“So when did she move in?”
“Today, this morning, he watched her from the woods. Said she didn’t have no more than what was in her car. That was damned little from what he could see.”
“And he is sure she is an underage, unmated wolf?”
“He smelled her car, all around her car, said her scent was all over the trunk and the door handles. If she isn’t, she is hiding someone who is, and Sam didn’t see anyone but her.”
When he finished talking I just closed my eyes. Who ever heard of an unmated female living on her own in this day and age. When I opened my eyes and looked at David he was still standing in the same position. I did not have to tell him what kind of problems this could cause the pack. With no protectors she was fair game for anyone who came along. If she was taken the other females in the community would not feel safe and we would lose all the gains we had made in the last six years.
I took a deep breath, “Gather the same guards we use to guard Sam’s cabin when his niece comes to visit. We will set up a guard till we can find out who she is and where she came from, she may have family somewhere looking for her. I can’t see her running away from her family. For all we know her family found out about our community and sent her to us. But, I haven’t gotten any communication from anyone that they were sending us a female to protect. Why didn’t she come into town and rent a place. Doesn’t she know it would be safer in town surrounded by pack than way out at the edge of the territory with only Sam as her neighbor? Why didn’t she come to me as the alpha to request protection and the right to stay? She has to know she can’t just move into a territory and not ask the alpha first.”
I reached out to press the intercom button, “Stormie, we need you in my office.”
A few seconds later I watched my sister bounce into the room. When she saw David in the room she drew up close to him and rubbed up against him. I sometimes envied the closeness of my sister and her mate. I did not envy it enough to ever capture and hold a female against her will and force a mating on her through a magical bond. I wanted a true mate, one my wolf chose. Seeing them standing there, her with her brown eyes and long brown hair with the white streak on one side and him with his blond hair and blue eyes I wondered again what their children would look like. Where Stormie was bubbly and energetic David was more dark and withdrawn. He wasn’t always that way, growing up he was a friendly outgoing guy. The kind who made friends easy, all that had changed when he found his dad had imprisoned a young girl and was holding her captive in order to give her to David when she turned twenty-one.
“What’s up favorite brother of mine?”
“Oh, today I am your favorite bother? Last week when we had the family meal at dads I heard you tell Samson he was your favorite.”
She just smiled at me “Last week he was my favorite, this week you are my favorite.”
“And just how did I become your favorite this week?”
“Did you get the paper I put on your desk? The one with the pink sticky note.” I watched her bounce on her toes for a moment. I hadn’t had a chance to look through the papers she had put in my in-box while I was gone to lunch but whatever it was sure had her excited. With so few females around the males would do a lot to keep them happy. Happy females produced females and face it, this was my own sister. I wanted her happy.
I took a moment to pull the in-box to me and find the paper. When I saw what it was I grunted. I was about to become her least favorite brother.
When she heard me grunt, and I did not look up from the paper I heard a small whimper. I looked up then to see her nibbling on her lower lip. David pulled her close and started rubbing her arm. If she did not know something was wrong before she did now. As tears welled in her eyes I grunted again.
“Stormie, I am sorry, you and David can’t go on vacation right now. I need both of you to help me with a pack problem.”
All she had talked about for weeks was planning a vacation. I had told her with the pack secure and nothing major going on in marketing I could manage without her and David for a couple of weeks. I knew she was going to put paperwork in to go on vacation. I did not realize it would be now, when I needed both of them.
“You said nothing major was going on. Trey you promised we could go. You promised we could have two weeks. You promised, what is so important you are going back on your word? I know what is going on in the company. I have everything under control and mom is going to help out around here while I am gone. David has his assistant well trained. The pack is quiet, happy and secure, what could you need both of us for that can’t wait two weeks.”
“We appear to have a unicorn.”
Stormie just looked at me blankly for a few seconds. Then she leaned toward her mate and I heard her whisper, “Does Trey know unicorns aren’t real?”
David snorted and I saw him trying to keep from laughing.
“Not a real unicorn sis, a wolf unicorn.”
I did not think Stormie could get any closer to David than she was, but she proved me wrong. I saw her swallow hard before she asked, “Do you want I should call dad? Or mom? Maybe I should call mom.”
“No I don’t want you to call dad or mom. Although, mom might be a good idea after all. No sis, we have an unmated, underage female in our territory, without protectors.”
“In town? I would have heard something. She is plenty protected in town. Why haven’t I heard about her before? Where is she staying? Oh I bet she is scared. I should go over there. Is she at Nella’s house? Why didn’t anyone call me.” The last was more of a wail than anything. As she turned to bolt out of the room I was glad David had his arm around her. He pulled her up short before she got a step from him.
