It took a day and a half to receive all the information. It appeared there were things that the council needed to discuss, clarify, and alter because of the condition that Ebony as Luna would lead. It meant Benedict could function as the head administrator of the training and teams. Ebony could manage the paperwork and the Pack side of things. They’d need a lot of support structure, and the planning would rival going to war in Benedict’s eyes. Finally, they had it all. Setting the schedule, seeing their territory, meeting their potential new Pack members. Sure, they needed a name for their Pack and all the documents appeared to need the name of their Pack. His little sister kept calling it Ebony’s Pack as she proudly talked about it. Now, Benedict found himself thinking of the Pack by that name. It seemed simple enough and it gave those coming in the idea a she-wolf ran it. If they didn’t figure that out by the name than they had no place i
Everything appeared to be fast tracked. When they arrived at their new territory, they had a clean slate. Supplies, construction crews, and Pack everywhere. With little to no command structure. Chaos the likes Benedict had never seen. Ebony on the other hand said. “If you think this is bad. I can’t wait until Yule. Now that’s chaos. Family and Pack converging. Trying to find places for everyone to sleep, sit, and sometimes just breathe without a war breaking out. Now that’s chaos.” “Alright, where do we start?” So, far no one knew who they were. Everyone was just arriving. Things needed to be unloaded and people sorted. Land surveyed by them. The extended pack had sent people in long before they had this bright idea and they’d planned the initial construction. With access to another pack who created modular custom buildings that worked off grid. The initial buildings would be simple enough the install. They’d add in septic systems and solar energy. Even t
Ebony had a lot of things on her plate, and she hated it, but calling her mother and sisters weren’t on her plate of things to do. After they’d celebrated her mating with Benedict, she’d not spoken to anyone from her pack. There hadn’t been time. It’s ironic that human myths about werewolves that the bonds only come from Pack bonds. It’s not the case, and there’s no on or off switch for them either. Its why wolves have such a tough time hiding from one another and keeping territories. It wasn’t just limited resources. Wolf shifters formed bonds and the bonds were complicated. There were layers to them. Each layer had its own meaning to the individual wolf and the strength of each bond formed showed its importance to that wolf. The bonds were like a reflection of how the individual wolf formed relationships. The strongest bonds were to those the individual valued and respected. Caring and sharing the connection. A family bond stayed for life
With dinner over and everyone scattered to their respective corners. Ebony wasn’t sure how to think of things right now. Without buildings there were no corners. Some wolves started sleeping in the forest in their fur, others as humans in tents or trailers, it was a mixed bag since the nearby town turned them away. Ebony looked at it this way. If the town believed it isolated the monsters from the world, it would soon learn that it was wrong and in fact isolated itself. Canada was a place where everything was fine and dandy until it wasn’t. When it wasn’t, it went downhill fast. If you weren’t prepared for it. Then you better have friends that were. Ebony knew a search on the internet would pull up animals turning up on people’s doorsteps looking for help. Humans on the other hand; they must learn the hard way. So, Ebony’s Pack would pretend to isolate itself from the world to give the humans the idea that they were the superior species in the area. If it
Ebony had holed herself up in her office trailer, trying to get something, anything done. Between young adult angst. New mate romantic triangles gone bad. Curious humans with agendas that Ebony worried about, and now. “Hi, Sapphire. What’s up? What’s happened that’s got you calling me before ten in ten in the morning?” Ebony’s mind went straight to their mother or little sister, Ember. They’d the most do something foolish things helping someone or learn something. Or, in Ember’s case, looking for her unique magical abilities. “Hey, Ebony. Um … How’s it going over there? It’s been a week and we have heard anything from you or Benedict. Some honeymoon or what.” Ebony sat back in her chair. She didn’t know her sister well. Sure, they’d shared a womb with their sister Ivory, but their mother and father raised Ebony. Their aunt and uncle raised Ivory as their own, but for a mistaken belief they had, they’d rejected Sapphire and rejected Sapph
“I still don’t know how you convinced everyone that this was a good idea, Benedict. We’re in the middle of setting up a Pack and several businesses. It’s absolute insanity. There’s more going on there than at any time in our lives.” Ebony had to enlist Pack members to hunt the mail shipments for her sister’s package using the excuse there was a surprise inside for Benedict that was supposed to come from her. She reasoned that it wasn’t exactly a lie. If the test was positive, then he’d be getting a surprise in more ways than one. Ebony just didn’t have a clue on how she’d tell him. It wasn’t like she could ask her sisters how they did it, because to her knowledge none of them had yet been in this situation. The last to find a mate and to almost mess that up. Now to be the first to have pups. She wanted to scream, and she wanted to talk to her mother. But if she did that then her mother would be there, and they’d have to deal with a convergence of family before
Ebony looked at the care package from her sister. She’d snuck it past Benedict while he napped in the afternoon sun, and she now stood in the bathroom staring at it. Her nervous hands pulled the tape off the package and Ebony unpacked the various items her sister packed in the package. At the bottom of the box Ebony found three pregnancy tests and she sighed. She had them now and Ebeny would find out for sure if she was pregnant. What would Benedict think of this? It was the worst time possible. They didn’t have a healer or medical facilities yet. No place or staff to care for pups. No schools or teachers. Now, Ebony’s heart pounded in her chest as her mind raced over the lists and timelines that they’d meticulously created. She realized that it would all have to change, and their priorities would have to change as well. Benedict would hate this, there’d been so much change already. Too much change and he might not be able to accept it.
