Page 21

Jameson barely speaks to me as I’m dropped off at a small cabin on the edge of the Lennox Pack lands. They own most of the town, including the schools.

When I tried to catch a bus, I was quickly questioned as to where I was going and who I was meeting, the Alpha even tries to make me submit with his dominance, which I found very hard not to laugh in his face about, turns out every business in town is owned by the Alpha or he has people working there to report back, even the humans doing Uber rides, log who’s being picked up from where, so I was stuck.

The high school doubles as a community college, and I manage to get a job as a teaching assistant in the art department of the high school.

About two weeks in a dick Jock notices me and starts trying to chat me up. I’m not interested, as he gives me the creeps.

I’m ok for the first week.

The second I’m more direct, this pack leads by fear, and the barely there Beta is the Alpha’s nephew, so I know I’m pushing the line.

For the third week, I can feel him watching me, but he doesn’t try to talk to me until December 11th as I was leaving school.

It’s a Tuesday, so nothing big is on, no football training or cheerleader practice.

I’m grabbed from behind and feel a prick on my arm.

SHIT!

I should have been more aware of my surroundings than trying to work out how to contact J without triggering Jameson, my crap-ass phone was taken off me when I arrived and I’ve not been allowed to buy one in the store any time I’ve tried.

What the fuck did I just get injected with? I start to feel woozy, like I’m drunk. As the body behind me speaks, it clicks who has me,

“This could have been as good for you as it will be for me, but you had to be a stuck-up bitch and play hard to get. Now my patience is over, but your cunt will be mine. You should be feeling weak about now that the Rohypnol I gave you will make you pliant to my needs, nice and submissive.” I can feel the effects stop getting worse. Human drugs don’t last long in my system, the same as any supe, but he thinks I’m human with the knowledge of supernaturals, but I’m supe enough to start burning off the effects.

So, I do what anyone would. I start fighting back, kicking, punching, headbutting, and even girly scratching anything. If I can get my arms free, I have two knives on me, one in my boot and the other in the waistband of my jeans. My vision is still blurred, but I get a kick to his chest.

He’s grabbing me everywhere I don’t want him to, and when he uses the word cunt he squeezes over mine with bruising pressure, but he’s not trying to pin me thinking the drugs will help him.

I manage to roll onto my front and push up, ready to make a run for it, fuck my stuff at the cabin; it’s only clothes. I’ll walk out of this shit town and hitchhike if I need to, even just to a Truckstop where I can use a phone, Hopefully the family Trick is with can help.

“Stupid human bitch,” he sounds breathless, not good for the school running back, ‘not the time for internal jokes ; you can barely focus, get up, get away, then crack jokes’

“Why the fuck are the drugs not working?” I can hear his voice change as I get to my feet. The air shifts with his change. Suddenly, I’m screaming out as a claw runs from my right shoulder to my left knee, pushing me back to the floor. I roll and continue to fight, getting scratches on my chest, stomach, and the tops of my thighs. He isn’t entirely shifted,

“You will submit to me. I want my money’s worth.” He snarls out, saliva dripping from his mouth.

What the fuck has Jameson got me into now? I manage to roll again, and I feel some more scratches break through my clothes. If I reach for either knife, I leave myself open. I manage to kick backwards again.

The Vampires from the Cage hurt more than this; I can fight through this. Suddenly, the weight on me stops, and I hear hurried footsteps and voices,

“Fucking hell, I know Mika wanted this pack investigated, but I never expected this shit.” I don’t recognize the voice, so I don’t fully relax, but then I hear it…

Someone is singing Uncle Krackers Follow Me, and the voice makes me relax

“Troy?” I ask, my words slurring, then footsteps get closer

“Shit, she was in the Pit, long time no see, girly” Troy chuckles, then groans

“Get her to the hospital, and I’ll call the boss.” I can’t see who is talking as I have blood in my eyes, but I can see three shadows and a pile towards my left where the swearing and snarling is coming from.

“Human drugs no work, allergic to supe stuff, no drugs, please.” I’m fully slurring by the end and I have no idea if anything makes sense

“yeah, I remember, try to stay awake, ok?” and then everything goes black.

I keep getting flashes of Dex and Levi with the word “Sestra ” in an unknown voice.

Next is a giant bear, and the word “ Agilisi ” growled with a slight whimper.

Finally, a silhouette of a man with glowing red eyes, “ Deirfiur ” is whispered. I still need to look up that word, but if the other two means sister, maybe that does too.

