South Mountain Pack Ch 08

I would like to thank hcsd1719 for his help in editing and offering encouragement. Again, there are no actual sex scenes, since the main characters are underage. All italics indicate communication through the mental bond.

If anyone would like a 'cheat sheet' of Pack members, please send me an email and I would be happy to provide one for you. I would like to thank mrtdust1 for his invaluable help in putting the cheat sheet on an excel spread sheet that can be added to as details are revealed.

Please remember to vote and comment, I appreciate all comments and feedback. Thank you.

Promptly at 4:45 PM, families started to arrive at The Manor House to begin the ten minute walk to the Sacred Ceremonial Grounds located on the original homestead plot of the Rossi family when they emigrated from Italy in 1778. Fifteen families had joined the Alpha's second son to start a Pack in the America's, giving them opportunities they never would have realized in their old Pack. The family ties were still strong between the Packs and both Alphas' considered each other an ally.

The Whitmer, Poffenberger and Costello families arrived within minutes of each other and as soon as the young ones were out of the SUV's they ran up to each other, bumped fists and started talking as if finishing a conversation they had been in the middle of. The adults smiled as they heard fragments of their conversations. "Vin said..." "Well, Dom said..." "Ant said..." as they talked about the training session and afternoon adventure.

"Have you noticed a change in the way the boys are treating their sisters?" asked Joel.

"Now that you mention it, yeah we have. Cal and Brady used to treat Brooke like she had cooties," said Harold of his four year old daughter. "When they got home today they let her pick a cartoon to watch and I about fell over."

"Look at how they are acting now," said Barry as the adults looked at their offspring. The boys were holding their sisters hands and pulling them along to keep up with the other children, offering words of encouragement and being patient with their much smaller strides. The little girls were smiling and basking in their brothers' attention and talking nonstop.

"We were hoping Haden and Hunter didn't kill Hope with how rough they are with her, now they are holding her hands and helping her walk," said Jerry of his four year old daughter.

Joel said, "Our young ones haven't stopped talking about Anthony and how he looked after them on the training session."

"Well, if they are going to emulate anybody, they picked good role models," said Larry. "A future Alpha, his mate and top commanders."

"Did you see the way they greeted each other with fist pumps? It's adorable," said Barry's wife, Diane.

The Clan, Anthony and the Moretti's were sitting around the edge of the clearing talking when the young ones got there. Reggie Costello immediately went over, the rest of the youngsters following him; he was on a mission and needed to talk to Vin. The boys greeted each other with a mixture of fist pumps and head nods, while the girls hugged each other.

"Your family is called the Clan, but does that include Ant, Angelo, Alberto and Gabby? Do you call yourself something else when they are with you?" Reggie Costello asked while the boys waited for their sisters to sit in somebody's lap. As soon as they were settled they went and sat near them.

"Well, we've never talked about it," Vin answered as he leaned back against a tree positioning Hope between his outstretched legs, his wolf instantly on guard to protect the little one. "We were always called the Clan, even before Anthony and Alberto made their declarations. Do you know what the word 'Clan' means?"

"Not really," said Reggie. "I figured it was just a name you were given."

"Clan means family or children depending on who you talk to," said Dominic settling Jackie in his lap as he scented the air for any threat to the young one. "In a way Anthony and Alberto are now part of the Clan, because they will be mates with our sisters. Angelo and Gabby would be included because they are Alberto's family. So, I guess it would be up to them if they wanted to be part of the Clan."

Alberto, Angelo and Anthony shrugged their shoulders and looked at each other while Gabby furtively glanced at Sal before shrugging her shoulders. Angelo said, "Doesn't matter to us. Does this mean we get hazed and have membership cards?" The older ones laughed, while the young ones looked confused.

"Don't mind Angelo, he was trying to be funny and failed miserably," said Damian as Toni leaned back into his chest, his arms curled protectively around her. "I would have said, does this mean we get to learn super secret handshakes and get a decoder ring?" The young ones started laughing, and Damian looked at Angelo with a superior smile, while Angelo leaned back and mouthed 'fuck you'.

"Apparently your sense of humor needs to grow up and stop watching cartoons," said Anthony. While everybody laughed, he scanned the surrounding area as he placed Abigail protectively between his bent knees.

