Chapter 6 — Uncle Lupe's Family

"Maybe she's just a beta of some sort." Gabriella piped from the dining room where she set the table for a large family breakfast. "Now this isn't to say that you didn't see well enough but don't you think Pompey too exaggerated for a comparison? Like a hyperbole or something?" 

Norma was sure. As rarely as they did see Pompey's giant wolf in the gatherings under the full yellow moons, she was damn sure that the wolf she'd seen wasn't any smaller — dare her say bigger? Was that conceivable? He had no supernatural sense of strength. They'd said he'd faced and held down one of those ghost bears alone. They'd never said he'd done so with his bare hands though. 

"Well, I don't think it common for beta wolves to stand against a grizzly talk less of killing one without a repellent, and what about emitting lightning?"

"Oh please, Norma, I never knew you to be one who applied fantasy to real life. It doesn't suit you. Didn't you state that you got hit by the bear right? Haven't you thought about the possibility of it having hallucinatory effects on you?" Gabriella argued. "Supposedly all this is sort of true, wouldn't that mean she would be made Grand Alpha instead of Pompey?" 

The question was a slightly naive but logical one too. 

 "He would have to defend his rights to the throne if the said wolf expressed intentions of claiming it," answered Elena, their mother from the kitchen. "But before that, she'd have to deal with the thirteen Alphas first in a mortal combat." 

"Does that ever happen?" asked Norma, realizing that she had little to no idea of how alphas were crowned. Being born to Luigi's reign and not witnessing a change or the succession of a sitting alpha among the other packs. Strength she knew, was a vital criterion. The alpha had to be bigger and stronger than the rest of the pack else he would be unable to gain its trust as a leader and protector. Potential alphas were born in very few numbers and had to win elective mortal combats to be crowned if the reign of a sitting alpha was at its twilight. 

"It does, but not so often though. I have never witnessed one though because I could recall that Alpha Luigi had little to no opposition to the throne a few years before his uncle passed away." 

                                                         ***

Breakfast was set when the old truck pulled up in front of the house. Lupe's knock was instantaneous. Norma opened up and Winter was given a warm welcome. 

"It's your home too, sweetheart," Elena chirped, smiling genially. "In time you wouldn't be so formal. The last time I'd seen you, you'd lost the pair of your front teeth. You were so little and didn't stay long enough for me to see them grow again.”

Winter smiled, revealing her teeth in the process. 

"Oh, now I can how strong and beautiful they'd grown to be." The middle-aged gamma added. A look at her showed immediately Norma's source of physical appearance. Norma was a spitting image of her mother, one could say and the resemblance ran down to the very sound of their voice and the very way they spoke. 

"It's nice to finally meet you, Winter. You wouldn't guess how much I know about you already, and I'll help you with that." Gabriella bloomed with her piccolo voice as she humbly relieved the visitor of her luggage. "Poppa says a lot about since you arrived and so does Norma." 

Perhaps if Gabriella had been born earlier, Winter should have recalled that they'd met and played together during one of her family's rare visits to the town, just like she should have done with Norma and their elder brother Paco, but she'd been so young then and Gabriella hadn't been born too. They'd all been young then and so there were no solid memories of their previous encounters. 

Gabriella was obviously in her late teens and about to enter her tweens. She was pleasant like the innocent beauty of a flower, or maybe a bird. Her face was a bit too tranquil because her eyes were a bit sleepy — an obvious trait from her father — and it gave her the advantage of giving a cool aura on first impression. Her brows were cheerful. 

"It's also nice to meet you, um?” greeted Winter with her tame yet decent smile devoid of the exaggerated “happy to see ya!” theatrics. 

"Gabriella.” 

“Sure, Gabriella. Looking forward to having a peaceful stay with you then. You do look peaceful though.” Winter remarked. 

"You're just in time for breakfast, sweetie." Elena gestured towards the dining room. In no time they were all seated at the the table. Elena tired Winter with questions on why she chose a life in the town. 

"I dropped out of college,” Winter answered, clearing her throat. 

"Well, you must have reasons I guess. But life in the town isn't less better than in the city I'd say it's much better given that we have more healthy methods of feeding as wolves rather than preserved meat. I think you're a special one though.” chattered Lupe's wife, using the word “special” where she'd acted meant “strange”. 

"I mean, living alone all by yourself in the outside of town where people don't stay much. You didn't get to hear of the ghost creatures and rogue vampires and who-knows-other-evils you were exposed to? That's a courage I could never have but you had us worried sick.” 

"I'm sorry Aunty, the thing is I'm just me. I mean, like I usually get the feeling that I can take care of myself. Being an artist also helps understand the need and value of solitude. I guess I thought less about the dangers, underestimating the situation." Winter explained. She didn't feel so happy being interviewed but as much as Elena did seem to talk, it turned out that her talks weren't all that small. 

"Is it because of your wolf's size?" piped Gabriella with a controlled eagerness to know how true and real Norma's stories were. 

Lupe snapped instantly. "Gabriella! Let your cousin eat in peace!" he shot from the edge of the table adding a warning in dialect at both of his daughters. 

