Chapter 174

Guanina's POV

We were guided into a large elegant studio, I asked Tony to give me a superficial layout of Lobo Azul but he only knows about the grounds they use for training to the south of the estate. Still, everything in this hacienda is impeccable, with the wealth of the Guerrero's I wouldn't expect anything less, news of our ancestry still hasn't been made public so just Izzy, Maco, Bayo, Abuelo and myself came.

"Does he usually keep his Alpha waiting Abuelo?" Bayo is starting at a painting of Caguax Guerrero Saint Germaine, from what we know, he had major beef with Imotonex. It's somewhat ironic that we are here... They were never rivals to us and their business never conflicted with ours, although it was Imotonex who intended to enter THEIR territory at sea, but we've never been allies within the tribe, but neither is there bad blood. Outside of the tribe any personal beef is set aside, the PACK ALWAYS comes first. Before our family, before even our children... The PACK ALWAYS GOES FIRST. That's our most important commandment we can't betray. It's what makes us powerful, many packs live for the individual, for us there is no life outside the pack, what Izzy is doing is right! I will back her all the way.

"He is a prideful and old man mijo but he's no traitor, knowing him he probably had one of the pups run up to him, my brother already linked me that they're on their way." It's a huge place, but he was informed about us coming over... He doesn't know why we're here, but we ALL know protocol and if your Cacique tells you that he or she is coming over, you better be the one waiting. But Izz is just sitting down calmly next to Abuelo holding his hand on her lap, we can feel his anxiety through the Bond and she's working her own magic of giving him courage. We're slowly warming up to him and we are kinda pissed at how he has been regarded by his own family... Our family.

The big doors open and in comes Elder Juan and his oldest sons and grandsons. The Guerrero's, like every single family in Karaya is full of mixed ancestry, many times family members don't even look related, we included... Izzy and Lola may look like twins, Ura and Umbros are really alike, Nía is almost a taller version of me, but Maco and Ura don't look like they are brothers at all except for the shape of their mouth and their hands.

So seeing how many physical differences our Abuelo was to his brothers wasn't a surprise for us.

We all stood except for Izzy, she doesn't have to stand up for anyone and they can't sit until she allows it. Elder Juan was still going strong, he wasn't as impressive as Orocobix, but an Alpha, especially one in charge of the most rigorous training in the island... Yeah, it would make sense that he would work on keeping that powerful look despite his age. His short curly hair now fully grey and white, yet his brown eyes are exactly like Maco's. He and his sons and grandsons kneel before Izz...

"Cacique, you and your family honor this old man and my house with your gracious presence!" Oh please!

'Ugh! Did you see how he looked at Abuelo when they walked in?!' I link my siblings.

'Chill Nina, we did, right now leave this to Izzy.' Bayoán is still looking at the painting looking at bit bored.

Izzy made them stay like that for a bit... Elder Juan's oldest grandson dared raise his head to look at Izz. It looked like his patience was wearing thin.

"What's your name Warrior?" Awesome! It would've been a shame to come over and not get a show! She already saw him and he had no escape... The rest of his Entourage was still kneeling looking down in submission not daring to repeat his own mistake.

"I-- I'm Xavier Mighty Cacique." He went back to his original stance like the others. "I beg forgiveness, I was just curious!" Izz finally stands up and goes to Xavier, he must be a bit OLDER than Maco. He shares my own chestnut curls, a very handsome chiseled face with cutting cheekbones... When Izzy lifted his chin up and commanded him to look at her, his baby blue eyes were trembling. He was clearly terrified, this huge Alpha was scared of his mistake yet Izz's aura was calm, but she didn't comfort them with her Light of Serenity. She was allowing that fear he had to simmer and enter their filial Bond.

"You were curious? Your looking at me NOW, has your curiosity been satisfied?" Ha! She's going to make him piss himself!

"I-- I, don't..." Izzy just kept looking straight at him.

"Elder Juan, is this the kind of discipline that you teach those who would be your heirs?" He gave his grandson an icy glare.

"Forgive him Cacique, clearly the boy is a simpleton!" Boy?! Oh boy...

"He's NO boy, and still YOU brought a SIMPLETON as part of your entourage to meet WITH ME and my kin?" She's just playing with her dinner now!

"Cacique, please I beg you excu--" She raised her hand for him to shut up and caressed Xavier's cheek confusing him more. But through her touch we all felt the connection, and now the scent of our blood is very clear.

"Elder, please take a seat, all of you. This is your home after all!" She lets go of Xavier and stays standing signaling to Abuelo to stand by her side.

