Good Advice

Eliza was sitting in the front porch swing whe Haldir arrived at the main house. She moved to the side so he could sit down and then asked, “How’s Tessa doing?”

“She’s going to be fine, your mother took good care of her. She and Logan were reunited with his brother.”

Eliza chuckled to herself, “How do you think that’s going to work out?”

“I think it’s going to be ok. There’s a lot of love there,” said Haldir.

Eliza teared up and said, “I’m really happy for her. And my parents? They’re ok?”

“Just missing you Eliza.”

“Not for long. Erik and I are leaving tomorrow,” said Eliza.

“Really? I didn’t see that coming.”

“I’m tired of this stupid, ugly world,” said Eliza as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

“Jacob’s on board with that?” Haldir asked.

“No, he isn’t but it hardly matters. We just don’t want the same things. I can’t stay here. I’m not like Tessa. I don’t want to be an alpha’s wife,” said Eliza.

Haldir leaned back and sighed loudly. “I never wanted that for Tessa and honestly, she never wanted it either. Witches are meant to be free and wild, not tied down to some pack with a lot of bullshit structure. But, she was in love and she wanted Logan so I supported her. “

“Are you saying that if I really loved Jacob, I would stay?”

Haldir shook his head. “Not at all. Logan and Tessa sacrificed everything for each other because it felt right. They had no hesitations. If you have a single doubt, Eliza, then there’s a reason for it. Does going home feel right? Or does staying here with Jacob feel right?”

`“I want to go home.”

Haldir said, “Well then. Jacob should be over soon. I told him when he was done acting like a child, he could come over and I’d let him know how Tessa is doing. I’m going to go see Teddy after and then I’ll stay the night here. We can all leave tomorrow then.”

“Grand. I wanted to take some more of their things to them. They had to leave so quickly. It’s not like there’s a bunch of shops to pop off to in the North Woods.”

Haldir laughed. “No, no there’s not.”

Jacob opened the front door and walked out on the porch, closing the door behind him. He sat on one of the wooden rocking chairs and said, “Sorry about that Haldir.” He looked at Eliza but didn’t say anything.

“It’s alright Jacob, there’s a lot going on. So, Eliza’s mother was able to stabilize Tessa and the babies. She was doing well when I left. Was even able to leave the infirmary. She and Logan , they’re with your uncle Jacob.”

“Are you serious?” Jacob said as he smiled. “Holy shit, how’s my dad taking that?”

“Surprisingly well. I guess he missed him enough to make it ok,” said Haldir.

Jacob’s smile fell a bit and he said, “Yeah. Yeah. I guess so. I’m really happy for them.

“Tessa, her parents were there as well. They’re really enjoying being grandparents,” said Haldir.

Jacob smiled and looked at the floor, he was happy his mother had all those people around her to take care of her. She deserved it after taking care of everyone else for so long.

Then the uncomfortable silence came.

“ So, I’m going to go update Teddy. I’ll be back later Eliza,” said Haldir as he got up and walked through the yard towards the bungalow.

“Eliza, can we talk about this? I mean are you sure this is what you want?”

“I’m sure, Jacob. This world isn’t meant for me. With all the things that happened, maybe it just never really was,” Eliza said as her voice faltered and the tears fell down her cheeks, “ This isn’t easy for me but everything inside me tells me it’s the right thing to do.This life, the pack, it’s just not in me. I just want to be with my family again.”

Jacob licked his lips and nodded then dropped his head. “I love you, you know.”

“I love you too Jacob.” Then Eliza climbed off the swing and bent down to kiss Jacob’s head. He wrapped his arms around her legs and buried his face in her chest. “You’re a good man Jacob. You deserve to be happy. I hope that all of this works out for you, I really do.”

Then she pushed away from him and walked inside the house.

Jacob started back to his house and ran into Haldir on his way back. “Looks like you could use a beer Jacob.”

“Yeah, I could. You want one?”

“Absolutely,” said Haldir.

Jacob emerged from his front door with a 6 pack and put it on the porch beside him. He handed Haldir a beer then opened his and took a sip.

“So Eliza told you, I guess,” said Jacob.

“She did.”

“Quite a fucking thing, isn’t it?” asked Jacob.

“You know your mother, she was a runner too. When she was little, she ran away anytime she didn’t get her way. I spent a lot of time tracking her ass down. When your dad and her were having problems, she ran. But, then one day, she found something worth staying and fighting for. She realized how much she loved your dad and Jacob and she came back for them, stood beside them and fought against their enemies. Your mother, she’s tough. She isn’t afraid of getting her hands dirty and doing the bad shit for her family. She’s a ride or die kind of woman, that’s why she was a good match for Logan. Eliza, she’s not tough Jacob. This pack life is never going to be for her. ”

Jacob shook his head. “So what was the fucking point? Why even let us meet?”

“Logan gave up everything for Tessa, can you do the same for your mate Jacob? You expect her to live in your world, knowing that it would break her. Could you see yourself living in hers? Is this pack really more important to you than your family and your mate? What I’m asking you Jacob is, are you a ride or die kind of man? Will you do whatever needs to be done to be with Eliza and to keep her safe?”

“ I can’t just leave. I promised my dad I’d take care of things. People here are depending on me,” said Jacob.

“People there are depending on you too.Your dad wants you to be a man and take care of the things that are yours, like he does. Like he taught you. This pack will go on without you. Stella, Teddy and their children. The Hexom family will go on here.”

Jacob finished off his beer. “If she really loved me, she’d stay. If it was meant to be, right?”

Haldir said, “ Jacob if you really loved her, you’d be packing your bags right now. How can you expect her to give up everything for a man who wouldn’t do the same?”

Haldir finished off his beer then said, “Listen I’m not saying that you should give up being alpha, it’s your birthright.I’m just saying, that it’s not hers. When you’re with another person, you have to make sacrifices. Eliza is willing to give you up, to let you find someone else who can be all the things that you need. If that’s not fucking love, I guess I don’t understand what it is.”

“She’s not even giving any of this a chance. I can take care of her” asked Jacob.

“Come on Jacob. It’s like I told you when I took you to that cabin. I told you that Eliza was someone who needed to be protected, that she has suffered enough and yet here you are trying to force her to live a life you know will be dangerous. That’s not how you take care of something you love Jacob. Anyway...you both are set on what you want. It’s done. I’m going to leave with them tomorrow, but I’ll be back to check up on you every now and then. I’ll be around Jacob. No matter what happens, I’ll always be around.”

“Thanks Haldir, you know I really appreciate everything.”

“Your welcome. And thanks for the beer. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” said Jacob as Haldir got up and walked across the yard to the main house.

Jacob knew he wasn’t going to be sleeping much, so he stayed there on the porch and finished off the rest of his beers. Jacob had a lot on his mind and it was making him sick. The constant pounding in his ears. The headache that sat like a rubberband around his head. The stomach ache that couldn’t be satisfied. He wondered is that what being alpha is like? Is this why his dad was so grouchy all the time? Is that what he really wanted?