They must think they’re safe in the middle of nowhere. They probably were because no one would venture this far into the woods if they didn’t have to, Saadia guessed.
Stepping deep into a blanket of new snow, her feet made a heavy depression each time she stepped. Sinking deeper as she strolled up to the large house it became difficult to walk. The house a modern log cabin, but this one wasn’t made by unskilled hands. This was a place built by professional carpenters and stone masons.
This place had the markings of someone with power and influence. But who? Saadia’s thoughts were interrupted and she didn’t have to wonder any longer. Because she didn’t observe her surroundings or smell the gray werewolf. He reached her from behind and turned her around quickly to face him.
“What do you want? Who are you and what are you looking for?” He said in a gruff voice.
“I heard that I could get sanctuary here.” The grey werewolf with yellow eyes walked around her sniffing her as he made a full circle.
“You’re a male. We have enough males. And too many young wolves. You’re not seasoned.” Saadia thought she had fooled the young wolf and she relaxed. “You smell like a female,” the grey wolf said.
“I’m not a yearling yet that’s why. If you don’t want me then I guess I have to leave. You don’t look like you have enough males to guard this place. How many do you have? Are you the Alpha?” Saadia inquired with quick questions and with a light voice.
“No. You can’t even recognize a beta. I’m a beta.” Saadia could recognize a beta alright. She had been surrounded by the Samsas all her life. Those who weren’t Samsas were betas. It was just that easy to identify.
“Well I want to see the Alpha in this pack. Let him decide if I can stay or not. I don’t think you can make that decision.” The grey wolf understood and he knew what was said was true, and besides, they couldn’t defend the place without more wolves.
“Come on, follow me,” the grey werewolf said. He turned to see Saadia standing in the same spot. She didn’t know if she should call Damon who was probably angry at her at this time. “I said follow me.”
Saadia trudged through the snow and reached the front of the house. The place was dark and cold without furniture. However, there were large fireplaces in each room which weren’t lit. They continued walking until they reached a great room filled with fur rugs. Over a huge stone fireplace mounted on the wall the head of a gigantic moose. On each four walls heads of large animals appeared to surround Saadia as she watched in amazement.
Shivering from the extreme cold, Saadia turned to see where the grey wolf had disappeared. She stood alone in a huge room filled with nothing but fur from dead black bears, and heads of dead moose, and a large male brown deer with antlers too great to imagine that anyone could bring down such creatures. But the one that peaked her curiosity had been the stuffed Zebra.
“Are you cold?” Saadia jerked around to see a magnificent tall werewolf gazing at her. His hair long and he wore a beard. Under all that hair she saw his clear blue eyes. His wolf would be white if he changed she imagined.
His hair light brown and his eyes deep blue. He stood six feet or more. His chiseled face hard, his bare chest with muscles displayed under the white fur belonging to a Lynx cat, were magnificent. He wore brown leather pants which hugged his body and Saadia longed for Tracker. In some ways he reminded her of the Samsas.
“Yes. I’m cold.” When Saadia responded to his question he raised his hand and the grey werewolf lurking behind a pillar in the shadows, rushed to the stone fireplace, dropped wood and started a fire. The fire was so large it brought light to the entire room.
The tall white Alpha wolf walked close to Saadia. He circled her as the grey wolf had done earlier. She turned with him as he made the circle around her.
With his startling blue eyes peering at her, the Alpha said, “You’re not a male.”
“If I’m not a male, then what am I?”
“I’m not here to guess what you are. I’m here to determine if you live or die,” he said casually. The Alpha picked Saadia up by her shoulders and slanted his head and brought her eyes to him. He sniffed her neck. “You’re a werefemale. There’s no doubt. A fertile female. Young and you’ve mated.” And he dropped her to the floor and on her feet.
“Why didn’t you say you’re a female?”
“I was afraid.” The Alpha strolled to the fire and turned around to see Saadia shivering.
