Chapter 10 - What If?
Gracey woke up in Stone's arms once again. It felt incredible. As Stone started to awaken, he smiled. His beautiful angel was lying next to him.
Stone leaned in to kiss Gracey. “Good morning, my love.”
They had never done anything but kiss and hold hands before, and now they were in bed together, kissing passionately. Gracey could feel herself wanting to go further. The feeling was ecstatic. Suddenly Gracey pulled away. “I am scared,” she said.
“Of, course you are,” Stone replied. “Gracey, I know I love you. Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me? Do you believe in forever?”
Gracey flashed back to their talk by the creek and what Stone had told her, ‘I would never have sex with anyone but my wife. I believe in forever.'
Did Stone just propose?
“I need to talk to someone. I am confused,” Gracey called out.
Gracey ran out of the room to find Ms. Maple. Instead, she ran head-on into Abby outside of the great room. “Honey, are you okay?” Abby asked.
“Yes, well maybe. No, I scared.”
“Of course, you are; there are evil men after you. Of course, you're scared,” Abby agreed.
“No, I am afraid of Stone,” Gracey exclaimed, wide-eyed.
“You are afraid of Stone? Afraid he is going to hurt you?”
“No, not like that. You know I have never had a boyfriend before.” Gracey blushed. “And...I have never...”
“I know.”
“How do you know?” Gracey asked confused.
“I can smell it,” Abby replied.
“Smell it?”
“You read the books?” Abby inquired.
“Yes. I forgot. The pheromones,” Gracey remembered.
“Yes. Sex is confusing enough being human. Marriage can be confusing as well, but a relationship as a wolf, with another wolf, the mating, and the bonding just adds more to the uncertainty.”
“Marriage...Omigod,” Gracey thought out loud.
“Have you and Stone talked about marriage?” Abby asked.
“He just asked me if I believed in forever.”
Abby was confused. Gracey briefly explained the conversation by the creek; omitting Stone's confession about being a virgin.
“Well, do you believe in forever?” Abby asked.
“Yes.”
“With my son? Do you love him?”
“Yes, with all my heart.”
As if on cue, Stone walked in with Rudy behind him. Abby removed an heirloom ring from her right hand and handed it to Stone. It was a beautiful emerald and diamond ring in 18-karat white gold. "It was my grandmother's," Abby announced warmly.
Still, in their pajamas, Stone moved to Gracey, knelt on one knee and asked her to stay with him forever.
Gracey said yes.
After kisses and tears and hugs, Abby announced there were lots to do. There was to be a human wedding and the decision to turn wolf.
“You know once a wolf mates it is forever?” Abby asked to verify Gracey and Stone understood. “Wolves do not divorce.”
“Is the bonding true?" Stone asked.
“Only if both parties are wolves. Your father and I have never bonded since I have never turned him. But there are advantages. By bonding, you will have a telepathic link to each other. And with the link can help you to know if someone is in danger, or in pain, or even happy. I have been told sex with a wolf you have bonded with takes it to a whole never level. And once you are bonded, no other wolf can claim you; unless there is a challenge to the death.”
“Now we just have to decide what comes first,” Rudy posed.
The full moon was coming soon. Forgoing the monthly shots would cause the turn. Wedding before or after? Mating before or after?
It was happening too quickly. Gracey loved Stone with all her being, but a quickie wedding to stop her wolf father from claiming her seemed too easy and too convenient. A wedding and mating would solve the problem but...
“Let's get showered and dressed. I think a light breakfast and some caffeine will do us all good. We will meet in the dining room and discuss our next steps,” Rudy suggested. It was quite evident Rudy did not like to think on an empty stomach.
Gracey laughed at Rudy’s comment about a light breakfast. Each morning the staff would prepare enough fruit, bagels, croissants, and the like to feed an army.
After dressing for breakfast, they met in the dining room. Ms. Maple, Charles, Jim, and Elmer were in the kitchen with the staff having their breakfast.
“I have put in a call to Mr. Merriman to order some wedding dresses,” Stone whispered to his mother. Abby laughed. She had called, as well.
“We have twenty days to the next full moon. So we don’t have much time before we have to make a decision,” Stone declared.
“Earlier you said another wolf could challenge a fight to the death for a mate, is that true?” Gracey asked Abby.
“Yes, if you are already mated. It rarely happens, but yes,” Abby replied.
“Rafer would not be able to make a challenge but another wolf could?” Gracey inquired.
“If Rafer has promised you to another wolf and that wolf decides to claim you, then yes there could be a threat,” Abby confirmed.
Abby turned to Rudy. While Rudy was not a wolf, Abby was attuned to his heartbeat. Rudy was angry and afraid as well as frustrated feeling helpless.
“Rudy, we have Jim and Elmer. If Gracey and Stone turn and I stop taking the shots as well, there will be five of us,” Abby proclaimed.
“It will not be enough. I have taken care of this family financially while you handled the wolf issues, but now it is time I stepped up and joined the fight. You have to turn me, Abby,” Rudy insisted.
