The Porch Wolf Ch. 31-40

"Todd was scared I'd recover and come back to claim the Pack again. He shouldn't have worried; if not for a little girl, I'd still be drinking my life away in self-pity. Liv gave me a reason to let go of Catherine's things, and then Vicki gave me a reason to live. When I saw her and scented the mantle, my wolf claimed her as my own. The two gave me a reason to live again, and for that, I'll be eternally grateful. Without them, I'd never have met Luna Adrienne, and I'd never have you all in my living room. It's worth every injury I'm dealing with now to make it to this point."

I waited for everyone to settle down before I continued. "You have heard that I have repurchased eighty percent of Volkov Construction. That is true; I've infused capital back in so the debt load can be reduced, and I will lead the company back to where I left it and beyond. I did this because I love and care for all of you that work for me and depend on the company for your livelihood. It will not be easy to turn it around, but I'm confident that next year, we will be profitable again." There were a lot of smiles from this; everyone had been dreading layoffs and bankruptcy sales. "Your jobs are safe." There were cheers at this.

"We have a lot to do as we bring this Pack together. Next Saturday night, there will be a Pack run to celebrate the merger. As was our tradition, we will spend the afternoon and evening together, eating a big potluck dinner, before we run when the moon is highest. The focus of our Pack will be family. We will help each other, encourage one another, and celebrate the good things in our life."

I looked over at Adrienne, inviting her to say something. She shook her head; it was not her time. "Susan?"

"I'd like to thank Alpha Leo for doing what he didn't need to do, and bringing the remnants of our Pack into his," she said. "I look forward to continuing to serve as your Beta."

"What about Todd," someone asked.

"Todd attacked another Alpha and tried to kill a child," she said. "His life is forfeit. He would be dead already if he hadn't been arrested." She looked at me, then back at the Pack. "He did not confide his plans in me, or I would have stopped it. I will mourn the mate I loved, but this is where I need to be right now."

It was a good meeting; we answered questions for another hour before we stopped due to hunger. It was a full house on short notice, so a few people had gone to Sam's Club and picked up the fixings for sandwiches, chips, and salad. We got the children their food to take downstairs, then the adults moved to where there was room. I stayed in the living room, while Adrienne went downstairs with some of the mothers to spend time with the kids.

I was telling stories when Liv's cellphone rang, and her face showed her shock as she saw who it was. "Hold on, Mom," she said as she stood up. She ran up the stairs to her apartment as I wondered what was happening. A few minutes later, Brent ran upstairs after her. Both resisted my inquiries over the link, so I waited. Ten minutes later, the two came down. She had been crying, and she walked over and sat by me. "Leo?"

"What's going on, Liv?"

"My Mom is still in town, but Dad returned home to work. She wants to talk to me and to spend time with Vicki. I don't know what to do."

I reached over and held her hand. "She's still your mother. It's all right to want to have her in your life again."

"I don't want Vicki to be hurt. They can't hurt her if they aren't in her life."

I just shook my head. "They are hurting her because they are NOT in her life." I thought about it for a minute. "Meet her, but not with Vicki. Bring Brent along; he's your fiancé, and you should introduce him. He can protect you and get you out of there if it goes badly."

She held up her left hand. "If he liked it, he should have put a ring on it," she teased.

"I liked it, so I bit it," Brent replied. "We should go ring shopping today."

"Fine. Mom is staying at the St. James Hotel down in Red Wing. We could meet for dinner and drinks at Jimmy's. There are places there that we can have some privacy."

"Sunday is my normal night at the Smoking Oak. After everyone we've had here today, I'm not having anyone in the kitchen tonight. I'll take Vicki with us so she can have a slab of ribs. If it goes well, let us know, and we can bring her to you. If not, come on over and party with us."

"You're right," she said. "I have to know."

Ch. 36

Olivia Andersen's POV

Brent and I drove to Woodbury to look at rings. I was wearing a turtleneck and a loose-weave sweater, making sure my mating bite was covered. I didn't need any humans thinking I'd been attacked until the mating bite scarred over. Brent said that the visual warning of the scar to other werewolves was just part of what the mating bite did. It also mixed our scents, the combination telling others that we were mated and who our mate was. "You'll learn just how much you can find out by scent alone as you get used to our life," he told me. "It's not just that we have unique scents that you can track or recognize. You'll be able to break their smell down to where you can tell their rank and Pack. You'll be able to tell if they are in the fertile portion of their cycle or pregnant. You can tell if they are happy, horny, nervous, or terrified. You can tell if they are getting sick."

