Xavier

The air around me shifted from cold to hot, then cold again. Magic caressed around my body like a snake and my skin sizzled with prickling energy. It felt like I was going down an enclosed water slide, but instead of emerging into a nice pool of water—I fell into open air and landed in a thick mountain of snow.

Taking a moment to get my bearings, I hurried out of the way as my father came falling after me. He wasn't as graceful as I was and ended up landing flat on his back. An audible oof escaped him as the air was knocked out of his lungs. He sat up slowly with a groan and shook the snow from his hair before giving me a wry smile.

"Let's hope we never have to do that again, and please don't tell your mother."

My smile widened. We're home! Not much had changed. Pinewood forests stretched for miles around us and snow covered almost every inch of land. A clear sparkling fresh-water lake was to our right and I could hear the rushing of the Fivra River to my left. The clean air was so refreshing after the smog that was the earthly plane.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and relaxed as the sounds of Brithari surrounded me. The birds sang as the sun peeked over the horizon and deer scampered through the snow. The Eldris trees surrounding us filled my nose with the familiar scent of nutty pine sap. I couldn't believe we were finally home.

I felt a tear slip from my eye and I looked to my father, who was also taking it all in. If only I could shift and go for a run through the old training grounds or hunt down a Fenry—the thought of the deer-like creature had my mouth watering.

A groan broke through my moment of happiness. Bring me back to the reality that I had a mate, and we had to explain to the entire tribe what happened. My face fell, and I heard my father sigh.

"Let's get home." He said and started walking towards the path that led to our village—Ume Lenora.

"Where are we going to put her?" I glanced down at her sleeping form. My arms ached from carrying her for so long. Her body felt much better now that we were in Brithari. Whatever magic Willow had cast on her must have vanished the moment she died. It was probably what hid her Elven form from the rest of the world while also protecting her from the vastly unfamiliar environment of earth.

"There should still be a couple of guesthouses. I doubt our tribe has grown much in the years we were gone."

As we passed by the emerald waters, the sight of Lake Elysia brought tears to my eyes. Memories of swimming in its clean water and diving off the docks in my younger years with my best friend Hayden swam through my mind. The sky above ablaze with pinks and teals as the sun ever so slowly rose into the sky. The mosaic of colors reflected off the rippling water, and fish swam just below the icy surface.

Brithari was a wonder to behold. Unlike the rest of the world, it snowed for seven months of the year. The other five months were warm but not blistering hot. During those months, we would grow crops and build houses for the ever-growing tribe.

"Xavier!?" A familiar faint voice called to me from the waterfront. Over the clearing came my best friend, Hayden. His sandy blond hair had grown longer and was pulled back in a ponytail. His bright caramel brown eyes widened as he slowly realized I was actually standing here. "Oh, my goddess! Xavier!!" He screamed and came bolting towards me.

"Here, hand me the girl. You catch up." My father said, reaching towards me. I smiled and carefully released the girl from my arms. My dad grunted from the sudden weight of her limp body and started towards the village. Hayden came bounding up the snowy hill and tackled me to the ground. The force of it rolled us off the path and I felt my wolf stir inside me. We wrestled for a bit before I managed to pin him down. My long black hair smacked him in the face and a laugh belted out of me. "You've gotten soft, Hayden!"

His smile brightened, and his eyes glistened. "Well, what did you expect? My sparring buddy went off on a mission for three years! I can't believe you're really here."

"Me neither." I jumped up and clasped my friend's hand, pulling him off the cold ground. "So has anything exciting happened since I've been gone?" I asked as we continued down the path.

Hayden's smile widened, "well... we didn't have the pack meet for Fia's first shift. My father didn't trust the other Alphas not to challenge him."

I hummed and glanced at him, noticing the reddish hue spreading across his face. Oh?

"Uh....The Wethluna alpha's daughter Amelia had her first shift last year. My father and I, as the pack betas, were invited in your stead. Amelia ended up being my mate..." a cheeky grin spread across his face and I mirrored him.

"No way! I bet Alpha Hawke wasn't too happy about that."

