Chapter 13
Kaden
Drat. This was supposed to be the perfect day, and now we were stuck in the forest, all because Tony wanted to show off his off-roading skills. “Step on it!” He yelled from outside, crouched down to observe how truly screwed we were. Jax pressed on the pedal, but it was no use. The wheel just spun in the mud, flicking soil onto Tony’s face and suit. I cringed, wondering what kind of impression we were making on Safira. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, but to my relief she was covering her mouth, holding back laughter at the whole situation.
“Something funny?” I teased, and she shook her head. “I don’t think Tony will meet the dress code at the club. He might have to wait in the car.” I joked as she tried harder not to laugh.
“What?” Tony called out, his face speckled with tiny bits of mud.
“Nothing!” I replied as Safira and I held back our laughter in the back. She had a great sense of humor about the whole situation.
Jax, ever the responsible one of the group, pulled out his cell phone. “All right, it seems we need to have a tow truck come out and help with this. Unfortunately, it means we probably won't make our reservation on time.” He rested his arm over the top of the car, looking in at us. The small tick in his jaw was the only sign he was nervous about Safira’s reaction. He didn’t need to worry though. She turned to face me, her expression excited.
“Instead of waiting here, can we just get out and walk for a little bit? I haven’t been able to see much since I arrived here. To me, this is a whole new world. I want to see what’s different, besides biology and the name of the city.” Her eyes were full of curiosity.
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to ruin your shoes.” I said as I glanced at her clothes. She was wearing one of the outfits we bought for her, which made me very happy. But even though she wasn’t dressed too formally, I also didn’t want her to ruin one of the few things she had.
“It’s fine. Also, who knows what we might find?”
“I’m down. It beats being stuck in the mud anyway!” Tony said, his grin lightening the mood.
“More like the mud is stuck on you.” Jax said, and Safira stifled another giggle. Tony looked at him confused, then crouched down to look in the rearview mirror.
“Aw man! This is a new suit too!” He griped as he tried to wipe the dirt off his face. I got out of the car, lifting Safira up and placing her on the dry ground far from the car. She looked shocked, but gave a very satisfied smile after. The three of us started looking around, walking down the path. It wasn’t too far off the main road, but was private enough that we could enjoy it as a nice nature walk.
The air was crisp and refreshing, and I was glad that Safira had opted to get out of the car. It reminded me of our first day together. The tension from the car problem faded away as I watched Safira take in the surrounding land. The way she appreciated something I took for granted made me aware of how lucky I was. It seemed that she hadn't been able to enjoy life much since we’d seen her last, but I was going to make sure that she was able to make up for lost time.
“Safira? I have to ask you something.” Jax said, breaking the peaceful silence. “ Aren’t you worried about your friends and family out there looking for you in your world?” It was the question that we’d all been avoiding. Would she be happy here, leaving everything behind? Would she try to go back? Safira bit her lip, not responding right away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. We don’t have to talk about it.” He quickly added, but she shook her head.
“No, don’t be sorry. It’s just that I didn’t have many friends back there. And my family, well, you all know what happened to my parents.” Her words sent me back to that day when we’d comforted her, and the memory of seeing her cry still sent a pang of pain through my chest. “What’s left of my family, if you want to call them that, aren’t people I’d ever miss. They never really wanted me around.” I shook my head in disbelief. How could anyone treat her that way? Especially her own family? I bit back a growl and tried to stay calm, tampering down my alpha instincts to fight whoever upset her. “I didn’t have a lot of prospects anyway. Honestly, if I hadn’t ended up here, I’d probably spend years scraping by, trying to get out of their house.” Her words were jarring. How bad was her life before? I never wanted her to feel that way again. She deserved so much more than what she’d been dealt.
Tony was already wrapping his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in as they walked. “I’m so sorry, Safira.” His voice was low and comforting. She just reached for his hand, holding it as we walked. Suddenly, she stopped.
“What’s that noise?” She asked. There was faint music in the distance, carried on the breeze. I listened closely.
“This way.” I grabbed her other hand and led her through the trees, with Jax following right behind us. The music grew louder, and I could smell the scent of roasting corn and grilled meat wafting by. The trees became sparse, and we stepped into an open field. There were tents, food vendors and all kinds of people milling about, some of them decorating a maypole.
“What is this?” Safira asked, her eyes wide. Jax, Tony and I quickly looked for any groups of unbonded alphas around, and after seeing and smelling none, we approached the forest festival.
