Guardian Wolf Ch. 03

When Rachel prodded as to what the surprise was James said he was not letting this out in the open. Rachel tried to search her memory to see if James had let it slip when they shared their memories this morning. All that she was able to see was James giggling happily her reaction to the surprise; everything else was a fuzzy blur. This pissed her off to no end. She hated being left in the dark, especially when it concerned her; doubly so when it involved potential birthday surprises. Every time she tried to concentrate on something in particular, she could see certain things, but everything else was a blur. Not wanting to give herself a headache, Rachel broke down and asked James for help.

"James, tell me something. I'm supposed to have all these new memories from what happened yesterday, but everything still seems fuzzy. I feel so much closer to you after what we did this morning; like our wolves have met and recognized each other, but when I try to concentrate on anything in particular, it loses clarity. Can you help me understand this?"

"Of course babe, you have to understand Rachel that what happened to you last night and again this morning is the equivalent to sensory overload; a complete memory dump, if you will. There is so much information being shoved into your subconscious and long term memory, in such a short amount of time, it kind of overloads a person. This is again my fault. If I hadn't been such a puss in talking to you and introduced myself a month ago like I was supposed to, I could have helped prepare your mind for the transition. I was suppose to show you how to properly organize your thoughts through meditation and breathing exercises; I will still show you up at the cabin, but it is now just to help clean up the clutter and dust away the cobwebs in your memory," James said with an apologetic wave of his fork.

"Why didn't you introduce yourself before yesterday? After you caught me at that homecoming game, I was waiting for you to make a move. Did you feel the connection we had when our eyes met after you caught me? I swore I would cream my panties then and there I was so turned on. I waited after the game looking for you but you had disappeared. I wanted to go looking for you, but that asshole Jayden wanted me to go to a party with a bunch of his football buddies. I said I was tired and didn't want to go, but the prick insisted. I guess he wanted some arm candy or some stupid shit like that. Gods! How did I ever put up with this whole high school social drama? The whole concept is so fucking retarded; it has absolutely no bearing in the real world."

"Honestly, I was scared shitless of you rejecting me; your beauty and confidence intimidated me immensely. If it wasn't for Marcus talking some sense into me and my wolf finally asserting himself, your parents would have had to figure out some bullshit reason to get you to the house. It has happened before and it isn't the best way to meet your mate. I'm glad I was able to talk to you alone before the rites; I wanted to explain a little of what was going to happen on my own terms. I'm still blown away you are accepting this the way you are. I mean, for all intents and purposes, we are married now. I am still trying to wrap my mind around the whole concept myself. It is one thing to accept in theory, but it is something else to experience.

Don't get me wrong. I'm ecstatic to be with you. You are beyond my wildest dreams and fantasies. I can't tell you how much I masturbated about you in my fantasies; I was afraid I would develop carpal tunnel before too long. I have no hesitation to scream my love and adoration for you; if it took tattooing my body with 'I love Rachel Merchant' all over my body, I would do it in a heartbeat. Mom wasn't kidding when she said we men love our mates unconditionally; I would lay down my life for Rachel. You are my life. But my logical side is telling me I should be more freaked out about the situation. I'm sure your brain is screaming the same thing at you. Shouldn't this scare you more than it does? I was worried the thought of mating a complete stranger and bearing a bunch of kids would have you running for the hills," James said, letting Rachel see his own insecurities for the first time.

"I know what you mean. I keep telling myself I should be dreaming and this wonderful experience will be nothing more than a great fantasy to masturbate to. I will wake up and still have to deal with that ass Jayden. The logical side of my brain keeps trying to convince my heart that this is too good to be true. I keep trying to convince myself that no one, human or otherwise falls instantly and madly in love; it's just not done. I don't know if I am trying to scare myself or to see if I am truly in absolute control of my emotions. Even the thought of children with you excites me James; the thought of being pregnant with your babies makes me feel warm and happy. I have never had a family beyond my parents and the thought of creating one with you is both exciting and calming at the same time, if that makes any sense," Rachel said as she was searching for words to express what her heart already knew.

