For Their Happiness (6 page)

“You have to calm down.”  I told Bolton as we stood in the massive back yard with the others in my pack and all but a few of the Starlight pack.  “The more agitated you are, the more your wolf will be.  I’ll bet he’s begging to take over, right?”

“Yeah, he’s freaking out right now.”  He said in a shaky voice.

“That’s because he’s in protective mode.  He feels your agitation and wants to take care of what he sees as the threat to you.  If you’re calm, then he’ll see that there is no threat, and you’ll have more of a say in what you do, even in wolf form.”  I grabbed his hands to enforce the calming effect I was trying to project for him.  “Look into my eyes, and match your breathing to mine.”  I waited as he did it.  I could feel the tension draining out
of his limbs
, but his heart was still racing.
  “Listen for my heart beat, and try to slow yours
down
to match mine.”  My eyes never left his, trying to will
him into a calm state
.

“I can’t seem to help being nervous.”  He kept his eyes looking down in mine, and whether he meant to or not, he was following my instructions.  “This will be the first time I have shifted to where I wasn’t being attacked or in a reinforced room or on my way there.”

“I know, but if you can keep calm, you won’t be put in that room.”  Along with Billy, Je
rry, Ryan, Gary, and his mate Pe
yton, Alpha Burgess had
ordered
four of his wolves to help keep an eye on Bolton and make sure I didn’t get hurt if he went into one of his rages.  “The rage only comes as a defense mechanism of your wolf.  Again, it’s a way to protect your human side.”

The rest of the wolves had already shifted, so it was only the eleven of us left in the yard.  It only took a couple more minutes before Bolton was calm enough that I felt it safe to shift.

“We are going to go slowly.  There is no racing or hunting tonight, just having fun
.  Let’s get your wolf used to sharing his body with your mind.  Now since you’re calm, you will be able to keep control, even after the shift.”  I of course had ulterior motives for
taking it slow, but Billy was the only one who knew why.

Jerry, Ryan, and two of the Starlight wolves decided to shift at the same time as Bolton and I.  The others would wait to see how Bolton did after the shift; whether he had control or not, before they would shift to join us.

Ryan and Jerry both flanked me as the others flanked him, and when I nodded and let go of his hands we all shifted.
  I was always awed when I was around others that shift
ed.  I had always been a small
were
, but I had actually gotten
even
smaller over the past couple of years.  I was still bigger than a natural wolf, but not by much.  The others were huge; all of them between the size of a pony and a mule. 

Bolton was a common gray wolf about the size of a pony.  He looked down at me and tilted his head, probably trying to figure out why I was different.  We couldn’t communicate since he hadn’t been formally accepted into our pack by our Alpha.

‘Crystie?’
I turned hearing Ryan say my name.  He was a handsome golden color, bigger than Bolton, him and Jerry being the same size.  Jerry was a russet color.  He kept his attention on Bolton to make sure nothing was going to happen.

‘I’m alright, Ryan.’
  I said looking back his way to let him see that I would answer
any
questions later.  I went over to Billy to let him know that it was okay for him to shift.  Bolton had just been standing there
, watching me, calm as he could be, and I knew he would be okay.

“Okay, guys,” Billy said as he clapped his hands together, and then looked to Peyton.  “And girl, let get this party started.”

The rest of them shifted and we were all set to go.  I went up to stand next to Bolton and nudged him to let him know it was time to go, and we took off.  All of the guards kept pace with us in a large circle formation, surrounding me and Bolton.  He seemed like he wanted to play.  He kept crossing my path and then he would turn and crouch down on his forepaws
, his tail wagging.  He made me want to play back, which I hadn’t felt in a long time; at least not in my wolf form.
 

That was the difference between all of us.  They had their wolves that would take over during the change; even if the human side was in control, the wolf was there with its instincts.  I didn’t have that.  I was a human in wolf form; period, but seeing Bolton wanting to play, and knowing he’d never done that before, made me want to show him the joys to be had. 
I still remembered, and
I miss
ed
it.

We played for a while he would chase as I ran, but then I’d turn and pounce on him, taking him by surprise.  We loped around, rolled in the meadow, even splashing through a creek that we passed.  It was the most fun I had had in ages.

Other wolves joined in the fun as they would pass us on their way back to the pack house.  Almost all of my pack and quite a few of Starlight’s pack were there.  Becca came up to me, knowing that she couldn’t bother Billy ass he was in charge of the watch and couldn’t play. 

