“Oh! That’s good. How many...er...tides should I expect?” It was a bit embarrassing for Elise to admit that she didn’t know these things, but she’d grown up without a mother. Sarah had stepped in as a surrogate on several occasions but for some reason, this topic had never come up. And the giggling, teenage conversations with her friends possibly hadn’t contained the most reliable information.
“Probably two or maybe three a day, depending on your emotional state.” Helen supplied the answer while popping the muffins into the oven.
“You just better hope they aren’t tidal waves!” Carrie quipped before reaching over and patting Elise’s arm. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t tease you. It wasn’t that long ago that John and I were newly mated. I remember all the uncertainty that went with it.”
“That’s okay. I’m happy for any advice or insight you have to offer.” Elise traced a pattern on the table. Should she broach the subject that had been weighing on her mind since last night? If she didn’t ask, she’d never find out, so... “As a matter of fact, I was wondering if I could ask you something about Kane.”
“Sure. We might not know the answer, but ask away.” Carrie glanced at Helen who nodded in agreement. Grabbing a cup of coffee, Helen sat down at the table and they both looked expectantly at Elise.
“Well...” Elise began slowly. “Last night, when Kane and I were discussing having a family, he seemed sort of sad or wistful. And a while back, he mentioned not really having much of a family life while growing up, so I started wondering about his background. Where are Kane’s parents? He’s not that old; I would have thought they’d still be here.”
“Well, it’s not really a secret.” Carrie paused and sipped her tea thoughtfully.
“No.” Helen agreed. “I suppose Kane won’t mind us telling you. His mother, Mindy, was originally mated to Ryne’s father who belonged to another pack. No one knows why, but the relationship didn’t last and she came back here when Ryne was only a baby. Not long after that, a rogue wolf passed through. She hooked up with him—despite everyone warning her— and left, taking Ryne with her. Then about two years later she was back again, but this time she had Kane as well as Ryne. They stayed for another year, then Carter—that’s Kane’s father—came around again. He tried to live with the pack but could never seem to fit in. When he left, Kane’s mother took the boys and went with him again, only to return after a few months on the road.”
“That sort of set the pattern for several years until finally the Alpha at the time put his foot down. They had to either stay or leave because the constant coming and going wasn’t good for the pack. Every time he arrived, Carter upset the balance of the hierarchy. He wasn’t interested in being a ‘team player’ and was only concerned about himself, rather than the good of the pack. Carter’s personality was too dominant to accept someone as his Alpha; he was meant to be a lone wolf. He didn’t have the temperament to be around others; too quick to fly off the handle, if you ask me. Anyway, after the ultimatum, Carter left and Mindy went along, only this time she left the boys behind with me and Zack. Ryne was thirteen and Kane was almost twelve. I think Mindy knew the moving around wasn’t good for them, but she loved Carter too much to give him up, so she did what she thought was best.”
“We haven’t seen Mindy or Carter since. Someone once said they’d gone to Europe while another rumour had them in South America.” Carrie shrugged. “No one knows for sure.”
“That must have been really hard on Kane and Ryne, always moving about—constantly joining the pack, then leaving again. And then to be abandoned by their mother...” Elise felt an ache in her heart. She’d lost her own mother around that age but at least her parent hadn’t chosen to leave her. Had Kane and Ryne felt hurt and betrayed? Wolves were pack animals, and with a few exceptions, needed the stability and structure of a group. Even if the pack was a family unit with only four members, to have that taken away must have been devastating.
Helen’s next words confirmed her suspicions. “The boys were pretty shook up at first, but after a while they came to accept that we were giving them a permanent home. Kane especially seemed happy to be settled finally. Both boys were so grateful for anything we did for them. Neither of them ever said anything, but I’m sure they’d had very little to live on for most of their lives, what with following Carter around all over the country. The man never kept a job for long. And personally, I suspect that he wasn’t the best role model. His temper was short and nasty, and he had a roving eye, too. I can only imagine what the boys experienced. Neither Kane nor Ryne ever really talked about it, but we all had our suspicions.”