The Last Spirit Wolf (Elena Norwood)

-Vera-

"Come in," Sofia says.

"Alpha, lunch is ready when you are," a cook comes in, bowing her head as she speaks.

"Great, thank you Nala," she says.

The girl retreats, closing the door.

*Jeremy, tell our friends at the guest house that they can join us for lunch if they wish,* I hear Sofia say.

"So, I'm not supposed to be able to hear that? How come I can hear you mind-link other people?

"You know," she says, standing from her chair and once again taking a gulp from the wine bottle, "I have no idea. But let's focus on one thing at a time, shall we?" she motions towards the door, "you know how I get when I drink wine and don't eat," she says. Goddess, do I know.

Sofia and I used to sneak out into the woods at night after stealing a few wine bottles from the cellar and drinking them. It's then that we found out that Sofia is a mean and sloppy drunk. It's best to avoid that at all cost.

Walking down to the cafeteria brings back so many memories, and the smell? Oh, Goddess, the smell.

Unlike lycans, wolves eat a lot more fruits and vegetables, so the cooks have gotten creative with their dishes and recipes. Today's dinner is a big assortment of smoked vegetables, fruits, corn pastries and, my favorite, grilled fish. Lifting my nose up in the air, I also smell quite a bit of red meat down the table, something less common for us.

"The cooks had to improvise for your friends, they still remember how much they like meat," Sofia explains.

Once we are all seated, I keep an eye out for Ezra and the guys.

Finally, they come in through the doors, eyeing everything curiously. None of them had ever stepped into wolf territory, much less been taught about our customs and traditions. They probably don't know what to expect, making me feel a lot worse about having left them behind earlier.

I get up, excusing myself to come meet them at the door.

"Hey guys! How are your rooms?" I ask.

I know how comfortable our guest house is, but I'm trying to make small talk.

Arlo is the first one to meet my gaze as the rest of them, including Ezra, are bewildered by their surroundings.

"They're good! Great, actually. Your guest house is a lot more comfortable than the average warrior room back at the Castle, so it's a treat for us," Arlo says.

"Yeah, you'll have to thank your Kin - Alpha - for us," Ezra says.

"You can thank her yourself, she's right here," I say, pointing to her.

She's engaged in a conversation with Alex so she doesn't notice all six lycans staring at her.

"She's a woman? Your Kin Queen is a woman? Wow," Ryker says.

"Yes, but we don't call her 'Queen,' we call her, or any other pack leader, Alpha," I explain.

"Alpha," Colt repeats after me, still in disbelief.

Then, Rowan lifts his head up, sniffing the air.

"Is that venison I smell?!" He says, letting his nose guide him to the end of the table where all the red meats are served.

We all follow behind him, the other guys finally breaking out of their trance.

We all sit at the end of the table, but I slap their hands away as they hungrily reach for the food.

"This is no ordinary lunch; the Alpha is sitting with us. You have to wait for her to give the go ahead." I say.

Had you told me a year ago I would be sitting with lycans at the pack house and explaining wolf traditions to them, I would have died of laughter, but here we are.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

"What? That's bullshit!" Colt says.

I growl at him a little,

"Behave." I threaten under my breathe.

Both Colt and Rowan look down, sulking.

"I swear it's like having children," Ezra says, his arms crossed.

I turn to look at Sofia who saw the entire scene. She has a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

Then, she clears her throat.

"Good afternoon, everyone," she begins.

"Good afternoon, Alpha," we all say in unison.

"Good...afternoon Alpha," I hear the lycans say and I can't help but giggle a little.

"Today is a very special day for this pack as one of our own has re-joined us, albeit for a short amount of time. We welcome you back with open arms, Vera, you and your friends are welcome in this pack house for as long as you decide to stay. So, cheers, and welcome home." "Cheers!" Everyone says, raising their glasses.

I raise mine too, and mouth 'thank you, to Sofia, genuinely touched that everyone went through all this trouble to prepare this meal for us. She winks at me and sits back down, chatting away with Thomas and Alex.

The lycans turn to look at me, their puppy eyes making me laugh.

"Yes, you can eat now," I say.

Rowan and Colt devour their first serving of venison. I'm incredibly glad that the cooks had enough forethought to prepare lots of this because at this rate, these men will eat the table if it even smells like venison.

I begin eating too, going for the fish first. It's delicious, as always, but after being done with my first serving, for some reason, I'm craving venison too.

As I dig into my plate with vegetables and venison, Sofia comes to sit beside me.

"So," she says, "I finally get to meet your friends."

They're all caught by surprise by her presence and nearly choke on their food.

Ryker wipes at his mouth hastily, not really cleaning any of the venison off his cheeks. He stands up,

"Alpha, thank you for receiving us and preparing this meal for us. We are very well aware that our kind and your kind have never really gotten along, that's why this... peace lunch... is so important to us," he says and he legitimately looks like he's about to cry. Sofia eyes him with her mouth slightly open, not really sure what to say. Then, she looks at me and simply shrugs.

"You can sit..." Sofia begins.

"Ryker," I say.

"You can sit, Ryker. And please, it's my pleasure. You guys brought Vera back to us safely, that's all that matters."

Ryker sits down, but the awkwardness of the moment is far from gone. None of the guys want to continue eating in front of Sofia, they're embarrassed by their lack of manners.

Sofia begins talking to me, but before long, she notices their behavior has changed and rolls her eyes.

"Guys, please, pretend I'm not here. Male wolves are every bit as nasty when they eat," she nods at the direction of our warriors who are eating with their hands, their entire faces covered with food.

Encouraged by this site, the guys continue eating without a second thought, making Ezra and Arlo stare in disgust.

"Who would've thought you would be the more civilized of the bunch..." Ezra comments, looking at Arlo, who simply shrugs, taking a piece of meat and eating it.

I finish eating my plate of food as Sofia fills me in on some juicy gossip.

One of my nurses from the clinic got pregnant by one of the doctors and Sofia still hasn't found out who it is. Another one of the nurses apparently had a major crush on Lucas when he was here and had been meaning to ask Sofia if he could come back. But most shocking of all, Dr. Owens has been asked to oversee the establishment of another clinic over at the Goldmoon clan.

"That's why he wasn't here to receive you, but I sent word to him to let him know you're coming to him. In fact, the clinic we're opening at the Goldmoon's is one of the reasons why we have to go, anyway. It's part of a business deal."

I nod, about to ask her what the business deal is but something catches my eye behind Sofia.

Her twins are coming over, nearly running actually, towards her.

"Oh, Goddess," I say, noting how big they are.

"Oh! My babies!" Sofia squeals, taking both twins into her arms, "Oh, how I've missed you two today!" she says, giving both of them endless kisses on their heads and faces.

Aside from how cute they are, having inherited their mother's infectious smile and their dad's auburn hair, there's something else that holds my attention.

"Here my loves, meet your aunt Vera," Sofia hands me her son, John.

I stare at him, and he stares at me passively.

"No way...