by Wylow Moon
Then he told me about what I really wanted to hear about, my brother, Jimmy. Apparently, Jimmy was my half brother on my father's side. My father had passed 2 years ago and had left everything to me. I thought this was a little odd though. I mean even if I was older, my brother grew up with our father. I didn't know jack about anyone. There was no more mention of Shifters, though I am sure Mr. Hudson wanted to bring it up again.
After about two hours of nothing but trees and more trees they finally gave away to a clearing. My eyes about bulged out of their sockets. The "little" community didn't look so little. There was a mansion of a building with little houses out on each side forming a semi-circle. The rode lead to right in front of the mansion and there were people out all over. Some of them were around a huge fire pit off centered in the middle of it all, some were running out towards the woods. And even a few people walking here and there. Kids were running around laughing and playing different games. There was also a group of people standing in the front of the mansion waiting for us to drive up.
The people were of all ages. Some really young and some looking to be in their early seventies. They all looked normal though. Not all what I expected really. Although, I was a bit worried they were part of some crazy cult that murdered animal in the name of some insane deity. Mr. Hudson didn't really go into detail about them and only said I would just have to see them for myself.
As we got closer I think I started having a panic attack. This was just too much. I was so not ready for this. I needed to leave. I needed Maggie. I put my head in my hands and tried to calm my breathing before I hyperventilated. Mr. Hudson put the car into park, turned it off then turned to look at me.
"Don't worry Miss Grey, everything will be ok. You will see. Your brother is really excited to meet you." I looked up at him to see him opening the door and getting out of the car. I took another few breaths to let my heart settle back into its normal rhythm before opening my own door and getting out. I took in the air and immediately loved how clean it was. You could smell the tree's and grass without all of the air pollution of a city. The weather was a mild seventy degrees to start off the beginning of the fall season. It really was a breathtaking place.
I looked around to see almost everyone in view had stopped whatever they were doing to stare at me. Did I have something on my face or something? I didn't think I would be that interesting. As my eyes hit a few faces they looked away and moved on as if they had not been staring. I thought they might just be trying to be nonchalant about looking at me but the angle did not look very natural. I thought that was a bit odd but before I could really think about their mannerisms Mr. Hudson came around the car to stand in front of me.
"Just breathe." He said as he lead me over to the group waiting for us.
"Nice to see you again Jeremy" Mr. Hudson said as he shook the hand of the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen. He was like "I'm on fire" hot. He had jet black hair cut short but long enough to hang off his forehead a bit and deep ocean blue eyes. He wore a loose fitting green t-shirt that had a picture of zombies on it and loose fitting black khaki shorts. His shoulders looked muscular and strong as did his arms. He had a tattoo of what looked like a wolf peeking out of his sleeve as well. Omg did these people think they were shifters? Is that why Mr Hudson brought it up? Who the hell were these people? I stopped my ogling over what I thought was a fine specimen of man at that thought. I was not even going to go there.
Jeremy looked at me giving me a once over.
"Are you positive it's her?" he asked in a serious tone.
"I am sure Jeremy. Do you think I would have brought her here if I didn't?" Mr. Hudson turned to me. "Miss Grey, please show them your palm."
I didn't really know what was going on but I sure as hell didn't want them to think I was afraid. If I did I might not be able to get away. What if they locked me up because they thought I would run? I reluctantly showed them the marking on my hand. As soon as they saw the markings whispers irrupted.
"It's her!"
"She has finally returned."
"Our Luna!"
Some of them instantly bared their necks like dogs, some burst in tears and fell to their knees. They were acting like I was Jesus reborn.. I didn't know what was going on but I was getting a little freaked out. Who did these people think I was?
I backed up a few steps as if to run back to the car but Mr. Hudson's hand on my arm stopped me. Jeremy cleared his throat and everyone fell into silence. Jeremy stepped forward and stuck out his hand.
"It's nice to finally meet you Alyssa. I am Jeremy and I run the place. Your brother is out in the woods but he will be back by dusk. He is really looking forward to finally meeting you as well." I took his hand and shook it. A tingle went up my arm at contact but I ignored it. I didn't want to seem jumpy in front of them.