“It looks like a celebration of the Spring season.” Jax answered, giving a little smile at the festivities. “I haven’t been to one since we were kids. I forgot that this was the first day of Spring.” When we were younger, we used to love coming out to these types of events. As we grew up and took on more responsibilities, we stopped going out as much. “Was there anything like this where you are from?” he asked, and Safira shook her head.
“No. Well, if there was, I never went to it.” She seemed intrigued by the festival, and I wanted her to experience everything she could.
“You’ll like this then. Come on, we’ll celebrate Spring together!” I insisted as we walked toward the festivities. Many of the attendees were wearing decorated costumes and dancing around. Nearby, someone at a table was fixing up flower crowns and doing face painting. “Do you want to get decked out in festival attire?” I asked her, hoping we’d get to see her looking like a true Haven omega. She nodded eagerly, and practically flew over to the table. One of the people working there smiled and had her sit in a chair as they went to work. Soon she had small white flowers braided through her thick hair, while another woman applied small jewels to her face in an intricate pattern.
“After all these years, I still can’t believe how stunning she is.” Jax murmured to me as we watched, seeing her open up to the women as they put the finishing touches on her. Every moment we spent with her, she seemed to reveal more of her personality. She looked even more at ease now as she stood up, admiring her new hair and face decorations in a mirror before coming to join us.
“This is so fun! Want a flower?” She said as she plucked a white one from her hair and tried to reach up to Jax’s ear, barely able to stretch up high enough to touch it. He looked startled as she placed the flower on him, but didn’t take it out as she stepped back to admire her work.
“He looks very handsome now.” Tony chimed in as Jax stood like the aloof businessman he was, only now adorned with the small blossom. “Would you like to see some of the Spring festival games?” Tony asked as Safira looked around. “They are a tradition. Here, let’s go check them out together.” He grabbed her hand as we went to watch people bobbing for apples in one area, then on to another section where people were decorating a caramel coated apple to eat.
“This isn’t so different from back home. I’ve just never seen any of these in real life.” Safira said, watching as both adults and children enjoyed the day. I was glad to hear that. I wanted her to feel at home here in Haven. I wanted her to stay forever.
She walked over to an area where people were painting on small canvases, and I pulled out a chair for her.
“Go ahead. Make one!” I said as she looked on hesitantly.
“What does it cost?” she asked, and I just clicked my tongue.
“Spring festivals are hosted by the city. They are public, no charge. Just enjoy yourself.” I replied as she smiled and sat down. My pack and I sat around her on each side, making sure to keep her safe in between us even if there was no danger. I could tell we were feeling the pack dynamic with her more than ever. I was glad she was on suppressants - if we kept hanging out with her like this, our alpha instinct to claim her would be hard to fight. And she didn’t even know that we were falling for her.
I looked around at Safira, Tony and Jax. My two packmates were concentrating on painting the little canvases, trying hard to create something on the impossibly small surface. It was comical, really. Safira was deeply engaged in her own work, and I realized this is what I wanted. This pack life, where we could enjoy every day, every moment, even if things didn’t work out like we planned. I felt through my bonds that the others were truly living in the moment, feeling alive and free. We were content - something we hadn’t felt in a long time.
“Well, I’m done.” I said as I finished my painting. It was a raven, secretly a symbol of Safira. Her dark hair reminded me of a raven’s black, inky feathers. The others put their paint brushes down one by one as they finished. Safira picked up her canvas and showed it to each of us. “Look,” she said, “Remember?” The painting was of a small plane in a field of grass. Jax’s face softened as he saw it.
“Of course we remember. We never stopped thinking of that day.” He replied fondly. Safira was quiet, a blush heating her skin. She cleared her throat.
“Should we go check out that music?” She gestured to an area of the field where a band was playing. “I mean, while we let our paintings dry.” She said, setting her canvas down. She stood to go follow the music, with Tony and I on either side of her, keeping her protected. We wove through the crowd, marveling at the whimsical performances that people put on. A few were dressed as caricatures of famous people from the past, and even more were wearing old fashioned spring festival costumes. “I want to learn all about the history here. It must be so different from what I’m used to.” Safira murmured as she watched people perform.
“We will help you understand anything you desire to learn.” Tony said as we reached the stage. There was a band playing lively music, and a makeshift dance floor. Safira’s eyes lit up and I bowed to her.
“Shall we dance?”