"It's like a dog?"

"Humans know that dogs have a sense of smell far more sensitive than theirs, and they can be trained to use it. Dogs can tell many things from urine left on a signpost. We do the same thing, you know."

"You pee on signposts?"

"We mark the edge of our territory. When you can shift again, we'll run it together. The Alpha's scent is strong to reflect his dominance. He marks the trees to claim the area and warn others away. Pack leadership will often add their own marks in between to back up his claim."

I just shook my head. "I don't know if I'll ever understand what I've gotten into here." The last thing I wanted to do was to find some days-old urine stain and stick my nose in it.

"It gets better," he told me as he squeezed my hand. "I'm sorry about how this all ended up; I'm sure you didn't grow up thinking you'd get bitten before you got a ring."

"You are current on your rabies vaccination, correct? I didn't see a tag on your collar when you jumped into bed," I teased. "It's all right, Brent. I liked you from the first time I saw you, but I was scared. So much was going on, and it was all I could do to stay strong for my daughter."

"You did that. You are amazingly strong, and you've done a great job raising Vicki," he said. I blushed as I turned away at the praise. My parents had told me to give up my baby because a teenage single mom couldn't be as good a parent as she would have with a married couple. I would like to think I proved them wrong; Vicki was a great kid. "The good news is that you can pick out just the ring you want, provided it is under one thousand, nine hundred and eighty-seven dollars with tax."

"I'm not going to wipe out your savings," I said.

"I don't want to dip into my thousand-dollar emergency fund," he replied. "Alpha Leo said he would pay for our wedding, though it will be modest. He would like us to choose the wedding venue, and the Pack will host a reception in the back yard. Leo and Catherine used to hold epic pool parties in the summer, and you know it will have lots of food."

I thought about it; the wedding was for legal reasons and human interaction. In the werewolf world, our bond was present and unbreakable. "Could I invite my friends? Girls I worked with, friends from back home?"

"Sure. Alpha just orders no shifting while humans are around." I started to cry as we pulled off the freeway. "What's wrong, Liv?"

"When I was a kid, Mom and I would talk about the wedding I'd have. We had a lot of fun talking about it. Then after I was disowned, I didn't care anymore. I didn't date, I didn't have time for men, and marriage wasn't anything I worried about. Now that I'm planning a wedding, I don't have my parents in my life, and my grandmother is gone."

"The Pack will help you; I'm sure Anita will be thrilled."

"I know." I wiped the tear away. "Do you think they'll be able to get a ring to match the wedding bands we found?" Wolves didn't do silver, and I didn't like gold for jewelry. We could do white gold, but when I started looking online, I fell in love with a matched wedding band set made of tungsten carbide. It was engraved with trees and wolves howling into the sky. It was reasonably priced, beautiful, and practical, perfect for my new life. I wanted an engagement ring that would look right next to it.

We pulled into a store and talked with the jeweler. "You're not going to find a match for that in a diamond setting," he said. "Tungsten Carbide is strong but brittle. You can't move the prongs around for the stone."

"What would you recommend?"

"You'll never get the silver color of the tungsten to match up with titanium, white gold, or silver. So, don't try. Go with a black gold setting for the engagement ring. It will match the black color at the base of this pattern on the band," he said. He found some examples; the darker matte color was a good match for what we saw on the screen. An hour later, Brent was on his knee, asking me to marry him, and he slid the half-carat diamond onto my finger as I said yes.

Even with the order of the wedding bands, which we verified sizes on at the store, we didn't wipe out his savings. As we drove home with the setting sun, I kept looking down at my left hand. "It's beautiful," I said.

"You're beautiful," Brent replied. There were squeals of excitement as I showed everyone my ring when we got home, especially when I showed them the wedding bands we had ordered. It was unconventional, but so was our love.

