The Traitor's Daughter

by Mary Goldberger

  “I was attacked by a…a wolf,” she sobbed out in a rush.

  “Poor girl” the man who yanked Samantha up said with insincerity as his eyes ran over her body, “What happened?”

  “My…my boyfriend and I were making out when suddenly we heard growling, and before I knew it, the wolf attacked us. My boyfriend pushed me aside before it could get me and told me to run,” she sobbed.

  She put her head down as if exhausted and with her eyes closed, she listened to their footsteps.

  The man’s eyes grew wide with lust as he looked at the young woman who he would definitely not look at twice but right now, she was handy.

  “Don’t worry, honey,” he said reaching out a dirty hand to her, “we will take good care of you. Won’t we, boys?” They snickered, as his hand landed on her shoulder in a hard grip.

  Now, Grace said as her head snapped up, and the man stared into angry violet eyes. Before he could blink, she grabbed his hand and twisted it behind his back with such force that the elbow snapped. He screamed as the wolves erupted from the forest around them.

  Samantha, close your eyes sweetheart, Grace said, and glanced over to see her close her eyes. She pushed the man to the ground as she ran through the wolves to get to Samantha.

  “Bitch,” he yelled through the pain, and he shifted fast although he was injured. Grace spun around as he started to run towards her, and crouched, shifting were she crouched that his wolf slid to a halt a few feet from her.

  Steve was amazed for she broke his arm without second thought, and shifted in record time as he started to attack her. He looked around to make sure that his pack members were all right, and discovered that their attention was on the two wolves standing in the middle of the camp.

  Who are you, he ordered with a snarl.

  I rather know who you are, Grace ordered back in a low growl.

  Steve could sense that the rogue did not frighten Grace, and she was not backing down from his intimidation as he snarled at her.

  I want the girl, he commanded.

  Over my dead body, Grace said without hesitation.

  Then you will die, he snarled.

  Without waiting for a comeback, he attacked and Grace stood her ground as he came at her. Artur growled and crouched as if to jump in, but Grace was quicker. At the last minute, she jumped to the side that the rogue wolf stumbled in his attempt to change his course. Grace did not give him the chance, but jumped at him. Steve and his pack watched in stunned silence as the black wolf fought with amazing speed and strength. The fight was over when she clamped her mouth around his neck, and bit down hard that he yelped.

  Stay away from this pack and anyone associated with it, Grace ordered.

  He whimpered his agreement and she let go as she backed up in front of the little girl who lay on the ground with her eyes still closed. The wolf stumbled away without a backward look, and if they only knew it, with a single thought of getting as far away as possible.

  Once he was far enough away, Grace collapsed to the ground as blood began to pool around and Steve noticed the blood, as did his other pack members.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she heard Artur ask, Are you okay?

  Yeah, he just got me good with that second bite, she replied. She heard then different voices offering help after her announcement. For someone reason, the voice she wanted to hear most never uttered another single word after his question, and Grace felt her wolf howl in silent agony.

  I am sorry, she said to her wolf blocking the others from her thoughts. She opened her eyes to see that they had shifted back into their human forms and dressed at least in pants, and a good thing she had her eyes closed as she would have seen more than she should have, or wanted too.

  Steve knelt down next to her as she looked at him with violet eyes, and he nodded his head at her silent plea. She closed her eyes as he got up and walked over to the little girl.

  “Samantha,” he murmured quietly.

  “Can I open my eyes now? Grace told me to keep them close until I was told otherwise,” Samantha said in her little girl voice tears still running down her face.

  He chuckled, “Yes, you can open your eyes now.”

  She opened her eyes, and her eyes widened in shock as she looked in wonder at him and then at the rest of his pack. The black wolf drew her attention though, and she scrambled to her feet as she cried out, “Grace.”

  Grace heard her cry, and with all the power she had, she shifted back into human form.

  “Hi Samantha,” she said softly, and Samantha threw herself at Grace.

