What She Left Me

Chapter 11

I went home to kill time before the meeting. Mom was happy to hear that I was hanging out with 'new friends'. She planned to be going out this evening for another dinner, so I wouldn't have to explain where I was going so late thankfully.

I decide to take my bike out to the meeting spot because it would take me over an hour to get there by foot. I might have asked Marek to come get me. But he still hasn't spoken to me. I don't want to inconvenience him. Teresa and I used to do that constantly growing up make him drive us wherever we wanted to go because we knew their parents would make him. Though it didn't ever bother him too much. No matter how demanding we got he would only roll his eyes and fetch his keys. Or well... maybe I shouldn't say fetch knowing what I know now...

The ride to the clearing was somewhat relaxing. Nobody was out driving because almost everybody had already made it home to dinner, so the only sound was the sound of my bike against the asphalt and whatever was in the woods around me. By the time I made it to the path to the clearing it was nearly completely dark. There weren't any cars parked around the road. I guess that might have looked strange to anyone driving by to see a bunch of cars parked along the road for a simple little deer trail, but how else were people getting to the meeting.

At the end of the trail a couple torches were lit around the clearing and people were sitting around on the ground relaxing and talking. That is until I walked in, and everyone turned and got silent. Though I'm sure it was only silent to me, and they were making side comments mentally to one another. Across the crowd Parker waves me over and I gently walk through the people over to her.

"Hey, I'm glad you could make it. You aren't a true member of the pack until you've suffered through a pack meeting." She says as I lower myself next to her. Laney and Tarren are on her other side and I acknowledge them with a small smile.

"So, what exactly happens at these?" I ask looking around at all the other people gathered. Some have gone back to their conversations, but some still glance my way warily.

"The Alpha will cover security of the pack lands and welcome any new newly changed members to the pack and announce any mate announcements." I wondered who else would be newly changed. If there were any other new people, they would be 16. I'm late to the game in that respect. The girls were talking together, and everyone had gone back to their own freaking business. I checked my watch and saw it change to 8:00pm. Almost as if on cue, all chatter stopped. But this time nobody was looking at me. They were all looking to a couple standing in the middle of the clearing. The surprise to me was that I knew exactly who they were. It was Mr. and Mrs. Wilk.

Welcome friends. Thank you for making it to another pack meeting. Mr. Wilk pushes himself into our minds. I manage not to flinch at the intrusion which is an improvement. We will be starting out the evening with a rundown of the boarder breach to the eastern edge of the territory. Boarder breach? What matter of security could there be when people and well "Humans" are constantly coming and going from town. The intruder found their way onto pack territory by accident and made their leave peacefully, so there is nothing to be alarmed about. Everyone can resume regular nighttime hunts and patrols. I'll have to ask Parker what all this patrolling is about. Next, we'd like to recognize the new couples who have chosen their mates.... surprisingly you can tune out a voice that is telepathically projected in your head. I know this because the voice drowned out to nothing as I spotted Marek across the group of people standing near the edge in the trees. I wanted to speak with him so badly. To apologize for not valuing my life enough to fight. But if he wanted to talk to me he would have by now... But I had an idea that if I could get to work, maybe it could put us on a path to forgiveness. I tap Parker on the arm and lean in closer to her ear.

"how do you do the mind walkie talkie?"

"Um...idk, we just do it. But I guess you just have to think really hard and visualize it moving from your head to the other persons head." Once she answered me she went right back to focusing on Mr. Wilk. Okay. Just think really hard and visualize. I can do that.