#12 The Triplets of Emerald Forest

Chapter 13 Griffin

“When I see Nova, I’m going to kill her.” Ric grumbled as we sulked back into the living room.

Shortly after we had arrived downstairs, our mother mindlinked us to head outside and shift for Harlow. It made sense for us to prove to her that werewolves were real and it was easier to do it now since Mom was in the room with Harlow.

“We shouldn’t be surprised that she ran to mother.” Gabriel sighed, pouring us all a glass of whisky from the well stocked mini bar near the wood burning fireplace.

“Then, you also shouldn’t be surprised to see your father here.” Our father, former Alpha Lukas, entered the living room then with a smug expression.

“Of course not.” I grumbled, accepting the glass from Gabe.

“We were going to tell you.” Gabriel said defensively as he poured a fourth glass of whisky for our father.

“Oh, I’m sure.” Dad chuckled as he took a seat, “Tell me exactly what happened.”

And so we did. Our dad stayed quiet the entire time as we described the last few days. Once we finished, silence laid heavily in the room for several long minutes before our father spoke,

“Well, that’s an interesting take on the situation. Not how I would’ve handled it but, certainly one way to do it.” He looked a bit flabbergasted.

“Okay, we admit to not being as patient as you were.” Ric said,

“What’s done is done, now you three have to figure out what you’re doing from here.” Father said, looking at us expectantly.

“That’s what we’re trying to do. We were planning on giving her space with the girls until she was ready to speak with us, but then she tried to run away last night and could've gotten seriously injured.” I explained.

I frowned as I thought about our mate’s daring escape plan. My heart immediately started to race as I considered all of the things that could have gone wrong.

“She has no idea what’s going on and I think you owe her an explanation.” Dad said,

“Maybe she wouldn't have panicked if we had come clean from the beginning.” Gabriel nodded thoughtfully.

“Anyway, we told her the truth about werewolves just before Mom came in.” I explained,

“If she’s anything like your mother, she’ll handle the werewolf business easier than the concept of mates.” Dad said, “You’ll have to handle that explanation delicately.” He looked at each of us individually so we knew the seriousness of the situation.

“Maybe we should wait to tell her that part.” Ric suggested.

“Right, because waiting worked so well before.” Gabe huffed, rolling his eyes.

“You’ll know when it’s the right time and by that I mean she’ll probably figure it out on her own and you’ll be backed into a corner.” Dad chuckled and I had a feeling he was reflecting on his own situation with our mother.

“Yes, well, that time is coming sooner than you’d probably like.” We all looked up as our mother entered the room.

Dad grinned wickedly at the sight of our mother and stretched out his arm for her. She settled on the armrest of his chair and leaned against his side.

“What happened?” I asked eagerly.

“After you all shifted for her she seemed to come to terms with the whole werewolf concept although I still think she’s a bit freaked out by it all.” Our mother said with a heavy sigh.

“And we’ll offer her all the time she needs to adjust. I just hope she’s not afraid of us.” I said with a frown and Frost whimpered in my head.

“Oh, I don’t think she’s afraid.” Mom laughed, “That woman is as tough as they come.”

“Really?” Gabriel perked up at that, leaning forward on the sofa in interest.

“Really. I didn’t pry and she didn’t offer many details, but I did learn that she never knew her parents. I’d be willing to guess she grew up in foster care because she didn’t seem to be keen on the idea of family.” Mom explained, “And she certainly wasn’t afraid to negotiate with me.”

“Negotiate what?” Ric asked skeptically.

“I’ve been negotiating a deal on your behalf to help you all get out of the massive hole you managed to dig for yourselves,” She glared at us and I knew we were all still in the dog house,

“She’s agreed to give you a week to prove yourselves and persuade her to stay and, during that week, she won’t attempt to run away. In turn, you all agree to give her more freedom within the packgrounds and to tell her the entire truth up front.”

“A week?” My voice cracked with nerves.

“Sweety, you underestimate the power of the matebond. Even as a human, I was pulled to your father immediately and trusted him almost from the beginning. All you need to do is make her feel comfortable enough to let her guard down.” She smiled softly at me.

