The Choice (The Choice Series Book 1) (4 page)

She nodded
her head laughing, “Yes I thought there was a reason you got quiet all of a sudden.”

I noticed the new clean sheets as Ruth and Amber helped me into bed.  I saw toast and oatmeal on the stand next to the bed.  Amber sat on the bed and brushed my hair out.  It fell over my shoulders and down my back.  The massage on my scalp and the feel of her fingers running through my hair made my eyes heavy.  Ruth re-applied the salve to my leg and re-wrapped it. 

“Okay now I need you to lean forward a little so I can get this wrapped around your ribs.
”  Lifting the dress over my stomach and holding it underneath my breastbone she began to wrap it tightly.  It is uncomfortable and I grimace. 

“
Are you okay Olivia?  I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Ruth asks.  Her fingers paused as she waited for an answer.

“Ye
ah, just sore and tired,” I replied as I yawned, letting the dress fall back down over my thighs.

Amber finishe
d massaging my head and moved to sit in the chair next to the bed. I want to eat but exhaustion is winning.  I tried to keep my eyes open but they keep closing.  That was until I heard the front door open and in walks Enoc.  The smile on my face seems permanent as Enoc looks at me and smiles back.  When his large body moves away from the door frame, I noticed he isn’t alone.  The smell of the woods reaches my nose.  Standing behind him is a man I know all too well.  His hair is the same chocolate brown I remembered except it is now kissed with some gray.  The wrinkles around his chocolate Hershey kiss eyes are more defined.  My mouth hangs open and my eyes are wide.

I barely whisper
ed the word, “Dad?”

He respond
ed, “Hello my little dove,” his endearment he gave me when I was two.

T
he last words I hear before my eyes close and exhaustion claims me.

CHAPTER
3

I w
oke up to find my slender fingers entwined around large warm fingers.  A warm current sent tingles up my arms and through my entire body.  The fresh smell of rain brought comfort to my soul. Opening my eyes I saw Enoc leaning over the bed his head resting in the crook of his arm.  His black curls falling over the side of his face.  He looked younger than earlier, maybe two or three years older than me.  The authority that usually surrounds him was softened by the peacefulness on his face. My empty hand reached out to touch a black curl.  Rolling it around my finger brought me a sense of familiarity.  It was as soft as I thought it would be. 

Looking around the room I saw
him, my father, sitting on the sofa next to Amber leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.  His eyes were piercing deep into my soul.  I could see the tension in his shoulders.  Not only was he watching me, he glanced towards Enoc and raised an eyebrow.  Even though I didn’t want to I got the hint and dropped my hand from his hair and rested it in my lap.

Making eye contact with my dad I as
ked, “Is this real or am I dreaming?”

I must have spoken louder than I thought because
Enoc stirred and lifted his head to look at me.  I saw sadness cross his face and then in a blink the aura of authority encompassed him again.  He looked over at my father, squeezed my fingers and then quickly dropped my hand.  Walking across the floor he stopped to lean against the wall with his arms folded in front of him.   

Looking
back at my dad I asked him what I’ve wanted to since I first saw him.  “Where have you been all this time?  What are you doing here?  Why would you let us think you died?”  Not taking a breath between questions gesturing with my hands in the air. I was angry, confused and hurt.  “Why did you leave us?”

I kne
w he’s was nervous I could see it in his eyes.  I could see the tension in his shoulders as he rolled them backwards trying to loosen them up. He ran his hand through his chocolate brown hair a nervous tick he has had for as long as I could remember. It seemed like it takes him forever before he finally spoke. 

“It’s a long stor
y,” I heard him say. 

“Well I’ve
got time, seeing as how I am lying in this bed!”  

I can see he’s trying to think of a way to start the conversation but I don’t care that he is flustered.  I want to know where he’s been and why.

“W
hy don’t you start at the beginning?”  I suggested.

James
got off the couch and walked over to sit in the same chair that Enoc sat in just moments ago.  He begins to tell me his story but I can tell he’s reliving the memory in his mind. “I met your mother Marie one summer day at the lake.  She was so beautiful.  Standing barefoot at the edge of the lake she stood just barely in the water.  I was jealous of the wind wrapping itself around her in a warm embrace.”  The sadness coming from him and the emotion in his eyes filled me with deep sympathy. “You look just like her, you know? You both have the same bright green eyes and long straight white hair.” 