As we left for the St. James, I could feel the good mood of the day slipping away. Brent noticed. "How do you want to handle this," he said.

"I don't want her to know anything more about my private life until I know if she will be included," I said. "She would have seen you with me at the funeral with you, leaning on you. I should take this off," I said.

"No. You are my fiance,' and that isn't up for discussion. It's better to let her know you are moving on in your life, with or without her. Don't take that ring off for her."

"You're right," I said. "I'm not going to apologize for anything other than sleeping with John without protection. Everything I did after that, I'm proud of."

"Damn right." We parked nearby, and he held my hand as we took the elevator up to Jimmy's. The hotel bar was old-fashioned, hearkening back to the days of speakeasies. Leather furniture, dark oak woodwork, and a wide selection of spirits and food awaited us per the website. I'd never been there.

I spotted Mom moments after walking in. She had taken one of the small tables near the window, the low leather chairs around it. She looked surprised that I didn't show up with Vicki. "Mom, this is my fiance', Brent Lawrence. Brent, my mother, Kathryn Andersen."

Brent held out his hand to her; she paused for a moment, looking at my ring, then shook it briefly. "It's nice to meet you," he said. "We missed you at the funeral."

"Thank you for coming," she said. The waitress went off to get us diet cokes, plus another cocktail for Mom. I didn't know if we'd be staying long enough to eat yet. "This is hard," she said. "I've been told all my life that I needed to follow the lead of my husband, but I just can't do it anymore. He was wrong to disown you, Olivia. I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? About what? About pushing me away in my time of need? About valuing your reputation in the community above your own daughter? About pretending your granddaughter doesn't exist?" Mom was crying now. It hit me. "Dad doesn't know you're talking to me, does he."

She managed to shake her head, no. "He thinks I'm visiting my sister in Duluth."

Wonderful. "Why are you here? You've never defied Father in anything."

"And what did that gain me? My MOM died, and I didn't talk to her for the last five years of her life because she took you in after we disowned you. Sitting in that church, I realized I would NEVER get that time back with her, or with you, or with Vicki. I have a granddaughter who is almost five, and she hates me."

"Vicki doesn't hate you any more than I do, Mom. She doesn't understand." I'd never talked badly about my parents in front of her, for just this reason.

"After Nick left for home, I called my pastor. I'd never told anyone the full story; for an hour, I poured out everything to him, ending with what Vicki asked me at the funeral. When I was done, I asked him what I should do."

"What did he say," Brent asked.

"He asked how it was working for me so far," Mom said. "I broke down crying. I told him my family was torn apart and I couldn't bear to continue this way. He then told me what an IDIOT I was to do this to you. He reminded me that true love required forgiveness, and I had shown none. You made a mistake, but you moved forward and raised a wonderful little girl without us. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I'd like to have you in my life again."

Wow. "What is Dad going to say about this?"

"He and I will be having a long talk when I get home. I can't go on like this, Olivia. I love you, and I miss you."

Was it enough? Would my father change his mind? None of these questions mattered as I moved into my mother's arms for the first time in almost six years. We let the pain and heartbreak of all those years out, in public, as the bar patrons tried to ignore us. Finally, I said those three words I never expected to say to her. "I forgive you."

Ch. 37

Alpha Leo Volkov's POV

The house cleared out as the new Pack members returned home, and Liv and Brent went off to meet Liv's mother. I called ahead to The Smokin' Oak and reserved a large table, to the shock of the hostess. I'd been going there on Sundays for years, always alone, always at the same table.

Anita drove my truck, and I was stuck in the back with Vicki. My scooter was driven up into the bed using ramps, then strapped in place. Adrienne rode shotgun, as I pointed out some of the local sights as we drove east towards Red Wing. Mike drove the second car with Larry and Donna, and Brian Knight drove a third with his mate Carla. Susan was up in Minneapolis, getting close enough to Todd to link to him about the agreement we'd made.

Anita parked in a handicapped entrance, using the temporary tag my doctor had given me. The smell hit us before the truck doors even opened. The smell of open fire and meat was thick. My wolf and I loved the scent of the place.

It took a few minutes to get my scooter down and join the rest inside, where they waited by the hostess table. "I think I might like this place," Adrienne said as she stood behind me.

