Ayn's Healing

Chapter 29 - Kari

The day of our ceremony is here and it's not a moment too soon. In the last weeks my father and I have been brutally challenged by several of the senior lambdas. It is not personal, just a wolves' natural reaction to the unclear hierarchy. But if things were to continue in this rhythm, our border patrol resources would become very strained.

I am relieved when at seven o'clock the alarm rings and we go into gear. Well, mainly Ayn, because she is kidnapped by my mother and sister for beautification purposes, and I think that is useless, because whatever they plan to do to her hair and her skin, she cannot be more beautiful then she already is.

I have a long morning with my father in his office, where he insists we go through all the possible scenarios in case of a challenge.

I didn't tell Ayn about the possibility that a ranked member from the three neighboring packs could raise a challenge for our territory. If one of them does, I would have to fight them until only one of us remains standing. The last challenge in the Land Core was seventy years ago and I am in contact with the Alphas regularly.

I have a biweekly date with Rio to shoot hoops down in the village. Simon knows me since I was a pup and I was riding the snowplow on his knees. He's still my go to man for all sorts of maintenance advice. Jake is actually working for the same company where I had my day job. I have a hard time imagining that one of them would suddenly want to literally jump at my neck - or allow their Beta to do it - but for my dad all options seem to be possible and need to be discussed, including those which are improbable.

After lunch I am also allowed to have some time to make myself presentable so I shower and I shave and I mind link Timo to come over so he can braid my hair, like I did it for him before his and my sister's mating's ceremony.

Timo was shaking so badly that he was unable to properly braid his mane. He couldn't call Mia because he was not allowed to see her, so he went with the next best thing. You would think that would have been his mother, but no, it was me. I laughed so hard looking at him, completely panicking and unable to thread through the beads he had chosen - orange and red, for Mia and for him, that I was also unable to help him for a while. But when I was done with the laughing and the jokes, I weaved in his beads and he made me swear we will never speak of it again. Ever.

One minute later he enters my room and, when he sees me grinning, he starts protesting that this is typically Kari weirdness. That he really thought I needed his help. That I could braid my damn hair by myself and keep my promise to be silent about the fact that I mothered him on his bond ceremony day. That "ever" doesn't mean only three years.

Timo and I have grown up together and he is like my younger brother. We have done a lot of crazy stuff together and have had a standing contest in which one of us embarasses the other one the most. That was before my sister had come of age and they figured out they were mated.

I am still laughing at his irritation, as I weave in the two beads I chose for today - moss agate for Ayn, lapis for me. When I am done, Timo hugs me in a way that's even more awkward than all the hair touching I did on him three years ago. He tells me he's happy I will finally be his Alpha and wishes me to be forever loved by my witch girl. We then do a manly snort to hide our emotions, before heading out to admire my mother's party organising skills.

Because we have a beautiful indian summer she chose to set the tables outside, on the meadow that extends beyond the last pack houses. There is room for our whole pack plus around sixty guests - the ranked members of the ally packs. The theme seems to be white and green, there are little flower arrangements with fall mums and ivy.

Astrid arrives and provides us with a much needed distraction, telling us how she met a girl from the North, named Selma, who is apparently The One. Astrid's older sister Abby is also here with her mate Eli, the new Alpha of the Southern River Border.