16. Kaya

Kaya

It has been a long day. I was nervous about going to a new place. It was not like when I went down south with my brother. That was only a two-day thing. This was forever. This was to be my new home. Cade was driving the truck, and Helen and Mark were asleep in the back seat of the cabin. Cade mind-linked me. "We will be there soon."

I didn't respond. I was nervous beyond belief. How was I supposed to lead a pack with Cade? I was not from an alpha bloodline. I was just a normal wolf. What qualified me to lead? There was nothing extraordinary about me. "Are you okay?" "I am nervous." "No reason to be; they will love you." "And how do you know that. I am an outsider." "You are not an outsider." "Yes, I am. And what do I know about southern packs? I know nothing." "You will learn." "And what if they don't like me?" "They will like you just fine." "And how do you know?" "Because I have heard so. Everyone is excited to be getting a Luna." "But I don't know how to be a Luna. I have not been groomed to be one. I am not like Nieva." "You don't have to be like Nieva. We work together to run the pack. It isn't all on you."

That was a little comforting to know. I tried to steady my breath. I needed to relax. Being so nervous was not suitable for some. Nieva had taught us to be strong. I needed to be strong. This self-doubt was the opposite of that.

I looked out the window. There was no snow on the ground. I had to wonder just how south we were going. "So, do you get snow where you live?" "We do; usually, it starts to snow at the end of this month, but it doesn't get super cold, maybe only 5 degrees at the coldest, but that is not every day; it mostly stays in the twenties throughout the winter."

What that was nothing. I wonder how hot it got in the spring and summer if the winter was so mild. The trees as we drove were so different. When I came down south with Quill, it may be fun to go hunting in these woods. They looked lush, and I figured they would be stocked with prey.Now that I was down here to stay, I could do some hunting. I connected with Cade.

"Does the pack know I can't hear?" "They do." "Will that be a problem? I mean, did they have any issues with it?" "Well, I told them you mind link and can read lips. It shouldn't be a problem, seeing as you can communicate with the pack. They didn't seem to mind, but it may be an adjustment for some of them. It will be hard for the wolves that have not shifted yet, as they can't mind the link. Then again, you do just fine with your younger siblings."



"Yeah, my siblings and my whole pack know how to sign. They learned when I became deaf. I could teach some signs. It is a good thing to know. In fact, before my sisters could talk, they could sign. It is an easy way to communicate."

"That would be great; it won't be so bad. It may be an adjustment for the pack. "So, when do I get to meet them?" "Well, we will have a huge BBQ for the pack in a few days. That way, you can meet everyone, and they can meet you." "Helen said that you all don't all live close." "Well, we live in a town, so over a few miles, we pack in. It isn't like your pack, where you all live super close.

It took a little bit longer, like Cade said it would. We pulled up to a huge stone house. One side had ivy growing up the side of it. I couldn't believe this was where Cade lived. "This is the packhouse." "Is this just for us?" "What, no." "Umm, Mark and Helen live here too, and then some of the Gamas who don't have mates live here as well."

It would be weird living in a place like this. I mean, I had been uncomfortable in a hotel. How would I fare in a place like this? It was massive. "Come on, I will show you to our room." Helen and Mark slowly exited the truck and began unloading the stuff. I looked at all my things.

"Cade, we should bring in some of the stuff." "Oh, the wolves that help in the house will bring it up. "Help, what did he mean by wolves that worked in the house. I made a face showing my confusion about the statement. Cade looked at me. "What is wrong." "What did you mean the wolves that work in the house."

"We have some of the pack members that do the cooking, cleaning, and laundry for the people who live in the packhouse. Also, we have wolves that help when we have guests or throw big events with the whole pack. "The idea of people doing things for me felt so abstract. I would make it a point to help with that stuff the best I could. "Come on." I followed behind Cade.

"So, the top floor is for the Alpha family, the third floor is the Beta family floor, and you have the gammas and guest rooms. On the ground floor, you have the hall for events, where we eat meals. At least those who live in the house. You have the kitchen and offices. A relaxing room, laundry, and wine cellar are also down there in the basement.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the stairs. He led me to the fourth floor. There were walkways in front of the doors. He walked down and stood in front of the door. This one is ours. He opened the door to reveal a vast room. There was a large bed. I walked into the room. He pointed to a door. This is the bathroom.

I walked in behind him. There was a large walk-in shower and a big tub next to it. There was a small room with a door. "That is the toilet." Then he walked past the small room and into another space. "This is the closet. I saw some of his clothes hanging up. But there were also places for his shoes. There was also what looked like to be more storage around the room. He went back out to the room with the bed. He moved and sat down on the furniture in the room.

"So, what do you think." I didn't think we needed all the space, but I didn't want to be rude, so I settled on, "It is different." "Look, I know it is not what you are used to, but it will grow on you." I was curious to know if he was right. I had to wonder how he afforded to live like this. How did he pay all these people who worked in the packhouse?

"Um, I don't want to be rude, but how do you afford all this." "Oh, my family money. We have been well off for generations. I also bring in a fair bit in stocks and various investments." I didn't know much about money, considering our pack was self-sufficient. We did make some money providing food to the researchers when they stayed at the station. That is how my brother could afford to go down south every year.

But other than that, we really didn't use it. And I had never used it. My brother was the one who paid for everything when we had come down to visit the nightshade pack. I decided to learn how to handle that kind of thing, seeing as the pack used money.

I came and sat next to Cade. I mind-linked him. "I am hungry." "We can go down to the kitchen. I am sure there is food in the fridge for us to eat." I smiled, and he got up and offered me his hand.