Looking up into his eyes I saw what looked like relief flash across his face, although I don't know why. Maybe I was wrong and I was just overreacting a bit. He really didn't seem like he had any screws loose. I really hope he was sane, because honestly, this sudden attraction was burning a fire under my skin.
"Um, so what kind of community is this?" I asked trying to ease some of the tension I was feeling. "This place is really beautiful."
Jeremy looked at me in surprise then up at Mr. Hudson.
"You didn't tell her?" He growled. He actually freaking growled! It sounded like Mr. Hudson whimpered in response. This was like a twilight zone episode or something.
"I tried to tell her but she is new to all this. She wouldn't hear me out. So I figured you or Jimmy could get her accustomed."
Jeremy looked at Mr. Hudson for another few seconds as if deciding whether or not to yell at him some more before looking at me. Jeremy reached his hand up and rubbed it through his hair in frustration and then turned to look at the mansion.
"Well Alyssa, welcome to The Den." I snorted and Jeremy looked at me like I slapped him.
"I'm sorry" I quickly apologized."It just doesn't seem very original you know." I tried to explain. I really didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with these people. Especially when I wasn't really sure who they were or what they could do to me if I pissed them off.
"Your father is the one who named it, I am sorry it is not good enough for you. You own it now so I guess you can call it whatever the hell you want." Jeremy said as he stalked off in the direction of the front door of The Den. I was a little stunned. I didn't mean to offend anyone but that also seemed like a very over dramatic reaction. How old was he, ten? I guess that's what I get for not keeping my big mouth shut.
"Don't worry about him, he will cool off." said a girl to my right. I turned to her and gave her an 'are you sure' look.
"Believe me he will be just fine. I think he is just a bit overwhelmed at the moment. I'm Trish and I am sure your tired, overwhelmed and just want to relax away from all these staring eyes. Why don't I just show you to where you will be staying for now and we can go from there. Supper will be in a few hours so you have plenty of time to clean up if you like."
"Um, that's ok. I was thinking I would just stay at a hotel. I didn't really expect all of this." I said, hoping to get out of staying. I still wasn't sure about these people and I really didn't want to be murdered in my sleep.
"There isn't any reason for you to stay in a hotel. I mean this place has plenty of room and it is yours now."
I looked around at the faces of the people closest and then let my eyes land on Mr Hudson. He nodded his head as if saying it would be ok but I still wasn't convinced. I also knew that there wasn't really anything I could say to get me out of it. I nodded my consent to Trish and tried to paste on a smile. I am sure it looked more like a grimace though.
"Come on then follow me." she said and then turned to one of the guys still standing around. "Matty grab her bags and bring them up to her room." With that she grabbed my hand and lead me to the front door. It pictured wolves sitting on their haunches in a forest as the moon rose high into the s
ky. The trees were huge and if you looked carefully you could see other wolves, bears, lions, and foxes peeking out of the foliage. I reached out my hand and touched the door. Feeling the Celtic knots that framed the scene and moving to feel the howling wolf sitting on a stone slab in the center, resting underneath my right palm. Everything happened as if in slow motion.
I followed Trish into The Den and stopped in my tracks. It was magnificent. The entryway ceiling was two stories high with a beautiful chandelier that hung down like a million falling stars. The colors in the room were a soft golden color mixed with a beautiful burgundy. It actually had a very homey kind of feel to it. Straight in front of me was a staircase that went up one level and then right next to it was another staircase to go up another. To my right had a set of double doors that lead into what looked like a receiving room and to the left a hallway with doors on both sides going down it and opened up to what looked to be a room with no door at the end. It was absolutely breathtaking.
How could all this be mine? Why would my mother take me away from this? Then I remembered the weird actions outside and the lines in her letter. "...though you may want to take the path that looks prettier, it doesn't mean it is easier or safer." I just didn't understand, but I was going to. I was going to get answers. Or die in my sleep. I still wasn't entirely sure yet.
