Welcome to Gaia! ::

Meadow just looked at him. She was struggling on the inside. "I know. They tracked Daisy here. She came running to me for protection. No need to worry about her. She is okay." After that, Meadow went quiet. She wanted to hug him and kiss him desperately. She felt her wolf calling out to Kieran's. They were itching to be together, but Meadow would not allow the change to take over her. It didn't matter what Kieran thought. She wasn't leaving until they talked. Until they was able to come to an agreement. It was clear that she couldn't reject him. Her wolf made that clear already. So they had no choice but to work it out. "I know it's not safe for me to be here and neither is it for you, but we need to talk. I have been trying to give you time, but it seems even giving you time is not working. Things are just not going to be the same anymore Kieran. You're not just human anymore and you can't keep fighting the pull. Rejection is not an option anymore now that you have marked me. We are mates for life. Yes I said it mates. I love you Kieran. There I said it. I love you. And it's not just because of a bond. You took care of me in heat. You are protecting me right now by just standing at the boarder when there is a whole patrol out right now. Take a deep breath. They are hidden in the woods. You love me too or you wouldn't care about my safety and well being. Just can you accept me as your mate. Please. We don't have to complete the mating bond right away. You don't have to be Alpha right now. I'm doing quiet well on my own with the Alpha duties. And you don't have to become a pack member. I just want you here with me everyday. I want to love you and share everyday loving you more and more. You are my everything and I can't live without you in my life. I just hope that I can teach you to feel the same way I do." With that she stepped closer to him and caressed his cheek. She would not kiss him until he said that he would at least try to make it work for them.

Going into heat was not something new for Daisy. She had been through it a few times before, and in those times she had managed to fight off any male that had even come near her. Which only made her stronger. Though, she felt the need to get away from that damn party because there were way too many males there, and she wasn't sure what would have happened if they had caught a whiff of her pheromones. So, she spent quite a bit of time in the wildflower field, prancing and rolling around. By the time she had finished, and was nearly out of breath, her black fur was covered in different colored petals from all of the different flowers she had been playing in. All worry and anxiety her wolf had been feeling about going into heat had now dissipated, and she was happy. Content with playing in the field, and giving herself something to take her mind off of being in heat.

She wasn't sure how long she had kept herself busy, but the moon was already getting lower in the sky, which meant that it was going to be a new day soon. She picked up her clothes in her mouth and moved around behind a tree, shifting back into her human form before getting dressed, and moving in the direction of where Hunter's pack lived. Because it was day 2 of being in heat, her pheromones had decreased dramatically. It would take someone to be right up on her to smell them now, plus she was covered in the different smells of all of the flowers, too. The petals that had covered her fur were now in her hair, which was slightly disheveled.

It was bright and early in the morning. Leila was already up and preparing breakfast. She had laundry going and was packing Jasper's lunch. She knew Terra would join her once she was up. In the nineteen weeks since Leila had joined the Pack, she and Terra had fallen into an easy pattern. The pair seemed to get along and enjoyed each other's company.

Jasper and Hunter entered the kitchen. Hunter was still recovering, but he was making steady progress. He had been injured, stuck in a trap set out by the hunters. Before they could return to the trap some of the Pack had found the trap and saved Hunter. Since then he had been home and resting.

Hunter sat at the table, and Jasper walked up behind Leila. He peeked over her shoulder and watched her cook. Finally he leaned in and kissed her cheek. He slipped and arm about her from behind and patted her midsection. She shifted her stance in an attempt to get Jasper to quit patting her stomach.

She was not ready to share the news. She was still processing and accepting it herself. Jasper on the other hand was thrilled and very eager to share the news with the Pack. Leila had only learned she was about twelve weeks pregnant about a week ago. She wanted to tell her family first, and so far Kieran had not returned any of her calls in the last week.