“If you were afraid of me you would have remained in a kneeling position. But you will be when I hand you over to my betas.”
Saadia lowered her eyes when looking at the Alpha, “Do I have permission to speak to you.” The Alpha nodded and faced the roaring fire with his back to her.
“You can’t let those betas have me. I’m special. Can’t you see that? I have the ability to change into a male. In to anyone. I can be of service to you.”
“You’re not a male. I sensed that right away. You wouldn’t make a good mate because you can’t be trusted, and you won’t obey me. So why would I keep you? I’d rather let my betas break you.”
“I’m all those things,” Saadia admitted. A deep growl with in the Alpha’s throat rose to the surface and he furrowed his brow. “I’m something different.”
“I can see that. You can change into anything you want. I don’t think I want you around to deceive me like that.” His lips receded and the Alpha’s large canine appeared. That did make Saadia scared. If she wasn’t before, she was now.
Quaking with fear she shouted, “I’m a female and I’m fertile doesn’t that mean something to you?” The Alpha turned around and stared at her and turned back and stoked the fire. Saadia was stalling for time. What the fuck happened to Damon, she wondered.
“I have a fertile female already. Why would you be of use to me? Maybe my betas, but I don’t think having two females is a good idea. ”
At least he wasn’t stupid, Saadia thought.
“But if you have two females, you wouldn’t need any more lone werewolves. You could grow a pack of your own.” The Alpha brought his hand in a steeple to his face studying what Saadia had proposed.
The Alpha turned and walked up to Saadia and glared into her eyes. He placed his nose under her neck. “You’re very young. I may have need for you after all.”
She stood quivering waiting for him to decide, and for Damon to rescue her and Naja. He took her by the hand as she walked quickly to keep up with him dragging her along. When he stopped he was in the front of a door. In that moment Saadia changed to a female. Not herself with dark hair and olive skin, but a human with long blond hair and blue eyes.
“I think you can be of service to me,” the Alpha said his eyes shining as if hiding a secret. He opened the door and brought her in to the room.
The large dim lit room with a small fire was empty of furniture. Huddled under a bear rug in the corner lay Naja.
The Alpha gazed at her and said, “This female will be here to keep you company until I decide what to do with her. I may mate with you and her at the full moon. Maybe both at the same time,” he said smiling.
“Don’t try to leave because contrary to what you think, there are enough wolves guarding this compound.” The Alpha strolled out of the room with a wide smile. Maybe he knew something Saadia didn’t know.
The full moon is due tomorrow and Saadia worried that the Alpha would make good on his promise to mate with them. She worried as she hugged Naja and thought about Damon. Why was he taking so long? Had she missed something when treating him for his wounds, she wondered.
Saadia glared at Naja frightened and confused by her situation. Somehow Saadia was able to bring comfort to her. “Don’t worry, Damon is outside and he’ll be here to get us.”
“Damon? I thought he was dead?” she said whispering. “Thank you and she kissed Saadia’s hand.”
“No. He’s alive. He’ll be here,” Saadia said reassuring her and trying to believe her own words. Her voice low and muffled
barely audible. She sat near Naja and they held each other in a corner of the cold room with not enough heat to warm their bodies.
As Naja and Saadia waited, Damon waited for a signal from Saadia which never came. And Wilder waited for the birth of his pups and to hear that Adrienne was OK.
Chapter 25
When Adrienne opened her eyes she was surrounded by Wilder, Lycell, and Drayton. “We thought we had lost you, Adrienne,” Wilder said with tears welling in his eyes. Lycell and Drayton standing on the other side of the bed with sad eyes and faint smiles.
“Where are my children?” Wilder sat near her. She thought because of the grave look on his face the children were born dead.
He took her hand. “We have four females. Four beautiful little werefemales. Can you believe it?” He turned to Lycell proud of his accomplishment. “Four girls,” he repeated with a smile too bright for Lycell.
