Wolf's Pet Ch. 32

Karen walked slowly through the door, trying not to glance at the stranger in the room. She knew he was the European Archivist. She wondered what he was going to tell them. And why weren't Troy and Danielle here? She spotted Cole and sped up her walk to get to his side faster. She sat down quickly and leaned back into his inviting body. Her wolf was much happier now that she was with her mate. She didn't like forced separation for any amount of time, even a few hours.

Sarah took James' outstretched hand and he pulled her close. She noticed the tall Were looking at her. There was something so familiar about him. But what? Her wolf seemed happy to see him and wanted to greet him. She didn't expect the growl coming from James, and her wolf immediately laid down in response.

Katy walked confidently into the room but was surprised when Rhys jumped up to meet her at the entry. He never did that. He seemed ridiculously possessive as far as she was concerned. She thought he was being entirely too protective of her. It was so unlike him. What was it about the Belgian Werewolf that had him on edge? He looked nice enough. She looked sideways at Rhys, hoping for some sort of explanation or at least a smile. She was disappointed. He looked like he was ready to attack if given any provocation.

Jenna was the last to enter. As always, she seemed to make a grand entrance with no effort at all. There was something about her that shone through to everyone, something special. The bruises on her face and neck were noticeable to all, a grim reminder of what Gary had done to her. She almost floated across the room to Alistair who waited for her with open arms, enveloping her when she stopped in front of him. He hugged her tightly in greeting and then held her chair as she sat.

Guillame watched as his granddaughters entered the room, one at a time. He saw Karen breeze in, a newly turned wolf with auburn hair. He'd never seen a wolf quite that color. She looked a little timid and seemed to almost run to her mate. Guillame smiled as she leaned into him for safety.

When Sarah arrived he saw her longing gaze for her new mate. He could tell her wolf had just recently come out. He chuckled to himself at her mate's protectiveness from him of all people.

Katy's appearance almost sent him to his knees. He had known she would look like Orsolya from Rhys' reaction, but he hadn't realized how much. He so wanted to take her in his arms and inhale her scent, just to know her better. But from the look on her mate's face he knew if he attempted without Rhys' express permission he would be as good as dead. He forced himself to keep control. His wolf was not as interested as his human form. She may look like Orsalya, but her scent was not here. He would never again smell the mixture of lilac and birch. Just the thought of it made him weak, even all these years later.

His reminiscences stopped as soon as Jenna walked into the room. She took his breath away. He had known the Werepanther that was mate to the Alpha of the Vlkolak all those years ago. Jenna had to be her reincarnation. He stood there stunned, unable to move. He tried not to stare, it was impolite and would earn him the ire of her mate. That he did not wish to do. He bristled when he saw the vivid bruises that stood out so starkly from her pale skin. If Gary hadn't already been dead, he would have wanted to do it himself. It made him proud to one day have Alistair as kin to know that he killed the rogue.

Carr sat at his desk, watching the arrival of each of the women and the corresponding reactions of Guillame. He looked like a proud and protective grandfather to him. His first impression was that Guillame had been telling the truth. He was here to help them, and the women were his first concern.

Since Rhys and Alistair were so intimately enmeshed in this, Carr would facilitate this meeting. He stood carefully, still not fully healed, but well on his way. He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. When all were looking at him he began.

"Ladies, thank you for coming. I know you've been wondering what we've been talking about in here for half the day. I appreciate your patience. I'm sure you've already figured out we were talking about you." Carr smiled as they nodded their heads.

"I would like to introduce all of you to Guillame Bertrand. He is the Archivist for the European packs. Before that he was a member of their Council. He came here to help you understand your past. There is no one that knows better than he does about the history of the Vlkolak and your ancestors." The women seemed to lean forward, eager to hear more about their family history.

"You've all seen your pedigree charts and know that you're cousins, descended from a Vlkolak female named Orsolya that came to America in 1860 from Hungary to escape. She was your third great grandmother." They again nodded, looking at the charts they held in their hands of their family trees.

Karen felt Cole's hands holding her shoulders, squeezing tighter as Carr continued. Something had him upset but he was masking it from her. She tried to press him through their bond and he refused to give her a clue. They'd have to have a talk later about him hiding things from her. She'd noticed it since this Were had arrived.

