Latest / The Book-Watchers / 49. The finale! (Green Creek Series: Brothersong 4/4)

Transcript

49. The finale! (Green Creek Series: Brothersong 4/4) · The Book-Watchers

0:05
On its suns. Hi. Hello, welcome to book watchers. I'm your
0:50
host Jacob today. Of course, some joints, as always with founder CEO
0:58
whatever selfing post titles the gay lord CEO on our discord. Duh, it's
1:07
me, It's ye'll be devon. Hi. It certainly is a bitch.
1:15
Uh uh. That is disrespectful the old man. Hold, yeah, you're
1:23
what one old? Crusty and dusty. Okay, bitch please, I'm not
1:27
even thirty eight. You sure I like it? Oh? And uh oh
1:36
ooh, I'm sorry. Which one of the which one of us almost fell
1:40
down yesterday? I not almost fall I did not almost fall down. Oh
1:48
oh, I will drop over to your house and I will be yo.
1:56
I know where you live. Uh huh mm hm hm h m hm.
2:01
What the fuck we doing today? Also in the script in the fucking description
2:06
below if you want to fucking fow on YouTube or look at the other podcasts
2:12
of Non Avoid productions, the link and descriptions will be in the description below,
2:17
as well as a little note saying Jacob bar watch or something that ass
2:24
that would be dated. Yeah, that's that. That's that. So what
2:30
do we? What do we? What are we doing? Today outside of
2:36
listening to your ass oh, outside of the murder, yeah, murder.
2:43
Well yeah, So today we are sadly going to be reviewing the final book
2:49
in the Green Creek Novels. I say sadly because this was definitely one of
2:54
the book series that I love so that when I finished it, I was
3:00
sad, like I want more. I love it. Look, but this
3:10
is the this book is the marks the end of the Green Creek novels.
3:15
Uh. Of course this book, the title of book four is called Brothers
3:21
Song and Brother's Song, I definitely want to like, I just want to
3:25
note that this this book is more oriented around the the family itself. Mhm.
3:35
It's less about the relationship between the main character. The main character of
3:38
the book and like his romance, his romantic relationship with the other with his
3:49
of course love venturist. So Brother's Song is is a is centered on the
3:59
oldest of the Bennett sons, uh, Carter Bennett. Throughout the other three
4:04
books, Carter has always been this like not so much solitary figure, but
4:10
he was always this big, overprotective big brother. He was always ready to
4:16
jump into a fight for anybody in his family. He's loud, he's brash,
4:21
but he's so lovable and uh. Near the towards the conclusion of the
4:29
previous book, Heart Song, Uh, Carter realizes that his uh, his
4:38
true mate, was actually the Timberwolf, who turns out to be the son
4:43
of their arch enemy. The Timberwolf's real name is Gavin Livingstone. Yeah,
4:48
and uh his dad is uh was the was the former dark witch Robert Livingstone.
4:59
Muh. At the end of the last book, Carter made a decision
5:02
to go after Gavin because Gavin or in an effort to protect Carter and the
5:11
rest of the Bennetts, he chose to go with. He chose to go
5:18
with his father, who at that point had turned into a demon alpha werewolf.
5:28
So I say demon alf I see a demon werewolf because unlike the other
5:31
werewolves who just turned into giant horse sized wolves, he transforms into a bipedal
5:41
werewolf like wolf hybrid when he transforms. And just if you want a visual,
5:46
just think of the van helsing when he turned into a were wolf.
5:54
Yes, but this werewolf is was very He was very Livingstone is very powerful
6:01
because he when he turned into a whirl, he ended up killing Alpha Michelle
6:08
Hughes, taking on her alpha powers, which made him even stronger, and
6:14
I guess he had some leftover magic when he transformed, because no, the
6:20
Bennetts weren't able to do anything to hurt him. Even though they tried like
6:26
attacking, biting, scratching, nothing could pierce his skin. The only thing
6:30
that they were able to do was gouge out his eye, but that was
6:36
it. So at the end of the book, Carter decided to cut his
6:42
ties with the pack and go after Gavin, and this segues into the beginning
6:47
of this book, where Carter had spent a little over a year tracking down
6:57
Gavin. In that year, Carter is slowly descending into madness because a werewolf
7:05
without a pack begins to loop, essentially lose touch with their humanity and become
7:13
more feral, and they become what is called an omega. An omega werewolf
7:18
is a werewolf without a pack, and they are more feral and more animalistic,
7:23
and in the most extreme case, they completely lose themselves to their wolves
7:30
and spend the rest of their lives as a giant wolf, out of control
7:34
and very ferocious. Gavin at one point ben just that he was only in
7:43
his wolf form and until the last book when Livingstone turned into a werewolf and
7:48
almost killed Carter and the rest of the Bennetts, but Gavin was able to
7:53
find his humanity again and transform back and stop Livingstone and agreed to leave them
8:00
just to protect the benefack m hm. So now, so Carter spends a
8:09
total of thirteen months tracking down Gavin. He does while he's looking for him,
8:16
he does find notes from Gavin telling him to leave him alone and go
8:18
home, but really it only spun it only uh burns Carter to keep going.
8:28
There are there are moments where he's slowly losing himself. Uh. He's
8:31
even begin seeing hallucinations of his younger brother, Kelly. He and Kelly had
8:37
a very close relationship. As I mentioned before, the werewolves can also have
8:43
emotional tethers with specific people, and for Carter, his emotional tether was Kelly.
8:52
So aside from the pack keeping him in touch with this humanity, Kelly
8:58
also acts as that anchor to his to his humanity. So but since he
9:03
since he cut all those ties, he s he's losing himself. He's seeing
9:09
hallucinations of his brother, who is beginning to taunt him and become more This
9:16
hallucination is becoming more and more aggressive towards him, like like really bad,
9:22
like really bad case of like disassociation disorder. I think that would be the
9:28
correct term. I'm not a psychologist, so don't come for me. Uh
9:37
uh. At one point, this is something that Carter still doesn't isn't sure
9:41
if he saw what was thought was real or if it was a hallucination.
9:46
He meets this psychic woman who helps lead him on the right path towards Gavin.
9:52
When he meets her, she was set up inside like a little strip,
9:54
like a little shop, and when he talks to her and she tells
9:58
gives them words of way, like you need your pack again, go get
10:01
your very close to Gavin, blah blah blah. She he leaves, but
10:05
when he looks back at the shop, the shop is empty, like as
10:07
if nobody has been in the shop for years. So he wasn't sure if
10:13
it was speaking to a real person or if it was just an hallucination.
10:16
Later he finds out that that was actually he was probably visited by the spirit
10:20
of his great grandmother who was a psychic, and his mom showed him a
10:28
picture of the woman and he's like, that's her, and she's like,
10:30
oh, she's been dead for almost a hundred years and who and yep.
10:35
So Carter eventually finds Gavin. Gavin had fled to his childhood home and that's
10:46
where he's been hiding and also where he has been trying to keep living Stone
10:52
hidden as well, because since living Stone follow is following Gavin, Gavin thought
10:58
it'd be better to find the most isolated place he can think of, and
11:01
his childhood home was his way out in like the in the country, there's
11:07
plenty of trees, there's hardly any person any living, like there's hardly anybody
11:11
around for miles, so it's a perfect place for him to keep living Stone
11:15
out of the way. And since Gavin just stays there, living Stone doesn't
11:20
go anywhere. Gavin is, to say the least, pissed that Carter managed
11:26
to find him and keeps trying it, and he keeps trying to tell Carter
11:28
to go home, but Carter refuses, saying he's not leaving without him,
11:33
and Carter spends a couple of weeks there with Gavin. He's trying to regain
11:39
Gavin's trust. He notices Gavin, even though he's he's able to take his
11:43
human form again. He's still somewhat feral. He's not able to form like
11:48
coherent like. He's not really able to talk very well. Spending years in
11:54
his wolf forma has caused him to develop to develop a slight speech impediment,
12:00
so can only so he can really talk only in like short broken sentences.
