apologise to you both. Jaz and I both want to apologise too, you were right about a lot of things Chrissy and I hope in time you will forgive us and want to be our friend again.”

“Kasey’s right Chrissy, I truly am sorry for not being more honest with you. I’ve missed spending time with you and so has Kasey.” Jaz turned to move back into the crowd of people and Eli moved forward and pulled her to him giving her a hug. He looked up at Chrissy and she knew he was hoping she’d accept the apology.

It goaded her that people thought she should just put aside her hurt like it didn’t matter, but she also saw the need in everyone’s eyes. She leaned into Nicolas and had a quiet word with him before she spoke.

“Thank you all for coming I appreciate the gesture. Now that you all know what this whole mating ‘thing’ did to me and how I felt and what it took from me,” she looked up at her mate and he smiled and gave her a slight nod.

“You all need to be more understanding the next time someone finds their mate. A very wise man recently explained to me that he believed many more of your… our people may well find their mate with Other peoples. Don’t do to them what you did to me. You all know how afraid I was; please don’t put someone else’s mate in the same situation. Please don’t make him or her feel so bad that they’ll want to walk away from what was meant to be.”

There were murmurs and smiles and even a few tears then the porch was overrun with Pack members who wanted to hug both Chrissy and Nicolas and tell them how sorry they were for their behaviour. Neither Kasey nor Jaz tried to get close to her for which she was grateful. Chrissy was feeling completely overwhelmed and Nicolas sensing this pulled her to his side and cleared his throat.

“Thank you all for coming this morning both Chrissy and I appreciate that you did.” He turned to Braedon, saw the calmness he carried and felt himself relax a little more.

Nicolas realised in that moment that even though he wouldn’t have liked it, his brother would have supported him if he’d chosen to take Chrissy and Kyle and leave the Pack. He gave Braedon a nod then turned back to his mate. She looked up at him with such trust in her eyes and he sent her a wave of love that had her holding him as tight as she could.

“Okay,” she whispered knowing what he was not asking her.

He turned to Braedon who now had Kasey beside him and bowed slightly. “It is our wish that the welcoming ceremony take place as soon as possible,” then he turned to the crowd, “we look forward to seeing you all there.” then he turned and led his mate into their home.

Everyone slowly made their way back to their own homes or off to begin work for the day. All in all the feel of the Pack was much lighter than it had been the past few months and it was one very grateful Alpha that walked with his mate back to his home.

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Later that morning Braedon summoned Benjamin, Elder and Pack Historian and remained closeted with him in his office most of the day. It wasn’t until late afternoon that they broke for a bite to eat. It was then that he sent Nicolas a message asking him to join them. When he left that evening to return to his mate it was with a feeling of quiet acceptance.

He didn’t speak of the meeting with Chrissy not until the next morning after breakfast, “Braedon wishes to meet with us both later today. I have a few things I need to do then I’ll be back to get you.”

He saw uncertainty in her eyes and pulled her to him holding her close, “There’s nothing to worry about my little gem you trust Braedon don’t you?”

She nodded, “Yeah but so much has happened Nicky, I just want them all to leave us alone for a while… you know?”

“Yes my love I know but we are part of a Pack and this sometimes means we can’t be alone.” He gave her a kiss and left her to her thoughts.

The morning went by all too quickly and reluctantly Chrissy left Kyle with Erica when Nicolas arrived to escort her to the main house for the meeting with Braedon. Chrissy was somewhat nervous, she hated official meetings and she had the feeling that what was said was going to affect her and her family and this was not sitting well with her at all.

Nicolas sensed her uneasiness and took her hand bringing it to his lips. “Don’t worry so much my little gem.” She nodded but knew nothing would ease what she was feeling until she knew what was going on. She took a deep calming breath and kept walking.

When they arrived at the house Jacob was standing on the porch and followed them into Braedon’s office. Chrissy pulled away from Nicolas and stood up straighter not wanting to seem like she was intimidated at being called to the Alpha’s office for a meeting.

When she entered the office Braedon and Kasey were sitting on one of the couches, Jaz was sitting with them and a man Chrissy hadn’t met before was sitting on one of the single arm chairs. They all came to their feet when they saw them and Jacob indicated the couch opposite the Alphas, he took the other single arm chair.