When i
t had
finally
dwindled back to our original eleven, with the addi
tion of Becca, we laid
in the meadow.  I was so tired, and I was trying to regain the energy to shift b
ack.  All of a sudden everyone
perked up, their ears turning to catch
some unknown
sound.

‘Change back, Crystie.  Climb into that tree.’
  Billy said as he came to stand in protective stance in front of me along with Jerry and Ryan
. 
‘Something’s coming. 
Unknown
scent.’

I whimpered as I shifted back, expending the last of my reserves.  I had overexerted myself in the fun of playing with the others.  I lay there, not being able to stand, and I couldn’t communicate with Billy,
Becca, or the others, since I wasn’t
in wolf form
anymore
. 

Becca whimpered and nudged me with her snout, trying to urge me on, but I just couldn’t.  I couldn’t even speak at that moment, I was breathing so hard.  Becca and Ryan shifted back, Becca quickly climbing into the tree.  Ryan picked me up and passed me to her.  Then he shifted back and rubbed himself all o
ver the tree trunk, then marked it with his scent
.  He did that to mask mine and Becca’s scent, and none too soon as a group of about twelve feral rogues came into the clearing.

I couldn’t keep up with the fight, everythi
ng was moving too fast for me t
o see; me no longer having the enhanced vision of the
weres
.  I saw Ryan at the base of the tree, but no
t
so close as to draw attention to us.  He took down the first wolf
within seconds, but a second, more skilled one got him on the back as he did.  He yelped, but was able to jump away from the attacker and get his bearings back before attacking the rogue from the front.  They both used their claws, slicing each other, and their teeth tea
ring through fur, until Ryan was
final
ly
able to get a gr
ip on the rogue’s neck, and thro
w him.  Unfortunately the rogue hit the tree with such force I fell before Becca could get a hold on me.  I fell a good twelve feet, hitting smaller branches on the way down.  I tried to use my arms to catch myself when I hit the ground
, and heard the snap of bone.  A
burning pain shot through my left arm and spread over that whole side of my body.  I was just able to hold the scream in, though, not wanting to draw attention to myself, and invite an attack.  Though my whole body was in pain from the fall, I was able to scoot myself against the tree.  Becca came down and crouched in front of me.  She decided to shift then, so if any wolves came our way, we wouldn’t be vulnerable to the a
ttack
.

I couldn’t see where Ryan was now, all I could hear was the snarling and fighting of the wolves.  All of a sudden
, too many wolves to count broke through the tree line and joined in the fight.  Becca changed back, so I assumed it was the Starlight pack.  Several wolves came and surrounded me, protecting me from any further harm.

“What happened?”  Becca asked as she gently took my arm and straightened it out, examining it.  I couldn’t look because I had felt the skin tear where the bone had
broken
through.  I knew if I saw
that that
I would pass out.

“I tried…to catch…myself…when I fell.”  I panted out.  I was getting more and more light headed.

“Billy!”  She yelled.  “Come on Crys, you’re getting awful pale on me.  You gotta stay with me.”  She said to me.  She kept murmuring soothing words, and trying to get my mind off of the pain, but I wasn’t able to concentrate on what she was saying.

It felt like everything was going in slow motion; that I was moving in slow motion.  I turned my head and saw all of blood and gore from the little battle.  I couldn’t seem to look away from it.  The last thing I saw as blackness took over was a gray wolf come over to me, whining and licking my face.

I became aware.  I don’t know how
else
to describe it.  There was really no noise; I couldn’t hear anyone around me, and I was still in darkness, but somehow my senses picked up.  I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn’t cooperate.  My mouth was dry, so I opened it, and I guess I somehow made some kind of noise, because all of a sudden there were voices around me; all talking at once asking me if I was awake and how I was feel
ing.  I kept working my eye mu
scles and telling them to open, and eventually
they listened.  I had to blink t
o adjust my sight to the brightness of the room.

“Wa…”  I was so thirsty, I tried to ask for water, but it wouldn’t come out
.  Next thing
I know though, Ryan was there with a glass of ice water and a straw.  After I drank my fill, I looked at him and smiled best I could to thank him.

Looking around, I saw that my main friends were there with the exception of Bolton.  Becca was sitting in a chair beside my bed and had Jazzy in her arms asleep.  Billy, Jerry, and Ryan were all situated around my bed, and I even saw Gary and Peyton on the sofa through the door in the sitting room.

“What happened?”  I asked looking at Becca since I knew she had been there.

