Gainey
When I was a young pup , I learned pretty quickly that having a mate was something I never wanted. My father tried his best to change my mind by regalling me with stories of his fated mating to my mother, but from what I saw with him and my step mother, there wasn't much that held any interest for me.
Perhaps it was the way that she was always scheming. Always pushing Damon to be bigger. Better. Stronger. No matter the cost. No matter who got hurt. Father included.
Or maybe it was the way she started to look at me as I became a young adult.
If that's how mateships worked, I wanted nothing to do with them.
And that's not even counting the countless cabins I would see her emerging from before dawn as I completed my training. Or the men she openly flirted with around the pack.
Having Benji as an instant brother softened the blow for me but he is literally the only positive thing to come out of the abomination that was my fathers mating to that woman. And then he went and topped himself to boot.
My father was a means to an end for her. But it was his ultimate end.
She was not the partner he wanted but more needed really, after my mothers death. He was lonely. Vulnerable. And it was all for nothing.
When I think of mated pairs, I always see the hurt first. The danger of letting your heart be taken by another. The shame my father felt. The pain I felt for him. The damage it caused to Damon. To my father. To the pack.
That's why I swore I would never take a mate. If that meant no pup, then, so be it. I also swore I would never lead the pack. Any pack. Not that there was much left after she decimated it all anyway.
Though I have to admit a small part of me softens when I think of the way that Alice holds that young one with such affection, it still doesn't erase the hurt I have witnessed. A mother loving on her young is something to see. Something I missed out on. Something I saw a warped version of for much of my life.
Still, It's also nice to know Alice is able to feel something other than the contempt she aptly amplifies towards me.
But then, even I'm not dense enough to think that her attitude towards me is not all her fault. I wanted to repel her. And I did.
And now I have no clue what to do or what I even want.
Tossing and turning all night and rehashing old, painful memories and new fresh ones has meant that sleep has evaded me and if it's even possible, I'm more tired than I was before I laid down.
Gah. To hell with it. There are several impossible and imperative talks I need to have today and my hearing tells me that the two of the most urgent subjects are currently in the kitchen together.
A niggling scrap of jealousy bites into my subconscious. The thought of the two of them, down there alone, rubs me the wrong way and it feeds into my innate fear of mates. Of the way mates change a wolf.
Im not at all sure who I want to see the least. The surely Alpha with a broken heart or my sullen mate with a temper of a kicked hornets nest.
Both need an honest and raw talking to. Both need sorting out.
Both are going to kick my ass sideways into next Sunday.
Goddess. I already hate today.
Dragging ass into the shower, I make light work of refreshing myself, stepping out with a light towel dry. I catch sight of myself in the mirror on the back of my bedroom door and I instantly freeze. The bruises and scrapes are one thing but the deep, long nail gauges down the front of my chest and torso make me shudder and I can't help but fall back into the shiver inducing memory of the wolf who put them there.
Some wolves might say I have been lucky with women. Blessed even. It's true, I haven't had to work for company or to earn a release, but I have also always attracted the wrong kind of attention. Unwanted. Infatuated. Unrequited.
Like Gia. Or my step mother.
Both have inflicted irreparable damage upon me. The physical scars will disappear in time but not the memories. The emotional scarring those wounds hold, will last a lifetime.
These scratches are just another wound to add to my fractured mind.
I pick up the closest shirt I can find, giving it a quick sniff before throwing it over my head. It's clean enough. Right now, I just need it to cover the marks. Out of sight out of mind right?
Sort of. For now.
Fishing through my chest of drawers, I find some clean black track pants and step into them quickly, forgoing shoes, I run my hand through my unruly hair and make a fast exit out of my room.
The thoughts inside are consuming me.
I need coffee. Food. To talk to my brother.
And I need to see Alice.
I hastily make my way down to the kitchen, slowing my pace to try to listen in a little on the conversation between the two people I need to talk to the most.
I know when they hear me as their voices get very low and I know I can't stall any more. Breathing out a steadying breath, I step into the kitchen and take in their close position.
The Alpha in me wants to eat Benji's face off for being in such close proximity to my mate. But the brother in me knows that this wolf is honourable above all so I try to calm my wolf the fuck down before I make a fool of myself and slide past the two of them, giving a small nod in greeting as I head straight to the coffee machine and my immediate salvation. Plus, I have zero right to act like that.
I hear Benji get up to leave but I need to talk to him too, so I turn fast, spilling a little of my freshly poured coffee down my almost clean shirt.
"Fuck." I say out loud, two sets of eyes staring me down. I hear a low chuckle from Alice that has me glaring her way.