12:05
He's still very gruff and kind of animalistic. But overall, Carter is relieved
12:13
to have found Gavitt again because, like I said, Gavin is his true
12:18
mate and he's not about to let him. He's not about to let him
12:20
go. Uh While. While he's there, living Stone almost kills Carter,
12:30
but Gavin steps in and tells him to leave Carter alone. Carter learns a
12:37
little bit more about Gavin's past, especially that Gavin was the son of Robert
12:45
Livingstone's mistress and Tether. But when she got pregnant, the Bennett pack got
12:58
involved and they convinced her to take the baby away and give it up for
13:01
adoption. Like they were trying to keep things. They were trying they were
13:05
more or less trying to mediate things between Livingstone and his family because it was
13:13
a very it was it was this was during a very tumultuous time because Livingstone's
13:20
wife wife and Gavin's older brother's mother, she was losing her She was starting
13:28
to slowly lose her mind because Livingstone had been manipulating her memories and altering,
13:35
like just fucking with her mind, and she was becoming very emotionally immensely unstable.
13:41
So when the pac found out that Livingstone had another had gotten his mistress
13:46
pregnant, they didn't want to They didn't want this to like come back and
13:52
affect Gordo or his mother. So they convinced her to leave and to give
13:58
the child for adoption, and that was and that child was Gavin. So
14:03
Gavin ended up growing up with a normal family. We also find out later
14:07
in the book that Thomas Bennett Uh tracked down Gavin and told him about the
14:16
world of werewolves and witches. Gavin had even asked Thomas to turn him into
14:22
a were wolf because he felt like this is where he this is the world
14:24
he belongs in. But Thomas he refused because for one thing, Uh,
14:31
Gavin is still a witch and witches cannot take cannot become werewolves because uh their
14:39
magic will reject the magic of the wolf, and he can either like bad
14:46
things happen, typically they die, but Gavin ended up finding another alpha werewolf
14:52
to turn him. But when he did, he there were there was a
14:58
backlash. Gavin came a lost to his werewolf, to his wolf almost immediately,
15:05
and he pretty much spent the entire time as an omega and in his
15:09
wolf form. So he spent years as a wolf, and it's only now
15:13
that because he has Carter in his life, that he's able to find his
15:18
humanity again. So he's a very weird. It's a very odd case and
15:22
it's defying everything they know about the witch and wolf relationship. But other than
15:28
that, Carter's still working on trying to convince Gavin to leave living Stone.
15:35
He says it doesn't matter what happens, they'll figure a way to deal with
15:39
living Stone in the future. But Gavin refuses to leave because he's still he's
15:43
still in his own way, staying there to keep everyone else safe. But
15:48
Carter becomes more concerned for Gavin because Gavin would because Livingstone wasn't like in the
15:56
in the house with them. He was out in the woods. There's like
16:00
a cave not far from Gavin's childhood home, and he's just been hiding there
16:07
the entire time, and Carter notices that every now and then Gavin will leave
16:12
and go to that cave, and he finally follows Gavin to the cave and
16:18
he sees living Stone doing something to Gavin. It looked like he had Gavin
16:26
penned down, and he noticed that, like it was almost as if living
16:33
Stone was feeding off of Gavin. So like some for some for whatever reason,
16:38
not that way. No, not what, No, you you're the
16:47
one that's gross. I was not thinking that. Mm hmm, yeah,
16:51
right, was not. That's his son. I don't know. People tend
16:56
to take things that place. You took it there? I didn't. I
17:00
just it was like, why are you drive out? Why are you feeding
17:02
on your son? You're the one that took it Stone, So he's not
17:07
actually like feeding feeding on like like taking bites out of him and things like
17:11
that. Livingstone still has some magic. He's not able to cast spells anymore,
17:15
but considering his demon wolf form is uh, unlike anything the anything that's
17:23
ever been seen before. The demon Wolf is somehow able to draw like siphon
17:30
the life force of the omegas and the betas in his pack. So he
17:37
was for some reason, Livingstone begins doing that to Gavin, and uh it
17:42
answers some questions that Carter had because every time Gavin would go to Livingstone,
17:49
the next day he'd come back and it was like very drained and very weak.
17:55
So he's not He's still trying to figure out what to do. But
18:00
the thing is is that Carter is, even though he's found Gavin again,
18:03
having Gavin in close proximity to them him is helping to stave off the full
18:10
transformation into an omega. His Carter is still slowly descending into that madness that
18:18
that develops when you become an omega, and he's pretty much at that at
18:26
the brink of crossing that line at this point. But before that happens,
18:33
Carter is found by his younger brothers, Kelly and Joe, so they finally
18:40
track him down, and Joe, being an alpha wo wolf, is able
18:44
to bring Carter back from the brink and help re center him. They immediately
18:51
they basically force him to reconnect the bonds to his pack, because you know,
18:57
that's what brothers do. His brothers immediately chew him out for his decision
19:06
to just cut ties with everybody. Parter didn't cut ties with his pack just
19:12
because like, you know, fuck you guys, I don't want to be
19:15
here anymore. But it was more of like I need to do this on
19:17
my own. He felt like he needed to do he needed to find Gavin
19:21
on his own. And he didn't instance it was such a dangerous thing because
19:25
it involved living Stone. He didn't want to endanger in dangerous family any further.
19:30
But that's that's the thing about family is that you don't just leave them
19:34
behind like that, because they're gonna want to help you no matter what.
19:38
Huh. And they told him that, and they told him that they'll deal
19:45
with Livingstone because they had a plan. So when Gavin returns and they tell
19:52
they talk to him about it, they tell him what they're plying on doing.
19:55
He agrees to return to Green Creek with the Bennetts and when they get
20:02
when they get ready to leave, Livingstone consents that Gavin is about to leave
20:06
and immediately comes running, but before he can chase them down and like kill
20:14
and kill the shit out of the Bennett boys. The Bennetts had been working
20:18
on gathering a small force of allied witches, and once they tracked Livingstone down,
20:26
they gathered those witches together and I'd say there was about thirty witches that
20:32
they were able to gather. And these witches cast a binding spell around living
20:40
Stones. So the land surrounding Gavin's childhood home, they created a barrier that
20:45
traps that trapped living Stone inside, so he's no longer able to leave.
20:52
But the problem is is that it's not something it's not like a activate and
20:55
forget. The witches have to stay have to stay behind and keep an eye
20:59
on him and make sure that the wards stay up. So that's what they
21:03
end up doing. It was all part of their plan, and they take
21:06
both Carter and Gavin back home. It's Green Creek, let's see, let's
21:12
see. Okay, got trapa blah, So they're to come back to Green
21:18
Creek, and the two of them worked to rebuild the bonds with their pack
21:22
again. Carter is basically on a redemption tour. He has to work with
21:26
everybody in the pack to rebuild the pack bonds and to make amends. A
21:33
lot of people were pissed at him. His mom was understanding, his younger
21:38
brother Kelly was pissed. Joe was pissed but somewhat understanding. Ox was Alpha's
21:48
ending out, so he like was so basically completely unbothered, like he knew.
21:53
It's funny because throughout the entire series there's a running joke that Ox,
22:00
since becoming an Alpha, has now adopted the philosophy of Alpha Zen, which
22:07
is, like being in Alpha, he's somehow unbothered by the the Shenanigans of
22:12
his pack and is able to like maintain his composure regardless. Which it's kind
22:21
of funny because that's something he picked up from his adopted father, Thomas,
22:27
because Thomas did the same thing and Gerald tries to do the same thing,
22:30
tries to do it too, but somehow Ox is doing a better job.
