Chapter 160: What's in a Name?
Ayiti's POV
"I guess you all have been rather preoccupied since Izzy's birthday stunt so I understand that you load of 'professionals' don't SEE, especially YOU! No matter what Blessing the Betas got, YOUR nose is STILL the strongest. So tell me nephew, are you telling me you haven't noticed any new scent in The Fort?" I ask Urayoán.
"Tía your pivoting again, cut the shit! Frey, Nyma and I have been staying over HERE since that day helping out Amelia get ready for today. Get to the damn point!" I'll let the boy flex a bit, a good agent knows when she's cornered and negotiate and right now I'm their TARGET. FUCKING BRATS!
"Well Urayoán, since you insist! Your dear sister invited Orocobix to try to feel him out as a Mentor since he trained your mother so well and she trained you all, I imagine Izzy expected for him to just reinforce what your mother and Braka already taught her and help her maneuver the more political side of being an Alpha. I'm even guessing she found out officially that very morning that he was her true grandfather. Either way her invitation brought him closer to Isla whom he hasn't seen in years. Right after he met with you mija, he went down to The Combs to visit Beatriz... When he was leaving, Isla was on her way to go to The Shrines. The moment they caught each other's sent they haven't left Isla's rooms except for her going to wish you happy birthday and we were all caught off guard by Ayato's writing and later events." It's probably the last thing my baby brother wrote.
"She always remembered how he made her feel, I have read many reports of males and females who have found a True Mate and sometimes past love can linger. I'm not justifying what she did back then, what I am saying is that apparently the Goddesses has let it go and has granted her first love and him finally has his True Mate. So will all of you RELAX! For fucks sake this is a VERY GOOD thing for our family! Isla won't care about Kiskeya's ancestry being corrected. She's already accepted the end of the Real bloodline." And she has always valued her happiness over her pride... She's so weird like that.
"WHAAAAAT?!" Everyone shouts at the same time. seriously, these kids are too sensitive!
"I saw Isla after we blew up The Council buildings! I didn't catch anything particular." Izzy is as always trying to piece together the puzzle. Atta girl!
"In the condition we were all in I don't doubt you didn't, your mind's focus would still be heavily clouded by that explosion of adrenaline. It's simple biology. Have you seen her after that? Either way, what does it matter?! Isla was desperate for comfort and he must have serious trust issues with women, he's only 15 years older than her, leave them to find happiness! They are both in their prime!" Everyone is thinking now and Izzy smoothes the frown on her forehead, her fingers stitched together. Isla couldn't stop thinking of Orocobix and she was able to bed him one more time a few months before her 18th birthday, only this time she didn't drug him. When she was mated to Gúarionex, he went off island for almost a decade and never stayed behind much. In the blast, Orocobix was was somewhere in Tuscany, aperantly looking for something that used to belong to his family before his ancestor went to Cádiz to wait for a ship headed for Cuba and their family name was still Guerriero. I still have my own personal sources!
"Nina, I know how you feel, but there are still some other stuff we have to deal with... Ok? We will pass the page on this for know since mitigating factors are at play and I am going to give both of them the benefit of the doubt. Isla will NEVER loose my love and respect, we ALL fuck up at one time or another. And whatever else he IS our Abuelo and the victim, I think HIS opinion on the subject is the one that should matter. We have never met any of our Abuelos and Abuela died when I was in Avalon. Shit, I left for Avalon and BOTH my Abuela AND Babka died and nobody even told me! It was at the fucking dock when leaving Avalon that I was told! Now I have the opportunity to have another chance at having a grandparent and so far he seems like he wants to help. I personally am going to to take that chance, you all have free will to choose how to proceed." I remember when Mama died, she had gotten in a big row with Ayato about Izzy going to Avalon. She missed Daddy so much, but she didn't want to leave us and Babushka... I never thought I would miss those two so much, especially Babushka. I swear she was made out of steel!
"Sigh... Bayo, tell Víctor to go with respect to The Luna's Chambers and arrange a meeting with those two for tomorrow. No linking. I want them both to understand that I want a visual assessment of how they're getting along, ok? If this is either Selene's or Gaia's will I can't and won't object. I just want to make sure that they're BOTH happy with this." Izzy pours herself a shot of the vodka as Amelia goes to the kitchen for more glasses and passes them around. Once we start going for harder booze we know that it's getting too stressful. I signal to Nina to pass me a joint, she gives a small pout but hands it over.
"Gracias Mi Amor! NOSTROVIA!" Maco tells his mate, and we all take the shoot except for her. "To Luna Isla and the wolf we know now is our real Abuelo! I guess right?!"
"Fuck it, hit me again Izzy, I feel emotionally drained, too!" Bayoán asks and Izzy pours herself another before passing the bottle over to Bayo." I might as well take another one!
"Ok, since this will be continued when we have the additional parties, let's move forward to the next order of business. Since Tía is opening up and is being so cooperative and trying her very best to help restore harmony in our family I think she's ready to finally disclose who the father of her children is. Isn't that right Tía?" Maco asks... Wait WHAT?!
