-Chapter Seventeen-
Changes

Braxton had been gone a few days since I have begun my lessons with both his grandmother and mother, with his mother she told me about the most supportive role I would take, and with his grandmother (who wasn't at all what I was expecting) she taught me the hierarchy of the council and the proper ways to address them and so forth.

"If in town, it is always the Alpha and Luna's honor to host the council in their own private home...never the pack house as the pack house should only be for business and pack members in need of shelter or pack functions."

I jotted down a quick note as she spoke.

"Furthermore, every pack function will have the Alpha and Luna both in attendance with the exception of out of town business, then it will be the Alpha and Beta...Alpha's and Luna's do not get sick days." she said with a sympathetic sort of smile..."Correction, Luna's do get sick days...but only when pregnant as an Alpha's offspring is quite precious to the entire pack...that little baby is their future."

That heavy feeling hit me once again...it was the undeniable weight of high expectations that I would one day have to fulfill. As we wrapped up our lesson for the day I gathered my bag and popped a few books for refreshing and taking down further notes. "Any new books for me tonight?"

"Not for this weekend, this weekend I want you to sit with Braxton...find out just what he does and sit by his side...be there for meetings, help him with decisions, this is essentially your entire role, the other stuff is just protocols, laws, and histories...but being his other half, that is your number one job." She smiled before releasing me.

"May I ask you something else?" I put in before leaving for the day.

"Of course dear."

"Pardon the bluntness...but Braxton originally told me you disliked humans, but you have been very nice to me..."

She laughed, "Do you wish me to be mean Harper dear?"

At this I blushed and shook my head 'no.'

"To be honest, you are my grandson's mate and I've learned my lesson rather harshly that when it comes to mates, best not try and get in the way of the fates chosen couplings." she said, a sad sigh sounding from her. "But that's a story for another time, now run along...lessons will continue on Monday."

She showed me out and I thanked her once again before heading straight over to Braxton's place.

Once I let myself inside I set down my bag and went to find Braxton.

I found him sitting in his office and I couldn't but stop and just admire him. I casually leaned against the door frame and watched him lost in thought, a small smile playing on my lips as (impossibly) I had somehow forgotten how handsome he truly is in person...my memory never does him justice.

"Enjoying the view?" He asked before turning to look at me, his full smile on display only for me.

I returned his smile with my own, "As a matter of fact I was." I said before making my way over to him, he turned in his chair and pat his lap, I obliged him. I had learned long ago that any qualms I had with my weight (personally) needed to go right out the window when it came to Braxton's ability to withstand my curvier nature...not that i'm "fat" or that there's anything wrong with being heavier set...just mental body stuff on my end.

I laid my head upon his shoulder and he kissed my forehead.

"I missed you." I whispered.

"I missed you more gorgeous." He said before he sighed. "you don't even know how much I needed you to come over."

"What's wrong?" I asked with a new worry.

"Just pack stuff, decisions and what not...I'll be good, I'll get through it." He replied with a sad sort of smile.

"Hey, I'm gonna be your Luna soon...better get use to me helping out, if it's pack problems then it's OUR problem now." I smiled. "Plus your grandmother thinks it's a good idea for me to start learning what you do first hand and begin helping where I can."

"You sure you're up to it Gorgeous...I don't want to overwhelm you with all of this?"

"It'll be my duty sooner or later...may as well do it at my own will instead of it being pushed on me...no offense, I know you didn't exactly have much of a choice in all of this."

He smirked and kissed me gently. "No offense taken, I was raised for this Gorgeous so it was no big surprise or anything, but thank you for your consideration in the matter."

"So...what's up?"

"Well I went away this weekend because Ryder's father was very sick..." He said rather stoically. I could tell he was trying to contain his emotions at the moment. "He ended up passing away and leaving his Alpha title to his oldest Son Trace on the sole condition that Ryder take the Beta position to make sure the power stays in the family fully...Uh familial power lines are good since...-"

"Since on the off chance the Alpha passes before finding a luna or producing an heir then the power will then be shifted to the Beta and his mate alongside any children they may have." I finished for him with a smile and a wink.