22:37
But yeah, either way. They spend some time, some quality time in
22:42
Green Creek rebuilding those bonds. Uh uh. The Bennetts helped Gavin to build
22:52
stronger bonds with the pack by including him in a lot of their family traditions,
22:56
like every Sunday they have a family din, so he's always a part
23:00
of that. Gordo's shop, Gordo decides to take Gavin on in as like
23:07
an assistant in his shop and even gives him a shirt embroidered with his own
23:15
name on it, and Gavin as it turns out, really likes the color
23:21
pink, so Gordo gave him a pink shirt with his name on it,
23:25
which is kind of which is really cute, which is really cute because usually
23:27
those shirts are like a navy blue. Yeah, And so everything they do
23:37
is to help strengthen Gavin's bond with a pack because before, even though he
23:41
was technically a part of the pack, he was still an omega. But
23:45
now they really need to do that. They really need to strengthen the bond
23:48
with him because since he left with Livingstone and Livingstone was a Alpha, Livingstone
24:00
still has some kind of hold over him. So they got to do everything
24:03
they can to a weeken that alpha pac bond with Gavin, so he doesn't
24:12
have any so living Stone can't do anything to influence or to control Gavin.
24:22
Carter ends up spending more time with his brothers and making amends with them because,
24:29
aside from the guilt he feels for leaving Kelly behind, he also has
24:33
been carrying around a lot of guilt concerning his youngest brother, Joe, because,
24:38
as you may recall, Joe was kidnapped as a young child by a
24:44
rogue weirrelwolf named Richard Collins and Richard Joe had taken Joe captive for about seven
24:52
to eight weeks, and in that time, he brutally tortured Joe. So
24:57
there's like and he was very statistic too, because he would he would call
25:03
Joe's father, Thomas and while and he would make Thomas listen to uh him
25:12
torturing his son. So it was very traumatic experience for him. And Carter
25:18
was carrying his own guilt over that because the day that Joe was taken,
25:26
he technically was supposed to be watching Joe. But while Carter being just being
25:33
a teen anger back then, not wanting to be you know, followed around
25:37
by his kid brother, he ditched his brother to go hang out with his
25:41
friends, and Joe got lost in their old uh had got lost, and
25:48
that's when Collins had found him and taken him. So he makes he wants
25:56
he wants to make amends. He wants to like, he comes clean and
26:00
tells Joe like about the guilt he's been carrying. But Joe tells him that
26:07
he never once blamed or hated Carter for what happened, you know, he
26:11
understands, like, yeah, it was just we were just kids we didn't
26:15
know, like, we didn't know that there was a monster living there was
26:22
a monster that would have taken me. So it's very like I appreciate this
26:27
book because it's not so much focused on the romance between Carter and Gavin,
26:36
but it was more focused on the bonds between their family and how pretty much
26:42
by the end of this book they are so much stronger and so much closer,
26:48
and it's very it's wholesome. I gotta say, it's wholesome as fuck.
26:52
I love it. The thing is, even though they have Carter and
26:59
Gas and back, there's still there is still the very very troublesome problem concerning
27:06
problem of Robert Livingstone, because they need to figure out what they're gonna do
27:11
with him, because they can't keep them in that prison forever. H And
27:18
one of the things they need to do is make sure that Livingstone isn't able
27:22
to lay claim to Gavin again. And to do that, they need to
27:26
make sure Gavin is completely one apart of the Bennett pack. Excuse me,
27:33
choked, sorry, choked a little bit, uh wow, And well,
27:40
they had Carter's mom, Elizabeth ends up sitting the two of them down,
27:47
uh, to have a conversation with them and tells them, listen, I
27:51
love you both, all right, but you know when when one were wolf
27:57
loves another very much, they have sex and become mates. Very awkward conversation,
28:10
but you know, coming from but you know what, that's what moms
28:12
are for, awkward conversations. Facts. But so the only way, really,
28:22
the only surefire away to make sure that Gavin is no longer under any
28:26
kind of control from his father, Carter needs to man up and make Gavin
28:34
his and it's around this point that Elizabeth decides to give Gavin a letter that
28:45
was written by Carter's dad, Thomas. Now, let me tell you something.
28:52
These letters, Oh god, I love them. So I read the
28:56
last one. I read the first one in the previous episode. It was
29:02
the letter that Thomas Bennett wrote for Kelly to give to his future partner.
29:08
And now Elizabeth decided that it was probably the best time for her to give
29:15
Gavin and Carter the letter written for Carter's future partner, and Gavin asks her
29:26
to read it out for them, because since he's still getting back in touch
29:32
with his humanity, he's not really able to comprehend written words just yet.
29:36
He's still struggling with his speech impediment and everything. So she agrees, and
29:42
she ends up reading him the letter, to which I will go ahead and
29:47
read to you guys. Now, all right, let me just get that
29:56
letter up. So I just want to say, the letters written to for
30:03
Carter and Kelly's partners, while very sweet and emotional, are nothing compared to
30:08
the final letter, which was written for Joe's partner. And I will also
30:11
that letter is also is also presented in this book. I'll be reading that
30:21
towards the very end. And let me tell you that one made me cry.
30:26
Yeah, it did, like straight like I was bawling my eyes out.
30:30
But anyway, so Kelly, and I'm sorry not Kelly. Elizabeth begins
30:40
reading the letter out loud for Gavin and Carter. It is addressed. It's
30:45
addressed more as to whom it may concern, because Thomas doesn't know who Parter's
30:52
partner is just yet. And Need did the same thing for Kelly's letter,
30:57
And so it starts out like this, Hello, it's snow. It snowed
31:03
last night. As she went on, her voice grew stronger. We weren't
31:10
expecting it. Surprise, snow is my favorite snow it always has been.
31:15
I awoke early before everyone else. The compound was quiet. Daybreaks still an
31:21
hour or two away. There's something magnificently strange about snowfall at night. The
31:27
air feels charged, the light is odd. It's this faint peach color.
31:34
I'm entranced by it. I walked outside, and while most of the snowfall
31:38
had passed, there were still flurries moving statically. It was because of this
31:44
I decided it was time to write this letter. I can't explain why exactly
31:49
I felt this was a sign. Sometimes there isn't a rational explanation, even
31:56
if we want there to be one. It just feels right. So here
32:00
I am pen in hand thinking of my oldest son. Carter is fifteen years
32:08
old, and like most boys his age, he's brash and awkward. He's
32:14
growing into himself, but still apt to trip over his own feet. It
32:17
makes me smile, but not because he tends to be a little graceless.
32:22
No, I think it's because he simply exists at all. I was fortunate
32:25
enough to be gifted three sons. They have made me a father, but
32:30
it's Carter who made me a dad in the first place. And I would
32:35
and I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that when one becomes a dad
32:39
for the first time, it's terrifying, it's enthralling, it's unlike anything else
32:45
in the world. Elizabeth will tell you I worried that I fretted, that
32:49
I was sure I was going to break him. I wish I could say
32:52
that's an embellishment, but it wouldn't be. I worried and fretted and was
32:57
convinced I would drop my child the first moment I had held him in my
33:00
arms. I've ever loved someone at first sight, I have four times.
33:06
In fact, Elizabeth was the first, though she will probably say it was
33:09
more hormones than anything else. But I know what I know. When I
33:15
saw her, I knew there was no one else for me. I was
33:19
lost to her, and I never wanted to be found. The second time
33:22
I fell in love was when Carter was When Carter Bennett was born, he
33:28
was so tiny, so fragile, so loud. Oh, he cried,
33:31
he wailed. I thought there was something wrong with him. But then he
33:36
was placed in my arms and he just stopped. He blinked, And even
33:42
though it's just projection on my part, I would have sworn he knew me
33:47
that he recognized me. He stopped crying, he stopped moving, he just
33:52
stared at me. And I knew then that no matter what happened in this
33:57
life, no matter what we would face, my wife and I may had
34:01
made something so profound that it defied explanation. Love is strange that way.
