Chapter 16 - Just Two More Times
The first full moon of August was near. No new wolves would be transforming this full moon. The only concern was security for Gracey and Stone after they had received their monthly shots. Ms. Maple would stay with Gracey, but one of the wolves would need to stay at the house to ensure there were no kidnapping attempts. The rest would hunt as a group and return immediately, together as a group. After the shooting in July, the group needed to put safety over the needs of their wolves.
After dinner, Dr. Robertson would arrive, the shots would be given, and everyone would proceed with the plan. Since Jim was the oldest of the boys and had been a wolf longer than the others, he was able to control his need for the hunt. Jim would stay in the room across the hall from Gracey’s suite to protect her.
Stone took his shot first and waited while Gracey took hers. As usual, the pain for her was immediate. Stone was almost in tears. “This has to stop! I hate seeing her in all this pain.” Stone rushed to Gracey's side to hold her.
“Just two more times,” Gracey whispered.
“What?” Stone whispered.
“We will talk tomorrow. I promise,” Gracey whispered in return. “But for now I need some time alone. Please go to your suite and come back later,” Gracey begged. She hated Stone seeing her like this.
After Stone had tucked Gracey in, Stone and Dr. Robertson left the suite. Ms. Maple settled in to watch over Gracey. Jim was in the room across the hall, with the door open. After Jim was sure Robertson was gone, he stripped and turned into his gray wolf form.
In his human form, Jim was fit and toned but not muscular like Elmer or Charles. In human years, he was sixty; in wolf years, he was forty-five. He had light brown hair and deep blue eyes. Jim was attractive in both forms. Since he left the pack, he had not pursued any serious or long term relationships. He had seen the failed attempts with males in Rafe’s pack with human women. He could never hurt a woman like that. He was not born a wolf. Jim wanted to live human.
Jim left the door to the guest room open and lay across the threshold. He had a view of the hallway and the top of the stairs and could quickly be in Gracey’s suite if needed.
Jim had never been near Gracey during the full moon after she had taken her shots. Elmer had told him how much Gracey suffered each month, but Jim could not totally comprehend until that night. He could hear every moan and groan, regardless of how much Gracey tried to stifle it. And he swore he could feel her pain. Jim found himself whining softly in empathy. Oh, baby girl, I did not know.
Stone had lain down in his suite. He looked at the clock and marked the time. I will wait one hour, he decided.
Stone was returning to Gracey’s suite when he saw Jim at his post. Jim whined softly in empathy every time Gracey moaned in pain. Hearing Jim’s whimpers, Stone tried to console him. “I know Jim, that poor girl has done this every month for ten years. We will get through another night. Gracey will be fine. Our girl is stronger than we give her credit for. She had to be. Look at everything she’s had to endure.”
Jim growled lowly to indicate he understood. “Jim, I have never said this before but thank you for watching over her. Not just tonight but for the last six years,” Stone added sincerely, gratefully.
Jim nodded his head to acknowledge, humbled by Stone’s thankfulness.
Stone entered the suite and thanked Ms. Maple for sitting with Gracey. “Celia, thank you for everything,” Stone said sincerely and gave her a hug. He then crawled on the bed next to Gracey and pulled her into his arms.
Ms. Maple was flabbergasted. Stone had never called her by her first name before. She whispered, “You’re welcome.” And then she took her leave.
Exiting the suite, Celia saw Jim on guard duty. She had never seen Jim in his wolf form before. “Omigod, Jim, you’re…you’re beautiful.” Celia walked closer quite curious.
Jim stood and moved into the hallway. Celia circled around Jim, to get a better look. On all fours, his shoulders were at her chest. Celia was smaller in stature than the rest of the family, at five foot six inches. So Jim in his wolf form could almost look at her eye to eye. Jim backed up a little, a bit apprehensive of her close proximity.
Celia sensed his concern. “I know you are a human and a wolf but…I have never touched a wolf before. Can I feel your fur?”
Jim thought about it for a moment but then moved closer in a silent yes. He walked towards her and bowed his head to show he would not hurt her. Celia reached out and stroked him along his back. “Wow,” Celia muttered. “Your fur is so soft.”
Jim, not knowing what to do next, laid down in the hall looking at the door of Gracey’s suite. “Can I sit with you for a while? I have watched over Gracey for six years, and I know she is in safe hands, but…” Celia could not finish the sentence. Instead, she sat on the floor with her back against the wall. Together they would watch over Gracey.
