Twenty-Two

I got back to the house before it was 7:30. I slipped into the house quietly and put my clothes back on. I quietly walked into the livinig room, finding Mirela asleep on the couch with Mina resting on her chest and Bonnie at her feet. I saw Zack and Rian by the basement door. I followed them down to find Alex on the couch being stitched up by Elizabeta. Alex looked as bad as I did six years ago.
"Thanks Jack for the rescue," he gritted his teeth as Elizabeta took another piece of silver out of his skin.
"You have to thank Mina. She heard you in the pack collective. She told me what container he was lashing you in," I was not going to be his hero, Mina was.
"I'm thanking you since she is your daughter. If you and Mir hadn't happened, well you can put two and two together," he smirked before he gritted his teeth again as Elizabeta pulled out another scrap of silver.
"So what became of him Jack," Elizabeta asked.
"He's going back to Romania and staying. I told him I'd kill him without hesitation if he came back into the States and try to kill my family or my friends," I was happy to know that my family was going to be safe.
"And there's the last of the silver," Elizabeta pulled the last piece of the silver from Alex's skin and Alex started to smile as his wounds began to heal.
"Don't get your ass in trouble again. I can't handle the responsibility of being Alpha," I teased him.
"Don't worry. I'll be the one protecting the pack tonight. I'm gathering the pack here so Mina can learn to be a wolf tonight. She's gotten into the collective so she's in the pack and is going to learn from us," Alex said as he streched.
"You sound like your dad when we all turned for the first time during that August," I remembered that day as if it were yesterday. Now, six years later, I'm teaching my daughter how to run with the pack.

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"Are you sure she's ready Jack," Mir worried as she held Mina in just her diaper, the sun was starting to set as the pack was prepping to turn.
"I'll stay at her side and we'll stick close to the house and woods off the back. I'll go easy on her. She's in the collective so I can sense her whenever she gets into a tight situation. I can handle this Mir," I tried to reassure her. She was still worrying.
"If anything goes wrong howl for me and I'll give chase okay. I mean it Jack. You better howl if you need help," she was dead serious.
"I promise Mir okay. I won't push her too hard. She's just big enough to handle learning. I won't make her push herself to far. I worry about her too," I kissed her as I took Mina off her hands.
"I'll keep him in line Mir," Alex promised her.
"Thank you Alex," she breathed.
It was time to turn and I put MIna on her grass blanket and she fluffed into her little white fluff ball self. I turned after her into my big black form and sat next to her as she tried to stand. After a couple tried she started to whimper.
"It's about patience Mina. Go slow," I coaxed her on and she finally stood on her four tiny paws.
"Daddy I did it," she beamed and she started to walk, then she fell face first into the grass. I used my nose to help her up.
"If you keep moving Mina, it gets easier," I encouraged her. Before long she was trotting circles around me.
"I love you Daddy," she nuzzled against my leg and I nuzzled her back.
"Now let's go running," I encouraged and she took off across the yard.
"Jack I'm being serious. Be careful with her," Mir lectured me again.
"Mommy can't hear us can she," Mina asked.
"I'm sorry sweetheart. You'll have to wait until your older to try talking to her. I'll tell her eveyrthing you said tonight for you though okay baby girl," I nudged her to keep up with Alex who stayed behind ot wait for us.
"Okay Daddy," Mina took off for Alex and I trotted behind.
"She is so cute Jack," Alex complimented me on my excellent genes that I had passed to Mina.
"Thank you Uncle Alex," Mina beamed with pride.
"Mina," Alex called to her before she could run up to Rian and Zack.
"Yes Uncle Alex," she tilted her little white head at him
"Thank you for helping your Daddy save me this morning," he said and Mina came over to nuzzle him.
"I heard you screaming in my sleep and it scared me. I didn't want to lose you Uncle Alex," she replied.
"She's so modest and for only two and a half months old. She's more mature than you Jack," Rian joked.
"Shut up Rian," I playfully ordered him. Mina giggled.

Mina and I got home early in the morning just before the sunrise. I led Mina to her blanket so she could lay down to start resting. I laid myself around her to keep her warm. Once we were human again I knew she'd cry about being so cold if I wasn't next to her. I perked my ears up when I heard to the doorwall open and close. Mir was holding a blanket in her arms and had a duffle bag over her shoulder.
"I brought a blanket and a abg with a diaper and a onesie for Mina and some clothes for you Jack. I'll be inside on the couch when you two come back inside," Mir placed the blanket and bag by me and went back inside.
On cue, I became turned back first and I dressed quickly and prepped Mina's diaper for her. She became a smiled two month old rather quickly. I put her diaper and her little onesie on before I scooped her up into my arms and grabbed the blanket and bag to take them inside. I carried Mina past Mir and took her to the bedroom where I laid myself down and then I put Mina on my chest with her ear against it, so she can listen to my heartbeat. The last image I had that morning was my little daughter sleeping soundly.

Notes

I loved the run. Mina's is such a fluff ball. I decided the ending of having Mina sleep on Jack's chest because when I was a baby, my dad and I slept like that too. I can't wait to get Mina baby crawling. Thank you my lovely audience.

Love,
ToxicxDancefloor