"That's a priv---"
"ENOUGH! Tía we are ALL DONE with that horse shit! Maco, Amelia and I ALREADY know who he is! How COULD you keep that a secret especially when they have siblings living on this island NOW?!" HOW?! The only one who knows is dead and I nev--- and I see it again... Kiskeya's dairy! I can't believe she wrote it down!
Tali: "WHO?!"
Umbros: "SIBLINGS?"
Lola: "THA FUCK MOM?!"
Son of a BITCH! I never found my mate, it happens. Even Yaya who is a Priestess of Avalon didn't find hers, and Franco will always be the best lover I ever had! He got me pregnant THREE times and his chosen mate was... Well... Boring.
"Let's just say I spent some time in Sardinia. Now do the calculations YOURSELVES! I gave you LIFE! If I wouldn't have given in to my NEEDS none of you would be sitting here. I had needs, he had needs, he just gave me what I wanted, INCLUDING you three!" Goddesses's mercy, cry me a river!
"Sardinia huh? It seems she wants us to play a guessing game. Let me guess, he's dead?" Lola makes that face she makes that's so much like Izzy's. The one where she's pouting and her cheeks and dimples get very exaggerated and sharp glare that could cut stone and her right eyebrow raised. Shit!
"Yes." They all look at Umbros and he nods.
"Oh, I want to try too! Is it TWO siblings that we have? Fuck this! I CAUGHT a scent but couldn't believe it! Mami how COULD you hide it even NOW?! Cesar and Catalina don't have anymore family and Tony says they stick together and are doing ok, but are still grieving and we could have helped them sooner! Give me that!" She takes the joint I was smoking and leaves, going to the garden full of oranges and big yellow lemons, the ever blooming tree looking almost white from all the orange blossoms. Surrounding it is the thick, yet contained ever blooming blue violet lavender shrubs lining the low wall of stone benches under each archway that makes the inner garden be the main focal point of the house. Mama's main scent was lavender and Daddy was going to get a spell caster to place the same spell around The Gardens at The Fort, only to find out that Adelola had already done so, protecting every bloom and every fruit.
"Maco do THEY know?" Umbros just asks completely dismissing me! Ungrateful brat!
"No. We will go about it as YOU guys decide cousin, you all count with the family's support." Family's support, huh? But he threatens me with taking my name!
"They're in Atabex City! Maco if they accept, can we invite them to live in the Small House? Would that be a problem with any of you?" Lola's voice is cracking. I just wanted them to have a good life and not worry about trivial things. They have wanted to know for years who their father was but he already had a chosen mate, to be honest I didn't care about Benedetta's feelings at all. I just wanted to enjoy Franco's expertise, he would never fail! I was the other woman, but I really didn't give a damn, no other man satisfied me like Franco. No other man was able to get me pregnant.
"If they agree, I don't see a problem with it, I was even going to tell you that Em and I talked and we were going to ask you to bring Ishaan's family there. But if Cesar and Catalina agree, they could possibly have two of the three free bedrooms in the Main House so Ishaan's family still can have the Little House. Except for Nía and you, none of the rest of our mates really have family and with what he achieved, I feel we owe him." The boy threatened to cast my bones to the wind, and here he is opening the doors inviting outsiders! I know he was just testing the waters, and I was definitely out of line. He didn't have to be so damn harsh though!
"I'm ok with it if Amelia is." Izzy says rubbing her face.
"There's still some stuff we have over there, if they agree I'll come pick it up." Bayoán doesn't seem to care either way.
"Lola, they're your siblings and your mate's family and this will always be your home. I can always make some adjustments to the Little House to add on more rooms and I can change the plans for the yard over there, it will be a plus for me, too! Tony and Cesar have been friends for a long time, I'm sure he'll be happy having them closer." Nina says calmly.
"I'm fine with it." Ura says simply.
"Guys there may be a BETTER solution. Remember what I said about what your parents wanted?" Ah yes, my dear little brother and his plans.
"Yeah, you were saying something about that. What's the plan?" Nía asks.
"Have none of you stopped to think about HOW your going to explain the situation to THEM? Their father cheated on their mother with me, you might make them uncomfortable." Yeah, I'm not looking good here! How was I ever going to imagine that they would end up here?!
"No Tía, nobody has thought about it, just like YOU didn't think on the consequences of going after another woman's man! You have no moral high ground here! So if I were you I would be HUMBLE and shut the fuck up! Make THEM feel uncomfortable...? Are you SERIOUSLY KIDDING right now?! This has NOTHING to do with their comfort and everything to do about your own, and you forfeited THAT. Dad, Mami, Isla and you wanted to play tele novela with your stupid secrets? You wanted a little sitcom of your own? Well there you have it! As Queen of AWESOME I am granting you that! The absolute discomfort to know that you're basically a homewrecker! Now you're going to make PEACE with those you affected and make amends, that's not a REQUEST! And I don't want to hear any sassy bullshit from you, just the fact that they are blood to my cousins we will now and forever consider them family as well, just like with Alex. And if they accept us as their family, they will be welcomed in this house and even be granted a place in the family burial chamber. Lola, Tali, Umbros, our family will receive them with open arms! With the honor that all of you have brought to this family it's the least this family can do for you!" She was definitely born to rule. I can't really say shit, I have no right to. Loiza has taken our family name and put it even higher than great grandpa dreamed of. And naming Maco head of the family is a move neither I or her father would have made... Maybe Kiskeya would... Did she suggest it in her diary?
