Transgression (Ménage)✔

⊰7⊱

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Acacia/Ciarán - Age 9

I'm a bit sad that the summer's end is nearing and that means I'll have to return home to start school at the castle.

Grandpa Keir said that the summer solstice meeting was pushed back and that he'd be taking me home the day he needs to be there. That's tomorrow, we'll leave first thing in the morning, though he did say I could hang out with my friends at the summer's end bonfire.

It's late in the afternoon though, and Grandpa Keir had told me that I need to start packing so I won't forget anything tomorrow. I'm setting a change of clothes aside for tomorrow morning, keeping my pj's out while stashing everything else away in my bag.

I release a sigh while stepping to the side table in my room, Grandpa Keir having let me take the chessboard up to my room after the incident with Alpha Chris. I'm about to start picking up the pieces to take back downstairs when there is a knock on the open wood door frame.

"Hey," my gaze lifts from the pieces, and I see Taron standing there.

"Hello," I reply while lifting the king piece into my hand.

Taron states from where he stands, "You know, I always thought the king was the strongest piece..."

When his voice trails off I arch a brow at him while scrunching my nose, "You haven't played a day in your life before challenging me to a match."

Taron has a small smile on his face as he chuckles, "You can see right through me."

"Then why bother outing yourself like that?" I roll my eyes and set the pieces aside while folding the board. He walks into the room while offering me help with the remaining portions as we place them in a wooden box.

"To see you do that," his hand lightly brushes the side of mine, and my gaze lifts to meet with his.

My eyes dart away from his as my cheeks turn slightly red, both of us resuming setting the pieces aside as I ask, "Do what?"

"It's cute the way you scrunch your nose, that's all," he laughs lightly before taking the box with all the pieces in his hands while I hold the chessboard.

I say nothing in return, my gaze meeting with his briefly before glancing away again. While standing there quietly, he does ask after a short moment, "How did you get so good at chess?"

"My daddy," I lift my gaze and state, "I'm not the strongest...I understand that...so he wanted me to enhance my mental capability."

Taron stares at me for a long while before he nods and asks, "How come you come here some summers?"

No one has ever asked me that before...

I shift the chessboard in front of me while I look away, "I don't fit in. The vampires aren't anywhere near as kind and generous as werewolves," I pause a moment and just before he's about to speak I state, "and I do understand that one day, I won't have the same relationship with the pups here as I do now because they'll become adults with their wolves...find their mates and perhaps move on if they do leave this pack. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the time I have now as an escape from the way I'm judged all the time..."

"I'm so sorry," he's genuine in the way he responds, I hear the earnest in his voice. There's a long pause of silence between us before Taron says, "I want to help you," he nods in the direction of the hallway, and I furrow my brows with confusion before following him down into the hangout game room.

We return the chessboard and pieces before I'm following Taron out the front doors of the lodge. He glances around, and I see also that many of the teenagers are helping get things ready for the bonfire. He motions for me to follow him off to the back of the lodge before moving toward the edge of the forest. He runs through the tree line, and I halt just before it.