34:07
You think you know what to expect, but when it hits you, it's
34:10
forceful enough to shatter your inspire world. I wasn't ready for him and all
34:15
that he would entail. I thought I was, but as I looked down
34:19
at him, I knew that it was more than I ever thought possible.
34:22
He was more his brothers, my third and fourth loves followed him, and
34:28
though I loved them all equally, I look back at the moment Carter came
34:30
into the world as the culmination. He was born in a moment of great
34:36
strife and loss, and I was tethered by him. He gave me purpose,
34:40
He gave me strength. I would like to tell you, whoever you
34:44
are about Carter, here's what I know. He was never going to be
34:49
alpha. I never cared about that. He's more like me than his brothers
34:53
are. That worries me. I've made mistakes, I've hurt people though I
35:00
didn't intend to. I hope he takes the better parts of me and leaves
35:02
the rest behind. He is brave to a fault, reckless, though he's
35:07
quick to apologize if he steps on anyone. He's also kind and when he
35:13
laughs, it's like the sun rising, warm and filled with life. Once,
35:17
when he was five years old, I found him on the roof of
35:20
our house. He takes paper to his arms that he'd cut out in the
35:23
shape of wings. I managed to pull him back before he could jump.
35:28
I demanded to know what he was doing, my heart in my throat.
35:30
He looked up at me, a quizzical expression on his face and said,
35:35
Daddy, I just wanted to fly like the birds. Why you mad?
35:38
I didn't know how to tell him that I'd never been more scared in my
35:42
life, so instead I just hugged him close and made him promise that he'd
35:45
never do anything like that again. Two days later, I found him on
35:50
the roof once more. We put locks on the windows after that. Carter
35:55
is protective of those he considers his. No one touched his brothers and gets
36:00
away with it. He'll pull himself between them. He'll put himself between them
36:05
and danger without regard for his own well being. He takes the role of
36:12
the oldest seriously. When Joe was born, he wanted to take him everywhere.
36:16
When we found him trying to lift Joe from his crib, we asked
36:20
him what he was doing. He told us that he wanted Joe to sleep
36:22
in his bed. When we reminded him that babies needed to be safe and
36:27
that the crib was the best place for him, we thought the result that
36:31
we thought that had resolved the matter. The next night, we found Carter
36:35
and Kelly in the crib with Joe, all three of them asleep, Joe
36:38
between his brothers. We asked Carter the next morning why it was important for
36:44
him. He said that he was the oldest, which meant Joe and Kelly
36:47
needed to keep him safe. This was who Carter. This is who Carter
36:53
is. He will stand on a roof because he wants to be a bird.
36:57
He will snap and snarl at anyone who looks like his brother's the wrong
37:00
way. He's funny, well I think he's funny. Elizabeth doesn't quite always
37:05
see it that way. He's smart, too smarter than people sometimes give him
37:08
credit for. I'm sure all fathers think that of their children. But there's
37:13
an intelligence in him, an undying spark of life that I hope is never
37:17
extinguished. He's lovely, every piece and part of him. I often find
37:22
myself watching him, wondering about what goes through his head. He's not unknown
37:28
to me, but there is a secret heart to him that not many get
37:30
to see, which brings me to you. I don't know who you are.
37:36
I probably hopefully won't have to find out for a long time, and
37:40
not because of you. I know that, whoever you are, if my
37:45
son has chosen you, and you have chosen him back, you've seen through
37:49
all the noise and bluster, that secret heart beats thunderously in his chest.
37:55
If he has let you in, if he's dropped the facade out of the
38:00
cocky boy that he is, you are worthy, completely and fully. Never
38:07
doubt that the road ahead won't be easy, won't always be easy. There
38:12
will be the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. But so long
38:15
as you remember that he is a gift, then I know you will see
38:20
the light that burns within him. He loves so big that it takes my
38:23
breath away. There is no one like him in all the world, and
38:28
he needs to be treasured. I don't know if he hears that enough.
38:31
I try, as does his mother. But how can we even begin to
38:36
bring words to life to describe all that he entails. I hope you figured
38:42
that out, because he needs to know. He carries the weight of everything
38:45
on his shoulders to his detriment, and I don't want him to carry that
38:50
burden alone. Whoever you are, know this, Love him, and you
38:54
will never have to be alone again. You will know joy, you will
38:59
know hap, You'll know that it means to be loved. You'll know what
39:04
it means to be loved unconditionally. I know this because I know him.
39:08
I know joy, I know happiness. I know what it's like to struggle
39:14
to breathe when his face lights up at the very side of me. He
39:17
is one of my great loves, And if he is yours, then you
39:21
know what it. Then you know what I mean. Take his heart and
39:23
hold it close. You will be rewarded far beyond anything you've ever known.
39:29
And when you finish reading this, when you've taken in my words and absorb
39:32
them, come find me. I have more to tell you about him,
39:37
so much more that I can't put it all down here. Nuances would be
39:40
lost, and I want you to hear from me. Who are you someone
39:45
special? I think? I take that back. I know you are special
39:50
because Carter Bennett thinks so too, yours, Thomas Bennett. Ah, I've
39:59
said it before four and I said it again. A fictional character is a
40:01
better father than my dad. Uh. I'm sorry to rose my own father
40:07
on here, but you know, as a grumpy old veteran, he will
40:10
never say anything as profound and as loving as that. I can tell you
40:15
that. I mean Sam saying yeah but yeah, but uh. The reason
40:29
so I just want to go ahead in explain why she decided to give him
40:35
that letter been and there. So Elizabeth decided to give Gavin and uh Carter
40:40
this letter because they are They got reports from the witches that there is trouble
40:47
brewing at with Livingstone. Uh. Somehow he has begun gathering rogue were wolves
40:53
to his cause. And even though he has been he's locked behind magical wards,
41:00
someone within the witch's ranks is letting these wolves in. And they're built,
41:04
and they're slowly building growing in numbers. They don't know who is letting
41:08
these werewolves into UH into Livingstone's prison, but they're trying hard to find them.
41:15
So they know that the final confrontation with Livingstone is coming and they need
41:22
to make sure that Gavin and Carter have everything they need because they're because Livingstone
41:28
will try to use Gavin, will try to sway Gavin back to his side.
41:37
Let's see here, do UH. Not long after this, uh Ox
41:44
decides to go back go to Livingstone's prison to try to help the witches determine
41:51
who the trader is and to get UH and to make sure that Livingstone and
41:55
his supporters don't escape. Carter and Gavin they do finally pull their heads out
42:06
of their asses and become mates. Cue the spicy scenes and shit, but
42:14
we're not gonna focus on that. We're gonna focus on the good shit.
42:22
Living Stone, as it turns out, had been getting help from a young
42:25
witch that he was able to influence during his time in Caswell. This young
42:31
fifteen year old witch, living Stone had tattooed pretty much the same kind of
42:39
magical tattoos that he had tattooed on his own son, Gordo. And this
42:45
gave this young witch access to stronger magics as well as the ability to as
42:53
well as the ability to influence the wards surrounding Green Creek. So this which
43:00
was able to bring down the wards containing Livingstone and him and his army,
43:06
his small army of werewolves escape and they they briefly fight Ox and the witches
43:14
that were containing Livingstone. A lot of them end up dying, and Ox
43:19
is hurt, but he's okay. He manages to call ahead and warn the
43:22
rest of Green Creek that Livingstone is coming and that Ox will be returning to
43:28
Green Creek as quickly as he can. He's also going to be sending out
43:31
a call to the other wolf packs, the ones that still support the Bennetts,
43:37
and call for extra support and fighting Livingstone. So from here, the
43:44
Bennetts begin preparing Green Creek for the oncoming attack. Because the citizens there all
43:50
know about werewolves now, they've been building up the defenses around their town.