"And I'm sure you've all noticed the space for Orsolya's mate is blank. That's because it was kept secret from the European and American Councils for her safety and that of her unborn cub, your second great grandmother, Mariska." Carr watched as each of the women looked back at their chart, nodding their heads that they saw it. He saw the intense looks on the faces of the women as they tried to understand what was happening, and the looks on the faces of their mates, was it anticipation?

"Guillame was Orsolya's mate, and your third great grandfather." He paused as he saw the surprised expressions on their faces.

Sarah turned to James with a look of amazement. Her wolf was running around in circles her tail in the air. Now their mate would let them meet him. She wanted to have a family of her own. Sarah hadn't had one in so long. She loved James and couldn't wait to be a part of his, but this was her own family.

"Guillame, would you like to say something?" Carr motioned to him.

"My children, I am so grateful to Carr and your mates for allowing me to meet and speak with you. I have thought of you so many times over the years without knowing anything about you. You have ALWAYS been in my heart." He looked at each of them, hoping they understood how much he meant every word. "I came here to help you understand how important you are to the Werewolf race and all of the packs in the world, not just North America. My mate, your third great grandmother, saw all of you in her dreams. She always told me what she dreamt and we kept notes. I still have them. And she saw your future. She described each of you to perfection. I feel as if I'd met you before from her descriptions so many years ago. And she foretold our meeting. I am so pleased that it has all come true so far as she recited it to me."

He stood in the middle of the room, looking at the beautiful women that were his family. It had been so long since he'd called anyone family. He wanted to take each of them in his arms and hold them tight, but he knew that would not happen until their mates were much more accepting of him. He could wait.

Katy looked at Rhys. He'd known and hidden it from her. She knew he had his reasons and she tried not to be hurt by it.

Rhys saw the look on Katy's face and although they didn't yet have a mental bond, he could read her feelings. She was disappointed he hadn't disclosed this to her when he'd found out. But she would accept it. He stroked her hair, playing with the red strands as he always did when he wanted to be closest to her, when he needed to calm himself. And he needed to calm himself before he ripped Guillame apart. He hadn't said any of this to them about their importance to their race.

Guillame saw the look flash across Rhys' face and similar from Alistair. He knew he would have to explain himself soon to them. But for now, all he wanted was to enjoy the company of his progeny.

Jenna was holding Alistair's hand and could feel the rage in his body. Although they'd only known each other less than a day, she knew him intimately from her dreams. She knew every nuance in his speech and expression. But she didn't understand why he was so upset over what the Were had said.

Jenna turned to Guillame. "What should we call you?"

"Whatever you like my dear, by my name, or grandfather, or whatever term you feel appropriate for your ancestor." He smiled warmly. His granddaughters smiled back, but their mates were not.

"Guillame," Alistair spoke with barely concealed anger. "what is it that our mates will do that is so important?"

"Well, it's not really so much your mates, but your descendents. Without them, our race will die. All four of you. They will work together for the good of our species, Wolf and Panther alike. But Jenna and Katie must, I repeat must, become Panthers. If not, the future is precarious for us. I can't explain anymore than that. I don't know all the facts."

"This sounds like rubbish to me." Alistair glared at Guillame. He felt Jenna's hand on his arm and looked into her pleading eyes.

"Please Alistair, I can't explain why I feel this way, but I know he's right." Jenna believed Guillame, her ancestor. She knew he couldn't lie to them. She looked up into Alistair's eyes, begging him silently to trust her.

Alistair gazed into her deep brown eyes. His hand strayed to her face, stroking her cheek gently. As far as Alistair was concerned there was no one else in the room. The only one that mattered was Jenna. She trusted Guillame and wanted him to trust him as well, not question. Could he do it? His fingers traced one of the bruises Gary left on her neck. As soon as she was turned those would be gone for good. She would be his. They would have cubs who would save their race. Wasn't that all he really needed to know?

Alistair's arm slowly returned to his side and he reached out for Jenna's hand. He grasped it gently and turned his attention to the others in the room. "My mate believes her grandfather. I believe him. Jenna and I will mate at the Wolf Moon. I guess this year it will become the Panther Moon." He chuckled as he lifted her hand to his lips and pressed them tenderly to her warm skin. Her smiled made his heart melt. But if Guillame had lied about anything, he would die.

