by Sky Winters
Savannah rolled her eyes. “That’s really not it.”
“I think your father’s right,” her mother said, pretending to be hurt.
Savannah laughed. “I am definitely not embarrassed about you guys. It's just that…these are new friends. They're the only friends I’ve ever really had and I need to figure this out for myself.”
“Okay,” her father said. “Whatever you need, sweet pea.”
“Oh, guess what?” her mother said.
“What?” Savannah asked.
“Your eighteenth birthday gift is finally here.”
Savannah’s dad pulled something from his jeans pocket and tossed it at her. “Happy belated birthday.”
Savannah grabbed it before it tumbled to the ground, and stared down at the shiny keychain. “Car keys?” she asked.
Her parents nodded in unison.
“You won’t have to walk to and from school anymore,” her mother said. “You’ve got your own set of wheels, now.”
“Thanks, guys,” Savannah said. “This will make things a whole lot easier.”
“We figured you really needed a car in this town,” her father said. “The town’s too spread out for you to just walk from one place to the next, and once you graduate and we have to leave Grey Mountain, you can sell the car, and put the money toward…whatever you want.”
“Whatever I want?” Savannah repeated.
“Traveling, college tuition, a different car…” her mother suggested, “whatever you like.”
“Oh,” Savannah said. “That sounds great, but I might just keep the car.”
Her parents exchanged a glance. “What if you decide to leave the country?” her father said.
Savannah hesitated. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, about my future, and I’ve actually been considering the idea of staying here, in Grey Mountain.”
“You want to stay in Grey Mountain?” her mother asked, shocked.
Savannah laughed nervously. “I know it’s out of the blue–”
“You didn’t even want to move out here in the first place,” her father reminded her.
Savannah nodded. “I know, but now I don’t know—this town has kind of grown on me; I think I could be happy here.”
“Are you actually saying you’d want to stay here--permanently?” her mother asked.
“Possibly,” Savannah said. “I don’t know for sure, yet.”
“What on earth can you do in this town, Savannah?” her mother asked, sounding concerned.
“I don’t know,” Savannah said. “I’ll just have to figure it out as I go.”
Her parents exchanged worried glances, and Savannah felt as if she might burst. Her emotions had been going crazy lately. She sensed it was most likely because of her pregnancy.
“Savannah,” her mother started.
“Yes?”
“Is this because of a boy?”
Savannah didn’t answer right away. She wasn’t even sure of the answer herself. “I’m doing this for myself,” she said at last. “This is what I want.”
When Savannah finally went up to her room that night, she was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Her mind felt fluid, as though it were floating in about a thousand different directions with no means to control it. Savannah moved to her window and pried it open.
A gust of oaky wind hit her face, and Savannah closed her eyes against its insistent pull. For the first time that day she was alone, and she was at last able to hear herself think. She reflected on the day's events, as about a hundred different images whirled through her mind.
She remembered the walk to the clearing with Xander, and standing before the elders to plead their case. In the end, her pregnancy had rendered the elders’ verdict moot, and she and Xander had gotten the blessing they required to be together, so Savannah couldn't understand why she'd been feeling the way she was feeling.
It was as though her body was sending her warnings she couldn’t ignore or avoid. It was as though every instinct she had was telling her that something was going to happen, that a storm was brewing just beyond the horizon, waiting to break.
Chapter Two
Savannah spent the whole night tossing and turning. At a time when she should feel happy, all she felt was scared. It wasn’t just the uncertainty of being eighteen and pregnant--it was more than that. It was the sense of foreboding that told her she should not grow comfortable because her world was about to spin off its axis.
Savannah woke the next morning still feeling tired. She sensed the presence of something foreign inside her, but she still couldn’t quite resolve that feeling with the presence of a baby. Savannah dressed and went outside, thankful that it was a Saturday. She stared up at the ranging hills that stood before her, and edged her way up until the house was far behind her, and the air started to feel a little thinner.
Savannah took her hearing aid out, rendering the world instantly quiet. It was only in the absence of all sound that Savannah realized how much noise there actually was around her. The sound of the leaves rustling in the wind, and the animals and birds had disappeared, the sound of crunching leaves beneath her feet, and the steady whistle of the wind was gone, too. In the absence of sound, Savannah felt her senses begin to expand to make up for the dearth of sound.
A flash of light passed before her eyes, and Savannah sensed a vision, just beyond the periphery of her sight. She almost felt as if she might have some control over it, and tried to reach for it, but a wave of scent hit her hard, and she opened her eyes. She recognized the scent as possibly her favorite thing in the world.
“Xander,” Savannah whispered, though she was unable to hear even her own voice.
Xander appeared before her eyes, his face cast into high relief bathed in the golden spotlight of the sun. He was so beautiful that he took Savannah’s breath away. His pale grey eyes held hues of silver, and his dark hair held hints of gold. She saw his mouth form the shape of her name, and she inched her hearing aid back in.
