The Ebony Alpha Ch. 10

Meanwhile Back at the Clarion Ranch

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The Clarion Compound was located outside of Bismarck North Dakota and was a city within itself. It was a gated community that was enchanted to discourage humans from entering it boundaries. If it happened; the magic surrounding the property would gently guide them in another direction. Their shaman, Hosuk had protected the land many centuries ago.

At first glance someone would think they were entering an affluent suburb appointed with tennis courts and a first class athletic center. The Clarion compound educated their children only up to middle school. They wanted their children to attend the public High school so that they could learn to get along with humans. Although they had outstanding physical abilities, each child was not allowed to use them outside of the compound.

The pack members had their own homes and worked for the companies the Clarion's owned. Anderson Clarion had worked very hard to amass great wealth, but was happiest only when he could share it with his large and diverse pack. That included the large main house that sat at the very edge of the compound. It was much larger than the plantation house on the Boscoyo land.

The large building was comprised of three wings. The main floor held an industrial sized kitchen and a large dining hall that was open to the whole pack. There was also a massive meeting room and personal training areas for the occupants of the main house.

The clarion family lived on the third floor, where each suite was a small home equipped with a kitchen and living area.

On the second floor the Betas and their families were housed. In the well-appointed basement were the unmated Omega dormitories. Since they were the Clarion's largest workforce, keeping them close to the Alpha's home was important.

There was also a building to the right of the main house that resembled an elegant hotel. It was used as guest quarters and in the next few weeks it was going to be full.

Darien Foley the acting Alpha of the Clarion Pack was feeling a bit overwhelmed. The guests for the Blood Moon Ceremony had begun arriving, and finding a place for everyone was becoming tiresome. They had enough room to accommodate over two hundred guests, but juggling them around was frustrating.

The Eastern Europe Party wanted a suite with southern exposure, and the German Alpha wanted fresh pastries at every meal. Darien couldn't wait for Anderson and Ophelia to come back home.

They were great at this sort of thing. He knew this was a part of being an Alpha, but it was a job he didn't want. He was ready to leave on his own quest to find a mate. Jackson wasn't the only one ready for love.

His thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing and he picked it up tiredly.

"Hello." He answered not hiding his weariness.

"Hello Darien. It seems as if the festivities are getting to you my friend."

"Jackson! It's so good to hear from you. When are you coming home?"

"In a few days Darien, how are things going so far?"

"It's busy to say the least but, I'm happy that you were successful in finding your mate. I can't wait to meet her."

"She is as beautiful as the Prophecy declares Darien. It has been very difficult to keep my hands off of her. I am going crazy!"

Darien laughed loudly and said; "I feel for you man. I can't imagine not being able to have sex whenever I wanted to. I have been spoiled by pack life; there is no waiting around here."

Jackson could imagine the grin on his friend's face and sighed. "Don't be cruel Darien. I persevere because I know it will all be over soon. I look forward to our mating with much anticipation."

"I offer you my apologies Jackson. I will make sure that your suite is ready for a mistress and that no signs of Evelyn are present there."

"I greatly appreciate that Darien. How has she been handling everything? I have been worried that she wasn't taking our parting very well."

"Evelyn is a big girl Jackson. I tried to persuade her to stay away from you, but she has never listened to me. She is as stubborn as they come and I think that will help her survive."

"Thank you for your friendship Darien. You know I only wish her the best and hope that she will find a mate as well."

"You are welcome Jackson. Now is there any business that you need to discuss? I know this isn't just a social call."

"I was wondering if you had contacted the Shaman yet. You know he is deep in the wilderness and it will take a few days just to bring him back to the Ranch."

"I will send one of our best trackers to get him. Sebastian might be a good choice or even Maxwell. What do you think?"

"Either one will be fine. Just make sure Hosuk is there by the end of the week. We should arrive then as well. There will be quite a few of us; Megan, her grandmother, cousin Maddie; who is now Sullivan's mate, and another cousin Raphael."

Jackson stopped to catch his breath and laughed.

"I didn't just gain a mate, I added a family. Raphael is a beta for Napoleon Boscoyo, how is that for a great connection."

