Book 3: Updating

Chapter 26

The next day was full of interviews with the shifters who refused to talk to me due to their grief, so I asked one how they honor their dead. She explained that they polish stones, engrave their names, and bury them with a short ceremony in the forest where they can be at peace.

I got some guards busy polishing some rocks from the shoreline, and I gathered a list of names. We retrieved all the fallen shifters, closed their major wounds and washed and clothed them. We placed them into basic caskets, and utilized the newly cleared field for a location to lay them to rest. With an armed escort I gathered the widows and children, and we respectfully laid our enemy to rest, marking their graves. Then as a political gesture towards peace, I said a few words:

“War is an ugly business, and grief is grief no matter on what side of the conflict you find yourself standing upon. I would like to show respect for our once enemies in hopes that, in time, we can become friends. I have no love of war and the death of so many is simply a horrific waste. I would like to distribute these wild flower seeds amongst the children. This ground is now especially fertile from the ash that now lays upon it. Please spread the seeds all over this field and make it a peaceful, beautiful resting place for these souls, and I pray these sorts of disputes will end in our future as we learn to forgive each other and maybe some day become friends.” I spoke honestly from the heart as guards handed seed packets to the children to spread while the mothers walked to each casket to mourn.

Each family stood by the caskets and said their goodbyes before we nailed them shut and carefully lowered them into their final resting places. With the ceremony complete we returned each family to their guarded rooms, and I prepared a more formal funeral service for our fallen soldiers to take place in a couple of days. I hoped that after a week I may be more successful in talking to the widows now that they have seen their loved ones laid to rest with respect and dignity. I meant what I said: War is an awful, wasteful business. I personally preferred healing wounds to inflicting them.

Jesse attended the funeral along side me and was impressed with how I handled the situation. We both hoped for a peaceful resolution. When it comes to war, we both agreed to avoid it at all costs, but in this instance we had proven that we would answer all aggression and violence with force. We protected our pack.

The video conference with the vampire coven leadership was scheduled for three days away and I had a team creating a PR video for our pack that would show who we are without giving our enemies any valuable intelligence. We decided that requesting an ambassador to be sent to prove our claims and avoid war was the best strategy.

The vampires' child captives were liberated around the time we held the shifter funeral. I received the reports as soon as we returned from the woods.

Officer Matthews had been busy securing alliances with all sorts of supernatural creatures expanding across the desert states by means of his cell phone and technology. Our spy network was strengthening in the region, and our allies in Rapscalian’s backyard were multiplying despite his best efforts to terrorize and dissuade our growth. It was simple: good hearted folks had enough of his evil and when offered a better option, they accepted.

Unity and alliances made even the weakest supernatural group of humanoid more powerful. If Rapscalian attacked one, he attacked them all.

Jesse’s father, Alpha Douglas, was so proud of our work he couldn’t give enough praise during our weekly check-in phone calls. He never imagined his dreams for the charter would expand so rapidly across such an expanse of land and now include so many different species of supernatural beings.

To say he was humbled and impressed as an understatement.

Jesse remained true to his word shouldering responsibilities around our home to keep himself busy while he recovered, and lending his expertise whenever I needed advice or someone to just listen. He impressed me with how he remained humble and not jealous of me when our roles switched. He knew it was for the good of pack and I treasured his trust and support. He believed in me. Our mutual respect was my favorite aspect about us.

It just made me love him more.

I had promised Samantha wolf playtime over the weekend that never happened, so I decided to utilize a lull in my schedule to keep my promise.

I informed Sargent Davies I was taking my lunch break at home, and got into my car with Lucian.

Hey Love. I checked in with Jesse as I drove.

Hey Babe. He responded.

I am coming home for lunch. What do you want? I asked.

Poutine from that new stand they set up near the beach! He exclaimed excitedly.

He has been talking about trying it for a week now since it was put up.

And a medium rare steak? I asked reminding him of a conversation we had when he seduced me in the pack house four years before.

I wish… but that would take up your entire break. Just the fries this time. I am surprised you remember that conversation. Jesse replied.

Well, I always meant to make it and surprise you, but never did. I explained.

That’s so sweet love. We should grill some steaks this weekend. Invite over Lucian’s family, and have that dinner you wanted. He suggested.

Let’s do it. I replied.

I pulled up to the poutine stand and order enough for all of us. While we waited, I invited Lucian and his family for dinner. He accepted.

When I gave Jesse his lunch, he was excited. He kissed me passionately as I handed him his order. I didn’t know poutine would get such a response from him, but I wasn’t complaining.

I have never seen Jesse so excited over food before. If I knew this would happen, I would have made it for him more often.

He ate the poutine closing his eyes and enjoying it.

I watched him basking in his joy and enjoyed his emotions across our link. He noticed me staring and smiled shrugging.

I love poutine. He admitted.

I love you. I smiled at him.

Well, that’s obvious. You brought me poutine! Jesse teased.

We finished up lunch, and I went into the bedroom to strip and shift. Then I ran into the twins’ room to tackle them. They squealed with delight.

Jesse heard the ruckus and sneaked a peak.

“No Fair!” He exclaimed and went into the bathroom next to their room to strip and shift.

A large russet wolf tackled me and roared making the twins scream and then jumped on him to “Save Samantha from Fang!”

We raced around the house playing and then ran out the back door. Fang and Samantha pretended to be in a battle, and the twins fought to keep them apart and ordered a them to “kiss and make up”. They pretended the other had cooties and would run away whenever the twins got them near each other.
The twins cheered when they finally licked each other’s faces and rubbed against one another gently.

Then both wolves ganged up on the twins hunting them, and chasing them all over the back yard making them scream and squeal with delight.

Lucian and Lindsey sat on the back patio laughing and as we played our game.

Once the twins were worn out, each one climbed onto our backs and rode us into the house. Our wolves tucked them into bed for their naps and licked their faces until they begged us to stop.

Then our wolves spent fifteen minutes alone in our bedroom reuniting before it was time for Samantha and I to headed  back to work.

Thanks for the playtime. Fang said. I missed you, Samantha. I know you are busy, but I missed you. He licked her face before shifting so we could get dressed.

I love you Fang. I love you. Samantha said in human form hugging him.

I love you. Fang kissed her lips.

When they gave us our bodies back, I definitely needed a quick shower before heading back in for obvious reasons. I put on my bathrobe and grabbed some clean underwear and my clothes.

When I returned, Jesse kissed me goodbye and Lucian and I headed back.