by Melissa Haag
The following week, things started coming together as we fell into a routine. Half the males went out to hunt each morning. Half stayed back to help in whatever way they could, usually repairing or improving something on the building. Instead of draining the tub by hand, we were digging under the room to allow the water to drain away much like the sink in the main room. In the room next to Charlene’s, we started to fit the stove. Hem and Carl continued to raid the junkyard at night to piece together more tables and chairs.
During the days, the women worked together to care for the cubs, prepare meals, and create anything they could from the spare cloth Winifred had managed to supply. Curtains started to appear in many of the unboarded windows.
By Thursday, sanctuary looked truly lived in, inside and out.
SIXTEEN
Grey…
I’m here, I sent Winifred.
The door opened, and I sprinted from the shadows into her entry. She closed the door behind me.
“Did you find anything, Grey?” she asked.
I shifted, after making sure her curtains were closed, and took the pants from her.
“I picked up pieces of their trail and followed it until there was nothing.”
“They just disappeared?”
“Their scents did. I found a few old signs that might have been a struggle. Or it could have been something big, like a moose, moving through that area.”
She sighed and looked off for a moment.
“I don’t like this. The males are dangerously desperate if they are killing another male’s Mate.”
“I agree.”
“We need to give them hope. Change the way they can meet females.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Formal introductions at sanctuary. Young females go there and meet interested males in a safe, controlled way. We would put a call out so every male could have a chance.”
“It could help reduce their desperation,” I agreed, dressing. “But that many males in one place will be dangerous.”
She studied me.
“Why do you think you’re ready to be an Elder?”
“I’ve been an Elder since the day my parents died. It’s not that I cared for Thomas and every wolf we encountered. It’s how I saw their deaths. Quiet. Unknown. Forgotten. Our race will leave this Earth that way unless we change.”
“And you think Thomas is the key to that change? I already know you do. Why else would you be willing to give up your own chance at a Mate?”
“With him leading us, and Charlene at his side, we will be unstoppable. Known. Remembered.”
“It takes time to become an Elder. Training. Commitment.”
“Winifred, we both know our people are almost out of time.”
She gave a sad look.
“Don’t fail, Grey. We all need you.”
Then she opened herself to me. Our connection changed, becoming too big and too solid for my head.
I grunted in pain as a voice pierced my mind.
Power is granted until worthiness is lost. Death rewards self-interest.
The pain increased as every decision I ever made was evaluated, not by Winifred or Jean, but by something that had no body or mind. A vacuum of pressure started between my eyes, slowly relieving the pain. My knees gave out as my mind connected with hundreds of others.
Winifred gently brushed back my hair.
“It’s done, Elder Grey. You heard the voice. You have a heavy responsibility that does not allow mistakes.”
I nodded and stood.
“What now?”
“Now we work together to secure the future of our race. I’m needed here. Without my earnings, what we’re building at sanctuary will fail.”
“I agree. And, I’m needed at sanctuary. Not just to keep the peace, but to continue escorting families and unclaimed females there. To show that the Elders support what Charlene and Thomas are doing.”
“Agreed.”
I could feel Jean’s agreement, too. And his age.
“We need to keep trying to find more willing to become Elders,” I said.
“We will put a call out every year,” Winifred said. “We will grow. Go, Grey. Keep the families safe.” She hesitated for a moment. “And watch Charlene closely.”
“You think there’s more to her than she’s telling us?”
“I do. But her interests are the same as ours. She wants to see us do more than survive. If that ever changes, if she ever becomes a threat, then we will need to act.”
My heart was heavy for my brother as I nodded.
* * * *
Thomas…
Do you think you have room for one more? Grey sent me.
Shock rippled through me, and I felt for the subtle new connection. Like Winifred’s and Jean’s, it was there but out of the way in a quiet corner of my mind. It felt odd reaching out to him there instead of where he’d once been, but good to reach out to him at all.
You survived.
Was there any ever doubt?
Too much. When are you coming?
I’m at your front door.
The idiot knocked. I grinned and went to open the door for him.
“Welcome home, Grey,” I said, pulling him into a tight hug.
He laughed and clapped me on the back.
She’s changed, he sent me, pulling back.
How so?
Grey looked at Charlene who’d moved closer. He smiled at her.
The confident way she holds herself. It reminds me of you.
Then he pulled her into a hug.
“Welcome to the family, Charlene. Will you introduce me to the newcomers?”
“Of course,” she said when he released her.
You are both just what this place needed.
I followed them as she introduced him to everyone by name. He likely didn’t need the introductions. I wasn’t sure how being an Elder worked, but Winifred always just seemed to know everyone.
Grey claimed a room near the base of the stairs and settled into community living.
* * * *
As the days passed, the swell of hateful humor coming from the members of the pack we’d sent out reminded me our time of peace and preparation was nearly at an end.
