Time for Truth Ch. 14

"Benson, we don't have to hurry," Saphirra reminded him as his two siblings joined her in his bed. His younger sister snuggled in close as his younger brother wrapped his arms protectively around both females. He just smiled and shook his head at the sight in front of him. Any doubts he may have had about his family were washed away in that moment.

Saphirra smiled at him before sleep claimed her. "Next time," she whispered.

Benny nodded in agreement. "Next time," he said to her and snuggled in with the three of them.

Now as they ate breakfast and celebrated Vince and Amari's mating Benny and Saphirra cheered happily for them.

"Meanwhile, Gernick Ivanov was attempting to go out for a meeting when Nicolette awoke. "Gernick, where are you going? Is this about the school?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm meeting with Claus and Krill," he explained and then exhaled loudly. "I don't want to send him there Nickie. My father sent me there when I was five. I want to know where they stand. It's not just Jonathan either. They are ordering several families to send their children. If this passes, we may have to send Amie too.

Garrick is furious at the thought of sending Ava away. I have not talked to Cantar or Kale. From what I understand, the council wants all children over the age of twelve to be trained. Our children are a special case, so they contacted Macavi to make a serum to subjugate their wolves.

Nicki gasped. Her son and daughter were born with their wolf genes. If what Gernick suggested was true, the vampires wanted to essentially destroy her children's wolves. Growling, Nicolette flew from her bed and into her wardrobe. Donning a severe black and blue ensemble, she was ready to face the council members. They wanted to hurt her children in some way, and she'd be damned if she let that happen.

"I'm going with you," she insisted. Gernick started to protest when he notice the look of pure rage in her eyes. "No secrets Gernick. We agreed from now on there would be no more secrets," she reminded him.

Nickie informed their housekeeper that they were heading out and asked that she keep an eye on Amie and Jonathan. The housekeeper agreed and she and Gernick vanished. Jonathan woke up as his sister came running into his room. "Jon Jon, where is Momma and Poppa?" she asked.

He didn't know, but he suspected it had something to do with that vampire school. He didn't want to worry his sister, so instead he just said, "Poppa wanted to take Momma for a special breakfast this morning. Don't worry, they'll be back later."

Once again, Gernick entered the council chambers. He still felt a chill when he entered this room. Even though the council had changed, and his cousin and the man that reared him sat on this council, he still held animosity for some of the group.

"Gernick, Nickie, thank you for joining us so early. Cassius will join us as well. This is informal, information only, OK," Claus, explained when Gernick entered. Claus was so proud of the man that stood next to him. He'd raised him and in his heart, this was his son. He knew this issue over the school would be hard for him, but this was what the council believed the children needed.

Clause looked at his council mate, Krill. He was just as impressive as Gernick and also just as worried. The council had added his two young ones to the list to be transported to Russia as well.

Cassius arrived and faced the angry vampires before him. He knew his decree would not be popular, but the children seemed to have lost their way. The vampires needed to act immediately to get their youth under control.

"Is this because of Jael?" Gernick asked. His relationship with the werewolves was no secret.

Cassius answered, "No, we know you did not interfere in any way. Although if you had we'd have excused the action, those wolves were vile, but we didn't have the authority to intervene. This is about our youth. The simple fact is we are losing them. So many of our young are depressed. They are learning some sense of shame. There are only thirty-five young vampires alive right now under the age of eighteen on this continent. There is a few more in Asia. There are none in Africa or Australia. They need to know their worth. We need to teach them," Cassius explained.

Nickie still didn't like this and let it be known. "Why our children?" she demanded. "What makes you think they can't learn what they need to from us? We are their parents. Who better to instruct them then us?"

Cassius faced this angry mother. Normally, vampires were not as attached to their children, but Nicolette's DNA had been altered. Therefore, she was more attached to her young than most.

"You are Ivanovs. If your children attend the academy other vampire families will send their children," Cassius explained.

When he realized what this was, really all about Krill spoke up. "This is a ploy to increase attendance at a school! You implied our children were in some sort of danger. What gives Cassius?" he demanded. Claus stood. He too now had questions. He had gotten to know Cassius and he was honestly a fair vampire. There had to be more to this decree then just attendance at a school.

"I have valid reasons, but you must listen with an open mind. Gentlemen, Nicolette, please sit," Cassius offered. As the vampires sat, Cassius began to explain.