43:57
So now they do have anti werewolf defenses, mainly like silver traps and things
44:01
like that, and silver based weapons. So a lot of the citizens they
44:06
set up around this town, they put silver dust on the sidewalks, They
44:09
set up silver traps, they pull out the silver bullets and shit, and
44:15
the Bennetts, since they're gonna be fighting their wolf forms, they use these
44:20
little blinking lights that they attached to their ears. So when they're in their
44:23
wolf forms, if the people of Green Creek see those little blinking lights on
44:28
their ear, they know that that's a friendly wolf. So the attack begins.
44:40
Livingstone attack invades the town and his allied wolves begin attacking it indiscriminately.
44:49
But he wasn't prepared for the people of Green Creek being prepared for were wolves.
44:54
So despite the fact that the Livingstone's attack is pretty much is very overwhelming
45:01
for him, they're able to hold off the attack. Livingstone himself kills several
45:12
people and severely injures a few more people, but his allies are quickly overwhelmed
45:20
by the Bennetts, as well as the allies of the Bennetts who managed to
45:22
arrive to help them fight off the attack. During a brief interlude in the
45:30
fight, the Bennetts return gather in their in their home out deeper within their
45:37
territory and lower Livingstone there, and it's there that they confront Living Livingstone head
45:44
on. All of his allies are dead. The wolves that fought with him
45:46
have been killed. The young witch that he had influenced had also been killed.
45:53
And it's a very brutal fight. It takes a lot, even with
46:00
two alphas and a whole pack of werewolves. Living Stone is very strong,
46:05
but they managed to wear him down until the point there was time for them
46:09
to k to land the finishing blow. Ox ends up killing living Stone.
46:16
He basically just he snaps his neck and rips his jaw off, but Livingstone
46:27
ends up dealing a mortal blow to Ox, nearly killing him, which I
46:32
know. I was like, no, no, please, God, no,
46:36
don't tell me. Oh my god, if he dies, I'm gonna
46:38
be livid, Like I will, I will fucking riot. I will riot
46:44
if Ox dies because the Ox is a sweetheart. He doesn't deserve that.
46:47
And this is the second time a werewolf punched straight through his fucking chest.
46:51
God damn it, Jesus Christ. Yes, it's like, what did this
46:57
poor point do to you? It's like, so that's so personal. Yeah,
47:04
But either way, Ox manages to kill living Stone and Ox is gravely
47:12
injured and he nearly dies. But the witches that are supporting that are supporting
47:16
the Bennetts. They tell them that there is a way to heal Ox because
47:22
the thing is is that Green Creek. It has been the home of the
47:27
Bennett family for centuries, all right. There is a there's a deep magic
47:32
there and it's very strong. It welcomes, it protects the Bennetts. And
47:39
because of everything that the Bennetts have been through within the past two decades,
47:45
from Richard Collins attacking to Livingstone, to the hunters, this is something that
47:53
has been happening for no, I'm sorry, not not two decades, I'm
47:55
sorry. No, this is like this has been like one thing after the
48:00
It's been one thing after another. The hunters attacking the Bennetts like well over
48:04
thirty years ago, like almost like yeah, thirty years ago, forcing them
48:08
to leave their home, and then they come back, and then a rogue
48:13
werewolf comes and attacks them again, and then the hunters come back, and
48:16
then more werewolves and witches and shit. It's just one thing after the other.
48:22
And every time the Bennets have done everything they could to defend their home.
48:27
They have shed their blood there, they have lived there, they've died
48:30
there, and this land, the land has just become so much of a
48:32
part of them that now that this final enemy has been defeated after Livingstone,
48:39
they have no more enemies. That's it done. Deal. It started with
48:45
Livingstone and it ended with him. So the witches reveal that the magic of
48:51
the land is willing to give back to them now like certain conditions have been
48:55
met that the land will help them somehow, but they need to do several
49:01
things. One thing they need to really uh. Mainly it has to do
49:08
with what Joe needs to do, not only as Ox's mate, but also
49:15
as an alpha, because alphas can actually save the life of their of another
49:22
wolf, but it involves giving up their alpha powers and transferring it into that
49:29
wolf. Yeah, so they basically cease being an alpha while that other wolf
49:35
will take on the role of the alpha. And the thing is Ox and
49:38
Joe. They were both alphas, but seeing is that Ox just got is
49:43
dying he lost his alpha powers, so Joe needs to transfer his power into
49:47
into Ox. So Joe agrees without hesitation and prepares to Uh. He prepares
50:00
to transfer his power into Joe. I'm sorry, into Ox. Uh.
50:06
The witches they cast a spell and begin drawing up drawing on the territory's magic
50:12
and began healing Ox at least enough to get him to like to bring him
50:16
back from the brink of death so that way Joe can transfer his power.
50:22
When they do this, the entire Bennett pack is drawn into this sort of
50:27
like spiritual world. It's still the spirit world reflects Green Creek, so the
50:32
forests, the tree, the clearings, everything, it's their territory, but
50:37
more spiritual. But it's weird because there there is a special clearing that the
50:44
Bennetts have where they have a lot of their gatherings as wolves whenever they whenever
50:49
they turn during the full moon. It's that clearing that they often go to.
50:53
But in this clearing in the spirit world, it's much bigger, and
50:57
it's filled with these doors, and through each door is a memory. Now,
51:04
the witches warned them that they'll see these they'll see these doors, but
51:07
they must not go into them because that they do, they won't be able
51:09
to come back. But it's very tempting because they're seeing memories as they've happened
51:15
in the past, and they really it's tempting to like want to go through
51:19
them and try to like change things. Because they're tempted to want to change
51:23
things but the Bennett family they managed to ignore it, and they push through
51:30
until they finally find Ox waiting for them at a door of his own.
51:36
They're happy to find him and Ox he tells them a bit about his life
51:43
story. Oxford oxfrd Mattheson was told by his dad that he will get shipped
51:51
for the rest of his life for anything. He was basically taught that he
51:58
had little to know worth in life, and then no matter what he does,
52:01
he will not amount to anything. But then he meets he. But
52:10
then Ox met a little boy on the dirt road leading to his home,
52:16
a little boy, that sworm that swarmed him, jumped, started climbing all
52:22
over him, telling him about how he smells like candy canes and pine cones,
52:30
epic and awesome, and how suddenly Ox was pulled into a family.
52:37
He found himself with a new family because before it was just him and his
52:42
mom. Yeah, but then he met but then he met that little that
52:46
that little boy and that and that little boy's family, and his life changed.
52:53
He suddenly had three new brothers, a second mom, and a real
53:00
father because at the end of the day, Ox considered Thomas Bennett to be
53:08
his father. Because Thomas Bennett acted like it. He took him in,
53:14
he welcomed him in into the family, he brought him into the world of
53:17
werewolves, and he did so much for him and his mother. And honestly,
53:25
I had a moment while he was talking to he was telling his family
53:30
this stuff that I thought, Oh, is he gonna die? Is this
53:31
all for nothing? This sounds like a goodbye. Don't do this to me?
53:37
But no, But there was a point. There was a purpose to
53:42
this. It was his way of thanking his family and reaffirming that they made
53:46
him who he is and he wouldn't change anything. And since they're in this
53:53
spiritual world, they are reunited with the spirit of Thomas Bennett. Thomas is
54:00
not in his human form. He's in this world. He is in his
54:01
wolf form, and for one final time, they're able to run with their
54:07
ah, with their father once again, and they also meet the spirits of
54:14
other family members that have long since died, like uh Thomas's father Able,
54:20
and many other wolves from their family, and they run as a pack within
54:24
the spirit world and it's I'm like, man, this is just this is
54:28
a beautiful thing. But finally they are drawn out of the spirit world,
54:32
and in order for Ox to take on Joe's alpha power, he does have
54:37
to pierce Joe's heart and with his with his claws. So he ends up
54:46
doing that. It doesn't kill Joe, because I know being getting stabbed through
54:52
the heart is not a good thing, but uh, that's how It's how
54:55
the transfer of power is done. So Ox does that, he takes He
55:00
ends up taking Joe's alpha power for himself. Joe is I don't want to
55:07
say reduced, but that's the only word I can think of right now,
55:08
is He's reduced to a beta. So his eyes turned from the crimson red
55:15
to this brilliant orange color, and Ox now becomes the soul alpha of the
55:22
Bennett pack. The story begins to gwind after this. The story begins to
55:29
conclude the Bennetts are able to finally return to their to an actual normal life
55:36
because for the better part of two decades they were always living with this with
55:42
something hanging over their heads. If it wasn't a rogue werewolf, it was,
55:46
and it was a nefarious, evil witch and a enemy alpha or hell
55:55
fucking werewolf hunters. But now all of that has been taken care of,
56:04
the Bennetts end up giving up their role as the ruling pack of all of
56:07
the other packs. Ox and Joe approach friendly Alpha that they knew that they
56:16
and they asked him to take on the role of the Alpha of Alphas and
56:21
they agree. Gavin and Carter, their relationship begins to grow and they're able
56:25
to finally find peace together. Like Gavin being now a Carter's full mate.