"Well, we talked it over and we want a name too," said Troy Costello as the young ones nodded their heads.

"Okay, what did you have in mind?" said Lorenzo as he sat cross-legged with Brooke leaning against his chest. She was whispering to him, and asking him if he liked her new shoes which were light pink with little flowers embroidered on the top. He lifted her foot into his hand and noticed how little it was, it was barely bigger then his palm. He felt his wolf come forth intent on protecting the little one at all costs.

"Something similar to the Clan, so when people hear it, they think of us," said Reggie as he leaned back in the same manner as Vin.

"Well, let's hear some of the names you came up with," said Sal as he glanced around the group, his gaze rested momentarily on Gabby, with the sun peeking through the treetops her shoulder length curly auburn hair glinted with gold highlights.

The little girls got into the spirit of things and said "Puppies" "Unicorns" the boys said names like "Yankees" "Orioles" "Cowboys" "Ninjas".

"You should think of names that have something to do with all of you," said Paulo quietly as he lifted his head from his laptop, busy working on a new website design for Roberto's Restaurant.

"Paulo's right," said Michael of his twin. "The crew of you needs to decide on something that fits all of you, not just the boys or girls."

Anthony looked up and said, "That's it, how about the Crew?"

"What does it mean?" asked Alec as he mimicked Anthony's posture and expression.

"A Crew is a group of people who do things together, like sail on a boat, or fly a plane," said Maria as she leaned into Alberto's side.

"I like it," said Reggie, "I think we should vote on it." The twenty-five members of the newly named Crew nodded their heads and the girls enthusiastically clapped their hands. Years later when the Crew was mentioned, Pack members would shake their heads, smile and wonder what they had done this time.

Sophia, Anthony, Gianni and Marcus went to get something to drink and Abigail decided to stay with Vin and her cousin Hope. Joel and his wife Veronica came over and said, "We want to thank you for the attention you've paid to our young ones."

Sophia said, "It was our pleasure Mr. and Mrs. Whitmer. Do you mind if we do it again, maybe make it a regular thing once or twice a month?"

"As far as taking them out with you, just let us know when you want them and we'll arrange it," said Joel.

"Do you want them to eat with us tonight?" asked Anthony. Veronica said, "You really wouldn't mind? I can't remember the last time we were able to have a grown up conversation around dinner, it'll be almost like it was when we were dating. Thank you again."

Anthony looked over at the Crew's parents as the Whitmer's rejoined them and imagined himself, Sophia, Alberto and Maria years from now with little ones. He looked at his intended and his heart started racing as he thought, 'Damn, I really love her.' He pulled Sophia into his side and deeply scented her, growling low in his throat. She pulled back and looked into his deep brown eyes and whispered to him, "I can't wait until we have young ones; I want little boys who look just like you."

"I want a little girl who looks just like you," whispered Anthony, "with curly black hair and emerald eyes. You have the most beautiful eyes, they remind me of the field behind our house, and it is an endless sea of sparkling green in the spring when the sun shines on it right after the rain. Your eyes sparkle like that when you laugh and I love looking into them, they calm me down while exciting me at the same time."

Sophia blushed and said,

"I can't wait until we are able to kiss. When I'm alone, I wonder what it will feel like."

Anthony answered with a husky growl,

"Arachide, you're killing me here. The thought of kissing you and holding you brings me to my knees, this year cannot move quickly enough for me."

"Come on you two, enough of the lovey-dovey stuff, we're going to be eating soon. You're making me nauseous and I really don't want to vomit beforehand," said Gianni as he lightly punched Anthony's shoulder.

They went back to the others and Anthony told the Crew they would be eating together, and had to behave so they would be allowed to do it again. The young ones nodded their heads and told him they would behave.

At 5:30, Carlo said to Frank, Joe, Matt and Phillip through the bond,

"The Millers are almost here. Go and meet them near the trail and I will get the Pack ready for the introduction. Wait until I call for you to bring them out, I want to get the rest of the detail ready."

The men looked at their Alpha and nodded their heads.