“
Yeah, I know.”  Interrupting him I blurted out, “Did you know mom died six months ago?  Where were you then?  If you were alive why didn’t you come to her funeral?” I wiped the fresh tears falling through my lashes. 

Amber walk
ed over handing me a package of Kleenex.  I opened them and used them to wipe the stream of tears falling from my eyes.

Reaching out to
hold my hand he requested, “Don’t cry.  Yes, I knew your mother passed, and no I didn’t go to the funeral.  I couldn’t.  If you let me explain you’ll understand.” 

I d
idn’t push his hand away even though I was tempted to.  I tilted my head up just a little to say go ahead finish your story. 

Like I said
, “I watched her on the beach.  I was trying to get the courage to talk to her. The moment I said hello and she said hello back, I knew I loved her.  It was as if fate had put us together to meet in that moment. I’ve heard of love at first sight but this was something more.  It came from somewhere so deep inside me I could hardly breathe.   It was like a bolt of lightning.  You know when there is a big storm and you can see it light up the whole sky?  That was what it was like, explosive and overwhelming. We spent the summer together, we were constantly together.  Being away from her for any amount of time was difficult. We ended up marrying that fall. It was beautiful and one of the best days of my life.  Everything happened so fast but it was perfect.”

James
shuffled his feet, “Di
d
you know that before you were born your mother had an accident?” I shook my head no. “Well she did.  We had been bridge jumping one summer day.  We spent most the day swimming, jumping and talking.  We decided to jump one more time before we left to go eat.  Holding hands we jumped together.  When we hit the water I knew something was wrong when her body pulled away from mine. When I surfaced and looked to where she should have been I realized she had hit a log floating under the water.  She was still hanging over part of it.  I pulled her off and swam to the shore with her.  Her head and chest were bleeding severely.  Iremember frantically looking for someon
e
,
anyone to help me, but we were all alone.  We had left our phones in the car and I knew she was dying.  I was so scared, there was so much blood.  I kept calling her name but she could only look at me for a few seconds.  I told her I could help her.  I remember brushing the hair away from her face.  Before her eyes closed she looked at me with such trust and love and before I knew it she was unconscious.  The trust and love I saw in her eyes about broke my heart.  When she stopped moving I was lost. I quickly cut my wrist and put it in her mouth.  I held my wrist there forcing her to swallow my blood.”

“You did what?  Why would you do that?”
I asked, shaking my head back and forth confused. 

His lips thinned before he spoke again. “I had to, she was dying.
  There was too much blood I was afraid I was too late.  That’s not all, after that I bit her.” 

Dumbfounded I aske
d, “Why?”

P
iercing me with his eyes he said, “I am a Shape Shifter!  I am one of the strongest lineages of Shifters!  Our bloodline is the purest.  I am The Alpha leader of the Northern Pack!  I have been for many years.”

“Wait, um that is
just insane, are you sure you weren’t in a mental hospital all this time?   If you were I would understand.  You don’t have to make up some ridiculous story for me to forgive you.  I just want the truth, besides there is no such thing as a shape shifter.” 

I saw something
blaze in his golden brown eyes, and my skin shivered from the energy in the room.  “I am The Alpha shape shifter!” 

Tipping his head back he let out a piercing howl. 
The room lit up and I shielded my eyes.  When I opened them a massive chocolate brown wolf stood in front of me.  I could feel his power and energy swirl around the room.  I was surprised to see Amber fall to the ground baring her neck to my father.  What is that all about.  I scooted back on the bed my mouth hanging open ready to let out a scream.  Enoc came forward grabbing my hands and said, “Watch.”

Holding
his hand tightly I watched as a bright light burst from the chocolate wolf.  The massive chocolate wolf was gone and my father stood in his place. He spoke “I am the leader and Alpha of the Northern Pack.  I did not mean to frighten you but now you know I speak the truth.”

Enoc went to let go of my hand but I refused to let go of his.  I fel
t protected with him sitting beside me.   Once my father shifted back to his human form I watched as Amber nodded to him and sat back on the couch.    

“
Okay… umm”  I sat in silence for a moment before speaking. “So then did mom know?”  I tried not to let my voice shake letting them know how afraid I was. 