The other four wolves finished the hunt and after a couple of laps around the field to stretch their legs, returned to the house. Elmer and Charles went to the basement. During the full moon, they slept in the house. The consensus was the threat of another kidnapping of Gracey was greater during the full moon.
Rudy and Abby climbed the stairs and saw Jim at his post. Then they saw Ms. Maple. She had fallen asleep and was curled up next to Jim in his wolf form.
“I guess we need to wake her so Jim can turn back,” Rudy suggested to his mate.
“Ms. Maple, we are back,” Abby whispered.
Celia woke and realized where she was. She looked at Jim and smiled. “I must have fallen asleep while we were watching over Gracey,” Celia stated. Jim rose, changed and escorted Celia to the basement.
Abby and Rudy entered their suite and then laughed. “Charles and now Jim?” Rudy suggested.
“Maybe it was innocent?” Abby replied in a hopeful tone. “We can deal with it later. But for now…I have other things on my mind,” Abby cooed and tackled her husband.
This wolf thing does have its advantages, Rudy thought and growled wantonly.
The next morning, Rudy made an announcement at breakfast. “We are having a formal dinner tonight. We need a celebration.”
“Celebration?” Stone asked.
“Sure why not? Life is getting back to normal. I have a great family, and I want to celebrate. Black tie tonight; I want it all; great food, candles, and beautifully dressed women in long flowing gowns,” Rudy proclaimed.
“I guess I better alert the kitchen staff,” Abby stated excitedly. “I love to dress up!”
“Long flowing gowns?” Gracey panicked. “I have nothing like that.”
“Gracey, you have seen my closet. If I don’t have something in there that will bring Stone to his knees, then I need to burn everything and head to Milan for a new wardrobe.”
Gracey was excited. She no longer felt embarrassed to borrow a dress from Abby. She felt like family. “I need a mani-pedi, look at these nails,” Gracey called out.
“I will call the spa,” Abby exclaimed with even more excitement. “We are going to be pampered today.”
“Dad, I think you have unleashed a monster. We better head for the office and get out of their way,” Stone suggested, laughing at his mother.
Abby and Gracey headed for the kitchen, to announce plans for the evening. The staff would be busy setting up for a formal dinner. Then the ladies went upstairs to Abby’s suite. The spa was called, and two of their girls would be over after lunch, to pamper the ladies. Abby would convert her monstrous bathroom into a day spa for the afternoon. “Candles, we need lots of candles and soft music,” Abby decided gaily.
Abby opened the door to her closet. Along one entire wall was gown after gown. Gracey had seen them when they were picking out Gracey’s wedding dress, but she had forgotten just how extensive the collection was.
“How do we decide?” Gracey asked, wide-eyed.
“Let’
s decide on the color first,” Abby suggested. “Since it is black tie tonight, I am thinking black for us as well.”
“Rudy and Stone will be tuxedos?” Gracey asked, and Abby nodded yes. “Ooh, Stone is so handsome in a tux. I am going to need something gorgeous.”
“Gracey, you are gorgeous in anything you wear. Don’t you know that yet?” Abby asked.
Gracey blushed. She was naturally beautiful but never thought of herself that way.
“Black gowns…," Abby mused. "That should narrow it down to about twenty or so. It is good we wear the same size,” Abby mused.
“Twenty or so?” Gracey repeated.
“Young lady, after a few years you will have a closet to rival mine. We are going to have so much fun shopping.”
Abby pulled out a few of her favorites gowns. Each dress was more beautiful than the last. After each of them tried on about a dozen gowns, they finally chose. Abby chose one with a plunging neckline and spaghetti straps. Gracey chose, at Abby’s insistence, one with a modest neckline but backless.
After lunch, Abby and Gracey were pampered and buffed and polished. They would take a luxurious bath later and then dress for dinner.
Gracey put on the gown she had borrowed from Abby. She pinned up her hair and put on a small pair of silver loop earrings. Then she put on the silver colored locket Stone had used in the ruse to steal the photos from the police station.
The ladies had planned their entrance. Each lady would descend from opposite sides of the staircases with the men waiting at the bottom. Abby and Gracey were gorgeous beyond belief. Rudy and Stone could only sigh and smile. They both knew they could not be any luckier. With the women on their arms, they entered the dining room.
The lights had been dimmed, and the warm glow of the candles set the mood perfectly. The table had been set with the best china, crystal, and silver.
Rudy looked away from his beautiful bride of thirty years to admire Gracey.
