19.
The next morning Ashling was woken violently by a screaming Keiran. She scrambled out of bed throwing her clothes on in a rush and ran from the room ready shift if needed. She walked into the kitchen to see Keiran hopping on one leg holding his other foot whining in pain.
"What the hell?" She giggled slightly at the sight of him hopping around almost doing the can opener dance.
"Ouch!" He back up to the counter and hopped up to sit there and examine his foot. "I was going to fix you some break fast. I was carrying that box of cookware we got from your pack and I slammed my toe into the island." Ashling stepped over to him and looked at his toe.
"It's fine." She giggled as she glanced back up at his pouting face. "Well we have the pots and pans but we haven't bought any food, so what were you going to cook?"
"My mom bought some essentials for us. So scrambled eggs and toast?" Keiran asked as he raised his eye brows waiting for an answer.
"Sure." Ashling moved over to the closed box of pots and pans and opened it and began pulling out the new cookware. Keiran picked up a pan taking it to the sink to clean it off and placed it on the range.
"I guess after breakfast we'll run by the bank and then do some shopping. Is that okay with you?"
"Yep. And you still owe me new clothes since I had to rip through some at camp." She smirked as she glanced over her shoulder. Keiran simply shook his head rolling his eyes as he chuckled to himself.
Within ten minutes they were both sitting on the island counter eating quietly. When they were both done Ashling took both their paper plates throwing them away and walked back to the bedroom to shower. Her shower was short lived as she rushed to dry off and change into a pair of short jean shorts and a tank top. She quickly located Keiran in the formal living room moving a few boxes around, he was already dressed in fitted black t-shirt and khaki shorts.
"Ready?" He asked as he saw Ashling standing in the doorway, she simply nodded. Keiran slipped on some shoes grabbing Ashling's car keys.
As he said they went to the bank first but quickly set out for a few furniture stores. Keiran let her choose whatever she wanted laughing at her when her eyes would grow wide with excitement. By early afternoon she had pick out furniture, televisions, a computer, desk, and office chair. Most all would be delivered the next day giving them some time to unpack her stuff. After taking in a late lunch they decided to buy some groceries and head home. That was still odd for Ashling to say, but she could feel herself beginning to consider it her home. When they arrived back at the house they both filled their arms with bags of food from the trunk beginning to carry them inside. Something caught her by surprise, as she walked through the kitchen the back door was wide open, when I it was closed and locked before they left.
"KEIRAN!" Ashling called out, he came in carrying another load of groceries. He placed them down on the counter then turned look at Ashling.
"What's wrong babe?" His eyes followed what Ashling was looking. Anger began boiling within him. He excused himself from the room to shift without hurting anyone. When he reentered the kitchen his large wolf form barely fit he moved toward the back door and sniffed it violently stepping into the back yard a bit. He walked back in a few seconds later to see Ashling still frozen in her spot. Once he shifted back he slipped on his shorts moved to Ashling's side. "You okay?"
"Who would do that?" Her voice wavering slightly.
"I don't know, that scent isn't anyone I know." Keiran shook his head as he pulled out his phone hitting one button and then began speaking to someone. "I'll see you in a few minutes then." He placed his phone back down and began unloading the groceries into the refrigerators and cabinets.
"Ash?" He moved to her side once again wrapping his arms around her. "Honey, I won't let anything happen to you. We'll find out who did this. And I already have someone coming to replace the door and change the locks." Ashling nodded in agreement and quickly moved to help unpack the rest of the grocery bags.
Minutes later Devin strolled through the front door without knocking he was angrily stomping down the hallway into the kitchen. Keiran stiffened his back at his father's presence. "How many?" His voice loud and gruff as he moved to eye the back door.
"Two or three." Keiran responded. Ashling heard a knock at the front door and left the men in the kitchen to talk.
Reaching the door she saw four guys standing there with a new door and a bag in their hands. They all looked in their early twenties as she looked over each of them. "Hey there, you must be Ashling." A blonde guy asked at the front of the group.