Ebony called him for dinner, and he’d sauntered in. Relaxed and hungry Benedict entered the dining room. “You didn’t come out did you find a problem? If you did, why didn’t you come out and get me? I could have helped you with it.” “Well, it might be a problem at times. But it’s not a problem per say right now. At least, I’m not sure how you’ll see it right now. It took some time for me to confirm my suspicion and then verify that its confirmation wasn’t a false confirmation. After that, I needed to wrap my head around it all. Now, well, it’s your turn to decide if this is a good thing or a problem.” Ebony looked at Benedict and she appeared almost apologetic. Benedict frowned and looked at the table. “What are you talking about love? What are you talking about exactly?” Ebony used her chin to point toward the table “Just take a look and try not to freak out too much.” “Okay …” Benedict wasn’t sure what had Ebony so anxious.
Ebony was relieved when they returned to their territory a week later. Benedict was fully healed now and the needed parts were on the way. The supernatural government and human government had come to an agreement.“I’ve never said this before but I’m going to say it now. I’m glad to be home again love. Look at this place it’s real. I can see it. Not just in the land, but in the wolves. How they interact with each other and function together. Their seamless communication and the emotional bond I can feel it now.” Benedict said as they settled back into his place beside Ebony after the last of their pack had greeted them and gave them reports. “It’s great to know we can step out a few days and things don’t fall apart.”Ebony smirked. “Really right now I don’t think it’s got far to fall apart.” “Ebony it’s not like that anymore.” Benedict looked about in disbelief as they both realized they were both wrong.“No, I guess not. The pack’s not a group of strangers anymore either an
They were on a pause between healing sessions. Benedict needed to have several sessions before his bones were completely healed again. Until they were healed then he wouldn’t be able to shift into his wolf. “How are you feeling now?” Ebony came to sit beside Benedict. She hugged his arm and rested her head on his shoulder after she left a kiss on his cheek.Benedict blinked. The healers had left minutes ago, neither healer was happy with each other. They had left to deal with their issues while Benedict’s body needed time to recover. So, here they were for the first time in seemed alone. Quiet and alone together. “I swear everything hurts more than it did before. But I was told I had several bones that hadn’t set perfectly in the past so they’re fixing them too.”“You had broken bones that weren’t set correctly.” Ebony pointed out with a sympathetic wincing look of pain on her face as she said this to her mate. She tried to keep it light but how could she? It’s obvious he must n
Ebony took Benedict to the closest healing center she had her Beta call ahead to explain the situation to explain that they weren’t having an emergency but they did need extensive healing for a leader. Her Beta sent a file that Benedict’s Beta received from the healer about his condition so that they could understand what to expect when they arrived. They wouldn’t book an appointment until the healer received it. But when she received the file it took minutes to receive a response. Ebony wasn’t happy that they didn’t seem to accept their words and explanations. It wasn’t until someone recognized Ebony’s last name and connected it to her mother then things changed. “Why did you have no one say anything about it Luna?” A junior healer who worked as a senior administrator and was working as the leader of the group managing Benedict’s needs while was there. “I love my family but I’m not a shadow or a facet of anyone of them. I’m
“When when last spoke and I told you I hadn’t received injuries I wasn’t lying. We had a freak accident nothing that we could have predicted or accounted for. They misplaced truck and the ground was too wet under it. When a second vehicle moved out while they were moving a skid of equipment into place. The earth under the rear wheels shifted off the back of the truck in seconds and I was beneath it. The skid was no longer full but heavy enough to break my femur and three ribs.We had a healer there, so they patched me up. The planes needed several repairs that would take days. I didn’t want them to take time away from the repairs to take me to a healing center then it would take longer to get home. Before you say anything, I didn’t believe I was that severely injured.” Benedict hadn’t believed he’d been that injured until after the Druid had stabilized his breaks and the pain had settled in when his adrenaline had faded. He’d been embarrassed by his response to that, but it was to la
