She hadn’t been raised with a pack and I didn’t have a grasp on how the human world operated as a society or what standards were imposed, but they couldn’t have been good if this young girl was already viewing her body in a negative light. I imbued my statement with conviction, needing her to understand she was perfect just the way she is, “You are beautiful, Morgan. Unique. Brave. Radiant.”
Quick to deny any form of a compliment, she laughed once, dry of any amusement as she shook her head lightly in my hand, “I have no curves. I’m flat as a board and no guy even looks my way. I’ll never find a mate.”
Dropping my hand from her chin, I glanced at Tian and saw his eyes were closed and his breathing steady, hopefully truly asleep. Dropping onto the ground with my legs crossed in front of me, I gestured for Morgan to do the same. Thankfully she did, complying without any backtalk.
Reclining back with my hands on the ground, I looked up and took in the fir trees surrounding us. “Tell me what you see when you look at the trees.”
“Uhm…” She trailed off in confusion.
“Don’t overthink it. Just tell me the first thought that comes to mind.”
“Well, they all just look like pretty fir trees. I don’t know what else to say.”
A soft smile tilted the corner of my lips up as I glanced back down at her. “You don’t see that some are taller or shorter than others? That some are thicker with more branches and some are just beginning to come into their true form, many years later after the seed turned into a tree?”
She groaned and facepalmed, “Are you really comparing me to a tree right now?”
Her exasperation made me chuckle before I answered. “It’s a valid comparison. We are not all built the same, although we all have human forms, they vary in shapes and sizes, just like these trees do. But when you looked at these trees, you didn’t see all of those dissimilarities. You saw them for what they were–pretty trees. We are our own worst critics.”
Her face morphed from slight annoyance to a thoughtful one, and I took it as a good sign as I continued on. “Some people may prefer one tree shape or size to another, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I promise you that when you find your mate, you’re going to be the exact tree he prefers.”
You really committed to that tree metaphor.
Well, it’s all I could come up with on the spot, okay? Don’t judge me.
Lux’s snarky comments made me huff out a breath of air. I hadn’t had much of an opportunity in life to learn how to have girl friends. Sofia and I hadn’t had the opportunity to truly explore the budding friendship, so I knew I was somewhat helpless when it came to understanding other women.
Morgan felt like a little sister to me already. Both of our parents were dead and she only had one person in her life– Pop. I had only truly had Milo as a friend growing up. No parental figure after Maya passed. I have struggled with so many things throughout my life, but self doubt was the biggest, and I didn’t want that for Morgan.
I’m sure Pop did the best he could with raising her, but he would never truly understand a woman’s mind and the struggles we go through when trying to fit into whatever society deems to be perfect.
For me it had been hating myself for being a human in a pack full of wolves, feeling like I would always be less. To her, there were obviously some ridiculous notions of what a woman has to look like in this human society.
Her gaze once more was glued to the ground as she inquired, “Why is it so hard being a girl? I feel so many emotions and I don’t always know how to handle them. I have no one to talk to about it. It’s just Pop and I.”
Scrunching my nose up, I responded, “It is hard. But I think it is easier when you have strong women around you to remind you of your worth. Like earlier when you told me you believed in me– that meant more to me than I can describe. So, I’ll always be here to remind you how incredible you are, little wolf. You have me now.”
She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth but not before I saw it quiver a bit. A few tears rolled down her cheek and my heart hurt, seeing her struggling with whatever emotions were rolling through her mind. Sitting up, I tugged on her arm until she was sitting in my lap as I cradled her to me. Her arms went around my neck as she cried, “I miss my mom. She would have loved you.”
The burning sensation that told me my own tears weren’t far behind pricked at my eyes. “I miss my mom too,” I whispered.
About the AuthorR.L. Caulder is the author of The Pack Prophecy and Darkness Rising series. She lives in her writing cave away from the intense heat of the Florida sun with her husband and pets keeping her company.
Story sounds good. Love the cover too. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThe cover looks great. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sneak peek.
ReplyDelete