I lower my head and nod in defeat, it seems that this generation wants to take the family somewhere different.
"Thanks guys, I will link them tomorrow to chat, I'm so beat today, can we have Circle night? I could really relax and at the same time introduce Marcus. Kayden has been on his ass about it!" My Natalia has always been quick at bouncing back, Babushka would tell me stories about her own mother and made me love her through them... I also wanted my youngest daughter to have Natalia's strength.
After Franco gave me the best orgasm of my life we lay there just talking, he told me that if ever he were to have another son he wanted to name him after his dead twin brother Umbros, Cesar was named after Benadetta's father. Franco's mother was a fair and blond French Gamma named Lucienne, she named Franco after their father and the other boy she named with the opposite meaning of her name with the variant of making it plural for some reason. As Lucienne is light, her son would be shadow. Since indeed I returned pregnant I honored my son's father with his request.
When I returned to Sardinia and told Franco we had a child he asked me his name, he was so happy about it that he knocked me up again! When I returned I told him I named our first daughter Lola he seemed a bit disappointed but thought the name cute. When I explained to him that it was my great-grandfather's nick name for his mate, the powerful Lady Adelola, he shut up, I had already told him what her legacy means to our family.
For our tribe a name is CAREFULLY chosen to add to the persona of the child, especially when you want to honor someone you love and admire.
Isla and I thought, Izzy would give traditional names to her pups, yet she didn't. She honored their father and gave them their names the moment Kayden gave them all a precious gift. Bayoán who's had so much time to think it over with Morgana is still stumped on how to name his son. Even Urayoán and Freya, they did simply spectacular with Nyma.
Domingo has always loved Urayoán, Izzy and Nía for the way they would always go down to the kitchens as if they were part of the crew! They may not cook for shit but they can chop vegetables like no one's business! So Domingo would put the Beta's kids to work! It would drive Gúarionex nuts! And Alberto has ALWAYS pampered our family... He and Isla are TOTALLY going to burn the shit out of me when they find out about THIS! And I can already see Gloria's face! Ugh!
Izzy doesn't go down as much anymore, and a lot has to do in fact with Alberto and Domingo trying to make sure that people dissociate that very informal girl with the Queen she is now. Alberto tells me that they are always in tune to her feelings to see what she would crave and even before she would link the kitchen, it would already be ready to take to her room. It's the same with Ura only that he is not an Alpha and they can keep treating him like before.
Anyway the boy and his mate made friends with that girl Fatima and she told them about her sister being the last female Gamma of their tribe before she fell in battle protecting the pack with her brother, the Beta, the story moved them so much, and made such an impact that they decided to name their daughter after that last female Warrior of Alhilal Almuqadas. Usually a naming is a very simple event, but our family does not do simple! So Fatima and her family were invited and were guests of honor.
Alhilal Almuqadas OGs were very touched that their Alpha's brother, whom everyone and their mother know is her FAVORITE, has honored someone from their people, ensuring that the name not only not die but it would be REVIVED through Urayoán's now high ranking position of First Hunter, he's the second of our family to hold that title, the first being Gamaliel, Imotonex's seventh son who was a Gamma, too. It is no small thing what he did!
He is bringing a new name into a place of honor in our tribe, he did it because he admired the Warrior's courage, and by Ura doing this simple act he was basically making a little treaty with ALL of them! He is ensuring their loyalty to his sister. He has hunted with and trained many of them and knows how powerful their Warriors can be, so of course he honored one of their own, the last female to be precise, by giving his daughter and first born, her name. Ayato would have been very impressed and proud by such a move. He's not just doing a treaty with a family as allies he's basically doing it with a little tribe within itself! Good move indeed boy!
We usually joke that Urayoán is the reincarnation of Imotonex, I mean seriously they look IDENTICAL and Urayoán can be a ruthless motherfucker, he was named after Daddy, who was no angel himself. When he and Izzy would strategize in the field, where to be fair, you HAVE to be cold blooded. My sources tell me that they would come up with plans that were indeed PERFECT, yet took no consideration for collateral damage, even though by striving for efficiency, the collateral damage would still be low if there even was any. They BOTH based their strategy and strength on their instinct and detailed study of the problem, it was in a way more of a calculative move like an Epsilon even though they were Gammas. Even Maco, another Gamma has taken a more Sigma technical way of thinking, this was another good reason to put Maco as head of the family.
"As you say Cacique, Patriarch, Matriarch... I will bite the bullet and make peace with Cesar and Catalina immediately!" Might as well or I might as well throw myself off the cliff and let Poseidon take my bones!