Dark Hollers Part 1
2981 Words
Sean’s POV
I drove for two hours to get to the Dark Hollers pack in Louisiana. The trees here were beautiful and I loved the feel of the energy here. I followed my GPS up to the front gates of the territory and stopped for the guards.
“Name and state your business,” the guard said.
“I’m Sean Walker and I’m here to visit Alpha BJ.”
The guard's eyes went dull as he mind-linked BJ. When his eyes went back to normal he stepped up to my car window.
“You will follow the path to the y in the road. Stick to the left and it will take you to the packhouse,” he told me then stepped away.
“Thanks,” I said as the gate opened and I was waved through.
I followed the path and kept to the left like I was told. The large bald cypress trees were covered in Spanish moss making the landscape simply beautiful. There was just something inviting about this place and it made you feel at home.
Soon the large wood packhouse came into view. It looked like a giant cabin in the swamp and I found that it was perfect for the space. Their pack colors decorated the front of the packhouse with white and black banners. Were they pirates? Charlie laughed at me in my head.
I parked my car next to a large black truck and stepped out. I started to walk up towards the packhouse and noticed pack members stopping to look at me. I kept my head held high and kept walking. I noticed BJ on the front porch standing there waiting for me. I remember him from Cameron and Jamie’s wedding. He seemed taller then. Then again I have grown a lot in the past two years.
As I walked up to him, he stepped off the porch and put his hand out to me. I gladly took it and shook his hand in a good grip.
“Hey Sean. It’s great to see you again,” he said with a smile that lit up his blue eyes.
“It’s great to be here. This place is awesome.”
“Thanks.”
We turned to go into the packhouse. We walked through the halls to a large open office that had two desks in it. Seated at one of the desks was Katie. She looked up from her computer with her bright blue eyes and smiled at me as I entered the room. She stood up and came to give me a hug. I had gotten tall because she was now way shorter than me.
“Hi Sean, it's great to see you. You have grown so much,” Katie says.
“It’s great to see you too.”
BJ took a seat in his chair behind the other desk as I released Katie from our hug. Katie sat down in her chair and I sat on the couch.
“Does sharing an office really work for you two?” I asked.
“Yeah. We handle a lot of business together. It’s just easier,” Katie answers and BJ nods.
“All of our private meetings we are in together so it just made sense to take the wall down between our offices and make it one big room,” BJ added.
I took my phone out and opened a new document and named it “Dark Hollers Pack'. I made a note about office space thinking it was different. It was something to possibly keep in mind. It just depended on my mate with what I did when building my packhouse.
“What duties do you do here as Luna, and do you have a job other than that?” I asked Katie.
“I handle a lot of pack issues with members. I make sure we have adequate housing and jobs for everyone. I don’t handle anything with the warriors and their barracks though. Other than that I’m a teacher at the pack school. I’m so glad to be on summer break at the moment.”
“So you're not even in here all the time,” I said.
She smiled and shook her head.
I turned my attention back to BJ and asked, “What do you do for work other than being Alpha?”
“I own and run a construction company similar to Cameron’s. We do most of our business with humans though and business is good because we are in Louisiana. All the hurricanes keep us busy.”
I nodded my head. That was pretty smart to have a business based on the needs of the environment you live in. I took note of that.
“What is y’all’s relationship like as the Alpha couple? I mean Duncan and Meredith are so different from Jamie and Cameron, so I’m just curious about y’all.”
“Well we do a lot together and a lot on our own. We are more like Jamie and Cameron I think,” Katie tells me.
“I agree. I know Duncan and Meradith pretty well and she’s a busy body that’s never in her office,” BJ says.
I nod in agreement. She was never in her office. If she was, it was rare. Jamie was always in Cameron’s office too. They should probably take the wall down that separated their office and make it one big space. I might have to tell her about this.
“One last thing, why are you called BJ?” I asked.
He laughs then says, “My first name is Brian and my middle name is James. Gray Moon’s former Alpha’s name was also Brian so going by Alpha Brain wasn’t really an option when I took over my pack and I’ve always gone by BJ anyway.”
I nodded my head now understanding it and asked, “How did you two find each other?”