56:36
He's no longer an omega and he's now a beta and he's able to He's
56:39
finally able to recover fully from the effects of being an omega. He's still
56:47
having a hard time forming coherent words, but he's getting better. And the
56:54
book ends with the Bennett family going for their monthly run as wolves during the
57:01
full moon, and that is the conclusion of the Green Creek novels and the
57:10
conclusion of Brothers. Song Dun Dun Dun, It's more of all, it's
57:17
more. It's not so much of a dune done done, and more of
57:20
like that God, what's that song at the end of uh They usually play
57:30
it at the end of Star Wars. It's like a high It's very melodist
57:37
and like kind of sad, but also like hopeful, oh god, what's
57:43
it called. I think it was a John Williams song. No clue either
57:50
way, it's not really important. But since this is the conclusion of the
57:54
Green Creek books, there is no epilogue, but there is one final chapter.
58:01
And uh, this final chapter is the it's just the letter that Thomas
58:09
Ben that Thomas Bennett had written to Joe's future partner. So this is the
58:16
third letter. And uh, let me tell you something. When I finished
58:22
this book and I, you know, I got to the last page,
58:24
read the last word, I'm like, ah, it's over. God,
58:30
i don't know what to do with my life now. And then I turned
58:31
the page and the first thing I see is the head is the title of
58:37
this final of this next chapter, and it said to Joe's future and the
58:42
letter starts off with hello ox. And when I when I when I read
58:47
that, I was like, no, oh my god, no, no,
58:52
no, no, no, I'm not ready. Oh my god,
58:53
I'm not ready for this. Oh shit, I'm not ready. I'm not
58:58
emotionally prepared for this. I had like a little freak out. I'm like,
59:01
no, hyperventilating, like, oh my god, he did it,
59:07
but he did so for a little bit of context. Thomas had of course
59:20
written the three letters for his sons to give to their partners, and he
59:27
had written them years before he had met Ox. But then when he met
59:34
Ox, and right from the beginning, he knew Ox was going to be
59:37
a part of Joe's life as something more than just a friend, because that's
59:43
just how the way worlds work. And he decided that the original letter he
59:49
had written for Joe's partner was not going to be enough because now he knows
59:53
who Joe's future is going to be, and he felt that he needed to
59:58
write some being more more personal for his future son in law. So,
1:00:09
without further ado, I'm gonna go ahead and read this letter, and I
1:00:15
may or may not cry because I reread it. I read just before we
1:00:17
started recording it. I reread it and I still cried. So there're gonna
1:00:22
be tears because let me tell you something, this was. This was so
1:00:28
sweet. This was like I have no words. I'm just gonna go ahead
1:00:34
and read it. And I'm pretty sure you guys will if you've read the
1:00:37
books, I'm pretty sure you felt the same. If you haven't read them,
1:00:40
And when I read this letter, you I hope it like inspires you
1:00:45
to go read through the books, because there's just so much history that's put
1:00:49
into this letter that you would only feel the way I feel after having going
1:00:55
through this journey of reading this book and concluding with this final letter. So
1:01:02
to Joe's future, Hello, Ox, Today is a good day, as
1:01:09
good as any to put my thoughts down as words. But before I say
1:01:15
what I need to say about my son Joe, I need to tell you
1:01:17
a story. Please forgive a father for his meandering thoughts. I am finding
1:01:23
this harder than I expected it to be. I wrote you a letter once,
1:01:28
oh not you specifically. It was meant for the idea of you,
1:01:34
the one who Joe would choose to love, would choose to spend his life
1:01:38
with. I have done the same for Carter and Kelly, though theirs will
1:01:44
be less specific as I don't know what the future holds for them. The
1:01:47
letter I wrote originally for whoever you would be now seems lacking and simply will
1:01:55
not do. I'm writing the second letter because I know you now. You
1:02:01
are eighteen years old today. Soon you and Carter will be graduating high school
1:02:06
and beginning the next stage of your life. And soon I will travel to
1:02:09
Caswell to store this letter with the others I've written for Carter and Kelly's future
1:02:15
until there comes a day far from now, when it will be time for
1:02:17
my words to be read. It seems as safe a place as any,
1:02:22
and is strangely fitting with all Joe will become. I worry about that.
1:02:29
I worry that I haven't been the best father I could be to him.
1:02:32
Expectation has a weight to it, heavy and cumbersome. Joe, as you
1:02:37
are aware, will be in alpha. I remember what that was like for
1:02:44
me, being told by my father at a very young age, who I
1:02:47
would become, and that it would mean, and what it would mean for
1:02:51
me, for my family, and for all the wolves. While I know
1:02:54
this is the way of things, I can't help but think I take this
1:02:59
burden from him him if I could. The mark of a good parent is
1:03:02
that they always want the best for their children, putting their needs above all
1:03:07
others. Am I doing the right thing? I wrestle with that thought constantly.
1:03:14
Lizzie says I underestimate him. She may be right, she usually is.
1:03:20
Still there are days when I wonder if this life, this purpose is
1:03:24
something Joe truly wants. He says he does, but I think it's because
1:03:30
I'm his father and he wants to make me proud. Does he know I
1:03:32
would be proud of him regardless, I hope. So I tell him as
1:03:37
much as often as I can, and as I do my other sons.
1:03:40
Here's what I know about Joe. He was born, and I was terrified.
1:03:45
I didn't know how it was possible for me to make more room in
1:03:50
my heart for him. I thought I'd have to lose the parts meant for
1:03:52
Carter and Kelly, especially when we realized that Joe was different from his brothers.
1:03:58
And I needn't have not about that. At least, there was much,
1:04:03
to my surprise and joy, more than enough room for him. He
1:04:08
carved himself a place within me, tuck neatly between my wife, my brother,
1:04:12
and Carter and Kelly. He didn't cry when I held him for the
1:04:15
first time, Lizzie. Lizzie will tell you I was frantic about it.
1:04:20
I could scoff and tell you I most certainly wasn't, but that would be
1:04:26
a lie. He watched me with those big eyes of his, and I
1:04:30
was lost to him. As you know, he was taken from us.
1:04:33
I blame myself for that. I was blinded by the belief that I could
1:04:38
see the good and the people. I chose to surround myself with people I
1:04:42
trusted. That was a mistake and not my first normal lass. I cannot
1:04:46
begin to describe the terror that filled those weeks. It would take a much
1:04:50
greater man than I to ever put all those feelings into words, So I
1:04:56
will say the very minimum. The man who dared to touch my son deserves
1:05:01
no more than that. Joe was returned to us, and he was a
1:05:05
shell of who he used to be. I tried everything, begging, crying,
1:05:11
shouting, holding him, loving him, whispering little things into his ear.
1:05:15
Nothing worked as a last dish, As a last ditch effort, I
1:05:21
gave up all that I'd worked for. It was the easiest decision I've ever
1:05:27
made. We returned to Green Creek, the home I'd love and cherished.