When she stumbled I saw her glare at David. “Lemme go, I want to go meet her. She is probably scared.”
I boosted a little alpha power to my voice, “Stormie, stop. She is not in town. She apparently moved in secretly to the cabin out near Ole Sam’s place.”
I watched all the color leave my sister’s face as my words sunk in. “Secretly? But, she is not protected? If she has no protectors, you have to get her some protectors.” She turned to David, “Why are you still here. You need to be out there, in the woods, protecting her. Go!”
“It’s not that simple. When we put guards around Sam’s place to protect his niece when she visits we know how long before she turns twenty-one. Our pack protects each other, Sam and his niece are pack. This unicorn we have, no one knows her. She has no one to speak for her. We do not know when she will turn for the first time.”
“So you won’t protect her? Because she is a stranger you won’t protect her?”
“Stop it. That is not what your brother is saying.” David was just as aware as I was of the need for the females to feel secure. If his own mate did not feel secure he would never see a daughter from her.
I shook my head, “David is right. That is not at all what I am saying. I have to pick the protectors more carefully for this girl. And I need you to befriend her. We really need to know when she is going to turn twenty one. If she turns and goes for a run, you remember your twenty-first birthday? Well if she turns she could run too close to an unmated male and as badly as he may want to protect her, his wolf may take control and claim her as his mate by forcing the magic bond. You know if her wolf accepts the magic they are bonded for life. And if they are not life mates they could both be miserable. The bond has to be voluntary sis, not forced, you know this.”
I saw her trying to process what I said, “So I get to make friends with her? When can I meet her?” She started bouncing on her toes again and I could see she was flushed with excitement.
“David is going to take you out there in a few minutes, as soon as he and I can arrange for her protectors. We are going to have to find mated males for the job. We have more mated males than we have had in a couple of decades but we are still pretty scarce on mated males. Mostly just older generation males. Even then we have to be careful, with no one to speak for
her, and several of our families having unmated males, this could get messy.”
I hated to see the excitement leave her face but she was back to nibbling her bottom lip again. A few seconds later, almost too quietly to hear, if not for the superior hearing we had I would not have heard her whispered, “Alright.”
She walked over to the couch I kept in my office and sat down while David and I went through each member of the pack deciding who would guard our little unicorn.
Chapter Three
Gabriella
The man came by a bit ago. I know he is old, and usually those are the safer ones, but I didn’t open the door. I had my pepper spray ready. I didn’t have to use it though. I still can not believe I found this place. When I drove through this way I was looking for a place to camp for the night. The cabin looked empty and so isolated I had to look around. The air here is so fresh so I drove back down the road to the cabin I had seen. I couldn’t believe my luck when the old man told me he owned the cabin and he might rent it to me.
He seems harmless. He told me where some cabins were I could stay at while he checked the place to see if it was livable. Once I moved in though I was confused. Either he did some cleaning, or he had to think about the situation because any idiot could see the place was well maintained on a regular basis. I almost backed out of the deal when I walked in the door and looked around.
Maybe he needed to talk to his wife or one of his kids to see if they would mind him renting it to me. I can’t see far down the road but hardly any traffic has passed by since this morning. Well, really the only traffic was the old man earlier. I heard him long before he reached the cabin though. Plenty of time to get things ready, just in case.
Maybe one day I can stop watching my back and settle down somewhere. Maybe one day I can go looking for Trina and Nanny and Uncle Josh. I miss them so much some days. I can feel Trina though, so I know she is still alive. But is she safe? Did she get captured by those horrible boys? We turn twenty-one in a few months, I don’t know what is so special about us turning twenty-one that made those boys want to capture and hold me till that date.
I didn’t have much to move into the cabin. But that is not a problem because it was furnished when I moved in earlier today. I thought it looked furnished a couple of days ago when I spotted it but the windows are pretty high and I am only just over five foot tall. I jumped up trying to see in the windows that day. I thought I would be sleeping on my air mattress but it had a nice bed in one of the bedrooms. My sheets won’t fit the bed, I think it must be a queen size and my air mattress is only a twin.
Looking around the cabin one more time I decide I have made it as homey as I can with the little I have. I keep a go bag still. All my important papers are in that go bag. No longer a large duffel bag. I never did go back to carrying one, preferring to keep to my back pack. I can put the back pack on anytime I go anywhere and do not have to worry about losing the important things.
I don’t have much because every time they have caught up to me I have to run with only what is on my back. Hence the back pack always being on my back. I grabbed it before I walk outside. I want to explore the woods around my little cabin. I am not exploring just because I want to, I have to find places to run if they find me again.