"Thanks for the heads up. I'll prepare Sullivan a suite as well. You guys have all the luck; did Stephan find a mate too?"

"Are you kidding he's not looking. When his mate finally finds him, she will have to fight all the women in the pack. I don't think he has ever slept alone." The two men laughed and Darien promised to find someone to bring the Shaman back to the compound.

"Goodbye Jackson, I will see you soon." Darien hung up the phone and looked up surprised to see His sister standing in the doorway.

"Damn Evelyn you should have coughed or something. How much did you hear anyway?"

"I heard everything Darien, every damn thing! I need to get the hell out of here. Let me go get Hosuk, I am the best tracker you've got. I know this land like the back of my hand, and since we are part Sioux, you know I am the best choice."

Darien looked at his heartbroken sister and in that instant his heart broke too.

"I will let you go with Sebastian; it is too dangerous for you to go alone."

"Thank you Darien you will make a good Alpha someday."

****

Sebastian was surprised that Darien had agreed to let Evelyn accompany him. He had to admit that Evelyn was a good Beta in her own right, but this was a dangerous task and the Alpha would not be happy that she had come. They rode their ATVs as far as the land allowed and shed their clothes.

They transformed into their wolves and began the trek deeper into the wooded hill side. Evelyn relished her freedom and chased a squirrel that stepped into their path.

"Come on Evelyn we don't have time to play, we need to find the Shaman before nightfall."

Sebastian barked his disapproval and nudged her back onto the trail.

Evelyn breathed in the crisp cold air and lopped in Sebastian's wake. He was an impressive wolf and his mate was very lucky. They had four children, and that was a miracle in their pack. Most mates had one pup and they counted themselves blessed.

"There is a cave up ahead; we need to circle around and come up down wind."

Sebastian walked ahead slowly and put his nose to the ground. Sniffing carefully he suddenly reared back and shifted into his hybrid form, before he had completely changed a bear rushed from the cave.

Growling loudly the large Black Bear stood and assessed his target. This was a beast he had seen before. He didn't fear this thing and reached out swiping its paw through the air barely missing Sebastian's chest.

Evelyn shifted to hybrid form and joined Sebastian against the bear. This only angered him and he rushed the new enemy. Sebastian stepped between the bear and Evelyn raking his long claws across his stomach opening it and spilling blood an intestines.

Bellowing in rage, the bear fell backwards and managed to grab Evelyn's leg on his way down. Sebastian went in for the kill, and pried the bears head from his shoulders.

Evelyn didn't move and groaned in pain. Her leg was twisted in an odd angle and claw marks separated her flesh from the bone. Sebastian cursed their bad luck.

"I am going to have to set your leg before it heals. Shift back and it will make it easier for me to straighten it out."

Evelyn shifted into her human body and grimaced when she looked at her leg. It was torn and crooked from the knee down to the ankle. Her blood was turning the snow pink and Sebastian looked at it closely.

He found a strong branch and snapped it into a size that matched her leg. He smiled at her and winked his eye as he quickly grabbed her leg and pulled.

"Oh shit!" Evelyn shouted, and the laughter she heard fill the air, was not Sebastian's.

"I suppose you two must be looking for me." A man covered in bearskins from the hat on his head to the boots covering his feet entered the clearing. His face was smooth and clean. His eyes were a striking light blue like the afternoon sky.

Evelyn cowered in the snow not really feeling the cold but not wanting this man to see her naked. Feeling her discomfort the man pulled one of the skins from his body, and wrapped the woman in its soft warmth. He then helped Sebastian tie the branch to her leg.

"Hosuk we have been sent to bring you to the compound for the Blood Moon Ceremony."

"Has it been a hundred years already young Beta? That means that the Prophesies will end on that night. I will be relieved. No man should try to manipulate nature."

Evelyn was mesmerized by his voice and trembled visibly when he lifted her in his arms. If Hosuk noticed her anxiety; he did not show it.

"Do you need to get anything from your cabin Shaman? We still have time to wait for you to prepare yourself to leave."