Abby was grief stricken. While she desired a wolf relationship, the thought of turning her husband of thirty years, saddened her. Abby had become to enjoy the human charade; her human life.
“We can talk to Charles first. He has been with us for a few years and has been completely loyal. If we explain everything, I believe he will be willing to turn. We will have six,” Abby told Rudy.
“Seven. This isn’t negotiable,” Rudy disputed.
“All of this because of me?” Gracey called out, almost in tears.
“Sweetie, you are our family. Stone loves you, and we love you. We have watched over you for years, hoping this would never happen; hoping Rafer would not come after you. Even if you had not fallen in love with our son, we would have still fought for you. We owe it to you. Rafer came to Lone Hill because of me. It is my obligation to make it right,” Abby stated firmly while filled with remorse.
“Let's finish breakfast and meet with Jim and Elmer and then with Charles,” Abby told the group knowing they needed to make some big decisions.
After breakfast, they called Jim and Elmer into the great room and talked about the possibility of another kidnapping attempt and Stone's proposal to Gracey.
“Jim, do you know how big the pack is?” Abby asked.
“No, I do not keep in contact with any of them. Only the two keep showing up. The same two Elmer ran off from the boarding house. So maybe the pack is small,” Jim replied.
“We need to find out how many there are. But first, please call Charles in,” Abby instructed.
Charles was over six foot five inches and a former football player and Secret Service Agent. He was a local boy who went to college on a football scholarship. In his fourth year, he broke his leg. Finishing his degree in political science, he went on to work with the Secret Service. Charles had excellent instincts and lightning fast reflexes. His father had raced cars at the local dirt track, and Charles knew his way around cars both inside and out. Rudy recognized Charles for his talents and hired him as his driver and personal bodyguard.
Charles entered the great room from the side door. He had been in his apartment above the garage cleaning.
“Charles, we nee
d to ask you a life-changing question. We direly need your help. Please hear us out,” Abby started with apprehension.
“Ms. Abigail, you need not ask; my answer is yes,” Charles replied without even hearing the question.
“But you don't know what we are going to ask,” Abby said impatiently.
“Ms. Abigail, I have read your books, and I have seen quite a bit from my apartment every full moon. If this is to save Gracey and protect you and this family, then you do not have to ask. My answer is yes.” Everyone stood in shock. He knew?
“I have just one question,” and Charles paused. Everyone waited.
“Will I have a new father or a new mother?” Charles said with a grimace.
Everyone laughed. Charles always had a great sense of humor.
“I had not thought of that. But I am sure Rudy will not want me biting anyone, but him,” Abby grinned.
By this time everyone was laughing so hard, tears were streaming down their faces.
“To make it easier, I can have Dr. Robertson extract some blood from one of us and inject you with it; no biting. Would that be better?” Abby suggested.
“Thank you, Ms. Abigail,” Charles replied and winked at Jim and Elmer. Now, everyone was holding their sides in pain. It was good to laugh. It was a welcome reprieve from the gloom surrounding them.
Abby turned to Rudy and asked without warning, “Rudy, needle or teeth?”
“As long as you are doing the biting, darlin', I am going with teeth,” Rudy whispered with a lustful grin. Abby blushed and then smiled.
Gracey turned to Charles, “I guess you will be my bodyguard.” Stone looked at her quizzically. “Private joke,” Gracey replied. It was Charles' turn to blush.
The group agreed everyone would turn on the next full moon, less than three weeks away. Abby would teach Gracey on how to be a female wolf, while Jim and Elmer would work with Stone, Rudy, and Charles. Three wolves teaching four humans how to turn at the same time and keep them under control would be a daunting task. Since Jim and Elmer could turn at will, they would take the three men out to show them how it was done. Abby had been taking the shots for numerous years and was not sure if she would turn so easily. If something went wrong, it could put her life and the life of the humans in danger. She decided to wait until the full moon when the pull was strongest.
Gracey and Abby stepped away for a private conversation. “Abby, you know I love Stone, and I want to marry him.” Abby nodded. “And I have to turn to protect myself. I doubt Rafer will wait until just before my twenty-fifth birthday to claim me. And even if he does, I need to learn to fight now. But I feel as if I am being led down the aisle in a shotgun wedding,” Gracey told Abby, trying to manage a laugh. “Can the wedding wait?”
“Sure it can wait but why?” Abby asked, confused.
“If Stone and I get married and something happens, something bad; I don’t want him having to spend the rest of his life alone. I want him to have the option to marry again; to give you grandchildren. If we mate, it is forever, even if one of us is dead.”
“Dead?” Abby said gravely as she sunk to the ground. “Someone could die. I guess I just did not want to admit it to myself. I just kept telling myself; Rafer would show up and see our would-be pack and give up. But there could be a fight, and someone could die.”