1:05:32
I hoped the territory would allow Joe to heal. I should have known that
1:05:36
it wouldn't be enough. It didn't need to be, because the most remarkable
1:05:41
thing happened. You came into our world. You know what happened next.
1:05:47
There is no need to rehash that here I have much to tell you,
1:05:51
and the hour grows late. Joe made his choice. I should have stopped
1:05:56
him, but I couldn't, And for that, I'm sorry. You didn't
1:06:00
know what it meant, the gifting of a wolf, of a wolf of
1:06:03
Stone, And how could you? For all you knew, we were just
1:06:08
a normal family, and there was something so terribly wonderful about that. We
1:06:13
did not do right by you. In fact, it could be argued that
1:06:16
we took advantage of you. I don't know if that makes me any better
1:06:20
than the man who hurt my son in the first place. I'm sorry.
1:06:25
Joe is kind, his empathy for all things is staggering. Once, when
1:06:30
he was four years old, he found a wounded bird in the forest surrounding
1:06:34
Caswell. He came to me in tears, asking me why the bird couldn't
1:06:39
fly away and be with his friends. I told him that was something the
1:06:45
way that was sometimes the way of things, that for all the beauty in
1:06:49
the world, there would there were harsh lessons to be heard. The bird
1:06:56
would most likely not survived. I tried to take it from him, but
1:07:00
from the shoe box he put it in, but he wouldn't let me.
1:07:04
He said he would help it heal, that he would take care of it
1:07:08
until I could return it, until I could return to the sky. And
1:07:11
he did. He did just that for weeks. He was diligent in its
1:07:15
care. He fed it, gave it water. His mother helped him.
1:07:19
Weave a little nest of twigs and bits of strain. I prepared for the
1:07:24
day the bird died, ready to empower on my son the cruel but necessary
1:07:28
lesson of death and all its entails. The bird healed, it gained strength,
1:07:35
and on a sunny day, he took it outside. He set the
1:07:39
box on the ground and told it that it was free, that it could
1:07:42
go home. It did, it flew away. Joe watched it until it
1:07:47
disappeared into the trees. Then he turned to me and said, see,
1:07:51
Daddy, see it just takes time. How momentous that moment was, how
1:08:00
humbling, It just takes time. I've never forgotten the lesson my son taught
1:08:06
me. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are
1:08:12
dreamt of in Uria and your philosophy. Joe is sarcastic, the byproduct of
1:08:18
his brothers. If God exists, he or she must have a sharp sense
1:08:23
of humor to give me such mouthy children. They are aggravating and make me
1:08:28
want to pull out my hair at times, but then they'll look at me
1:08:32
with the same eyes as their mother, and I'll know they are our greatest
1:08:35
creation. He's quick and smart, more so than I gave him credit for.
1:08:42
He will make a good alpha, and I wish he could be anything
1:08:45
else. Often wondered who would see him for who he truly was, Who
1:08:54
would see beyond the title, beyond the crown, to the very heart of
1:08:58
him. I could never have expected it would be someone like you. I
1:09:02
know you, oxnrd Matheson. I know you, but there are times I
1:09:06
still wonder who you are? How did you become the man I saw just
1:09:11
this morning? How did you prevail over all life through in your path?
1:09:15
I won't be so self centered to think we played a major part in any
1:09:19
of it. No, that honor goes to your mother. She, like
1:09:25
you, like Joe, whether all that was flung upon her and still made
1:09:30
it through to the other side. And what's more, she did it because
1:09:34
she knew you were counting on her to do so. I hope you realize
1:09:39
that once you finish this letter, and if you haven't done so already?
1:09:44
Tell her you love her. We never know when it could be the last
1:09:47
time we can say such things. Whatever you decide, I know you'll be
1:09:51
part of Joe's life, and he will be grateful for it. You are
1:09:58
your own man, and the world is a wild and wonderful place. I
1:10:01
just hope you remember that, no matter where your travels take you, we'll
1:10:05
be waiting here for you if you ever decide to come back. Who are
1:10:09
you? How are you? The way you are? There's no magic in
1:10:13
your blood, no wolf underneath your skin, And yet I see you,
1:10:16
and I think only one thing alpha It is it the immensity of your heart,
1:10:24
the strength of your humanity? I know not, but I don't think
1:10:29
it matters, even if it's a mystery I wish to solve. Beyond that,
1:10:33
I'm struck by a simple yet powerful desire. I would have you call
1:10:39
me father if you could, For you are my son, just as Carter
1:10:43
is, just as Kelly is, just as Joe is. It would be
1:10:47
a great privilege. I understand if that's not something you can do. It's
1:10:54
a lot for anyone to ask. But know that this desire is not contingent
1:10:59
upon what I decision you make, be it Joe or whoever you choose,
1:11:04
I will always be here, ready and waiting, which is why I must
1:11:09
say this last. I dream of a future where everything is joy and nothing
1:11:15
hurts. Life doesn't work that way. If all we knew was joy,
1:11:18
we would lose appreciation for the quiet moments whose profunity can be overlooked. Oh
1:11:26
but I dream of such a day regardless. I don't know what the future
1:11:30
holds for us. Much is hidden from me. There are people who would
1:11:34
take all that I have built. They've tried before and almost succeeded. I've
1:11:40
seen destruction in its many forms. I held my father as he took his
1:11:44
last breath, my claws and his heart to accept a gift I wasn't ready
1:11:47
to receive. I looked into the eyes of a beast as he promised me
1:11:51
his loyalty. I stood by a witch whose heart and mind were twisted as
1:11:57
he embedded marks into the skin of his son. And it was the same
1:12:00
son that I failed when I took everything away from him, worried that he
1:12:04
was more like his father than I thought. Destruction, in its many forms,
1:12:10
it comes for us when we least expect it. From a direction we
1:12:14
never thought possible. You have a part to play, though I hope I'm
1:12:16
wrong, and I would keep it from you as long as I'm able.
1:12:23
You don't deserve to suffer from the mistakes of others. None of you do.
1:12:27
I've thought more than once of keeping you from this, to shun you,
1:12:31
to send you away. What does that make me? I don't know.
1:12:36
What does it mean that I can't find the strength to do so.
1:12:41
I don't know that either Damned that sounds like it could be right. Damned
1:12:46
either way, I will do what I can to prepare you for whatever may
1:12:50
come. I will give you my everything, because that is what a father
1:12:55
must do. You've heard me say that in Alpha puts the needs of his
1:12:59
packt above all others. You are my Packox, You've been from the beginning.
1:13:04
I was wrong earlier when I said there was no magic in your blood.
1:13:09
I was wrong when I said there was no wolf underneath your skin.
1:13:13
You are magic. You are a wolf, more than I ever thought possible.
1:13:17
Joe saw that before the rest of us. Whatever light burns within you,
1:13:21
it burns bright, and I can't help but wants to bask in it.
1:13:26
One day I hope you'll see what the rest of us do. You
1:13:29
are light, my son, my wonder, my wondrous child, and I
1:13:33
am so very happy to know you. I expect when you finally read this
1:13:38
letter, I'll be waiting nervously to hear your thoughts. I'll wonder if you
1:13:43
think, if you'll think I'm just a silly old man writing pretty words.
1:13:46
Maybe you'll laugh at me, though it won't be cruel. Maybe you won't
1:13:49
be ready to see what I see, and that's okay, we have time.
1:13:55
Or maybe you'll come to me on a sunny day much like today,
1:13:59
and you'll look me in that quiet way you do. You'll take my hand
1:14:02
in yours, and you'll call me father. Oh what a wonderful day that
1:14:05
would be. It's getting late, the sun is setting. The door to
1:14:11
my office is open, and I can hear Lizzie singing in the kitchen.