The men headed down the trail and met the Millers about a quarter mile from the Ceremonial Grounds. Introductions were made and the girls smiled shyly at the men, their anxiety apparent in their eyes and the men could scent it in the air. Frank smiled and hoping to ease the anxiety said, "We've been looking forward to meeting all of you. You'll be meeting my daughter Sophia, and Joe's daughter Maria, they are both 15 and I hope you become friends."

Matt and Phillip told the girls they were in charge of their security detail and asked Todd and Holly if the security detail could take the girls out to dinner one evening during the week to get to know them better. Their easy going attitude relaxed the girls and soon they were smiling at both men.

Brianna asked with a bright smile, "What kind of restaurant would we go to? We've never been to a real restaurant before. On our drive here Daddy let us eat fast food; it was the first time we had that so we ate at a McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell and Long John Silvers. It was good but greasy and gave Papa Mike gas." The men laughed at her candid reply and Papa Mike laughed harder then anybody.

"We've never been to a Mall either, could we go there too?" asked Kelly with a questioning looks. "I want to wander around and see what all the fuss is about and what exactly teenagers do there for hours."

"And the movies, we've never been to a movie theater either," said Fallon excitedly. "I'd like popcorn, real movie theater popcorn. OOH and Juju Beans whatever they are, in the movies we watched they always order popcorn and Juju Beans."

"Can we go to a game?" asked Caitlin, the excitement evident in her eyes. "I want hot dogs, nachos and soft pretzels. Oh, and one of the ushers to throw peanuts at me like we see on TV. It has to be baseball though; we hate the Redskins since we're all diehard Cowboys fans, Daddy made sure of that, and I just don't like the Ravens." As Frank and Joe looked at him with raised eyebrows, Todd lifted the sleeve of his shirt to proudly display his star tattoo and Papa Mike displayed a matching one.

"I want to go to an ice cream place, like Baskin Robbins or Dairy Queen. We've only ever had chocolate or vanilla and I want to try every flavor they have. You'll probably have to roll me out," said Erin as everyone laughed.

"Could we go to an amusement park? I want to go on a roller coaster or that tower drop, though I'll probably get sick. I got sick in the car and Papa Mike had to pull over," said Shannon as she blushed. "Though in my defense it was the first time we had been in a car on a highway and I was all the way in the back plus Papa Mike had gas and that didn't help." Everybody was laughing by this time and Papa Mike was leaning up against a tree he was laughing so hard.

"Can we eat Chinese food? I'd like to learn to eat with chopsticks," said Aislin as she tilted her head lost in thought, "and I have no idea what to order, what exactly is Moo Goo Pan? And does it always come in those little white containers?"

"I know it sounds weird, but I'd like to go to a grocery store," said Maeve as her sisters started laughing. "What??? The only cereal we've ever had is Cheerios and Corn Flakes; I'd like to pick out my own cereal. And Pop Tarts, I want Pop Tarts."

"Can we go putt-putt golfing and race those little cars?" asked Fiona with a big smile on her face. "You'll have to show us how; none of us have ever driven anything before and Daddy said he's never going to teach us to drive. I'm not exactly sure what 'menace to society' means but that's what Daddy said we would be." Standing behind his daughters Todd vehemently shook his head no and had a grimace on his face, but when his daughters turned to look at him, he was smiling.

"I'd like to tour Washington, DC, see all the museums and monuments. We watch

NCIS

all the time, Gibbs and McGee are yummy," said Morgan as she giggled and her sisters nodded. Todd muttered, "We've got to monitor their TV viewing more."

"Basically we've never been anywhere or done anything. The only thing we know about life is through the TV, but we want to experience it for real now. I can only remember leaving the Pack grounds twice before we left to come here, so even riding in a car is a novel experience," said Brianna as she looked at Matt and Phillip sheepishly.

Matt looked into the girl's eyes and said, "What I want you to do tomorrow morning is make a list of the things you want to do and we will go down the list and get them done, ok? No matter how silly your sisters may think it is. If it is important to you, then it is important to us."

"As long as it's okay with your parents and grandparents," Phillip added as he smiled at the girls. "In fact, they may want to come with us on some of our outings. Though I will warn you, we won't get everything done in one day." Without trying and without being aware of it, Matt and Phillip had won their hearts by not being overbearing or making them feel like naïve young girls, they had listened to what the girls had to say and treated them like adults.