"No young Beta, I will find everything that I need in my quarters at the compound. I haven't been there in over a century, but Anderson keeps it ready for me in case I ever decide to show up. We are very old friends." The Shaman smiled and looked at the woman he carried.

"Will you be able to sit on your machine little one? Your leg is badly injured and needs to be kept still."

"I don't think so. I feel it healing, but I will not be back to normal until tomorrow."

The giant man stopped in his tracks and looked at Sebastian. "Young Beta you must go and bring back a more suitable vehicle to transport our patient to the compound. I will keep her safe in my cabin until you return."

Sebastian nodded and shifted into his wolf so that he could move faster. Evelyn watched as her friend's shape disappeared into the trees, and her eyes turned back to the large male that had her pressed against his warm chest. She hadn't met anyone larger than Jackson and felt safe for the first time in a long while.

Hosuk was a legend, and his story was told around the campfires of many Packs. He was almost as old as Anderson Clarion and had lived with the Clarion pack off and on for centuries.

He was called up on to perform ceremonies and heal those who were sick in their spirits. He was known as a Spirit Walker and had helped many wolves who had lost their mates.

When Hosuk had lost his mate there was not a Spirit Walker available to help him. He had been away at the Killdeer Mountain Range hunting, when the big flood had swallowed the lands. His mate Evening Star, had been lost in the waters and he had survived because he had been on higher ground. His guilt had enveloped him and he'd wandered the Badlands like a ghost.

One night as he slept; the Goddess Luna appeared to him and showed him a great wolf that was in trouble. He was Black and sleek larger than any normal wolf, and trapped under a large boulder.

When the Hosuk woke he could hear yelps in the distance. He slowly approached the pitiful sounds and saw the trapped wolf trying to move his leg from under the giant rock.

Finding a sturdy branch, Hosuk started digging a hole on the opposite side of the wolf's trapped leg. The stone leaned away from the animal and Hosuk pushed the branch further underneath the boulder giving the wolf enough room to escape.

In a hurry to move the wolf accidentally fell backwards and gripped the man's arm with his teeth. The man kept pushing the rock until the wolf was free and collapsed as the rock rolled away.

The wolf stopped his escape when he smelled the blood. He walked back to his rescuer and sniffed the air. He shimmered as a mist and transformed into a very tall Black man. Hosuk kneeled before him and begged for his life in his native tongue.

The man understood him and assured him that he meant him no harm.

"Please be calm my friend, rise and face me. I am what you call a Werewolf in your tongue. I must take you with me for you will soon become as I am. "

"How can that be? I am just a man. I have no magic as you do."

"I have spilled your blood and have infected you with the poison inside of me. You will soon feel the changes inside of your spirit and it will overtake you. If you come with me I will teach you my ways and help you accept your new life."

"I have seen many things in my life; but you are a new creature to me. What magic do you possess that gives you the power to shift your shape?"

"I am a child of the Moon Goddess. I was born into this life, but many were turned against their will. I don't want you to suffer needlessly; and you will if you do not allow me to help you."

Hosuk looked at the large Black man in front of him and held out his arm. They clasped arms and nodded to each other. There was no need to complain as far as Hosuk was concerned, his life had not been worth living without Evening Star.

Maybe this new life would prove to be a healing balm for his soul.

That was over three hundred years ago. Hosuk discovered that with his change his Native American characteristics were enhanced. He heard the spirits of his ancestors more clearly and became a dream and spirit walker.

He could enter a person's dreams and calm their fears. He also could leave his body and visit the spirit world in order to help the living.

Hosuk looked at the woman he was carrying and wondered why she would lie about her leg. Werewolves healed with supernatural speed. Her pain was deeper than her leg, and he wanted, no he needed to heal this little one.

Evelyn lifted her head and looked around her as the large man slowed down. She saw a group of tall trees that were growing together like a natural fence.

Behind them almost hidden was a large log cabin that seemed to be built into the hillside. Hosuk walked through the trees and slowly placed Evelyn down on a tree stump close to the front door.

He reached above the archway of the tall door and push down. The door swung open and Hosuk picked Evelyn up and walked inside the cavernous room.

