The Meaning of Eternity

“That sounds… nice,” Faye answered, jealousy brewing beneath the surface. It was a jealousy she hadn’t expected to feel. But their list consisted of much that she didn’t have. Her strange power had not given her anything on their list. Everything had been taken from her. Desperately she had clawed for the minimum of freedom and peace. Which is why this situation frustrated her. It was why she was afraid to stay. The pack felt warm, it was a place to belong. And she didn’t want her presence to take anything away from them.

She poked at her meal. “Being immortal, or anything close to it really, isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.” she mused. “Though a long life with those you care about doesn’t sound like such a bad deal.”
 
"It isn't easy being a creature with a long life span. Especially as technology advances. But werewolves are good at adapting. We will help you build a new ID." Griffin assured her. They had to be careful but he was confident they could protect her. They were building a home here. They would have a few years here and than they would have to move but he already had another place for them. Each pack had about four places that they used as a base. This kept the humans from noticing they didn't age as quickly as everyone else.

"If you chose to stay your one of us we will protect you. You'll be expected to contribute but we can figure that out once you decide." He told her. He was sure the boys would accept her. Travis and Logan might struggle a bit because of their pasts but he believed they would be able to accept her if she could prove herself. They would need time but he would help them. Because she was just like them he could almost sense her longing. Emotions were hard to hide from a werewolf.
 
Faye poked at the food before her. He was so kind. So generous. And the more he spoke the more she could hear the honesty in his words. The calling for safety. She probably should just give in.

She let out a long sigh, stretching out the silence by first taking a few bites. "I'm quite attached to the name Faye and would rather not change it unless required when it comes to building a new ID." She set her utensils down and folded her hands in her lap. "I hesitate to stay because I'm afraid this incident will... Intersect with my past. And I'd rather keep you all out of that. For your safety."
 
"You were attacked by a rogue just like the boys." Griffin reminded her. He wasn't worried about a rogue. He had handled rogues before. It was likely even if she left that he would have to handle them again. His pack was young and small. They would be vulnerable. Both of these facts could leadthem to be a target. "Even if you leave the rogue that attacked you could come back."

"The rogue who turned me keeps trying to take me." Ben typed slowly into his phone. He worried that he was hurting the people who saved him. They were doing so much for him but he hadn't been able to do anything for them.

Peter reached out and took Ben's hand. The two had connected almost right away. "Rogues aren't stronger than Alpha." he had a hard time calling Griffin by his name even though the older man had told him it was alright to do so. It was something that he was still working on.
 
Faye looked from one boy to the other. Processing that all had experienced something similar to her own attack. And for Ben to admit that his rogue was still trying to take him. A shiver of knowing that she wasn't alone went down her spine. But she also felt that life was cruel to far too many people.

"Thank you," was the only words she could come up with for a moment. "But it wasn't the rogue I was worried about. He just adds to my problems. How willing are you to protect yourselves from humans?"
 
"We don't usually have to protect ourselves from humans. Rogues and the council are our biggest threats." Griffin answered as he eat. He made sure that he didn't eat too quickly. The boys tended to mimic him. When Ben first came came to live with him he had tried eat as much and fast as they did and had gotten sick. Since then they had been careful to let him set the pace.

"With your identity changed it isn't likely the humans will be a problem but if they are we will deal with it." Griffin assured her. He didn't think humans were a danger. Humans didn't know they were anything but human. He was man fostering six boys who needed homes.

"We have to be careful how we defend ourselves against humans but that doesn't mean that we can't defend ourselves and each other." Max told her. He was a warrior. It was his job to make sure that the others were safe. He would do whatever he had to do to make sure that she was safe if she chose to stay with them.
 
Her worry was lessened. They had solid points. She hadn't really been thinking about how strong they were as werewolves. She still didn't want that part of her life to spill into this world. Definitely as it was proving to be her sanctuary.

"Then I'll stay." Faye was abandoning the life she had less than 24 hours ago. She was stepping into a future that was beyond her control. It was full of uncertainties. "What else do I need to know about life here for this transition to go smoothly?"
 
"After we eat I'll show you around." Griffin told her. They still had a few rooms left. The house had ten rooms not including the basement. He wasn't sure if they would use it. It would be a good place for a gym but some of the boys had issues with basements so that might not be the best idea. "You can pick one of the empty rooms. Tomorrow we can go shopping while the boys are in school. I'll call the counsel and have them start the paperwork for your new ID. They'll want to interview you."

