My Hope (Complete)

Chapter 21

Hope

I ride home with Noah. The boys take their car. I hope no one sees us. Maybe I should be riding with the twins. But I really want to stay right where I am. It was a good day. We spent as much time together as we possibly could. It definitely helps.

I have been thinking about something for a while now. I heard the story of Raiden, my Father, being killed. Along with Noah's father. Then the boys said I need to learn self-defense. No one has said who killed my Father or why. And could the same thing happen to Noah? I still have lot's of questions.

At Noah's house, we enter the kitchen to a spread of food. "Eat up everyone." Delilah says. I am actually starving. "You need to eat a lot more right before you change, so you are probably hungrier than usual." Noah tells me. Well, that explains that.  "So, are there any other changes I should know about?" I ask everyone. "Males usually become more muscular and taller in a short period of time. Females will get curvier. Their bodies are preparing to carry children." Delilah tells me. "Children, like right now?" I ask. "No, no, that doesn't have to happen right away. But in the werewolf community, children are considered a blessing and are very cherished and wanted. So, most couples do try to get pregnant soon after the mating. Especially since there are so few of us left. But don't you worry about that." Delilah assures me.

I am going to worry about that even if she tells me not to. I don't want a baby any time soon. And I have noticed my body changing. My hips are definitely getting a little wider and I have gone up a cup size in the last couple weeks. I thought maybe my clothes were shrinking, but when I looked in the mirror this morning, I could see it. Am I going to just get fatter and fatter? Delilah looks really fit. Now I'm going to worry about this too. "Should I worry about my weight?" I ask her. "Oh no, absolutely not. Werewolves have amazing metabolisms. We can pretty much eat anything we want and not gain weight. You will burn fat quickly once you change. I should have said that you will get curvier, in all the right places." She assures me with a wink. The three guys are all pretending they aren't listening. 

I work on homework while Noah sits next to me correcting papers. It feels good to just sit here with him. So much better than suffering alone at home. "Do you want children Noah?" I ask hesitantly. He thinks before answering. "Yes, I have always wanted children. And now that I actually know you, I would love to have children with you specifically. But I want to wait until you are ready. I know you want to go to college, and I want you to do that. I don't want to rush you at all. I can wait. That is actually one more thing I haven't mentioned, us werewolves live longer than humans." He tells me. Well, that was a lot of information. I'm glad he wants me to go to school still. "How long do you live?" I have to ask. "Most of us live to about one hundred and twenty-five or thirty." He tells me. Wow, that's awesome.

"I have been meaning to ask you, why did those men come after Delilah?" He seems pained by my question. "I thought you would be asking that soon. It's a long story. I will give you the short version." "Alright." "You know that there aren't many female wolves. Females in our community are revered. They are prized. Every male wolf dreams to one day find his Soul Mate. It's really the ultimate goal.  Our lives are fulfilled by our Mate. Nothing compares. 

There was a male wolf named Charles who came to our pack looking for his Soul Mate. He had his heart set on Mom, even though she was too young. She was only 15. He swore that she was his Soul Mate. She was quite a bit younger than him, but she insisted he was not her Mate. He kept contending that as soon as she turned 18, she would admit he was her mate. She didn't. She continued to insist she was not. Shortly after, Mom and Dad met when their packs merged. He was the Alpha of his pack. They knew immediately when they saw each other. Everyone celebrated the union. But Charles was livid. He said my Dad took his Mate. This went on for years. My parents mated and married and had me a few years later.

Charles got more and more agitated as time went on. He left and looked elsewhere for his Mate. He never found her. When he came back, he started to become unstable. He kept insisting that Mom was his Soul Mate. She was pregnant with the twins at that time. He went so far as to say that her children should be his. Dad then put the safe room in the house. Then one day, Charles lost it. That's the day Raiden and my Dad were killed."

"That is horrible Noah. I am so sorry. What happened to Charles? I remember someone died. Was it him?" I asked. "No, Charles was injured, but he got away. We haven't seen him since. We assumed he died because he never came back. We have put in better security since then. No one has seen him in all these years. I suppose he could have gone to another country and found his real Mate. But no one in any of the packs in the United States have seen him. He is wanted for murder in the werewolf community."

"Wow, that is really scary. Do things like that happen often?" I ask. "No, it's very rare. I have heard of a couple males claiming a female was their Soul Mate when she wasn't. But it never goes any further than that. She tells them no and it's over. I have never heard another story like this. He must have been mentally unstable before he ever came to our pack. He was never quite right. Please don't worry about this ever happening again.  He should have been expelled from the pack long before it got that bad. We learned our lesson.  We are incredibly careful and protective of the women here. Any one of us would give our life to save a female in our pack. And I will never, ever let something like that happen to you. You are so precious to me."

Delilah comes in and tells us that dinner is ready. I feel like we just ate. But I am hungry again. We have a nice meal together with lots of laughter and teasing. I love this family. "I asked your Mom if they want to come to dinner tomorrow since she has the night off. They agreed." Delilah tells me. "Oh, great. The sooner the better. I want Dad to understand it all."

After dinner, Noah suggests we chill and watch a movie. I agree happily since I don't want to leave. We all have popcorn and junk food. I enjoy watching Noah relax and just have fun. He is usually so serious. I know in his position he has to be the leader and show that he is in charge. And at school he is the teacher. So here, he is just a guy trying to watch a movie with his girlfriend, without accidently touching her.

He drives me home and I talk to my parents for a little while before heading to bed. I appreciate how understanding they are about this whole situation. This could have been much worse if it weren't for them. I text Noah before I fall asleep. "Miss you already." "So do I love."