Return to Wisteria (Book Three of the Wisteria Chronicles)

CHAPTER 24~Return~

Summer  

          August and Autumn seemed to enjoy our time with the elder, but they kept sending weird looks my way. It was making me nervous. What was wrong with them?  “Autumn, Auggie, can I talk to you in the hallway?” I asked after catching August staring at me for the 100th time. This was driving me crazy! My siblings nodded and followed me out into the hall. 

       They both gave me nervous looks. “Oh, spit it out Autumn,” I sighed. “I was just wondering how you are doing.” she said quietly. I bit my lip, not really knowing how to respond. “I am scared and a little overwhelmed. I don't know what to do from here.” I confessed. Everything was happening too fast. I still haven't fully processed how much  this was going to change my life.

       “I think you should call the Assembly of Elders. They will walk you through the process of rebuilding Wisteria. They will help you get everything established and ready you for your Alpha ceremony.” August advised. 

     I tried to calm the wild beating of my heart. This was really happening. “How did you know that I'd bond with them?” I asked him. August shook his head, “Because I felt a connection with them. We are all bonded because of our blood. And as an Alpha, I knew you'd react to them immediately.” “Then why do you look so upset?” I murmured, looking down at his feet. 

      “I'm happy that our family’s pack is reunited, I really am. But I'm sad that we will be separating.” he said honestly with glistening eyes. His words hit me like a ton of bricks. We were being separated, permanently. 

    “I always knew you'd be an Alpha. Our bond as an Alpha and its member was always very weak. But I felt the final snap when you bonded with your pack. You are no longer a part of Crescent Woods.” he murmured, small tears ran down his cheeks. Autumn began to cry, “It's not that bad Auggie. We will still visit her.” August chuckled at her attempt to lighten the mood, “No, Autumn, you don't get it. My bond with you was also weak.”

    Autumn took a step back, not understanding. “Do you feel her, Summer?” August croaked. I shook my head in denial. “Close your eyes and concentrate on her energy.” August coached. I continued to shake my head, I didn't want to know. Confirming this was going to change everything even more. “It's ok, Summer. Just concentrate.” he said calmly. I closed my eyes and focused.

      Oh Goddess, I could feel her. Our bond was strong. “She's there isn't she?” August asked quietly. Fat tears slipped through my closed eyes as I nodded. “You were never meant to stay at Crescent Woods either. Autumn Frost, I release you from the Crescent Woods pack.” August stifled his groan, Autumn fell into his arms with heavy sobs. 

    “Finish it.” August  whispered, holding Autumn close to his chest. “I… I accept you, Autumn Frost, into the Wisteria Forest p-pack.” I stuttered. Autumn cried out, a single wisteria flower forming on her right collarbone. “Come here.” August sobbed, opening his arm to me. I ran into his embrace, letting his warm hold comfort me. 

     I always dreamed of having my own pack. Now that the dream was a reality, I was terrified. I was scared to be away from home and to be alone. I was scared that all of these people depended on me, needed me. This was getting harder to process. August gave us one last tight squeeze before releasing us. He stepped back and wiped his face with the back of his hand.”Alright, let's bring our people home.” he said gruffly. 

     Autumn and I chuckled as we tried to pull ourselves together. We started walking back inside and I accidentally caught my reflection in the window. Ew, the amount of crying I've done today made me grimace.  Damn, I looked like s**t, I grumbled. I smoothed my hair down and patted my cheeks.

      I approached Mom and Elder Archibald. “So, our next step is to notify the Assembly.” I  reported. Mom nodded in agreement, “Oh yes, that's a perfect starting point honey.” She patted Archibald's back before standing up. She handed me her phone with Elder Bruce’s number already dialed. I greeted him, “Hey, Elder Bruce. It's Summer. Is it possible to send a representative to the Council?”

       I explained the situation to him. Elder Bruce was ecstatic, promising to have a representative here within the hour.  I handed Mom her phone back, my body tingling. That was my first act as Alpha. I inhaled deeply to calm my nerves. This is fine, I'm doing ok. Grace walked up to me, “Are you alright?”

      I studied her closely. She really was in bed shape. Her tall lanky frame exposed her bones. Her tattered clothes hung loosely off of her body. She was actual skin and bones. It made my stomach turn knowing that she was considered one of the healthiest amongst the group. “I'm fine. You should eat some more food and rest.” I urged her. 

     Grace shook her head, an apologetic smile on her lips. “No, I'm ok. I'm full from the last round of food. I'm honestly too excited to sleep. I want to know what we're doing. What happens after this?” she asked. I gave her a confident smile,  “We are waiting for the Assembly of Elders. They will help us.”  

     “Oh, ok cool. Do you wanna hang out until then?” she asked bashfully. “Absolutely. I want you to tell me all about yourself.” I giggled.  Grace bobbed her head wildly. We sat on the floor where Autumn quietly joined us. Grace told me about her upbringing on the compound. She said food was never really accessible. Vincent would come in once a week to bring them their supplies but he never brought enough.

        He had laughed in their faces saying that he wanted them as weak as possible. He claimed that it made them easier to control since they didn't have the energy to fight back. Grace told me about her life and how much she loved her mom. She cried when  she talked about her funeral. Her mother was a firm believer in Archibald's words. 

      Every night her mother had hoped and prayed for them to be released from their  imprisonment. She cried harder, realizing her Mother could’ve been home where she  always belonged if she had held on a little longer.

