Chapter Four - Coming to terms

Kari's POV

The two women came into the room and shut the door behind them. They smiled at me. I was still so shocked by everything that was going on that I was numb. My emotions seemed to be none-existent. I really need to call Clo and speak with her.

"Kari?" Ingrid said lightly they approached the bed, taking me out of my thoughts.

"Yes, sorry." I said, shaking my head, trying to clear it.

"This is my mother-in-law, Olivia." Ingrid said with a smile introducing the other woman.

"It is nice to meet you, but I should really be getting back. I need to get some sleep so I can get this research started and get myself home." I said, trying to stand up, but I became dizzy and ended up sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You have had one hell of an ordeal, you need to rest, my sweet child." Came the other woman's voice, it was musical tone that soothed and I found myself relaxing. "This must be so confusing for you."

They both helped me get back into bed. "I don't understand what was going on. I am sure I must be dreaming. My father, I..."

"Yes, Andres is here, he has been looking for you for many years now." Olivia said with a smile as she sat on the edge of the bed and took my hand into hers.

"All he had to do was come home and he would have found me." I muttered.

"He couldn't for your safety and for your mothers." Olivia said.

"I think anything would have been better than what he left us to," I replied looking down so I didn’t make eye contact with either of them.

'Listen to them.' The voice in my head said. Why was I telling myself to listen to two strangers? I shook my head.

"You're Grandfather was a bit of a nasty man." Olivia said. "He threatened you and your mother if he didn't leave you and return to take over the business and marry the woman that he had chosen for him."

"Excuse me?" My head shot up. She took a deep breath.

"Yes, once he finally fully took over and knew his father had stopped keeping an eye on him as much, he searched for you, but by that time, he couldn't find you. You had obviously gone into Foster care by this point, and we couldn’t locate you.”

"Likewise, the police searched for him." I said. "But my whole life with him had been a lie, so why should I believe this is anything different?"

"What does the voice in your head say?" Ingrid suddenly said, making even Olivia look at her with a frown.

'Believe them.' The voice came.

"There is no voice." I lied. There was a voice, but as I had always put it down to my conscience or me going mad.

"Kari, listen to the voice, I promise you we all have them." She said. I frowned.

'My name is Hela.' The voice said. That's it. I definitely had lost my mind. The voice snorted. The voice in my head actually snorted. “You are but not cause you are hearing voices.’

"My voice is called Sif." Ingrid said.

"Mine is Joro." Olivia smiled.

"As in Norsk mythology?" They both nodded with smiles. "Odin's wife and Thor's wife. I'm a little concerned about mine."

"What do you mean?" Ingrid asked, tilting her head to one side.

"Well, in Norsk Mythology mine is the Goddess of death and ruler of Helheim." I muttered, not sure how to take this information.

"Hela." Olivia smiled. "It is good to have you with us Hela, thank you for protecting our pup."

Suddenly, I had the feeling of being pushed back in my mind and a voice which wasn't mine came from me. "It has been a pleasure, she is a good human. I am privileged that the moon Goddess has blessed me with her."

Just as suddenly, I was back. What the f.uck was that? I thought to myself.

'I am the protector of the dead,' the voice huffed. 'And it will all make sense if you just trust and listen to what they say.'

"What the hell?" I asked.

"That voice? Is your inner wolf." Ingrid said. "We weren't sure if you had one being as you were half human, but Thor, Henrik's wolf, has been speaking to Hela."

"Thor was Hela's sister," I said.

"Indeed," Olivia said. "Henrik is your brother."

"So my father left me to have another family," I said. Both women slumped at my words.

"He had no choice, his father held the strings. He threatened to have your mother tortured and killed." Olivia said.

"Well, that's what happened," I sighed.

"What do you mean?" Ingrid asked.

I pointed out a few scars on my lower arms. "These are from a five-year-old learning how to cook because her mother couldn't function enough to cook." I showed them the scars on my fingers. "These are from learning to use a knife. Because if the five-year old didn't do this, she would have starved to death."