Strategically placed skylights lit up the room and helped Evelyn's eyes adjust to the light inside of the cabin. The Shaman gently sat her down on the large comfortable couch and went to the fireplace to start a fire.

"This is a very nice place. We've been in these woods many times and I have never noticed it."

"In the spring and summer it is hidden by the foliage. But in the fall and winter it is hidden by my magic. I cherish my privacy."

Evelyn could understand this, and relaxed against the couch cushions. She was feeling well enough to walk now, but didn't want Hosuk to know. She just wanted a little more time away from the compound. She needed time to get herself together before she had to face Jackson and his mate.

Evelyn wasn't stupid she knew that loving Jackson had been a risk. He had been gentle and had never taken another lover as long as they had shared a bed. But the passion of mates had not been a part of their relationship.

He was a good man and a great Alpha. He would lead his people with strength and now prosperity as he and his mate joined under the Blood Moon.

"Are you warm enough little one?" Hosuk asked bringing her out of her thoughts.

He rose from the hearth and stood in front of her. "It is alright if you walk now. I know that you can do so."

Evelyn blushed in embarrassment and tried to think of an excuse for her falsehood.

"What is your name young one?"

"My name is Evelyn and thank you for not telling Sebastian that I was well enough to go home."

"You have caused a delay in my arrival, and I am grateful for that. We have two weeks before the ceremony and I don't want to be a part of all the preliminary hoopla."

"We seem to be kindred spirits Shaman; I wish to have the same solitude."

"Why do you want to be away from your pack? I know the Clarion Ranch and it is a good home. I am an old wolf and I have had my fill of pack life. You are young your mate awaits you, it will be a dishonor to hide yourself away."

"I know you speak the truth Shaman I just want a little time away. I need to make some hard decisions about my life and this seems a great place to think."

"You are welcome here Evelyn, but only until we have to go back to the compound. I will contact The Alpha and let him know."

"I will contact him through our bond, Darien is my brother. He will understand and I will be able to breathe easily for a while."

Hosuk disappeared into the bedroom and rummaged through a cedar chest at the foot of the bed. He pulled out a flannel shirt and laid it across the bed and pulled a large towel from a drawer beneath it. He walked back into the great room and stopped at the front door facing his guest.

"I am going to head back to the clearing and check to see if the bear is still there. It would be sinful to let all of that meat go to waste. The bathroom is connected to the bedroom and I laid a shirt and towel out for you to use. Make yourself at home, I will return shortly."

Hosuk left the cabin and gulped the cold air into his lungs. He was an old wolf and with age came much control, but the pull he felt to Evelyn made him tremble and caused his blood to boil.

Her scent was completely overpowered by the smell of the bear, but after a shower he would be able to smell her. Then he would be able to tell if she was more to him than a mere woman.

Evening Star had been the love of his life and the thought of finding his mate after all this time, caused him great excitement and anxiety. His life was a solitary one and he enjoyed it.

Anderson spent two weeks out of the year with him and they ran as wolves exclusively. Would having a mate end his free life? Would he even be able to adapt to having a woman in his life? His wolf was growling yes! But he just didn't know.

When he arrived at the clearing the carcass of the bear was covered in snow, preserving it from spoiling. He squared his shoulders and pulled his knife from its sheath at his side. He skinned the bear expertly and quickly cut it into quarters.

Wrapping the meat in the hide he tied it with the intestines and hefted the bundle on his back. Covered in blood he started the trek back home.

****

"Darien, I need to talk with you, are you busy?"

Evelyn waited for the yell she knew was coming.

"Evelyn, thank goodness! We were just waiting for Sebastian to get here. He contacted me to get an SUV ready we will be there within the hour."

"I don't want to come back yet Darien; I am healing very well and Hosuk said I could crash here for a few days. So put away the posse. I am staying put."

The silence on the other end was deafening but she waited.

"I don't quite understand, but I will respect your wishes. Are you sure you are alright? I don't want you getting in Hosuk's way; he has a very important job to do in a few weeks."

"I want to get away for a while; I need to prepare my mind for what is to come."

"I would call you childish for running away, but I want you to be happy. While you are there see if you can get Hosuk to work a little magic on you."