“I was born in the pack and I’ve always known BJ. I’m two years younger than him and I was happy to find he was my mate when I turned eighteen,” Katie told me.
I nodded my head at their story. There was a possibility that my mate wasn’t of age yet and could be at any pack including Trinity Forest. Even with that in mind I still wanted to make this trip. Not just to see if I could find her. There was so much more to this. I needed a Beta and I needed knowledge.
“Would you like to go walk around town and then get some lunch?” BJ asked.
“That would be great,” I answered.
Katie and BJ got up with me and I followed them out of the packhouse and down a gravel pathway. The trees kept it shaded and there was a slight breeze keeping it from being too hot. I took in the scenery and was blown away by how pretty it is.
When the town came into view it was different from the other towns I had seen. The street was wide and all the shops touched one another. Each shop had a second floor with a balcony on it.
“The town was built in 1670. We were one of the first packs here other than Hunter’s Moon,” BJ said.
“That’s a lot of history.”
“Yes, it is. The shops were built with the owners in mind. They would live above the shop they owned, reducing the need to build a house. Now the upstairs to each building is used as extra space for seating or for storage,” Katie told me.
I pulled my phone out and took notes and pictures. I wanted to remember this place and all it had. I could smell the spices from the food that was being cooked in town and I could hear the music playing. It was different and funky but I liked it.
“What’s that smell?” I asked.
“Cajun seasoning for food and the music playing is called zydeco,” Katie answered.
I was falling in love with the culture here already. It was amazing to be soaking up the atmosphere here. BJ and Katie stopped in front of a shop and stepped inside. I followed them and found that it was a restaurant. I looked around with wide eyes and saw booths and tables filled with pack members that looked up at me in curiosity.
I went with Katie and BJ to a booth and had a seat. Not long after we sat down a waitress came over with menus and a bright smile on her face. She was about my age and I could tell she was unmated. Her bright blue eyes were happy and her blonde hair was tied in a bun at the top of her head.
“What can I get everyone to drink today?” she asked in a thick Cajun accent as she handed all of us menus.
“Sweet Tea,” Katie said.
“Water with lemon,” BJ said.
“Sweet Tea,” I told her.
“Alright I’ll be right back with that,” she said with a smile and walked away.
I turned my attention to the menu and looked it over. I had no idea what to get. After looking at everything I was torn between trying one of everything. I wanted to soak up the food culture here. It was so different from back home.
“What’s y’all’s favorite thing to eat here?” I asked.
“Try the fried alligator,” Katie told me.
“Let's actually do an order of alligator, gumbo, jambalaya, and crawfish etouffee so Sean can try it all. We will just share everything,” Bj said.
“That sounds perfect,” I said happily.
When the waitress came back she handed us our drinks and took our order. As she walked away she winked at me and I smiled back at her. She was cute but she wasn’t my mate. I could at least have fun with her though if she wanted. I mean I wasn’t a virgin anymore and I didn’t expect my mate to be either.
“What do you think?” I asked Charlie.
“Make sure our mate isn’t here at this pack first then maybe have some fun. It would cause a disaster if you jumped the gun and she found us with some other she-wolves scent all over us.”
“That’s a good point.”
I sat there and listened to the conversations going on in the restaurant while waiting for our food to come out.
“Do you want to get some training in tomorrow with my Beta and me?” BJ asked me.
“Yeah. I trained with Cameron, Rambo and Ben while I was at Hunter’s Moon. I would like to train with all the Alphas as I travel.”
“That would be good for you. Did you train with Fenrir or just Cameron and Noah?”
“Just Cameron and Noah. I did meet Fenrir though. Do you have a Lycan warrior too?”
“Yes. His name is Tyr. Would you like to try and train with him or not?”
“Maybe. I’ll let you know when we get to that.”
Part of me wanted that experience but part of me was also terrified of getting hurt or killed by one of them. I think it would be an interesting challenge but I wanted someone that I fully trusted. Maybe a Lycan I fully trusted and I barely knew them.
