Her Forever
(Book 2)- Chapter 53

Rosalie

After spending another day in the Blue Water’s pack, it was time to go home. I was relieved to go back because I never felt completely comfortable at Blue Water. Don’t get me wrong, they were welcoming and wonderful people, I just missed home. Home was where my close friends were, Amanda, Bruce and Keith. I was ready to see them. These past two weeks were filled with fun and excitement and a whole new understanding that Jack and I have. He knows I still have my insecurities but will always be there for me as I will be for him.

Giving a few hugs to the smaller pups of the pack I waved goodbye and we climbed into the carriage. Jack’s parents were coming with us, his mother packed several large trunks of clothes, saying she was bringing her old Luna ceremony outfit as well as a few other traditional clothing pieces. I didn’t care what I wore, just that I was there with Jack and the rest of my family.

As Odin sat down in our overly large carriage I saw Benjamin coming out of the house with his suitcase in hand. He had been looking defeated the past few days and his head was down as he helped them load the storage compartment.

“Jack, what’s wrong with Benjamin?” I asked

“Benjamin has been feeling lonely recently, Kitten. I think it’s because the mating ceremony is coming up for you, Amanda finding her mate and not actually finding his mate here, he may feel a bit lost.” Jack sat up and started talking to his father about some pack business and I watched a defeated Benjamin open the carriage door and sit down beside me. His head leaned over and rested on my shoulder. Something that he enjoyed doing since we were so close, I wish we were brother and sister by b***d because he would have been a great big brother.

“No luck, Benji?” Benjamin scoffed and sat back up and fixed the collar of his shirt.

“I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m just exhausted. All those she-Wolves couldn’t get enough of this,” he pointed to all of himself and I burst into laughter.

“Really now?”

“Yeah, I had to pry two chicks that wanted to go at once but I had to tell them I was waiting for my mate. They g*****d and thought I was being a prude. The nerve.” His eyes rolled in the back of his head. I leaned closer to his ear, knowing well that everyone could hear me anyway.

“She’s out there, Benji. I know she is. She will be the most beautiful she-Wolf and she will bow down to blow you the first time you meet,” I started giggling and Benjamin looked at me in mock shock. His hand was on his chest and his mouth looked like he was going to inhale a fish.

“What a dirty mouth you have! Do you k**s your Alpha with that mouth?”

“That and more,” I elbowed him in the ribs and got a dark glare from Jack. Oh yeah he wanted it, I blew a k**s towards him and he just gave me his smirk.

The journey back was uneventful, the carriage ride along with the airplane ride back to Pineville Creek was exhausting. The last thing I remember was taking off and when I woke up I was laying in our own bed. It smelled of Jack and the entire house had smells I had never smelled before. Amanda smelled of peppermint and lemon, a weird combination but it really suited her. She can be refreshing and sweet while sometimes she could be sour, especially when she gets mad at Tyson.

Keith smelled like old whisky with a hint of bourbon, he really did smell like the fun uncle I used to think of when I first met him. Bruce just smelled like the outdoors, a complete mixture of pine, cedar and a babbling brook. His smell also made sense since he was outdoors most of the time patrolling.

My senses were coming in and out and Jack’s mother had helped quite a lot while Jack and his father helped catch him up on pack work. My smell was really working. I could smell what we were having for dinner before it was prepared. The ingredients mixed together in my nose to cause the aroma to just appear. Astrid said it was weird I could do that but I brushed it off. I just loved food since I didn’t have to starve myself anymore.

My hearing would also go in and out but with Astrid and Amanda helping me it had become manageable. Amanda told me how my Wolf would be able to fully control it as soon as she officially came forward. Even though we had been back a few days, Marigold hadn’t shown much improvement or willingness to come to the forefront of my mind. If I closed my eyes, I could feel her and almost see her. She just sits back there, sitting and watching what I do with my daily life. Oftentimes at night, when Jack is sleeping I will just talk to her, tell her how I feel about all this and how excited I am to finally talk to her and interact with her.

Marigold looks like a timid Wolf, like how I used to be. I am still shy but not like how I was. Sometimes I think she is smiling at me or she could be making fun of my quirks. I told her about the last pet that I had, Macaroni and how sad I was. Her eyes looked sorrowful too and she looked like she could feel my pain. Since she was now in my mind, I wondered if she could see all of my past?

“Rosalie?”

My memories and struggles, my journey of how I came to finally be with her?

“Rosalie?”

Would she be completely and utterly disgusted?

“Rosalie!”

I shook the thought from my head, we were made for each other, right? Suddenly I am being shaken out of my thoughts with a glare from Amanda and a look of concern from Astrid.

“Goddess child, are you alright?” Astrid grabbed my hand in concern.

