Howling Heart

Chapter 11 - The Talk

I walked into the house after what was perhaps one of the best days of my life. I could hear the floor breathing. See, it wasn't quite a creek, but the wood seemed to shift under my weight. I wasn't ready for my talk with my father, but I knew it had to be done. I swallowed my pride and headed over to the living room. 

"Hey, dad." My voice was casual. He was standing at the sliding door that led to the backyard. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets as his eyes scanned the blades of grass. 

He slowly turned to face me. "Please sit down, my daughter." No matter how old I was, he always had an odd formal tone to his voice. His eyes looked sad as I took my favorite spot on the couch. "We have much to talk about." 

His voice grumbled as he sat across from me. His eyes seemed to be lingering on the floor. While it wasn't outright odd, it was unusual for him. I took this moment to speak up about what happened today. "Real quick, I wanted to talk to you too. Today, I was out with Mae. She was showing me this really cool paint job she did on her bike," I realized I was rambling about her. "Anyway, this rusted-out red pickup truck came cruising down main, and they stopped at the intersection to glair at us. While we don't think it was much, it really creeped us both out." 

"Was Ronan with you?" He asked. 

I could feel my palms start to sweat. "Um, no, he met us at Granny's right after that, though."

"Ah." He pressed his fingers together under his chin. The coarse hair on it must have prickled his knuckles because he rubbed it with a disdainful look on his face. "I don't want you going out for now. Not unless you are with someone safe. Not that I don't trust Mae, but she is after all the omega." 

I went from the best day ever to the worst in a single sentence. He didn't know how my heart raced when I was around her. All he knew was that we were in danger. "Alright. Is the territory still safe?" 

He sighed. "Questionable right now. You weren't the only ones they crossed today. They came by the shop today. Me and a few others were in there chatting. They came in and asked a few odd questions. Mostly about hunting. I told them we don't have much up here. Too close for bears and moose, and it's not deer or elk season. That's when I heard one of them mumble something about bigger prey. Wolves in the area. No matter what they believe they are here to hunt, it's not a good thing for the pack Ava."

I didn't know what to say. This would disrupt our entire way of life. The pack was far too large to relocate. This was our home. "So, what can we do? Can we run them out of town?"

My father had a lot of pull in the town, from shops to the local and country sheriffs. But we couldn't get away with everything. I was thinking maybe just don't allow them jobs and they'd have to move on. But I wasn't even sure that would work. A feeling of hopelessness washed over me. 

My father chuckled at my suggestion. "Oh, Ava, I wish it was that easy. Sadly, if we run them out, they'll only come back with more anger. We need to be smarter about this. I wrote to some old friends and the council to see their thoughts. But it might be a few weeks before we hear back."

I could tell that the stress of this was wearing him down. Jotunn was always fretting over the entire pack, and this complication only made it worse. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

His eyes narrowed, and the wolf within him growled. "Yes, stay away from them. Be safe, Ava." He sighed and let go of the anger that had boiled up. "Sorry, my daughter, times are hard enough." He slapped his hands on his legs. "So, what shall we do about my little pup's big day?"

I swear I don't know how, but I keep forgetting that I'm turning 21 in only a few more days. Dog brain, I suppose. Or it could be that Mae makes me forget everything, including how to breathe. "I haven't thought about it yet. Maybe just the normal party at Granny's?" 

It was almost a tradition. Almost every birthday I could remember was held at the local diner, and then afterward, we would go for a pack run. However, that second part wouldn't be happening this time. But it would still be nice to have the entire family together. 

My father finally relaxed and leaned back. "That's what you want? Most kids want a trip to Vegas or something." 

I allowed myself to laugh. "I guess I'm just a simple girl, Pop's." 

"Then I'll make it happen." 

"Oh, and dad. Don't forget that I love you." 

"I never do." He said as he kissed my head.

I watched him head off to bed, but my brain couldn't shut down. I was exhausted from the day, but all I wanted to do was run out some of this extra energy. I climbed out my window and onto my roof. The stars glittered in the night sky, and I just lay there watching them. The world around me still carried on, a few cars drove through, and the animals of the forest were alive and singing. I wanted to sing with them. To howl out my frustrations. But tonight was not the night.