Blaine and Thaddeus drove the Thane wolves to the airport. So much had happened in the span of a week, but these wolves fit right into their family. Nina and Celia accompanied them and shared a tearful goodbye with their family members. Jebediah sighed, as he looked at his mate and dear friend.

He was grateful they had their family back and the ones that had hurt them had been dealt with. He'd kept his promise to Amos, and he'd kept his promise to his son, Benson. He was proud, and now even though he suspected Saphirra would leave, his grandson had found his mate at Thane.

Clarence was with them to bid them a safe journey home. Jebediah looked at the Beta and smiled. Clarence was a sly one. He always put the needs of the pack before himself. Jebediah knew that deep down he blamed himself for what had happened to Nina. At first he was so angry he blamed him, Michael, everyone; he especially blamed Isaac. But Isaac was gone, and Nina and the children were safe.

"What are you thinking about so hard, Jebediah?" Miriam asked as they sat beside each other on Lakota's company jet.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing, just old ghost," he replied.

Miriam sighed and looked at Hannah. She was now content. Her friend had fulfilled her purpose. She knew it was because that pack had been decimated. The wrongs that had been done to her daughter had haunted Hannah.

Hannah felt strange for a moment and then looked up at her friends and smiled. "I'm done now; Amos can rest in peace," she whispered.

Miriam and Jebediah shared a look. "Hannah, are you not well?" they queried.

"No, I'm fine;" she assured them both. "I'm content now. This place, Loess Falls, it is just what Nina needed. Her mate is a wonderful man. I've always thought so, but knowing he went after the men that hurt her has increased my admiration of him," Hannah explained. Jebediah and Miriam nodded in agreement. In a few hours, they'd be home. They knew Phillip's family was flying back home and in about a week Benny and Ares would be back and life would return to normal.

Hannah dozed and soon Miriam and Jebediah followed. The next thing they knew the flight attendant was waking them and telling them to buckle in for the landing. They were home. As they exited the jet, Hannah smiled when she saw her son and daughter waiting for her. She rushed over and greeted her children with big hugs and kisses on their cheeks.

It was strange returning without Clarence, but they were glad to be home. Soon they saw Leo and Remy waiting to head home and Hannah hugged them. To her, they were family. The group talked and waited for their guest to load the jet for their return home. Phillip hugged his parents. He'd miss them, but he had to be a man now. Leo was very proud. He liked this Alpha and knew his son was in good hands. Remy agreed.

Phillip hugged his parents and sisters as they left to board the plane. His mom, Remy, held him a bit tighter than usual. Her baby was grown up now. He was a member of a different pack. He was ready to go defend his friends and she could not have been prouder. Soon, he'd meet his mate and have a family all his own. She'd met several of the young females he'd dated and she liked all of the girls. They were nice, but he needed a special woman. She was sure he'd meet her one day.

Candace and Daniella talked amongst themselves. They'd loved being in California but they were ready to go back home. They knew that changes had occurred while they were gone. Aria and Clarence were mated and Aria was now also a member of Thane. They were excited to meet the new people that had come over from Jael. Everyone had heard of the Jael Pack and the atrocities the pack had engaged in and that Phillip went to fight them. He'd told them that the wolves were brutal, but in the end, the good guys had won.

Soon their flight was approaching the airport. They were finally back home. Their pack members were there to meet them when they deplaned and then they continued their journey back to the pack lands. Coming home was bittersweet for them because their brother was in California, and one of their closest friends had moved to Louisiana to attend school. Unfortunately, she'd had to leave that morning in order to ride back with her mate, so they wouldn't even be able to say goodbye to her.

Daniella was ready to get back to work, as was Candace. It had been a really nice vacation, and having time with all of their brothers had been wonderful, but they were still happy to be home. Remy and Leo went to see the Alphas who happily greeted their returning pack members while the girls made their way back to their home.

Marisol chattered on as Zeke drove. She was content at the moment, but in the back of her mind there was this constant nagging worry that while he seemed to understand everything she wondered if he really wanted a mate that needed professional help. Wolves did not talk to psychologists, and they had a wolf meeting them from Mexico to talk with her.

"Zeke, do you think ..." she started but paused. How does one go about asking the love of their life if he thinks they're too damaged?

Zeke waited patiently for her to finish her question and Marisol sighed. This was hard. Her thoughts were racing and she'd had to leave without either of her parents being there to council her or offer her reassurance. She wondered if anyone really understood just how hard this was for her. Last night, after her Zeke had gone back to his apartment she'd woken up and hardly slept a wink for the rest of the night.