Chrissy looked at each person then rested her gaze on Braedon waiting for him to speak. “Chrissy I’m sure you are wondering why I’ve asked you here. All will be revealed but first I’d like you to meet Benjamin Williamson. Ben is one of our Elders and also the Pack Historian.”

Chrissy stood and offered her hand to Ben. “Hi Ben it’s nice to meet you, so umm are you gonna have to teach me all about being a Were now that I am one?”

“It’s nice to finally meet you too Chrissy and no I’m not going to teach you about being a Were… well not exactly.”

They sat back down and she turned to Braedon. “So are you gonna to tell me what’s going on?”

As Alpha Braedon would have pulled rank with anyone else for being so direct but he smiled, sat forward and looked at her intently. “Chrissy I know you have been through a great deal these past months and that you’ve had a lot to come to terms with.” He indicated the Elder, “Ben has a story he wishes to tell you, it’s an important part of our history and I would like you to listen to him?”

“Okay I’ll listen.” She turned to Ben, saw the excitement on his face and waited.

Ben smiled, he had longed to share some of the histories and now he had a captive audience. That the audience was in need of the information he would now impart pleased him even more. He looked to Braedon and gave a nod before he began.

“Our stories, our histories go back many centuries. Wherever there were humans there were Were’s. We were for the most part hidden although there were those among us that believed we should be seen as the dominant race. They believed that Were’s should not have remain hidden. I will tell you the tale of one of our oldest Alpha’s as it was he that found a means of keeping his Pack balanced, cared for and calm enough to live in relative peace for the first time in Were existence.

We’ll call him Garret. Life for Garret and his Pack was more often than not barbaric, bloody if you will. It took a strong man to control a Pack and at times he had to kill those who would defy him or do something that could reveal their existence. For the Alpha as he came to be known it was a life of anger, pain and a constant battle for dominance to maintain control over the Pack.

Life was also isolating for the Alpha. He could never let his guard down or show any form of weakness. It wasn’t until he found his true mate that a large part of his animal tendencies could be soothed. She alone was capable of helping him find the balance needed to both maintain control of the Pack and lead them.

The male Alpha was known for his strength in holding the Pack together and the female Alpha was known as the heart of the Pack, for she taught her mate how to love and show compassion when it was needed. This had a flow on effect and the entire Pack began to see more to life than violence and blood.

Over the years Garret and his mate Layla kept watch over their Pack and saw that life was indeed good. Life went on and for a time the Pack lived in relative peace. There were still fights and disagreements but things were nowhere near as bad as it had once been.

Sadly as they watched they began to realise that there was still something missing. The violence of old could be felt beneath the surface of the Pack and the Alpha’s realised that one day soon their peace might well disappear. Their greatest fear was that the Pack would lapse back into the ways of old.

More and more fights began to break out amongst Pack members and while they were stopped by the Alpha and his Enforcers, anger would linger and at times fester. They were at a loss as to what to do or how to fill the void that was becoming more and more obvious.

Both Alphas tried harder to keep the Pack working well, helping them keep their animals at bay and it worked to an extent but the Alphas concerned grew daily.

There came a day when Garret was all but beside himself with worry for his Pack. He heard a commotion outside and when he went to investigate saw Walter his Second rushing towards the Pack house calling for a healer. What astounded him was that in his arms was a young woman. A woman who had been savaged by a Wolf!

The Alpha became angry that this young woman had been so injured and that she might now die because of what one of his people had done. He moved to take the woman from Walter and was shocked that his Second growled and pulled the woman closer to him. This could only mean one thing, this woman; this human was to be Walter’s true mate.

When a Were finds his true mate there can be no other and god help anyone man or woman who tried to come between them. Garret backed off and let Walter take the woman to his room. He had the healer take a look at her then they left her in the care of Walter.

Walter never left the woman’s side. He watched over her constantly helping her drink tiny sips of water and bathing her once her wounds healed. When the fever took hold Walter showed great fear, something he had never before done in the presence of anyone since he was a lad.