  Grace groaned silently as her body screamed in pain at her action, but Grace pushed her pain to the back of her mind as she said, “You did really well, Samantha. Your mom and dad will be so proud of you.”

  “I was so scared,” sobbed Samantha clenching Grace tightly.

  “Understandable, sweetheart so was I,” Grace admitted.

  Samantha pulled away slightly to look at her, and asked, “But, Grace, you are never afraid of anything.”

  Grace laughed quietly as she said, “I am always afraid, but showing your fear just leaves you defenseless. My father always told me to stand and fight, never run away; I take those words to heart every day.”

  She started to sit up slowly when Samantha said, “Wait, Grace I will get you something to cover up. They took some things from a house down from us.” Grace nodded her head as Samantha run to get her something to wear. Grace moaned silently as she slowly sat herself up, and she had to lay sit still for a moment to catch her breath noticing at the same time that the men turned their backs, as she was completely naked. She blushed slightly at her nudity, but as Samantha’s small body rushed back over, the blush fell away.

  She smiled as she handed Grace a man’s shirt that was clean, and Grace eased it on trying to keep Samantha from seeing her side. She buttoned it up, and it fell a little past her thighs as she stood up telling the others, “I am decent.”

  The men turned around at her comment and Steve watched how she was unsteady on her feet, and he knew that even though she was in pain, she was going to bare with it in front of the little girl.

  “Are we ready to go?” he asked, glancing towards his Beta. Artur locked his eyes on Grace, and Steve sensed that he wanted to go to her and pull her into his arms.

  Artur, he said. He watched as Artur snapped out of his focused gaze and nodded his head.

  “Grace,” Samantha said clenching her hand as she looked around at the dead rogues.

  Grace sighed silently, and then said, “We should bury them.”

  They stopped what they were doing to look at her, and then at the child who clung to her hand.

  Steve nodded to his pack, and they got to work in burying the dead rogues. Once finished, they headed back. Grace continued to avoid her pain as she talked to Samantha, and she sent a silent message to Ted.

  We are coming back. Samantha is with us, please have Sam and his family meets us at the restaurant. Hesitated for a few minutes listening to Samantha’s chatter now that she was away from the rogues, she added Uncle Ted, could you call the doctor because I am need of medical attention.

  Chapter 5

  They headed back to the restaurant, and once there Grace let Samantha go to the bosom of her family. She looked at Ted, and Ted took the hint as he got everyone’s attention so that nobody paid attention to Grace who she slipped away. She went into the kitchen were the old pack doctor who stepped down ten years ago was waiting; he took one look at Grace, and ordered Dave to take her out to his car. While Dave helped Grace to his car, Dr. Sean Jackson informed Ted that Grace was coming with him for medical attention. Sean climbed into the car not too long after and looking at Grace, he knew that she had a block on her thoughts and sighed soundlessly as he headed home. He helped her into the house almost twenty minutes later where his wife took one look at her, and said, “Oh, Grace” before helping her upstairs to a room where she immediately fell into a deep sleep.

/>   Artur was sitting with his pack and everybody was talking at once although his mind was somewhere else as his eyes scanned the room and he frowned. Sam was glad to have his daughter back, and his wife was hugging her tightly to him. Ted was handing around plates of food while his workers helped keep drinks filled, and everybody was celebrating the safe return of the little girl, but Artur did not see Grace anywhere. He could not get close enough to Ted to ask him where she was and the man had a block up so Artur could not ask through the pack link causing Artur’s blue-gold eyes to be almost golden in his anger.

  Amy was laughing as she walked up to them and she stepped into Steve’s arms. Ted strolled over to them a few minutes later and Amy turned to him to ask him something when Sam walked up to him.

  “We are about to head home,” he stated looking around, “but we wanted to thank Grace first. Where is she?”

  Artur growled quietly, “I was wondering the same thing,” and all noise stopped as everyone heard Sam’s question.