“Stone, I have to say, you are as blessed as I am. Just look at these two ladies. Have you gotten the full view yet?” Rudy asked.
Gracey twirled around, and Stone nearly tripped over his own jaw. “Yes, Dad, I am very lucky…gorgeous, totally gorgeous.”
Rudy took another look at Gracey. “I see you are wearing my grandmother's locket.”
“This is your grandmother's locket?” Gracey asked Rudy and then looked at Stone suspiciously.
Stone looked down trying to avoid eye contact.
“Yes, it was my grandmother's locket. I gave it to Stone to give to his bride,” Rudy informed Gracey.
“Stone, you said you got this piece of costume jewelry from Merriman’s.” Then Gracey ran out of the room.
Gracey returned a few moments later with a shoe box full of the other jewelry Stone had given her and dumped it onto the table. “What else is real?” Gracey asked in a miffed tone, annoyed by Stone’s deception.
Rudy recognized the sapphire and diamond drop earrings Gracey had worn the night of her birthday.
“Those were my mother's; the sapphire and diamond earrings,” Rudy revealed.
Gracey stood stiffly, wanting to yell at Stone for lying to her.
Abby quickly interceded. "Gracey, I am sure Stone lied about the jewelry because he was afraid you would not accept the gifts. Still, I am not saying what he did was right.”
Gracey turned to Stone. "So, no more lies Stone! It is anything else you need to confess?"
"No,” Stone replied, he eyes lowered in shame.
"Well then sweetie, we need to get you a real jewelry box. Those heirloom pieces have no place in a shoebox,” Abby added.
Stone walked over to Gracey and took her face into his hand and said softly and lovingly. “I am sorry, but I wanted you to have them, and I knew you wouldn’t accept them if you knew the truth. But things are different now. Will you forgive me?”
Gracey saw the sincerity in Stone's eyes. “Only because you look so dang handsome in a tux,” Gracey replied and softly kissed him.
After a perfectly romantic dinner, Rudy and Stone led the ladies to the patio. While the ladies were busy during the day, the men hung miniature lights and programmed music for some slow dancing under the stars. Both Rudy and Stone had selected a song to dedicate to the women they loved; both by Frank Sinatra. Rudy had picked ‘The Way You Look Tonight,’ and Stone chose ‘It Had to Be You.' It was a perfect ending to the evening.
Between the dinner party and movie night, it was Sunday before Stone had a chance to ask Gracey about the comment she made on the night of the full moon; 'Just two more times.'
“There are two more full moons between now, and the time we get married. Once we are married, I want to turn,” Gracey started.
“But I thought you didn’t want to turn?” Stone asked for clarification.
“I didn’t before. But now I do,” Gracey replied.
“Why? I thought you were afraid?”
“I was, but, not of turning. I was afraid of the wolves because of Rafer and the devil twins. But since I have been around the boys and your parents, I know my opinions were not based on facts. It is not the wolf who is bad. It is the person. I am surrounded by good people, hence good wolves. I am no longer afraid.”
Gracey continued. “Plus, since your father has turned I realized I want what your parents have. I want us to have that type of relationship. I want us to have as many years together as possible.”
Stone had a lot to think about. He had already told her if she decided to turn, he would too.
“What about children? Will you still want children?” Stone asked.
“I have talked with Dr. Robertson, and he says children are possible. But there may be some complications.”
“Complications?”
“Stone, we have been taking these shots since puberty. According to a colleague of Dr. Robertson’s, who also has patients like us, the shots work like birth control.”
“I have been on birth control?” Stone called out.
“Apparently the drug Dr. Robertson has been giving us, to stop us from turning also prevents me from ovulating and lowers your sperm production. Our hormone levels were severely compromised. It is a miracle we went through puberty.”
“Say what?” Stone called out again to the news Gracey was relaying to him. Silently he wondered if the shots had also lowered his libido over the years. He never had an interest in having sex with the girls he had previously dated. Even sleeping next to Gracey, he was not physically aroused.
“Calm down for a moment and let me continue,” Gracey begged. “After a while, after we stop taking the shots everything will return to normal. Dr. Robertson isn’t sure how long it will take, but his colleague states there are some natural remedies which can speed the process along.”
“So we have to eat the roses?” Stone joked.
“Actually, yes,” Gracey laughed. “And Dr. Robertson has a list of herbs which may help, as well. He has agreed to give the list to Ms. Maple if we need them and she can help us. She may have to order some of the herbs, though. Dr. Robertson recommends we start with the herbal remedies about two weeks after our last shot at the end of September. We can start with the lavender roses and move to the herbs as needed.”
