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“I think this is all we are going to find, and I believe all of these are pack members. He killed those that disagreed with him, and after he did a few of those, no one else disagreed.” Harry explained. “These two meant something to him, and he buried them in special places. One went under a tree. It was probably a flowering tree that they liked. The other one went under a statue of Mary. I believe she was half human and followed human religion instead of wolf.”

“That might be enough information to figure out who she is.”

“That and she was far along with the child at the time that she died. I'm not even sure that it might not have been a natural death. The coroner will have to determine that.”

“It's possible that she died, then he buried her in a way that was personal to both him and her. Even those that are evil can love.” Sally observed.

“That’s probably the case. It will be a while before we get answers. They are still investigating the last alpha who was challenged. The body count was high, and some bodies were destroyed. Those may never be identified, but they are trying.”

Sally was beginning to understand what they meant about a worse situation. This was horrible enough, but even morebodies? That would be horrific. With the bodies destroyed, that would leave a mark on the pack that would never be forgotten or dealt with. It didn't make what they were dealing with easier, but it did put it into perspective. It also told her this could be so much harder than it was. At least they had finished the body recovery, and now they would take a break. When they returned to the porch, they saw that the groceries had been delivered, and Harry ushered them into the kitchen.

“I'm so happy to see that. I'm not much of A cook, but if you need help, I'll try. I have been learning a little bit.” Harry admitted.

Sally had heard horror stories about Harry trying to cook. She still believed that anyone could learn to cook if they wanted to badly enough, and they were willing to give it 100% effort. It was time to test that principle and see if that was true. Getting out pots and pans, she made sure to wash them to ensure they were still clean. It was a mental thing more than anything. Everything in this house would have to be cleaned several times before she felt comfortable with it due to the evil Elias had perpetrated, which made everything feel dirty.

The next thing she did was fill the oven with food for supper, and then she began to prepare something they could eat right away. Thank the goddess that they had completed what she hoped would be the worst thing that they would have to do. It was hard to say since she had never had to deal with something like this before. She hadn't had the opportunity to meet the pack yet and see how they responded to her. Sally expected a challenge, but she wasn't sure who would give it to her. Maybe she will discover that tomorrow.

“Do you think we can take a short nap?” Harry asked.

“After we have a snack?”

“Yes, I wouldn’t miss the snack.”

Sally was sure that it was true. Harry had used up a great deal of energy, and she needed to replenish it. Their snack consisted of tuna casserole, salad, and sourdough bread. There was enough of it to satisfy them both. They ate, and Sally could see Harry getting recharged right before her very eyes. They were done eating, so Sally sent Harry to claim her room and take a nap. Harry could do marvelous things as long as she kept her energy up. She would have liked to nap herself, but someone had to watch the food being cooked, and there was no one else there. It was just as well that she hadn't taken a nap because someone was knocking on the door.

“Flo and Carlos!” she exclaimed when she opened the door.

She'd not expected these two when she'd been told help was on the way. They would be a good help with anything. Even though Flo hadn't been a pack bitch there was little the female couldn't do. Sally gave them each a hug and then led them to the kitchen table, where she got each a drink.

“You can't imagine how happy I am to see you. This morning, Harry and I magicked all the bodies out of the ground.”

“You have magic?” Carlos asked.

“No, I just gave her some of my energy, and I was there to watch the whole thing. That's why Harry is taking a nap right now, and I am not. I needed to stay up to keep an eye on everything cooking for supper. I haven't had the opportunity to meet anyone in the pack yet, although I've called some of the people who may work in the house, and they will start tomorrow. Harry is here for two more days to help, but she is not sure whatwe should do next. I was lucky to have her lead me through what I should do today.”

“Oh, you poor girl. Carlos will probably be tied up helping your mate, but I'm sure we will figure out what we have to do. The wardens will be picking up the bodies that were unearthed, and then you will be free to go out among the pack and find out what is going on. We were told that many of those locked into leadership positions took off for the hills.” Flo admitted. "If you need some rest, you can do it now, and I'll take over the cooking."

Sally suddenly felt more tired than she'd ever felt before. “I couldn't leave you to take care of everything.”

“We're here to help. A small nap will help you reset, and maybe you will see things more clearly and know exactly what you need to do. I think you've done most of the hard work as far as the meal goes. Go rest.” Flo made it sound like a demand, and Sally turned and hurried to her room.

It was 2 hours later when she made it back to the kitchen. Harry was up, entertaining the guests, while Flo worked on the food, and Carlos enjoyed trying some of it. Wolves were always hungry.

“You look much better. The others will arrive in an hour or two, depending on how long their tasks take. If Xantos gets ahead on his work, maybe Carlos will be able to help us. He rarely had a regular pack bitch, so he had to do some of the work himself.”

“It's true, the top female generally did the work, but often they had a hard time doing it. The other females often gave them trouble, and I had to intervene frequently to resolve issues. It made things difficult, and sometimes, I had a lot of anger toward one or two of the females because they thought that if they gotinto that position, they could lure me into a relationship. All they managed to do was make me mad at them.” Carlos admitted.

Since they would be here for two weeks, Sally was hopeful that Carlos would give her some time as well. Flo and she started to finish preparing the meal. That's when Harry asked for some food, and Sally fixed her plate. It wasn't long after that that the others began to arrive. At least the guys seemed to be in a good mood, and Damon felt like they had done a lot. Damon was also happy that all the bodies had been pulled out of the ground and were waiting for his wardens.

“They will be here in the morning, and all the bodies will be removed. I have a feeling that most of them are pack and that their families have been waiting to hear what happened to them," Damon admitted.

Sally was pretty sure that Marissa had been assigned to assist her, but due to the emergency, she and Harry had been left on their own. That might have been part of the reason they hadn't accomplished the amount that Damon had expected. Everything may be better tomorrow.

Chapter 9

The Pack

Xantos was pleased with the financial condition of the pack. It was other areas that needed healing. Damon's assistant had been priceless, and he felt sure that he would be able to handle this; however, it was Sally that he was worried about because she had no experience with this kind of thing at all. The members of this pack had been so beaten down that he thought it was unlikely that any of the males would challenge him. Sally could fight, so if any of the females challenged her, they would regret it. He was already reordering the hierarchy, but he was considering freezing one position due to the extensive knowledge it required. Damon had even suggested he do that.