A Long Walk Home Ch. 07

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JazCullen
JazCullen
6,489 Followers

Rayne swallowed hard to stem her tears and smiled tremulously at the faces surrounding her. "I'm Rayne and I've waited a lifetime to meet you," she whispered. The words came from deep within her soul and she knew them to be true. These children... she'd walked the world a thousand times over looking for them.

"Well, now you've found us," Lily smiled happily. "Welcome home, Rayne. Do you want to play now?"

Laughter bubbled up, deep, wonderful, joyous laughter that came from her soul. "I would love to play," she laughed setting down Liam and entering the room fully.

*****

Lacey sighed with relief and looked down at the two adorable little boys lying between her and Rafe in the now calm bedroom. She knew she'd been lucky that the birthing had been relatively quick, only four hours from start to finish. Jen's had lasted three times that long and her friend had been exhausted at the end of it.

She felt tired but not so tired that she couldn't gaze in wonder at the new life she had brought into the world. "They're so perfect, Rafe," she whispered tearfully, awe in her tone as she reached forward to gently stroke one little head with it's silvery blond hair and then the other with a cap of thick dark brown waves already.

"Just like their mother," Rafe breathed leaning forward slightly to catch his mate's lips in a tender, loving kiss. His eyes were brimming with unshed tears, happiness carved into his handsome feature. "You were so amazing, honey. I'm so proud of you and our beautiful boys."

"Our sons," she laughed softly. It sounded unreal and yet her babies were lying there, sleeping soundly despite the awful racket they'd made when they were born. They certainly had a pair of lungs on them, that was for sure.

She smiled happily at her mate, touching his cheek gently. He was born to be a father. He had raised his sister from an infant and she'd turned out to be an amazing woman. She knew her sons were blessed having this wonderful man as their father. They would grow big and strong under his expert guidance.

"We never discussed names," she mused dropping her gaze back to her babies. "Any ideas?"

"Why don't you name them, baby?" Rafe smiled gently touching his sons reverently, being careful not to wake them as they'd just dropped off. He couldn't believe how utterly perfect they were or how the genes had split so perfectly. One looked so like Lacey and the other like him.

"How about Ben, for this little one?" Lacey said quietly, resting her hand against her dark haired son. "It would be a good strong name for one of our sons. One he could grow into and be as strong and brave as the man who helped save my life."

Rafe choked out a little sound as a tear slid down his cheek (-) as he remembered his friend who had died protecting his mate. He shot his mate a smile and nodded his agreement because he couldn't speak with all the emotion running through him at the moment.

"And this little darling, well he's got Aaron Junior stamped all over him," Lacey laughed softly.

Rafe groaned and rolled his eyes, wiping at his cheek as he did so. "You know you're just going to give Aaron a big head if you name a son after him," he teased lightly though he was overjoyed with her choices.

"How can I not honour the two men who helped make our babies possible," she smiled though there was a hint of sadness in her voice as she remembered seeing Aaron lying in a pool of blood on a cold hard road so very long ago. Despite his Were healing abilities, he'd almost died protecting her and the memory still brought pain and fear with it.

"I couldn't have picked two more perfect names for our sons, Lace," Rafe whispered his voice thick with emotion. "Just as I couldn't have picked two better friends to protect my heart for me."

The kiss he gave her was so full of love it brought tears to her own eyes and she laughed softly as she pushed him away to wipe them clear. "This is supposed to be a happy occasion not the two of us blubbering like babies."

Rafe laughed loudly. "It is a happy occasion, baby, just a very emotional one too."

A knock on the door sounded and Aaron and Jen slipped quietly inside. "Is it okay?" Jen asked.

Rafe waved them in and they came and sat on the bottom of the bed Aaron's arms automatically circling Jen's waist and pulling her back against his chest. "How does it feel to be a daddy," he teased lightly, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Perfect!" they all said at the same time and then burst out laughing at the chagrined expression on the Alpha's face.

