Chapter 1: The Charm Of Snow
To My Girl Gang,
I would rather say that you are my moons rather than stars. You stood by me and never failed to shine brighter than ever in the darkest hours of my life.
-Mila Alaia
" At last!" A relieved female voice could be heard accompanied by good natured laughs from her friends.
" Well, I feel the same. It's been solid 7 hours! My legs are cramped. Economic seats sucks big time." A blonde of 5' 6'' feet could be heard voicing out.
" Yes, yes, mademoiselle. It's been tiring and so let's get out of here." A girl with twinkling blue eyes started dragging the blonde towards the entrance of the airport.
They were a group of four young girls just out of their teens. Filled with the vigour of the youth but tired from the long journey from Cairo, Egypt to Oslo, Norway. The stark change in climate was a matter of delight rather than dismay for them.
" So, who's gonna pick us up from here? Jo, should we call them?" The blonde asked the blue-eyed girl.
"Nah, let's just wait for a few minutes." It was the travel-weary girl who answered the question.
"There, he is the one I guess. He has got a board with our names." The shortest among them spoke up.
"Tamsyn, Cassandra, Sarah and Joan. That's us alright. Let's go girls." Cassandra took the lead and others followed. Tamsyn was busy texting her mother about their safe journey and arrival.
The blonde haired girl is Cassandra; outgoing and flirty with the classic good looks. The shortest one is Sarah; sweet and shy with a heart shaped face. The "I-hate-travelling" girl is Tamsyn; bookworm and mischief-maker with a round face adorned with specs. The last one is Joan, the level-headed one among them; the voice of reason. She is short with round face and sweet smile.
"Hello, I'm Cassie." They had reached the man who was supposed to pick them up.
"Cassie?" The man seemed puzzled.
"Hey, silly. He doesn't know our shortened names. Hello, I'm Tamsyn. And you are?" She gave him a hand to shake.
" Oh, Velkommen Damer. It's good to have you all here. I'm Lorenzo. I'm the Beta of the Rauland Pack."
"It's nice to meet you, Lorenzo." Tamsyn said. "Is it too far from here to Rauland?"
"Almost four hours, Tamsyn." He smiled.
"Syn, please."
"She can't stand her full name. Tamsyn Angel." Cassie explained. "And I'm Cassie. No Cassandra please."
"I'm Jo and this is Sarah"
" Hello, everyone. Please get in. Let's start our journey." Lorenzo gestured.
"OMG!! Into this?" Sarah's eyes clearly showed her disbelief and awe.
A stretch limo was parked a feet away from Lorenzo and the girls were transfixed by the sight.
"Ooh. So, into the lap of luxury, huh!?" Cassie said in an exaggerated voice.
" Nothing but the best for beautiful ladies, especially for someone who falls in love with cars at first sight. " Lorenzo winked at Sarah. She blushed and averted her worshipping gaze from the car.
They laughed with glee and got into the car. Sarah was busy admiring the car silently while Jo and Cassie had a lively conversation with Lorenzo. Syn took out her mobile and continued to chat with her mother.
They had come here for a mission. A dangerous one. Her mom was the the head of their coven back home at Egypt. Fleur: one the most powerful witches of the world. Mother to Tamsyn and Tobias. Elora, the mother of Alpha of the Rauland Pack was best friends with Fleur. So when a call for help came from her, Fleur couldn't refuse. Fleur, herself was unable to come. So she asked her daughter and three of her best friends to go to the aid of the Rauland Pack.
Tamsyn, in her own right, was a very powerful witch-in-training. The rest of the girls were also from good lineages. Powerful and talented.
The details of the mission were not imparted to the girls completely. The rest would be explained to them after they reach their destination or so was they informed. The only information they had was that they were supposed to protect the Rauland Pack; from what or whom was still a mystery. Tamsyn switched off her mobile and closed her eyes to have a nap to pass the four hours journey.
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"Lorenzo has messaged. They are on their way." Elora was happy to announce the arrival of her best friend's daughter and her friends.