"Elder I have to go over the usual bullshit pomp and circumstance everywhere I go, I hope I don't have to go into such formalities here." All of us are still standing, Bayoán comes over with his hands in his pockets. Izzy wore her hair in the Queen's Braid but she wore one of her favorite dresses that used to belong to Babka from the late 50s. Just a simple black dress, with a full circle skirt right below the knee, a simple jewel neckline and a cute Peter Pan collar with clusters of white orange blossoms embroidered on it and cap sleeves. She wore her favorite Mary Jane shoes, no jewelry, not even the Guanín.

She looked very youthful, although to be fair, she, Nía and Lola inherited Adelola's cupid's bow lips that by the nature of the anatomy of the face, it does give a more youthful appearance, Tali and I have always been jelly! Even though this is Izzy's pre-Cacique style of dressing up, she dressed to NOT look intimidating, she wanted to give the allure of a young girl, however Izz is no fool, she knows she still has to make sure that they know THEIR place. We're here with news that will change their position in the pack, yet the news comes late because of THEIR OWN stupidity of not believing what our Abuelo told them.

I look up at our Abuelo and his eyes are cast down... He's the fucking Cacique's grandfather and has been treated like a whoring pariah most of his life. Nía, Bayo and Maco embraced him immediately, the rest of us are taking it a bit more slowly, but at this moment I feel like Izz must have felt earlier and I take his hand still looking forward. His eyes are still downcast, yet he tightens his grip.

"Cacique, the doors of Lobo Azul are always open to you and yours, we serve the pack and Karaya at your pleasure. As Alphas ourselves we can only imagine the weight of your burden but are delighted to have such a powerful leader and I take the opportunity to thank you for the many sacrifices that you have made for the tribe and extend my condolences for the losses you've endured." If only this dummy knew that it was HIS loss, too. He just couldn't believe Mami was his own flesh and blood.

"I'm happy to hear that Elder and I thank you for your words, they mean MORE than you know. And that's why we're here." Him and his sons and grandsons looked at each other confused.

"I was wondering what this visit means Cacique, it's still an honor to have you here, if you allow I will order the kitchen to prepare a feast in your honor! It's been more than a century since a ruling Alpha stepped foot in our home!" You're about to get a rude awakening old geezer! I tightened my own grip on Abuelo's hand.

"I'm so glad you asked Elder! But the credit to your honor doesn't go to me. Tell me Elder, many decades ago... Did your own, then young son Orocobix tell you as a responsible son of The Osupa should, that he had impregnated my Abuela the Luna Beatriz with my mother Kiskeya?" His sons are a bit ruffled, but Elder Juan kept his gaze steady. I'm a Kappa and I got the scent, as an Alpha his scent is way better than mine... I can cook, but I don't really use scent or taste to cook, I use instinct. Kappas always have the wind whispering to us the secrets it gathers wondering the planet. He also saw that I was holding Abuelo's hand.

"So it was true then?" He gives a cold glare at Abuelo... Big mistake.

"Who the FUCK are you glaring in such a manner Elder?! Are you already going senile that you DARE look at your Cacique's grandfather in such a way?! I can see now why Xavier even though it would be ACCEPTABLE to feed his curiosity of LOOKING at me out of turn!" To Xavier... "Isn't it ironic COUSIN? OUR great grandfather called YOU a simpleton, yet for all the years he should have been working on his demeanor he still couldn't help himself and allowed his eyes to betray him!" To Abuelo... "Raise your head high Abuelo, I Loiza the First, Cacique of The Osupa, walk the Earth our Great Mother has gifted us thanks to your seed. You will no longer cast down your eyes to anybody in THIS or any family." Back to Elder Juan... "Is that CLEAR?!" He's not looking all that chill anymore... He stands up now unsettled. It was him who now cast his gaze down... His sons and grandsons following suit.

"Cacique please, I meant no offense! Please understand! I sent my own subordinates to investigate this! To finally have one of OUR own in THE FORT and be potential Alpha to our tribe would absolutely have brought this house great honor, yet EVERY investigation resulted in a fake allegation!" Well duh!

"The allegations brought to you weren't fake. What was fake was the evidence! Your son was the womanizer everyone said, but it didn't start that way. You sent subordinates to investigate such serious allegations, when you yourself as his father and head of your family was YOUR duty to check for YOURSELF!" Bayoán looked at Abuelo with a doubtful look.

"I scented your blood the moment I saw you all here, and I didn't have the honor to see your coronation in person... A CERTAIN Priestess ordered every Elder be held in custody by the military, very wise move by the way. You may not have been born an Alpha mija, but you sure are putting those born to it to shame. Cobix, you raised Alpha Kiskeya correct?" I had let go of his hand the moment Izz gave the order that grants his new station in the family.

