Chapter 391 Chapter 391
He was walking so fast, lost in his thoughts, that he almost walked into his aunt where the paths connected.
“Jogging in the dark?” She smirked at him.
Konner blinked and looked down at her. “Uh,” he motioned in the direction he’d come from.
“How is Terah doing?”
“She’s uh,” he rubbed his hand over his forehead, “doing good.” He nodded, “seems to be coping with it well.”
“She has a private pond to swim in, I’m sure she’s very pleased with that.”
“We’re you going to see her?”
His aunt nodded her head slowly, and that’s when he noticed her long hair wasn’t braided. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw it down. The brown was streaked with greyer than he recalled.
“Yes. As the alpha, I thought it was my job to check in on new clan members.” She smiled up at him, “and as a female, I understand what she’s going through, although I haven’t missed it these last fifty years.”
He watched her carefully, wondering if she still regretted that she never had children of her own when she was still able.
“You’re all mine.” She told him quietly as if she’d been able to read his thoughts. “Since when do you visit women at the pond?” She raised one accusing eyebrow at him.
Konner jammed his hands in his pockets, trying to focus past the way that Terah looked while floating beside the dock. “I, um, just thought I’d see if she needed anything.”
Alviva chuckled quietly, “and did she?”
He shook his head as a caught child would. “No. So we talked a bit.” He frowned, “did you know she uses the tablet to find out what words mean?”
“Yes.” She nodded, “you know I’m not much for all the technology gadgets, but it seems to be helping her.” She leaned on her cane and looked up at him for a moment, “she’s very intelligent, I have no worries that she won’t be up to speed in a short time.”
“Yeah, she’s picking up on everything really fast.”
“What’s worrying you now?”
He blew out a breath, “she wants to use her profits to help others, even one-forms, abducted children...”
“I can see her wanting that, she’s very giving.”
Konner couldn’t deny that. “The logistics of it is just,” he blew out a breath, “I mean I understand why she wants to, but with the way things are right now in our world...”
“Give her some time, to understand fully, then talk to her about it again.”
“Yeah.”
“There was a time we did co-exist without issues.” Her tone told him she was remembering simpler times, as she did often.
“I know, but times have changed.” He glanced back along the path for probably the tenth time in the last minute. “It’s dangerous now.”
“She’s just trying to find her place, Konner.” She motioned around them, “in this new life she’s been given, in the clan.”
“I didn’t think of that.”
She smirked at him, “did you expect her to just spend her days swimming around?” She gave him a nonchalant shrug, “sure that’s fine until she’s adjusted, but she needs a purpose, everyone does.”
“I don’t,” he blew out a breath, “I don’t know what she could do.” He rubbed his forehead again and wished for a swim instead of talk. “Maybe once she understands more...”
“Don’t underestimate her or try to fit her in a box.”
He gave her a blank look, “I wasn’t. I’m just...”
“Your head is so full of her you can’t even think straight.”
He scowled down at her, she wasn’t wrong, but he wasn’t ready to admit it out loud to anyone.
“I see the way you look at her and how she sees you.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re already half in love with her...”
He shook his head, “I thought she’d died, when they found her,” he didn’t even know her, how could he be in love with her, “when they told me she was alive, I-I...”
“I know you feel you have to watch out for her, you feel that for all of us, but that’s not what I’m seeing now.”
He frowned as he looked down at her, “she could have a mate out there somewhere,” he clamped his mouth shut, not wanting to say it. “I’m not making the same mistake again...”
“You weren’t in love with Olanna, you were lonely and randy, and she was a female.”
“Randy? I don’t think that’s a word anyone uses anymore, Auntie.” He thought to distract her from this conversation.
“When you live as long as I have you can use any words you want, even if they’re not cool anymore.” She looked up at him, thoughts going through her gaze so fast he couldn’t figure them out. “You need to swim with her, nephew.”
Eyebrows high, he motioned in the direction of the pond.
“I didn’t mean right now, during her cycle, I mean after it’s gone.”
“I just want her to...”
“Adjust, adapt, settle in,” she nodded her head slowly, “it’s going to take some time and you know that.” Reaching up, she patted him in the center of his chest, “I know you put it off, every time, I don’t know why you do, but this time I think you should sooner than later.”
Looking over her head, he wished he could see the lake from here. The moonlight would be reflecting off it now and casting its spell of peace and serenity throughout the Sanctuary.