Epilogue 9
Epilogue 9
17 years later
Cade
I watched as Sol packed up her car. Kaya hated that she was going to another state for school. In truth, I was not happy about it. But I understood she needed to do this. As much as Kaya and I wanted her to interact with her peers, she was only close to some of her cousins. Sol was an introvert, and I hoped college would break her out of her shell. It was something Kaya hoped for as well, which is why we agreed to let her go in the first place.
Kaya had been crying on and off, knowing Sol would be away for months at a time. I tried to assure my mate that she could always talk to her, but we both knew it was not the same thing. Sol would be attending college on the East Coast, and it was so far from us. I told her she needed to take someone with her. I didn't want her to be the only wolf among humans, but she was sure she could do it alone.
I knew she could handle herself. She was a better fighter than I was, so I didn't worry much about her safety. She would be around no pack, so the only wolves she may encounter were rogues. Rogues would not be a problem as they were solitary, and if she had to face one, it would be her against them, and she would be the victor should they choose to go after her. But neither Kaya nor I worried about that. I watched as Kaya helped her load up stuff.
I hoped her being away for college would help her. Sol always put so much pressure on herself to be the best at everything. I got the feeling she felt like she was always being looked at through a microscope, which I suppose she was. I didn't know how it was so much in our pack, but when other packs visited or we would go to them, they analyzed everything she did. They all wanted to scrutinize her as she would be the first female alpha.
With Kaya, it was different. She and I were equal in our pack, but she was still called the luna, not alpha, and for some reason, that made it seem manageable. Even with Kaya, most packs hated that Kaya and I were equals. I knew war would come for Sol one day, just like it had for Kaya and me. The other packs hated change, and Shadow Pack brought a lot of change to the South. But, with all that I knew, it weighed on Sol.
I hoped that she would have a little normalcy with the change of scenery. She would only need to be sometimes so rigid. I wanted her to breathe and learn how to make friends. Despite Kaya and my pushing her, Sol had yet to choose who she wanted as a beta. She needed someone, and that someone needed to prepare for that role. She leaned towards her cousin's most. Sol was most comfortable with them.
But I knew Mark and Helen's oldest son had been wanting the position. He had tried to befriend her as a kid, but Sol pushed him aside. She focused more on learning and watching than participating with her peers. When she wanted to do something more than she was already doing, we would compromise and say she had to do it with a friend. Typically she choose her cousin Quinten.
Quinten was Quill's youngest, and he had been born a year after Sol. He had to be her closest friend. I hoped she would gravitate more towards Kimi and Charlie's kids, at least when looking for a beta. Charlie and Kimi's kids had alpha blood and would have been an excellent place to look for a beta. But Sol never really hung out with them. She almost always stuck to her cousins. Kaya was betting Quienten would be the beta when Sol took over, so we started to prep him for the position, but we had no idea. It was just a guess.
Maybe when she came home for break, Sol would have a name for future beta. That would be nice. I hoped this time away would open her up to people. Make it so she would want to talk to others. Both Kaya and I told her being alpha is a hands-on job. She has to be able to communicate with others. Sol's defensive was, "I can speak to people just fine. Just because they don't like me, or the fact I don't like to be around everyone all the time, does not mean I can't talk to people. I just never have a reason to."
Kaya had decided to drop the subject last year, but I continued to put pressure on the fact that she needed to interact more with the pack. Kaya didn't give up on her being more outgoing. It was more so that she thought Sol would learn that in her own time. I watched as Sol and Kaya signed with each other. Sol was saying, "Mom, I will be home for break in a few months. You don't need to cry." I smiled. Kaya would miss Sol a ton.
As much as Sol was antisocial, she spent a lot of time with Kaya. I knew our daughter idolized her mother. I mean how could she not. It was not just Sol, though. The whole pack adored Kaya. Kaya and Sol did a lot of things together. They would hunt, and after all the war, the only one Kaya would train with was Sol. No one even approached her to learn anything. Kaya would only train with Sol. But it was more than that.
They would just hang out together. I would find them laughing, watching movies, and having private sign language discussions in the bonus room. I knew without a doubt Sol's best friend was Kaya. I knew it would be hard on Kaya for Sol to be gone, but even she thought this would be good for Sol. I continued to watch the two of them Sol signing. "Mom, I am going to talk to you every day. You know this. Have I ever not talked to you every day? Plus, I will need your advice. I have never lived amongst humans." Kaya smiled and signed back. "I only lived with humans when I was pregnant with you, and honestly, they were weird, and I hid away from them; what advice could I give."
"Mom, you always know what to do." "Thanks, Hun." Everything was all packed up, and I approached my girls. Pulling Sol into a hug. "You mind link us every morning and every night, do I make myself clear, and yes, this is a command from your alpha." Sol nodded, and she gave me a big hug. I couldn't help but smile and think back to when she was so little, throwing knives with her mother. Then Sol turned to Kaya, and I watched as they embraced each other. It lasted longer than my hug, and she kissed Kaya on the cheek.
We both backed away and watched her get in her car. Then she pulled away. I pulled Kaya to me and mind-linked her. "She will be alright." "I hope so." "You taught her, you trained her, and you are her role model. For all of that, I know she will be just fine." Kaya nodded and pulled me closer to her. I knew she was sad for Sol to be going off to college, but both of us knew this could be the best thing for her. Kaya and I decided to take a walk for a while. Neither of us was ready to return to the packhouse, knowing Sol would not be there.
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