Garret believed that this was indeed Walter’s true mate and sent up a request to the gods that she survive because he feared that he would lose Walter if she didn’t. Layla came to Garret on the second day confusion written across her face.

Layla asked Garret if he’d seen how the Pack had been the past few days. He shook his head and she told him that she’d noted that they’d been calm but also seemed somewhat concerned.

Garret wanted to know what the Pack was concerned about and she indicated Walter’s room. She said that she’d spoken to several people and they feared that the woman would not live.

At first he didn’t think too much of what his mate had said putting it down to the Pack not wanting Walter’s mate to die. As the days past and the woman slowly came back to consciousness he saw for himself the joy that all but shone from many of his people.

Garret became more curious about this woman and not wanting to stress Walter by coming to his room alone called for his mate and they both went to meet the woman. Garret knocked on the door and called to Walter letting him know that he and Layla were there to visit with him and the woman.

Reluctantly Walter gave them leave to enter and upon seeing the woman sitting up in Walters’s bed they them to their knees at what they felt. Calm, peace and the lack of anger or the need to fight and draw blood. Then Garret remembered a tale of old, a prophesy telling of a Were who would one day come to them. One who would bring a sense of peace and contentment to the Pack.

Garret and Layla came to their feet and upon asking Walter if he may approach he stepped closer to the woman. He surprised Walter by kneeling before the woman and thanking her for coming into their lives. He vowed to find the Were that had attached her and punish him accordingly.

Walter spoke then telling his Alpha’s that it was he who ripped into the woman’s throat. He’d found her outside the village a few miles away, she’d been beaten within an inch of her life, in fact he believed she would have died had he not bitten and tried to save her.

She was indeed Walters mate, but more than that she was the first Omega. It was then that Garret shared his tale of how someone would one day come to the Pack and save them in an unexpected way.

They were stunned by his words and when Garret summoned several of the Packs most aggressive fighters they watched both the woman and the men. The woman although a little afraid of such big frightening men smiled at them and greeting them in a friendly manner.

The men seemed to mellow right there in front of everyone. They smiled at the woman and asked if they could do anything to make her stay more comfortable. They were eager to help, to see to her every need something that should have made Walter angry or aggressive towards them but he remained calm.

They soon discovered that the woman’s name was Angelica. She was a servant girl from the village, one that had been mistreated for some time. She was welcomed into the Pack and although everyone soon learnt her name, all called her Angel because this was how they saw her. To the Pack she seemed to be their guardian Angel come to rescue them from themselves. All were grateful that she had come to them and all from the very old to the very young did all they could to keep her safe and protected.

The Omega had been a story, a tale, a myth and here she was sitting before the two Alphas. They knew this day that their Pack would survive, that she would help them all keep the balance between their human and animal selves.”

Ben smiled and Chrissy could see tears brimming at the edge of his eyes. “The Omega resides outside Pack hierarchy. She or he for that matter is neither above nor below the Alpha, in many ways the Omega is equal just not in the same way as one Alpha is to another.”

Chrissy looked a little confused. “I thought an Omega was like the runt of the litter… you know the lowest one on the ladder… kinda thing?”

Ben laughed. “Heavens know child! Many have believed that over the years and I dare say so much misrepresentation in fictional novels is also responsible for that line of thinking. The Omega has no need to demand respect, it is freely given. How we didn’t see this earlier I’ll never know.”

“Huh?”

Ben looked at Braedon and Chrissy tensed up. Nicolas pulled her onto his lap and stroked her back to calm her. Braedon smiled and it kind of unnerved her that he looked so calm, so at peace, “Chrissy you are our Omega.”

Chrissy gasped with surprise and when everyone came to their feet and moved towards her she had the feeling she should run but Nicolas held her in place. In the next instant she let out a squeaking sound as all those standing in front of her knelt before her bowing their heads to show how honoured they were.

“Holy crap!” she gasped.

Chrissy realising what she’d said in front of an Elder and immediately covered her mouth with her hand and when she looked up she saw that Kasey was trying hard not to laugh. “Not funny Kase. I swear you guys are gonna be the death of me!”