“You went into shock from pain and blood loss.”  She said, tears welling in her eyes.  I knew my weakness bothered her even more than she’d say; and that’s a lot.  “The bone nicked an artery when it broke through your wrist.  You lost a good amount of blood, but not too overly much.  The pack doc said your healing would take a little longer than normal because of that,” She gave me a pointed look when she said that.  At least there would be an excuse for my slow healing.  “But he set the bones and put a splint on for you.  Otherwise, you’re just a little banged and bruised.”

“What about the attack?  Was anyone hurt?”  I looked around for someone to answer, but they just looked at each other for a minute before Ryan spoke up.

“A few minor injuries, but they are already healed.  We got all of the rogues, though.”  He said.  “We were going to keep one and try to interrogate him, but when Alpha Burgess forced him to change, he was crazy.  I mean he was beyond feral, no humanity left, so he had to be put down.  So we don’t have any answers for the attack.”

Rogues were usually
weres
who had
given complete control to their wolves and had gone insane as a result.  There were a few who would organize them into packs to try to take out packs and claim territory, but it wasn’t many.  Rogue packs were not usually that organized, it was just instinct for a wolf to try to find a pack, so they would band together attacking humans and
weres
alike in their travels.

I noticed the glances everyone was still giving each other, and after drinking a little more water, I asked them about it.

They seemed reluctant to tell me.  “Come on and just say what’s wrong please.”  I asked.

“The Alpha in questioning Bolton.”  Jerry said gravely.

“Why does it sound like he is doing more than just questioning him?”  I asked.  There was a knot forming in the pit of my stomach.  I had a bad feeling I knew what wasn’t being said.

Jerry answered.  “The Alpha seems to believe that Bolton knew something of the attack.”

“Why?  Did he not fight with you guys?”

“Yes he did.”  Billy said in a tight voice.  It was good that they seemed to disagree with what Alpha Burgess was doing.  I didn’t think Bolton would do something like that. 

“Actually, he took out three rogues himself.”  Jerry said, confirming my thoughts.

“Can someone go get him and ask him to come and talk with me?” 

Ryan nodded and left the room.

“What time is it?”  I asked Billy as Gary and Peyton came in.  I had noticed it was dark outside.

“It’s eleven thirty.  You’ve been out all day.”
  Jerry said.  “Are you hungry?”

“No I’m actually feeling a little queasy.”

“We need to call Alpha Parker.  He wanted to know as soon as you were awake.”  Becca said.  “Your mom and dad should be here soon.  They called from the airport about half an hour ago.  They panicked when they heard what happened and came as soon as they could book a flight.”

“But they shouldn’t be leaving the pack!  What if something happens to Daddy?”  I said.  With threat out there, I didn’t want Dad to get taken or hurt.

“Alpha Parker sent eight Guards with him, so he’s not unprotected.”  Billy assured me.

“Well, let’s wait for them to get here before calling the Alpha.”  I suggested and turned to the newly mated couple.  “So how’s it going for the two of you?”

Peyton blushed and ducked her head as Gary spoke up.  “Outside of her dad threatening me with
certain
dismemberment if I hurt his daughter, it’s been great.  We’ve decided to stay here until the move so she won’t have to leave her parents and siblings.”

“Well that’
s wonderful,
” I told them.  I was so happy that Gary had found his mate so quickly.  I really hoped that they would all find their mates on this trip.
  “And like you said, it won’t be long before you move home anyw
ays.  Maybe there will be a
Junior on the way by then.”  I added, smiling at them.  Peyton’s face seemed to redden even further, and I
hadn’t thought
that was possible.  Gary just had a huge grin on his face.

Right then, Ryan, Alpha Burgess, and my parents entered the room.  I realized as both Mom and Dad rushed over to my bed that I was still laying down, so I scooted up to where my back was resting on the headboard.

“I’m alright.”  I told them, but they weren’t listening.

“I told you.” My dad said.  “I said I had a bad feeling.  You didn’t listen.”

“Daddy, you can’t shelter me from everything, you know that.”  I said softly.  He knew my injuries were not all I was talking about.

“But it is our job to try, Tink.”  He said.  “We want you to come home with us.  Alpha Parker agrees.”

“Then you can help me talk him out of it.”  I looked at him pointedly.  “Please, Dad.  Remember the reason for this trip, please.”

He looked over to my mom and had a silent conversation with her before turning back to me.  “Alright, Tink, We’ll talk to Jeffery
, but please consider coming back early.  Maybe cut the visits to each pack a little short.”

“We’ll talk about it, Daddy, but remember that I’m not the only one on this trip.”

“Well,” Alpha Burgess said stepping up
.  “I’m very happy to see you awake
.”