Shit. Not the best of starts. Classic me. Always a good intention. Always a crap delivery. Clearing my throat and attempting to shift the uncomfortable dynamic, I make a step forward, gesturing towards the table.
"Can you ah, stay a second Alpha, I need to talk to both of you." I formalise my request, so he knows whatever I have to say, it's important.
A quiet grunt is all i get from him but he sits down nonetheless.
Both he and Alice stare unforgivingly my way, a frown settles in across her sweet face and I have the sudden inclination to smooth it out with my finger tips.
I quickly decide against that. She would probably bite them off before she let me touch her.
Damn it. I just need to start talking.
Actual crickets are chirping right now. It's awkward. I don't do well with being the centre of attention and I swear I can feel sweat beading on my neck and forehead. Fuck.
That's it. I'm just diving in.
I cough a little and place my coffee down on the table top;
"Ah, ok. I'm not very good at speaking my mind, especially when I have things to clear up. But I need to speak with both of you. Together now and also separately later." I manage to blurt out, looking between the both of them. Neither has said a word or moved a muscle and my beads of sweat are quickly turning into small rivers, headed down my back.
"Fine Beta. Let's just get on with it." Benji mutters, confusion written all over his face.
I decide to just go for broke. Get the main issues out there, before I talk about the personal stuff. I swallow hard just thinking about it.
"Ok. Yeah. Right. Well, I feel as though we need to talk about Damon and how he is more connected to us than we thought. You know, full disclosure." I say, my eyes flicking towards Alice, cautious of her reaction. I don't think she has any idea just how much all of our pasts are intertwined.
Clearly she catches on.
"Wait, what do you mean more connected? I mean, I figure Gia had something to do with him since she was literally at his camp but what else does thag have to do with you?" She asks, looking between Benji and I and then back to me again, her eyes already accusing me of something. And not something good.
Benji places a hand on her shoulders.
"Alice, we wanted to talk to you before we left. We just didn't know all the pieces yet." He looks to me, clearly about to answer my previous question.
"Gainey did not know all of the puzzle pieces either. I wasn't sure but I had my suspicions, that Ellena confirmed for me." He says lowly, coming to stand between Alice and myself.
Somehow I know what comes out next is going to be a game changer. And Alice didn't know what game we are actually playing. It's about to get real for her.
"Damon is Gia's fated mate." He says firmly, looking straight at me. He turns his head towards Alice and takes a short breath before continuing;
"And you know Damon is my half brother on my mothers side. As he is Gainey's half brother on his fathers side. This makes me Alpha here. And Gainey is the rightful Alpha heir of his pack. I have suspected for a long time that all of this, the destruction, the deaths, the missing Luna's, maybe even the issues with the pups here, its all because of Damon's past with Gainey and I." His eyes close, his head drops and mine snaps in the direction of Alice.
Her breathing has started to accelerate. Her face is turning a brighter shade of pink by the second. I know it's only a matter of time before...
"What the actual fuck! What. The. Actual. Fuck. Who are you people? And what the hell have you dragged me into? It just keeps getting worse." She instantly accuses, her eyes shooting between Benji and I. I can feel her world shattering beneath her yet she only shows anger. Ferocity. No fear.
If she didn't hate me even more now I would totally be turned on. She is truly something. Different. Strong.
Benji starts for her;
"Alice, if you could just wait, I think you can help us with all of this." He tries but she is running towards the back door, clothing items being thrown off as she prepares to shift.
Her wolf needs out. It's either that or she kills us both. I can see it. She is too far gone.
She shoots us a look of absolute destruction over her shoulder as she pauses at the door;
"Watch Rox for me or I will kill you both right this second." With that last message, she shreds through her final layer of clothing and leaps out of the door. Her wolf howling into the foggy morning as she heads on fast paws for the hills.
Benji stands silently before me, his eyes tracking Alice as she runs further away from us.
"Well, that could have gone better." I hedge a bet and try to be jovial. His head jerks my way, his mouth opening as he prepares to give me a serve but he is interrupted by one of the elder members of our pack throwing herself inside the back door.she is covered in blood, not her own and her breath comes out in short spurts.
"Corinne, what is it?" Benji asks, moving towards her with haste as she falls onto the floor just inside the door.
"It's the doctors family." She manages to get out, breath stolen from her as she struggles to catch it.
"They are all dead." Her words shock me into immediate action.
"Go." Is all I hear from Benji before I'm shooting out the door and towards the doctors house that lays on the outskirts of our small town.
