Strength to Find Her Way

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Quinn POV

"How's life over in Silver Moon Pack?" I asked Theo.

"Dull without you around baby sister. But all jokes aside, things are going well. I've been given the chance to train the warriors some recently and it seems like the alpha likes the progress they've made. Maybe there will be another head warrior in the family, huh pops?" Theo gave dad a proud smile.

Dad's eyes were still on me, however. "Yeah, I think we definitely will keep that tradition alive."

I gave him a questioning look and he quickly put his attention back on Theo. "And how's my newest grandbaby?"

Nina looked over at the bundle snuggled up in his carrier. "He's an angel. Couldn't have asked for a more wonderful pup." You could see how much she adored her pup just from the way her face lit up when she talked about him.

"Speaking of pups...Charlie, when are you going to make me a grandpa again?" dad nudged Charlie whose face turned bright red.

"Dad!" Charlie cried incredulously. "We've only been mated a few weeks. Chill on the pups already."

"Something wrong with you, boy? It only took your mom and I a few days after being mated to get knocked up with Oliver over there. Do we need to have a chat about the birds and the bees son?"

At this point it looked like Charlie was about to turn into a bright red pile of mush. Lucky for him Denise came to his rescue. "Actually, I scheduled an appointment with the doctor for tomorrow. I was keeping it as a surprise but since everyone is here, it's as good a time as any to let you know. We'll know by this time tomorrow if I'm pregnant or not."

This quickly turned Charlie's mood around and he jumped into the air and picked Denise up in the process. He quickly set her down though worried he might squish the baby.

"Sweetheart, you can't hurt our baby just by hugging me you know. And we don't even know if there's a baby in there yet. I have a good feeling but let's wait to see tomorrow." Denise reached out to softly comb Charlie's hair behind his ear. They both looked so happy in this moment.

And the moment was quickly ended when Suze yelled from the top of the stairs, "Quinn! What are you doing? You're going to wrinkle your dress sitting like that!"

I didn't realize there was a wrong way to sit but apparently Suze knew better than I did.

"What are we going to do with you Quinn?" Suze said as she reached my family.

"Great to see you, Suze," Oliver commented. "Where are Reggie and Linda? Aren't they going to see you off to your first mating ball?"

"Oh, mom had a slight breakdown when she saw me in my dress so dad is up there giving her a pep talk. They'll be down soon."

"And here we are!" I heard Reggie call from the top of the stairs. I saw a red-eyed Linda behind him looking like she was desperately trying to hold herself together.

"Reg!" my dad called. "Can you believe our babies are off to their first mating ball? Do you remember our first ball together? Or should I say our only ball? We were so lucky to find our lovely mates together that night. Who would have thought...best friends mated to best friends?"

I saw Linda suck in a breath on that comment. The loss of my mom has been hard on her too. She's put that pain into helping raise my brothers and I though. Oliver was eighteen when mom was taken so he was already an adult but the rest of us still needed our mom. Linda did an amazing job stepping in and doing things for us our mom normally would. She took us shopping, gave us advice, and lectured us when we stepped out of line. I truly love her like a second mother in every sense of the word.

I ran to her side and gave her a big hug. We both knew the sentiment behind the hug without saying it. I miss her too.

After chatting for a bit and catching up on all the news Reggie and Linda missed, I heard a car pull up to the front door. Suddenly I was frozen in place with fear. This is my home. I don't want to leave these people. What if my mate isn't understanding and wants to sweep me away the second we meet? What if he's awful and treats me poorly? What if I don't love him? I knew the last question wasn't possible. The moon goddess doesn't pair you with someone you won't love. The scary thing is the other two worries are completely possible. Not every mate is perfect. We all have our faults and darkness that can change who we are as a person. We just hope our faults don't get in the way of finding true happiness.

I felt a soft hand on my shoulder. "It's gonna be fine baby girl. We are here for you no matter what. Nothing can keep us apart."

"Oh, dad," I gasped. "I just don't want to lose you all. I've lost so much already."

"Sweetheart, you can't lose us. We are always here for you. The only thing that can happen is you will gain someone new. There's nothing wrong with opening your heart to love someone else. There is no limit on how much love you can give. Trust me on this."

I looked him in the eyes and I could tell he meant every word he said. I trust this man with every fiber of my being so I squared my shoulders and set my resolve. I can do this.

"And besides," dad continued, "we'll be seeing each other in a few hours for your first shift. Don't get so caught up with that mate of yours to forget. I don't want to miss such an important moment in my baby's life."

"I won't forget dad. I probably won't even find my mate tonight. I'll be ready to be picked up by 10:45 sharp. Don't forget me!" I joked.

By this point Suze was bouncing back and forth on her toes. "Quinnnn, we have to goooo!" she whined.

"Okay, okay, fine. I'll see you all later." I replied.

"Can't wait," my dad said with a smile.

After giving everyone hugs goodbye, Suze and I were headed towards the door. I looked down at my intricate silver mask. Maybe this can be my ticket to a quiet night tonight? I know Suze is dying to meet her mate but I'm not quite ready yet. Hopefully if he is there, I can avoid him until tomorrow. I need one more day to myself to process everything.

As we exited the pack house, I saw our car was the last one left. All the other pack members who were headed to the ball were already on their way. Suze bounded towards the car and swung open the door.

"Come on Quinny! I don't want to be late!" she cried from inside the black sedan.

I dutifully followed and shut the heavy door behind me. This is going to be a long night.

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New POV coming up next chapter!