I wake as I’m put on a gurney and mumble that my medical files are on a green USB in my bag and then the word Giovanni Michaels. I tried to say Ignatius’s name, but I pass out again.

I wake again to a female voice,

“I think this needs your touch, Xan. Her files say she’s allergic to medications, she smells like a wolf, but I can’t feel her wolf, and has asked for Mickey G. However, his case files don’t have anyone matching her description. He is on his way, though.” There’s a pause,

“Yes, the DNA test is running, and some SRU guys are sitting in the hall.” Another pause.

“No, Trent is with them, but I don’t know the others.” Another quick pause,

“Yes, the bleeding has stopped, and it looks like things are trying to heal up, but it is so much, and her back will need stitches. We also want to run a rape kit.” I hear

“WHAT!!” Yelled through the phone, and then the female voice sounds a little amused,

“See you in five!” There is some shuffling,

“I don’t know what happened to you, girly, but you’re a mess. Xan will get you sorted. He’s a young doctor, but he cares so much. I went to school with him and tried to date him till I found out he likes guys, and then we became friends. He’s a great wingman. My name is Chloe, by the way.” I drift off again.

I wake to the sound of the door opening, and a familiar smell of oranges and soap hits my nose as I hear a shocked and pained gasp.

“Glow bug! What the! I can’t believe it! I’ll get you patched up and home to my brothers.” Xander says

“Hey, caterpillar, I’m glad you’re here,” I start to cry as I fall unconscious again, getting the image of two familiar wolves, a bear, and a man with glowing red eyes. “Sister?”

I wake again to Xander talking to someone, but it’s a male voice, not Nurse Chloe. Xander puts his hand on my shoulder.

“Hold still, Glow bug. I’ve nearly finished your stitches. Then I want to get you clean and in some scrubs.” I feel five more tugs near my knee and then hear the water before a warm cloth wipes down my legs,

“Chloe, can you help me sit her up and over?” Xander asks.

“Mickey, throw me those scrubs, please” Usually, I would panic, but Xander trusts this person.

“Yes, of course, I’m on your left, Miss Ashes,” I know the voice and don’t feel threatened. I nod as my throat burns with thirst. I’m slowly and carefully flipped and now standing, holding nurse Chloe’s forearms so I didn’t collapse

“Hold on, Glow bug, I’ll clean your legs, then get some trousers on you. Then you can sit as I do your torso. I’m sure you will feel less vulnerable with pants on than in a hospital gown; Mickey will close his eyes when we switch your top” I nod again before he finishes talking. He’s already helping my legs into some dark green scrubs. As Xander starts to do my torso, the stranger holds up a cup with a straw. I smile and drink while he speaks.

“I’m Giovanni, but most call me Mickey G. You requested me before you passed out on poor Trent. I’m a social worker, but I’ve never met you before.” I finish my second glass of water as Xander drops a t-shirt over my head, threading my arms into the sleeves. He then starts to brush the blood and knots out of my hair, which Chloe tuts at, then takes over, muttering that if he carries on I will end up bald, I smile at Giovanni,

“I was with Jenson Fall when Max told him you would meet them halfway. I took a gamble and guessed you would be a better option than Jameson, who has been my controller all my life. I was also with the Hound family and hid while you were talking to Nonna and Pops.” I say.

His face goes from a kind smile to a slightly green, concerned look. He flashes a glance in Xander’s direction as he finishes my pigtail braids, Chole giving him an impressed look

“Quinny has always been special to my brothers,” Xander states as he gets up to wash his hands. Recognition flashes in Chloe and Gio's eyes at the mention of Trick’s nickname for me.

Chloe excuses herself once she checks that I’m okay with the two men. Gio pulls up a chair and asks me to give a rundown of my history. He didn’t want to go through the system and alert SJ to my whereabouts, so I do.

“I’ve typed up most of what I remember, it’s on the laptop I sent to Jenson, there is a rough timeline on my medical USB” I add and he holds up the USB, to confirm he has it.

Troy brings in some food, and I say a quick thank you to him.