"If this is some perverse dream, I pray I never wake up. I know our lives won't be perfect. There will be arguments, problems, and hardships. We will have to work hard together to keep this pack happy and content. My father says he has two full time jobs and being CEO of a massive corporation is the easier of the two. But as long as I am with you, I have no fear. My mind and heart are content to accept things as they come. The sex is sensational and I pray it only gets better, but it pales to the fact that you are here, now. As long as we are together I can conquer armies and scale the highest mountains. I know that I would die if I ever lost you; I would simply lose the will to live. Mom was correct; soul mates are two halves of the same whole. That's all I can say babe...I love you more than words," James said with such finality that silenced and lingering doubt that they were to be together for the rest of time.

Rachel threw her arms around her lover, mate, and husband. James certainly had a way with words. It must come with the territory of being an Alpha. She was more excited now than ever to be mated to him. She saw the confidence and truth in his words and any argument or question her brain was still trying to raise were quickly squashed by her heart. There would be no more arguments when it came to them. They were together; they were in love; they would have children. Everything else was superfluous. She kissed him furiously as she crushed his massive frame with her petite one. She was about to initiate another round of love making when there was a tirade of commotion in the backyard. A series of barks were heard and a faint scratching came from the French doors that led to the patio.

"It looks like the kids are up and hungry. Go throw on a robe or something babe; it's time to meet the family. I warn you though, you are probably going to get a tongue bath from the little one; she is still a puppy. She is very affectionate and doesn't quite understand the meaning of 'stop' yet," James said with a laugh.

Rachel rushed to the bedroom to find a pair of her pajama bottoms and a t-shirt in an open moving box; it looks like her parents had already moved her stuff. One less thing she would have to worry about. James opened the back door and stepped onto the patio. Outside two shapes were jumping and vying for attention as James struggled to get them to settle down. Finally with a commanding 'sit' and a brief, but firm growl with his sub vocals he got the two to finally calm down. After James was satisfied they wouldn't rush and tackle their new mistress, James motioned for Rachel to come outside.

When Rachel stepped out on to the porch she noticed two very excited and animated Labrador retrievers sitting patiently until their master released them to attack their new friend. Their tails were brushing the finished concrete frantically; a consistent swishing noise could be heard as they displayed their excitement. The bigger of the two was a male golden, his face paling with age slowly turning his face and muzzle white. His eyes were still clear and bright, showing there were still a few years left in him. The smaller of the two was clearly female. She showed all the eagerness and playfulness of a dog that was still very much a puppy. Her coat was a silky black, but her stomach and paws showed a creamy white. Her ears were long and floppy and her muzzle was a bit shorter than a traditional Labrador. Rachel suspected a mixed breed. All in all, both were gorgeous and well behaved dogs. James laughed as the male continued to bump and muzzle his master's hand, urging him to continue scratching his ears every time James tried to stop.

"Okay babe. These are our dogs. This old man here is called Chubbie. Ilsa found him sitting in her yard playing with the kids. He walked in and simply adopted the kids as his own. They have too many pets already and the city wouldn't allow another dog. She knew I had always wanted another dog since my first one passed away a few years ago. Adam gave me a ring before they notified animal services. I followed the officer back to the shelter and put a hold on him. Five days later he came to live with us. He quickly became big brother to all the younglings and Lacey is firmly convinced that he is part wolf. He keeps an eye on them and lets them know when they are getting too rowdy, don't ya Chubs?"

At the sound of his name, Chubbie bumped his muzzle against James's hand and began to wag his tail faster. James scratched his ears for a couple of minutes before he told Chubbie to lie down. After acknowledging the command, James walked over to the little girl that was now straining not to break her master's command and simply jump Rachel there and now.