“Thank yo
u, Damon
.”  I bowed my head to show him my respect before looking back at him.  “I really appreciate you coming to help during the attack.”

“I’ll not have rogues on my territory; much less have my honored guest being in the center of an attack by them.”

“I understand that, sir, but can I ask you a question?”  I asked respectfully.  I knew I had to watch the way I said what I wanted to say or it could be construed as a challenge to his authority.

“By all means.”  He answered.

“Sir, why are you questioning Bolton about this attack?”

“I just find it convenient that we let him in, then you come to visit, and all of a sudden rogues are attacking
.  Don’t you?”

‘Dad, please help me keep him calm and reasonable.’
  I saw a small nod from my dad from the corner of my eye.

“Damon
, Bolton helped to take out the rogue pack.  From what I understand he took out three on his own.  Why would he do that?”

He looked like he was thinking over what I had said.

“Furthermore, sir, when you took him in, there was no indication that I would be coming here, so how
would he have known to join this pack
to get to me?  Not only that, but I don’t think the attack was aimed at me.  The rogues never once tried to get to me, even after I fell from the tree.  They just fought, not like they had a particular goal in mind.”

Alpha Burgess sat down in the chair Becca had vacated when he and my parents came in the room.

“You are right.”  He sighed.  “I don’t usually have to apologize for my actions, but I owe Bolton a big one.  I guess I was just so upset to think that an Omega would be taken from my care and disgrace my pack, I wasn’t thinking clearly.”  He got up and headed to the door
, but he stopped to turn to me and said,
“I apologize to you as well, and thank you for making me see reason.”  And he left.

I took a big breath and let it out.  Only my mom, dad, Billy, Becca, with Jazzy in her arms, and Ryan were left in the room with me.  Gary and Peyton had left with Jerry when the Alpha had come in, and I didn’t know where they went.

“Does anyone have any aspirin?”  I asked.  My arm was throbbing and my whole body was sore.  Mom took some out of her purse and handed a couple to me along with a glass of water.

“How are you going to explain your human healing?”  My dad asked.

I saw Ryan raise an eyebrow in question, but he knew to wait until we were alone and I would explain.  He probably wouldn’t need an explanation if he stuck around us talking.  Dad obviously wasn’t thinking about him being in the room, and of course Billy and Becca knew.

Billy was the one to answer.  “The doc said that with her blood loss that her healing would be slower, so that should cover her unless something else comes up
.”

“Good.”  Dad said.  “Alright, let’s call the Alpha before it gets any later.”

He took out his I-Phone, dialed the number, and put it on speaker phone so we could all talk and hear.  It wouldn’t have been a problem for the others, but it was for me.

“Hello?”  I tensed as Trent answered the Alpha’s phone.

“Hello, Trent, is Jeffery there?”  Dad asked.

“No.  We had a few problems around today after you left that he had to resolve, so he was tired and went to bed not too long ago.  He told me to wake him as soon as there was word on Crystie.  Has there been any change?  Is she alright?”  I could hear the concern in his voice and my heart constricted.

“I’
m awake now, and I’m doing fine.”  I said, trying not to let my nervousness show in my voice.

He let out a breath.  “You gave all of us here a scare, Crystie.  Nikki has been cooking and cleaning all day to try to calm her nerves.”  I
t was common knowledge that cooking
was Nikki’s stress relief.

“I apologize for that, sir.”  I said, still trying to sound normal.

“I won’t correct you tonight, Crystie, seeing as you are just recovering
,” He sounded like he was teasing me, and again I felt the tightening in my chest.  “But I would like to know when I can tell Dad you’ll be home.”

“Well, Trent, I would like for our group to finish the circuit through
the packs, maybe just shorten
each visit, and then return.”  I hoped he would allow us to.  “If it is at the other packs as it has been here, then they are really looking forward to meeting me and letting our singles meet theirs.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment, and I was afraid he was going to make us return.  “Mr. Lake, how do you feel about that?”

“I was the one to suggest the shorter visits.”  Dad replied.  “Of course I’ll come back tomorrow.  After I accompany Crystie to the next stop, I’ll head home.”

“Alright then.  No more than one week at each pack, and then you head home, okay Crystie?”

“Yes, thank you Trent.”  I said.

“Just make sure to take care of yourself.”  He chuckled.  “It’s sad that we went to school together and are in the same pack, but this is the longest conversation we’ve ever had.  That’ll have to change
, Crystie.”

“Yes, okay.”  I said, and then hanging up.  I was
dreading the day that would happen.  The whole situation
wa
s so much easier to deal with when
I was able to avoid him.