“I’m glad you’re awake I wanted to say I’m sorry and why I left you where I did for so long” I blink at him and look down at my food, but wait for him to continue

“I was undercover at the time, trying to get as much information as I could so we could take that place down, I risked fucking the job up, by sneaking you in food and water but I couldn’t fully leave you alone, they were harsher towards you than anyone else there, well until….” He shakes his head as if arguing with himself about what to say, then sighs and looks at me again

“I told my superior about you and what was going on, so we escalated the plan, to shut the place down, even more so when I was told about the Nightmare they planned to pair you with, I have a couple of questions, off the record but I need to know” I watch him, his singing and dancing has always been so carefree and now he looks so tense and stressed, I give him a nod

“Why was there no information on you at the facility? Nothing not even your past foster placements or social worker was listed, nothing” I give him a smile

“Samual Jameson,” I say and Troy snarls and nods, he doesn’t look any happier

“He had me from birth Troy it's not your fault, he worked hard to keep me out of the system, I heard odd bits over the years but nothing solid, I was to be a tool nothing more and if I got broke and dented along the way till I could be used as a baby machine he didn’t care” he looks me over and gives me a nod

“Have you ever been anywhere good? Or have they all been shit?” he tries to smile but fails

“Yeah, the Nightmare got me to a hospital, the Nurse, he left me with took me in with her husband until she passed away” my voice cracks and I sip some water before continuing

“I was there till I moved to do a year of college; I was on my way to meet up with Xanders younger brother Jenson when Jameson got me again, and here we are. There have been good and bad times over the years, but the good though smaller amounts far outweigh the bad times, and thanks to you I have an eclectic music taste” I chuckle at the last words which has him cracking a full smile

“I’m glad I could add a little light into your world, and I’m glad you are heading to TripleMoon, it’s a good pack I was born there, I think you will like it, the Alpha is relaxed to normal standards” he explains a little more about his family, then groans when he looks at the time

“I need to head out and give the report on what happened, can I have a hug? Or are you not ready for that yet?” I open my arms he feels safe and Xander is here and would let me get hurt, then introduces me to Trent, the lynx shifter who was the first to me during the attack. I thank him for saving my life. He turns a brilliant shade of red as Gio and Xan laugh at his sudden shyness. He mumbles, “Welcome,” before ducking back out the door.

We sit for hours talking. Gio excuses himself to make some calls. Xander says he needs to do some rounds but will get a nurse to drop me off some paper and pencils, giving my twitching fingers a pointed look.

When Gio comes back, I’m sketching. It’s of me sitting on the floor with a book resting on one knee and my sketch pad on the other. I’m looking down at both items. Laid down on either side of me are Dex and Levi. Over my right shoulder, you can see a giant bear on its hind legs. Directly behind me is the man with glowing red eyes. He’s in silhouette other than his eyes. The scene behind is a lake surrounded by redwood and rowan trees, and you can see an outline of a log chalet. A triple crescent moon is in the sky with a phoenix flying across it. Before Gio has a chance to comment on what he sees, Xander walks in with a solemn look, opening something on his tablet,

“We’ve had your DNA results back.” I blink at him, shrug, then look back down at my work,

“It doesn’t matter. They’ve been contacted before. They don’t want a broken thing like me. That’s why they threw me away in the first place.” Gio makes a strangled choking noise as Xander asks,

“How many times has your DNA been run, Glowbug?” his finger poised over his tablet, and wide eyes looking at me.

“Six, to my knowledge, always the same response.” I shrug.

Gio finally looks at my sketch properly and frowns.

“Erm, where have you seen them, ? I can’t see you meeting Mika’s boys and still living under Jameson’s rule!”

“Oh, erm.” I look at Xander. He knows a little about my dreams and sight. He nods and focuses on his tablet again.

“I saw the image when I passed out from the Lennox attack.” I don’t say more as Xander swears and holds the tablet out to Gio. He looks at me with fury but not directed at me.

“There is no way your family was contacted when your DNA was run, as they have been looking for you all your life.” I stare open-mouthed at Xander before looking back at Gio, who has tears running down his face,

“He’s right. Your dad is one of my best friends.”

There’s a knock on the door. Instead of calling them in, Xander peeks out at the door. Gio walks into the bathroom, and I hear the water run and a splash noise. I guess he’s washing his face,

“Dad’s here and wants to talk to Gio and the girl.” There is something about the voice, but I can’t place it. Gio moves close to me and tells me everything will be okay, calling to the voice that he will be right out:

“Where were you left? You said a firehouse, but where?”

I give him the info.

When I was at the group home nearby, I asked if anyone who still worked there was there when I was left. James, the cleaner’s son, said he remembered his mom talking about it. A few days later, he dropped some photos of me wrapped in a sweater, asleep in an upturned helmet.