Braedon came to his feet and sat beside her. “I agree this is not funny little one and that we had no idea of who you truly are, is to our shame. We are truly blessed to have you as part of our Pack.”

Nicky?

He kissed her softly on the cheek, “Chrissy the night you shared your memories with the Pack you did more that was necessary didn’t you. When you were finished you made sure every single Pack member was calm and able to sleep. Chrissy you gave them what they should have been giving you all along… acceptance of who they are. You opened your heart and your mind to them all and that more than anything is what brought them all to our doorstep yesterday morning.”

Chrissy looked at each person there and finally settled on Braedon. “Is it true?”

“Yes Chrissy you are our Omega and just so you know there is now not one person in the Pack that would see you harmed in any way. Even those that visit with us will be affected by your presence. You will now and always be a much loved member of the Pack.”

“B… but you told me I’d never have to be Pack?”

Braedon laughed. “Yes little one that I did but I had no idea how true those words would be until now. Ben said you are outside the Pack remember?” she nodded, “I believe that is why you were always able to look me in the eye when there are few who could hold my gaze for more than a few moments. For you my sister and you are now my sister there is no hierarchy you sit outside of it. There is no one above you Chrissy as you can only see others as your equal.”

“What does it mean though, not just for me but for my family?”

Braedon looked at her all seriousness, “Chrissy you have a massive job ahead of you. The entire Pack will be depending on it.” then he laughed. “What you need to do is look after your family and let yourself get reacquainted with those that wish to know you. There isn’t anything specific you need to do other than just be yourself.”

Chrissy nodded and leaned into her mate. Kasey spoke then, “Gilbert has made coffee and tea for us, he’d like us to go to the dining room. I think he wants to greet you Chrissy?”

Chrissy nodded and got to her feet before they all walked towards the dining room where Gilbert was waiting. He had a smile on his face that made his eyes sparkle more than she’d ever seen before. She moved forward and before he could go down on his knees she wrapped her arms around him.

“Don’t you dare kneel it was bad enough that they did,” and she indicated everyone behind her with her head.

He laughed and kissed her forehead, “I am so very grateful that Nicolas found you my dear friend.” That did it, it was the final straw Chrissy burst into tears and Nicolas was wise enough to let Gilbert sooth his little mate.

Gilbert had set out both coffee and tea as Kasey had said and he also put Chrissy’s favourite cake, chocolate with choc-mint frosting. He served it with ice-cream and fresh strawberries and now that Chrissy was a Were she didn’t feel in the least bit guilty when she had a second piece.

Kasey sat beside Chrissy as she finished off the last of her cake. “Have you thought about what you want to do for the welcoming ceremony I mean for after, I can help if you like? I know you’re busy with the baby and…” she lowered her head not knowing if she should say anymore.

Chrissy realised it was now or never. “To be honest I have no idea at all about the ceremony or what to do after. You and Jaz would be doing me a huge favour if you both organised things.”

Kasey grinned and Jaz came to sit with them both, it didn’t take long for all three of them to be chatting about what to serve at the gathering after the ceremony. The men all noting that the women were at least speaking now added to the conversation. All stated that since the baby was male it would be appropriate for some of the men to do some exhibition matches, after all Kyle would one day be doing the same thing.

The women soon had a good idea of what they wanted for the day and Chrissy was more than happy for them to organise it. She turned to her mate, “Kyle’s waking we need go so I can feed him.”

Nicolas came to his feet as did Chrissy; she turned to each person there and smiled before focusing on Braedon. “The next time you call me to a meeting I’m going bush!” he laughed and gave her a hug as did everyone else before they left.

Nicolas didn’t say anything to her about Kasey or Jaz; he figured she’d talk about it if and when she was ready. As they approached their home Chrissy stopped and turned to him. “It was time Nicky.” That was all she said on the subject and he left it at that knowing how much it would have taken for her to let them in again.

Nicolas also knew that this was only a beginning; Chrissy hadn’t asked them to the house or offered to bring Kyle to the main house so they could see him. That, he believed would be the final step in his little mate forgiving them both. He was still angry with his sister and his brother’s mate, but if Chrissy was willing to forgive them he would do the same.