"Oh my." Olivia gasped, not realizing the enormity of what I had to go through.

"This one." I lifted my hair so they could see a scar at the back of my head. "is from a seven year old falling down the stairs when her mother was so out of it that trying to get her up the stairs to her room, That seven year old woke the next morning to her head being matted with blood and her mother on the floor in the foetal position in her bedroom. Then there are the ones you can't see, the ones where some days I can't breathe because I feel so alone and unwanted, the ones where I wake up screaming from nightmares of what I had to deal with from when I found my mother dead in the bath to the time that the son of my foster carers tried to rape me because I owed his family that for deigning to look after me, and when I fought back, he stabbed me until I passed out. I woke up in the hospital with the same police officer who came for my mother's suicide claiming that he had attacked me in self defence."

Both women had now gone silent. "If that isn't a form of torture or murder, then I don't know what is." I started to shake as I felt a panic attack starting to set in. I fumbled in the bag around my waist for my medication and shakingly I attempted to open it as I gasped for air. Suddenly, the bottle was taken from my hands and moments later two tablets were put in its place. I put them in my mouth and a glass of water found its way into my other hand as I felt a hand gently rubbing my back. I swallowed the tablets and found myself starting to calm down.

"You need to rest." Ingrid said, helping me lay down. I noticed a nurse had come into the room and was adding something to my drip. Moments later, I found it difficult to keep my eyes open and blackness took over me.

Henrik's POV

Once Kari was asleep, I left Josiah at her door to guard her, as technically she was a rouge, and until the pack were informed of and understood the situation, i wasn't going to leave anything else to chance. I had already f,ucked up by leaving her unguarded, so she went out alone. Once we had the situation under control, we would formally introduce her to the pack. The rest of us made our way up to my office to discuss what my mother and my mate had found out. I sat at my desk and Ingrid crawled into my lap, my mother doing the same with my father as he sat opposite me. Ralf sat in the chair next to him and Josh stood against the wall.

"So, what happened?" Ralf asked.

"She has a wolf," I said.

"That's why she had the scent of a rouge. I wasn't sure, as it was so faint," Ralf said. "Mixed with the faint smell of the family and, of course, the smell of a human."

"According to Thor, her wolf has been in hibernation, as she knew she wasn't strong enough to cope with the shift." I explained as i rubbed a thumb over Ingrid's back.

"Her wolf is also rather strong according to Odin, so Kari needs to be fully fit to be able to shift for the first time." My father stated.

"Before we even think about that, she needs time to process," Ingrid said.

"We all need it." Olivia said quietly. We all looked at her.

"What did she say?" I asked, feeling Ingrid tense a little in my lap.

"She went through hell." Ingrid said. "It's something she needs to share herself, but it wasn't easy on her. She has pretty much been alone since she was five. She had a panic attack whilst we were there, which is why the nurse sedated her. Henrik was right. We need to take this one step at a time. I think she understands a little what she is, and Hela is starting to show through. We spoke to her briefly."

"There is one thing," Olivia said, we all turned to her. "You all have blue eyes when your wolves come through, right?"

"Right, I'm guessing she does too," my father said.

"No, hers are purple." Olivia said.

'She's a special wolf.' Thor told me.

'Special how?'

'I can't say, not until she shifts and you see for yourself.'

"What is it?" Ingrid said at the frown on my face.

"Thor said she is a special wolf, but won't tell me anything else."

"Maybe Hela can?" Dad said.

"He seems to think we have to wait until she shifts," I said. "But I think we need to get her initiated into the pack sooner rather than later, and we need to put more warriors to protect her. If she is special and Hela is coming forward, and Thor can sense she is special, others may be able to as well."

"What about Alpha Damman? He's due to visit this week," Ralf asked.

"I can't put that off. It will be the first time that the two packs have had an alliance. I don't want to lose that before it even starts. I said.

"You continue with that, we can look after Kari." Olivia said. "We will have Josiah as well."

"Josh, i am tasking you with the helping to look after them as well please." I said to my Gamma.