1:14:15
Mark is on the front porch drinking from a mug of spicy tea. Carter
1:14:18
and Kelly are in the backyard. They're laughing, laughing, laughing. And
1:14:25
just now I looked out the window to see you and Joe walking down the
1:14:28
dirt road toward the house at the end of the lane. You are smiling,
1:14:31
and Joe is looking at you as if you are the moon itself.
1:14:34
I can't think of a more perfect moment. It's time to bring my ramblings
1:14:40
to an end. I'll finish by saying this. I don't know what the
1:14:44
future holds, what sacrifices we must make, but I believe with all my
1:14:48
heart and soul that my dream of joy is within our grasp, so long
1:14:54
as we are brave enough to reach for it. I love you all more
1:14:57
than anything, and I'll always and I always will eternally yours, Thomas Bennett.
1:15:11
Sorry, choked up there for a second, like, God, damn
1:15:15
it, get it together. No. Never, that was cute. Yeah,
1:15:30
I got so emotionally invested into this book. The elements of family,
1:15:36
both blood and found, is so strong and it's such a big part of
1:15:44
the story. And even though Thomas died in the first book, there was
1:15:50
still enough of the story to like get an idea of the kind of person
1:15:55
he was. And you know, they his family is often remorsed by him
1:16:01
because of the mistakes he's made that have affected them, but they love,
1:16:08
they loved him and miss him regardless, And you know, reading this book
1:16:15
is like it's almost like your part. I felt like I was almost like
1:16:18
I was a part of this story. I was able to put myself in
1:16:23
these characters shoes. I was able to see like how wonderful the people were,
1:16:27
the characters were. And just reading this last letter that Thomas wrote for
1:16:35
Joe for Ox, it was just so deeply personal and like I just kept
1:16:44
thinking about, like, you know, just the little references that that the
1:16:49
author put in the letter and you know, just thinking about like, oh,
1:16:55
yeah that happened in this scene, like oh yeah, that happened.
1:16:58
And it is, you know, heart ranging, but it is These books
1:17:09
were definitely worth the read. M h yeah, yeah, yeah. People
1:17:16
you know have their everyone has their tastes. Yeah, not everybody's gonna like
1:17:23
wear Wolf romance and ship guys probably needs to stay off of what Pad,
1:17:29
but is definitely worth the read. If they ever adapt this into a movie,
1:17:43
I'm definitely gonna be one of the I'm definitely going to be one of
1:17:45
the first people to go see it. I just hope that. I hate
1:17:54
to admit it, but I think Summit Entertainment should do it, because yes,
1:17:59
those are the those Summit Entertainment probably would do it. Yeah, because
1:18:05
yes, those are the guys that produced the Twilight films. But the difference
1:18:11
between Twilight and Green Creek is the werewolves in Green Creek are actual werewolves.
1:18:18
They're badass, and it's not all about like some lovely, sappy like obsession.
1:18:30
There's so much more to it. There's family, there's connections, there's
1:18:35
community, and I just love it and I hope one day someone decides to
1:18:49
make a movie out of it, if they ever do. Because let me
1:18:56
see. When was this book released? But no doubt, Jacob go to
1:19:09
the book itself. Uh yeah, yeah, yeah, I believe this one.
1:19:19
Well, let's says it was copyrighted twenty twenty by Travis Kloon, so
1:19:26
I'm assuming that's when it was released. It was released October seven, twenty
1:19:31
twenty. Yeah, yep, that was the last book. Yep. The
1:19:39
other book, the first book that was released back in m publishing time Scember
1:19:51
one, twenty twenty two. Fuck, unless it's talking about the that's weird.
1:20:06
Let me see. Let me see it was. I think it was
1:20:24
in twenty sixteen when it was written, because I just found an article about
1:20:29
it. And that article is because I'm yeah, because I'm looking at the
1:20:32
books and it's saying, oh okay, it says first published June twentieth,
1:20:38
twenty sixteen, w sixteen. Yes, I guess that's them doing the Was
1:20:44
this them doing the physical releases? Because they did. I'm looking it up.
1:20:47
It's a Wolf Song twenty twenty, twenty twenty three, Raven Song twenty
1:20:51
eighteen, Heart Song twenty eighteen, Brothers Song twenty twenty. Well, that's
1:20:56
the current covers that it has, Like these editions are those were released recently,
1:21:04
like twenty twenty two, but everything else. Yeah, so Wolf Song
1:21:12
was originally published June twenty June twentieth, twenty sixteen by dream Spinner Press.
1:21:26
I believe it was originally released on Kindle first before it was printed. Yeah,
1:21:30
he just said, yeah, eh, these books are like since these
1:21:35
are like indie, pretty indie, it's kind of hard to find more information
1:21:43
about them because you know, they're not really published by like those big publishing
1:21:48
companies. So yeah, those tend to be a little bit harder to track
1:21:55
down. But anyway, this is definitely a I think this is a must
1:22:03
read if you really like, if you really like, I don't want to
1:22:11
say this is romance because it wasn't really high on the romance. It was
1:22:15
more of like a love story because we saw because in each the whole story
1:22:20
for each partner, it always started well before, like their relationship always started
1:22:29
well before they actually fell in love and got together. It always started off
1:22:33
as something more platonic, and like in Joe and Ox's case, it was
1:22:42
more of like they became brothers. And of course, like since Ox was
1:22:46
like six years older than Joe and Joe was only ten when he first met
1:22:49
him, nothing was going to happen, not for a long time, not
1:22:55
for another ten years at least. But uh, yeah, so if you
1:23:05
like werewolves, but if you want to like take a step away from just
1:23:10
like the mindless action and horror aspect of werewolves and go into something more ah,
1:23:17
it's I'd still say this is fantasy, and this is definitely uh and
1:23:21
it is fall It does fall under the romance category, but it's more of
1:23:25
a love story and there's still a lot more ah world building, a lot
1:23:31
more relationship building aside from just romance. It is definitely a good reading.
1:23:42
It's wholesome, that is that's the word I'm looking for. It's more it's
1:23:45
very wholesome. I love it. I'm sad that it's that I finished reading
1:23:50
it as quickly as I did. But you know, when I find a
1:23:53
good book, I inhale that book. I just read the fuck out of
1:23:57
that book without mercy. I definitely recommend reading it. Kindle editions are the
1:24:11
Kindle editions are pretty cheap, I think since recently since they republished the books
1:24:15
with the new covers, they've gone up in price, so they're about like
1:24:17
somewhere between five to eight bucks on Kindle. I definitely recommend, just like,
1:24:26
give the first book a shot, and if you like it, then
1:24:30
you have the reviews for the next three books here and how much I,
1:24:36
as the reader love them. And I've already gotten several of my friends to
1:24:44
read them and they all agree that they are so good. And you know,
1:24:50
there's one friend, you know, I'm trying to get to read,
1:24:54
but he needs to finish reading another book before he and move on. Are
1:25:00
you talking about me? Whatever? Whatever gave you that idea? He's pointed,
1:25:10
but which reminds me, how's how's fairy Tale coming? It's it's it's
1:25:15
it's it's going. Yeah yeah, uhh yes, for next week. Okay,
1:25:26
okay, okay, okay. Huh mm hmmm mm hmm mm hmm yeh
1:25:34
uh uh he's not gonna have it by next week. Oh my god,
1:25:38
yes, I am all right. Well, that's enough of that. Thanks
1:25:45
guys for listening into our review of The Green Creek Chronicles. It was a
1:25:53
wholesome journey for me. I might end up going back and just rereading it
1:25:58
just because of how much I love the story. But thank you guys.
1:26:01
I hope you guys enjoyed the book as much as I did. And patches.
1:26:06
Next week we will be hopefully reviewing fair We will be talking about fairy
1:26:12
Tale by Stephen King. Yes all right, yes, like the Basting Side
1:26:25
Criminal Side Eye. Now we'll be doing fairy Tale for Stephen King next week.
1:26:33
Mixon all right until then, catch all next time. Bye bye,