Adrienne raised her head and turned to see who had opened the door to her room. A smile as wide and as large crossed Adrienne’s face. Her eyes sparkled.
Lycell took a step and narrowed his eyes. “Harper? Harper? I thought you wouldn’t be able to make it for the holidays,” Lycell said as he rushed to embrace him.
“Lycell you remember. You remember our son,” Adrienne said. The look on her face was sheer astonishment.
“Why wouldn’t I?” He said with a casual smile. He inhaled.
“Because you didn’t even know your name a week ago,” Drayton said dragging out each word of the sentence for emphasis just in case Lycell didn’t remember. “Now since that’s over maybe we can get some peace around here. Drayton on his way out of the room met Harper smiling with a muddled look after giving him a hug, and Drayton left the room.
Wilder moved away from Adrienne’s bed and let Harper sit near her. “Mother I’ve missed you.” He lay his head on her chest.
“When are you coming home to stay and live around your family?”
“Soon,” Harper said looking up at Wilder.
“I have daughters to look to,” Wilder said and quietly exited the room. Wilder walked out of the room with quiet satisfaction. As if he knew something no one else did. Standing on the opposite side of the bed was Lycell. Finally he would have Adrienne to himself. Lycell walked around and stood near Harper and Harper stood and embraced his father once more.
“It’s good to have some of my sons home.”
“What’s this about losing your memory, father?”
“It’s nothing. I had an accident and some other problems, but all of that is over because Harper is here. Let me look at you.”
“Like to wear the suits?”
“Don’t start, father.” And Lycell let it go. He was just happy that Harper had come home. He left for college and swore that he didn’t want to come back to Samsaville. He was never comfortable like Tracker, Damon, and Thorn. Out of all six of Lycell’s sons he was the geek in the family and he wore thick glasses which were unheard of for a werewolf.
He liked tinkering with cars, and spent his time on his gaming system when he wasn’t reading, because he couldn’t get a date. He was never comfortable with the girls in high school or college. But after surgery on his eyes, he lost the thick glasses and became a hunk like his other brothers.
“Look how handsome you are, Harper,” Adrienne said.
Harper sat up and leaned over his mother and said, “You’re just saying that because I’m your son.”
“Now that the glasses are gone, what about the females? You do like females?” Lycell questioned.
“I like females,” Harper assured him to which a large grin crossed Lycell’s face. “Where is everyone?”
“Come have something to eat. You must be hungry. Do you still take your meat cooked?”
“Yes, father. It is the civilized thing to do.”
“Sometimes in a world of men the most civilized thing to do is not to be civilized,” Lycell said as he hit his son on the back, and led him out of the room after giving Adrienne a kiss and a promise to sit with her.
Wilder will be occupied with his daughters and that would give him time to be with Adrienne. Take her walking and visit Hunter and Devin, Wilder’s sons and then his son Thorn to see if he’s doing better. He hadn’t seen him since Thorn had been abducted and almost died.
Lycell had been angry with Thorn because he didn’t want to do a DNA paternity test. Now he realized that Thorn had been right. That would have torn the pack apart.
Thorn swore that he didn’t want to know if Tracker was the father to his unborn pups, and if Lycell interfered, he wouldn’t see him again. Lycell had been fucking up all around, and now that he had Adrienne back and his memory, he didn’t want to fuck up their holiday.
When Lycell walked Harper to the kitchen to sit and talk as they waited for a cook to put the steak in the oven, Tracker had followed Saadia’s scent and Damon’s footprint to the Alpha’s compound.
Nearing the wall he saw someone lying in the snow. He bent to wipe away the heavy snow and cleared it to see Damon’s face. “What the fuck, Damon.” Damon didn’t respond. Tracker shook him three times and he opened one eye.
“What are you doing here, Tracker?” he questioned with a hoarse voice.
“I’m here to find Saadia. And don’t tell me she’s behind that wall.” Tracker took a closer look at Damon. “What the fuck happened to you?”
