Saint Ives Whelan Chronicles Ch. 21

SIW : Christopher Saint Ives – Whelan.

Here we are with the last chapter for Chris and Mia. I'll be taking a short absence after this while I work on the next story : Adam and Bronwille. I'd love to have a few chapter completely ready before I start posting them up so it's more regular then it is now.

Many thanks go out to Asylumseeker, for his ace editing skills, to Jaz for being my super-duper proofreader and towards the Guild for their ongoing support.

Enjoy the last chapter.

Mokkelke

Chapter Thirteen : Friends and Family.

Sshhh, it's ok, just relax, Chris told Mia when he saw her perking up her ears. The pack is almost here.

I know I shouldn't be, but I'm feeling nervous all of a sudden, she replied, trying to just get that little bit closer to Chris.

Lovingly Chris licked her muzzle, trying to ease her anxiousness. Sweetie, you swept me off my feet, if you can accomplish that, then the rest of the pack is a walk in the park.

Mia snorted in disagreement.

Just you wait and see, mark my words. Chris could understand her anxiety but knew she didn't have to worry. He sent warmth and comfort through their bond hoping it would help her relax.

Putting his head over her neck he gently pushed her down, indicating she could go back to resting. It would take a while longer before the pack arrived.

Sometime later he saw a sleek white wolf emerge from the bushes lining the forest around the lake, followed by a huge black wolf he knew was his eldest brother Nick. Knowing the Alpha always ran first he could only assume the white wolf had to be Fran, his brother's newly turned mate.

His eyes traveled over her, knowing how rare it was to see a white wolf, let alone a turned human being one. He would have snickered if he were in human form. Only Nick would have the luck to find one of the most rare wolf types around. Chris watched as the two skidded to a stop and were obviously talking mentally to each other.

He saw Nick nudge Fran forward into their direction. Relaxation time is over, he thought to himself. Nudging Mia gently, he wanted her to stand up and properly meet Nick as Alpha and her friend Fran as her new Alpha Madam.

Do I really have to shift? Mia whined through their connection.

I understand your reluctance, sweetie, but you have to do this. Not only out of respect to your new Alpha, but also out of respect for Fran. In her case not just because she's now our Madam, but she's your friend as well. Everything that posed an issue has been taken care of. You're done hiding, it's time to step up and claim your place in our pack. Somehow he didn't like feeling he had to lecture her in what she should be doing. She was usually so sassy but now she was shy and hesitant. Giving her another loving push he told her once more, Go on, it's time.

Turned halfway towards Chris, Mia told her wolf to retreat and a second later she stood in front of them. Normally her nudity wouldn't really bother her, it was natural for a were. But being like this in front of her friend made her shy, something she wasn't used to feeling much.

"Mia? Is that you," she heard Fran whisper.

Turning a little bit more towards Fran, Mia realized Fran had a good look at the butterfly tattoo on her hip. One she practically forced Fran to come with her for her moral support.

"Yes, it's me," Mia replied shyly.

The black wolf with Fran dropped a bunch of towels between them, then moved back. He rubbed himself gently against Fran's legs. One could tell those two were communicating. It showed the two black wolves were brothers because she saw Nick nudging Fran in the same way Chris had done with her. Fran took a few steps her way then reached out her hand.

Together they walked away after securing the towels around them and settled in a quiet spot next to the lake. They had their mates in their view and that was all either needed right now.

Both stayed silent, neither sure how to start this conversation.

After a few minutes both of them talked at the same time. "So werewolves?" and both burst out in laughter, breaking the uneasy silence.

Fran spoke first after their outburst died down.

"So one has gotten his paws on you as well?" Fran asked amusedly.

"It seems so, who would have thought that we would be snatched off the singles market so fast?" Mia replied with as much amusement as her dear friend.

"I couldn't believe it at first. First Nick asked if I believed in stuff like this. Or people like Merlin," Fran told her. She didn't notice Mia freezing next to her when she mentioned Merlin. "Turns out Nick even knows him and has him on speed dial. It's when he changed in front of me it really sank in this wasn't all a hoax or anything. Part of me still has a hard time believing all this," she continued, spreading her arms widely, pointing towards the woods where now the rest of the pack had emerged.

"How did he tell you?" Fran then asked.