  Amy said thoughtfully, “I saw Grace when she came in, but not since then.”

  “She is not here,” Ted, stated clearly, as he began picking up plates, “Before you showed up, she had let me know that she was injured, and required medical attention.”

  “What?” Sam whispered.

  Ted turned to him and smiled, “She will be fine. I am sure she is resting comfortable, but she did offer you her house for as long as you require it.”

  Artur was about to say something when the doors opened, and Alpha Tomas walked in with Bryan and his father.

  “Ted,” Tomas said, “how is everyone?”

  “Everyone is fine, Alpha,” Ted said without mentioning Grace.

  “That is good,” Tomas, said looking around at everyone gathered.

  Bryan looked around and not seeing Grace, said snidely, “So where is Grace? Did she run of and leave you guys to fight?”

  There was total silence in the restaurant at his question until Samantha stood up, and said, “You don’t talk about Grace like that. Daddy, don’t let him talk about Grace like that.”

  She started crying and Sam picked her up as he said coldly, “Young man, don’t speak if you don’t know what the hell you are talking about.” With that said he gathered his family up and left, but not before looking toward Ted who nodded his head.

  Amy looked at Bryan with cold eyes before she turned toward Ted, and asked, “Can we see her?”

  Ted shook his head, and said, “She will not want to see anyone at this time, not while she is healing.”

  Artur did not stop to think, but asked, “Where is she?”

  Ted looked at him, and then turned to Amy, “When she is well, I will have her contact you.”

  Amy nodded her head then turned into Steve as she leaned onto his chest.

  Artur turned his attention to the drink in his hand as he opened his mind Grace, can you hear me?

  There was no response, and Artur gripped the glass hard as he thought about Grace; his wolf howled, as they did not know what was going on with their mate, the mate that they had not acknowledged fully yet. He looked at Ted as he moved around the room aware that he did not answer his question.

  Everybody left the restaurant following Sam and his family, and Ted called Sean as soon as he put the close sign on the door and locked it. He checked to make sure that nobody had stayed behind before he connected the call using his cell.

  “Hey Ted,” Sean answered on the first ring.

  “Hi Sean,” he replied, “How is she?”

  “She is sleeping at the moment,” and Ted heard the frown in his voice, “Is something going on with her? Although the wound was not bad, she passed out as soon as we put her to bed.”

  Ted sat down at his desk, and explained, “She has been getting harassing phone calls at night. She said that they started out as insulting at first then they turned threatening. She disconnected her phone for that reason so if you tried to call her than you would not have gotten her.”

  Sean muttered, “She has been blocking people too, it seems.”

  Ted grunted his agreement as Sean said, “Well, it should not take her too long to heal as usual.”

  Ted quickly asked, “Can you keep her there for a little while longer?”

  Sean agreed although he was already going to suggest that because what Ted did not know was Grace had asked him last time to find some information on a certain pack, and he found the information. He knew Grace well enough by now to know that she would listen to the information, and then go check it out.

  “I think a month will do her good,” he said thoughtfully as if he was thinking about it.

  “Thank you,” Ted said, but Sean heard the tone of his voice that suggested he was going to miss her. Sean understood how he felt for him and his wife missed Grace every time she went back home. They had children and grandchildren spread across the country, but Grace, they viewed as their youngest child. Grace was strong, and they all knew that, but sometimes she needed others to back her up, and that is what they were her support.

  They made small talk for a little then they said their goodbyes.

  Ted snapped his phone shut, and closed his eyes. His mind flashed to the young woman that he saw as another daughter to him, then the eyes of Artur when he asked where she was. A slow smile crossed his face as he thought about the look in his eyes, and there was no coldness as when they first met. It would be interesting to see what would happen next. His eyes flashed open, and then he grabbed his keys and headed out to his truck.