Soon our food arrived at the table and I looked over all of it. It smelled amazing and looked just as good. I picked up a nugget of fried alligator and took a bite. Oh, my Goddess! This tasted like fried chicken. Oh, it was so good with the seasoning. I have been missing out on flavors like this my whole life. I groaned at the flavor in my mouth then stopped chewing and looked over to find BJ and Katie smiling at me.
“This is so good,” I told them.
“Yeah, try everything else,” Katie said as she took an alligator nugget.
I quickly tried the gumbo which was really good but the alligator was better. Next, I took a bite of the jambalaya which was amazing even with how spicy it was. I had to take a big gulp of my tea to put out the small fire that was created in my mouth. Lastly, I tried the crawfish etouffee. Oh, that bite was heaven if ever you could taste it.
“So what do you like the best?” BJ asked.
“The crawfish etouffee has to be my favorite and I really love the fried alligator.”
We continued to eat lunch at the restaurant, finishing off the plates of food. BJ paid and we left to go walk around a little more. I looked at the houses that peppered the territory around the small town. They looked different from other houses I had seen in Trinity Forest and Hunter’s Moon. BJ pointed at one that looked like two houses smashed into one. They shared a front porch and the front doors were right next to one another.
“That is called a creole cottage, it's a part of the heritage here,” he explained.
He then pointed at another style of house I had never seen before. The small porch gave way to a front door. The house looked like a long rectangle with the door right at the front.
“That's called a shotgun house. Also part of the heritage here.”
“I’ve never seen houses like that before.”
“I know. It’s something for you to think about. Wherever you settle, think about the heritage of the place and if you want it to be a part of your new pack or if you want to take your Texas heritage to where you’re going,” BJ explained.
“That’s a good point.”
We continued to walk around and talk to members. I met a bunch of their pack members but didn’t find my mate. I would keep looking for her.
When it started to get late in the day, we headed back to the packhouse. There on the porch, I saw a few members with some pups running around. We walked up and the guy that was standing there was about BJ’s age. A little boy ran up to Katie saying ‘mom’ and hugged her tightly.
“Sean this is my Beta, Jason and his mate, Ada. This is their son Eli and this is mine and Katie's son, Wyatt,” BJ told me as I said hi to everyone.
Wyatt and Eli both looked to be about six years old. Jason was a short guy that reminded me of Rambo a lot. He had short light blonde hair and blue eyes. His mate was just as tall as him with dirty blonde hair with light brown eyes. They seemed nice but stern.
We all went inside to eat dinner in the pack dining room. They had a bunch of long tables with benches that the pack would sit at to share a meal. I sat with BJ, his family and his Beta’s family. I looked around the dining room at all the members that were joining us.
“All the pack members are welcome to join us at each meal. Mostly we see the warriors and the unmated though,” BJ tells me.
“That’s the same as Trinity Forest,” I told him, then turned my attention to Jason. “How did you and BJ meet?”
“We all grew up together here at Dark Hollers. I’m a year younger than him but we have always been friends,” Jason said.
“So y’all are like Duncan and Freddie. Only Freddie is older than Duncan.”
“Does it bug you that you don’t have a friend that’s a Beta?” Jason asked.
“A little. I know Cameron had to go out and find his Beta so I’m not too worried about it.”
“You will find yours,” BJ says.
“What are your duties as the Beta?” I asked Jason.
“I take care of the training, I oversee that the warriors have a place to stay and make sure they are in check.”
I nodded my head at him. That was what all the Beta’s did, just Freddie took on more of a role with all the pack members.
I turned to Jason’s mate, Ada and asked her, “What do you do as a Beta Female?”
“I help Katie with her duties while she is working at the school. Other than that I help manage our food supply,” she tells me.
Our conversation was cut short as dinner was served. I looked down at the sandwich and fries that were on my plate. The sandwich was different from any other I had eaten. Why was there coleslaw on it?
“That’s a catfish po’boy. The Louisiana sandwich,” Katie told me.
I picked it up and took a bite. I was in love with all the food I had tried today. Maybe I should pick a place in the US that had great food traditions just so I could love the food. I was so incredibly happy with the food I had tried here. It was the best.
Once dinner was done I watched as the pack members left to find their rooms for the night. I was shown to my room on the second floor of the packhouse and settled in for the night.
- Writer