"This little rambunctious black beastie is Roxy. I got her last year as a birthday present. She was only a few weeks old and freshly weaned from her mother. She's actually not pure Labrador but a Labradinger. Her father is a black Labrador that knocked up a female Springer spaniel. You can see her mother in her white coat and her extra long ears and shorter muzzle. She is very affectionate and loves to give kisses. Just be careful though. She tends to get a little aggressive and will try to shove her tongue in your mouth. Not the most pleasant experience to french a dog. You want to meet Rachel, Roxy? Well go on then, go say 'hi'," James said as Roxy leapt at Rachel's kneeling form.

James didn't even get to the word 'go' before Roxy broke from her position and proceeded to knock a laughing Rachel over and cuddle her. Rachel's face was practically dripping after Roxy finished saying hello. The only thing that saved Rachel was the sound of kibble hitting the food bowls. Rachel was completely forgotten as both dogs raced to inhale their breakfast. Both ate quickly and switched places to clean each other's bowl clean. Chubbie returned to nudge James hand and Roxy returned to Rachel to give her new mistress another smooch. Roxy managed to give a little tongue because Rachel stood up quickly shaking her head and spitting.

James laughed and said, "Yum! Kibble flavored kisses!"

Ewww! Yuck! She tongued me!

I warned you, didn't I? She was just coming to show you that she cleaned her plate. Looks like you have a new best friend baby. I would keep an eye out for a four legged shadow from now on. Roxy will want to make sure that you aren't going to go anywhere after we settle in. But come on, I want to show you the house before we go back over to the mansion. I want to see what you think about some ideas of mine.

James led her back through the doors into the great room. Beside the master bedroom and bath there were two additional rooms that could be used as bedrooms or a home office and den. James pointed to the one closest to the master suite. He told her his idea about turning it into a nursery. Rachel said it sounded perfect. There was also a full bathroom with shower and jetted tub. James led her downstairs to an unfinished basement. The concrete was cold on her bare feet. The basement itself was almost 1500 square feet unfinished. James pointed out where he thought a living room would go and pointed to the other end where he thought about building two or three bedrooms and a second bathroom. It would be a good place for the kids when they got older.

"Once we move to the mansion in a few years, I think it would be a good home for a young family looking to expand from one of the other pack starter homes. With two or three bedrooms and another bath, in addition to this family room here, it will be a great place for the family to come and relax. It is much cooler down here in the summer and we can place a second heating unit for use during the winter. What do you think?" James asked as they headed upstairs to get out of the cold basement.

"It sounds good to me, but can we really afford something like this? I mean we are still in high school and we don't have jobs and we still have college to worry about and once we start a family that will just add more financial stress. I mean can the pack really afford to house all of us? I don't want to be a burden on your parents or other pack members. I want to pull my own weight...What?" Rachel asked confused at James amusement.

"Babe, there are a few things you have to learn about the pack and people in our world, in general. The first thing you have to learn about being immortal is patience; we are going to be around on this Earth for a long time. Even if we lost everything, every materialistic item, we would survive; we would rebuild and move on. Trust me. It has happened more than once in our clan history. It can happen again. It's cliché, but as long as we have each other we are good. It takes a lot to get rid of us immortals. I figure I should tell you now before I forget. If we aren't beheaded or shot in the head, stabbed or shot through the heart with silver or bleed out, we aren't going down. Patience is vital when you are talking about eternity; you learn real fast not to sweat the small stuff. Material goods, luxuries, and even this house will be gone long before we are. I know being human and having to depend on such things was important in your world; but in ours, remember it is just stuff.