I tell Gio where they are in my bag. He leaves as Xander says bye to someone and walks in with Trent, who hands over a brown paper fast-food bag, chicken burger, chips, chocolate milkshake and a bottle of water, a massive smile on my face and a thank you. I nearly burrow into the bag he leaves, muttering about how I’m just like Declan. I frown and look at Xander, who points at the Vampire in my sketch, kisses my head, and leaves.

If the man in my drawing is Declan, who called me Deirfiur, he called me sister! Does that mean Dex, Levi, and the huge bear are also my brothers?

I fall asleep with tears running down my face, the realization that I may have brothers, a dad, and a family that actually wants me—or so Xander and Gio claim. Do I dare to hope?

I wake up to Xander and Gio talking.

“I didn’t have a chance to tell Mika about as Brayden collapsed. He and Dec rushed home when Nic called.” Gio explains, and Xander sounds worried,

“I hope he’s okay. I wonder if it’s related to Em. He had that scare just before Jay came, and she was in the cage with him. I wonder if she was hurt like Jenson was.” I answer his not-asked question,

“Vampires fed on me, and it took a week to get back to normal. They nearly took too much.” I move to be more comfortable with how I’m slumped, wincing as the stitches pull; I get a frown from Xander, who helps, then takes his seat again.

“Who’s Brayden?” Xander smiles.

"Your twin, Jay and Ren, will kick themselves when they notice the link between him and your dream wolves.” Gio looks confused but doesn’t ask.

One morning, Xander and Trent walk in with balloons and a teddy, I frown, confused.

Trent plonks the teddy on the end of my bed, returns to the still-open door, and returns with four gift bags and a cake. I’m still frowning in confusion at what’s going on. Trent looks worried, so he looks at Xander, who shakes his head at me,

“Happy birthday, glow bug.” My mouth drops open as I do the math. Happy seventeenth to me, I guess.

We have a day of playing games and eating cake. I told them off for buying me stuff, but it was all practical stuff, like clothes, shoes, and some art supplies. Chloe nipped in quickly before her shift and drops off some underwear—boys never remember things like that—and some decent wash stuff. Trent quickly left the room before his replacement turns up, just as Xander’s phone rings,

“Hey, bro, I was starting to forget what you looked like. You hardly come home, got yourself a sugar daddy?” It's Ren’s voice, and I can tell it’s him. The difference from when we were six years old is profound, but he still sounds like a grumpy Alpha,

“Oooo, who’s that? He looks like our older brother. What’s his name again?” Jenson chirps.

Xander has a smile on his face. He looks at me off the camera as I hear Ren and Jay grumble about his attention not even being on them. I give him a nod and shuffle over slightly on the bed so he can sit next to me,

“Well, I’ve had a much smarter and prettier person to keep company,” he says as he angles the phone to capture me in the frame as well.

The boy’s faces are a picture of shock as I smile. Xander pushes something, and ' screenshot saved ' flashes across his screen.

I’m glad Chloe helped me wash the rest of the blood out of my hair and brushed it properly a few days ago so I don’t look like a hot mess. The scratches and bruises on my face have now healed, even though I have some new faint scars.

I barely hear the gasped words from Trick.

“Quinny?” Ren seems to go from shock to pissed,

“Where the hell have you been? Since your stuff arrived, we have been trying to find you.” Trick the shocking voice of reason,

“ brother, she’s in a hospital bed. Ease off. When can she be moved here, Xan, so she’s safe?” Xander quickly answers,

“Soon, Mika is looking into stuff. She has a 24-hour guard at the door.” Xander starts to explain as we hear a door open. The Vampire from my sketch, Declan’s voice rings through the phone,

“Guys, come down. We’re letting the lanterns go soon. Sorry, Xan,” he says finally when he sees who the guys are talking to. I lean out the shot before he can see me.

“Can you film it for me, Jay? I'm sorry to miss it. " He gets an affirmative and a quick bye.

A few hours later, Xander shows me the video. Apparently, they do the lanterns every year for Mika’s missing child. Me!

Xander holds me while I cry. He gets another video of Trick shoveling smores in his mouth with a muffled,

“Happy birffday Qwinny,” or that’s what I presume he says with five s’mores in his mouth. Ren smiles at the camera and blows a kiss.

Christmas and New Year pass while I heal in the hospital. I woke on January 18th to the sound of crying and whispered words. I don’t know the voice, but the words are Russian. “Sorry,” “I’m so sorry.” “My baby girl,” “Daughter.” Are being repeated over and over, I open my eyes and look at the chair Xander is usually sitting in.

