The Wolf and The Mercenary

Chapter One- Some Legends Are Told

The Wolf and The Mercenary

Chapter One- Some Legends Are Told

Peter Hale sat on the edge of the bed as the seven year old stared back at him. She had her mother's copper skin and brown hair and her father's bright green eyes.

"Will you tell me a story, Uncle Peter?" the seven year old asked him. She stared up at him brightly, anticipation in her eyes.

"Okay" he agreed. "Which one?"

"Anything" the girl said.

"Alright" Peter agreed as he looked at the pictures on the bookshelf across the room. The girl stood in the middle with her brothers beside her-one on each side.

Peter pulled the blankets up on the girl and began the story. "I'm going to tell you a story about a little girl just like you."

The young girl smiled at him.

"Her name was Faith and she was the oldest of six children. Her parents met in Spain where her mother was born."

Celestina Hale was a young woman when she met the love of her life. His name was Theodore.

Theodore had been born to parents who were both werewolves by birth. He was born and raised not far from where Celestina and her family lived.

It was the mid seventeenth century when Celestina and Theodore were married. They were both quite young at the age of nineteen. This wasn't strange for werewolves, especially those who had been born as werewolves. It was tradition, in fact, a ritual for the pack that the oldest of the young would marry another werewolf and add to the pack's power.

Theodore took Celestina's last name when they were married. Another ritual, the family takes the name of the member of the pack who would eventually become the alpha. This responsibility fell on Celestina.

As tradition dictated, Celestina and Theodore added to the power of the pack with the arrival of their firstborn baby, a little girl that they would name Faith.

Celestina and Theodore's parents were present for the birth. After Faith had been born they assisted Theodore and Celestina in their first ritual as parents—the transfer of power to their firstborn child. This was how the new member of the pack transferred and added to the power of the pack as a whole.

After Faith had been born, the transfer of power had been completed and Celestina was now the alpha of the pack.

Theodore worked as a doctor while he helped Celestina raise their daughter.

Four years after Faith was born, Celestina and Theodore welcomed their fourth and fifth members of the pack, twins, Mason and Maddox.

"My brothers are twins too" the little girl interrupted the story with a smile.

"I know, Ava" Peter smiled. "Can we get back to the story now?"

Ava nodded and Peter continued with the story.

Three years after the twins were born, Celestina and Theodore welcomed another little girl that they named Eleanor.

Celestina raised and trained their children with the help of Theodore.

They welcomed Josephine Hale two years after Eleanor was born.

Finally, Celestina and Theodore welcomed their last child, another girl that they decided to name Charlotte.

Faith, now twelve years old, was a year away from her first transition as a werewolf like her parents.

"When Faith was seventeen years old, their family left Spain and went to Mexico to be with Theodore's uncle. This was where she met her future husband, Tomas Jameson."

Ava smiled as she listened intently to the story as Peter continued.

With both Faith and Tomas' parents permission, the two began to see each other and they were married at the age of twenty.

As a wedding gift, Faith and Tomas' parents bought them a house in California where they could raise the future generation of Hales.

Tomas like Theodore had also taken the Hale name, as Faith would become the Alpha of the pack like her mother before her.

The bright yellow mansion that had been purchased sat on the outside of a town called Beacon Hills. It would be a place where many of the Hale family would call home.

Peter pulled a picture out of his pocket and held it up so the young girl could see.

"After Faith and Tomas were married, they had three children: Freddy, Natalia, and Peter." Peter pointed to each person as he said their names.

"It's you, Uncle Peter!" Ava exclaimed. "Faith and Tomas were your mommy and daddy."

"Yes they were" Peter nodded.

"Natalia is my middle name" Ava said as she examined the picture.

"Your name is Ava Natalia Hale, your middle name is from your grandmother."

"I think Uncle Peter has told enough stories for one night" Derek Hale said as he walked into Ava's room.

Ava smiled as Derek tucked her in and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, Daddy."

"Good night, honey. I love you."

Ava closed her eyes as Peter left the room and Derek turned off the light and closed the door behind him.

Peter had put the picture of his family on the dresser next to Derek'a family photo. He, like his grandmother and grandfather, had two boys and a girl. Derek and Braeden moved to Boston and got married. The twins, Declan and James had been born first with Ava arriving two years later.

Peter's story would be one of the first that Ava would hear from her family's past. Derek and Braeden had many other stories to tell her, some they could tell her right away and others that had to wait a few years. But some legends just have to be told.