“What are you doing out here so early?” Xander asked.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Savannah admitted. “I thought a walk might help.”
“You look…worried,” Xander said, staring carefully at Savannah’s face.
“I had nightmares last night,” she said. “I don’t remember what about, but they left me with this…feeling.”
“What feeling?” Xander asked.
“The feeling that something is about to happen,” Savannah said. “Something bad.”
“I don’t want you worrying needlessly,” Xander said as he reached out and took Savannah’s hand. “Stressing yourself out can only serve to harm both you and the baby. You need to stay calm.”
“I can’t help how I feel, Xander,” Savannah said. She sighed. “I don’t want to feel this way…it’s just…beyond my control.”
Xander’s eyes appeared troubled as he looked down at Savannah. “Is there anything I can do?”
Savannah smiled. “You being here is enough.”
Xander hugged her a little tighter and then kissed her forehead. “Why don’t we sit down?” he suggested. They found a cosy little spot beneath the shade of the forest trees, and rested against its trunk.
“Are you going to tell me?” Savannah asked.
“Tell you what?”
“What you’re not telling me,” Savannah said. “I can sense it--”
Xander raised his eyebrows. “Those senses of yours are no joke.”
Savannah smiled. “It’s only because of the connection between us,” she clarified. “It’s going to be hard for you to keep a secret from me.”
Xander smiled. “Believe it or not, I don’t want to keep secrets from you, but I don’t want to upset you, either.”
“I know.” Savannah nodded. “But tell me anyway.”
Xander sighed. “Apparently…the news has traveled.”
“News of my pregnancy?” Savannah asked.
Xander nodded. “Dominic knows that the fact our child i
s a shifter has legitimized our relationship, and I can marry you and take on my role as alpha which means--”
“He can’t take over like he wanted to,” Savannah said, finishing for him.
“Exactly,” Xander nodded.
“Does that mean he’s going to go back home?” Savannah asked.
“I don’t think he’s the type to give up so easily,” Xander said. “He’s still in town, and…I think he may be up to something.”
“I knew it!” Savannah said. “I knew my senses were right.”
“He’s not going to get near you,” Xander said fiercely. “I’ll make sure of that.”
“What if…what if he tries to harm the baby?” Savannah said, feeling terrible fear grip at her.
“We’re going to find him, Savannah,” Xander said heatedly. “We’re going to find him, and we’re going to get him out of town.”
“How?”
“When the pack comes together as one we're impossible to defeat,” Xander said with certainty. “It is the lone wolf who has something to fear, and we are not alone--but Dominic is.”
Savannah nodded slowly. “I told my parents I wanted to stay in Grey Mountain last night,” she admitted.
He smiled at her softly. “Were they surprised?”
“Very.” Savannah nodded. “They think I’m staying because of a boy.”
“Oh,” Xander said with interest. “What did you tell them?"
“I told them I was staying for myself,” Savannah replied. “I told them that I was doing this for no one else but me.”
“That’s good to hear,” Xander said, kissing the top of her head. “How are you feeling about…everything? We never really got a chance to talk about…the pregnancy.”
Savannah’s hands fell to her belly. “It feels…unreal at this moment, but I’m also starting to feel--”
“Yes?”
“Protective,” Savannah said, “in a way I've never felt before--”
“I think they call those maternal instincts,” Xander said.
“It must be,” Savannah said. .
“What are your plans for today?” Xander asked.
“Well, I was hoping to spend the day with you,” she said.
Xander’s face broke into a huge smile. “Well, we can,” he said. “We can be together, now that no one and nothing can stop us.”
Savannah nodded. She allowed her worry to dissipate for a moment in an attempt to savor her happiness. “They’re really going to support this?” she asked, feeling the need to be reassured.
“They’re really going to support this. My uncle's behind us, one hundred percent.”
Savannah nodded, taking comfort in his words.
“Let’s go to the cabin,” Xander said. He rose to his feet and extended his hand out to Savannah.
They started walking toward the house, hand in hand, enjoying the oaky scent of the forest trees, and the subdued sounds of the animals.
“I have to start learning,” Savannah said as they approached the cabin.
“Learning?” Xander asked.
“Learning about what it means to marry a shifter,” Savannah said, “and how to raise children who are shifters. I should know about your history, your traditions, and your rules, don’t you think?”
“Of course,” Xander said, nodding. “And you will learn, in time.”
“Why don’t you teach me now?”
“Because I don’t want to overwhelm you,” Xander said simply. “You already have a lot to adjust to, and a lot to process. Why make it harder for you by giving you too much information all at once?”
“I can handle it,” Savannah said defensively.
“I know you can, but for right now, I don’t want you to have to think about anything other than yourself and the baby. Trust me, there will be more than enough time for you to learn our ways and traditions.”
They entered the cabin together. Xander went right to the kitchen, and took out a loaf of bread and some eggs from the refrigerator. “Sit down,” he said, “and I’ll make you some breakfast.”