I could feel the group lingering just outside of sanctuary boundaries on the night before they were due to return. Charlene lay in my arms, breathing steadily, not yet asleep. She worried. And she had a reason to.
Winifred had taken time from her job to be here. She and Grey were downstairs, ensuring the safety of the remaining families. Only Leif and Ann had chosen to leave before the rebellious pack members arrived.
So much depended on how the rogue pack members reacted to my Claim on Charlene. Would it be enough for them to accept her? I ran my fingers through her hair, wishing she was ready to complete the bond. My desire for her only grew with each day but more than that, I feared the Claim wouldn’t be enough to keep her safe.
I stayed awake long after she slept, thinking of what might come.
When the sun started to rise, I kissed Charlene’s cheek gently. She rose and opened her eyes to look at me. She didn’t say anything. Instead she touched my face and smoothed back my hair.
“I’m going downstairs now. I’d feel better if you came, too. The rest of the women will be with Winifred.”
“And Grey?” she asked.
“Already outside, to keep an eye on things.”
“He won’t be able to help you, will he?”
I shook my head.
“How many more do you think you can—”
I kissed her to silence her. There were already too many gathered in the yard, wondering the same thing.
She tangled her fingers in my hair and kissed me back. With reluctance, I broke away, kissed her forehead, and held out my hand to help her stand.
While she dressed, I waited in the hall.
How many are there? I asked Grey.
Enough. Are you ready?
We’re coming
down, I sent back when Charlene opened the door. Hand in hand, we walked toward the main room. She stopped me just outside the doors.
“Good luck,” she whispered, kissing me once more.
I nodded and pushed the door open.
The women and children were already waiting for breakfast. Mary and Winifred were cracking twelve dozen eggs into two pots while several of the older children read books at a table with their parents.
I will guard her, Winifred sent me.
Knowing I could put it off no longer, I walked out the door.
Ash stood outside, his arms folded and his smirk in place. At least a dozen new males stood around him.
“You were busy,” he said, eyeing the building behind me. “This place looks nice and human.”
I knew what he was trying to do. But, turning them against this place because of how it looked would be hard once they knew what the changes had brought.
“You should see the inside,” I said. “The females have been working hard to make it comfortable for the families you sent back.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Families?” one of the males asked.
“Females?” another asked.
“Yes,” Grey said. “There are several families here. Several Mated females and two Claimed.”
The males glanced at Ash, who flushed angrily.
“And one human who you have let poison the others with her human ideas. Look at you. Wearing pants. How long until she has you working for human coins instead of protecting those females?”
Grey answered before I could respond.
“You weren’t opposed to wearing pants when you were trying to Claim her.”
Ash glared at Grey.
“Then I came to my senses. We have no use for a human female who can’t be Claimed.”
“Is it true that she’s a potential Mate for us all?” one of the males asked.
“It was true,” Grey said.
“Was?” Ash looked from Grey to me.
You’re not helping, I sent him.
“She’s Claimed now.”
“Impossible. I saw three failed attempts and heard there were more before that.”
“There were.”
“Who Claimed her?”
“She’s mine,” I said.
Ash opened his mouth to say more, but Grey stopped him.
“Winifred and I wanted to give everyone a chance to see the changes made. You can eat inside and see the families and females for yourselves. But you need pants.”
Ash laughed and turned to look back at the trees. Males started walking out. Dozens of them. They went to the pile Grey had prepared near the tool building.
I’ll break, I sent to Grey.
I know.
A rush of worry came from Charlene, and I immediately reached out to reassure her. Now, more than ever I wished we’d Mated.
Some of the males fought over the cloths. Grey and I made no move to intervene. Finding something to put on kept them busy until Winifred called us all in to eat.
I opened the door and walked in first. The children were sitting at the tables, eating with their parents right behind them. Charlene and Mary stood near the stove, ready to serve. Grey moved toward the children and families while Winifred and Gregory stood near Charlene and Mary.
I stepped aside and let the first of too many newcomers pour through the door. Many glanced at the women and children on their way to the stove.
Each man took a plate then waited patiently as Charlene offered a portion of eggs and rice mixed with sausage. Those who sat down first ate quickly then brought their dishes to the sink and filed out. Mary and Rilla washed and dried plates and silverware and brought them back to the stove.
The never-ending loop continued as I stood near the door. A few men stayed outside until those who finished shed their pants. Ash never came in. Instead, he spoke to the men as they returned from eating. I could hear bits of what was said, just more of his human hate.
When the last few males carried their plates to the sink, I stepped outside. Grey was already waiting for me. We walked among the males. A few stopped me to ask questions about the plans for sanctuary, which I answered honestly. I wasn’t the one making the plans. Charlene and Winifred were. Some didn’t like that answer.
“I just can’t accept a human. If you knew what they’d done…” one male said.
