Coming of Age Ch. 08

"You'll find out in thirty seconds." Thais said firmly and turned to the stairs.

Amy walked down the stairs rubbing her hands on a towel; she smiled at everyone as she came to stop half a dozen steps from the bottom so that she was raised above everyone. "Ghan?" A path was made for him and he walked forward slowly wondering if he had upset the Alpha. Amy smiled at him which dispelled his fear. "Congratulations, a little girl and a little boy, both healthy and mother is fine."

Shock was the emotion on his face; he was a father... finally. He didn't know what to do, his mind was blank. Amy walked down a few steps and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"You can go up, she's waiting for you." Amy told him.

Haley appeared with a small offering of food, it wasn't a lavish feast that would normally go up after a birth, merely a token as they knew Keira would be okay to come down for the feast in a few hours. Food and a gift was the mate's way of saying to both natures that they would care for their cubs and their mate. Wolfgang came forward with the gift Ghan had put in his care, Ghan took the tray and Wolfgang placed the gift on it.

Amy stepped out of his way and gestured for him to go up. Everyone clapped, encouraging him to go, which he did. Thais turned to his friends as the group started to hug and be merry. "Cubs are always celebrated; they are new life, the future." He explained. "The non-whelping mate isn't allowed to be in the room during the whelp, even if they are also female, it's something that will never change, once the whelp is over the mate then goes up with food and a gift. The food to appease the beast's need to protect its young, by giving them food it means you are willing to protect the cubs, back when they were more animal then man the parentage of cubs wasn't always as definitive as it is now. The food meant that regardless of who actually sired the cubs the mate would take responsibility for their protection and up-bringing. The gift is for the human side, something personal and a symbol of their love." He finished knowing that this wasn't in any book that Sky had read.

"What does your father give your mother?" Sky asked.

"Little gold hearts," Amy said as she had walked over during Thais's explanation, "one for every child with their name and date of birth on them, they then go on my waist-let."

"Hi ma, this is Sky, Rachel, Rayven, Jasmine and Jay." Thais introduced.

"Mrs President," Sky said as she bowed her head.

"Amy," she corrected as she held out her hand, "I don't stand on formality around friends and family, especially here, this is my home, not the white house."

Sky nodded and shook her hand, the others followed but Amy had managed to save Rayven for last. Rayven quivered as her eyes locked with Amy's for a moment then jerked them away knowing that eye contact could be dangerous when dealing with an Alpha as it could mean a challenge. Amy wasn't as self-conscious; she was a powerful Alpha who no one messed with on even on a good day. Her eyes roamed over the woman Crystal had given her gift to, Destiny had already vouched for her but Amy wasn't as trusting, her concern was for her family and her members.

"Ma..." Thais said, "You'll like Rayven. Crystal would never tie herself to someone she didn't like and didn't share her ideals."

"I know that," Amy told her son, "I just wish you hadn't told Crystal to turn Rayven until after we had met her. Do you know how dangerous this situation will become if it becomes common knowledge that Crystal has perfected the process of creating her own kind of juniors?"

"She has a point," Wolfgang told his son, "it means Crystal can re-turn Vampires, Were even, as long as they don't carry the mystery gene. Like you she can create true immortals, do you know what would happen if that were to fall into the wrong hands?"

Rayven turned to Thais, "your parents have a point, I could have been a psychopath."

"You all forget I see the future, I would not have asked Crystal to turn Rayven if Rayven had a single bad bone in her body, as long as we tell Arianna the truth she will help us keep it from the other Vampires and once..." he paused.

"And once?" Amy prompted.

"Never mind that... but eventually Arianna will join the St Claire's and by then it won't matter." Thais said editing what he was going to say. He would not give that part of the future away until the right moment.

Amy took a deep breath, "regardless, it is too late now."

"How will Arianna help cover it up?" Rayven asked curious.

"She will inform the other Masters that you have changed a change that effectively changed you in to a being like Crystal and Destiny. She will go on to lie and say it took a combination of blood from both women, that you had been hurt and had no other option, remember they heard Judas say biting doesn't work so they won't consider that something like that has changed. She will also inform them of our little revelation that the Maker's bond has come back into effect and that no matter how Crystal or Destiny word it you are still bound to them." Thais informed.