Trish led me up two flights of stairs and turned right to walk down a vast hallway full of doors with numbers on them. It kind of reminded me of apartment doors. At the end of the hall was a door made of wood with the most beautifully and intricately hand crafted scene on it.
My hand started to warm underneath the touch of the door. The tingling started in the center of my palm and ran up my arm traveling its way to my shoulder before encasing my whole body. I inhaled sharply and pulled back my hand, as if I had scalded it, just as a burst of light blinded me.
"What in the HELL was that!" I exclaimed holding my hand up to look at it, blinking rapidly to clear the spots in my vision. My markings were not just a crescent moon and star anymore. No, it was now one big North Star and a bunch of little stars that traveled up my freaking arm. They moved up my arm until they stopped on my shoulder. I turned my head to look at the back of my shoulder to see what seemed like a full moon.
"Holy shit." I whispered, too afraid to breathe. My breathing got short and I started seeing tiny black dots floating in the front of my eyes, for a completely different reason. The last thought before everything went black was how this had to be some twisted dream and I needed to wake up.
"What were you thinking Trish? You couldn't wait until I took her? She doesn't know anything about us, about herself!"
"She needs to learn Jeremy and fast. There isn't much time left. Beside you went off and had your little tantrum just because you didn't want to lose being Alpha."
"That's not what happened. When I touched her, I..." the voice broke off not finishing the sentence.
"Guys we can deal with this later. All that matters is Alyssa is here and, even though Trish shouldn't have acted so rash, it had to be done. My sister has been touched by the magic now. The magic inside of her has broken free from whatever kept it at bay and recognizes her as Alpha. We need to get her ready for the full moon next weekend. We don't want her first shift being in front of the pack. It's too personal."
My head was pounding as I heard all of the voices. I moaned, trying to snuggle back into the cloud I was laying on and wrapped up in, to return to my dreamless sleep.
Chapter 4 "Believe me, your hungrier than you think you are." said Jimmy. "Go ahead, dig in. Paul is the best chef in the state and he would be hurt if you didn't eat it."
"Trish go get her some food she is going to be starving."
It felt like someone sat down somewhere near my legs and rested a hand on my calf.
"Time to wake up Alyssa. You have someone who wants to meet you." I heard what I now recognized as Jeremy's voice.
I slowly opened my eyes, peeking through my lashes and looked at were Jeremy's voice had come from. He still had his hand on my leg and was looking at me with a mix of concern and something else I could not quite decipher.
I then looked around the room. Everything seemed sharper and clearer than it should have been. Like looking into the camera with the contrast on full blast.
I was on a four poster king sized bed with a big fluffy maroon colored comforter wrapped around me. There was a nightstand sitting next to the bed with a lamp and a cordless phone sitting next to it. In front of the bed about ten feet away was an L-shaped couch with the bottom of the L part making a kind of lounge chair where you could lay on it, and in front of the sofa was a massive fireplace, about six foot wide, with a fire lit in it. To the left of the fireplace was an open door that looked like it led to the bathroom and to my immediate right was another door that I assumed led to the hallway. Right in front of that door stood my brother.
How did I know he was my brother, I am not exactly sure. He looked nothing like me. But I knew in my heart that is who he was. He was a little under six foot tall and had dark brown hair with it cut short so he could spike it. He had brown eyes and a strong jawline. There was a piercing in his eyebrow and a huge grin on his face.
"Welcome home sis." He said as he walked over to me and embraced me in a big hug. I stiffened in his grasp at first. He may be my brother but he was a stranger to me. I slowly relaxed though and hugged him back tightly. I had a brother. He was my brother. A betraying tear rolled down my cheek as I let go of him and he stood back. He wiped the tear from my cheek and chuckled.
"No need to cry sis. I know I'm a beautiful piece of artwork but I just can't help myself." He said grinning from ear to ear. I snorted and saw Jeremy roll his eyes. I wiped at my eyes to clear them.
"Wow, aren't you just full of yourself?" I laughed "Are you sure we are related?"
"What! How can you not be related to all of this awesomeness?" He asked motioning to himself.
