Finding Truth Behind Legends
by Wizardtho
Chapter 27:
As Soon as Kai sees Zander exiting his truck, he cries out happily, “Daddy!” as his little arms reach out. I can’t help but smile at the look that takes over Zander’s face as he calls back, “Little man!”
Kai literally does a nose dive out of my arms as soon as Zander is close. I panic, thinking he’s going to hit the ground. Instead, it goes from a nose dive to an expert flying session between father and son in .03 seconds, which causes Lily to laugh as I practically have a heart attack, “I should have warned you he would do that. It’s become a thing between them. Sorry, Bella.”
I shake my head, my hand over my heart as I smile at the scene in front of me, “He’s okay, so it’s all good. I’ve just not been around many littles. Yours is an absolute cutie pie, though. Mind me asking how you picked Kai for his name?”
She tears up slightly, but says, “It was my Dad’s name. He died a couple of months before Kai was born, but he was so excited to become a Grandpa.”
I hold her hand as I look out at father and son, saying softly, “It’s a good name, and he’s beautiful, Lily. I can’t see your father being anything but overjoyed at what I’m watching right now.”
She turns her head toward me, gives me a watery smile, and squeezes my hand as she nods, “Thank you. It’s nice to hear someone else confirm it every once in a while.”
She beams at the scene in front of us, then sniffles and says, “By the way, I understand you found your coyote. Congratulations. Zander told me the first day he met you that he was sure you would phase at some point in the future. None of them expected it this soon, though.”
I grin, then nod, “I wasn’t so sure, having already been bitten by a vamp. I figured if anything would have made me phase, it would have been that. Dad originally thought that our Blackfoot line had been diluted too much. I don’t mind the nickname, though, so I didn’t say anything to deter it. Turns out I am little, at least compared to Taha. My ear tips only come to the top of his shoulders when we’re both phased.”
She chuckles, then pats my back, “Yeah, but that puts you on nearly equal footing to the coyote alpha and beta. Zander told me you stand almost as tall as him and Greg, but you’re taller than the rest. I guess your ear tips meet his eye level?”
I nod, offering as I think back, “That sounds about right. I’m still getting used to it all. Now with all the other tribes coming, things are just hectic.”
She lets out a breath, then says, “You’re doing what’s right, though. Not only for you and Taha, but for all the tribes. Bella, right now, if I leave reservation land and happen to run into one of those Volturi -or a vampire following their laws- I would be killed. I can’t hide my reactions for shit, and they would see that I know what they are. It doesn’t matter that I’m the marked imprint of a shifter, my reaction would be an instant death sentence. They need to take those things into account, but there’s no law right now to make them stop and consider how I know.”
I agree, stating, “I’m going to try my hardest to change that, Lily. I promise. These vamps are tricky, though, and the 3 of them have been the vampire ruling force with their army for over 1500 years. I have to word my ‘case’ very carefully.”
I shake my head, “Enough about that for right now, though. How’s the packing going?”
She looks toward the dining room, then grins, “All done. Jake and Aiden were carrying them to the master loft for now. I just need to know if you want anything put down to protect the tables, once I wash them.”
I hum, then say, “I don’t have any rectangular table cloths. There should be tons of cloth placemats on one of the laundry shelves, though. You can mix and match them however you want. I think I want to split up salt and pepper shakers between the two tables. Let’s put 2 sets on each table and a pile of napkins near each set. We’ll put the plastic utensils and paper plates on the dining room sideboards with the hot foods, and direct everyone to start in there when it’s time. There should be long table runners we can use for the sideboards. And Lily? Thanks for all this.”
She chuckles, then shakes her head, “Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t tasted the food I made. Angie’s a better cook than me. Hell, Melody’s even a better cook than me, and she’s only 16.”
She starts to walk back into the house, so I call, “I haven’t forgotten our recipe trade day, Lily. We’ll get to that as soon as things calm down just a bit.”
I get a laugh and a nod in reply before she continues on her way.
The next thing I know, someone small and fast is running straight for me. Without letting him know I see him, I wait until the perfect moment, then laugh and swing him up into my arms, “Haha, gotcha!”
Kai giggles as I tickle his side, “Di- id you see, Miss Bella? I c-can flyyyyy!”
Taha and Zander reach us just as I assure the laughing little boy, “I did see that! You are an amazing flyer, Kai.”
Taha beams at me before pecking my lips, then says, “I know a little boy who is hungry.”
Kai giggles again, then says to me, “Uh-huh. My tummy growled just like yours. Daddy says I hafta wash my hands.”
I set him down and straighten his t-shirt, “Go find your momma, then. Dinner will be ready to eat very soon.”
He runs into the house, so I ask Zander, “How long before everyone converges back here? And how many know exactly what’s going on?”
