Chapter 30
20 years later
Michael pov
I am days away from my walkabout. This is my second year doing this. Cole and I go out for a month or so. We just go at random with no real direction. As we prepare for the journey both Cole and myself try and do as much around the farm to help everyone. After all, we get a month away from the pack every year and they don’t. I had felt bad growing up knowing I will be doing this. Over the years I spent time thinking of things to make this walkabout helpful to the pack as well. What I finally came up with was to meet other wolves and packs and try and form a friendship. Maybe open up trade routes between us all. Father had loved the idea. He told me that my mother would be so proud of the man I have become.
The story of my mother is both heartbreaking and happy. When I was old enough to understand things father had told me about the cruses on our family. Father also added rules to our mating that no other wolves will have. But this is to protect our mate. I had vowed to reject my mate to protect her but father forbid it. “we don’t get a choice in this curse. We will give our mate the choice. We will not take that choice from her.” it took me a few years to understand it but I finally did. We don’t practice rejecting mates in this pack our situation being the exemption. I had always known my mate would probably reject me and I would have to take a chosen mate by the age of 29. but I didn’t understand it until I was in my teens. The girls always smiling at Cole and I. one day a girl named Sarah came over to me and started talking to me about actually I had no idea I wasn’t paying attention. I was in Cole's mind helping him with an exam. Cole is going to be a great beta one day but being able to write a poem that makes sense was not in his shed. The problem we have with this part of school is that we don’t have an imagination. Both Cole and I are raised to take over the pack and pack business. We are trained to fight and provide for our pack. There is no room to pretend. So we help each other out as much as we can. Jonah our pack oracle and cousin caught us one day and I thought I was going to get a whooping. Surprisingly he didn’t he said. “it helps with the bond.” his eyes twinkle silver telling me the goddess was listening.
When I heard her say mate I abandoned helping Cole. “I am sorry what?” blinking at her. She smiles a pink tint to her cheeks. “I was just saying I hope I am your mate.” before I can say anything a warrior from the pack had come up behind her “no you don’t and if you end up being him you have to reject him. I won't lose you.” to stunned at what he said. “I only joined this pack and stay because my mate refuses to leave this pack. She threatened to reject me so she can stay here. Loyal to your family to the end but I am not and you will not be the death of my daughter.” he grabbed her arm and pulled her away. It was then all the stories I had heard growing up clicked into place. Why my mother was dead. What would happen to my mate? How could I live with myself after all that? Tears form in my eyes and I run from them.
I just run and run. Not paying attention to where I am going. Why is this a problem? Well, I can’t smell anything so I cant follow my scent back if I get lost. So I have to always pay attention or have Cole with me. Normally Cole is always with me and our link is always open to each other. We have always had an open link to each other. It wasn’t until we shifted for the first time that we found out that not normal. Jonah just said it's to help with the bond. You know come to think about it he's always saying that. It was that day we both found out we can not shut our link. I had never a need to have it shut before but now I just wanted to be alone and I cant. I could shift but didn’t want to stop and I don’t want to ruin my clothes. I got myself lost and no one noticed for a while well Cole did but he tell anyone I ran off nope. He just chased after me. he was just as mad and hurt as I was at what Sarah's father said.
Cole finding me stayed where he found me for a few days. When we returned father was not happy at first. After hearing the reason for my taking off he soon understood. Wanting to punish the warrior I talked him out of it. “think about what you would do if you were him father?” he nods “it's hard for someone who was not here to know your mother and the pain we all went through. Or understand the curse follows us all not just you and me. I know ester she is the daughter of a stable hand and one of the bakers. Found her mate a year after you were born not long after a long fight with him about staying she had brought it to me and him. He had been on his way east looking for the wolves who killed his brother and sister when he was out hunting to feed them. the trail leads him here. He had been too late the rogue he had been tracking had tried to steal ester while she was out picking wild berries. The basket she had was left on the ground spilling the berries. That is what drew him to her. She was struggling to get free fighting him like a man. She scents him into a frenzy over a rogue touching and hurting his mate. Saving her as fast as he could. He wanted her to go back to his home but she wouldn't leave because what if her pup was your mate? She refused to tell him why she would not leave the pack. I believe her words to him were “reject me or accept me and stay here in the hidden flower pack.” ester being the first to find their mate was from outside the pack. It all knew to us all but we figured it out. Once they were mated and he was told about the curses and ordered by myself and Jonah not to talk about this pack outside this pack if they do they lose their mate, pack, family, and memories of this pack. No outsider will know of our curses. We can't have someone come here and try and challenge the alphahood. We can not risk all of these wolves bound to us. We all tell the mate beforehand now and do the combined order to remove the memory if she chooses to reject us.”
