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The Gift

I was losing control and pain shot through me and just as I felt I was changing, Marcross put his hand over my head and I blacked out. I woke up in the bedroom with Marcross sitting by the bed. I felt composed and my emotions were calm. He leaned over and said "I have given you something to help you, but I need you to promise me something." I sat up, feeling so much better, I trusted him completely and felt like I did with Lucian. I said "Anything." He said "I need you to promise me if Lucian is not the mate for you, that you need to let him free so he can move on." I was so thankful to Marcross and asked "What did you do to me? I feel relief and I'm not out of control." He said, "I put a hold on the chaos in your mind and body, you will be able to handle everything much better. I am an Alpha Karina, and although I'm not your Alpha, I have gifts normal wolves don't have. I gave you a gift as well, but I'm going to let you figure that out. It is yours to use when you need it and it will display itself when it is most needed." I grabbed his hand and said "I promise, I won't lead him on. I think he is the one but I haven't had time to figure it out." Marcross kissed me on the forehead and said "Your wolf will figure it out." and as he tapped my head he said "You don't need to." He went to the door and said "I can't stay, I am finishing some business and will be leaving soon. Your journey is just beginning. I have put in measures so your children will not want of anything, so don't worry about them. I did this for your mother and to honor your father. You are special to me Darlin'." He reminded me so much of Lucian and it made my scar ache for him. Marcross went out the door. By now it was dark and just as I was going to ask where he was going he walked up to the woods beside the cabin and transitioned into this magnificant, black beast. It seemed like an instant and it was beautiful. He looked at me briefly and ran into the forest. You could hear the breaking of limbs as he ran through and then silence.

I felt so much lighter, I couldn't explain it. I no longer was confused or had such mixed emotions. Codger appeared and gave me a big hug. We didn't say a word. He then motioned me to come and eat. We walked to the back of the house and there was Charise and Chris and a huge deer on the fire. Charise went up and ripped a piece of meat off the deer and shoved it in my mouth. It made me laugh and she said "Can you guess we hunted this ourselves?" We all started laughing and Chris threw me a cold beer. I sat down and Chris said, "I can help explain some things that will help you." I took a drink and asked "Who is our Alpha?" Chris looked down and looked over at Codger, he said "Well, she asked you a question didn't she Christopher!" Chris said "Well, your father was our Alpha." I looked over at Charise and she was smirking, I said "No way, You??!" She said, "Not exactly. We don't have one." I looked at Codger and he said "Neither of you have mated and our family are who you see here besides your children of course." Codger said, "This is why Alpha Ambrose came to see you. His son marked you and I assume he wanted you to do the same?" They all looked at me and I said "Actually no. He said don't lead him on and to free him if I don't feel the same." Codger gave a loud "Huh, is that so. I like him." We all looked at Codger and Charise started giggling because we all know, Codger doesn't like anyone. Codger said "At one time he fancied your mother, Marcross saved her from a Southern Clan who wanted to use her bones to gain more territory, but she told him he was fated to her cousin Teelaya and she was right! Marcross was very close to your mother and father until they died."

Just then we heard a car come down the driveway and Chris said "Uh oh, old man!" Codger downed his beer and said "Well, I got a visitor! I will see you kids tomorrow." I looked at Charise in disbelief and she giggled, "Ole Codger has a woman!" Chris threw Charise and I another beer and said "Down the hatch! Enough of the serious stuff, you need to come into your own." We chugged our beer and I said "How do I do that?" My sister stood up and said "You ready to swim?"

The moon and stars were out and the river glistened way below the house. The night was perfect, I was almost reluctant to go because I was missing him. I missed Lucian! It was a good feeling. For one, I knew Lucian was waiting for me to contact him when I was ready and two I can now recognize my feelings for him are genuine, but what I needed was another thing and my family was the way to figure myself out.

We all ran down to the river and Charise started taking off her clothes. At first I was hesitant as Chris was getting undressed as well and then I remembered we used to always do this when we were little, even as teens but Charise and Chris were 10 years older so I was always the little girl. Before I could over think it Chris and Charise jumped in totally naked into the water, splashing and kicking at each other. I took off my clothes and jumped in as well. The river felt different, almost spiritual as I was floating along the easy flow. Chris came up to me and said "I want you to float and as you float feel your self changing into your wolf. Just change a step at a time and let it happen, the water will take the pain away, trust me Sis." I floated and thinking consciously of changing I allowed my neck to bristle and could feel my arms, legs, and back morph. I turned over in the water and under the waves I totally changed. I burst out of the water and swam to the shore running. I felt so powerful and I stopped and looked back to see a wolf and a wolf, bear, no wolf? Not sure what I was seeing but they were smaller as I had ran so far away. I could see so clear and sharp, and breathed deeply. I continued to run as fast as I could before I felt something behind me. It was a huge bear. It knocked me down and I rolled off the ledge of the river into the water. When I popped back up the bear sat at the edge looking at me. I realized I needed to head back. I walked along the water and noticed quickly I was really far from where I started. As I grew a bit more concerned instinctually howled and ran faster up the river. Very quickly a wolf I recognized as Charise appeared and rammed into me playfully. She was a light brown wolf with white legs and slightly smaller than I was. She then changed back into her human form. I stood there and looked at her. Once she transitioned she said "Damn, you are glowing and stick out like a sore thumb!" I looked down at my feet, no they were paws! I had glowing white fur. It almost wasn't white but transparent. I tried to look into the river and I could see my outline in the moon light and in a ripple my mother was looking back at me. Both my sister and I jumped back and I quickly transitioned back into human form. I fell back, unsteady and Charise helped me up. I said "Did you see that!" She said "Yeah, that was mom!" I said, "I had a dream on a flat rock that she looked at me through a mirror and was talking to me!" Charise replied "What flat rock?" I said "When I was with Lucian, this lake house had a bunch or huge flat rocks and when I laid on one I dreamed of her." She said "Honey that wasn't a dream! She is trying to talk to us!" We walked back to the house and Chris was no where to be found. I was exhausted and Charise and I went inside to go to bed. As I laid down, I could not get Lucian out of my head. I wanted to figure this out with him, not without him. Charise and Chris are helpful but I don't feel they can answer everything. I still felt warm from Marcross and I drifted off to sleep with the thoughts of Lucian, it was a good feeling. A feeling of belonging.

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