"I am. I guess y'all are supposed to be here to fix the back door." She noted as she moved from the door allowing them to enter. All four walked in taking up most of the hall way stopping when they heard the Alpha's voice booming from the kitchen.
Keiran must of noticed them right away as he welcomed them. "Ash, let me introduce you to Cameron, Anthony, Dylan, Xavier." He announced pointing to each one then stepping to her side he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Guys, this is Ashling, my mate." A blush crept into her cheeks as he kissed her neck in front of a bunch men she didn't know.
"Nice to meet you, Ashling." The blonde guy, who she just learned was Cameron, stated then looked to Devin who was suddenly in wolf form sniffing around the door and the back yard like Keiran had done earlier. "We brought the door and locks like you asked. This door may look like wood but it's reenforced internally with ¾ inch of steel. Even an Alpha would have trouble with this door." Keiran nodded in approval.
"Good job boys," Devin nodded at the boys as he walked back in wearing his pants and his shirt draped over his shoulder. "Did either of you notice if anything was taken?"
"No, we don't have much to take. But we haven't really checked either." Ashling looked around looking puzzled as to why someone would break into a home that didn't have anything in it.
"Well who ever it was is long gone, the scent is from early in the morning."
"They must have been waiting for us to leave this morning." Ashling noticed this conversation was going to last a while and decided to sneak off to start unpacking her boxes. She quickly found a few boxes of clothes and began carrying them back to their bedroom stacking them in the closet she claimed as her's. Before long Devin walked in and informed Ashling he was leaving. She smiled and waved good bye as she was deep into unpack a box of her photos and other random trinkets.
"I was wondering where you ran off too." Keiran whispered from behind her. He picked up a couple boxes containing the presents from their going away party and quickly took them to the kitchen. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Keiran. I am a werewolf after all." She smirked as she picked up a couple picture frames and arranged them over the dresser she brought.
In no time most of the boxes were deposited in different rooms awaiting the new furniture to be delivered the next day. After Keiran's friends replaced the door and the locks they agreed they'd return in the morning to help with the furniture as long as they supplied the food. Ashling laughed at the thought of having to cook large meals for numerous pack members.
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"We brought you this, will it work?" The male dropped the silk pajama top on the ground in front of them.
Emma walked up picking it up as if it was infected with some disease sniffing it lightly only to push it away from her body. "It will work." She snarled loudly as she turned back around. "I want you to keep an eye on that house, if she ever leave alone I want her taken. Bring her ALIVE! I don't want any accidents."
"Well daughter what do you plan on doing with her? I think you made enough mistakes already, so you better do it right this time." An Alpha's voice called from a darken corner. "You better have your hunters watch their backs, that entire valley is a pack. They'll have hell raining down on them in a blink of an eye there."
"I'll handle this." She snapped violently as her began to glow eerily.
"Watch who you are addressing like that child. I am your Alpha and could easily snap you like a twig, my blood or not!" He roared as he stepped from the shadows.
Emma dropped to her knees as the power of her voice made her legs give way. Yelping as her knees fell hard on the floor she began to mumble, "Yes, father."
"Better." The Alpha snarled, "I will get what I deserve and you will get what you want as well."
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Ashling got up early the next morning to prepare breakfast for Keiran and his friends who should be arriving soon. She scrambled two dozen eggs, toasted a loaf of bread, and fried two pounds of bacon. Keiran padded into the kitchen wearing sweat pants smiling as he sniffed the air excitedly.
"Smells wonderful." He hugged Ashling from behind as he gazed over her shoulder to watch her flipping each individual piece of bacon.
"Thank you." She turned her head planting a kiss on his cheek then turning back to the sizzling bacon. "Could you start a pot of coffee please?" Ashling pointed to the new coffee maker sitting in the far corner and the can of coffee grounds sitting directly beside it.
"Certainly." Keiran chuckled as he walked over and started fumbling about the coffee maker.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"COME IN!" Keiran called out as Cameron, Dylan, Anthony and Xavier walked in each sniffing the air with a grin pasted on their faces.
"Mmm, smells good!" Xavier licked his lips as he eyed the food hungrily.