"Then we shall do the same." Rhys put his arm around Katy and pulled her close to his chest while his free hand stroked her red hair.

Cole and James were still in shock about all of this. At least they'd already mated and Karen and Sarah would remain wolves like them. Neither of them were comfortable with the idea of Werepanthers. But what did their cubs have to do with this future?

Carr felt comfortable that the worst was behind them. Guillame and the women needed time to get to know each other. "I'm going to leave the nine of you to get to know each other." He smiled and stood slowly, making his way to the door where he knew Lee would be waiting for him.

"They'll be in there a while so keep everyone out." Brett and Bryant nodded and remained in their positions as the Alpha and his mate walked arm in arm slowly up the stairs.

Lee leaned in close. "You're sure there won't be any blood shed?"

Carr laughed. "If the males want to try to hurt Guillame I can guarantee the females will not allow it."

On the second floor landing they ran into Wilson. "Carr, I'd like to take my people home today. We want to be home for the Wolf Moon."

"Of course Morgan. Let me know if you need any help. And you'll be taking Cheryl with you?"

"Yes, if that's alright with you. I think she and Kyle will help each other to heal. There is much healing to be done and I would like to begin immediately." He smiled as Carr nodded his assent and walked down the last flight of stairs, calling his Betas.

"It'll be nice to have the compound back to ourselves soon. With all the cubs on the way we're going to need the room." Lee twined her arm into Carr's as they climbed the last flight of stairs. She could see he was tiring, but he would never admit it to her.

"What do you think of all that Guillame has told you? Do you believe him?" Lee had learned everything through their bond. Carr hadn't held anything back. She sat on the bed, hoping to get him to rest again.

"I think that once again we need to segregate the women. We can't take the chance of any unaccounted for Panthers. Maybe we should start tracking down the rest of the Vlkolak women, the ones Gary didn't find." Carr was deep in thought.

"Maybe that should be left to the Council." Lee reached up and pulled Carr down to join her on the bed. "We'll have the women sequestered in their quarters and hospital rooms and if their mate somehow finds them, they either have to mate before the Wolf Moon or be sedated. How does that sound?"

"That sounds good to me." He laid on his back and pulled Lee close to him, her head nestled on his chest. He stroked her blond hair, wishing he had the energy to do more. But even his wolf was tired.

Lee loved this quiet time together. The worst was over, or so she hoped. Their visitors were starting to leave, and they would be back to normal soon. She felt Carr's mind calming, and again, he was quickly asleep. She hugged him tight and closed her eyes.

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"Why did Rebecca and Trey leave? Troy, what's going on?" The last time Danielle had seen Rebecca she was a mess. She was so upset and crying and never told Danielle why. They'd become close in their time here and it was really upsetting not to know what had happened to her. All of a sudden she and Trey disappeared without a goodbye. She didn't like it at all. "Troy, if we're going to be mates, then we have to trust each other totally, with everything. You can't hide things from me."

She sat in Troy's lap, stroking his mop of black hair. She could tell he was upset too. He was so close to his brother that they were like two halves of the same person. She knew it was hurting him to be apart.

"Rebecca can't have children." Troy sounded so sad when he said it.

"That explains why she got so upset when we were talking about getting pregnant. Now it all makes sense. No wonder she got so frantic. She didn't want to disappoint him. But that doesn't explain why they left." Danielle stopped for a moment and looked into Troy's eyes. "He isn't taking her away and leaving her somewhere is he?" No, he wouldn't do that, he couldn't, could he?

"No, no, he would never do that. She's his mate. They'll be together forever, just like we will." He brought his hands up to hold her face and kissed her lightly and then hugged her tightly. "He took her to a hospital to see if they could reverse it. So they won't be able to mate for awhile. For it to work she has to still be human. After the surgery he can turn her, not before. But we just found out that the Wolf Moon will have an effect on her, so she has to be sedated for the night. He'll stay with her the whole time. It's a good thing Logan is a friend of the Doctor and was able to get it all set up so fast."