“
She didn’t at first, but eventually yes she did.”

“Was she a shifter too?” 

“No she wasn’t, she was a human.” My dad responded. 

“So does that mean I am human?”
Keeping my head down not sure if I really want to hear the answer. 

“Olivia
, let me explain what I can and if you still have more questions you can ask them, okay.” 

Relaxing my shoulders I nod
ded. 

“
An Alpha has special healing properties in their blood.  A normal shape shifter has great capacity to heal oneself.  An Alpha can heal anyone but all wolves can heal their mate. My blood was able to heal your mom from the fall.”

Taking a breath I a
sked, “S
o
when you shared your blood with mom you were trying to help her?”

“Yes, I loved her
. I couldn’t imagine living my life without her.” 

“
Then why did you bite her?” I asked, nervously twisting the end of my hair around my finger. 

“
I couldn’t see past all the blood and I was worried she wasn’t healing fast enough.  I bit her to force a change.  If she could change she could heal faster.  However If an Alpha bites a human and they don’t have the shape shifter gene it kills them.”

Forcing my body to relax
, I think about what he said.  “But what if you were wrong and she had died?” 

Running his hand through his hair, he explain
ed, “ I was willing to take that chance.  I thought I had already lost her.” 

I
traced the veins in Enoc’s hand letting it calm me. “What happened next?” 

“Your mom healed but she never changed.  Before you ask I don’t know why she
didn’t change.  Nor do I know why she didn’t die from the bite.” 

Running what he just told me through my mind I repeat
ed what I know.  “Mom knew you were a shape shifter but only after the accident.  Your blood healed her.  You bit her because you thought she was already dead or close to it.  After you bit her she didn’t change or die and you don’t know why.  Did I get that right?”  He nodded.

“
What about me? Am I a shape shifter or human?” I asked rubbing my hand over the olive branch waitingfo
r
the warmth to come and fill my soul. 

“
I don’t know for sure if you will change.  You have my blood running through your veins but you have your mother’s also.  Since she didn’t change it’s possible that you might not change.”

Wow is all I can think.
  “So you’re saying that if I were to be bitten I could change, maybe die or nothing might happen like with mom?” 

Shifting
on the couch, “Yes that’s what I am saying my little dove.” 

I am taken back at the pet name he had given me when I was two.
I hadn’t heard it in a while and it made me feel too much.

“Okay I need a moment.
”  I took a slow and steady breath trying not to pass out. 

“I
t is okay Olivia, breathe” I heard Enoc tell me.  I seem to be hearing that a lot lately.  I kept replaying everything he just told me in my mind. 

I blurt out,
“I mean come on, how is this all possible?” My voice shook as I asked.  I watched as he ran his hands through his messy brown hair again.

He
asked me, “Do you remember what happened to you up at the spring?”

Catching me off guard
I thought back to that day. “Yes Jeremy confronted me at the spring.  He said someone wanted to talk to me and then he attacked me.  I hit him with a branch and ran off.  The next thing I knew a grey colored wolf…” I stopped speaking.  I remember the similarities between Jeremy and the grey wolf.  They both had the same gray beady eyes and smelled of cloves. “Jeremy is a wolf? He’s a shape shifter?  He attacked me, why? Wait there was a black wolf too, he scared me but he fought off Jeremy.”  I was completely stunned.

“Yes,
the black wolf did protect you, and for that I am eternally grateful.” Dad kept looking at Enoc as he spoke. The words earlier spoken between Ruth and Amber came to my mind
.   Enoc promised James he would protect her
.  Me, I am her.  They were talking about me.  Enoc kept hold of my hand and continued to watch me.  His magnificent blue gold eyes piercing mine, the same blue gold eyes as the large black wolf. 

“
Enoc is the giant black wolf!” I say with a puff of air under my breath.  “You’re the black wolf!  You’re a shifter?” I directed both my questions to Enoc.

“Yes, I am”
he replied his voice deep with authority. 

“This is just too much!  You said you we
re Alpha of the Northern Pack.  Is Enoc a part of your pack?  And who else are shifters?” 

Dad glanced at Enoc and Ambe
r before he responded, “Enoc is the Alpha of the Eastern Pack and Amber is a part of my pack.  She has been since she was a child.”

Looking over at Amber in shoc
k, “But you have been my best friend since I was a child.”