"If you want him, he's yours, cherie. Kit is going to look after him until we're both out of here, then he'll be coming home with us." Kelly cuddled the puppy in close and closed her eyes as she nuzzled him.
"Thank you, all of you." She moved the puppy away a little and stared into his face.
"Hmm, a name...I remember once I saw this show on TV about Indian culture and stuff. It said 'Raksha' meant protection and the moon. I think I want to call him 'Raksha'."
"That sounds beautiful, Kelly. Raksha, our little protector." Kelly rubbed his ear as Adele spoke.
Chapter Fifteen
It was ten to six, Tuesday morning, and Jake, fresh from the shower, sat down in front of his computer and fired the thing up. He sipped his coffee while waiting for it to boot up then shook his head; people kept claiming technology was saving people time. The amount of time he spent waiting for technology to do what it was meant to gave him serious doubts he actually saved any time. Once it was up and running, he activated his web cam and loaded up Skype, ready for the monthly Alpha meeting.
Choden Sangye was already on and waiting. Choden was the very first snow leopard shifter created. Unlike the others after him, he was immortal. For a two hundred sixty-eight year old he was surprisingly attuned to the modern world and all its technology. He was up bright and early and his clock would currently read one forty-five am, Tuesday.
Over the next ten minutes, all the others joined them. Dishi Wee, Tristian Laprise, Maddix Torres, Obi Traore, Fernando Molina and Joe Fairley, the last to join them as usual.
With everyone now online, Choden started things off with a welcome in Tibetan. They then went through the usual stuff: deaths, births and matings in each of the Leaps. Then they moved onto the Lost Ones lists they each had been compiling. They compared and updated their lists then discussed what each Leap was doing in order to seek out their Lost Ones. Once that discussion was done, they moved onto general business.
"Jake, tell me, how is your eldest, Dominic, recovering?" The fact Choden knew something had happened didn't surprise Jake. Choden seemed to have some super powers, one of which enabled him to somehow know what was going on within all the Leaps around the globe.
"Dominic and his future-mate are both healing from their ordeal. The child, Kelly, has also thankfully snapped out of her shock and is recovering. The doctor is confident all three will make a full recovery." He then spent a few minutes answering questions about what had happened before Obi spoke up.
"So, your son has found his mate. This is good. The next generation's Alpha is now secure for your Leap, Jake. You must be pleased."
"That's the thing I don't get, Obi. I always assumed Dominic would be next Alpha, but his mate is wholly human. So, now I must start observing the other young males in our Leap for signs of the next alpha. I'm not sure how I'm going to get everything done I need to do or tell Dominic he is not going to be Alpha when I've been grooming him for it for so long."
Choden spoke loud and clear "Jake, my brother, I have two pieces of wisdom from Buddha for you. One: 'There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills'. Two: 'Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.'"
While Jake was still trying to process what Choden had meant with his "pieces of wisdom," the meeting finished and everyone signed off. Choden knew something. He knew what was going to happen and obviously he wasn't going to share it...yet. He had a nasty habit of being fond of free-will and wouldn't tell anyone anything unless he deemed it necessary in order to maintain balance. Jake jotted down the quotes while they were still fresh in his mind. He would have to think over them later. For now, he needed to get down to the station. He was back being captain while Dominic's injury healed and while Adele and Kelly needed him. He drank the last mouthful of his cold coffee, winced, and left his office.
He stopped on his way down the hall when he caught sight of a movement in the spare room. He stepped into the room and was stunned. Someone had set off a pink bomb in there.
"Honey, what are you doing?" he asked Sophie as his eyes attempted to adjust to all the pink in the room.
"I'm making up a room for Kelly. She'll need somewhere to stay until Adele gets released, and I thought we could keep it set up so she can stay here whenever Dominic and Adele want some private time. She's never had much of anything, so I wanted to make it special." He walked up behind his wife and wrapped her in his arms. He nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent. After over thirty years of marriage, her sweet scent was still his favorite smell.