In the kitchen stood a muscular man in his mid-twenties, his body was only covered by sweatpants which hung so low, you could see his well-defined v-line. "Daniel" shrieking he dropped the chocolate bar on the ground, to put his hands to cup his nipples "Why haven't you told me that a girl was coming over?"
"Grayson, it isn't like you're naked and Hayley is now living here." a low chuckle statled me.
Grayson squealed in excitement like a little school girl, but then stopped, and yelled for some guy called Andrew.
Soon a brunette guy running down the stairs looking alarmed, but sighed when he only saw us standing there. He walked over to Grayson, wrapping one arm around his torso and layed the other one over his shoulders to pull him closer to him. Grayson giggled again as the guy whispered somthing in his ear, but cleared his throat, trying to act serious.
"Hayley, this is my mate, Andrew. Andrew, this is Hayley." he gave me a curt nod. Grayson nuged at his mates arm, when he got his attention he mouthed 'smile' to him. Andrew turned to me again and smiled awkwardly.
There was something off with Andrew. He was intimidating me by the way he would glance, mostly like starred at me while Daniel and Grayson were talking about some pack business. It was almost like he was trying to figure something out. Even when I looked in his direction, I always caught him looking at me.
I sighed out in relief when they were done talking. After we walked up the stairs, Daniel showed me my room which was in front of his. He said that if I needed anything, all I had to do was knocking on his door. Then he left me alone to settle in. This was all too much for me on one day, I mean, finding out that you're pregnant with your ex-mates babies, the weird connection to a werewolf who wasn't my mate and then the thing with my wolf.
I couldn't feel her presence. She had been the most important person for the last years. She was always there for me, when my parents died, the first time when the pack would make me feel like I didn't belong there, when the Alpha couple, who were like my second parents, left to travel.
She was there after my mate rejected me. She didn't whine or cried a bit, she always cared about me first. In the end she all she got was a rejection and her death.
She didn't deserved it. No one does. Nevertheless, I also knew that she wouldn't like me crying about it. My wolf would have told me to 'stay strong and move on' . She always said that whether a person would hurt, disappoint or leave me again.
I knew I wasn't strong, but after everything I had to be, for my babies and for her.
I whipped the tears away when I felt them falling onto my hands. Walking to the door, I thought about it... Should I really stay here? Should I take the risk of getting hurt again by letting people in? Or should I just take the easiest way out and run? I looked at the door handle and grabbed it after a few moments of hesitation, opening the door.
Finally, making my way down the stairs, I tried to recognize the way to the kitchen. To my rescue I saw Daniel coming upstairs.
"Hey, I was about to call you for dinner. Do you want to eat with us?" He offered me a kind smile. It was different from the other ones I have seen the past years. It wasn't fake.
"If it's okay with the others?"
"Of course it is. Come." He gestured with his hand to follow him to the dining room. Beta Luke, Grayson and his mate already took a seat on the table. Daniel pulled the chair back for me to sit down, thanking him.
In front of me, was placed a big bowl with pasta noodles by an older woman After I thanked her, I just stared at it. This was probably my first proper meal in months. Why are they so nice to me even though they have just met me for a some days and most of them I was unconscious in the hospital.
"What is it? Do you not like the pasta? We can make something else if-"
"No, it's just that no one has been so nice to me in years..." By the time I said that the conversations quieted down and everyone was looking as some tears ran down my cheeks.
"You didn't gave us a reason not to be nice" Grayson explained "um, I was a rogue in your territory, so technically yes I gave you one" I mumbled.
"You're different. I already told you my wolf wanted to protect you, the first minute we saw you. I know, it'll take a while for your to accept things how they are, but you're a part of our pack now, you're family. We won't hurt you. Instead we will protect you from those who want to" he looked me deeply in the eyes with his now black eyes and hold my hand while saying that. The others only nodded their heads, when I turned around to see their reaction.
"Go ahead, please eat." Grayson whispered.
I looked at Daniel again and he only said "You don't have to ask me for permission."
The rest of dinner was quiet, sometimes they would talk about some pack business.
As Daniel walked me up to my room, while talking about the doctors appointment for the twins, Andrew came walking towards us. "Daniel, Hayley, I want to show you something in the library." So we followed him.
The library shelves were full stuffed with old, antique books which looked like they were going to fall apart the moment you'd touch them. "When we've met, I noticed that you both have some strange connection, but not only you can feel it. The pack too. So I decided to do some research and found this" he showed us a thick book. It's cover was out of old brown leather.
"What language is this?" Daniel opened it and turned a page after another one.
"It's German and the book was written in 1669 by someone called Wilhelm von Eschen. This chapter describes a situation which is exactly like ours is right now. It's called 'Beschützer' which means protectors. He wrote about a woman and a man who both were extremely affected from the loss of their mates. After they have suffered enough bad in their lifes, the moon goddess saw how broken and lost they were without them, she rewrote fate and made them cross their paths." I never would have thought that Andrew could speak German.
"Is there any other information?" Daniel asked him, after some seconds of silence. "Wait, shh, I'm translating. It's not easy to read old German, it's complicated sometimes." Andrew scolded him like he was an impatient little kid.
"Beschützer sind meist durch einem ähnlichen Mal gekennzeichnet, wie des zwischen Seelenverwandten. In der Menschenform ist dies aber am Handgelenk sichtbar. In der Gestalt ihres Wolfes liegen diese Markierungen wiederum neben ihrem Auge."
I couldn't understand a thing what Andrew just whispered.
But as his head snapped up from the book to our wrists, I knew that something was up. "Show me your wrist, both of you." We did as we were told and gasped at the sight.
My right wrist was a bit swollen and red, but you could see the outlines of something like a tattoo of a sun. The same was by Daniels, but on his left wrist and with the outlines of a crescent moon.
"So, it is true. I always thought it was a legend when my granny told me about it in stories. However, you have the tattoos they described in this book. You're protectors" He let out a loud breath and pointed at the painting in the book.
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Translation:
"Beschützer sind meist durch einem ähnlichen Mal gekennzeichnet, wie des zwischen Seelenverwandten. In der Menschenform ist dies aber am Handgelenk sichtbar. In der Gestalt ihres Wolfes liegen diese Markierungen wiederum neben ihrem Auge."
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"Most of the times protectors are bearing a mark, which is similar to those of mates. In their human form it is visible on their wrist. However, in the shape of their wolf it is near their eye."