"I DID father, gimme a break! You KNEW that I blackmailed Beatriz to be near my daughter! I TOLD you to investigate the others because they were of OUR family too, but my words never mattered did they? Now look! The Goddesses in their mercy has given me the family I had longed for so long, and now I have delivered to YOU father, not just a ruling Alpha, but a Priestess who brought the name CACIQUE back to life for our people! MY grandchildren through Kiskeya RULE our people and have the joined power to bring the harmony this pack has been feeding off the past week! I did what I did to at least be able to be near ONE of my children, I would be by her side always, I trained and schooled her, I was her Mentor and only in secret could she be my DAUGHTER. I was only allowed near HER, and these are only some of HER children! Imagine if I could have been able to help raise the rest..." He has to sit down... Shiiiiiit, I am actually REALLY missing Dad now! I know for a fact that he would have NEVER dismissed me if I brought something this serious to him.

I'm just feeling like a ridiculous immature jerk lately, DUH! Talk about wake up calls. And by the Goddesses, Tony has been amazing! It's like we're growing up together... And yeah he's kinda more mature than me but he used to be a really annoying BRAT! Of all of our mates Tony, Kayden, Marcus and Ishaan are rich kids like us... But only Ishaan was raised like US to be naturally frugal and reasonable with money! Well Desi culture is A LOT like our own that way.... And yeah, I know I'm not one to talk about bad spending habits... But I would never in a gazillion years ever even think of spending even half a million dollars on a car!

Yes, I LIKE to have REALLY nice things! That doesn't mean I'm going to go to exorbitant ridiculous amounts of money like Tony's 3 million dollar car! As much as I hated Dad being as cheap as he was, I know for a fact that the things that he would buy for the house, the type of FOOD that he would buy for me to prepare for us to consume, the specific textiles he would choose with Mom for whatever I wanted to design to wear... It was always TOP of the line! Dad was never cheap with what went into our bodies and anything that the house needed or to ensure that we had the best of the best that didn't have to be overly expensive. That's why I'm very meticulous with any type of material I use in any construction I do because of his own frugality but taking into account what was an investment and what was just a regular expenditure.

And he learned this from Abuelo, the clothes that Izzy is wearing TODAY, which used to belong to Babka is from the 1950s and it STILL looks brand spanking new! Not just because she's always made sure to give it maintenance, she LOVES that style so much, but every time Abuelo would contract a Master to make anything for Babka he always made sure that the best textile was chosen and then they're of course the enchantments that he would place on them which are also costly to ensure that they stay looking splendid. It's exactly like if Imotonex has left a how-to guide on how to treat your woman for all the men in our family! And Dad would repeat Abuelo's motto of always making sure you're brightest jewel be gleaming always! It's cheesy as shit but now Antoine is really liking it and it's getting annoying! He wanted me to start wearing a RIDICULOUSLY large princess cut diamond ring that used to belong to his great great grandmother! It was the size of a small quail egg! It was SPENDID but very unpractical! My hands are VERY VALUABLE to me and even though I focus the majorly in design, I am in construction areas all the time I need to have my hands ready to be cleaned at every moment. I like to keep my hands beautifully manicured but it's not usual for a Kappa to wear rings because we need our hands to be FULLY FREE. One moment we may be making a sandcastle and the next we might be working on the barbecue!

I understand that for an Alpha it's absolutely normal to gift something like this for his Luna, but I'm NOT a Luna, and now he understands as well. It's so weird how they kept the Greek alphabet from them, it opens the path to a lot of misunderstandings. Once he understood this he didn't take it to heart and new that I loved it and that I would rather have it in the vault if it was okay, it's best that it belongs to the WHOLE family and EVERYONE can borrow it whenever they want to use it. It's just the way we were raised, things that were that valuable belong to the WHOLE family. There are even heirlooms that we borrow from The Museum and Historical Society, we also borrow some from the Ollers and Spogels and they us. We just don't see the value in hoarding something so costly, for what? To wear ONCE maybe TWICE in your life? It just doesn't make any sense! It's still weird for Izz to wear the Guanín... Shit! We grew up looking at it from behind glass at The Museum. She jokes saying it makes her look like a pimp!

Last night I spent quite a long time talking with Bayo and getting to know him better and we were actually very like-minded in our spending! He used to make quite a bit of money being Captain and the fact that he was heir apparent to be Beta and had to go to that specific training also gave him a stipend. When he met Morgana she brought her wealth and joined it with his, but before he met her he used to spend ridiculous money on shit for Moira. But it's a secret, he begged me not to tell anyone! Ha!

"You want to know the stupidest thing sweetheart, NOBODY knew how much I would spend, not even Dad! You have no idea how many jewels I bought that woman! And the worst part is Morgana KNOWS it... You have no idea the time I have to put in to make sure that woman doesn't completely OBLITERATE me! I didn't really have that MUCH saved up to bring to the conjoined table for us! Dad even put money so that it wasn't so embarrassing, that's why there was no problem on us staying in the Small House for free... Ugh!" At least everything I bought was for MYSELF! I thanked him for trusting me with his secret, I'm only telling you guys and that's it! I am trying not to be so chismosa anymore...