He assures me, “They’ll be here in less than ten, and they are all in the know. Every human that helped today is a family member of one of the pack. Brad and Hudson will be here, too.”
I nod, “Good. They’ve been working really hard on those bunks. They deserve a full belly for their efforts, especially since I added 4 more bunks to Hudson’s workload.”
He chuckles in response, “In your defense, little coyote, it was so we’d be able to keep everyone together. I can understand and appreciate that. Since I haven’t really had a moment alone with you two today before now, I wanted to check and see how you are holding up with everything… and also congratulate you on your mating.”
I give him a heartfelt smile, then say as Taha hugs me to him, “Thanks. I’m good. It’s been hectic today, but it just makes me want to go for a run to stretch and feel the breeze. I don’t feel antsy or suffocated, so that’s good. I know I’m still recovering… I can feel that much… so I haven’t been pushing it.”
Zander nods, but as he tells me to keep listening to my instincts, I see Jake laughing as he and Leah come into the backyard from the picnic island. She laughs back and punches him in the arm, then grins as she sees me. I promise Zander I will, making eye contact with him, then say, “Leah, come meet everyone!”
She stops near me, shakes her head, and says as she pulls me into a hug, “You’re still causing trouble, no matter where you go, Swan. Will you ever learn?”
I hug her back, laughing, “You know me, Clearwater. Eternal danger magnet… it’s attached to my ass, I swear. Leah Clearwater, meet my mate, Taha, and my alpha, Zander.”
She looks at Zander, shakes his hand with a nod, then shakes Taha’s hand as she offers, “There’s been a debate going on today about whether staying in your wolf form for so long has made your human form feel… wrong… to you. I voted no. I believe if you are your true self in either form, neither will feel odd, no matter how much time has passed.”
Taha smiles at me, then grins at the she-wolf, “And you would be correct, Leah. It did not feel wrong for me to become human again after so long, and yes, I have always tried to be my true self in both forms. Whether that is the reason for my ease after so much time has passed, I do not honestly know.”
Leah nods, then turns and holds out her hand while silently smirking at Jake. He places a 20 dollar bill in her hand. I gasp, “Jacob Black!” but Taha chuckles into my shoulder, “It was done in fun between packmates, Sweetheart. Don’t be too hard on him.”
I want to say something, but the help from today starts arriving, so I let it go. Besides, I can’t be mad when Taha wraps his arms around me and gives me a slow, sweet kiss.
As Soon as Kai sees Zander exiting his truck, he cries out happily, “Daddy!” as his little arms reach out. I can’t help but smile at the look that takes over Zander’s face as he calls back, “Little man!”
Kai literally does a nose dive out of my arms as soon as Zander is close. I panic, thinking he’s going to hit the ground. Instead, it goes from a nose dive to an expert flying session between father and son in .03 seconds, which causes Lily to laugh as I practically have a heart attack, “I should have warned you he would do that. It’s become a thing between them. Sorry, Bella.”
I shake my head, my hand over my heart as I smile at the scene in front of me, “He’s okay, so it’s all good. I’ve just not been around many littles. Yours is an absolute cutie pie, though. Mind me asking how you picked Kai for his name?”
She tears up slightly, but says, “It was my Dad’s name. He died a couple of months before Kai was born, but he was so excited to become a Grandpa.”
I hold her hand as I look out at father and son, saying softly, “It’s a good name, and he’s beautiful, Lily. I can’t see your father being anything but overjoyed at what I’m watching right now.”
She turns her head toward me, gives me a watery smile, and squeezes my hand as she nods, “Thank you. It’s nice to hear someone else confirm it every once in a while.”
She beams at the scene in front of us, then sniffles and says, “By the way, I understand you found your coyote. Congratulations. Zander told me the first day he met you that he was sure you would phase at some point in the future. None of them expected it this soon, though.”
I grin, then nod, “I wasn’t so sure, having already been bitten by a vamp. I figured if anything would have made me phase, it would have been that. Dad originally thought that our Blackfoot line had been diluted too much. I don’t mind the nickname, though, so I didn’t say anything to deter it. Turns out I am little, at least compared to Taha. My ear tips only come to the top of his shoulders when we’re both phased.”
She chuckles, then pats my back, “Yeah, but that puts you on nearly equal footing to the coyote alpha and beta. Zander told me you stand almost as tall as him and Greg, but you’re taller than the rest. I guess your ear tips meet his eye level?”
I nod, offering as I think back, “That sounds about right. I’m still getting used to it all. Now with all the other tribes coming, things are just hectic.”
