The Wanderer

Chapter 8

Niko walks me down the steps, me carefully placing each foot on the step below it. My heart hammers in my chest, beating loudly. I'm sure everyone can hear it, especially Niko. I look at him to see if he has noticed, but he is just looking straight ahead.

My hand is still in his, the tingles erupting from his touch are running up my arm. I expected him to let go of it, but here we are, still hand in hand.

We walk out the back door of the house, being face to face with almost the entire pack. There are three long picnic tables in rows, almost every spot filled. There must be almost 150 people here.

Old people, young people, and everyone in between are here. There aren't young kids, but that is to be expected. These are people who were kicked out of their pack or left, and most packs don't kick out young children.

Just standing there staring at the group of people that I am to lead someday, Niko steps in front of me, grabbing my attention. Looking up at him since he is so tall, I realize how vulnerable I am.

This isn't what I'm used to. I'm used to the routine of surviving in the wild. It was comfortable for me, easy for me to distract myself from the real world. But now, I have to come face to face with my fear of rogues and packs. This is my nightmare.

Everything I am not used to is all here, but I have Niko by my side to help me through it. That is, if he decides to help me as I have promised to help him.

Questions pop into my head. What if he sees me as a burden and leaves me to the wolves? They don't like outsiders and here I am, completely new.

But I know in my heart that he wouldn't do that. He may not show it, but he already cares for me. Just as I care for him. We are an unlikely match, but I am determined to make this work, leaving all of us happy.

Niko just stares at my face, probably reading my emotions. When I am lost in thought, my emotions show clearly on my face.

"Are you okay?" He finally asks.

I nod, knowing that I have to prove myself not only to the pack but also to him. He may respect me for now, but that can easily change if I mess up. I need to stay strong, keep my head held up high and take this all in stride.

His hesitance is clear on his face, but I don't let him ask about it again. "I'm fine. I will be strong in front of your pack."

"Our pack," he corrects, making a smile appear on my face.

"Yes, our pack. Let's do this."

We walk out, our hands still locked together. As we approach the picnic tables, everyone stares with different emotions written on their faces. Some look at me in disgust, while others simply hold curiosity. However, I notice one girl who is staring bullets at me, anger shown in her eyes.

There is a separate picnic table for the higher ranking members, Lia and Colton are already there. Niko walks us to our seat, waiting on me to sit down first, him following suit. "Thank you, Niko," I say politely.

Gasps are heard all throughout the pack. Oh no, maybe I shouldn't have called him by his first name in front of them. Nonetheless, a nickname.

I almost duck my head in embarrassment, but the feeling of his hand in mine makes me feel more confident. His hand reassures me he isn't mad as he gives it a light squeeze.

He stares down his pack waiting for anyone to speak up. When he doesn't see anyone, he stands up, my hand still locked in his.

Everyone's eyes are staring at our conjoined hands, but Niko clears everything up. "This is your Luna, Calista. She is to be respected by every single one of you. She is my mate, which means she is my equal, so if you disrespect her, you are disrespecting me." He smiles darkly, warning them, "You all know what happens when you disrespect me."

He sits back down, gesturing for everyone to eat. The pack waits for Niko to fill his plate, before they start to fill theirs. It is seen as respectful to make sure the Alpha eats first, not taking any food away from him.

I make my plate, filling it with meat as it is what I'm most accustomed to out in the wild. Trying to make the transition as easy as possible, I keep the amount lower than what I would have eaten two years ago. My eating schedule was inconsistent while I was wandering, meaning sometimes I would go days without filling my stomach. This caused me to not be able to hold down a lot of food once I did get something to eat.

Not wanting to throw up in front of my new pack, I ration the meats to be a small meal I know I can handle.

Niko, however, isn't pleased with the amount of food on my plate. "You need to eat more, Cali."

"Cali?" I ask with a small smile. I haven't heard that nickname in so long.

"Yes, Cali. You get to call me by a nickname so I get to call you by one too." He loads vegetables and more meat onto my plate.

"I can't eat all of that," I start with a sigh. "I didn't get to eat much while off on my own, I won't be able to eat all this."

Nodding, he relents. "Fine, but you have to eat a balanced meal with vegetables too."

I agree, even though I've always hated vegetables. They just taste awful. I had no desire to touch a vegetable again.

Not wanting to complain and seem weak, I ignore the nasty taste as the green beans enter my mouth. I almost gag because it tastes disgusting. To make it go by quicker, I put a bit of meat in with every bite of vegetable, making sure it masks the taste as best it could.

Finishing quicker than everyone else, I look down at my half eaten plate.

Niko also looks at me when I stop eating. "Is that all you can eat?"

"I'm full and don't want to be sick." I push the plate away gently as he nods, satisfied that I at least ate something.

Lia and Colton are talking amongst themselves, seeming to not want to bother us. I wish I could have talked to them more, but I don't want to start a conversation. I've always been more introverted, not starting conversations and not adding too much to them. But, with Niko, it's different. It feels natural to converse with him. I'm no longer scared about talking when I'm with my mate.

Soon after, everyone else is finishing their dinner, making the conversations that are occurring louder. More people are talking now that they aren't eating, and Lia turns to me to talk.

"How are you adjusting?" She asks, her gaze filled with sympathy and curiosity. She must know how hard it is going from being on your own then going back into a pack.

In the corner of my eye, I see Niko staring at me and listening intently. "I'm adjusting okay. The only problem is that I'm so used to being on my own and providing for myself that this is all so new to me. I haven't eaten a meal with people in two years. Not to mention the differences in having to hunt for your food versus it being laid out in front of you."

Colton also joins our conversation when he asks, "Did you enjoy hunting?"

"Not at first because i didn't know how, but after a while, it became more natural to me and I got the hang of it," I say, reminiscing on the years I spent alone. It was all so peaceful.

"Maybe we could go hunting together some time," Niko suggests. "We will always need more people to help hunt."

Nodding, I'm excited that I get the chance to have one of the things that I've grown accustomed to. This new life may be more bearable.

Niko is smiling at me, an unknown emotion in his eyes. I try to read into it, but am interrupted.

My excitement is put to rest when a girl about my age stomps over to our table. She notices Niko smiling and scowls at me, like I personally hurt her.

Niko's gaze falls on the girl, his voice showing his annoyance when he asks, "What do you want, Abby?"

She stands in front of me in a powerful stance, looking ready for a fight. "I'm here to challenge Calista for the position of Luna."