"I'm going to have to find a new word to use," Rafe grumbled good naturedly shaking his head in mock exasperation.

"Have you named them yet?" Jen asked excitedly leaning forward to touch two tiny feet very gently.

"Yeah, what did you saddle your poor offspring with?" Aaron chuckled, remembering the teasing his friend had given him at the names Jen had picked for theirs. He was still trying to live Thorne down though his mate had been adamant about it so he'd let her have her way. It suited his son and he wouldn't change it for the world now.

"Ben and Aaron," Rafe answered quietly and his friend's laughter suddenly cut off as he went completely still against his mate.

Aaron stared at Rafe and then turned to Lacey, his expression so completely blank that for a moment they couldn't read him at all.

"You don't object, do you?" Lacey asked a slight tremor in her voice. She adored the Beta and would never dream of doing anything that would ever hurt him. She'd expected him be happy to have their son named after him, not this sudden freezing up she was witnessing.

"He doesn't object," Jen answered softly reaching up to touch her mate's cheek tenderly. "He's trying very hard not to cry, aren't you, baby?"

Aaron blinked and swallowed hard, placing a hand over hers as he swallowed again audibly. "You two did that deliberately," he finally managed to get out, his voice husky with emotion. "Bloody payback for all my teasing, isn't it?"

Rafe leaned forward and thumped him playfully on the arm. "What goes around comes around," he laughed lightly.

Eyes still a bit moist, Aaron sported his usual cocky grin, his eyes sparkling with warmth now that he was in better control of his emotions. "Thanks," he smiled. "It means a lot."

He couldn't say anymore so he shut up and just let the warmth of their gesture fill him with joy. That his best friends had honoured him this way meant the world to him. He knew it would have meant the world to Ben too if he had still be with them. He made a silent promise to his absent friend that he would take care of his namesake with the same protectiveness as he would his own.

He crawled forward and dropped a kiss on Lacey's lips receiving a quiet growl from her mate. He ignored him and grinned at her. "You did good, gorgeous." Rafe growled again and he laughed turning to his friend. "You want a kiss too?" he teased.

"Aaron, behave!" Jen laughed pulling her mate back before he seriously started to annoy Rafe. She heard their Alpha muttering something about names easily being changed but there was no heat in the words.

Feeling his work was done Aaron scooped his mate up from the bed and headed towards the door. "Everything's fine so you don't need to worry about any pack business," he tossed over his shoulder. "I've rescheduled the meeting with the kids for tomorrow morning. Is that okay?"

"Tomorrow's fine," Rafe answered knowing Pack life didn't stop just because he'd become a father.

"Have you called Annie and Millie?" Aaron asked from the doorway setting Jen back down on her feet.

"Annie's in Shanghai at the moment," Rafe sighed softly. "She's going to be pissed she missed the birth but I'll give her a call shortly. I dare say she'll be home directly. I called Jared an hour ago. He said he and Millie would come over tomorrow to give us a little time to get used to the idea of being parents."

He settled down on the bed as the other couple headed back to their rooms leaving him alone once more with his family. He saw Lacey's eyelashes flutter tiredly and he stroked the side of her face tenderly. "Sleep baby. I'll watch over them while you do."

Smiling sleepily she closed her eyes and rested against the pillow. "I love you, Rafe."

"I love you too, Lace," he whispered softly. "Sleep. You deserve it." He lay beside his sleeping family, a feeling of completion coming over him as he gazed down at them. This was what perfection looked like, his beautiful mate and his equally beautiful sons.

*****

Aaron had scheduled the meeting with the children early knowing Rafe would be up anyway with his sons. It was fortuitous that he had because it meant his friend would be able to discuss any discoveries with the Alpha of the Hanlon Pack when he arrived to meet the babies later on in the day.

He'd chosen the playroom in his own home as the meeting place as all the children were comfortable there. It was important that the kids felt safe while they talked to them and tried to find out what abilities they were keeping hidden from the adults of the Pack. And it was big enough to hold all the parents.