Savannah smiled. “I’ve never had a man cook for me before,” she admitted.
“Get used to it,” Xander said, moving around the kitchen with confidence.
In less than half an hour there was a table full of food, and Savannah was actually beginning to feel hungry again. Xander sat down next to her and spooned scrambled eggs onto her plate. Every once in a while, he'd rub her back protectively, as though to make sure she was all right.
“There’s still so much we don’t know about each other,” Xander said.
Savannah nodded. “I was thinking about that, too. It feels as though I’ve known you for a hundred years, but when I stop to think about it, I realize that we’re technically strangers to each other.”
“My mother used to tell me that strangers are made based on how you feel about them,” Xander said. “She said that she’d known people for a lifetime and they were still strangers to her. I think she might've been talking about my father.”
Savannah noticed how soft his voice grew when he spoke about his mother. She sensed how much Xander loved her, and how much it hurt him when he'd thought he'd lost her.
“How did she die?” Savannah asked.
“She was sick,” Xander said. “She was sick for a long time, and my father…well, he didn’t care. I think his indifference only made her illness worse. Sometimes I wonder if she didn't just stop fighting because it was easier to leave than to stay here and get hurt.”
Savannah sensed the burning anger beneath Xander’s calm façade. He was resentful and hurt, but he was also furious at how things had turned out.
“She would've tried to stay alive for you, Xander,” Savannah said, even though she didn’t know it for sure.
“I don’t know about that,” Xander said evenly. “She really loved my father--”
“She loved you, too.”
Xander smiled a sad smile. “Sometimes it's not as simple that that. People are complicated. Sometimes they’re weak, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it's just how we’re made. My mother, she was a strong woman, but she had moments of weakness. When my father did what he did, a part of her died. She became sullen and withdrawn, which only aggravated her illness. It was a massive humiliation for her to endure, and I think she wanted to leave it all behind.”
Savannah reached out and took Xander’s hand. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I wish there was something I could say--”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Xander said. “You don’t have to fix it or make it better. Some things just are, and accepting them is the only way forward.”
“Acceptance.” Savannah nodded, latching onto the word. “It’s harder than most people understand. I’ve always been so sensitive to what other people feel, and it's made me realize that acceptance is one of the hardest things to do. It– ”
Savannah’s words were cut short by a flashing image that burned in her mind’s eye, so bright, she moved to cover her eyes with her hands, but the vision had already passed.
“Savannah!” Xander said, panicked as he grabbed her. “Are you all right?”
Savannah breathed deeply. She managed a nod. “I…I think so--”
“What was that?”
“I had a vision,” she stammered. “I saw something, but it wasn’t clear.” Savannah searched her memory, but she wasn't able to see the vision again, or make sense of what she'd just seen. All she knew was that she was left with was a new sense of foreboding.
“Xander,” she said tearfully.
“What is it?” he asked with concern. “Tell me.”
“Something…something bad is going to happen,” she said. “I can feel it. It's coming.”
“What did you see?” Xander asked. Savannah sensed his worry burgeon in response to her reaction.
“I…can’t be sure,” Savannah said. “I think I saw a man, a tall man, but I couldn’t see his face. He’s…trying to destroy us all. I…”
“You’re right,” Xander said. “Something has happened--”
Savannah gasped. “I…what is it? What’s happening?”
“I don’t know yet,” Xander said desperately. “I heard the call--”
“The call?”
“The pack call,” Xander said. “It means--”
“You have to go,” Savannah finished for him.
Xander fixed his eyes on Savannah. “Stay here,” he said. “I'll be back as soon as I can.”
“Okay,” Savannah said, feeling helpless.
“Stay here and lock the doors,” Xander said. “I’m sorry--”
“No,” Savannah said, cutting his apology short. “This is your job. Go and do it. I’ll be here when you get back.”
Xander nodded. He grabbed Savannah and kissed her hard on the lips. He leant his forehead against hers for the briefest of moments, and then he was gone.
Chapter Three
Savannah tried to find things to do around the cabin that would keep her mind off of whatever was going on outside those walls. She tried to clean the living room, she tried to arrange the sheets, and she tried to scrub the sink, but she gave up in the end in favour of staring out the window and waiting for Xander's return.
Her mind fabricated new worries, and new concerns with each passing second. She was starting to work herself into such a panic that she considered leaving the safety of the cabin behind in order to venture forth and find Xander herself.
Just as her resolve was beginning to harden, she saw something move between the trees in the distance, followed, almost immediately by a bright aura that was recognizable, but not altogether familiar. She was trying to decide if she should be scared, when she saw two tall figures emerge and start walking toward the cabin.
She recognized them instantly. The taller, dark-skinned boy with dark hair was Johnny, and just behind him was red-haired Gordy. They both wore nothing but shorts, and Savannah knew they'd probably made most of the journey to the cabin as wolves. She rushed from the window to the door, opening it before they had reached it.