Alicia was glad she faced away from Sonora because it hid the surprise in her eyes. She tucked it into a pocket and faced the village. “Sonora gave this up willingly. She deserves to be accepted back into the pack without consequences. Her past forgiven.” She turned to make sure Sonora heard her next comment. “But that means she must change her ways. If she picks up her bad habits she will be punished. Her past will be included in the punishment.”
She saw Sonora nod once before bowing her head. As she looked around the crowd everyone bowed their head to her. It was going to take some getting used to. Being as regal as she could muster she started down the small beaten path to put some distance between her and everyone else.
“Werewolves?” She shook her head. “Why me?” She continued to walk along the path, not really knowing where she was going. “Grandma, why didn’t you tell me that werewolves were real when I was a child? It sure would have made this so much easier.” They seem normal, just like her, except she couldn’t turn into an animal at the drop of a hat. “At least no one has tried to rip out my throat yet.”
Hysterical laughter escaped her. “What am I going to do?”
“Love me?” Max asked from behind her. He kept a safe distance, still clad in his slacks.
He looked so lost, standing there, trying to figure out what she was feeling. What happened to pushy obnoxious man who always told her what to do?
“Max.” She gave him a sheepish smile. “You being here with no shirt on doesn't help me work through this. You’re just a big distraction right now. A very good looking one who always sparks my desire, but a distraction.”
“I can’t lose you, Alicia. You mean too much to me, you’ve gotten too deep in my heart.” He took a step closer. “Ask anything.”
“Max.” She stepped up to him and pressed her palm against his cheek. “I just need time. I just found out a myth is real.”
“I know. It’s a bit much.” He took her hand. “I hadn’t planned on falling in love with a legend. I needed you to find the Tears. But everyone expected me to mate with a member of the pack. Even though I didn’t believe in the legend you drew me. There was something about you. Something special.”
“Special?” She shook her head. “I was cold, rude.”
“Not to your clients. I know, I checked.” He pulled her closer. “Every person you dealt with said the same thing. You were a hard worker. Went out of your way to find out what you could and you never charged them anything extra for the work you did. They loved you.”
“I did my job.” She looked up at him and saw so much love in his face.
“To the people who were looking for some connection to their past you did so much more than that. You showed them they mattered. No matter how small their priceless bauble was, it mattered to you.” He let out a sigh when he had her close enough to wrap his arms around her. “They mattered to you. You did the same thing for me. Your enthusiasm for the Tears swept me up in the thrill of the chase too.
“I never meant to hurt you. You were going to help me find the Tears and then go on about your life. But you did things to make me fall for you.”
“Like what?” She rested her cheek against his chest, brushing against the mat of hair there.
“You argued with me, made me think and laugh and go hmmm. No other woman piqued my curiosity as much as you did. I knew I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t help myself. I had no clue how I was going to explain what I was or given any thought as to how you would react when I did tell you. I just wanted to be near you.”
“Can I ask you a question?” She tilted her head up to look him in the eyes.
“Sure.”
“We have all the Tears now. According to the legend the one who wields them can change someone from human to werewolf or werewolf to human, right?” She felt him tense. He knew what was coming next. “So you could change me to a werewolf without my consent and force me to accept it.”
“No!” He looked hurt she could even think that. “I couldn’t do that to you. I love you. I would change myself to human before I forced our life on you.”
“You’d give up being a werewolf and become human if I asked you?” She never expected this from him. Without asking she knew he was proud of his heritage. He’d never give it up under normal circumstances.
“Yes.” No hesitation. No thinking about it.
“Thank you.” She tightened her hold on him. Knowing he was willing to give up everything meant the world to her.
***
They walked back to the villagers arm in arm. Alicia smiling and laughing at a comment Max made. Everyone had remained to see what the outcome would be.
Max patted her hand and then stepped away to address his people. “I want to thank all of you for accepting my mate with open arms. I love all of you for that. But I have made a decision that will affect everyone here. I’m stepping down. Patrick is my second and I feel he’d make a great leader for you.”
“Max, what are you doing?” Patrick’s brow furrowed with his confusion.
“Patrick, I’m doing what I need to do.” Max smiled at him and slapped him on the back. “I need you to get the rest of the Tears. You know where I’ve hidden them right?”
He nodded and took off.
“Alicia is the most important thing in my life and I want her to be happy.” Patrick came back and handed him the small cloth pouch. Max gave him a bright smile and bowed to him. He bowed back and stepped deeper into the crowd. “Everyone knows how hard it is to learn about our kind. Many of us feel the weight of our secret every day.”
“I’ve never felt I should be leader here.” He took one stone out of the bag and sat it on the ground near his feet. He placed another stone on the ground so by the time he finished he had created a circle around himself. “And I want to be with my mate. So I have decided.”
Alicia took the hand he offered her.
“I’m going to use the stones to turn myself into a human. Just like my mate.” He held out his hand for the last stone. “And I can’t do this without the pack’s help.”
Alicia heard the murmur race through the crowd. They would never argue with him, but they didn’t want him to do this. “What?”
“The stone?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Sorry, but no.” She bent and picked up the stones one by one. “I never asked for this.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You asked me if I would change to human for you and I told you yes.”
“That’s true.” She handed the six stones back to Patrick, who slipped them into the bag and into a pocket. “But I never asked you to do it. Just saying you would was enough for me. It told me that I was the most important thing in your life. That was all I needed. Being a werewolf is part of you. Kinda like superman and Clark Kent. Clark wouldn’t be the same if he gave up his superpowers. You wouldn’t be either and I would never ask that of you.
“These people need you as much as I do. If I feel it’s wrong to take Sonora’s ability away from her why would you think I’d want you to take yours?”
“I don’t know.” He placed his hands on her upper arms. “I just want you to be happy.”
“Max, you make me very happy. A little leery maybe, but happy. It will still take some time for me to get used to this, but I’m willing to try.” She noticed that most of the people had headed back to the center of town. Patrick was the last to leave.
“You know, we have all the Tears now. We could convert you.”
“Wow, don’t know about that.” She wrapped her arms around him. “Let me get used to you shifting first okay? Then we’ll talk.”
“Fair enough.” He urged her to start walking. “Do you have any questions?”
“A million, but it will take some time for me to think of all of them.” She found herself in front of the waterfall again. “I do have one right now though.”
“Sure, ask away.”
“You said you could shift at will. Does that mean you can control it or once the shift starts you can’t stop it?”
“Ah.” He gave her a big smile. “I’ve learned to control it so well I can shift certain sections of my body without a total shift.” He opened his mouth and allowed his tongue to roll out past his lips.
“Oh my.”
The End.
The series continues in LEGEND OF THE TEARS...