“I’m sorry, I was just thinking.” I whispered. Rubbing my eyes, I let out a sigh and flopped back down on the bed.

“I know you have a lot on you dear, but we have to finish the mating/Luna ceremony. It is very hard to condense everything like you wanted,” Astrid continued to thumb through magazines picking out decorations. Astrid wasn’t happy that I was doing the two ceremonies. She said I deserved to have two parties to make up for all the birthday parties I’ve missed over the years, to have the spotlight all on me but I couldn’t stand it. I wanted to rip it off like a band-aid and have it be over. Jack was alright with it and that was all that really mattered.

“I know, I don’t want to take up any of the pack’s time having to do two parties in two days. It would be so exhausting and I would rather sleep anyway.” Amanda laughed.

“You would want to take a nap rather than be social. Silly girl.” Amanda held up two swatches of color for me to pick. I had picked winter colors since it would be done in the beginning of December. Light blue, creams and whites were going to be used and I internally wanted some season sprites to come but I knew that was out of the question. It would have been amazing to see them flying around spreading around bits of snow here and there. Only in Bergarian though.

Astrid pulled out a dress magazine and started pointing to a few dresses. “Now here me out, I know this will be difficult because human culture has been branded into you, however!” She pointed to a deep red velvet dress. It had a sweetheart neckline and the fabric came off the shoulders, a perfect way to show a mating mark. There were small pearls along the trim of the dress near the chest, it wasn’t too much but it was beautiful. The dress was in a mermaid style, very fitted around the waist and thighs until it flared out at the bottom slightly. It was simply beautiful and it would make my blonde hair really pop in the sea of white pastels we had for the theme. I would literally be the center of attention.

“It’s beautiful…” I whispered. I traced the dress with my finger like I could touch it. Amanda looked at Astrid with a knowing look. Astrid nodded and went to her computer, probably to order the dress. “I know it isn’t white, for a wedding, but this is for eternity. Red is for love and how passionate you are with Jack I think it is the perfect color for you.” Astrid’s eyes shined brightly at me. She has given me so much love and she barely knows me.

“I do love it, I don’t care about it being white. I think he knows I’m not innocent anymore though,” I chucked like Astrid let out a loud laugh.

“That’s the spirit!”

Most of the planning was done, the invitations were sent and Jack and Odin finished up the welfare that he was supposed to do before we left. Some Wolves had lost their jobs in the nearby town factory and needed jobs around the pack house until they could get back on their feet for extra money. It was amazing how well the pack worked together. If only humans could work like this, in small communities taking care of one another when something goes wrong instead of relying on complete strangers.

“We are needed downstairs, they have accepted new members into the pack,” Amanda spoke from behind the computer. Tyson must have mind-linked her.

Skipping downstairs with Astrid we see the new family that will be inducted this evening at dinner. I had read that during induction meetings they have dinner with the Alpha and Luna and we get to know them better before we show them their home. They also have to make a b***d oath by drinking the Alpha and Luna’s b***d to help them with their mind-links to be connected with ours. Officially I haven’t been connected with the pack yet so it would just be Jack’s b***d they feast on tonight.

There was a small little girl holding a teddy bear with red hair. She had space buns for her hair style and was shyly hiding behind a tall girl who had a long French braid down her back. There were also two boys, possibly fraternal twins older than the girl. Jack wasn’t in sight yet, but I still wanted to meet them.

“Hello,” I said with every ounce of courage I could. “I’m Rosalie, future Luna of the pack.” I stuck out my hand ready to shake. The little girl poked her head out behind the girl and gave me a shy smile. I sat down on the floor and she looked at me questioningly. “And who might you be, big girl?” She gave me a toothless grin and stepped out to take my hand. “I’m Aria, this is my big sister Lolli and my brothers Fredrick and Phillip.” The siblings looked at each other in shock and back down at their sister Aria.

Lolli cleared her throat and stuck out her hand, “Yes, um, I am Lolli. I’m sorry, Aria hasn’t spoken in awhile, we were just shocked she spoke to you.” I smiled as Aria took my hand.

“Sometimes kids like me, I’m not sure why,” I said gently while looking at Aria.

“I do.” Jack said authoritatively as he walked up behind them along with his father Odin and Keith. “She is your Luna, she is the mother of the pack.” Jack was walking tall and intimidating, more so than the carefree self he usually is. I wanted to question the tension but I kept it to myself, for now.

Jack grabbed my hand and helped me off the floor and I picked up Aria. That was when I noticed it, their smell. It smelled wild and musky. It was missing something though, all the Wolves I’ve smelled between the Blue Water’s pack and our pack have a similar underlying smell. They didn’t have any. I pulled Aria away a bit and looked at her and then back at Jack questioning the smell.

“What’s that smell?” I mind-link Jack.

“That smell, my love, means they are rogues.”