Chapter 3 #4
“I haven’t made one. It’s not a decision I can make while we’re still searching.
” He let go of the candle. “It’s weighed on me heavily.
This isn’t her home. If she has a family, I don’t want to steal her away from her people.
I’m also not comfortable placing her with strangers when she’s safer here.
She’s been abused once,” he said, his lips thinning, “and I won’t have that happen again. ”
Lakota played with the leather choker around his neck.
“Salem’s right though. She’s in limbo. Maybe we need to make a decision and deal with the consequences later.
If her parents show up, let the kid decide.
You’re trying to take on that burden yourself, but maybe this is one case where it won’t be your call. ”
Tak shook his head. “If we bring her in, she’s family.”
Lakota swung his eyes up to the tall wooden beams above them as if contemplating. “Almost all packmates leave home when they’re adults. She’s only a few years away. If we take her in, it’s not like it’s forever.”
Tak’s muscles bulged when he sat back and crossed his arms. “Pack children will always be family. That never goes away, no matter if they leave. If she joins our pack, that’s for life.
But if her parents claim her, that won’t be the case.
Her heart will be divided. And what if we find out she’s a Chitah or Relic?
She may not feel at home with a pack of wolves. ”
“We’re not all wolves,” Salem pointed out.
“Cici and Eden are different animals, and then there’s Lucian and Atticus.
You keep thinking in terms of wolf ways, but what you’re building here is entirely new.
Even Virgil isn’t a full-blooded Shifter.
The problems we face are similar to humans—the older ones want to stay divided.
That’s not working out so well, is it? Being with her own kind doesn’t mean she’ll be better off.
She could actually learn a lot living in a mixed house.
Our children won’t grow up with the prejudices and fears that adults still carry.
This might actually be the one place where she most belongs.
But that’s up to you.” Salem leaned back in his chair.
“Floating between decisions isn’t helping, and she’s suffering for it mentally. ”
Tak traced his fingers over the tribal designs on the left side of his face. “You’re right. Children need structure. I’ve been caring for her out of duty while I search for where she belongs.”
“She belongs wherever someone will care for her,” Salem pointed out.
Tak heaved a sigh. “Someone out there is crying for her at night.”
“It doesn’t mean we have to give up looking,” Lakota suggested.
“Even if we find them and she leaves, at least she’ll always know she has a place here.
Remember, brother, I grew up in a similar circumstance, with people who chose me, and a mother forced to let me go.
When those lives converged, it didn’t traumatize me.
Suddenly I had two homes and more people to give me gifts on my birthday.
I turned out all right,” he said with a cocksure grin.
“I’ve only ever had one home,” Tak admitted. “One people who raised me. That’s how I’ve been approaching this—that there’s only one family where she belongs. I see your point, but I still struggle. The wrong decision could hurt her.”
Salem arched his eyebrows. “So could no decision.”
Tak and Cleo were similar. Tak was pushing Cleo away for the same reason—afraid of caring and loving this child as his own, only to one day surrender her.
Afraid of giving false hope of a home only to find out she would never belong.
Fearing she might resent him for returning her to the people she rightfully belonged with.
Salem couldn’t predict the future. All he knew was that as Cleo’s primary healer, he was obligated to speak on her behalf and advocate for her mental health.
Their heads turned when a white wolf with brown and orange patches approached the table and settled her green eyes on Lakota.
He stroked her head lovingly while directing his focus to Tak.
Melody could only stay in control for a minute or two, so her wolf was awake for the night.
Having a symbiotic relationship with their animals helped them designate days or times when they could relinquish control, but sometimes their wolves couldn’t wait.
They sat quietly with bated breath for Tak to reach a decision.
“If you don’t want her,” Salem began, “you should find her a home. It’s not about where she’s going to belong someday—she needs to belong somewhere now.”
Mel’s wolf jumped onto the chair arm and licked Lakota’s forehead. He tried not to give her any attention, but she was demanding it.
Tak laced his fingers together, his eyes on the flame. “I’ve never rejected a person in need, and that’s why the girl is still here. This is the only place I know she’s safe.”
“She needs more than just safety,” Salem tacked on.
“That’s up for debate. A young girl like her with no link to family is prey.
A child’s safety is, and always will be, my priority.
Happiness comes second, but if there’s no safety, there’s no happiness.
” He put his hands in his lap and rolled his shoulders.
“I’ll give this consideration before I make a decision.
I keep hoping our search will turn up something. ”
“Same,” Lakota said. “We’re reviewing reports of missing children city by city, but we don’t know how many years she’s been missing. If she was stolen as a baby, that’s a problem.”
