46. Farren
Farren
F ive Years Later
I stood on the back step of my house as I watched my children roll around in the rough grass that had finally started to soften with last winter’s melt with one of their fathers. It had taken us a lot of time, sweat, blood, and tears, but we’d revived the Hawkins’ coven house.
And we weren’t the only ones to make the effort to revitalize the coven houses. Many of the other families who lived in the eight houses that ringed the center of town rebuilt as well. Although we were the main family to make this our forever home, much to the chagrin of the others in the beginning.
They couldn’t understand why we were happy to live in a town that was still trapped in the late sixteen-hundreds. But after running for my whole life, there was no way I was going to surrender a chance at a permanent roof over my head.
That my mates helped in every possible aspect to keep me happy was a boon, especially when in the second and fourth winter here I was pregnant.
Not that they minded that, in fact, it was Benny who was being tackled by said kids while Grey, the older wolf who had been a friend of his back when he was the guardian spirit of the Bennington Triangle, watched from his place at the base of the steps.
The first spring brought him to us. Benny said he must have followed them when the wolf realized his companion had left him behind. Roan was not overly thrilled at first at the idea of having a wolf around the house, while Locke and Grey stared off for several seconds before settling into an unspoken camaraderie. Ever since then, Grey had easily made the shift from wild predator into lovable, protective family pet. And in truth, I think that when the guys saw how in love I fell with the wolf at first sight and how gentle he proved to be with me helped ease his integration. I didn’t have to tell them how much I had longed for a pet growing up. They could see that in how fast Grey and I had bonded.
I smiled up at the faint outline of the harvest moon before I toddled off the steps and made my way to the vegetable garden to collect some fresh produce for supper. Grey graciously moved out of my way before I had to figure out how to get around him while being as large as a blimp. He stayed at my side to act as support.
He was always so good to me and the kids, and I knew he was just as excited for our latest baby as we were.
We were expecting babies number three and four soon. According to a doctor I saw in a town a couple of hours away, I was due right on Halloween. The boys couldn’t wait and were taking bets on whose power the babes would take after, but I knew in the end, we all just hoped for our little ones to arrive safe and happy at their home.
One where they and their siblings would be able to always come back to no matter how far they wandered.
The End