"You can't leave at this crucial moment." Logan, the former Alpha of the Rauland Pack said to his son. "You have duties to the pack."
"Yes, father. I have duties to the pack. And that is exactly why I'm going off to the borders."
"Can't you send Lorenzo or maybe Oscar? Why do you insist on going yourself?"
"Dad, do you think that giving a warm welcome to a few teenage girls is more important than gathering info about Him?"
" Listen..."
"No, mom. I have to go. Yes, I know that they are here to help us. And aren't you both here to welcome them. For now, it'll have to suffice. I'll be back soon."
"Be careful, son."
"I will, mom." His voice mellowed and he had his mischievous smile back in place when he retorted with, "Afterall, I'll be coming back home to four beautiful witches."
"Ha, as if!" Elora rolled her eyes at her son. "You are too much of a gentleman to flirt with beauties. And for the record, they are not teenagers." She grumbled the last sentence in a soft, annoyed tone.
" I'm an Alpha, mom. Shouldn't I be the example to the whole pack?" KJ said in a mock hurt tone and then turned serious.
"Well, gotta go. Bye, mom. Bye, dad."
He hurriedly kissed his parents and rushed off putting on his heavy woolen sweater. It was snowing again.
" Leonardo, settle the admissions of our guests at the Telemark University College. You'll have to drop them off at the campus and also pick them up on your way back. As per my knowledge, one of them will be in your class. Report to your elder brother in case of any trouble. Lorenzo should be able to handle it. "
" Yes, Alpha. " Leonardo said with his head bowed and neck exposed. It was a direct order from the Alpha.
KJ nodded with satisfaction and called out, "Alex, let's go. "
KJ, along with his fourth-in-command left on bikes to their destination.
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A few hours after KJ's departure:
"Wow! This is beautiful." Cassie had been in her hyper mode since the start of the journey. Reason being the abundance of snow. Coming from a desert dominating country, the snow was a real treat to the girls. Sarah was silent throughout the long journey; content to watch the picturesque sceneries rushing by them.
"Syn, wake up." Joan shook the blissfully sleeping Tamsyn.
"She's not gonna wake up and you know it Jo."
"Well, I had to give it a try."
"I've got the spray bottle ready." Sarah said in a mischievous tone which caught Lorenzo by surprise. So the quiet little mouse has her moments, huh!? He mused with an inward smile.
"I've got the alarm." Jo said in a demure tone.
Cassie couldn't stop her shout of laughter, which she muffled ith her hands, at that. "Alarm? Sweetie, that should be named war drum."
" I'm seriously considering that...." Joan said in a mock serious voice with a contemplative face.
"We're almost there. Lorenzo says so. Let's wake her up."
Sarah sprayed the water onto Syn's face and Jo played the "war drum" in her phone at the same time. To say that Lorenzo was startled out of his skin would be an understatement. Cassie was prepared and had closed her ears.
Syn came awake with a start and glared at her laughing friends. "Seriously?"
"Well, we had to wake you up." Cassie said with a sweet smile.
"And the water wouldn't have been enough for that, huh!?"
"Where's the fun in that, Ms. Sleeping Beauty?" Joan wiggled her eyebrows.
Syn rolled her eyes with annoyance. "Are we there yet?"
"Yes, that's the Alpha house." Lorenzo gestured and brought the limo to the front porch of a large wooden mansion and stopped.
The girls got down and was awed. "Well, this is not some simple house."
" Well, not really. " Lorenzo explained with a proud smile. " It has a suite for Alpha. Another one for the retired Alpha pair. And several big rooms for guests. There is a large hall that is used for miscellaneous purposes. A kitchen, dining hall and so on. "
" Where do you stay? " Sarah had thought that Beta stayed with the Alpha.
" You will see a house adjacent to the Alpha house on the west. That is mine. My brother Leonardo shares it with me for the time being."