"What do you mean exactly?" Winter asked, being nice about her younger cousin's inquiry even though she wasn't usually disposed to talking about her wolf's size because it sort of stripped her of her girlhood. It made her feel masculine in addition to growing up among four elder brothers, all of whose wolves were smaller, and who didn't stand in for the sister and female friend she never had. 

Gabriella cautiously pushed on while looking at her father. "I meant that do you feel the way you feel because you have a big wolf? The fact that you don't seem scared sleeping in the Ash mansion alone?" 

"I guess so." 

"So, are you some sort of female beta?" 

"I honestly don't know. Uncle has seen it. I guess he knows." Winter eyed Lupe. 

"She's not a beta, Gabriella. She's way bigger than that," he stated. 

"And more powerful too." Elena supported and Winter found herself blushing. 

"It makes me feel special when you say it like that." 

"Of course, you're special, sweetie." her aunt replied, "And if you have doubts about that, you'll get to see why in no time." 

There was a rap on the door at that moment. Gabriella dutifully rushed to get it. Paco and Alphonso came in, joining the table. Alphonso had a bouquet which he presented to Norma. His intentions to mate her wasn't a secret and so was the fact that the feelings he had weren't mutually shared by her. On Lupe and Elena's part, there was no form of resistance or persuasion. To them, Alphonso was just good enough for any girl whose love he could get and if their daughter was one of such girls, they would be fine. They'd known him since he was a baby.  

"Thanks, but I'm not so big flowers, Alphonso." Norma slightly rejected them, forcing a smile that disappeared as soon as it had shown.

"I'll take them. They're adorable." Gabriella came to the rescue, snatching the flowers from her sister and burying her nose into them as if they weren't artificial. "You could get me the real ones next time as they usually have my favorite scent." He took his seat beside her and he was less embarrassed.

Lupe introduced the pair as if the drama had never happened. "This is Paco, your elder cousin." 

"You're very much welcome sis," Paco greeted as they shook hands across the table. "I remember you as the girl without her front teeth though," he joked. Winter smiled but not because it was funny. 

"And that's his closest friend, Alphonso, whose father was my closest friend also. He's a part of the extended family." continued Lupe. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the not-so-embarrassed lover greeted also shaking hands with her across the table. 

"So how did it go boys?" Lupe asked. He looked eager. 

Paco's chewing slowed, shaking his head as slowly as to indicate the negative. He let out a sigh before he answered. "They wouldn't give in." 

"Then maybe she's not your mate after all." Elena chipped in quickly. She was visibly nervous as they opened the subject. 

"Nina feels for me just as strongly as do for her. What other signs could there be? Our wolves speak to each other." Paco defended. 

"You're a delta son and she's not just the most beautiful female delta there is but the most beautiful amongst the pack yet. Such good things bring a lot of trouble. I can understand your mind is clouded by what you feel already, but yours isn't just the risk of Betas wanting a piece of her. I think you should think this over." Lupe advised. 

"Then I'd be a coward and I'd be labeled a coward for the rest of my life! How would I ever face her afterward? A coward who couldn't defend his love? It would scream how unworthy I am of her." 

"I agree with your dad, Paco." Alphonso urged. 

"You decide to make." The older man said retiring. 

"No it isn't!" Elena flamed at her husband. " You weren't any different in your time were you? But you forget that he doesn't have an identical elder brother like you did back then. He could get killed." 

"And since when did mating duels become mortal?!" Lupe banged his fist on the table, shaking the some of food out of his plate. "There is no shame in fighting for what you want even if you lose!" he snarled. 

"True, but you never fought for me! Salvatore did!" 

"Enough!" He banged again and she ceased. 

"I'm taking up the challenge. That's my decision." Paco announced and passed that aggression he had on his meal afterward. He was fortunately and unfortunately mated to Nina, one of the most beautiful girls in the Gray pack and even beyond. His only chance of retaining her as a mate was that they both shared a strong emotional tie. 

"But don't Nina's feelings count for something?" Norma aired her thoughts on the subject. "I honestly don't think it's wise to marry into a family that sees their daughter as some commodity to be bought by the highest bidder possible. I mean it's clear she's incapable of loving someone else so why don't they just turn off other suitors?" 

"That's because times it goes beyond feelings," Lupe answered. "They feel the loved suitor has to earn his rights to be her sole mate by defending it. It shows her value and his ability to protect— and not another word from you, Elena —" he waved off Elena's intended outburst with a warning finger. She smiled instead at the the thought of if she hadn't loved him back in their time, and if Salvatore who looked exactly like him hadn't been there to overpower Hannibal in the mating duel, what he would have done? The answer was clear then and now. Nothing. He would have done nothing and here he was now preaching what he couldn't practice. Back in their time, she never liked Hannibal from the black pack who was a delta, and while her family wouldn't call off Lupe's pleas for the mating duel not to hold being sure of his losing chances, Salvatore had opted to take the fight in his guise. They'd taken advantage of their identical features. So it remained in the records that an omega defeated a delta in a mating duel. Now that history wanted to repeat itself, she thought, why didn't bring the same advantages of the past generation? 

"So what date are we talking about?" Lupe asked. 

"The next crescent."