Alpha Carlo stood in the middle of the clearing and called for silence and everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and gathered in front of him in a semi-circle at the edge of the clearing.

"My fellow Pack members, we have many reasons to celebrate and be thankful. Fifty years ago, a treaty was signed ending the Were War, bringing a resolution to the years of conflict and peace has since reigned over our Nation. We also celebrate the continued success of our Pack, a successful training session by our youngsters with new bonds forming, declarations have been made, youngsters will experience their first shift and we wait anxiously for the arrival of little ones within the next few weeks that will ensure the continuation of our Pack into the future."

"We are also celebrating the arrival of a new family, one unlike any of us has seen before. It is my hope they will find peace and happiness within our Pack and I know we will do our best to make them feel welcome," Alpha Carlo said.

"Tragic circumstances have brought them here, which will NEVER be tolerated within our Pack. They came to us for protection and a desire to be free of the immorality and corruption in their previous Pack which included the rape and subjugation of unmated females and isolation and intimidation of families. Their parents and grandparents mercifully got their children out before this happened to them, but there are many unfortunate females still living this nightmare and the Alpha Council has been notified and are handling the situation,"

Alpha Carlo continued through the bond to the adults.

As he glanced around the clearing, he noticed the men had their fists clenched and the tension had ratcheted up several degrees. The women had concern and indignation on their faces and some were also clenching their fists. He emitted a calm feeling through the bond and saw the tension ease out of everyone's posture.

"Many of you have been wondering about the new security detail and the increased security at school but after I introduce the new family, I'm sure you will understand why all the precautions have been put into place," said Alpha Carlo with a smile. "Frank, Joe, Matt and Phil please bring out the newest members of South Mountain Pack...the Millers."

"South Mountain Pack, may I introduce Todd and Holly Miller and their ten daughters; Brianna, Morgan, Caitlin, Erin, Kelly, Aislin, Fallon, Shannon, Fiona and Maeve. Also joining the Pack are Todd's parents, Nana Ellen and Papa Mike," said Alpha Carlo as the Millers stepped into the clearing.

There was stunned silence from everyone. Their security detail gathered in a loose semi-circle behind the Millers, and Frank, Joe and Carlo waited to see the reaction from the assembled young males.

Nothing.

Absolutely Nothing.

There was interest, plenty of interest and curiosity, but no one spoke. The assembled Pack members were looking around curiously as if sensing something was about to happen, the tension was so thick in the air even the young ones could sense it and moved closer to their parents. The silence and stillness hung in the air for minutes that seemed to drag on forever.

The Miller family stood still, as if afraid to move, their eyes scanning the crowd and then Carlo, Frank and Joe noticed it...Brianna and Morgan were focused on two individuals. Carlo, Frank and Joe swung their heads to see who they were looking at.

Vincent tilted his head back and took a deep breath, the smell of cinnamon rolls inflaming his senses. His eyes dilated as he pushed Salvatore, Alberto, Anthony and Gianni out of his way causing the Clan and the Crew to topple over like bowling pins. He sprinted across the clearing breathing deeply, growling loudly and hollered "MINE" as he raced towards the Miller girls.

Dominic had his eyes closed, the scent of gingerbread completely overwhelming him, his hands clenching and unclenching. He opened his eyes and his pupils were completely dilated as he emitted a loud growl. Anthony rolled Sophia and several of the young ones out of the way as Dominic jumped over the remaining pile and sprinted behind his twin also loudly hollering "MINE".

Carlo said to the assembled men around the Miller girls, "Don't get in their way, you can't come between them when they feel the mating pull. Just make sure the girls aren't hurt." The rest of the Miller girls stepped to the side to get out of the way of the two large incoming males, who resembled out of control freight trains.

Brianna took one look at Vincent charging towards her, her silver grey eyes huge in her face; she turned around and started running back down the trail. "Don't run," shouted her father and Alpha Carlo, but Brianna didn't listen to them. Vincent grinned and his wolf howled in delight, their mate wanted to play and he wouldn't disappoint her. He took off down the trail after her and Todd pursued them moments later followed by half of the security detail.