Mia wasn't sure how to reply to this. Thinking about Chris' words she knew there was only one way to answer and that was truthfully.

"He didn't have to tell me. I always knew what he was. I even knew about Nick that first day," she confessed.

Fran looked surprised. "How is that possible? And why didn't you warn me?"

"I'm a born werewolf, Fran. I can sense them a mile away if need be. And about not warning you, Nick has that Alpha aura around him and once he was introduced I knew you would be fine. The Whelans are legendary, they're one of the few packs that run things fair and with as little violence as possible. But don't let that fool you, they are fierce fighters too.

"Nick is also the Alpha Alpha of this part of the world. He's got quite a reputation. I'm wondering who of us got the better catch, you or me." Mia smiled as she went over everything she knew about the Whelans. "Think I'm happy with my own wolf."

"How come you never told me? We were always so close. You're the sister I never had," Fran questioned Mia.

"There is more to it than just being a were, at least in my case. If I were just 'a' were I might have told you at some point, but I'm not. Telling you would have put you in danger and that was the last thing I would have wanted for you. I hope you understand."

"So what changed things?"

"Finding Chris for starters and my wolf having a mind of its own for a change," Mia laughed as she said this.

"Come on, don't keep me hanging here. Spill! Dish the dirt!" Fran urged Mia on.

"Yeah, yeah, hold your horses. The reason why I, and my parents, were cautious about living in the 'public eye' is because of who my parents are. I'm not going to bore you with all the history now, we can do that later with a good cup of coffee. My father is Richard McLachlan, he was banished from his own pack by his father the Alpha. When my mom found him there wasn't much life left in him.

"She knew right away what he was. You see my mom is even more special, she's a few centuries old. She's an Ancient. I guess you could compare them to what you would call a druid, but with unlimited power. There is almost nothing they can't do."

"Them?" Fran jumped in with her one worded question.

"There are some Ancients left, but personally I only know two, my mom and her father, Merlin."

Fran squealed at that last little revelation.

"Merlin as in Merlin Merlin? No way, you're kidding right?"

"Nope, I'm not kidding. The one and only Merlin is my grandfather. Though I admit, I didn't know that until I met Chris. You see my mother was living on her own in a secluded area. When she nursed my father back to health she picked up on his behavior and she felt the mating pull as well. When he told her why he ended up in the state she had found him they agreed to stay hidden.

"Mom being an Ancient, she took over the wolf gene when they mated but she kept all of her Ancient powers as well. That is rare on its own. She knew how to mask her added scent and what she turned into. After a lot of practice my Da learned to do the same thing. This helped them to live a somewhat normal live. It took ages for them to conceive but when I was born they doted on my every whim.

"It's when my mom found out I could do a few things too we really went into hiding. Every five years we'd move town, making sure there wasn't any trail left of us. When we got together at the university I dreaded saying goodbye. Oddly enough my mom decided to stay, so I accepted the offer to work for your dad."

All this time Fran was listening intently, soaking up each and every detail. Her world had been turned upside down with meeting Nick and now it was shaken again with everything Mia was telling her.

"All this time and I never once suspected anything," Fran shook her head in disbelief.

"I know, but believe me it was for the best you didn't know, at least not back then. Everything is sorted now and mom and Da don't have to hide anymore. You'll hear about it soon enough, but for now I prefer just to enjoy being here. I'm finally home and I still have you." Mia turned and hugged Fran.

Taking a sniff, she smiled. "You have a wonderful scent, Madam."

"What's with the Madam thing? I noticed a few others calling me that as well."

"Sweetie, you're the Alpha's mate. Top dog. Hence that position making you Alpha Madam. Most address Nick with Alpha and they'll address you with Madam. It's how the ranks work. It shows their respect towards you. You kinda have to tell them straight out if you want someone addressing you by your name," Mia explained.

"I see. Well, Mia, just stick with Fran, ok? That way I'll keep a bit of normalcy in this crazy world I've stumbled upon."

"You got that right, I would have nagged you endlessly," Mia teased her friend.

"So what are your plans now? Being the Madam will take up some if not most of your time," Mia asked next.

"Funny you ask. You know the interview I had and we were out celebrating for? Guess how surprised I was when my 'boss' walked in that Monday morning."