He shrugged, "he wasn't at first, but even he couldn't deny a goddess blessed pair."

The path rounded around the lake, and a watchtower came into view. Though there wasn't much need for them since the pack wars ended years ago, there were still dangerous creatures in these woods. The square wooden structure rose into the sky, though it didn't breach above the tall pine.

Two Elves stood guard and waved as we passed by. Their thick white coverings and icy blue skin made them hard to spot in the snow. Along their backs were long wooden bows and a quiver of arrows strapped to their hips—probably dipped in poison.

"Has there been any trouble lately?" I asked. There were some rising tensions back before father and I left. I hope nothing came up from it.

"No, it's been pretty quiet... though we haven't heard from the Ishnas pack since you left. They've secluded themselves behind the mountains. Enough about the pack. What about you!? How have you been?"

"I'm okay. A little shaken, but okay."

His brows turned up, and he glanced ahead. "Shaken? Does it have anything to do with the girl your dad was carrying? Who is she?"

"I'm not entirely sure. We know she is William and Willow's daughter, though." My voice cracked as images of their bodies flashed across my mind. Hayden went quiet and his head lowered.

After several minutes of silence, he whispered, "so they really are gone, aren't they?"

"My father and I, we... we tried but..."

Hayden wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me tightly, my arms pressed into his back and I closed my eyes begging for the gory horrible images to fade from my mind.

"It's okay. Nobody here will blame you. We all know the goddess' word is law," he shushed.

"But that's just it, though. It doesn't make any sense... Hayden... she's my mate..."

He froze and stared wide eyed at me, his jaw slack. "But that's..."

"Impossible, I know!"

Tears stung my eyes. "That's not even the worst part." my voice lowered.

He looked at me, his brows knitted together and his lips set in a frown. His hand reached up and squeezed my arm as my voice broke.

"What happens when this isn't a fluke? What happens when the other packs find out?... what happens when he finds out?"

Hayden's face paled.

"And what happens when my mate—my goddess blessed mate—finds out that I... I'm the one who took everything from her?"

"Oh, Xavier..." he sighed, "I don't know what the goddess has planned. But im sure it'll all work out... It has to..."

I nodded. I would hope so. But I had a feeling that this was only the beginning. There was a storm brewing, I just knew it.

Hayden left me outside my parents' home. It was so strange to be standing here. It hadn't changed a bit since we left. The two story wooden cabin was still sturdy, covered with snow, and sat a ways from the rest of the village on a small hill overlooking the lake. Though, some of the logs needed a decent cleaning as pine moss had started to grow. If left unchecked, it would eat away at the wood.

The blue oak door, hand carved and painted by my father, had been left slightly ajar. My fingers grazed over the bright red hand prints of Fia and my mother. The front window was still boarded up, broken by the crazy snowball fight between Hayden and Fia.

The smell of moon lilies and blueberry pie wafted through the door as I slowly opened it. I was overcome with peace. It felt as though an enormous weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, just taking it all in. As I passed the dining table, I noticed that it was set for four. It was obvious that mother knew we were home, but I wonder where she and my father are.

My heart warmed at the sight of Fia, who sat on the plush leather couch in the living room. The fire was lit, and she was flipping through an old, worn book. Her long fiery hair sprawled over the arm of the couch and she wore her favorite blue knitted sweater. One leg was crossed over the other and bounced to the rhythm of the tune she was humming.

I tiptoed up behind her and reached my arms around her face and covered her eyes. She jumped and grabbed my hands. The book flopped into her lap.

"Guess who?!" I whispered in her ear and I heard her sharp intake of breath. Without warning, she freed herself from me and leapt over the couch, spider monkeying herself to my chest. The force nearly knocked me over.

"Xavier!"

She embraced me with such strength that I felt my ribs and back crack. The air was knocked out of my lungs as I patted her back. Her strength rivaled that of our father.

"Fia...you're crushing me..." I rasped.

After a few seconds more, she finally uncrossed her legs and hopped off of me. Her bright blue eyes were misty and her brows were turned down. "Serves you right, it took you forever to come home!" she lightly punched my arm.