The only one absent was Lacey. Weres healed more quickly from giving birth due to their natures but she hadn't wanted to be apart from her sons so had opted to stay upstairs with them. Rafe had made the decision to exclude Aaron's three from the meeting until they knew exactly what was going on so they were currently over at the community hall being looked after by the rest of Pack.

Five little faces looked up expectantly at the adults who were all sitting cross legged on the floor around them. Cedar and Alexei hovered close to their girls, Andrei and Loretta beside Lily and Kal. Liam, being the youngest and the one they knew was susceptible to sensing emotions, was resting against his father's chest, Ashleigh just a little distance apart from them.

"Is this like a proper meeting?" Kal suddenly asked looking directly at Rafe. "Like an Alpha and Beta meeting?" He couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice, his brown eyes hopeful.

Rafe smiled gently. He was aware of how much Kal wanted to grow up to be a Beta, that his dream was he would one day be an Alpha. He had no idea how Andrei felt about that but he admired the drive in the little boy asking the question.

"Yes, it is Kal," he answered carefully. "And when an Alpha has a meeting with his Betas he expects to hear the truth at all times. It's very important that an Alpha trusts his Betas explicitly." He let his words sink into all the children and smiled when they nodded instantly.

"Now I know all of you are special and sometimes special people can do special things. Sometimes they're so special that you might think it's best to keep them a secret so you don't worry your mummies and daddies. Like Liam did when he didn't tell Aunt Ashleigh and Uncle Nors that he could feel what other people are feeling."

"I'm sorry," Liam whispered, his little face puckering slightly as Nors cuddled him a little closer.

"I'm not angry, Liam," Rafe soothed the child instinctively. "You can feel that, can't you?" He sent a shaft of love directly to the child and soon he was smiling widely and nodding.

Rafe turned his gaze back to other children. "I'm not angry with anyone and nobody will be if you've been keeping a secret too. We need to know if you can do anything special like Liam can, so we can best look after you."

All the children sat quietly for a moment, looking at their Alpha with such focus that he actually felt a little unnerved by their stillness.

"Can Rayne come to the meeting too?" Kallum suddenly asked, startling all the adults who looked at each other quizzically.

Aaron shrugged his shoulders in confusion at the request. "She took care of the kids yesterday morning," he volunteered. "Maybe they'll feel more comfortable with her here?" It appeared the children were loath to speak at the moment without her.

Rafe frowned, not wanting a stranger to be involved in something that was so integral to the pack. The hybrid children were their richest assets and their biggest Achilles heel. They were so precious to the pack that anything happening to them would most likely spark a killing frenzy of unimaginable proportions.

"Please," Liam whispered quietly his eyes huge as he implored his Alpha.

Something in the child's gaze convinced him and he nodded. Ashleigh jumped up and raced out of the room returning a couple of minutes later with a thoroughly confused looking wildcat.

Rayne looked around the room and the slightly suspicious expressions on the adults' faces. She had no idea why she had been called to the room or what was going on. She saw five expectant faces beaming up at her and she smiled back instinctively, crouching down on the floor beside Rafe.

"Hi, " she smiled feeling the same connection to the children she had the day before, only this time she didn't cry because she was expecting it.

"Can we play the game we played yesterday, Rayne?" Dara asked, her bright blue eyes shining with excitement. "Our parents don't know that game and they want to."

Rayne felt her heart thud hard in her chest. She now knew why she was here. The pack was aware of the children's growing abilities and wanted to know what they were. She could feel the adults stiffen, the tension ratcheting up in the room. She knew she was on dangerous ground, that one wrong move could lead to the children's parents trying to rip her throat out. They would have a good chance of doing it too.

She sat down carefully, crossing her legs and ensuring she was within easy reach of the Alpha. She hoped to convey her trust in him so he wouldn't view her as a threat. Heart thumping wildly she gave the children her brightest smile.

