Chapter 9 : Learning to Adapt

*Estelle*

The past few weeks had been better than I'd expected. Life in the village was slow-paced and peaceful. I loved walking along the streets in the evening. I could stargaze and breathe the cool, fresh forest air and never have to worry about who might be walking behind me or what would happen if I took a wrong turn. It was a peace I'd never felt in my life.

Mama Iida was great company too. We'd started spending our evenings together playing Gin Rummy or Crazy Eights while she told me stories about the pack. I learned so much more about the intricacies of pack life from her than I could have from anyone else. She had stories about all of the families in the village, including Gabe's.

She told me all about his father, the previous Alpha. By all accounts, he was a friendly, patient man. I felt bad for Gabe for having lost him so young. I couldn't help but wonder how much of his cold exterior was because of that loss.

She also told me about Charles. He had been close friends with Gabe's father, and when a three-year-old Gabe suddenly found himself the only Alpha in the pack, Charles had stepped in to rule in his stead. As Gabe grew, Charles had gradually handed over power. That was how they'd reached the unique arrangement they had now, and why Gabe looked to Charles for guidance.

When I asked Mama Iida about Isolde, she waved her hand in the air dismissively and blew a raspberry, then said: "That's all I have to say about that."

I laughed so hard I nearly fell out of my chair.

I had gotten to know a few others in the village as the days passed. The kind man who ran the restaurant was named Russ, and he had a son who wanted to go to school in the big city when he was older. I'd agreed to meet with his son and tell him about the human world sometime, though it hadn't happened yet.

Apparently, it was becoming more common for members of the pack to go to the city for higher education before returning to the village. Many of the older folk had reservations about the practice, but Russ was excited for his son to explore the world. He made me lunch every day and we chatted about his family. I had never met such a devoted and loving father. It made me happy, if a little jealous.

I still got weird looks from some people when I explored the village, but I tried to ignore them. I knew that it was because they were curious. I knew that it was rare for them to get long-term visitors. Besides that, I'd been seen with Gabe almost every day. I'm sure that there were plenty of rumors about what was going on there.

Gabe told me that the nightly guards patrolling the territory had reported some odd incidents since the night he brought me here. There were weird sounds and movements in the forest that they couldn't explain. This was both inside of the borders and outside. A few nights ago, a rogue wolf was caught sniffing around the area. Gabe had been especially worked up over this.

I hadn't understood at the time, but Mama Iida had explained that rogues were wolves without a pack, usually those that had been abandoned or banished for some reason. It put a different light on the conversation Charles had with Gabe a few weeks ago. Technically, I could be considered a rogue wolf. It would be natural for members of the pack to be suspicious of me for that.

"Do you think that's why people want me to leave?" I'd asked Gabe one day. "I mean, maybe they consider me a rogue."

He almost seemed offended by the idea. "Of course not," he said. "Why would they think that?" I am worried about the rogue activity in the forest, though. That could mean that you're still being targeted for some reason. I need to know why."

He still hadn't been able to discover why that may be the case, and he was clearly frustrated by the lack of progress.

As the days stretched on, it became clearer to me that Gabe was more complicated than he appeared. He kept his expression carefully neutral and his emotions guarded, but that didn't mean that he was cold. Maybe it was the insistent whining of my wolf wearing me down, but I was starting to look forward to spending time with him.

Today, I was supposed to go to the main house to meet with him. He'd been out for the past two days meeting with an ally pack nearby to discuss the rogue issue. He'd asked me to have dinner with him when he returned.

When I reached the house, Gabe was waiting for me. I didn't realize that I'd missed his scent until the cedarwood and citrus hit me. For one wild moment, I had the urge to hug him.

"Hello, Estelle," he said.

"Welcome home," I responded. I could feel my face heating up and tried to play it off. "How was your trip?"

"Informative," he said simply. "We're not the only pack in the area dealing with rogues. No one knows why they're gathering, but something is brewing. We'll need to call a council meeting."

"That sounds serious," I said with a frown.

We walked down the main hallway together, passing a few people as we went. The main house wasn't just Gabe's residence; it was basically the capital, or pack house. It was always buzzing with activity as people had meetings and came to discuss their concerns with the Alpha. The door was always open, so privacy was a little hard to come by.