She lets out a breath, then says, “You’re doing what’s right, though. Not only for you and Taha, but for all the tribes. Bella, right now, if I leave reservation land and happen to run into one of those Volturi -or a vampire following their laws- I would be killed. I can’t hide my reactions for shit, and they would see that I know what they are. It doesn’t matter that I’m the marked imprint of a shifter, my reaction would be an instant death sentence. They need to take those things into account, but there’s no law right now to make them stop and consider how I know.”
I agree, stating, “I’m going to try my hardest to change that, Lily. I promise. These vamps are tricky, though, and the 3 of them have been the vampire ruling force with their army for over 1500 years. I have to word my ‘case’ very carefully.”
I shake my head, “Enough about that for right now, though. How’s the packing going?”
She looks toward the dining room, then grins, “All done. Jake and Aiden were carrying them to the master loft for now. I just need to know if you want anything put down to protect the tables, once I wash them.”
I hum, then say, “I don’t have any rectangular table cloths. There should be tons of cloth placemats on one of the laundry shelves, though. You can mix and match them however you want. I think I want to split up salt and pepper shakers between the two tables. Let’s put 2 sets on each table and a pile of napkins near each set. We’ll put the plastic utensils and paper plates on the dining room sideboards with the hot foods, and direct everyone to start in there when it’s time. There should be long table runners we can use for the sideboards. And Lily? Thanks for all this.”
She chuckles, then shakes her head, “Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t tasted the food I made. Angie’s a better cook than me. Hell, Melody’s even a better cook than me, and she’s only 16.”
She starts to walk back into the house, so I call, “I haven’t forgotten our recipe trade day, Lily. We’ll get to that as soon as things calm down just a bit.”
I get a laugh and a nod in reply before she continues on her way.
The next thing I know, someone small and fast is running straight for me. Without letting him know I see him, I wait until the perfect moment, then laugh and swing him up into my arms, “Haha, gotcha!”
Kai giggles as I tickle his side, “Di- id you see, Miss Bella? I c-can flyyyyy!”
Taha and Zander reach us just as I assure the laughing little boy, “I did see that! You are an amazing flyer, Kai.”
Taha beams at me before pecking my lips, then says, “I know a little boy who is hungry.”
Kai giggles again, then says to me, “Uh-huh. My tummy growled just like yours. Daddy says I hafta wash my hands.”
I set him down and straighten his t-shirt, “Go find your momma, then. Dinner will be ready to eat very soon.”
He runs into the house, so I ask Zander, “How long before everyone converges back here? And how many know exactly what’s going on?”
He assures me, “They’ll be here in less than ten, and they are all in the know. Every human that helped today is a family member of one of the pack. Brad and Hudson will be here, too.”
I nod, “Good. They’ve been working really hard on those bunks. They deserve a full belly for their efforts, especially since I added 4 more bunks to Hudson’s workload.”
He chuckles in response, “In your defense, little coyote, it was so we’d be able to keep everyone together. I can understand and appreciate that. Since I haven’t really had a moment alone with you two today before now, I wanted to check and see how you are holding up with everything… and also congratulate you on your mating.”
I give him a heartfelt smile, then say as Taha hugs me to him, “Thanks. I’m good. It’s been hectic today, but it just makes me want to go for a run to stretch and feel the breeze. I don’t feel antsy or suffocated, so that’s good. I know I’m still recovering… I can feel that much… so I haven’t been pushing it.”
Zander nods, but as he tells me to keep listening to my instincts, I see Jake laughing as he and Leah come into the backyard from the picnic island. She laughs back and punches him in the arm, then grins as she sees me. I promise Zander I will, making eye contact with him, then say, “Leah, come meet everyone!”
She stops near me, shakes her head, and says as she pulls me into a hug, “You’re still causing trouble, no matter where you go, Swan. Will you ever learn?”
I hug her back, laughing, “You know me, Clearwater. Eternal danger magnet… it’s attached to my ass, I swear. Leah Clearwater, meet my mate, Taha, and my alpha, Zander.”
She looks at Zander, shakes his hand with a nod, then shakes Taha’s hand as she offers, “There’s been a debate going on today about whether staying in your wolf form for so long has made your human form feel… wrong… to you. I voted no. I believe if you are your true self in either form, neither will feel odd, no matter how much time has passed.”
Taha smiles at me, then grins at the she-wolf, “And you would be correct, Leah. It did not feel wrong for me to become human again after so long, and yes, I have always tried to be my true self in both forms. Whether that is the reason for my ease after so much time has passed, I do not honestly know.”
Leah nods, then turns and holds out her hand while silently smirking at Jake. He places a 20 dollar bill in her hand. I gasp, “Jacob Black!” but Taha chuckles into my shoulder, “It was done in fun between packmates, Sweetheart. Don’t be too hard on him.”
I want to say something, but the help from today starts arriving, so I let it go. Besides, I can’t be mad when Taha wraps his arms around me and gives me a slow, sweet kiss.