"Oh go on, now you're keeping me in suspense here!"

"It was Nick. Nick is THE Dominic Saint Ives – Whelan we're all swooning over. I could still slap myself that I didn't make the connection. Actually since then he hasn't really been going to work. We spend every second together and here I am today, a newly turned wolf and Madam to boot. Any more surprises and I'm going to scream I think," Fran added in a fun tone.

"Start screaming then, auntie Fran," Mia grinned as she revealed her tiny secret.

Fran gave Mia a puzzled look. "Auntie?" she asked next. "Who's having a baby then? I know it isn't Bron, nor Lis. That only leaves you." Fran's eyes widened as it dawned on her and then she let out a high screech as she pulled Mia in for a tight hug. "Ooooh I'm so happy for you. You were so bad at hiding the fact you simply adore kids. You sure move fast, lady."

Fran loosened her hold on Mia.

"I know I could have waited, but I don't know why, but it felt right. He's special already," she said lovingly, her hand caressing her tummy.

"You already know what it's going to be? And how many?" Fran asked.

"Yeah, remember my mother," Mia winked as she went on. "She checked for it last week. I'm having one male pup. He's special because he's conceived when we mated. Chris gave me the choice. Everything clicked into place and it felt right, I didn't want to wait. So here I am swept off my feet, barefoot and pregnant in a day's time." Mia giggled at that.

"Ooh then we can go shopping soon. I can't wait what the girls will say!" Fran said with much joy.

"Take it easy there tiger. I'll tell them when it's a bit further along." Mia's expression turned sad as she continued, "About Bron, I have something to say. You're not going to like it, but let me say up front it's been taken care of."

"What about Bron? I know I've been neglecting all of you these past weeks but if something had happened to Bron I should have been told," Fran spoke trying to hide the tension in her voice.

"You know that second night at 'The Viper' where we met up with all the brothers and that fourth guy Adam?"

Fran nodded.

"Bron was the last to go home. Adam said he'd follow her car so he was sure she got home ok. When they left the club Bron went to get her car and Adam to get his bike." Mia grasped Fran's hand. "She was grabbed in the alley by two men, werewolves. Adam heard her scream and fought them."

Fran was shaking and furious hearing what happened, then sadness overshadowed both.

"Not Bron. She was just getting back on her feet."

"I know Fran. Though she's coping with it better. The first few days Adam had stayed with her. Sure he admitted he gave her a sleeping pill that first day so she could sleep it off, but then he stayed a few days more. Then Bron kicked him out the Bron way. He's been a mess ever since."

"Why would he be in a mess? He saved her, and he can be concerned, but a mess?"

Now Mia smiled. "What is Nick to you and Chris for me?" she asked nudging Fran's shoulder.

Fran's eyes widened, "No way! Bron is Adam's mate?"

Mia nodded.

"Oh boy, seeing how protective these wolves are I can fully understand why he's in a mess. Bron is shutting him out, isn't she?"

"Yeah. I can tell you know. The first time I went checking up on her to make sure she was ok. I'm doing that this time too. Apart from Adam, my parents and the Whelan brothers, nobody knows of the attack. As long as she doesn't close herself up like the previous time, I'm letting her deal with it her way," Mia explained.

"How are you able to check up on her without her knowing about it?" Fran inquired.

"Sweetie, my mom and grandfather are Ancients. We can cloak ourselves, even teleport. The whole nine yards," Mia answered with a smile.

"Seriously? I know Nick told about Merlin entertaining the little pups occasionally. I assumed it was just some easy mumbo jumbo. Never imagined it could be like that. What else can you do?" Fran asked with great interest.

"Look," Mia pointed towards a few pebbles in front of them.

They lifted up in the air and started moving in a circular motion. Mia heard the sharp intake of breath next to her and smiled. She changed the path of the pebbles and started making more intricate figures and shapes. Stealing a glance sideways she saw Fran looking, eyes wide open, her mouth forming a little "o".

Without touching Fran she applied a bit of pressure on her chin and closed her mouth. This snapped Fran out of her staring contest with the pebbles.

"Hey! You didn't have to do that," Fran complained.

"I didn't even touch you."

"You didn't? But, you were working with those rocks over there." Turning towards them she saw they were still moving, some of them were stationary, others were swirling around them.

