Chapter 14 ~ Yeah… Postpone! Damn!

Aaron’s POV ~

We’re waiting on the front steps.. Andrew called five minutes past.. so they will be here any time now. Shaelin is bouncing in excitement.. it’s adorable to watch her. Her face is lit up.. she can’t stop smiling. When she saw the headlights, I told Gavin we might need to anchor her to the steps.

The car pulled up..and barely in park, when Andrew flew out from behind the wheel.. running straight to Shay. He grabbed her up and swung her in a circle, with tears in his eyes, he says “You look exactly like her! You look just like Arwyn!”

He set her down and stood with his arm around her, as he turned to face the elderly couple coming up the walk. They both got teary eyed, and the woman stepped forward “You are identical to our Arwyn. You are so beautiful. We are your grandparents.. I am Nimue (Nim-way) and this is Malcolm Branson. Your mom was our firstborn..our princess. We last saw her at her coronation. Three weeks later, we received an informal letter fron King Callan.. informing us of your deaths!”

Shaelin stepped up to them and hugged them both. Malcolm and Nimue held tightly to her, as they all cried…with Andrew wrapping his arms around all three. Gavin and I both choked up.. but neither of us mentioned it. Plausible deniability is a good thing to have!

We all went to the meeting hall. I wanted them to have a chance to get to know each other. Once seated, Shaelin wasted no time.. “I want to know.. just everything! My mom was pregnant with me the last time you saw her? She had a wolf! Where’s my wolf? Why were you told I died too? Callan is a dick!”

Malcolm laughs “Oh you are definitely Arwyn’s daughter… she did the same thing. Rattle off twenty questions without taking a breath! Let’s start with you.. Tell us everything about your life. We have missed everything!”

So, Shaelin told them…everything. She amazes me.. when she talks about her time in the cells.. she always just says what happened, matter of factly. I asked her how she kept calm in the retelling. She simply said it’s a memory.. and only you determine how you react to it. She chooses to be analytical and uses it to fuel her. She finished with “and my Luna ceremony is in two days.. and Aaron’s birthday!!”

Nimue says “Your mom was our pride and joy. She always saw the best in people.. and in situations. We had our reservations about Callan.. he seemed shady. But Arwyn was determined that he would be a good mate. He wasn’t.. he isolated her.. we couldn’t see her. Using her pregnancy as an excuse. I asked her if the pregnancy was giving her problems and she said absolutely not.. that you were an easy baby.. and she didn’t even get morning sickness. That definitely threw red flags our direction about Callan.”

Malcolm then says “We didn’t think Arwyn would shift.. we didn’t know anything about mixed species. She showed Elf from birth. She was always so powerful… the elements being her favorite medium to work with. Her wolf , Esterlin, came after she mated. Corellan once told me that hybrid Elves meet their other half at the age of twenty-five… having learned that with a vampire hybrid.. with Arwyn meeting Esterlin early.. it became obvious being marked will bring forth the shift. Your mother and I are writing a book about Elven Hybrids! Now.. you can help us complete our research!”

I asked “Will you please stay for Shaelin’s Luna ceremony!? I am sure you’d like to be here for her first shift, with missing Arwyn’s?” Nimue began to cry, and Shay hugged her.. pulling her sadness away. Nimue gasped and whispered “I feel her! I can feel Arwyn! She transferred her powers to you! You carry her spirit!”

Shaelin smiled “I was going to ask you about that.. I am a stronger Elf than anyone in the realm.. including my father and brothers.” Malcolm shook his head “Sweet girl, you would be more powerful than they are, anyway.. You are Royal blood and they are not! But even I can feel how powerful your aura is.. so, I believe your grandmother when she says she feels Arwyn. Also.. remember your wolf! She will be an Alpha. So, there’s strength in that, as well!”

Malcolm then looked at me “It would be my honor and privilege to be here when Shaelin shifts! A momentous occasion in our lives! You also should renew your alliance with Andrew and our pack! Storms are brewing.. we’re going to need each other!”

I agreed and Andrew and I sat talking about it while Gavin went to get the forms we would need to sign. Andrew asked “How would you feel about starting a warrior exchange program? It would benefit both our packs to incorporate different fighting styles..”

I told him I had been offering something similar for years “Gammas and Betas from other packs come for a two month program.. we train them in our technique.. but we also have classes they attend to learn the ins and outs of their ranks. There aren’t any here at the moment, because I postponed courses. Shay and Evan are working up new training schedules because her training is phenomenal! She is proficient in all weaponry and in five separate fighting disciplines. Callan trained her to be an assassin from the age of two.”

Andrew grinned and asked “Little niece, shall we spar in the morning?” She nodded happily “I am usually in the gym by five.. but, I can postpone an hour, if it’s too early” He groaned and said “Yeah… postpone! Damn!”