The next day, I returned from work to see Barry sitting at GiGi's kitchen table, much to my surprise. "I guess you're the friend she talked about," I said, once the greetings were over.
Barry chuckled. "I am, at that," he said. "I had no idea you were Giselle's granddaughter, but when she mentioned your name, it wasn't hard for me to put two and two together." His face firmed. "So, I hear you've got yourself a bit of trouble with your uncle."
I grimaced as I sat down. "Tell me about it," I said. "I don't suppose I need to fill you in on all the details, do I?"
GiGi looked surprised, so I clarified. "Barry seems to have gotten a good impression of all the bulldust going on," I said. "I figured he'd make a good friend if push came to shove."
"Ah," GiGi said, nodding in understanding. "Barry is very good, I can vouch for that. I knew he'd be just the right person to help, and it turns out he already has, without my knowing." She chuckled. "But he's like that, and I for one am glad of it."
I nodded. "He's definitely a good friend," I said, and Barry blinked, before smiling.
"I think you're going to fit in with our pack very nicely," he said. "But I have to warn you; your former pack are going to be very pissed off when they find out. And they will. You swearing to us will snap all and remaining ties with your former pack, and there isn't going to be a member who won't feel it." His smile died as he added, "And your uncle is going to be even more pissed off when he finds out who we are."
I blinked, and then my eyes widened as I finally put two and two together. "You're from the Saltwater pack," I said, stunned.
Barry nodded. "I'm the Beta, in fact," he said. "And the Keystones don't like us, for quite a number of reasons. I won't go into all the gruesome details, but we've been at war for centuries, all because one of their ancestors decided they wanted our territory. Our ancestors told them to shove off, and they responded by kidnapping all the females - both mated and unmated - and, well, forcibly impregnating them. You know what happens when a female is raped and concieves a cub, right?"
"They're usually forced into carrying the cub to term," I said, feeling ill. "And they suffer punishment if they abort the cub."
"That's what happened," Barry said grimly. "The Keystones then raised those cubs to be monsters like them, and we've been at war ever since." He sighed. "I don't want to alarm you further, but your uncle was a descendant of those cubs, as was most of the Whitewater pack, and you know all about them and their little foibles."
I nodded. "Was my mum descended from them?" I asked.
"Yes," Barry told me. "But you have more Saltwater blood in you than Keystone; your grandmother was a granddaughter of one of the cubs concieved at that time, and you're almost pure Saltwater. That's another reason why Benjamin wanted to mate with you; to 'eradicate' the Saltwater blood from you." He snorted. "The man has no idea how genetics work."
I winced. "Jesus," I said, shaken. "Is there anything else I didn't know about him?"
Barry sighed. "I wish I was done," he admitted. "Yes, there is one more thing. The Alpha is my son, and your mate. Yes, I know, that's a shock, but you'll understand when you meet him. Unfortunately, he's also Benjamin's nephew; he and I are half-brothers."
I groaned. "Oh for God's sake," I said. "Seriously?"
"Seriously," Barry admitted with a faint smile. "I'm sorry, kiddo. But fortunately for us, Benjamin has no idea I have a son. Well," he amended, "he will, because when you join with us, because Brody also happens to be a descendant of the Royalwater pack."
GiGi's eyes almost fell out of her head, as did mine. The Royalwater pack were, in short, the stock from which all werewolves descended. And they had had powers that dwarfed anything a modern werewolf could think of. Most of the old blood had died out, but small patches persisted here and there. And if Barry's son - my future mate - had Royalwater blood in him, then our mating was going to create enormous shockwaves.
And Ben would not fail to notice it. Any werewolf with Royalwater blood was twice as passionate as a werewolf without, and they generally wore their hearts on their sleeves. Not to mention they were, well, descended from royalty, and the original Royalwaters were not shy in letting their emotions show, particularly when they mated.
I put my worries aside. It didn't matter if - no, when - Ben found out. Because I was going to do this. Not just to finally cut all ties with my old pack, but also because I wanted to really let Ben and Sarah know that I was soon going to be living my best life.
And there wouldn't be a damned thing they could do to stop it.
I took a deep breath and looked at Barry, feeling more comfortable in his presence than I had before. He was, after all, my uncle, and he would soon be my father-in-law. I already trusted him, but now that I knew the truth, I was ready to trust him even more. "When can we arrange to have all this done?" I asked.
Barry smiled and bowed his head. "As soon as I can convince my son to come on dry land," he said.
I shook my head. "No," I said. "I'll go to meet him."
GiGi looked surprised. "Are you sure, child?"
"I'm sure," I said firmly. I reached out and gently took GiGi's hands in mine. "I'm sure I can ask Brody to anchor up near here so I can still come and visit you." Then I got an idea. "Actually, do you want to come live with us?"
"If Brody will have me," GiGi said, clearly touched. "I ... I have to admit, I've grown used to having you around. And I'm sure you want to be able to still come on land."
"I will," I said. "I still have a life here as well, and I know Brody will understand."
"He will," Barry told me, smiling. "In fact, I'm sure he'll encourage you to keep living your life as you will. He's not about tying you down, but at the same time, I'm sure he'll need his new mate around a bit."
I grinned. I was actually looking forward to this new turn my life was taking. "I think I can see my way clear to that."
But there was a more practical reason for my offer to GiGi. So far her presence had escaped Ben and Sarah, but I had a nasty feeling they were getting very close to discovering her. I wanted her out of the cottage before they came upon her and put two and two together; after all, she'd become a huge part of my life, and she'd shown me what it was like to have family that truly loved you. Plus, what she'd said about me was true in reverse; I'd grown too used to having her around, and I didn't want to let that go.
And I had the feeling Brody was going to understand. I hadn't even met him yet, but I already knew, deep down in my heart, that he would know. Maybe he already did know. I wasn't sure.
But I knew I was about to find out.
And I could hardly wait.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeZ8Y0muR8