“I understand. Humans killed my parents. When I came here, I felt the same way. I was determined to get rid of her. Then, I met her. It wasn’t just the pull that convinced me she was different. It’s the way she thinks. She’s human but doesn’t have their greed. Maybe it’s because she’s young. Maybe it’s because she’s truly different.”
The male nodded slowly.
“We’re so used to it being us against them, I don’t know how we’ll ever change. But we need to. You saw the families inside. The females and the children feel safer there.” I looked off at the trees. “The woods still feel like home to me. But they can be harsh. Maybe too harsh. Perhaps that’s why we’re losing so many females.”
A few others had edged closer, listening.
“Trying to make them believe more females will come will not help your cause with the human,” Ash said, walking up to the group. “Keeping her here endangers us all. Other humans will come because of her. And, if they find out what we are, we’ll wish we were extinct. Humans kill. It’s a fact. For the safety of our kind, she needs to go.”
“She’s my Mate and not going anywhere.”
“Then maybe you need to go,” Ash said, tensing.
Winifred’s voice cut into my head and, based on the expressions of the males around me, theirs too.
If you want him gone so badly, then try to remove him.
I couldn’t believe what she’d said. For a brief stunned moment, my eyes met Grey’s. Regret reflected there.
Brace yourself, he sent a moment before the first body slammed into me.
Ash snarled in my ear. I gripped his hair to keep him from sinking his teeth into my neck. Shifting my weight, I heaved him over my head as three more jumped on me. Claws raked the skin of my back and weight threatened to bring me down. I swung out, ripping through someone’s hide and relieving some pressure.
Charlene’s fear flooded me, spurring me to fight harder. I twisted and pivoted, trying to dislodge the arm wrapped around my neck. I reached back and swiped blindly with my left while grabbing a throat with my right.
One of the mutts bit into my forearm, and I grunted. The one on my back sunk his canines deep into my neck. My knees almost buckled from the pain, and I thought of all the bites Charlene had endured.
I tried to shake him off, but he held tight. Another set of claws raked my back. My anger spiked. I roared and fought harder.
The mutt on my back jerked unnaturally until he suddenly fell away. I kicked out, cracking his ribs so he would stay down. Focusing on the pup on my arm, I raked my claws across his face. He loosened his hold and flew from me as did the one beside him. I realized then, what was happening.
Charlene was using her abilities. Grey had sent me that warning because Winifred had provoked the fight, forcing Charlene’s hand. I should have been angry, but I understood why the Elders had done it. We all had a reason to hate humans. Winifred wanted them to see Charlene was more than just a human.
With only two remaining, I grabbed one by the throat and lifted him high.
“Enough,” Charlene said from much too close.
The anger started to fade, and I realized it hadn’t all been my own.
Still, it was hard to let it go as I stared into the face of one of my attackers.
Slowly, I opened my hand. He dropped to the ground with a yip.
The last mutt looked away from me, unwilling to take me one on one. Satisfied, I glanced at Charlene. She stood just a few feet from me, her fists clenched at her sides and her hair swept off her shoulders. Her cheeks flushed with new anger when she saw my neck.
Then
she frowned.
She turned looking at the males gathered around us.
“If you want to behave like animals, then society will continue to treat you like animals. You will be hunted down and killed. Maybe you can accept that but look through the door,” she said, pointing toward Mary and Rilla.
“They don’t want to accept it. They are willing to change to give the next generation a chance.”
“A chance for what?” Ash said.
She turned, looking for him.
“A chance to survive,” she said.
“There aren’t enough Mates. You’re promising the impossible,” Ash said.
“Aren’t there?” asked Winifred, stepping out. “You sensed Charlene was a possibility when you first arrived here. Her desire to change things upset you, and you’ve refused to see her as what she is. A potential Mate. I’ve listened to your concerns. She’s too human. She’s too weak. Did she look too human or too weak just now? She stopped this fight, not me. Not Grey.”
The men stared at Charlene. I moved closer and set my hands on her shoulders as fear and shame touched my mind. I couldn’t believe she was ashamed of what she could do. She was different. Special. And Claimed because of it. I sent a wave of reassurance over to her.
“We Elders have spoken with her and have watched the changes she’s made. We believe she is the future of our race. We can’t force you to accept her, but we will not let you harm her or drive her away for as long as her existence continues to benefit us.”
The command touched me, implanting itself. I would never harm her. I would never drive her away.
Charlene reached up and placed her hand on top of mine. I leaned forward and kissed the back of her head. Even without the command, I could have never harmed her. We were one and would stand together always.
“Your race can be something great,” Charlene said, “but it will take cooperation and hard work. The things we do today will impact tomorrow and the future of your people. What future do you want? More fighting amongst yourselves?”
“I want a future where my son has hope of a Mate,” Rilla said from behind her. “I want a safe place to live until I give birth to this next one.” She patted her still flat stomach.
