Part of the Pack (Book 1 in the 'part of' series)

Chapter 14 Getting to know...some

Chapter 14 Getting to know...some

It was a little bit intimidating, I had to admit that this place wasn't what I had expected whatsoever. I was expecting some tents, well not even that. If they slept in their wolf forms then they would have no need for tents. In fact they would need no place for anything as wolves. I had also considered them taking over an abandoned building which was rather big. Yet this was small and home-made. From the outside it looked like it could fall apart at the slightest breeze. Yet I had more faith in the packs ability to build things then I had trusting my judgement.

"Before we go in." Ralph stopped me by placing a hand on my arm, his touch was gentle and warm. It was comforting. "I don't think any of them have an issue with you. Though it might take them a while to warm up to you."I nodded in understanding. It made sense for wolves to be a little wary of me. I was in their territory and I was a human. I was a stranger to most of them, if not all of them.

"That makes sense." I tried to be reassuring, to let him know that I wouldn't take any offense at all towards the fact. He smiled slightly and shuffled nervously before he continued on towards the door. He hadn't reached for the handle before the door was pushed open and two boys stood in the doorway. These must be Channon and Channing.

"You're back!" The two boys said in unison. Yes, it was the twins. I had been warned that they tended to talk at the same time. Their eyes seemed to hold confusion as they looked at Ralph. "Where have you-" They cut themselves off as they seemed to notice me. "Aiden!"They shouted and started to run towards me, hugging my legs so tightly I nearly stumbled.

"Well hello there." I said to them with a chuckle. I ruffled their hair slightly and smiled down at them. "You guys are Channon and Channing right?" They both nodded happily, still not letting go. I looked to Ralph for a bit of help. He was just looking at us in amusement.

He shook his head slightly and walked closer. "Alright , alright let him breathe." The twin's arms sprung from my legs as though they were afraid that they were actually worried they were impacting my breathing ability. They looked up at me with slight worry on their faces but the excitement was still bright in their eyes. "He's got to meet everyone else, no chasing him away on the doorstep."

The twins grinned mischievously. "Oh no of course not!" they said in unison. It was rather creepy. I suppose they spent a lot of time together and had a lot of the same experiences, it made sense yet i'm sure that would calm down soon. "We'll leave that to Lathen, Moss and Beaumont" They then ran back off into the house. I gave Ralph a questioning look as he sighed again.

"Don't listen to them." He rolled his eyes slightly at the boys' behaviour. "They're just trying to scare you. They're not bad." He didn't sound very confident. It wasn't making me feel any better, I didn't meet new people often. It was always a nerve wracking time for me. "Let's go find Abilene first. I think she wanted to talk to you."

I recognised the name Abilene. It was the name of the wolf who I freed from the trap two years ago. It would be rather difficult to think about. Seeing a woman talk as though she was the wolf who I had met years ago was something which perplexed me. I wanted to know how I would react. I hoped that I reacted well, though, I hadn't had much time to get used to the fact. I nodded and followed Ralph further into the building.

There was a lot of nature indoors, lots of plants were spread across the tables and were dotted in corners of the rooms. It was lovely and green. The hallways were rather short and it was clear to see that most of the things were second-hand or well loved. It all had a natural colour scheme, warma nd comforting.,

Ralph led me to an open door, with a quick glance inside I could see four people in the room, There were three young people and one woman. With some deduction I could have a vague guess of who was who, only getting Lowell And Oran mixed up potentially. Melina was the first person to notice us standing in the doorway and she quickly rushed over, "Uncle Aiden!" She shouted and once again I found arms around my legs. "It's nice to see you!"

I rubbed her back somewhat awkwardly with a smile. "It's nice to see you too Melina." My voice was soft and happy. I wasn't used to talking to children very much nowadays. Especially children who aren't a member of my family. She was still hugging my legs and it was starting to get a bit awkward. I gave who I assumed was Abilene a kind smile. "Hello." I nodded towards the three who were approaching us.

The lady gave me a smile and held out a hand. "Hello Aiden, I'm Abilene." She said politely and calmly. She seemed like a rather calm person, I suppose that it came with her responsibilities. I shook her hand happily. Melina pulled away from me after a few more minutes and continued to stand by me. "This is Oran, and this is Lowell." Abilene put a hand on each of the boy's heads as she said their names, ruffling their hair playfully which caused them to let out rather adorable laughs.

"Hello." Lowell greeted with wide eyes and fidgeting hands as Oran waved to me nervously. I gave a slight wave in response and gave a verbal greeting. I still was not too sure about their parents as I hadn't met any of the older wolves. I had been told who was whose child by Ralph, However I do not have the best memory.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." I said with a smile. I think they could tell that I was a little bit nervous. They were reacting extremely calm and collected. I didn't know if that was how they usually acted, I feel as though they were putting on some sort of show for me, making sure that they didn't scare me away. "Are-um. Are you alright after the...?" I trailed off a little bit, not knowing how to phrase my question.

Abilene seemed to understand what I meant straight away. Her smile grew wider and she waved a hand slightly. "Yes I'm perfectly fine! Thank you. Though I wouldn't have been without your help, nor would the pups" The children nodded as I felt some heat rush to my cheeks. "You were very brave to go up to a wolf like that."

The children all made noises of agreement. "He was." Said a deep voice from down the hallway. We all turned slightly to see an older-looking man. He had a stern look on his face yet he had a twinkle in his eyes. "Hello Aiden, I've heard a lot about you." He walked closer to us and held out a rather large hand. "I am Eben, Randall and Ralph's father."