"I want RIBS," a fascinated Vicki said as she watched the meat moving around. Mike had picked her up so she could see over the screen that kept children from burning themselves.

The owners knew how to get people in; the oak fire and rotisseries were right by the entrance. Motorized racks carried slabs of pork ribs, whole chickens, pork shoulders and beef around, letting them taste the flames and then move away to slowly cook and rotate. We were brought to our table, and I had Adrienne on my right and Vicki on my left as we sat down. The waitress passed out menus and took our drink orders. "It all sounds so good," Adrienne said.

"May I suggest something," I asked and she quickly agreed. "The Rotisserie Sampler Platter to share. We get ribs, chicken, pulled pork, brisket and beef tips plus the sides."

"I want RIBS," Sharkbait said, "And I don't want to share!"

We gave our orders, then the waitress asked Vicki if she wanted chicken strips or macaroni and cheese from the kid's menu. "Full rack of ribs, please," she said. Our waitress looked at me and I nodded, so she wrote it down and moved on.

An hour later, she put the last of thirteen rib bones down onto her plate.

"Where does she put it," Adrienne said as she looked over at her. We'd finished ten minutes earlier, and I think she expected to eat some of her ribs, too.

Vicki went to point at her tummy, but her hand was caught by Anita and the wet wipe she had in her hand. Vicki's hands and face were cleaned of the sauce, which took several wipes, then she took her to the Ladies Room to wash up. Mike followed, standing guard outside the door without being told.

"She's quite the girl," Adrienne said. "I can see why you claimed her."

"She saved me as much as I saved her," I said. I told my mate the story about my friendship with Liv, and my decision to give her Catherine's car.

"Did you have a romantic interest in her?"

"No, and even if I had, she wouldn't have gone along with it. At the time, I had nothing. I decided to go through Catherine's things, finally, and I knew she could use reliable transportation. I didn't need the money as much as I needed to feel I had done something worthwhile. I knew she had a daughter, but I didn't know she was a werewolf until I was invited to her place for Christmas. Vicki hadn't shifted and was completely unprotected; my wolf claimed her as his own that day."

"I can't believe there was a preschool werewolf child out there with no one around to help her," Adrienne said with a shiver. "If she had her first shift among humans, it would have been a disaster. You did the right thing; even the Council would have struggled with helping her since she had no ties to any Pack."

"They are more than just my Pack members. I see Liv as the daughter I should have had, and Vicki as my heir. I love them both, and I hope you'll grow to love them as I have."

"That girl could melt the hardest heart," she said. "Mike said she spent twenty seconds with Liv's Mom. I bet they find a way to reconcile, just to spend time with her grandchild."

"They were foolish, and it cost them years of memories," I said. "I was foolish, and it almost cost me you."

"You recovered a lot faster," she said as she squeezed my hand under the table. "As long as we are still breathing, there's still a chance."

Sharkbait came running back to the table, giving both of us a quick hug before we sat down. "What was that for?"

"Dessert, Unky Leo?"

I reached across with my right hand and tapped her distended stomach. "I don't think there is room in there for anything, Sharkbait. Even Great Whites stop eating when their stomach is full."

"But... they have CHOCOLATE CAKE here. With ICE CREAM."

I looked over at Adrienne, who was trying not to laugh. "Would you like dessert, love?"

"I couldn't eat a whole piece," she said. "Maybe we get one slice with three forks?"

"Yaaay," Vicki said. A few others decided to share desserts, and we somehow managed to put the thick slice away. I put a stack of cash down to cover the bill and a generous tip, then used the restroom before we left. Once again, I was frustrated by the injuries. I couldn't wait until I could get my arm out of the sling and get a walking boot.

As I waited in the back seat for the scooter to be tied down, I checked in with Brent. I was pleased that there was reconciliation occurring with Liv's mother; I didn't want her to be without family at her wedding. "We are eating dinner here, then Liv is going to go up to her room for a while. I think I'll try their fine whiskey collection while I'm waiting."

"Take as much time as you need. Sharkbait can barely stay awake, so we'll get her home and to bed. Tell Liv that she ate a full rack of ribs by herself."

"Wow. That's impressive."