"Ow!" A smile pulled at my lips as I rubbed my arm. "How have you been?" I asked.

"How have I been?! What do you mean—How have you been!? You're the one who went to a whole other world for the goddess!" her arms waved in the air in excitement as the words tumbled out of her mouth.

"Ah, Pft, that was nothing. Boring. I wanna hear about your wolf."

Her shoulders slumped, and she rolled her eyes. "Ugh. you're boring." She sat back down on the couch and picked the book up off the floor. "So who was that girl dad was carrying?" she asked.

A long sigh escaped me. The weight was back. For a moment, it had felt like everything was fine and normal. But then reality snuck back up on me. I looked at my little sister. Her head tilted slightly, and she arched an eyebrow at me. Could I even tell her? Telling Hayden was one thing. I'm not even sure how Father wants to go about it.

"It's complicated." I finally said and her brows scrunched as she mouthed complicated before shrugging and returning to her book.

A loud thump sounded from upstairs, making us both jump, followed by a fit of joyous laughter. My mother came waddling down the stairs, her eyes as bright as the sun and her hands wrapped around her waist. Her red hair was tied in a bun, though most of the strands had fallen out and it sat lopsided on top of her head. Her clothes looked like they had been haphazardly thrown on and attached to her back was my father. His arms holding her waist and head buried in her neck, whispering things that I was glad I couldn't hear.

When her blue eyes focused on me, her smile widened and she tried to pull away, but my father's arms were stubborn.

"Carver..." she said between bouts of giggles. "It's time to let me go. Let me greet our son." She lightly smacked at his hands and finally freed herself from his grip. After grumbling incoherently, He turned his attention to Fia, who giggled and bolted from the couch. My father gave chase. Her high-pitched laughter filled the house as she disappeared down the hallway.

"My baby boy!" My mother reached towards me with outstretched arms and engulfed me in a firm hug. She smelled like moon lilies and snow.

"I'm hardly a baby anymore, Ma."

She held my face in her hands and kissed both my cheeks. Then, squeezing my face, she looked right in my eyes and said with an exaggerated tone. "Goddess, don't remind me. You and Fia both are growing up too fast."

Her eyes became misty, and she sucked in a breath. "Oh, I can't believe you're finally home! I missed you so much." Her voice broke, and she wrapped her arms around me once more.

My father came back grinning from ear to ear. It was so good to see him smile again. Fia was slung over his shoulder, slapping his back and gasping for breath between giggles.

"Let's all go for a family run! I want to meet my daughter's wolf!" My dad's voice boomed as his chest puffed up with pride.

My heart raced at the thought and my mother laughed as she pulled me out the back of the house.

On the back deck, my father and I started to strip down, and so did my mom and Fia. Though I was excited and happy to finally get to run like old times, I couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of my head. "Dad..." I started while keeping my eyes firmly set on the ground. "What are we going to do about the girl? Where did you even put her?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my dad flinch, and then a long sigh left him. "I left her with Ayla. I thought it best for her to wake up to one of her own. As for what we are going to do... I'm not entirely sure. I will have to consult with Alpha Hart and request temple access. But for now, let's just enjoy being home. We deserve that much."

A pang of guilt ripped through me, and a lump formed in my throat. I set my clothes down and quickly shifted. My bones snapped and fur rippled across my body. I looked at my father, who had also just shifted.

Do we... Father? I thought.

A fierce howl erupted behind us and we turned and my breath caught in my throat. My mother had shifted and her reddish brown wolf gazed proudly at my sister. I had never seen such a color before. Apparently, her fiery spirit shone through when the goddess chose her wolf. Fia's fur seemed to glow in the sunlight, its color that of smoldering embers. Any wolf would be a lucky match.

My father nuzzled my mother and then my sister before howling proudly into the sky. We all bolted into the forest that encircled our backyard. Where we were going, we did not know. We became one with the beast of the wild and engrossed ourselves in the exhilarating rush of the wind.

What did you think of Xavier's interaction with his family?

Love Fia she's my favorite.

Ivy's POV will return next chapter!

Thanks for reading!

©2022 Jessica Powell. All Rights Reserved