Rayven snorted, "I can just see those high strung masters first eager for the change then vehemently against it. They would never put themselves in a position to be controlled even if it came with true immortality."

Thais nodded, "they also won't go broadcasting it either. Instead they will start putting around that you are another of Judas's experiments that they had no idea about, that you came across this revelation while hunting the rogue tribe."

"But Tamor turned me," Rayven said finding a flaw in that reasoning.

"A plant by Judas to be trained to the high standards of Tamor's warriors but meant to be loyal to him and turned by Destiny before he had her mind erased," Thais replied. "When he later found out that he had no control he left her alone and when he learnt that she went to work for Destiny he became the slightly paranoid man he had become in the last thousand years."

"Oh fuck..." Rayven said, "you know that actually makes sense."

Thais nodded, for the thousand years leading up to Judas's death he had slowly slid into paranoia and exceedingly distrustful of anything and everything that came from Destiny.

"What about Tamor?" Rayven asked

"Tamor will back it up if only to keep his enemies from the knowledge of gaining true immortality." He answered.

Rayven nodded, she could see Tamor going along with this; he wasn't as paranoid as people made him out to be, oh he distrusted everyone and everything but he had his reasons as he had made a lot of enemies in his long life.

"And you are pack now; no one will divulge the secret of your change." Amy added; she still wasn't happy with how this had played out but she trusted Thais enough to not endanger his friends.

"You and I will have a chat first thing tomorrow." Wolfgang informed Rayven before he turned and wrapped his arms around Cass. She hugged him back which caused him to kiss her temple, "welcome back."

"I'm sorry," Cass replied her eyes glancing down to the linked chains now tattooed around her wrists.

"You had every right to act the way you acted." He told her, "You know if you need help that Amy and I will do all that we can, you just need to tell us." He took her right hand and studied the markings.

Cass nodded, she knew that they will always be there to help her and she appreciated it. "I know; you sent Ghost when you knew I needed him."

"Serenity succeeded then?" Amy asked and Cass nodded in reaction. "Good." She hummed as she studied the wrist that Wolfgang held. "It seems that when Serenity does what she does it leaves a physical imprint." Cass nodded as her eyes traced the pattern.

"DINNER!" Haley yelled as she bashed the gong, calling everyone into the grand banquet hall. The room quickly filled, there were two tables, one for the younger children which was loaded with all their favourite foods besides desert, they would be able to serve themselves today. The second table was for the teenagers and adults.

Everyone waited until the last group joined the room, Sienna carried a crib and the two new parents carried their cubs. No one rushed to see the new cubs, they would all get a chance in due time, Sienna put the crib down near where the new parents would sit. The two cubs were firmly wrapped up in white blankets and fast asleep in their parents arms.

The cubs were put in the crib and Keira and Ghan joined the table. Wolfgang stood and the gentle buzz of conversation stopped. Smiling around the room at all the people he called family he raised his glass, "to friends and family both the new and the old, may we forge strong bonds that are never broken."

Everyone charged their glasses at his toast then sipped their drinks as Wolfgang sat. Then the feasting and chatting began, the meal was very informal, most in the room were doing their best to forget the pressures of their lives and just be normal.

"Hey... Sky right?" Ash said in the bustle, "I'm Ash, can you pass the stuffing." He asked gesturing to the bowl before her. Sky stared at Ash, he was gorgeous, his mouse brown hair was slightly long and shaggy and his green eyes had flecks of yellow and seemed to hold her transfixed. "Stuffing?" he asked again.

Sky blinked and reached for the stuffing and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he said with a lop sided grin that exposed a dimple in his cheek.

"Breathe Sky," Crystal teased, Sky turned and glared at Crystal causing those close by to chuckle.

"Ignore her, I know I dazzle people." Ash said in amusement. "Can you pass the beans?" he added as he reached. He took the bowl and turned to Rayven, "I've been chatting to Destiny, to find out what your complete duties were when you worked for the conclave." He said before serving himself some beans.

Rayven nodded, she understood. "And?"

"And I would like to see you in action some time tomorrow." He explained.

