Chasing Ghosts

An unexpected Guest

The past 4 months had been very active in Blackwood Manor. Jade’s mother, Gabriella, had been staying at the manor up until recently. She had managed to stop an all-out fight between her brother and her daughter, but at the expense of having to leave with Ulric. He was unhinged, always had been, and this was certainly not the way she wanted to have a reunion with her daughter. She had been practicing keeping her cool under pressure, working on keeping her temper and taming the Blackwood blood within that yearned for conflict. The first day at the manor, Gabriella and Ulric were at each other’s throats, as she had learned what he had done to her daughter. The fight between them was bloody and gruesome, and neither of them giving the other quarter.

Gabriella had managed to get the upper-hand, planning to put an end to her brother’s tyrannical madness, but Annika interfered. She not only got between them but she also announced her pregnancy. Gabriella stayed her hand and retreated, for the time being. She took care of Annika as best she could throughout the entire pregnancy, but on the delivery day, she escaped. Ulric had stopped his plotting to be witness to the birth of his daughter, and the henchmen he had secured were not near enough to keep Gabriella on the grounds. Once free of her brother’s gluttony, she set out to handle a few things before going to see her own daughter. 4 months later, she enters into their territory, slowly approaching through the woods at the back of the mansion, in human form with hands raised.

This should be interesting…she thought to herself as she slowly crunched her way through the underbrush.
The atmosphere around the house had been quite joyous, the reunion of separated lovers and the joining of mates within the pack. They were growing stronger and closer to one another, despite all the hardships that they had faced. They were proving to be quite resilient, in the face of all that had happened to them. Though, they were still aware that they weren’t out of the woods yet. Erin, for one, was still trying to figure out how and when he was going to tear the throat out of the monster that laid his hands on his mate, an act that was truly unforgivable. However, he had been gifted 2 sons from this whole ordeal, and he planned to raise them both as they should be.

Val was all too grateful that Jade had heeded her advice, choosing to keep the child bore from Ulric and to raise him together alongside her true son. She honestly wasn’t sure that she would’ve been strong enough to make that call, had the shoe been on the other foot, but she knew that if anyone was capable, it was her sister-in-law. She envied the strength that Jade showed, the resilience she had. Val was still having nightmares every so often about her ordeal with The Order. She was grateful for Shane, he was truly her rock in all of this, and he especially helped her stay grounded and keep her composure, now that she was pregnant.

The group had been playing with Lynn when they caught the scent, being ever vigilant, they remained on guard even though it seemed that things had quieted down for them. Alex ran to the back door, peering out the window and seeing a woman stepping out of the woods at the back of their property, hands raised.

Jax and Alyssa were the first two out the door to stand and confront their unwanted guest. The two of them, having previously shown a great deal of displeasure of what had been going on within the Pack, had recently become less agitated due to the circumstances. Although, while everyone else seemed to pair up with one another, these two remained unmated and simply did their own thing, though they did spend time together here and there.

“Stop right there! That’s far enough!” Jax shouted, his muscles tensed, ready for action.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?” Alyssa inquired, her eyes sharply examining the intruder.

From scent alone, the two were able to identify who the woman was, which also meant they knew what she was. However, the group was no longer going to cower in the face of such threats, regardless of the difference in strength or bloodline. They were a family, for better or worse, and they would no longer be subject to unsolicited attacks or intrusion by those who wished them harm or wanted to take from them.