Our estate was enclosed growing up, and since that day I have only lived in towns. The stench was, I thought, enough to help hide me since they seemed to like the way I smelled and my smell seemed to be a factor in them finding me. This is the first time I have been alone in the woods for more than just camping or hiding out. I don’t know what kind of animals may be around here. When I have time, when I feel I have learned the area enough to find hiding places I will set up my computer and search for what kind of wildlife may be around.
When I step out side I breathe in deep and look around. I could be happy here. I could be happier if Trina and Josh and Nanny were here with me. One day I swear I will find them. Picking a direction, away from the road, I take off walking. The woods around me are not quiet, just small sounds, comforting, kind of like it was being outside in the summer back home.
I can’t help but notice the woods smell a bit like the boys chasing me, this worries me and causes me to look around more carefully. If they were here though, they would not hesitate to have already tried to capture me. I hear a car coming down the road. After the smell of the woods I want to take off running so badly. I fit in here though so I just ease back up toward the cabin. From the edge of the woods I see and man and woman getting out of a pick up truck. They are laughing and look so happy. They stopped for a second and kissed as though they hadn’t a care in the world. They probably don’t, I would not imagine that woman has ever been chased a day in her life.
I wonder if this is the old man’s son or daughter come to check out who he rented the cabin to. I decide this is the most probable answer. When I eased out the woods I saw the woman’s eyes widen and she clenched her boyfriend or maybe husband’s arm for a second. She started bouncing on her toes and smiling so big I can not help but smile back. The man shook his arm free and just gave her a gently push in my direction while looking at her with a gentle smile. I was happy he leaned against the truck and did not try to approach me.
The woman bounced over to me and was babbling ninety to nothing before she even reached me. “Oh my gosh you are so tiny. I can not believe you are brave enough to live out here by yourself. I could not believe it when my brother told me you were here.” She would probably have kept going but her husband or boyfriend yelled to her “At least introduce yourself before you talk her ear off sweetheart.”
I busted out laughing when she stuck her tongue out at him, but she did turn back to me and hold her hand out, “Hello I’m Stormie and we are going to be best friends.”
Okay, well that was different. When I looked back at her boyfriend, she had no ring on, I saw him rolling his eyes and shaking his head. I reached out to shake her hand.
“We are? I mean, you don’t even know my name.”
“Of course we are. I can tell these things. And I do too know your name, Sam said it was Gabriella, can I call you Gabby? I mean if you don’t want me to I will call you Gabriella but Gabby is so cute and you are so tiny you look like a Gabby. We live down the road, well not this road, a different road but that is almost like living down this road. Except on the other side of town. Have you been to town yet. Wait, of course you haven’t or I would have heard of you sooner. What do you do? Do you have a job? Do you need a job? If you lived closer to town it would be safer. You can walk down the streets of our town and be safe. Everyone loves everyone in town.” I heard her boyfriend snort, but other than to stop long enough to stick her tongue out she barely slacked up, “Well, everyone loves me in town, if they don’t my brother has a talking to them. No one is ever mean to me, they would not be mean to you either. My brother will never let them.”
She was still talking but I felt a shudder of revulsion go over me, did she mean, was the man leaning against the truck her brother. Eww gross. I watched them kiss. She must have seen the look on my face because she stopped talking and looked back at the guy before she gently asked, “What is it? What is wrong? I know I talk a lot, and fast, but I swear I am harmless. I really would like to be your friend. I don’t have many friends here. Well, everyone is my friend but no females my age. You look my age. Please tell me what I said wrong.”
I looked at her and then back at the man, he no longer looked happy. “Is that your brother?”
Now she was the one with the look of revulsion, “Eww, gross, no. That is my one perfect mate David. He was created just for me.” She leaned in close and whispered, “He worships the ground I walk on you know.” Then she giggled.
I looked back at the guy and he just shrugged, but he had a smile on his face and he was nodding. I wonder if he heard her when she whispered.
I couldn’t help but like Stormie. She was so energetic and friendly. I hoped we could become friends. A friend was something I was
sorely lacking. “So your brother, how do you know he will not be mean to me himself?”
A brief expression of shock crossed her face before she exclaimed, “But you are a unicorn, of course he won’t be mean to you.”
I was rethinking this friendship thing, I don’t know what she meant by unicorn but a glance at David and I saw he had was rubbing the back of his neck and staring at the sky. Perhaps Stormie was not exactly all there. People were people not unicorns. “A unicorn? Uh huh, yep.” I backed away just a little. She did not look insane but really how can you tell? I tried to keep the guy and the insane girl in my sight at the same time.
Gabby (Safe Haven Wolves Book 1) Page 2