With our involvement in the family meeting now ended, Ken, Rem and I found ourselves in the kitchen. Rem was currently cooking up a storm - I supposed he either really enjoyed it, or this was his way of dealing with stress. Or perhaps it was a mix of the two. Either way, I was sure Rem was not happy with Ken joining us. Confusion also entered my mind about his sudden change in attitude towards me, though if this was for his own gain or because he had experienced a change in heart, I couldn’t tell.
“So, will you be staying in the guest house with the other packs now?” Ken asked me as he sat next to me at the counter table that sat in view of the kitchen area. For whatever reason, he had picked the spot right beside me, despite the many other stools available.
At his question, I shrugged. I kept my gaze on Rem cooking as I replied with, “I don’t know. I will probably stay in Rem’s room.”
“Ah,&r
After lunch, Rem begrudgingly left me alone with Ken to take a tour of the mansion. We kept our mind-connection open just in case Ken tried anything funny, though so far the man was being kind enough to me. He showed me around the living room, the gym and the indoor swimming pool, both of which were large enough to fit an entire pack of werewolves in them for a good workout.After that, he showed me their training yard that was cut off from the garden, so the werewolves had no access to it. Ken was keen to show me some of the training weapons there.“We should get you into learning how to use some weapons too,” Ken was saying as he dragged me over to one rack, which held several wooden weapons hanging on it. “I’ll even train you personally if you like?” He then asked, taking one of the wooden swords and showing off some moves.I watched him curiously and then rubbed the back of my neck. “Would your grand
The rest of the afternoon, Ken was much less touchy-feely with me, though he hadn’t ceased trying to persuade me he was the ‘better’ Emerson between him and Rem. It was almost as though he had something to prove, and wouldn’t accept anything except praise from me. I wondered if he had an inferiority complex against Rem or something. It was unusual, but I presumed that there was some kind of rivalry going on between them.Ken had shown me a few moves with the wooden swords and had explained what each weapon was best used against the other and where on a person was the best place to land a blow or slice. I had to admit; he was very knowledgeable about it all. I understood how swords worked, being a sword-nerd, but he was almost on master levels.“Rem doesn’t know much regarding the other weapons. He sticks with swords and guns, he’s such a nerd!” Ken was once more complaining about his cousin.
The sudden kiss from Ken had me dumbfounded. I was slow to register exactly what had just happened. I hesitantly pulled my head away and opened my mouth to tell Ken to stop, but before I could respond, Ken himself pulled away sharply. His own expression was just as bewildered as my own. He let out a half-mumbled apology before he scrambled to his feet and fled the training yard.As he exited through the courtyard entrance, he stumbled back, obviously almost bumping into someone. He hesitated and then pushed whoever it was out of the way and continued on his way. Still, on the floor, I watched in complete confusion.Rem came into view, his attention still in the direction Ken had fled even as he moved over to where I was. He seemed irritable about Ken bumping into and pushing him. “What’s got him in a tizzy this time?” He questioned me without actually looking at me.“W-well,” I stumbled over my own words befor
A couple of days had gone by since Ken last showed his face to me or Rem. I could only assume that he was too flustered with himself to have the confidence to be around us. He hadn’t left the mansion at all, however, as some of the other Hunters had been speaking with him over other subjects that did not involve me or Rem in the slightest.I decided to not put too much thought into what Ken was doing. Many other things required my attention, so I focused my time on them instead. One of those things was tending to the packs within the guest house. I wasn’t completely comfortable taking over as the leader, alpha, luna, or otherwise, but with the Hunters plan, I wanted to see what the werewolves' opinion would be of it all.I called all the surviving werewolves into the garden, as there really wasn’t a room large enough to fit everyone in there without making it hot and uncomfortable in the summer heat. Outside wasn’t much be
With the four packs accepting me and Rem as their new leaders, I felt a strange sense of belonging wash over me. Though I wondered how my mother would react to this whole thing. I hadn’t had time to message her in a few days, though I had made sure that she knew I was safe and that the Hunters had more or less not killed me. However, I hadn’t mentioned their acceptance nor their choice to make me a pack leader. Everything was moving so fast.Tonight would be a full moon and the time at which the ritual would be reversed. I was nervous and excited all at once. I would finally belong to a pack of my own, even though it had come under such strange circumstances. Honestly, it surprised me that the packs had even agreed to go through with it, so to say I was nervous would be an understatement.While we waited for the time to get closer to the event, Rem was going over some of the defensive lessons with me. For now, he wanted me to focus on
The tension between the cousins was thick enough that I could easily cut it with a knife. I didn’t want to bring discord into the family, even if there was enough drama already within. I held up both hands and offered a gentle few words. “You two don’t need to argue. I don’t mind being called wolf, and I’d be glad if you could help me refine my defensive skills, Ken.” They both glanced at me. It lasted all of a few seconds before they went back to staring each other down. “Yeah, Ken. He doesn’t mind it, so back the fuck off,” Rem taunted Ken with a slight growl to his words. In reply, Ken said, “only because you won’t shitting listen when he brings it up. Stop being such a fucking ass.” “That’s rich coming from you, mister let’s kill every non-human,” Rem rebuked. “Guys…” I sighed out the word, however, they ignored me. “I at least had a fucking reason! And at least I fucking said sorry about that shit and will l
The sound of wood hitting wood continued to echo throughout the training yard as both Ren and his cousin Ken fought with all their might against the other. They impressed me with their endurance, though I could tell that they were growing tired from the exertion. Mrs Emerson was quietly watching the two now, though I wondered who she was hoping would win. If she had a preference, then this fight probably didn’t matter too much in the end. Did it? As though reading my mind, Mrs Emerson said, “you’re wondering who I wish to win and shall pick.” “A little, maybe,” I admitted and glanced her way. However, the woman offered no answer. She remained silent as she motioned for me to keep watch. “You will want to know the outcome to this fight far more than me as this will see if Rath’s resolve for your affections is as strong as you claim,” she said with a calm, yet uninterested voice. “Well, regardless of
After winning the match, Rem seemed content to lie on the ground for a time. I still had my arms wrapped around him, hugging him tightly and nuzzling into his cheek. I could feel Ken’s gaze on me, but I tried to ignore it for the moment. There was no need to look at him to know he was unhappy with the loss.Rem raised a hand to stroke the top of my head and let out a long, tired but happy sigh before saying over to Ken, “I won. That means you will stop trying to steal my boyfriend now, right?”I mentally rolled my eyes. They had better not start again.“For now,” Ken replied with what seemed like a tense yet bored voice. He was trying to not sound upset, but I could tell that he was. “But if you treat him poorly, I can’t promise he won’t get fed up with you and come to me,” he commented.“If you even so much as-” Rem started, but before he could threaten anything I bi