" This is all too beautiful. The snow, the house, the air....the snow flakes are caressing my cheeks like a lover's touch. " Syn mused out loud.
" Only if your lover is Edward, honey. " Cassie couldn't help but tease her friend.
" Here comes the previous Alpha pair. " Lorenzo informed them.
A tall well-built man who seemed to be in his early fifties and a petite woman who seemed to be in her forties came out with smiling faces.
" Welcome to the Rauland Pack. I'm Logan and this is my mate, Elora. "
" Nice to meet you, Alpha and Luna. " Syn said with a smile.
" You must be Tamsyn. You resemble your mother. It's good to finally meet you, sweetheart. " Elora went upto Syn and hugged her warmly.
Syn was taken aback by the sudden affection but regained her bearings and returned the hug a tad awkwardly.
The rest of the girls introduced themselves and were treated in the same manner: with a loving motherly hug. Logan shook their hands firmly.
" Come in, girls. I've prepared piping hot food for you. You can unpack after the tea and then it'll almost be the time for supper. "
Elora instructed them to leave their luggage in the living room and ushered them into the dining room. They were greeted with the sight of a table heavily laden with food. Four mugs of hot chocolate sat and let out the steam like a siren's song; luring them towards the table.
The girls sat down and started eating with gusto. Afterall, the best praise that can be given to a cook is to eat the food lively. The French fries were devoured within minutes and so were the chicken sandwiches. The fruit bread proved to be a success too. They couldn't stop praising Elora to high heavens.
" Luna, this is simply too tasty. " Syn said after taking a bite out of the fruit bread.
" Call me Elora, dear. I was the Luna. But my son's mate would be the Luna now. "
" Alright, it's Elora then. " Jo said with a grin.
" I'll let you girls have the food in peace. I'll have your luggages delivered to your rooms. Go to the first floor using the staircase from the living room and you'll reach to your rooms. I'll see you at supper. "
" Okay Elora. Thank you for such a feast. "
" My pleasure, darling. "
" She's a dear, isn't she? " Sarah found the previous Luna perfect.
" Reminds me of mom. " Jo said in a small voice.
" Yeah, I miss my mom too. " Cassie was for once solemn.
" Let's demolish this delicious food fast. Then we'll call our moms and have a chat. " Syn tried to cheer them up.
" What about the trio that we left behind? " Sarah said with a fond smile.
" We'll call them after supper. We'll then have time to gossip. " Cassie said with glee.
After having the food and washing up the dishes, they set off to find their rooms in that big house. The suite was on the first floor. Elegant and fully furnished. It had a living room and four bedrooms with attached bathrooms. Their luggage had already been brought in. They started to unpack. After the calls to their respective mothers, it was almost supper time. They changed into comfy clothes after a refreshing bath and went down. They were treated to a small group of people staring at them.
" Uh, what's happening? " Sarah whispered to Jo.
" I guess we are going to be the guests of honour of a welcome party. " Syn said in a resigned voice.
" Wearing too large t-shirts and trousers. " Cassie was almost wailing.
" Quit it, Drama Queen. Move. They must be wondering why we have turned into statues. " Syn whispered back.
They came down slowly with awkward smiles that turned into relief-filled ones when Elora came to them.
" Hello, dears. These are our pack members and they insisted on throwing a party for you girls. " She came nearer and whispered;
" Don't worry, this is just an informal party. And only a few has managed to come. "
The party was not as bad as it seemed at first. The Rauland Pack was a friendly bunch of people. They met the daughter of Elora and Logan, Aurora. She was named after the northern lights. It lasted for three hours and included the scrumptious supper and dance accompanied with soulful music.
Even so, they were glad when the party was over. The long journey and all the festivities proved to be quite overwhelming for them. Elora did cut short the party as the next day was to be the first day of their new academic year at Telemark University College.
They were so tired that they didn't have energy left to call the trio back home. They collapsed on the beds and slept soundly.
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Copyright owned by Mila Alaia
All rights reserved
Lots of ❤
Mila Alaia