He smiled another full smile, "You never cease to amaze me."

I shrugged, "It's all a matter of studying really, plus your grandmother and mom have been so helpful throughout this whole ordeal." I said as I recalled just how supportive his grandmother had really been of me during my Luna Training. "...And can I just say that your grandma has been nothing but nice to me...not at all how you originally painted her out to be."

He sighed, "I'm relieved to hear it...she hasn't always been so warm and welcoming to humans."

"She did mention not coming between mates...something about learning a hard lesson?"

"She was referring to my Aunt Margo." He said

I was floored by his response. "Aunt?"

"Braxton You've never told me you had an Aunt...I mean Elise has never even mentioned an Aunt before...I just assumed it was just the two brothers; your dad and your uncle."

"Yeah, my Aunt Margo...or Margorette is the baby of the siblings...she always hated her name so everyone but Grandmother called her Margo...talking about her was always hard on my dad and Uncle Richard so out of respect for them we don't talk about her much."

"Out of shame?" I wondered sadly.

"Oh no, I don't think any of us could ever be ashamed of family, but...okay, so from what I've been told Aunt Margo found her mate in a human, but what caused the initial drama if you will to is that he was a twice divorced man with a good handful of kids and 12 years her senior."

I sat there and took in this new information.

"And if his age or martial status weren't enough to upset my grandmother... it was at my grandfather's funeral service where Aunt Margo met her mate for the first time." He filled me in.

"Wait...what?"

He nodded, "Yeah...apparently he was Grandfather's banker or something and he had come out to pay his respects to Grandmother, that's when Aunt Joyce saw him and approached him."

"Well...it's not like you can choose your mate, right?" I offered.

"You're right Gorgeous." He said with a sad smile, "And I'm sure Aunt Margo thought the same way...but it was hard for Grandmother to accept regardless of how mates work."

He sighed, "Aunt Margo claimed him as her mate immediately, she was 18 at the time and having spent a year openly searching for her mate she was thrilled to finally find him...but again none of that mattered to Grandmother; not that I agree with her judgments or her actions...but you've got to remember, Grandmother had just lost her husband, her mate...so all she sees is this older man who knows exactly how much her late husband was really worth and catches the eye of her young and impressionable daughter who is obsessed with finding her mate...it didn't help any that they eloped."

"Damn." I sounded.

"Grandmother was pissed to say the least...told her to never come back, and as the Alpha's Luna her order was binding...a few years later from what I've heard, Grandmother lifted her order and asked Aunt Margo to return, but Aunt Margo was upset now...for her mom not accepting her mate and having to go through her first few years of marriage without support from her own mother...it was a trying time for her too as she couldn't have kids, and she knew it was her inability and not her husbands as he had children from previous relationships."

"His name is John Pearson...and even though he worked for Grandfather he never knew about the Weres...presumably Aunt Margo told him everything and I mean I guess he accepted it as they're still married to my knowledge."

"So maybe it isn't that she dislikes humans...but rather the fact that he's older, or it was so close to her husband's passing." I offered.

Once more he shrugged, "Only Grandmother knows for sure, and she will never talk about it because it weighs so heavily on her heart that she lost her mate and her only daughter basically on the same day...My whole life I had never met her, but every year Elise and I would get Birthday and Christmas cards from our Aunt Margo...I met her for the first time when my Dad passed, she and her Mate came over to pay their respects...luckily Uncle Richard was there to introduce us because I wouldn't have known who she was."

"Did your Grandmother get to see her as well when she came by?"

He shook his head, "Grandmother was inconsolable at her house, she hated the fact that she had to bury one of her children and Uncle Richard tried to get Aunt Margo to go by but she refused and left shortly after."

"This is a horrible."

He sighed, "It is, But they're both grown women and make their own choices, so we can only hope they'll forgive one another before it's too late...Ryder was able to do with his own father before he passes...which brings me to my current predicament...I have to find a new Beta."