The Alpha Twins and their Runaway Witch

64

Golden Green Pack was positively abuzz with activity. One of the most private guest homes had been ordered to be opened up and prepared for visitors. Luna Cara, Future Luna Penny, and Hannah The Hurricane Greenrivers had all been sequestered for hours, late into the night in a meeting that required the event coordinators, dress makers, publicity advisers from The Firm and various other people of note were seen trying and sneak their way into the main pack house this evening.

Golden Green had remained a pack of peace. A quiet rural life that lacked for no convenience common in a more metropolitan lifestyle. Perfect for the influx of new people. While the families of the original families of Golden Green did not mind all the new luxuries made available to them, they could not let old habits die easily. 

All members of the old guard of pack were well tuned to notice any subtle signs that a new story was brewing. Anything that involved Hannah, and her family, always caught notice of those who were paying attention in the pack. That girl was a lightning rod for trouble, the most conservative members still residing in Golden Green would say. All the changes had started with her.

Because no matter the amount of good done, no matter how dedicated to Golden Green Hannah had been since she had come home with Max, she would forever be the girl that sweet Maxxie breezed home with before everything in the rural, sheltered pack had known before changed.

Gossip travels faster than any other form of communication. Soon word had spread far and wide from Golden Green that the Greenrivers wolf brother's were set to share a firevwitch for a mate and the pack was moving heaven and earth to welcome the new family as the wolf twins brought their shared mate home.

Truly, it should have been expected that the trouble maker Hannah's children would cause just as much disruption as she did when she exploded onto the pack lands. Why when sweet Maxxie had brought home his wild mate and all others tied to her even stalwart Judy of all people had a nearly public meltdown. Truly since day one Hannah had brought chaos onto Golden Green. Chaos that continued to multiply exponentially per child.

Regardless of the chaos and trouble the eight Greenrivers siblings had caused as they had grown, Penny was destined to be the next Luna. Lumi was some kind of nature spirit and Cassian was earning rather high regard in the reformed dragon court. The pack was a buzz wondering which of the remaining siblings had found their mate. Bets were spread between the brothers. No one expected it to be Cassi, that girl wasn't going to settle down any time soon and even the most sheltered at Golden Green knew it.

***

For two days, Alex, August, Ariel and Binh made an unlikely convoy towards the idyllic pack where Alex and August had been riased. While Golden Green continued to buzz with excitement as Hannah prepared to welcome home her babies and new daughter in law.

Far away, on the other side of the entire continent, Pandora was waiting in line to order her coffee. When it was finally her turn, she barked at the poor server, "Venti triple long shot latte, three pumps of hazelnut and two of caramel, stirred twice with a spoon. Extra whip, extra extra caramel drizzle." The cashier's eyes went wide, trying to translate the order into the POS system. It was only her second day on the job, but the poor thing had already learned to spot the problem customers and knew she had a live one on her hands. "Name?" The barista asked, managing to hold her face in a perfect customer service expression at the odd name.

Pandora moved to the area to the side of the ordering point to wait for her beverage. While she was waiting, her phone rang. No one called Pandora. When she looked at the screen she found that she wasn't surprised to see that it was her mother calling. No one Pandora wanted to call, called her she amended in her mind.

Pandora hated her mother. Hated all her parents. No matter what she had wanted, they had always picked her siblings over her. No one had ever given Pandora what she needed or what she wanted. She was the least favourite, least special and she knew it. Had always known it. Pandora had no idea what came over her until she heard her own voice say hello into the phone.

There was a pause. Pandora hadn't answered a phone call since she left home after fighting with Lumi after all that business that resulted in Pandora losing everything, being disfigured, and Lumi skipping into the sunset with a god of nature at her side. The one time Pandora asked her sister for anything in her entire life and Lumi had said no. Then everyone had taken Lumi's side after Lumi turned her back on Pandora.

"Pandora?" Hannah's voice sounding surprised through the phone line "Panda? Are you there?" A pause and Pandora did not fill the silent space. "Panda, I'm sorry. I love you, I'll always love my panda bear." Hannah's voice cracked, a sound like she gasped for a fresh breath. "Come home baby. We miss you, Alex and August are coming home, they found their mate. She's got real magic about her." Hannah said, remembering to try and code that her first daughter in law was a witch, but forgetting to code talk of mates. So caught off guard that Hannah was reckless with words that she had no idea who could overhear.

Without saying a word Pandora hung up the phone call. Her mother heard the call end, called out her daughter's name over and over into the phone knowing Pandora wasn't listening anymore. Throwing the phone across the room in frustration as tears welled up in her eyes. Hannah had her elbows on her knees as she sat on the edge of the enormous bed she shared with her mates. Sobbing into her hands when Holland came and found her still crying.

Without words, he knew the cause of Hannah's sorrow, her pain matched his pain. All the Greenrivers parents deeply loved all their children completely. Without any question or doubt. Pandora was Holland and Hannah's biologically. The ache in their hearts over their beautiful, strong, daughter who had been born from so much love not wanting to even speak to them was the biggest pain and loss of their lives.

Holland went to his knees on the floor in front of Hannah. His arms going around her middle, and hers around his neck as she continued to cry her tears falling onto his hair as he pressed his ear against her chest, listening to the sound of her heart beating. Her pain, was his pain, it was their shared pain. The two lovers, soulmates, and parents held each other and cried together. Releasing the hurt emotions they both constantly carried. But never tried to show. 

Holding each other until the sharp pain in Hannah's heart finally subsided. "I called Pandora, I heard the phone pick up, I swear she said hello but then she didn't say anything else." Hannah confessed to Holland the cause of her melancholia. Holland nodded, still holding Hannah while he knelt on the floor between her thighs, pressed against her chest. Her arms holding him just as tight.

Holland hated phones. Short texts were mine fields of poorly chosen words and misunderstandings. Everyone, including Holland knew that Hannah texted her wayward daughter, gave her updates on the family. Called her sometimes on the hope that Pandora might actually answer. She hadn't answered any calls in months. Holland wrote his daughter monthly letters. Letters that Marisol assured him were collected from the PO box. Though no one could be certain if they were read. They were not in any of the trash cans between the mail box and her apartment either, Marisol was nothing if not detail oriented.

Holland and Hannah steadied themselves once more. "I love you Holland." Hannah whispered to him, closing her eyes and smiling when he told her he loved her even more. Hannah nodded. Each partner working to help the other find their peace once more. "Alex will be home soon, with his and August's mate." Hannah said with a smile finally returning to her face.

Holland rose from his knees back to his feet. Offering Hannah his hand to help her rise from the edge of the bed. "We should go back. Help everyone get ready, who knows what kind of 'hurricane' your son's are going to cause for the pack." He teased Hannah, making her roll her eyes. Hannah did her best to not mind that even now when her own children are grown;  all the old guard of Golden Green saw her as a trouble maker. 

When in reality, Bryan and Max had scheduled their meeting with Damon Black to establish connections with the Black Corporation and The Council that ruled over the supernatural world order half a year before the night Max first saw Hannah. She had swapped and traded shifts so many times trying to arrange for all of her own business the weekend she had broken and disrupted so many other fates and destinies.

Oh what delightfully twisted strings and webs fate weaves together. Eons and countless formless fates and gods had twisted to their ends countless plans touching so many lives. Left all in ruins around Hannah and the myriad tiny ways she and her mates had changed so many people's trajectories. A shame that the chess players care not at all for the individual game pieces in the complicated pattern of all existence. Worse, they care less even still for what makes for pretty stories with happy endings.