Niklaus, Olivia, Harper, and Neil had been at the Chie Pack for a week. Harper had called Atlas and James earlier in the week and asked them to search the Red Vine and Adler libraries. They hadn't heard back from either pack yet and haven't been able to find their own information.
"Gah!" Niklaus slammed his hands against the table. "How have we not been able to find anything!?"
Neil, Harper, and Olivia shared glances as they watched Niklaus hang his head to hide his anger.
"Niklaus." Neil stepped closer. "The legends of the mating bond haven't been passed down in many generations."
"No." Niklaus grumbled. "Don't you remember the stories mother used to tell us?"
Neil's face was blank as he shook his head.
Niklaus sighed.
"Mother used to read to us, every night, before bed. She'd read to us from this little leather bound book." Niklaus grumbled again. "I can't remember what the book was called, if I could remember we might be able to figure out the legend."
Harper crunched his brow as the thoughts could be seen flowing through his mind.
"Niklaus, where exactly would that book be?"
"What? Why does tha-" Niklaus's eyes widened. "You want to go to Ever Green.."
"Wait, I thought the pack was destroyed?" Neil looked confused.
"The pack was but the buildings and all of the belongings should still be there." Niklaus walked around the table. "In fact, the spell that was protecting the pack should still be intact."
"Hold on!" Neil talked with his hands. "Are you saying that everything should still be there?"
"Yes, exactly." Niklaus cupped Neil's shoulders. "We can go back."
Niklaus's excitement to see his home faded into downcast and pain. The memories of what happened that week flowed through him. He felt a sudden sickness in his heart and flush in his cheeks.
"Let's call Atlas and James to tell them where we're going." Neil seemed ecstatic to see Ever Green.
Harper had called Atlas and James again before they started packing. They figured that since they would be driving for ten hours, they might as well spend a night or two in town. Atlas and James had both said they'd meet the four of them at the old Ever Green pack territory.
"Come on lover boys!" Olivia called from the car as she finished packing the snacks. "Niklaus, can you go peal them away from each other?" Olivia's eyes cut Niklaus's soul, they beckoned him to do whatever she wanted.
Niklaus sighed and carefully entered the room where Neil and Harper had been staying.
"Can you two manage to unravel yourselves from each other long enough to get in the car?"
Neil and Harper laughed at the defeated tone Niklaus had, it wasn't the first time they had been called to leave.
"Please, just get in the car." Niklaus walked back and sat in the passenger seat.
Niklaus switched on the radio and flipped through the channels.
Niklaus found a song he hadn't heard in years. It was a song he remembered his parents dancing to in the family room.
๐ถ"๐ฃ๐ป๐ธ๐พ๐ซ๐ต๐ฎ๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ต๐ต ๐ฌ๐ธ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ต๐ต ๐น๐ช๐ผ๐ผ. ๐จ๐ธ๐พ'๐ต๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ท๐ญ ๐ช ๐๐ธ๐ถ๐ช๐ท, ๐๐ฎ๐ช๐ฑ, ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐๐ธ๐พ'๐ต๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ท๐ญ ๐ต๐ธ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ญ๐ธ๐ท'๐ฝ ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฝ, ๐ผ๐ธ๐ท, ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐ผ๐ธ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ท๐ฎ ๐พ๐น ๐ช๐ซ๐ธ๐ฟ๐ฎ."๐ถ
Niklaus blinked away the tears he could feel threatening to fall. He cleared his throat as the others climbed into the car.
"You ready to go?" Olivia started the engine and looked at Niklaus.
"Yeah. Let's go."
They listened to 1970s rock for the rest of the ride. Niklaus hadn't realized before but many of the songs that came over the station were ones his parents loved. The car slowed to a stop as the gps started to fritz.
"Niklaus, do you know where we are?" Olivia looked at Niklaus with raised brows.
Niklaus turned the radio down as he scanned the outside environment.
"I'm not sure." Niklaus unbuckled and reached for the door. "You have to use your sense of smell to find the front."
Harper and Olivia looked at each other confused.
"It was a security measure." Neil chuckled at Harper and Olivia's expressions. "Only people who were part of the pack could differentiate the scent from the normal surroundings."
***
Niklaus knocked on the window and gestured for them to follow. Niklaus walked ahead of the car, following the scent. After a few minutes Niklaus made a gesture for the car to stop. They were at a 15 foot tall iron gate. He looked around for a moment before jogging to a flowering dogwood tree and dug around by the roots. Niklaus held up his hand and revealed a key, he ran back to the trail. Niklaus turned the key and a scanner popped out from the brick post holding the gate. He placed his hand on the scanner and it flashed green and the gate popped open. Olivia drove the car through as Niklaus followed and the gate shut. Niklaus sat back into the passenger seat, not bothering to buckle in again.
"Some security system." Olivia joked.
"If you don't turn the key before scanning your hand, the gate is set to shoot on sight. It's the same if your hand scan doesn't work." Niklaus spoke with a deadpan expression.
"Should we tell them?" Neil leaned forward between the seats and smirked.
"Nah, I think we'll let them see it for themselves." Niklaus grinned.
As they pulled up to the pack house Olivia and Harper's jaws dropped. In front of them stood a Common Era, English style Manor.
"How-h-how.." Olivia seemed to be struggling to find the words.
"How did our family afford this?" Niklaus finished her question.
Olivia nodded her head as she gawked, bug-eyed at the house. Neil and Niklaus chuckled as they exited the car.
"Come on." Simultaneously, Neil and Niklaus each offered a hand to their individual mates.
"Okay, that's spooky." Harper chuckled.
"What?" Once again Neil and Niklaus spoke at the same time.
"That!" Harper made a circled gesture towards them. "You two talking at the same time like you share a brain."
"I guess being home brings out twin-tuition." Niklaus laughed and pulled Olivia closer. "Let's go on a tour before starting our search."
"Okay!" Olivia and Harper beamed.
They started with the grounds outside, they had been in the car for ten hours and figured they could use the stretch. Niklaus showed them their old treehouse first, everything inside was exactly as they remembered. Neil had his drawings on the wall, the initials they carved into the roof, the tiny desk with the 'secret' chocolate drawer, and the stack of sheets they used to use for forts.
"Neil, are you eating the old chocolate?" Harper had a sickened look.
"Yeah, why?" Neil took another piece. " Chocolate doesn't go bad."
Harper took a deep breathe.
"Chocolate absolutely does go bad!" Harper face-palmed and sighed. "Whatever, it's your stomach."
They all laughed for a moment before it was broken.
"Hey.." Olivia spoke softly, tugging on Niklaus's sleeve. "You think the bathroom still works?"
"Why don't we go check." Niklaus stifled a giggle.
Harper pressed on the door latch but the door latch wouldn't budge.
"I think it's locked!" Harper had made it to the door before the others.
"Niklaus, do you know where there might be a key?" Neil leaned against the railing.
Niklaus shuffled through the short list of memories he had of home.
"Oh, actually I think I might know." Niklaus ran to the second window on the right side of the door.
He ran his fingers along the top framing of the window, nothing. He searched the plot underneath the window, still nothing.
"Damn." Niklaus sulked back to the others. "The key wasn't where I remember."
"Okay, maybe we should just break the window?" Neil made a slight shrug.
"Neil.." Harper groaned. "We're not breaking the window."
"I would hope you wouldn't break the window." A woman's voice came from the door behind them.
Harper and Neil jumped and turned to see the figure standing in the doorframe. An older woman stood in front of them with greying, honey-blonde hair and smaragdine eyes.