Never

The Question

The day started off as it normally did, Adam and I enjoying each other before rising for the day. It was the weekend, so it took a little longer for us to rise than usual, but that's what weekends are for, right?

Breakfast was a semi-festive event, with a few of our wolves present in addition to Jesse, Adam, and me. They ate heartily before departing to find other diversions, the freeloaders.

Yes, just a normal day.

After a few hours, Jesse and I went out on a shopping trip. We'd planned for this a couple weeks before, wanting to get something nice for her upcoming Homecoming dance. She seemed just as surprised as I was that she was going. Apparently some brave boy had asked her, undaunted by her status as the Alpha werewolf's daughter.

I wished them well. Adam could be intimidating, even when he was trying his best not to.

It was about twenty minutes into our trip when I first got the inkling that something was...off about Jesse. She was quieter than usual, and apparently her usual sassiness had been left back home.

Upon closer inspection, she seemed to be a bit distracted, something that was further demonstrated by her lack of enthusiasm when we passed a store sporting dresses with different themes, like steampunk and gothic.

Jesse was always unique in her choice of hair color and clothing, so I felt like she would have lit up at the sight of them. She didn't however. Her mind seemed a thousand miles away from the looks of it, as she shambled alongside me, graceless as a zombie.

"Jesse?" I finally prompted. "Is everything okay?" When she just looked lost, I finally waved a hand in front of her face, stopping so my body partially blocked her progress. "Jesse?"

She stopped just before she could hit me and blinked as if completely out of it. "Oh...uh, yeah, Mercy. I'm fine."

That brought some alarm. She'd used fine, never a good sign. Something was definitely up. "Are you sure? You know you can talk to me about anything."

Jesse gave me a shaky smile. "I know. It's okay, I promise." She looked at me with eyes that begged me to drop it.

I wouldn't press her. If she wanted to talk to me, she would. So I gestured toward the dresses. "Check it out? You like?"

Jesse's eyes followed, and she finally came to life. "These are sweet!" We went in without delay.

Jesse had been on my mind for the rest of the day. What was going on? Was there still trouble with the other kids at school? Maybe her mother had gotten to her. Christy had a way of doing that.

After we'd gotten home, she'd thanked me and had promptly gone to her room. That had been the last I'd seen of Jesse all day. Part of me wanted to speak with Adam about it, but I figured, just as I had with her earlier, that if she wanted to talk to him, she would.

Sometimes, it was best to give a person space and let them come to you. They were a lot more likely to talk if you weren't pushy.

So I busied myself looking through a parts magazine. Maybe I could get some good deals.

Before long, it was dinner time and a lot quieter in the house. As the three of us began eating, a sense of foreboding began to take root in my guts. Something was going on with Jesse, and the unanswered questions in my head were making me increasingly uneasy.

Adam met my gaze with a bewildered expression. Of course his daughter's angst wasn't lost on him. Maybe it was teenage issues. Or stress.

God knows Jesse had dealt with a variety of stressors the last year or so, ranging from seeing her dad and me in harm's way a number of times, to mourning a death of one of our most precious pack members.

Even now we still had things to watch out for, baddies that could hurt any of us. Who could blame her if it all was starting to get to her?

Dinner soon wrapped up, and I got up to load my dishes into the dishwasher. Adam followed suit, pressing up against me and leaning in. "Did I do something?" he asked. Maybe I noticed something he hadn't.

I shook my head. "I don't think so, but with teenagers, who knows?" Adam grunted in response as he too loaded his dishes.

We both turned when we suddenly heard Jesse's hesitant voice. "Daddy, can I talk to you?"

Adam glanced at me and nodded to her. "Of course, baby. Let's go to my office."

I watched two of the people I loved most in the world walk to my husband's office, the door closing gently behind them. Whatever was going on with Jesse, it was serious. I went into the living room and started to look through my magazine again, but I just couldn't concentrate.

Was she...pregnant? If so, maybe I should leave the house. Adam's temper would level it to its foundations. She was his only daughter after all. Maybe she'd gotten into some trouble with...ok, it was obvious I wasn't going to find any parts to buy.

So I went upstairs. Maybe a nice, hot shower would set my mind at ease.

The spray was relaxing, loosening the tension I had built up in my muscles. I was sure Adam would fill me in later and finally let me stop worrying. We didn't keep secrets from each other.

All was well for about five minutes. Soon, it was obvious that things weren't going well. Even over the shower I could hear arguing. It was mostly Jesse, her soft, clear voice suddenly raised in upset.

I needed to be there. I quickly rinsed off and got out. I dried off and dragged on some pants and a t-shirt, running down the stairs barefooted.

I arrived in front of Adam's office just in time to see hear the tail end of the quarrel.

"Daddy, why can't you just listen?"

"There's nothing to listen to, Jesse. The answer is no." Adam's tone held finality, as if he were talking to a disobedient wolf. I knew there was no point in arguing when he got like that.

The door was thrown open. Jesse boiled out, tears streaming down her reddened face. "Why can't you understand?!" she cried as she fled the room. Her teary gaze met mine for the slightest moment before she shot past and back up to her room.

It took everything in me not to go to her, but I would talk with her later, when she'd had the chance to process everything and calm down. Hopefully I would know more by then.

Adam was standing behind his desk, his back to me. His unrest was not only visual but tangible, flowing through our mate bond. Could the other wolves feel their Alpha's distress?

I stepped inside his office and shut the door.

"Adam," I called as I moved toward the desk. "I don't know what's going on, but is there anything I can do? Can I help?"

Adam shook his head and raised it. "No, Mercy. You can't." He turned around, and the fear I saw on my mate's face was like nothing I'd ever seen.

"Jesse asked me to Change her. She wants to be a werewolf."