Salem had listened to their frustrations over the past few months.
Since they didn’t have a primary government, only individual ones in each city or territory, there was no national registry.
Their world was a dark and dangerous one, so they had to be careful not to hand her over to someone who might be lying about their relationship, especially when Cleo had no ability to remember them.
Tak arched his eyebrow. “If she stays, who will be her parent? I think she’s still mad at me for scolding her at that peace party, and the only person she speaks to regularly is you and Krys. He can’t be her watchdog, and you’re too busy.”
Lakota gathered up a lock of his long hair and stared at it. “Maybe Catcher can be her watchdog.”
Salem knew that wasn’t an option. “If he hasn’t stepped into that role by now, I don’t think he will.
You can’t exactly have a conversation with him.
I’m sure you’ll come up with a good idea,” he said to Tak.
“But as her healer, I want to get the ball rolling. I don’t think she’s going to get well first. I think giving her stability and a home is what’s going to make her well. ”
The alpha unwound his braid. “I’m listening, Doc. Maybe you should give her therapy.”
Salem cringed at the thought. Being inexperienced, he could do more harm than good. “I’m not an expert in mental health.”
Tak rapped his knuckles on the table and stood. “Could’ve fooled me.” He turned his attention to the wolf and clucked his tongue.
Melody sat before the alpha. Most wolves showed their belly to signal submissiveness. Melody had a playful wolf but also a strong-willed one.
He gripped her snout and then stroked her face.
Salem had never lived in a pack, so the dynamics were fascinating to learn.
Each wolf asserted their dominance to communicate rank, and Tak was not one who ruled from a distance.
He formed a close relationship with each of his packmates, nurturing that trust and loyalty.
Even though Cecilia and Eden weren’t wolves, he was patient with their animals and learned their behaviors so his wolf could better lead them.
A roar from the other room made Melody’s wolf bark.
“King Kong,” Lakota muttered while scooting back his chair. “Come on, wife. Let’s go for a run.”
“We should do most of our shifting outside,” Salem advised while eyeing Melody. “Maybe that’s why Cleo’s nervous about coming down. She’s afraid.”
Tak snorted. “Afraid of what? One of us licking her face off? No one here would hurt a child.”
“Of course. But she hasn’t been near everyone’s animal. What if she spooks Krys’s wolf and he snaps without looking?”
“Then I’ll string him up in the nearest tree,” Tak grumbled under his breath. “You’re Mr. Worst-Case Scenario. But I heard everything you said, and I’ll think about how to handle this. In the meantime, we’ll be having a visitor in the house soon.”
Lakota stretched. “Who?”
“The artist who made the window at Dragonfly’s.”
Salem’s heart skipped a beat. “Quinn?”
Tak studied him with a curious stare. “You know her?”
“I saw her at the general store yesterday,” he replied, deciding all the extra stuff that came after wasn’t important.
But Tak was reading him, especially since Salem had come home late with no explanation.
Lakota wrapped his arms around Melody’s wolf and patted her side. “She sells some pretty cool stuff. I don’t know why she doesn’t open a store.”
But Salem did. Quinn didn’t have enough money to repair her toilet, let alone the funds needed to open a business, and not everyone was business savvy. Even Melody and Hope relied on their families for advice from time to time.
Tak moseyed toward the doorway. “Quinn’s a nice woman. Attractive. And talented. Don’t you think? Maybe she’ll catch the eye of Krys or Virgil.”
Salem got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
After the two men left him alone, he drifted to the windows that overlooked the side of the deck and watched Lakota and Melody step through the back door.
Her wolf shot across the deck and down the steps while Lakota took his time kicking off his shoes and taking in the chilly night air.
Salem could maintain consciousness for up to an hour, but unless he was running with his packmates, it was a lonely hour.
His thoughts scattered before reassembling and placing an image of Quinn firmly in his mind.
He stared at the deck and thought about the peace party.
It was difficult to forget someone as vibrant and dramatic as she was—a complete opposite of his own personality.
He remembered tears and screams from her that night, so it was pleasant seeing her again with a smile on her face.
And what a radiant smile, as if her soul shone from within.
Those eyes… The way she looked at him made his chest tighten.
He was intrigued by the coloring of her eyes.
It wasn’t the green shade that caught his interest but the unusual shade of orange that bled from the inside.
The edges were well defined, so it wasn’t like any hazel eye color he’d seen.
The scientist in him wanted to know where that anomaly derived from.
Outside, Lakota shifted effortlessly, his clothes falling away as his large silver wolf took off. Seconds later, the mated wolves howled in unison, a sound that deepened the cavernous hole in Salem’s heart.