    Grace had laughed when she retold the story of August's appearance. Everyone was afraid of him and at first no one wanted to step off of the compound. She took a blind leap of faith, taking the first steps to freedom. We talked about the future and what she wanted. Autumn squeezed my hand when Grace brought up mates. She felt that since she was already 23, she wasn't too worried about finding hers. 

    On the compound, all of the males were already mated so she always assumed she'd never meet him. Grace now felt like she didn’t deserve that luxury since she was already blessed with freedom. I had to scold her for thinking that. Mates were a gift and should be cherished, even if they didn't want you in return. I inwardly groaned, I was starting to sound like my mother.

      Our conversation was interrupted by the arrival of not one but five elders of the board.They gave Archibald a hardy welcome back, a few tears making an appearance. Then they greeted me as Alpha Frost, congratulating me on my official title. The Elders quickly got to work as they took down names and family histories. They handed out folders with paperwork of assets and banking information that was left behind. 

     They spent several hours talking to each original member, documenting their experience. When they finished speaking with the pack they sat me down to talk business. We agreed to return to Wisteria tomorrow morning to assess the land and to start reconstruction. Mom had closed her eyes, I knew she was afraid to go back. Tomorrow was the day that we all returned home.

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   I woke up to the sea of limbs with the addition of Grace’s. The sun was rising, we would be leaving for Minnesota in an hour. I tiptoed over Penelope and Ziva’s sleeping form and gathered my clothes. I closed the door behind me with a soft click. The hallways were quiet as I made my way down to the bathroom. 

   The hot water from the shower rained down on me as I stared down at the bathroom tile. We were  going home. The knot in my stomach felt heavier with the more that passed. I was scared and excited, Royal was restless all night. I wondered what the territory would look like. 

   The faster you finish lollygagging the faster we can find out, Royal teased. Yeah, yeah. I’ll hurry up. I chuckled back. I quickly washed myself while Royal purred. Her excitement was contagious, I practically sprinted back to my room. Everyone was already up and moving about. “Your Mom said she will be waiting for you downstairs.” Ziva yawned. Autumn and Grace were already dressed and waiting. “Oh, ok. Well, I’m ready.” I attempted to hide my glee.

    Autumn grabbed Grace and walked to the door. “Let’s go.” she squealed. It took everything in me to not run down the hall like a kid on Christmas. Mom greeted us at the door, her eyes dark. “You didn’t sleep?” Autumn fussed. “No, I tried. I’m just restless. We haven’t been back since… since the attack. I ‘m scared.” Mom admitted.

      I rested my head on her shoulder, “I know Mom. But we will help you through this.” Mom blinked away her tears and waved her hands. “I’m fine, baby. Let’s get a move on before Empress has a meltdown.” she chuckled. 

    The trip to Minnesota was nerve wracking. We were bringing the original members as well as the Elders from yesterday. The private jet landed four hours later where two travel vans took us to our final destination. 

    When our van drove past the boundary, my heart began to race. Mom and her sisters took a collective sigh of relief. The front of the territory was surrounded by thick trees that seemed to block the entrance. Mom drove us down a small deserted road that was covered with overgrown plants.

     After twenty minutes of driving I became restless again. “Are we almost there?” Autumn blurted out, she was wringing her hands. Mom nodded her head, “Almost.” Auntie Lila kept telling us to look outside, to wait for it. I frowned, wait for what? I leaned my head against the window and watched the trees zoom by.

    “We’re here.” Mom whispered. The blur of trees transitioned into a blinding purple light. Mom slowed down to let us take in the tall wisteria trees that were blooming brightly. It was like we were in a different world, created with different hues of purples. I was speechless. 

  The long wisteria limbs hung low to greet us. The further we drove, the layout of the territory became clear. Dozens of burnt buildings were left standing, left untouched by nature. “Why are the trees blooming this time of year?” August asked. “This was a sacred place, blessed by Selene. The trees bloom year round as a way to remember her daughter.” Auntie Lila explained.

    Mom quietly sobbed as Lily pointed out areas. “That used to be the library, oh and there, that used to be a small shop were Mr. Patts gave us free ice cream.” she reminisced. We were getting closer to the center of the territory, my heart was running rampantly. My fingers and toes began to tingle, the hair on the neck stood. “Mom, stop the car!” I yelled. “But we aren’t there yet.” she grumbled. “STOP THE CAR!” I shouted. I was already jumping out as Mom slammed on the breaks.

    I started to run. I didn’t know where I was going, but my body did. Why was this familiar? Why did I know this place?! I ran faster, my lungs threatening to explode. I skidded to a halt, my breaths uneven. I stared up at the biggest tree I’ve ever seen. Its long arms stretch out far and wide, the beautiful flowers blooming brightly. It was right in front of the crumbled pack house, the only thing that has grown in the past thirty years. 

     I gently touched the trunk of the tree, following the gnarled roots at the base. It created an opening, just wide enough to fit a small child. This was the tree from my dream. “So, you’ve finally made it back, Alpha Frost.” a heavily accented voice purred. I swung around to find its owner. 

    A woman in all black stepped from behind the tree. Her long white hair dragged on the floor as she stepped closer to me. The deep scar on her face was unforgettable, her smile gave me chills. “Calypso.” I whispered, a shiver running down my spine. “You remembered me, girl.” she said, taking her time as she circled me. She said it as if I could forget someone like her. 

    “What do you want?” I asked, unable to look her in the eyes. “I want many things, child. But for now, I am content with just watching. I hope you are prepared for what’s to come.” she said from behind me. I turned to ask her what she meant but she was gone just as quickly as she appeared.