Her family was suppose to be coming out to visit Leila in her new home. Kieran would be visiting her for the first time since he had left the area. Leila was excited and feeling anxious as well. She knew Kieran still did not like Jasper, and her grandparents had never met him. She had no idea how anything would play out.
"Go for your run. I will keep breakfast warm. Hunter, coffee?" Leila pulled away from Jasper and moved toward the coffee pot. Hunter looked up from his phone and toward Leila.
"Yes. Coffee sounds great." Leila already knew how the Alpha liked his coffee, so she focused on getting it just right. She could feel Jasper's eyes on her. Jasper took the cup from her, pausing to kiss her forehead. Then he took the mug to Hunter.
"Be back." He disappeared out the back door and left Hunter and Leila alone. The silence in the kitchen was short lived.

"I'm curious as to why you don't want the Pack to know your pregnant." Hunter finally said and Leila's head snapped up and she looked at Hunter surprised. He wasn't friendly with her, but he wasn't mean to her either. He accepted her as a member of his Pack, and as his brother/Beta's Mate. They were not close though, and he never made an effort to get to know her any better.
"He told you." From her tone it was evident she was not happy.
"No. he should have told me. I am his brother. We are family, and have always been extremely close. So it doesn't make sense as to why he wouldn't tell me. It is a happy event."
"So how did you know?"
"You gave up coffee. Your not running like you use too. Your clothing style has changed, looser, bigger. Like your trying to hide something. The most obvious thing was your scent, and of course the nausea. Jasper is also acting even more protective then usual. So, why don't you want anyone to know? I know it is Jasper's....so...?" Leila turned her attention to plating up Hunter's breakfast. She remained silent as she worked. She moved toward hunter and set his plate and silverware down in front of him. As she tried to move away Hunter grabbed her wrist.
"Sit." He stated firmly. Unable to resist her Alpha Leila sat down at the table.
"So....why so hush hush Leila?" Leila sighed.
"Terra's miscarriage." Hunter nodded.
"She is tough. She will be okay. We had not been trying, she got pregnant, and miscarried quickly after discovering she was pregnant. Yes it was sad, but Terra would not want Jasper or you to silence your joy and excitement because of the miscarriage."
"Give her a few more weeks."
"You mean give you a few more weeks."
"I'm not ready."
"Ready for what...?"
"Any of this if you want my complete honesty. I was only just starting to feel comfortable with Jasper, and feel like I was starting to get to know him. Then...."
"Then....you discovered you were pregnant, and now you feel stressed and pressured all over. Like you have to get to know everything about your Mate before your pup arrives." Hunter nodded his head as he finally figured out what his sister in law was thinking.
"Look, he is your Mate. You will get to known him very well in time. This will bring you two closer. It should, but you are using it to drive you two apart. Talk to Jasper about what your feeling. You need to communicate with your Mate, trust him, rely on him. That is how you strengthen your bond with your Mate."
"I will talk to Jasper. I still don't want anyone to know just yet. It is still very new to me, and I need a little more time with it. I want to tell my family first as well. I will give them a few days to meet Jasper. Get to know him before..." Hunter chuckled.
"Kieran will know. He will smell the changes in you."
"Then....he will know. I will tell him to keep it to himself for a bit."
"Fine. Do what you want, but I think you should tell Terra first. Separate from the Pack announcement. She thinks of you as a sister, so...do at least that much."
"I will. I will tell her today. I should get back to cooking though." Hunter let Leila go. He knew she wanted to stop talking about the pregnancy. He could sense how uncomfortable she was talking about it. He suspected there were other fears that she was not yet ready to vocalize.

Aaron was just making his way to the Pack house. Leila and Terra would probably be up and cooking already. That was perfect because the last few days he had not had a home cooked meal. Life on the road was hard, and left him hungry and exhausted.

He parked his van and left his gear in the van. He and the few guys he was traveling with spilled out of the van. They made their way up the driveway and into the house. They moved through the house and right into the kitchen. Hunter was seated at the table eating and Leila was up and cooking. Jasper and Terra were not around. Aaron and the others greeted Hunter and then Leila.

They all took a seat at the table and Leila hurried over with several mugs, a put of coffee and a plate of toast. She poured the coffee and listened to the excited chatter. She put another pot on and started to crack some eggs into a large bowl.