“Do my parents know this?” Stone inquired.
“Not yet. I have asked Dr. Robertson to keep this confidential for now. There is no need to alarm them. They have spent most of our lives trying to protect us. I don’t want them to think our condition is their fault,” Gracey stated.
Stone agreed. To lighten the mood, Gracey asked Stone, “Did you hear about Jim and Ms. Maple sleeping together?”
“What the…” Stone started. Gracey laughed and told him the whole story of Ms. Maple falling asleep in the hall with Jim.
“Who’s next, Elmer?” Stone asked.
“I guess he hasn’t noticed Allison looking at him,” Gracey revealed.
“No mor
e matchmaking Gracey. Emerald Knoll is getting a bit crowded,” Stone said sternly.
With the summer coming to an end by the end of the month, Gracey talked with Joseph the following week about renovations to the potting shed. She also talked to Ms. Maple and the rest of the kitchen staff about what they would like to grow in a greenhouse during the winter if available. Gracey wanted both a new potting shed and at least a small greenhouse for Ms. Maple's herbs and a few vegetables. She thought about the list of herbs she may need in the future and decided to ask Dr. Robertson for the list so she could order them if not already in the garden.
Charles had taken hundreds of photos of the gardens in St. Louis, and he shared the photos of the herb gardens with Ms. Maple. Ms. Maple was amazed at the number of varieties grown there. She sent Billy to the library to pick up a few books for her. She wanted to research other herbs she could use for home remedies and healing.
Gracey and Joseph also talked about a spot for a small salad garden. Instead of a separate garden away from the house, a place was found near the kitchen entrance for easy and quick access.
While Gracey was working with Joseph, unbeknownst to her, Stone was working with Haley on a special project he would reveal to Gracey after the danger was over; after they were married. Charles never left Gracey's side during the day; now her personal bodyguard. He ensured Gracey was distracted while Stone's project was being completed. Gracey never caught on.
Abby was already busy renovating the stable with two separate changing rooms for the men and the women along with showering facilities. Since she was the only female wolf, so far, she would be able to design it to her liking. Color palates and swatches had been delivered and hidden in her office.
Abby had not shared her renovation plans with the men. She wanted to keep it a surprise for now. Abby thought about the basic needs; temperature control, hot water, lockers, benches and the like. For the lady's facilities, Abby added special lighting and extra electrical outlets. In addition to benches, there would be comfortable chairs and a proper closet area. Why not, Abby thought, so far it is just for me and maybe someday for Gracey. She hoped to have everything completed by the end of the month. There was a second full moon this calendar month.
Humans would call the second full moon this month a blue moon, but actually, a blue moon was the third full moon of an equinox which had four full moons. There would be only three full moons between the summer and autumn equinox, so no real blue moon. The next official blue moon would be August of 2013.
Abby thought more about the moon cycles. They were in the Leo Moon. No wonder they were in a flamboyant frame of mind, and their romantic and passionate personas were heightened. Everything made sense.
The renovations would be ready for the Virgo Moon. The Virgo Moon played on a person’s need for special improvement projects while making them aware of their physical needs. Perfect, Abby thought.
Knowing Gracey was also having some construction done, Abby talked with Gracey about vetting all the workers. Groups coming onto the property had to be small and never a new worker, never a substitute for someone who called out sick. And Gracey’s contact with the group had to be minimal and with at least two family members in attendance. No exceptions, ever. Abby used the same contractors for many years, and they knew the rules. The Rudolphs paid extra for their efficiency and secrecy. All of the workers were required to sign confidentiality statements. All the household employees signed the same statement when they were hired.
With all the work going on at the property, it soon became evident each group needed to be scheduled to ensure there were not too many extra people on the property at one time. It forced Gracey to spend most of the day indoors and guarded. No one could be confident Rafer had not infiltrated the property or had one of his pack members posing as a day laborer.
Haley had supervised the delivery of the materials for Stone’s special project, and within a couple of days, they were done.
Gracey’s project was taking a bit longer with two buildings being erected. To minimize the number of workers she requested most of the work be done off-property, prefabricated as much as possible and assembled on site.
Abby’s renovation was taking a bit longer. And at her insistence, the contractors were working one specialty at a time. Her only hope was they would be completed by the end of the month. The basic needs would have to be completed. She could decorate later.