"You do this all on your own Ashling?" Dylan asked as his eyes grew wide with the amount of food.
"Yep! Go ahead and grab a plate. Keiran is attempting to make coffee, but there is juice and milk in one of the refrigerators." She smiled as she loaded the plate of bacon up with more hot strips of meat.
All four men scrambled at the stack of plates piling food onto their plates. Keiran finally got the coffee brewing and started serving himself some breakfast. "Thank you baby." He kissed Ashling on the lips softly only to hear whistling from the other guys. Ashling flipped them off as she wrapped her arms around Keiran's neck and kissed him back.
"Funny girl you got their, Keiran. Where'd you meet her at?" Anthony asked he bite a piece of bacon in half.
"That camp I was at."
"Oh yeah, any other fine looking she wolves there?" Cameron asked wiggling his eye brows.
"Sure, my cousin, Ava and my room mate Cassie." Ashling smirked. "But I think my cousin is quite smitten with another staff member."
"So did you know right away?" Dylan looked up at her with waiting silver eyes.
"Nope, in fact I thought he was an ass!" Ashling smirked as she grabbed her plate of food and hopped up on the counter. Keiran's friends' eyes grew wide and began grinning wildly as they cut their gaze to him. "He was rude and told me I didn't seem like the leader type."
"Are you?" Cameron asked intrigued.
"My father is a pretty good leader if you ask me, and I like to think he taught me well." She smirked as she bit into a piece of toast.
"Who's your dad?" They all asked at once.
"Her dad is Connor Baynes."
"NO SHIT?!?" They all chuckled as they stared at Ashling wide eyed.
"Yep. That would be him." Ashling smiled as she finished her breakfast and put the plate in the sink. "In fact I should go call him, I haven't talked to him since we left a few days ago."
"Okay." Keiran nodded as Ashling walked back to the bedroom to find her cell phone. She dialed the number that had been engrained in her memory for years and soon someone picked up the line.
"Hello?"
"Daddy?"
"Ashling." She could hear her mother yelling in the background "Is that Ash?", Connor pulled the phone away and state, "Yes, dear, it is."
"Ash?" Kalee picked up another phone, "Are you okay, what's it like?"
"Mom, calm down. I'm fine and it's really nice. The pack's land is the entire valley, we have this really nice house." Ashling reassured her mother as she sat on the bed twirling a curl around her finger. "We have furniture being delivered soon, Keiran's friends are here to help."
"That's good. Anything else happening?" Connor asked.
"Um. Well someone broke in yesterday while we were gone." Ashling mumbled quickly hoping her mother wasn't listening to closely.
"WHAT! ASHLING ELIZABETH BAYNES! Pack your stuff, your coming home!" Kalee yelled through the phone.
"No I'm not mom! The Alpha came by yesterday checked it out and Keiran's friends replaced the door with a steel reenforced one and new locks. What I can't figure is why would someone break into a house that was empty!" Ashling said forcefully.
"Connor, talk some sense into your daughter, please." Kalee whined to her husband.
"Kalee, stop it. Ashling can take care of herself, and Keiran is a very capable Omega and wouldn't allow anything harmful to come to her." Connor spoke firmly.
"But."
"Not but's Kalee. Ashling is an adult with a mate now, she can't and won't come running home because you told her too."
"Fine!" Kalee huffed like a child, "Ashling take care of yourself, and you know you can come home at any time! I love you sweetie."
"I love you too, Mom." Ashling replied back as she stood to look out her bedroom window to see the first of many trucks pulling up to the yard. "I really must go, now, the furniture just arrived. I love you , Daddy."
"I love you too. Be safe."
"I will. Bye" Ashling ended the call tossing her phone on the bed and walking out to see the mess left in the kitchen. "Boys!" She rolled her eyes as she gathered all the plates putting them in the sink rinsing them off then loading them into the dish washer.
Ashling spent the next few hours directing the men where put each piece of furniture. Making sure each piece was set just right before moving on to the next. With every new belonging that walked through the door the house began to feel more and more like home. She hoped this feeling would last, but something was gnawing her from the inside, an ominous feeling that she couldn't shake off.