"Well, I don't think much will have changed since yesterday," she said softly. "But if you would prefer to do it this way then, why not?"

She took at deep breath and tried to mask her apprehension. Her secrets, her very life could be in the balance but she couldn't refuse the children. "Hands up everyone who can sense other peoples' feelings?"

Five little hands shot up and she slowly raised hers too.

"Hands up everyone who can talk to others with their thoughts," she asked next.

Again five hands shot up and she matched them with barely a pause. The silence from the adults was practically deafening, though the children didn't appear to notice.

"Hands up anyone who can shift into an animal," she asked next.

Two little hands shot up and Cedar uttered a strangled sound as she stared at her daughters in shock. She barely noticed Rayne raising her own hand or the disgruntled expressions on Lily and Kal's faces.

"Hands up anyone who can mask their scent."

Four hands shot up and Liam let out a disgusted sigh. "I want to be able to do that," he grumbled as Rayne raised her hand to join the others.

"In time, little one," she said gently, giving him a wide smile. "Okay, now it's your turn," she said to the others. She'd done the same yesterday and none of the children had announced any abilities other than what they had gone through already. But she decided to play out the 'game' as she had done the day before.

Lily smiled and stood up brushing down her skirt. "Hands up if you can make yourself invisible," she said with a wide smile.

Startled gasps filled the room as Lily raised her hand high but none of the others did. Her smile of pleasure quickly began to melt as she noticed the looks of horror on her parents' faces and all the other adults. Her bottom lip trembled and she felt tears begin to well up. She didn't want to play this game anymore.

Rayne stared at the child in shock. It was far too early for her to be able to do master this ability. It had taken her centuries to do so and the little angel before her was only five years old. It was too much power in one so young. The tears suddenly rolling down her face was testament to that.

Her heart broke as the little girl wilted before her and she found herself slowly raising her own hand, giving away her greatest secret in the face of a child's misery. "It's okay, Lily," she whispered softly. "I can do it too. You're not alone, honey."

The low rumbling growl to her left sent chills down her spine as the friendly Alpha she had met before suddenly turned into a cold, ruthless killing machine, his dark brown eyes fixated firmly on her.

To be continued...

JazCullen
JazCullen
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AnonymousAnonymousover 6 years ago
5k stars!

Xoxo

fanfarefanfareover 9 years ago
"Since when...

....are toddlers able to speak so well?"

Since the adults they emulate do NOT (often) use 'baby-talk' to communicate. But rather speak with intelligence and maturity with the child. Helping them with context and pronunciation as needed.

Listening to preset radio and television of mature interests. In addition to PBS children's programming. And we never used the television as a baby-sitter.

Permitting them access to literature and science works as they want to add those to their regular children's books.

I know "Poopy-Pants" made my eyes roll too. But honestly, I giggled right along with the kids while we read them.

This was in addition to National Geographic Juvenile magazines and other similar educational and edutainment material.

Children repeat what they hear. If mediocre cartoons and repetitious comic-books and bad music, and ignorant adult talk (see Fox News) are all they see and hear, that is what they will learn from.

AnonymousAnonymousalmost 10 years ago

Since when are toddlers able to speak so well?

dairetodairetoover 10 years ago
you are so very very talented Jazz

I am in awe of your talent

AnonymousAnonymousalmost 11 years ago
Great writing but some content inconsistencies

"Ashley: “Nors...he's almost certain that Freya has gone to seek a way to end her life." A muffled sob escaped her and she looked away from him again…..”

Ashley: “I don't think she's ever coming back," she admitted. "I can't tell Nors that because it would break his heart even more. He needs to believe that she will, that when she does everything will be just fine."

If Nors already thinks Freya is going to end her life, then how can he believe that she will eventually come home and everything will be fine? This part doesn't make sense and it's these little inconsistencies that kinda make me go huh? But still such great story telling,

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