Rayven nodded, "Thais said Amy was going to fight me tomorrow."

Ash nodded and turned to Thais, "give me a heads up when it starts to go down." He asked and got a nod from Thais.

Rayven poked at the cranberry jelly, wondering what it was for. Sage watched her for a moment, "you put it on meat," Sage told her. "I remember when we were teaching Destiny about modern food, it was easier to just give her a made up plate." Sage clicked her fingers and a little bit of everything appeared on Rayven's plate. "And let her try everything until she learnt her likes and dislikes."

"Thanks," Rayven replied, "they seem to find my food education funny." She told Sage.

Sage nodded, "yeah well I still chuckle when I remember Temperance bitting into a chilli and the look of alarm on her face, she was four, Serenity couldn't wrap her mind around peas for a while, kept thinking they were going to sprout in her stomach."

Serenity glared at her sister, "hey... the chilli and the peas was your doing. You goaded Temp into eating the chilli and told me a story about a man who was admitted to hospital because he had a pea plant in his stomach because he didn't chew it right."

Sage grinned and shrugged. "I couldn't help it, it was fun and I bet you did something to Gwynt." She turned to their youngest brother.

"No that was you Sage; you pretended to eat an onion and offered me one. You said they were great then laughed when I coughed and spluttered after my first bite. I was three." Gwynt answered with an unimpressed look on his face.

Sage chuckled and shrugged again, "okay... I admit it... I was a shit..."

"Was... Sage you still are a shit." Michelle said from a few seats down. Everyone in the immediate area laughed.

The cry of an infant had the room going quiet; Keira picked up the bundle and handed the little girl off to the nearest person who just so happened to be Crystal.

"I've never..." Crystal started to say but Serenity was already moving Crystal's arms to support the little bundle. The little girl's eyes opened, the right eye was a shocking electric blue and the left eye was amber.

"Wow... I've seen green and blue but not that combination before." Serenity said as she touched the little girl's chin then under it to give it a rub, immortal cubs generally developed their natural eye colour hours after birth unlike other babies. Vlha was the next to be given a cub and was proudly cuddling his nephew.

"And I have never seen eyes like these, green on the outside and blue in the middle," Vlha commented as he opened the blankets a little to touch the tiny hand. "You said you would answer my question when the parents were present."

"What did you ask?" Keira asked knowing Vlha's comment was directed at Thais.

Thais grinned. "The girl is a wolf and the boy is a Snow Leopard / White Tiger hybrid."

"Woo Hoo, about time there were some more male cats in this madness." Ash said loudly causing both cubs to start crying and everyone to shush him.

Crystal panicked as the little child in her arms cried and squirmed. "Take it back!" She demanded as she turned back to Keira who was busy eating.

Serenity touched her mate, "calm down, and gently bounce her."

"You take her," Crystal said as she turned to her mate but Serenity just gave her a look that told her mate to learn.

People chuckled at Crystal's startled look even as Serenity showed her how to bounce the little girl just right.

"She acts like she's never held a child before," Sage murmured just as Serenity removed her hands.

"I haven't," Crystal hissed even as she gently bounced the little girl who started to calm down and stop crying. "People were repulsed by me, who in their right mind would give their child to someone they feared?"

"Well we've always known Keira wasn't in her right mind." Ash commented so quickly that it took everyone a moment before they started to laugh.

Sky sighed almost an hour later, she felt overly full, in fact she wanted to loosen her belt and the top button of her jeans to make room. She had been eating Bastion's cooking for weeks but it was nothing compared to the food on this table, there was still heaps on left, she eyed the remnants of a stuffed roasted whole pumpkin, if anything it was to blame for over indulgence, one slice and she was going back for more. Haley chuckled as she reached over Sky and placed a tag on the left over pumpkin before Sky with her name on it.

"If you like I can give you the recipe?" Haley told her. "It's not one of mine but one of Amy's, she loves it and if I don't put your name on it Amy will attack it in the morning."

"I've never had pumpkin like that," Sky replied.

Haley chuckled and walked down the table putting a few more tags on a couple more dishes.