The food was just finishing up when Jasper arrived back at the house. By now Terra was up and helping in the kitchen. The two women worked and chatted with the guys as they kept the food coming out. Jasper was greeted and quickly washed his hands and face. He joined the other men at the table and enjoyed the loud happy breakfast.

Kieran has arrived in Meadow's territory. He was traveling with his Human grandparents. He had decided before going to see his sister he wanted to see Meadow. He would have a week with his sister, and probably only a few minutes with Meadow. He had talked to his grandparents about the whole situation and they wanted to meet Meadow. they felt like if she understood and accepted the situation then there was no real reason they couldn't be together. Though they agreed with Kieran, he was too young to be 'Mated' or married.

Kieran waited at the edge of the property. He would not travel into her territory without Meadow's permission. So he planned on waiting until the Luna sent word with one of her Pack members. Kieran observed the going on around him silently.

Jasper pulled Leila down to sit beside him. He grabbed an extra plate and began to pile some food onto her plate. As far as mates went he thought Leila was pretty great. She cooked, cleaned, and was very intelligent. He loved their late night conversations.

He concerned himself very fortunate to have a smart, kind, intelligent and respectful partner. She could be pretty shy, but he found that endearing. She had a good sense of humor, and already the other members of the Pack seemed to have taken to her. He especially loved how much his niece adored her, and Leila seemed to truly adore the little girl.

He glanced over at Hunter, and caught him pulling Terra down onto his lap. She laughed and Jasper was thankful for the moment. He watched as Aaron draped one arm about Daisy and gave her a one armed hug.
"Missed me?" He asked with a smirk. He let her go and pushed the tray of muffins toward Daisy. Jasp watched Daisy and Aaron a minute. He was hoping they would be the next official couple of the Pack.

After Meadow left Kieran that day, she adjusted really well to going about her day to day life without him. She still loved him and cared about him, but she'd grown to the point of not needing him. She was in her office doing paperwork. Her beta came in and said Kieran was asking permission to enter the land. She simply just smiled. Her wolf didn't say anything. She'd been a quiet soul since that day. "He may enter." He was right to stand out the premises because he didn't belong here in her land. To her, she'd train herself not to have a mate anymore. It was just a mark by someone she thought cared for her. She resumed her paperwork until he came into her office.

Kieran was lead to Meadow's office. He gave her a small smile. His hair was much shorter, though it did nothing to detract from his handsome features.
"Hey. I was passing through. Going to see Leila for a week...anyway. Just wanted to check on things here. See how your Pack was doing. I checked on Keagan's as well." He paused and looked away a moment.
"I met this cool Pack during my travels. All females, I immediately thought of you. They were pretty cool. Not that far from here. Maybe a day toward the East from here. You should get to know them." He grew silent as he pulled something from his pocket. He set it on her desk.
"I like that new mural in town. I should let you get back to work though." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned.
"Hope you like that." He called over his shoulder as he left. Pausing only to softly close the door behind him.

The present was something he had made for her. Nothing fancy, but he had made it for her nonetheless. It was a small dagger he had forged himself. He had etched her name in the hilt. Kieran worked with his hands and had many different talents. Forging was by far one of his favorites.

Daisy had wandered off, taking her time to explore the area. Of course she wasn't as familiar with this land as she was back near Meadows home, but she was sure that eventually she could get to know this place better. She had already found a small river, which looked to be fully stocked with fish. Not that fish were something she would really want to eat, but it could still prove useful. The land surrounding the area was beautiful. Multiple fields with flowers that seemed to go on forever. Lots of trees. It was beautiful.

It wasn't until she came upon a small pond with a waterfall that she got really excited, and eventually took off her clothes, leaving her in her underwear to jump in for a swim. The water was the perfect temperature, and crystal clear. She could see all the way down to the bottom. After spending about an hour or two there, she got out and dressed again, making her way back to the camp.

Outside she saw Leila working, and made her way over to the woman. "Every time I see you, you are busy." She joked, flashing her a big smile. She was pregnant, and she needed to make sure that she didn't work herself too hard. "If you ever want to let loose and relax, I found a great swimming hole not too far from here. Waters nice and warm too."