“I’m willing to make a deal to make her feel more comfortable and I’m okay with giving her space to roam the packgrounds but, even if after a week she doesn’t trust us, I’m not willing to let her go.” Gabe said in a gruff tone.

“I agree. She’s not leaving us.” Ric nearly growled.

I rolled my eyes at the pair of them and groaned in frustration. Mother spoke before I could chastise my brothers,

“You both need to be more compromising and relaxed. If you keep up this attitude she’s never going to feel like she has her freedom.”

“I understand your predicament, boys, believe me, I do. But, you can’t force her to stay. She will never truly be able to care for you and be a good Luna to the pack if it’s not her choice.” Dad said with a sympathetic expression.

“What if she leaves?” Ric’s voice sounded so small and defeated it almost made me uncomfortable. I wasn’t used to seeing this vulnerable side of my strongest brother.

“Trust in the Moon Goddess’ plan, she won’t leave.” Dad said, reaching across the coffee table to lay a comforting hand on Ric’s knee.

“Speaking of the Moon Goddess, what do you all think about her dream?” Gabriel cleared his throat, clearly also feeling uncomfortable with the tense emotions in the room.

“What dream?” Mom asked,

I explained the dream Harlow told us about when she saw our wolves and the Moon Goddess, Selene.

“That’s like the dreams I used to have.” Mom said with wide eyes, looking sideways at Dad.

“What dreams?” I asked hesitantly, not entirely sure I wanted to know about my mother's dreams.

“Well, you remember the story of how your father and I first met during the rogue attack and then we were separated for seven years?” Mom asked and we all nodded, “During that time, I dreamt about your father’s wolf. When your father and I reconnected, his wolf started talking to me, too. Those dreams were the main reason I believed everything so quickly.”

“The fact that the Moon Goddess has not only blessed our family with this connection between our human Lunas and our wolves, but that she has personally visited your mate, speaks volumes for her faith in our family.” Father said, his eyes gleaming with pride.

“What do you think it means?” Gabe asked.

I could see the wheels turning in his mind. He was starting to think that our human mate wasn’t such a weak Luna afterall. Honestly, I was a little irritated with him for thinking that she wasn’t good enough how she was, without the Moon Goddess' special attention.

“I’m not sure, son, but I know that it means you three are blessed as well as our pack to have such a favored Luna. If you had any doubts about the ability of your human mate to be a valuable Luna, they should certainly be gone now.” He said, looking directly at Gabriel like he could read his thoughts.

“It doesn’t matter if she’s favored by the Moon Goddess or not, she’s our mate and I won’t sacrifice her for anything.” I said in a low, dangerous voice. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea that our mate was only valuable because Selene visited her in her dreams.

“Mine!” Ric snarled, his eyes pitch black as Quill forced his way forward. I was glad to see that he was on my side for once.

“Yes, of course. The visit from Selene is only a bonus.” Dad spoke calmly while Gabriel remained silent.

“I think you should take this one day at a time.” Mom said, smiling lovingly at us. She was amazing at soothing our wolves who recognized her as their mother as well.

“Yes, we should agree to our mate’s deal and then worry about the outcome when it comes in seven days.” I said, nodding firmly. I looked between my brothers.

“Agreed. But, I request that we amend the deal to say that she cannot wander around the grounds alone. That would be true of any Luna. At a minimum, Waylon needs to be with her at all times.” Ric added and I made a noise of agreement.

“I’m sure you can discuss that with her and explain your reasoning, calmly.” Mother gave Ric a stern look and he had the decency to at least look a little guilty.

“Gabriel?” I looked at him expectantly.

“Fine, yes, I agree. I’m a bit worried about what’ll happen at the end of the week, but I’ll try to live in the moment.” Gabe sighed, conceding to us.

“The first thing you three need to do is go up there and apologize for your previous behavior. Then, bring her down here to have a civilized conversation outside of that bedroom.” Mom said, making it very clear that her suggestion was not up for debate.

“Yes, Mother.” I sighed, standing up with my head still bowed like I was nothing more than a scolded teenager.