"Baby, what's wrong?" he finally asked. Although, he was certain that she just missed her parents.

"I wish Momma and Poppa were here, but that's not what's bothering me," she sighed.

"Then what is it?" Zeke asked a bit concerned.

"Do you think I'm mental?" she blurted out.

Zeke was surprised at the question and for a second he said nothing. His silence must have been longer than he'd thought because all of a sudden Marisol burst into tears.

In Marisol's mind, his silence was a confirmation of all her fears. Her mate thought she had a mental defect because she kept having the same nightmare over and over again, and now her parents had a psychologist coming to treat her.

Zeke saw a local park and pulled over. Marisol was trying so hard to be happy, that it was making her ill. She was driving herself insane with her negative thinking. Turning in his seat so he could face her he put a finger under her chin and lifted her head so she was looking at him. The sadness in her eyes broke his heart. "Marisol, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met. You survived a horribly traumatic event as a child and managed to somehow protect your younger siblings. You've spent your whole life protecting others. It makes sense that because of what you suffered through as a child you have nightmares. I'm just glad that your Dad is sending someone who can help you. I will be so happy for you when the dream stops. Maybe, she can even help a few others in our pack as well, but right now, my main concern is you. I love you Marisol. I've loved you since the first moment I laid eyes on you. I just knew I had to be a part of your life. If you're mental then I'm certifiable because I refuse to live without you," Zeke surmised.

Marisol sighed and decided at that moment that she needed to be brutally honest with her mate. "I've always had the dream," she admitted. "Sometimes it's not as bad, but when things change, I remember. Zeke, are you sure you want someone as damaged as I am for a mate? I know you're a good friend, a true friend, and I won't fault you if you feel like you need to walk away."

Zeke started to become agitated. Did she want to leave him? What was she talking about? Damaged how? "Marisol, you are my mate, my life, my other half. I am so ready to claim you I can hardly stand it, but you need time," he explained. "I promise that I will not rush you, but I won't let you walk out of my life either. We can talk to the Alphas when we get home."

Marisol sighed, she wanted so badly to trust in what Zeke was saying to her, but she felt so unsure of herself and didn't want to bring any kind of shame on to him by other members of the pack. "I'm talking to a psychologist, Zeke. What if members of the pack look at you differently, because your mate has...?" she paused.

Zeke smiled, "My pack will look at me differently because my mate is the hottest bitch at Wildwood."

Marisol couldn't help but smile. That's one of the things she loved about him, he always said something that made her smile. "Well, as long as the other bitches know that you're taken. If I catch one trying anything, then they'll see how crazy I really am," she teased.

Zeke laughed and felt a wave of relief now that she seemed less upset and was even making light of the situation a bit. "Well, we all have something wrong with us. This will just make us even, because for the past few years the whole pack thought I was nuts because of the way I acted when a certain hot little brunette would visit," he said giving her a wink and flirty smile as he squeezed her hand and turned the truck back on to the road so they could continue their drive.

Marisol was so relieved that Zeke seemed Ok with the doctor from Mexico coming in and finally started to relax a little. A short time later her grandmother called and told her that the doctor had just arrived and was waiting to meet her. She also told her that the lady seemed very nice, which helped set her mind at ease a little more.

Marisol dozed as Zeke drove on, and soon they were entering the French Quarter, which meant that they were getting close to Wildwood. As they drove into the large gated estate her two best friends, Harriet and Megan, met her. Margaret and Lakota laughed as their twins rushed out to greet their aunt. Not wanting to seem too anxious, LJ played it cool and gave Marisol a calm hello and welcome. Marisol just laughed and ruffled his hair while Levin and Reina also laughed at the behavior of their oldest progeny. Like his Dad, he tried to be so serious and mature and Reina loved having a miniature version of her mate around.

Zeke escorted Marisol to the Alphas' home. It was there that she met the woman that would come to have a huge impact on her life. Marisol smiled as she was introduced to her Aunt, Doctor Adrianna Cortez. Marisol noted immediately that her aunt looked very much like her Daddy. In fact, the resemblance was uncanny, which immediately set Marisol at ease and made her feel more relaxed.

So ends chapter 14. I hope you found it enjoyable. I will work on chapter 15 and hopefully have it ready to be submitted next month. (No promises) Please feel free to vote and comment.

Thank you for reading and I look forward to hearing from you. IR2R