My Hope (Complete)

Chapter 22

Noah

All night I worried about what I would do if anyone ever tried to take Hope. It was a fear I had since Dad was killed. But now that I know her, and love her, I am even more concerned. I have to do everything I can to ensure her safety. I'm exhausted and miserable by the time I get into my car. Picking her up is a savior to me. This beautiful person walks out of the house and sits next to me. She is everything. Her smile is like a ray of sunlight. My heart starts beating faster, just at the sight of her.

"Good morning love. Did you sleep alright?" I asked. "Not, really, but I feel better now." She admits. "I might have to start running by your house in the middle of the night. Would you like that?" "Do you think it will make a difference? I don't want you to have to go to any trouble for me." She says. "It might. It's worth a try. If I'm awake anyway, I might as well run over there and stand outside your window." "Have you been awake at night?" she asks. "Um, sometimes." I admit.

"So, dinner tonight with your parents. That's good. The more your Dad knows, the more he will understand our connection." "Yeah, I hope so. And I want him to love your family as much as I do." She says. "You love our family?" I ask, hoping she means me in particular. "Of course, I do. I wouldn't hang out there if I didn't." She answers cheekily. She knows exactly what I'm asking.

Today goes by slowly, unless I'm with Hope. I am trying my best to stay focused and on top of everything. I know she is struggling too. At least it's only a month. Then I can claim her and the pull will be over. When we drive home, Hope suggests Zander drives with us, with her in the back, just in case anyone sees us. She is right. We shouldn't take any chances.

Her parents are coming soon. So, we both do our work in my office so we will have that out of the way. I have things to do for the pack too. I've been procrastinating since Hope came into my life. Mom gives us some food and we scarf it down. It's funny to see little Hope eating almost as much as me. I can see where it's all going too. Not bad at all I must say. She notices me staring. "What, am I eating like a pig again?" she asks laughing. "No, love, I was just noticing where you are packing all that food." I tell her honestly as I check her out. She stops chewing and her cheeks flush red. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. You are just looking as delicious as the food."

Zade mind links me. (Her parents are here) (Thanks, be right out) "No time to think about that right now, your Mom and Dad are at the door." I tell her. She wipes her mouth and starts to walk out of the room. I walk behind her, since it's a very nice view. But it's meant to be polite, to let the lady go first. Maybe that's why men do that.

I greet Her Dad with a firm handshake. "Mr. Christianson, thank you so much for coming, and your willingness to learn more about our situation. I appreciate it very much." I tell him honestly. Mom and Tempest are hugging. Hope stands with them in the kitchen. I guess It's just me and her Dad. I'm not nervous, not at all.

"I wouldn't normally approve of anything like this for my little girl. It is completely inappropriate for her to be dating her teacher. But I understand that there are extenuating circumstances. I am willing to talk with you about it though." He concedes. "Thank you. I know it's unusual. I am only 23 though, and she will be 18 very soon. But that is still not a good excuse, I realize." I admit.

"As long as you understand where I'm coming from. I just want what's best for Hope. If her health and schoolwork are in jeopardy, I will make a concession. My wife explained the connection you two have. She says she has experienced it and that it is all encompassing and can not be ignored. Because I know Tempest always has Hopes welfare in mind, I believe her. But I need to hear from you as well."

"Sir, I want you to understand that I care about Hope so much already, and I have only known her a short time. I would never, ever consider hurting her. We were made for each other. I could never purposefully do anything to harm her in any way. Not physically or emotionally. She is the other half of my soul. Hurting her would be like hurting myself.  Our people can only and will only fall in love with our Soul Mate. So, I assure you, she is the only one for me. I would never choose to leave her or break her heart. I am committed to her as long as we live. I plan to marry her and take care of her until I die. That I promise you." I told him with all the sincerity I had.

"Noah, I hope that all of that is true. I couldn't want more for my daughter than that. But I am still going to be watching you like a hawk. Do we understand each other?" He asks. "Yes, Sir, we do. If she would not have felt pain when we were separated, I would never have told her about our connection until she turned 18. But under the circumstances, I felt it was necessary for her to understand what was happening to her. And she needs to be prepared for the change." I explain. 

"Alright, tell me a little bit about that. How does it work?" He asks. I explain to him how she will physically change into a wolf. Then I tell him how she is different from other humans. The hearing, vision, telepathy, etc. He is intrigued by it all. He's a very smart man and wants to see the actual transformation for himself. We decide to go out into the back for the demonstration. I change into my wolf in front of him. He is a little frightened at first but relaxes quickly and really inspects me. "Wow, okay, I had to see it to believe it." I change back and we go inside where the others are.

"You okay Dad?" Hope asks. "Yeah, I am. It's still going to take some getting used to. I can't wait to see you as a wolf Princess." He tells her with a hug. I agree, my wolf and I can't wait see he her. I'm sure she will be beautiful. "Next week, we are going to start having her do some training to get her body ready for the change. The first time can be hard if you aren't prepared. So don't be surprised if she is tired." I warn them all. "It can't be any worse than the separation exhaustion." Says Tempest. "No, nothing is quite like that." I agree.

Mom starts serving more food. There is nothing like good food to dispel an awkward situation. I have never felt quite so exposed. I don't know if I even told Hope how much I care about her. Maybe I should do that more often. We pass plates around and I am being extra careful not to touch her. Her Dad brings the subject up. "Not that I'm complaining, but can you explain to me why you can't touch each other?"  I look at Hope and she nods for me to explain.

"The reason we are in pain when we aren't together is called the pull, or separation sickness. Our bodies alert us to the fact that our Soul Mate is nearby. When we are in their presence, we feel a sense of calm and contentment. But when we are apart, our bodies start to ache and not work properly. Our mind isn't clear. Concentrating is difficult. So, we instinctively want to be near the person who will make us feel better, complete. That is how we have ensured the preservation of our species. There aren't many of us, so we need to find each other somehow." He is nodding his understanding while everyone continues to eat.

"The process takes time in order for the couple to get to know one another. The more time they spend together, the more they need to be near one another. But we have learned over the years, that the process is greatly sped up by touch. At the beginning, the separation is much easier. It gets harder as time goes on, and then it is the strongest once you touch." I explain. "But if that's true, why are her symptoms so sever after such a short time?"  I guess they didn't go into all of the details with him. Maybe Tempest didn't tell him the whole story about Raiden. Who would want to hear that their wife had a Soul Mate that she loved more than anything?

"When Tempie was pregnant with Hope, she was here. We believe our souls were linked at that time. So, when we saw each other the first time at school, our bodies already recognized one another as Soul Mates. It was a very fast process from that point. We already felt the separation sickness that first day. Most people wouldn't start to notice it for about a month."

"Okay, that makes sense. So, if the process has already been sped up, why not just go ahead and touch her?  Could it really get much worse?" he asks.