Benedict didn’t tell Ebony that he stayed away an extra two days because he had gone to the front lines to review the damage to their equipment and vehicles. Fate got him and he ran right into a freak accident and a human skid slid off the back of a flatbed truck. There was no question about it the accident being an accident. Wolves and humans were working together to pack the truck at the time. But the mud under the truck shifted when another vehicle started and moved out.He’d left with a broken leg and three ribs. At least they’d had a druid healer here who could start his healing process. But he wouldn’t be able to shift for a week. Benedict would walk home though a little slowly.Benedict knew he’d lied to Ebony, but he didn’t want to explain it on the phone. Not when she was so close to giving birth. His people had to make several repairs on their vehicles there in the field to get it home anyway. It took a day longer and it didn’t hurt Benedict’s recovery. Even though h
Ebony waited at the Pack house. It had been three days since Benedict and their team had left for the fire. The pilots had come in for fuel and repairs. Several vehicles had come in baring injured people on the way to get care. They’d been found trapped within the fire or were injured during fighting the fire. But so far, their wolves, mages, druids, bears, and such had stayed safe and were still working toward stopping the fire. However, Ebony had heard complaints that magic was a disappointment by the human fighting contingents and not nearly as powerful or magical as they had believed it should have been. Which received sighs, warnings, and reminders of their that there were limits like anything within reality. Ebony used the time, or she tried to, to finish the pups’ suite. It wouldn’t be used fully right away. They would have the pups in their room first before they would use their suite. She wondered who these pups would look like. Ebony h
Benedict was teasing Ebony with names over dinner when the call came through. The first real call. They’d been watching a storm for the last three days. It’s winds were pushing thirty-five miles an hour and lightning was flashing randomly throughout the mountains. The problems they were having was the area the storm was in had been a dry zone for the last eight months. They were waiting for the lightning to start multiple fires, flash floods, landslides, and car accidents. Humans would need help it’s how these things worked. Extreme weather was becoming worse not better. Humans could handle a lot but it was adding up.“Go on, this is what we made this place for. Show them why we’re here and what we can offer.” Ebony all but pushed Benedict out the door. “I have enough people here to help me. I’ll be fine here missing you. Now go.”“Right. Don’t do anything crazy while I’m gone okay?” Benedict begged. He wasn’t sure what she would do. But she was pushing him out the door when he w
Ebony couldn’t get comfortable. Her stomach was so large now. She struggled to get out of the bed and chairs. Ebony avoided standing for too long. It had been months since she’d shifted into fur, and she missed hunting. She missed running and there wasn’t any way she was going to run like this. But her balance was off like her pups decided they wanted to sit only on one side of her body. That’s the only way she could describe it in her grumpy upset mood.Benedict was distracted by Ebony’s distressed attitude. She still had two months until she gave birth. He tried to ensure she had everything she could want and if she wanted to move then she had someone with her to help her. Preferably it would be him. He hated anyone touching her but him now. They spent more time together. “I have a few gifts here from the families and the Pack wants to set up the pups’ nursery. Are you ready for that or is it too early for you?”“oh no I’m great. Go ahead and have them bring me in the gifts
Ebony had her staff enter and between her staff as Marian’s staff they worked with the school’s staff. They had to brute force at times to get the documentation completed and wait times waived. To gain the testing schedules at a specific date and location. But between Marian and Ebony’s joint effort they were able to overcome the bureaucratic mess presented to them. Marian used the media and the public eye to keep the gears moving. While Ebony had the eye of the supernatural government on her through Benedict’s father and her father. So, there was no room to falter and no time.Even so it took months to achieve this and get this far. Now they were able to step back into their everyday life. Ebony’s baby bump was beginning to show now. Benedict was managing the building of the healing center and hiring of healers as many would also work as teachers, rescuers, emergency workers, and such.Benedict knew he had to have a certain amount of medical foundation up and running fast sin