Abby sat deliberating for several minutes while holding her face in her hands. “If you don’t get married, Rafer can take you. Being his daughter, he has the right to claim you. We can fight to keep him from taking you, but if we lose, you will be mated with someone you do not know.
“If you get married and mated to Stone, only another wolf, not Rafer can make a death challenge. And someone will die. And it could be Stone. But then again, if you are married, Rafer and the suitor may just give up.
“It is a big decision to make, and regardless we will need everyone to turn. We cannot fight as humans. We need numbers to stand up against Rafer,” Abby finished.
Gracey knew the decision had to be hers. The thought of Stone dying or having to live alone for the rest of his life was more than Gracey could endure.
Rudy and Stone had walked into the hall, to find Abby and Gracey. Gracey looked at Stone and told him the hardest thing she would ever have to say. “There will be no wedding.”
“So you won’t marry me, and you’ll take the chance someone else will mate with you. Hell, no! I do not care if I live the rest of my life alone. I want to marry you. Even if I have to fight to protect you, I want to marry you. Don’t you get it, Gracey, you are my forever? Please marry me,” Stone begged.
Everyone was in the hallway, most of them crying. Abby was still sitting on the floor sobbing in her hands; with Rudy trying to comfort her. Stone was standing and staring at Gracey, with tears running down his face. Gracey was determined to be unwavering with her decision. She turned and walked away. “I need a bath.”
The Rudolphs looked at one another in sadness, heartbroken. They would fight for Gracey. They owed her that much. But the acceptance of the proposal and the declaration of no wedding in such a short period of time were inconsolable. “Gracey is confused. It is so much to take in so soon. Give her some space and time, and I am sure she will come around. There is hope. She kept the ring,” Abby announced, optimistic.
Gracey did not waste any time drawing herself a bath and climbing into the hot water. The giant tub had become her refuge. There were no bubbles and no candles. This was not the time for pampering. There has to be a way around this. She kept saying over and over in her mind. There has to be a happy ending. If we could stop Rafer until my twenty-fifth birthday, I could stay human and not have to rush the wedding. Okay, best case scenario and the worst chance of coming to fruition.
Gracey ran every scenario through her head. If I do not mate before I turn twenty-five, Rafer can claim me. If I do not turn before I turn twenty-five, Rafer can still force the turn. If I turn to protect myself and I do not get married, Rafer can claim me. If I turn and get married, there can be a death challenge, and Stone could die. If Stone dies or Rafer claims me, I will be mated to someone else. Who do I want to mate with? The final question was the most prominent one. Regardless of the threat from Rafer, she wanted to be with Stone. Even if forever was only for a year.
Gracey stayed in her room for the rest of the afternoon. Ms. Maple brought up a tray of food for lunch, but Gracey refused lunch and Ms. Maple’s company. Gracey needed time alone. She needed time to decide.
Dinner time arrived, and Stone knocked softly on her door. “Please let me in,” he begged.
Gracey unlocked the door, climbed back onto the bed, and buried her face in the pillows. I cannot look at him, she thought to herself.
“Gracey. I know you are afraid. So am I. We can postpone the wedding. Let us get through the first full moon together, and then we can talk again about wedding dates. We will take it one full moon at a time. But, please tell me you will marry me. Please tell me you love me.”
“Stone, you know I love you. But I have gone over every scenario in my head, wedding, no wedding, wolf or human, everything. I have one more question I need to ask your mother.”
Stone and Gracey left Gracey’s suite to find Abby. Gracey was still troubled, but Stone had a glimmer of hope. They found Abby in her sitting room.
“Abby, if Stone and I get married, and I don’t turn what claim does Rafer have?” Gracey asked.
“Being married is not the same as being mated as wolves. So technically, Rafer can still claim you, force change and hand you off to someone else. But if you are no longer a virgin then the chances of him coming to take you are considerably diminished. I am gathering you are hesitant to turn,” Abby deduced.
“I have read the books, but I only know from my own experience about living human. It scares me. The wolves around me have been living human, so it makes me believe being a wolf is not so desirable,”
Gracey explained.
“Oh sweetie, we choose to live human because pack life can be difficult; especially growing up in a nomadic pack. There are packs out there that lead fairly normal lives and are able to live both, but they have to be isolated somewhat from the normal world due to the size of the pack. With me marrying Rudy, I made a personal choice to live human because Rudy is human, and we raised Stone as human.”
“But what about Jim and Elmer?” Gracey asked.
“Honey, Jim, and Elmer live both. They have their human life, and they still turn each month to hunt. They are not in a pack, per se. They do rely on each other as they hunt together. I think for them, it is more of a male bonding thing. Just as human men hunt together with guns,” Abby explained.
“So why don’t you wait to turn wolf? Let’s plan this wedding so you and Stone can start your lives together,” Abby added.
Gracey turned to Stone, “I was thinking October.” Stone nearly jumped for joy. He took Gracey into his arms and kissed her passionately.
Abby squealed with excitement. “I have a wedding to plan,” Abby giggled as she ran out the door.