"Incredibly," he agreed. "I don't want you to think that I'm reneging on our deal, but it likely won't be safe for you to leave by the end of the month." He watched me closely to see how I would react to the news.

My first instinct was to yell, but I took a deep breath instead. I had no reason to think he wasn't being honest about the situation.

"That's disappointing," I said softly. I looked down at my hands as I twisted them together uneasily.

"Are you upset?" he asked. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and nodded instead. "If there were a compromise available I'd be open to discussing it. I don't see how you could safely leave now." He seemed sincere enough. What kind of compromise could there be in this situation?

"Will you bring me home to get some things?" I asked suddenly.

I didn't own much, but having my own clothes on hand would do a lot to make me more comfortable. Besides, I wanted my necklace. When I'd been abandoned, the only thing found with me was a locket. I'd held onto it my whole life. A little irrational part of me thought that it was important to have that little connection to my parents. I'd left it in my apartment when I'd traveled to visit colleges because I was afraid of losing it. I regretted not having it with me now.

Gabe looked thoughtful. "That might be possible," he said after a moment. "I don't see why I couldn't go to your home with you."

I was so focused on Gabe that I almost didn't notice Isolde walking down the hallway in front of me. I paused awkwardly and Gabe stopped beside me. Isolde was glancing between the two of us with a strange expression on her face.

When she didn't move, Gabe raised his eyebrow at her. That was enough of an expression to let her know that he was getting annoyed. She apologized and rushed to get out of our way. She bumped into my shoulder as she passed, but I ignored her.

"Where do you live, exactly?" Gabe asked.

"Phoenix," I said.

"That's far," he sounded almost surprised. "I thought that you were local."

"No, I was just checking out the university," I explained.

He looked thoughtful and didn't say anything else. It was actually kind of nice having him show an interest in my life. My wolf was certainly giddy. I tried to ignore it, but it was getting much harder to do that.

We reached the dining room and the smell of roasted meat and spices flooded our senses. The food in the village was the best I'd ever had. The meal was mostly silent, but it was a comfortable silence. It was clear to me that Gabe was tired from his trip, and he kept slipping into thoughtful reveries as if he were preoccupied with trying to solve a particularly difficult puzzle.

"Mama Iida tells me you're making friends," Gabe said suddenly.

"I don't know about that," I said softly. "I've spent most of my time with Mama Iida or talking to Russ at the restaurant. It's been nice, though."

"It's good to hear that you're adapting," he said. I frowned a little at the wording. "There's nothing wrong with not wanting to socialize more," he added after a moment.

I pursed my lips thoughtfully at that. Gabe was a quiet person; I wondered if the meetings and socializing required of him as Alpha were ever hard for him. I wanted to ask, but it seemed a little too personal, so I refrained. We were handling being cordial for now, but I didn't trust that he wouldn't tip into a rage if I said the wrong thing.

"I'm afraid I have to cut our time short," he said. "I have people waiting to meet with me."

"Of course," I said as I stood. "It's late already. I'll get out of the way so you aren't up all night working."

"You're not in the way," he said. My face flushed again. "I'll walk you back."

"No, that's okay," I said. "I can head back myself. I enjoy the walk, honestly."

He looked annoyed but nodded his assent and walked me to the front door. There was an awkward moment where neither of us seemed to know what to say. I waved my hand weakly and hurried down the walk. Gabe almost looked amused before he went back inside.

I noticed a few people staring at me as I walked from the main house. I didn't think much of it at first. The longer I walked, the more alert my wolf became. Something felt off. I could hear voices speaking urgently, and I glanced up to see a small group gathered outside of a residence.

There were three young women speaking in hushed tones. I recognized one of them as Isolde. She smiled at me and waved, but the other two women were openly glaring at me. I frowned but kept walking. My wolf growled. That smile was concerning.

I hadn't told Val or Gabe about the incident with Isolde. I didn't want to deal with any drama, and I didn't want to make her feel like her concerns were validated by getting her into any trouble. As much as I liked this little village and as much as Gabe was growing on me, I still wasn't sure if I wanted to stay here. Even if I did, I wasn't sure that I could handle being the Luna. It seemed like such a huge responsibility.

As I passed I heard their voices pick up again. A shiver ran down my spine. Nothing good could come from this.