"You'll need to pick a new last name." Harvey added. That had been hard for him. It had been proud of his family name. Even after they rejected him for loving in a way they didn't approve of it had been hard for him to let that go. Letting it go meant he would never be able to go back. It had taken him awhile to accept that.
 
"Who is this council?" she wanted to be prepared for who she would meet with. Though then again she probably couldn't ever really be prepared for what was going to happen from here on out.

But she had been through this before. She had freed herself. She had started anew. She had set up her own identiy, and figured out who to talk to to get that to happen. It was why she was so attached to her name, she had been forced to give up everything she loved and had found Faye in the process. So she was grateful that currently the only thing she had to give up was a last name. And her job. And her progress with school. Okay it was a bit more than a few things.

"So you all have had to pick up shattered lives and start over. It's sure not easy - but it makes your pack relationship make sense. It explains why you are a close pack."
 
"A group of judgemental old men who think its their job to be in everyone's business." Max growled as he stood up. He started gathering the dishes.

"My father is head of the counsel and he doesn't approve of werewolves who weren't born in a pack." Griffin explained. He wondered if she understood their relationship or bounds yet. "Humans turned against their will the way the boys and you were don't have pack bounds to keep them from going rogue. So no alpha was willing to give them a chance. Which is why they have all been killed until recently."

"Until Griffin's father decided to challenge him to make a pack without using wolves who were born in a pack or rogue. Which lead him to rescuing us and giving us a chance to prove themselves." Travis told her as he pushed his chair back.
 
She leaned back in her chair. Listening to the answers. This was not going to be easy. And they were definitely sticking their necks out to help her it sounded like. They were close knit but rejected by others.

"You're kind." It was a simple sentence, probably didn't even need to be said. It worried her that even more people would learn about her secret. This world would take a while to truly adjust to. "If you ever feel I'm more trouble then I'm worth, please just let me know."
 
"Trust me. That isn't going to happen. Nothing you can bring to the land an compare to what we've already survived. I'll show you to the available rooms and you can take your pick." Griffin stood to his feet and pushed away from the table. He moved ttowards the door and waited for Faye. He wondered what she was worried about bring to their doorstep. Whatever it was he was confident that they could handle whatever it was. He had survived his father and several rogues. Humans were a threat but one that was usually easy to handle.

"I'll grab the bedding." Peter volunteered. He headed to the linen closet. He grabbed a set of sheets, a soft light blanket and a heavy comforter.

"I'll get Ben started on homework." He liked helping the younger boy catch up. He headed to the living room where Ben preferred to stretch out while working on school work.
 
Faye followed. Her eyes scanning the room as she took in the layout of the house. She listened as the boys offered their help or even start in on their typical daily routine. As she followed she realized how foreign it was to occupy a home with others.

"So how long have you lived out here?" She furthered the conversation, curious to just how long this normal had been for them.
 
"I bought this house a year ago when I was granted custody of Ben. I figured it was time we have a home." Griffin answered as he headed up the stairs. His pack was pretty much complete. They would still have to go out and take care of messes but at least now they would have a place to call their own. The boys were young. At least as far as werewolves were concerned. They would need to be close to build the bounds they needed to survive.

"It needs work up that's alright. It allows us to make it our own. There are 4 rooms on the second and third floor. Travis, Harvey, and Logan are on the second floor. Max, Peter, and Ben are on the third floor. Its your choice." Griffin explained as he stopped at the top of the stairs.
 
Faye tried to take in the fact that she was going to make this her home. But it was still difficult to accept the sudden change her world had made. Her emotions swayed between accepting her loss of her current life and hope of finding a place to belong among a makeshift family.

"Second floor?" she answered with hesitation. Closer to the ground floor would lead to a better escape route if she needed it. But it was safer than a ground floor room if she worried about intruders. She ran a hand through her hair as she quickly ran her thoughts around what she had seen of the house and what was being told her. She criticized herself for not retaining all of the info she felt she should remember. "Second floor," she repeated more confident. "And where's your room?"
 
Griffin nodded when Faye indicated that she wanted to stay on the second floor he took her to the spare room on that floor. "My room is on the main floor. It my job as alpha to protect them. If someone gets into the house they have to get past me." Since he had fought rogues and vampire, Griffin didn't think it would be that difficult to protect the others from whatever they needed to be protect from.

"You're safe now. You're one of us." he assured her. She might not think so but she was. He lead her to a room right by the stairs. He figured that she would be the most comfortable. She would be close enough to escape or defend. It was her choice. Either would be accepted by them.
 
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