"Yes, so awesome Jimmy, you just ooze cool." Trish said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes and set a tray down in front of me. My stomach growled abnormally loud and made me blush. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I smelled the food, which smelled like the most amazing thing in the entire world. I could smell everything on the tray before she even uncovered it.
Trish laughed and took the lid off of the tray. My jaw dropped to see so much food.
"There is no way I can eat all of that!" I exclaimed. I was chunky enough already. I so didn't need to add anymore weight on. The tray was filled with 3 steaks, a huge bowl of potatoes, two plates of corn and baby carrots and about five huge dinner rolls. On the side of the dishes was a gigantic glass of ice and my choice of sprite, milk, or water.
I looked at the tray wondering where to even begin and decided to grab a roll first. I was halfway to grabbing the roll when I stopped. I had almost forgotten what happened until I saw the stars running up my arm. Jeremy seeing the hesitation, as my eyes took in the markings, squeezed my leg lightly and spoke.
"I know you are probably really confused and would like answers, but we will explain everything soon. Right now just eat, rest up, and visit with Jimmy. I will be back soon to talk to you." Jeremy said as he stood up. He patted Jimmy on his back and followed Trish out of the room before shutting the door behind them. I couldn't help watching his butt as he left. Wow was it firm.
I looked up at Jimmy as he scratched at the back of his neck before sitting down on the bed next to me. "You know, I always knew about you." I looked at him and watched as his face morphed from frustration to sorrow.
"Dad was devastated when your mom took you and left. He searched for you. Hired Mr. Hudson back when I was born. I guess he had given up on you guys coming back. He met my mom about a year after you guys left. He needed an heir in case you never came back. Dad never stopped searching though. Plus we kind of needed you." Jimmy looked up into my eyes as tears began to fall down my face. It felt kind of good to know I was wanted and missed. I had been so af
raid that wasn't the case.
"Do know why Mom took me? Why she left our father?" Jimmy looked away from me towards the fireplace.
"I really can't say Alyssa." I don't know if he couldn't tell me because he didn't know or didn't want to. I figured I would let it go for the moment though.
"I have always wondered what you would look like." He grinned and tugged on some of my hair lightly. "I didn't expect the purple though, very nice by the way."
I chuckled softly and grabbed my hair back. "Well I naturally have dirty blonde hair. But I really don't like it. And purple is kind of my favorite color."
"Hmm, purple huh." Jimmy got up from the bed and stretched then looked down at the untouched tray in front of me.
"You really should eat. You are going to be much hungrier now. Jeremy will be back in a bit to explain everything to you. I should be the one to do it, but honestly I am no good at that kind of stuff. I'm glad your back sis." Jimmy leaned down and kissed the top of my head. Before walking to the door.
"Thanks Jimmy. I am glad to finally meet you too. Goodnight." I smiled at him then turned to start on my dinner as the door clicked softly behind him. The steak was rarer then I would have eaten it but it still melted in my mouth. Everything on the tray was delicious. I would have to remember to thank Paul in the morning. It truly was the best meal I had ever tasted.
Before I knew it I had eaten every crumb on the tray. Holy mother of god I can't believe I ate all of that. Jeremy still had not shown up so I decided I would grab a clean pair of pajama's and take a shower. I felt like I kind of needed one.
Walking into the door to the bathroom I stopped in my tracks. Was everything in this damn place so beautiful? The bathroom was bigger than my old bedroom and about half the size of the room I was staying in now. It had a huge vanity to the right of me complete with every beauty product a girl could ask for. About five feet in, to my right was a five by six pool boxed in by stone masonry and a rock waterfall that I am guessing was meant for a shower head. I walked up to it and touched the water. It was warm and the water was crystal clear. I wondered how I was suppose to change the water. It looked to be deep enough for me to stand in. On one side of the pool was a built in stone shelf that housed hair products, several body washes and loofahs. Next to the vanity was a cabinet I opened to find the biggest and fluffiest towels I had ever seen, in perfect white. Taking up the whole back wall was a shower, that looked like it could fit four people in it, with multiple shower heads that came from different angles.