*Val* It was mid-autumn, and the evening was cold and crisp. The cool air normally helped to clear my mind, but even that wasn't enough to calm my racing thoughts today. It had been two days since Gabe announced his decision about Isolde. I was surprised by how lenient he was, but I had a feeling Estelle was responsible for that. Nevertheless, there was unrest in the pack about the announcement. It had been years since anyone had been ousted from their position. Isolde had her supporters, and they didn't believe that she had lied to Gabe. Isolde went out of her way to help around the community. I could see why it would be difficult to reconcile her good deeds with the harm she'd done. There was debate throughout the village. Some had overheard the argument between Charles and Gabe. As a result, many praised Estelle for choosing to show mercy. The unrest wasn't as severe as the rumors that had circulated when Esetlle first arrived. I suspected that was due to Isolde's silenc
*Estelle* Things in the village were quiet for the past few days. It seemed that the initial unrest after Isolde's punishment was starting to die down. I was nervous about going out on my own for a few days after. The memory of the riot at the craft fair and the painful bruise on my ribs made me weary of venturing too far from Gabe or Val. But Val had invited me to visit Lucky at their house, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I was so excited about her pregnancy and I wanted to ask her a million questions. I'd tried to be polite about it, but I know she'd seen how overeager I was. She was nice about the whole thing and just laughed when Val finally asked me to stop. I was embarrassed. I hadn't meant to get personal, I was just fascinated. I wasn't ready to have a baby anytime soon, but I knew that I wanted to one day. Val had offered to walk me home, but I'd declined. I wanted to stop by the inn and see Mama Iida first, and I wasn't about to ask him to stand around waiti
*Estelle* My heart was pounding in my chest. Val was enraged in a way I'd never seen him. I felt frozen to the spot as the weight of the confrontation hit me. The men who had accompanied Charles looked just as uncertain and startled as I was. Gradually, they backed away from Val. None of them wanted to anger him further, and I didn't blame them. After an uncertain moment, the men followed Charles. Once Charles and the strange men were far enough away not to pose an immediate threat, Val turned to me. "Are you alright?" he asked. The look of rage fell from his face as if it had never been there, and concern took its place. "I'm fine," I said softly. "Just a little freaked out. That was intense." I shook my head in an attempt to clear it. "What do you think he meant?" I asked softly. "I'm not sure," Val said. He looked as concerned as I felt. "If he knows about my parents and he starts telling people, won't the pack be upset? Considering the history with Bear Lake…"
*Val* Estelle was spending a lot of time with Lucky and I was grateful for it. As her pregnancy progressed, it was harder for me to understand what she was experiencing. I did my best to take care of her and make sure that she didn't have to lift a finger if she didn't want to, but there was only so much that I could do. Having another woman to talk to about her experience helped. Estelle was so fascinated with the entire process. I knew it wouldn't be long before Gabe had a little one on the way, too. The pack was finally stable enough that it felt safe for us to start a family. My anxiety over the pregnancy was driving me a little mad. I did my best to hide it from Lucky. I didn't want her to have any additional stress to manage. The best thing that I could do to assuage my fears was to prepare for our pup's arrival. It was still many months away, but it was never too early to get ready. I'd already renovated the guest room in our home to be a nursery. There was no furnit
*Gabe* The preparations for the delegation from Crystal Lake were completed yesterday, but it had done nothing to settle my nerves. We haven't hosted a delegation for more than a night or two since I became the Alpha. I wasn't sure what to expect. I went to the inn early this morning to check in with Mama Iida. She assured me that everything was ready for the guests. Estelle had gone ahead to meet with Lucky and help her prepare for her parents' arrival. I was glad that I was able to arrange for her parents to join the delegation. With her first pup on the way, I knew that having her parents nearby would be comforting to her. Val was clearly excited that they were coming. His parents both passed away years ago, so Lucky's were the only grandparents the pup would have. Preserving the family bonds that we could was important to both of us. It was the least I could do for Val in light of everything he'd taken on for the pack. I had expected Val to join me this morning, but he
*Val* Surprisingly, I made better time than I expected on my run to Bear Lake. It was most likely because of the sense of urgency that took a hold of me, but I still couldn't help but be impressed with myself. When I knew that I was close to the old village, I shifted out of my wolf form. I took the canvas bag from around my shoulders and quickly dressed. I didn't smell anyone nearby, but there were so many wildflowers around that I didn't trust my sense of smell. I took a moment to steel my nerves and then continued into the village. It certainly seemed to be abandoned. The houses were overgrown with moss and vines, and most of the wooden features, like roofs and windows, were beginning to rot. It was eerie, like stepping into a ghost town. I didn't remember the layout of the village very well, since I had only visited a few times when I was a kid. I headed in the direction that I thought the pack house was in. I didn't have high hopes that I would find many intact records, b
*Estelle* The concrete had injured my paws, but I couldn't stop running. He was still following me. The city wasn't far now; my only hope was to lose him there. My body was seized by a muscle spasm and I stumbled. I lay on my side, shocked by the bizarre sensation that had hit me. Realization came over me slowly and with it, came horror. The sensation hit again and I knew; I was going into labor. I got to my feet and ran. The contractions were sporadic and slowed me down each time they hit, but I pushed through them and kept running. I would not let him catch me. I would not let my baby be hurt. There were houses around me, but I didn't stop moving. I shifted to my human form as I continued to run forward. I could only pray that someone would see me and intervene. My hands and feet were bloody and I held my stomach as I ran. I was off-balance in this form, but I was so afraid a human would shoot me if they saw a wolf in their neighborhood. I could feel my baby kicking a
*Gabe* Estelle had trouble getting back to sleep after her conversation with Edwyna. We managed a couple of hours before I had to be up for feast preparations. The children at the school were entertaining our guests for now. I was fielding questions and finalizing the plan for tonight, but I was having a hard time focusing. Val still hadn't returned and neither had Charles. I tried not to think about the worst that could happen to them. I regretted not going after Val myself every second that he was gone. Lucky was holding up incredibly well. She was a strong woman, but I knew that she was scared. She'd told her parents that Val had to take care of a last-minute issue. Being the Beta is a big responsibility; I think her father was impressed, though he tried to hide it. Estelle was with Edwyna, discussing her vision in detail now that she was calmer. I didn't know if she would be able to identify the traitor. Nearly twenty years had passed since the night her visions took pl