“There were these young werewolves who attacked us.”
“You and Saadia?”
“No. Me and Naja.”
“Naja?” He didn’t want an answer. He just wanted to find Saadia. “You’re burning up with fever. It’s a good thing you collapsed in this snow. How long have you been here?”
“I don’t know.”
“Those young wolves could have raped Saadia by now,” Tracker said looking around as he held Damon in his arms.
“She was a male werewolf the last time I saw her.”
“That’s my girl.”
“You knew she could change into...”
“I knew she could change into male or female. Isn’t that terrific.”
Damon’s face turned serious. He stared at Tracker. “I’m weak. I can’t help you because I don’t have the strength to change. You have to get Saadia and Naja out.”
“When have you ever helped me, Damon? Well, you helped me once, but that doesn’t count.”
“We don’t have time for this Tracker. You have to promise me to get Naja. I said I would protect her. She’s my mate now. I don’t want that werewolf who’s in that compound to mate with her.”
“So you don’t want Saadia anymore. Good. Then I’m going to get my female and yours and bring them out of there. Here, eat this. It’s fresh meat not that smoked crap at the cave. I just killed it. Get into the woods and wait for me. It shouldn’t take me long.”
Damon ate and crawled off into the woods. When he looked back Tracker had shifted into a large white werewolf and bounded over the wall. This time he wasn’t greeted by one wolf.
A pack of six wolves surrounded him. “Are you going to stand there gritting your teeth and looking foolish. Don’t you recognize a full grown Alpha? There is no way you will survive this,” he said snarling showing his teeth and posturing ready for a fight.
“A small black werewolf tucked his tail in and whined and eased out of the circle. And another followed him. Then there were four snarling mean young wolves who were eager to prove that they were capable of someday being Alphas.
The pack stalked around Tracker, snarling and curling up their lips as they made a circle in the snow. Tracker’s ears stood at attention and he kept his eyes on the larger of the wolves. Tracker knew he would be the one to wait. He was the smartest of the four. He would let them fight him until his strength had left him and he would come in for the kill.
But Tracker didn’t wait for his strength to be drained, or for them to parade around him until daylight. He leapt at the closest two and grabbed one’s jugular, as he held the other with his l
arge paws around his throat, ripping a line down the center of the young wolf’s fur opening him where his insides fell to the ground.
When the smaller wolf saw Tracker ready to tear at his throat, he yelped at Tracker. Tracker looked into his eyes seeing he was still a pup and not ready to fight. It wasn’t a pleasure to fight a pup. It wasn’t honorable as a werewolf or hunter to kill the young and females, especially not his species. He dropped him. When the young pup wolf got to his feet he scurried for the house, yelping, as he hid behind it.
The larger grey wolf who had caught Saadia, stood poised to attack Tracker and said, “If you’re looking for that werefemale, she’s mine now to do what I please. I fucked her and she’s not yours anymore. After I fucked her I gave her to my Alpha.”
Tracker knew he was lying because there is no way an Alpha would let a beta have a female first.
“I’m an Alpha. And I know you’re lying. Do you want to die for an Alpha who doesn’t share, or who won’t allow his betas to have females, but will take them all for himself?”
Tracker didn’t see any sense in fighting the beta. He was no match for him. He was young too, but not much older than the pups who ran and hid. This grey werewolf had to be inexperienced because why would he exchange words with Tracker. A matured werewolf whether beta or Alpha would stand ready to fight and defend his territory. Not stand around nervously talking.
Tracker knew the grey werewolf to be a yearling and never had a mate. If he had fucked Saadia as he said, he would die before he would let another have her. However, he stood there talking and reasoning with Tracker.
“My Alpha isn’t what you say. He doesn’t lie to us. If he promised us something he will do it.”
“This Alpha doesn’t lie either and I promise you, if you don’t leave, you will die today.”
“I am bound to protect him. His father made me promise. If I don’t keep my promise the lion shifter will destroy me.”
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