A few of the parents stood to put their young cubs to sleep as some had curled up in their chairs at their table. Only the young cubs would be going to bed, the older ones would be joining the pack in a run and play in the forest once the others went to bed. Thanksgiving was always a fun night for the pack, they got to run and play together as a full group instead of the smaller groups that they normally ran in. Then sometime in the early morning they would stumble into Lupa's clearing and sleep all piled up and around each other.

Sky watched as Serenity got up and stretched, she was looking forward to a good long romp in the forest. A lot of others were getting up and stretching. "Meet you guys outside." Nicky said before she walked from the room.

Crystal came over to her friends, "yeah the pack goes for a big run, we won't see them till about nine o'clock tomorrow morning but we will be hearing them." She explained.

"Crystal, Rayven, Destiny, Ghan, Sky, Jasmine, Rachel, Nhor and Jay, since you'll be in the house can you keep your ears open for the cubs. I doubt they'll wake after all that food but if they do can you put them back to bed." Amy asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Thanks that..." the rest of Amy's sentence was cut off as Wolfgang scooped her up and tossed her onto her shoulder. "WOLFGANG!" she cried out then growled as he landed a playful smack to her behind. "Put me down..." she ordered.

"Nah," Wolfgang said as he walked her from the room. Amy wasn't the only one being carried from the room.

"Our parents as so embarrassing," Mathew said as he watched his mother carry his other mother from the room, "See you out there." He added as he left and was followed out several others.

Serenity walked up to Crystal, wrapping her arms loosely around her mate. "I won't be long, my beast wants to run then she wants to come back and claim you properly." She said before she kissed her deeply for several long moments.

"Go," Crystal said once Serenity released her lips.

Rhiannon joined them, "Ghan, Keira, go and don't worry about the cubs, some of the Ancients have requested the duty."

"Are Cleopatra and Guinevere clucky again?" Ghan asked and Rhiannon nodded.

"Yeah, Gabrielle is getting that way too." Rhiannon answered before she turned to Thais. "Is she pregnant?"

"Not yet..." Thais answered and got some chuckles. Keira and Ghan slowly left the room with the sleeping twins.

Nhor joined the quickly dwindling group as the Were slid from the room. Alanna was the last to leave and only did so after she willed the left overs into containers and into the fridge and all of the dishes clean saving them from a job later.

"Night," Alanna said as she vanished.

"So..." Nhor said, "Can I start your adoption tattoo tonight."

"If you want, I really just want to sleep." Sky replied.

"Okay, we'll start tomorrow. Rayven..." He said startling the woman who hadn't thought that Nhor had seen anything on her skin.

"Sure." She said and they left the room just as the howls and roars of Were filled the air.

Ash lunged and tackled Serenity to the ground; she growled and threw him off before throwing herself into a playful wrestle. Ash had been the first of Amy and Wolfgang's sons to become a sabre, breaking the assumption that men couldn't be sabres. He was almost as big as his sister but he was heavier since he was older and more fully grown into his form, whereas his sister was just starting to fill out.

They broke apart and sat up on their haunches, they started to playfully swat at each other. Others had joined them and watched as they play fought.Haven't you got something better to be doing tonight?Wolfgang asked as he got between his children, his head was turned to his daughter and tilted his head.

Serenity chuffed before she licked her nose but she didn't go off, he hadn't given her permission to leave the run and since it was so rare for all the family to get together she wasn't going to ask for a concession.It can wait,she told her father.

He nudged his daughter and stepped back, tilting his head back he howled, calling to the pack, calling to his family and his call was answered first by Amy and then by everyone else.

They called three times before Wolfgang led them off on the run.

Wolfgang pounced and landed on his daughter Serenity several hours later, Serenity growled and they started to mock wrestle. Serenity didn't stand much chance against her father, he was the dominant Alpha in this group and he spent far too much time play fighting with Amy.

Serenity went down and rolled onto her back and tilted her head back showing her throat, showing her submission. Wolfgang licked her face and wagged his tail.Don't you have something to do?Wolfgang asked as other small mock fights broke out around the clearing.

Serenity thought for a moment,I have submitted what else is there?

Wolfgang chuckled,I do not mean here... Crystal... you haven't claimed her yet.

Serenity was suddenly on her feet.Do I have permission to leave the run?She asked.