Mia chuckled seeing all those emotions flash over Fran's face.

"This is nothing, but can you imagine what we can do when we really focus on something?"

"Think my imagination wouldn't do it justice. I'm glad you are on our side!"

After a while Fran spoke again. "So what are we going to do about Bron?"

"As I'll pop in daily to check if she's taking care of herself, Adam is going over to her place almost daily and calling her. So far he hasn't had any luck. She hangs up on him and shuts the door in his face without even saying hello."

"I feel so sorry for her. There is nothing we can do. Do you know if she remembers the attack or anything?"

"According to Adam she passed out once he attacked the men holding her. He isn't sure if she saw something or not. She hasn't spoken about anything. For the time being we're assuming she hasn't seen a thing, which maybe for the best."

"Maybe. I can only hope he has a lot of patience, we both know how Bron was when she first moved back here."

"I know, I remember all too well. I wanted to help her but couldn't. I checked up on her every day. I was so happy when she started going out with us again and now this happens. I have no clue how it will set her back. Don't even want to think about how Adam is going to win her over."

"Step by step, I guess."

"At least they avenged her," Mia said, nodding her head towards the three brothers sitting next to each other. "Ed, Chris and Adam tracked them down. There were three of them. Two didn't make it out alive. The third one... Well he's complicated."

"How so?"

"He's my father's younger brother. To fully understand that I'd have to tell you all about my Da. It's a long story. We can get together this week and then I'll fill in the details. Chris is probably filling in Nick now." Mia chuckled, "I certainly didn't help make things easier. I made Chris promise not to tell the pack about all of this and my parents until tonight. In hindsight maybe a foolish decision, but everything turned out better than I hoped."

"Seems you had a rough few weeks yourself then. I'll see what Nick tells me about it all. I still can't believe he didn't tell me about Bron though. She's our friend."

"He probably should have said something, but Chris told me a bit about his past. I can understand partly why he didn't. He has been looking for his mate for so long, then as he was giving up he finds you and you're human. Probably was clueless how to tell you and make sure you wouldn't freak out."

Fran blushed. "It all went ok. He stripped. I was too busy ogling him before I realized he had changed. He gave me enough time to get comfortable but that didn't take long. He's cute as a wolf, though very big. And his fur, oh my, it's so soft. I thought it would be much rougher. You know he likes to be scratched behind his ears. He never lets me get up until he's sure I'm fully awake hahaha. Even when I need to rush to get to the bathroom! And damn the things he does with that wicked tongue of his." Her cheeks turned a bright red.

"I can imagine some of the things. Seems our Whelan boys have a wild streak when it comes to pleasing their mate," Mia said as she grinned at her friend. "What do you say, want to go back to our significant others and let them dote on us a bit more?" Mia asked.

"Yeah, I bet you'll want to meet the rest of the pack. Oh there's the triplets too. You have got to meet those, they're adorable with a capital 'A'. Just don't let them run all over you, fair warning."

"I'll keep it in mind," she said while standing up.

Mia looped her arm around Fran's as they walked back to the pack. Mia saw several of them giving her a good once over. Most nodded, smiled and waved acknowledging her presence.

Letting go of Fran she dropped down next to Chris and cuddled close, resting her head on his shoulder.

Everything ok, my sweet? Chris asked as he put his arm around her and pulled her closer.

Just perfect. We'll catch up later in the week to fill in a few blanks here and there, but it went fine. I had to tell her about Bron though. She wasn't happy about it. Nick didn't tell her, so he'll have some explaining to do, but I defended his position. He can thank me later. How did everything here go?

We told the big outlines. Bronwille's attack, the involvement of the McLachlan pack. He knows most of what happened since being the Alpha Alpha grants him the right of having full access to the were history from this territory. His first remark was that there had to be some things updated, that the records weren't accurate. Nick spoke of a few inconsistencies. He will talk to us about it later. I haven't told about Merlin being your grandfather. The records don't tell who Richard's mate is, it's all a bit mysterious.

Burying her head in the crook of his neck, Mia had to stifle a laugh.

I'm guessing you're going to leave that honor to me?

Yes, I am. I don't need all the fun. Just seeing his reaction is enough for me.