There’s a big guy hunched over, head in his hands, shaking with sobs. His grey-streaked brown hair is ruffled, and he keeps pulling at it and running his fingers through it.

I try to speak softly in Russian. He doesn’t feel like a threat. He feels familiar in a way, and his wolf looks like Dex.

“It’s not you who should be sorry. Jameson kept me hidden, even more so after my first DNA test. I’m probably not what you were searching for, so maybe we should start with introductions and get to know one another.” His head snaps up with my first word. As I finish, he shoots forward and gently squashes me in a hug,

“ anything my baby girl, anything.”

We then talked for hours, and for the first time in my life, I told someone EVERYTHING about my life, including all my oddities, there are a few things I leave out as he looks worried about most of it,

“My sight is the hardest thing to explain. When I look at your face, I see half-human, half-wolf, unless I focus one way or the other. When I was younger, it was only who I looked directly at. As I got older, it was anyone in my line of sight. I noticed when I wore sunglasses, it went back to being directed at who I was looking at again, so I started wearing prop glasses.” He nods along and occasionally asks questions if he feels he needs more:

“I wondered why the glasses. You mentioned you’re not fully human, and from what Xander has mentioned, your healing is quicker than a human but not shifter level”. He seems nervous when he mentions anything that could be taken as criticism or that I could take offence to.

“My eyesight, hearing, healing, and reflexes are all way better than a human, but I’m not as good as a shifter, even though I think my eyesight is pretty close,” I explain with a wince. It’s usually what I’m bullied or dismissed for. He smiles and seems happy. I have some defences. I take a breath before I do the next part, as it can be dangerous if the wrong people know.

“I can also tell the level or strength of someone’s Alter and if they are about to shift or use abilities.” He raises an eyebrow, so I carry on,

“I knew when we were five years old that Ren’s Alpha was already stronger and more dominant than Gerald’s.” I breathe out, barely wanting to look up, but when I do, he looks shocked and then sad.

“I wish we had you and Jenson that day. It was a bad day, and Brayden was sick, so I didn’t go. Instead, I sent two enforcers. Is that all your secrets?” He says with a chuckle.

“Erm, no, I can feel when someone means me harm or has bad intentions, and my blood is weird.” I try to think of something other than my odd blood but can't.

“I’m glad you have built-in defenses, but what do you mean your blood is weird?” He asks and leans back in his chair, looking equally amused and curious.

“When they tested my blood as a child, the first time I had human and wolf parents, the next time was mage and wolf, the third time was wolf and wolf. They did more tests, but it was always a combination of those results.” He stares for a moment, then blinks, rubs his face, and fills in some of my blanks:

“Your mother was a wolf. I have no idea about her family. I knew nothing of them. I looked when she disappeared but found nothing.” I wait, hoping for more. Not on my egg donor, as I couldn’t care less about her, but I do get more.

“My mother was a wolf, but her grandmother was an Elemental Mage. It’s never shown up on DNA before.” he smiles.

“You look like my mother. I will have to warn Dad, sometimes he still gets upset at her memory”.

He tells me a little about his dad and brothers. He’s the oldest triplet, and Dominic is the middle. When their dad stood down, Nic took over as Pack Alpha. The youngest, Lucian, is a Beta. They are identical but slightly different in size and style. He then moves on to a harder topic.

“When I met your mother, she already had two boys. Declan is four years older, and Bastille is two years older than you and Brayden. She didn’t know who Declan’s father was, claiming it was a one-night stand. She found out months later that she was pregnant. Bastille’s dad was working at a local community center. He was also a one-night stand, but she found out before he left, and he brought her back with him. He was killed with a few others during a rogue attack.” He looks sad as he explains his mum and 42 others were also casualties of the attack.

“She stayed, and one night, I gave in. Three months later, she disappeared, leaving Declan and Bastille, asking me to look after them, and had a legal document signing them over to my care.

Six months after that, Dominic took a call from a hospital saying twins had been left with my name and number and a note ‘can’t do it anymore. The boys are yours.’ Nic thought she meant the twins, but only Brayden was there when Mickey G arrived, and we were told the other was a girl. I flew home early from my deployment and started looking for you. Eight months later, we got a call that a body had been found with my card in her bra. I ID'd the body as your mother, but there was no trace of you.” he pauses, watching me closely

“She overdosed on various drugs.” He watches to see how I will react, but she left me to die instead of for him to collect, so I don’t care, so I shrug.