Second thing to understand is that the pack is family. From the lowliest omega to my father and mother, we all share what we have. We look out for and protect each other. We share our triumphs and our hardships alike. Our clan is successful because we have worked hard for it and we have shared within our clan and our pack. The supernatural world, as a whole, has let go of such petty things as greed and material possessions; there are a few pricks still left out there who don't quite get it, but they are in the vast minority. Yes we do have nice things and yes we enjoy using them, but they aren't that important. This is probably the hardest thing for humans who don't know what we are to understand. The human world is very much centered on the individual: how much do I have and how much I can get. The supernatural world is quite different. You've heard of Karl Marx right? He helped develop the idea of socialism and a utopian society. One of the few humans to ever come close to what it can mean to be immortal. I wouldn't doubt it if some of his buddies in Germany were from our world. But again, the human world took his ideas and tried to apply them to a world that won't fully accept the needs of the group over the individual. It was and still is one of the many reasons why our existence remains a secret; human greed is a cancer that destroys from within.

You see everything on this compound is bought from a community fund. Every dollar earned through our companies, our restaurants, our exports and imports, every subsidiary is held and maintained in pack owned banks; the interest from the accounts alone pays for much of what we use. Also we are quite self sufficient. We manufacture and build much of what we own ourselves. This house was built by a neighboring clan's construction company. They built much of what is on this compound. Brent owns and operates several feed lots and meat packing plants in Texas; he provides a lot of meat, I mean a lot, to the Archer clan for raw lumber and other building supplies. They cut us a great deal for this house because he keeps their Alpha up to his eyeballs in prime rib.

If we can't produce what we want or need, we can barter or trade for it with other clans and the other great Houses. The supernatural community as a whole has a thriving economy that is quite separate from the human equivalent. We do business with the humans, of course, but the majority is with others of our own kind. The best part of it is that our form of economy is virtually recession proof. My dad managed to steer several of our companies through the great depression with few casualties. And before you stop me, when I say humans, I mean those who don't know what we are. Humans who are guild and tied to a great House are considered family; your parents are considered pack of their own right. They have given and earned as much as any other member of the Wolfe clan.

And finally, my little sugar britches, we are not free loaders. Marcus and I build and maintain much of the IT infrastructure used here at the compound. We also upgraded the corporate network at my dad's headquarters a year ago. With a few more of our friends and cousins, we are essentially the company's IT support team. I have worked hard for my father since I was fifteen; I am his son, but when I am on company property I am first and foremost an employee. He wouldn't hesitate to first fire then kick my ass if he feels I am not doing my share of the work. I work several hours a week after school and a lot of weekends. It hasn't been a problem before now since my social calendar was less than stellar. But with everything that will happen in the next couple of years, things will change quite a bit. I will still be expected to put in a lot of hours at the company, and my Dad expects me to finish my schooling with top marks and be a good father and husband to my growing family. I already have built up a substantial savings with my salary and some small investments my father has urged me to pursue. In addition to a steady income, I own a couple of small patents that pay a decent royalty, just a couple simple electronic devices that have a surprisingly large market. We are doing just fine right now; we are definitely not going to starve.

Our families, the Wolfe's and the Merchant's, have been doing things this way for centuries. Newly mated pairs are setup with a home and a steady income, we help educate them in a desired trade or major, and then help them get settled into a job of their choosing. When children come into the picture, we have grandparents and other pack members to help raise and babysit the pups while the parents work and go to school. And despite our baby-hungry parent's intentions, we can wait as long as necessary until we feel we are ready for children. When they do come, you will have a virtual army of babysitters and a vast array of knowledge to help ease us into parenthood. Like I said babe, the pack helps take care of its own. I know you are a single child and this whole family thing is new to you, but you just fell into the largest extended family you could ever hope for. Give it a couple of years; you will be dying for an extended stay of privacy from this mob." James said.

"That's another thing I was curious about. Just how often does a female come into heat? I thought with the whole immortality thing, and your siblings all being much older, you would have a shit load more nieces and nephews. Will a female become pregnant every time she goes into heat? I'm trying to wrap my head around just how many kids you and I can have...will have. This whole situation is so surreal, it is asking a lot for my brain to accept it all," Rachel said as she was trying to sort out a wealth of new knowledge.