As I shift in motion, my clothes forgotten, I can already hear the pounding of another set of feet headed this way. One sniff lets me know she has beaten me there. Must have scented the blood. It's hard not to. With the sheer amount of it.
I arrive at the three adjoining houses just after Alice does, her nose flicking up as I arrive, her muzzle lifting slightly as I brush by her flank.
Relax little wolf. I know. No touching. Still mad. My wolf needs to reign his shit in. Clearly.
We pad around the outside of the sprawling building. The patio is long and surrounds the entire span of the three yellow painted houses. Alice heads around to the back of the centre house as I head towards the main entrance.
This home is usually spotless, clean and tidy. It does not normally have the double sized wooden door thrown wide open.
There are usually at least a couple of older she wolves sitting and chatting out front. The Docs wife. His daughter. Her aunt. There are usually children here at this time too, especially on a weekend.
My hackles rise that the very possibility that something could have happened to them especially.
Alice pads her way towards me, cautious but alert. Her ears are high and constantly twitching, listening out for any hidden threat. I scratch the earth below my front right paw, a showing that I intend to enter, hoping that she takes my flank. That we can work as a team.
Her large head nods as I start to enter the door, a low warning growl leaving her wolf. Is she scared? Or does she feel as sick at the potential sight we are going to find inside as I do?
Maybe both.
As soon as we enter I know that nothing good has happened here.
Pieces of our pack members who used to call this house a home, are now scattered around the entrance hall like a welcome gift that no one ever wanted to see.
Alice pounds the stairs ahead of me in her wolf form, her nose scenting out the childrens rooms and then searching the house. Springing from room to room, no doubt searching for the three little ones that live here with their extended family.
I already know that the Doc, his son and son in law will not beed to be found as I can see the crude gifts of their life's end ahead of me on the kitchen table.
Alice comes screeching down the stairs in her human form, a t shirt found somewhere in the house covering her from my wolf eyes.
She comes to halt beside me as she sees what I do.
The three heads of the males of this house, lined up like a post mortem talisman.
A message, loud and clear.
"The women and children are not here and they are long gone." Her voice is low and fearful. Full of sadness and laced with fury.
I throw my shift and pound my fist on the table in front of the heads as soon as it's formed from paw to hand.
Forgetting my nakedness in the midst of my anger.
"Who did this. Under our noses. Who did this?" I yell, my ears letting me know that Benji is close by.
Alice hands me a throw blanket she pulls from the couch behind us and i wrapt it around my waist, turning to face her, as covered as I can be. I take in the stricken expression on her face. It looks could scream, it would look like this.
"The doctor said this would happen. If I changed things. He said something would happen." She states, her wide eyes stare at me, terrified, her mouth hanging open. I have no clue what she even means, but I know it's not good.
"What are you talking about ?" I ask, not even sure if she is making sense. What the hell does she mean, the Doctor said?
With a quick glance behind me towards the table, she pulls my arm, compelling me forwards and towards the couch and handing me another blanket that I quickly throw over the deceased pack members.
No one needs to see that and they are on their way.
Feet quickly rush towards us and I know that things are about to get rocky.
Benji makes his entrance in human form, sniffs and then he sees the blanket covered table behind us. He strides across in three steps, lifts it up and his growl is immediate.
His eyes are wild and full of fury as he turns back towards us just as the others make their way through the house. Warriors and Corinne, the closets neighbour. They quickly come to the same assumption as we did.
"Where are they?" Benji says, his eyes never leaving the table and his voice hardly human. His wolf wants blood for his pack.
I ignore his question for now, instead demanding an answer from Alice.
"What did you mean, when you said the Doctor warned you. What does that even mean?" My eyes look between hers, trying hard to figure out what she is on about. When did she even talk with the Doc?
And then it hits me. And Benji too it seems, as he steps forward to ask her himself.
"Your time at the clinic, his outburst, what exactly did he say." His tone is calm but I know he is everything and anything but. Someone came here, slaughtered members of our pack and stole the women and children.
Alice darts her eyes to the table, pack members stand in front of it, their eyes cast low, paying their respects. She returns her gaze first to me and then to Benji before she speaks.
"He asked what i had done. He was furious, but it was more than that. He was scared. He said that he would have to pay for me saving the boys. I didn't know then what he even meant. But I think I do now. I think Damon has been planning his attack on you here, long before you even had a clue." As she says the words I know she is right. Our brother is crazy but he isn't stupid.
And he also doesn't call the shots.
Because there is only one reason someone wouldn't want male pups. And it's always the same reason. From the same crazy bitch.
No males means there can't be any competition, when he eventually comes to take over.
To take over it all.
And it all falls into place.