  Steve looked at Artur as they went back to their pack house. A few weeks ago, he asked Alpha Tomas if they could move into another house. Tomas had seemed to like the idea because of the tension between him and Bryan. When they walked in the door, most of the pack was in the living room.

  “Are you okay,” a red-hair girl asked as she walked toward them to cuddle up against her mate, Ace.

  “We are fine,” he answered giving her a kiss. Artur headed to the kitchen, and the others from the hunt followed. Steve entered the kitchen as Artur grabbed a beer from the refrigerator, and he frowned. Amy walked over to the bay window, and looked out where you could see in the distance the other pack house.

  “Amy, you knew Grace’s parents. Were they really traitors?” Ace asked as he sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, and his mate settled in his lap.

  Amy turned around, and sat down in the chair settled next to the bay window. Everyone's attention was on Amy that no one heard the doorbell, or the older man walking silently into the kitchen doorway where he leaned against the frame.

  “Grace’s father was a quiet man, I mean, really quiet. He did his work, and then he would go home to his wife and child. I know this because my father would come home, and complain about him because Troy never seemed to have much to say unlike my own father,” Amy said, and Steve heard the disgust in her voice. She continued, “Ted was right when he said that I knew Grace’s house better than anyone because I was really the only friend that Grace brought home, and her parents would welcome me with open arms. Unlike my father, I saw another side of Grace’s dad because when he was with them, he laughed, joked, and played around. His pride and joy was his wife and daughter, and he was strong too.” The last part she muttered as if she did not mean to say it but it came out anyway.

  “What do you mean, Amy?” Artur asked as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

  Amy sighed, “Her dad asked me not to say anything, but I guess it does not matter now. One day when I was spending the weekend with them, my mom would let me go to get me away from the house; Grace and I were playing outside not too far from the north forest. Grace’s dad had told us to stay out of the forest for there had been reports of other wolves not from our pack spotted in the forest. Grace and I were only eight and ten; we did not know about rogues at that time. Anyway, while we were playing, I tripped or Grace did over a huge tree root, and we both went down a gully into the forest. I sprang my ankle, and Grace bruised her ribs
. She contacted her father, and he told us to stay put that he would be there as soon as he could. We settled down to wait making up some silly game because it was getting dark, when three men came out of nowhere. Two had shifted before even reaching us, and the third stood there laughing at our terrified expressions. As scared as we were, Grace still stood up to the person and told him her father was on the way. He laughed, asked what one man could do against three, and shifted himself. Before they could attack though, a huge black wolf jumped in front of us, and I almost screamed until Grace started smiling, and I was shocked. Her father’s wolf was as big as the alpha’s, and so strong that the three rogues did not even stand a chance. Whatever he told them had them whimpering before they left. When he turned to us, his eyes, which were normally a hazel-brown, were almost golden, and Grace had no fear running up to him to hug him. She helped me to stand, and he let us ride him back to the house. He must have called ahead because Grace’s mom was waiting, and she wrapped my ankle and tapped up Grace’s ribs. Her father had gone upstairs to change and when he came back down, he sat us down. He asked us not to tell anyone what we saw in the forest, and I remember thinking that he was really asking me not to say anything because Grace had nodded her head before he even finished. In that moment, I felt safer with him than I ever did with my own dad. Her mom called my mom, and told her that I had twisted my ankle while we were playing but I was okay. My mom was worried but did not ask any questions, and we finished our weekend.”

  There was silence for a moment until Ace’s mate, Susan, asked, “Why didn’t you contact your father when the rogues arrived?”

  Amy’s eyes flashed with anger as she said, “I did, but my father said he was busy at the moment, and he would deal with it later.”

  Steve frowned at that, and then asked, “So you never told anyone what happened that day?”

  Amy shook her head, and said, “No, because Grace’s father asked me not to say anything about it.”

  She saw the look that passed between each other, and she said furiously, “I do not think he betrayed the pack. Grace’s father would have protected this pack no matter what.”