Danielle saw the look on his face. He didn't like being separated. "Troy." She pulled his hair back over his eyes and stroked his face. "What if we joined them and then you could be with Trey. Rebecca probably wouldn't mind another woman being with her right now."

"Dani, You don't understand. If we mate you can't leave here until your wolf is under control. And if we leave, then we can't mate until later. Then you would have to be sedated too. Would you be willing to do that?"

"Of course I would. Rebecca is my best friend here. And you are everything to me Troy. I'd do anything for you." She leaned down and flicked her tongue over his ear. He gasped and his hands came up to grip her arms tightly.

"If you want us to join Rebecca and Trey then you're going to have to stop doing that, because my wolf won't hold back and we'll be mated right away." His wolf wanted to get the preliminaries over with and bite her. She was theirs. Troy had to have the same discussion with his wolf he just had with Danielle.

"If we're going to do this, then I need to talk to Carr and Logan." He gently pushed her off his lap and onto the couch and stood up. "Do you want to come with me since this is your idea?"

She jumped up and took his hand. "Of course I would." She jumped off the couch and grabbed Troy's hand, pulling him through the door. "We better get moving, we have a lot to get done."

The quiet knock on the door roused Lee. She looked over at Carr who was still asleep. He needed all he could get right now. Lee went to the door and walked through, closing it behind her. Troy and his mate were standing in front of her holding hands. It reminded Lee of a couple of teenagers coming to ask mom and dad if they could get married. Danielle had an excited look and Troy looked nervous. "Troy, Danielle, what can I do for you?"

"I wanted to ask Carr's permission for us to join Trey and Rebecca. They need us right now." He watched Lee's face for any clue to the answer he'd get. "Dani knows she'll have to be sedated since we haven't mated yet."

Before Lee could say a word Danielle piped up. "Rebecca needs another woman with her Lee. I would if it was me anyway." She held tight onto Troy's arm.

"And the Doctor is going to cooperate to sedate another woman?" From the blank looks on their faces she knew they hadn't checked yet. "If he agrees, then I'll tell Carr you're on your way. He'll be fine with it." Lee was actually glad to hear they were going to join Trey and Rebecca. She knew Carr wasn't really comfortable with them being in the human world with Trey's possessive wolf with an un-mated female at the full moon.

An hour later Troy and Danielle were on the road. They had called Trey and he and Rebecca would wait for them to catch up before moving on to meet with the Doctor. Logan was able to talk his friend into sedating both women. Luckily, he was a Werewolf but worked in a human hospital. But the sedation would be done at his pack's hospital nearby.

Trina stood outside the office Logan had been using for the last twenty four hours. She felt like she'd known him her whole life. Werewolf biology was so strange to humans. They could never understand how such a close connection can be made so fast. It's like a switch. Once it's turned on there's no turning it off. Your mate begins as a stranger and in seconds is your whole world.

She'd seen the Wilson pack getting ready to leave. She'd helped the injured get ready to travel. And Cheryl's things were packed and ready to go. They were all leaving. But Logan hadn't said a word to her. Was he leaving without her?

She just watched him as he looked at each medical file for the injured being transported. Her eyes traveled over his entire body, head to toe. His blue eyes flashed as he looked up at her. Her body trembled as he looked at her. Her wolf wouldn't let him leave without her. Trina tried to calm her. If his plans didn't include them they would just have to deal with it. Her wolf scoffed at that. They were mates, they would be together.

He grinned when he saw her leaning against the door jam. "Were you just going to watch me? Or did you want something?" He walked towards her slowly. His wolf was ready. He wanted to mark her now. He'd waited since there were wounded, but they were taken care of now.

"I heard you're leaving soon." She couldn't look at him. He was leaving without her.

His finger hooked under her chin and lifted her eyes to meet his. "The pack is leaving. The Alpha wants to get back home before the full moon. They want to have the dead cremated tomorrow night so they can celebrate the Wolf Moon the next." His hand brushed her silky blond hair away from her eyes. He saw the tears forming in the corners. "I'm not going anywhere, not until I know you will come with me. If not, then I hope Jeff has a job for me here." Her pale green eyes held his gaze. Neither could look away.