"Of course, Alpha," he said with a smile and a nod. "It would be my pleasure."

"It may be worth having Josh use some of his calming nature on her when we try to inform her of everything" Ingrid said. The Gamma was directly attached to the Luna. It was the Gamma who could calm her in instances of danger so that she could be protected, but it also worked on the other pack members as well, so putting him in charge of Kari's Safety was a perfect solution."

"Get Josiah to also pick three warriors that he trusts to keep watch over her please. Until she is an official member, her safety is paramount as the pack could become wary of her. I will send a pack wide link to say that Kari is here and she is protected, but I want her covered as well."

"I will speak to him when I take over from him looking after her." Ralf said.

"Thank you." I sighed. "Get Delta Raidon to research wolves with purple eyes." I told Ralf and he nodded.

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" My father asked the two women.

"She had to grow up very quickly. She is covered in scars, burns, knife wounds and a few others. She explained a little but she has been through hell, and that's only a small part of it." My mother said. She turned to my father and put a hand to his cheek. "Our pup will be fine, she just needs time, my love. She is stronger than any of us."

"I know. It just hurts that i abandoned her and i couldn't save her."

"Dad, she will understand. Hela will help her to understand. She was brought up human. She only knows human laws." I told him. "She will come around."

Ralf stood. "I will go to the house she was staying in and gather her stuff together. I'll take Eliza to help pack her clothes."

"Put her stuff into the Luna Suite," Ingrid said. "She can stay there as it won't be in use now until our son finds his luna."

"I will send an Omega to clean it and prepare it for when she is better."

Kari's POV

I open my eyes and blink a few times to clear them. Yawning, I turned my head to see Ralf asleep in a chair at the end of the bed I was in. I looked around the room and remembered I was in the clinic. The events of the night before start to come back to me and i cringe. The nurse walks in and scowls at me.

"Bloody rogue." She mutters under her breath,

"Excuse me." I said to her. The voice in my head growls, making me jump.

"You heard me. Why in God's name am I being made to look after a f.ucking rouge? You should be with the rest of them." She said, pulling a syringe out of her pocket and taking the protective cover off the needle.

"That is your Alpha's sister. You are disrespecting Omega." Came the sleepy voice of Ralf. "If I were you, I would step away from her now."

The nurse stood back and glared at me as another man walked in.

"Perula, take this Omega to the Alpha. I will let him know what she said. The man grabbed the nurse who dropped the syringe she was holding and dragged her out of the room. Her face had turned white. Ralf picked up the syringe and frowned at

it before recovering the tip and pocketing it. "I think it is time we moved you to where you will be staying.

"What do you mean? I'm fine at the house."

"Not anymore Kari, we need to keep you safer now." Ralf said as the doctor walked in a bowed his head to Ralf. I wonder why he did that.

'Because he is the second in command.' Came the voice in my head.

"You're the second in command?" I asked him as the doctor started to remove the lines and wires from me. Ralf smirked.

"Hela talking to you?" He asked.

"This is going to take some getting used to." I mutter as the doctor leaves without a word. Ralf hands me a bag, I open it and there are some of my clothes in there. I stand up and nearly fall on the floor as my legs feel like jelly, but Ralf catches me before I can.

"Lean on me and I will help you to the bathroom." I did and let him guide me. As I washed and got myself ready, I took this time to speak to Hela.

'What am I?' I asked her.

'You, my sweet, are what they call a shape-shifter.' She responded.

'A shape-shifter?'

'More precisely, a warewolf.'

'So full moon, turn in to a beast and howl at the moon.' I ask sarcastically and Hela snorts.

'Not quite. Those fairytales are bull.' She said. 'We can shift whenever we want, we don't need the full moon to help.'

'So why haven't I shifted yet?'

'You weren't ready. You need to be with your family and in a safe environment to do it. I couldn't risk shifting when you were so unpredictable with your mind.' She said softly. 'I was trying to protect you.'

'I have no family.' I responded sadly.

'You do what your father did, and I don't condone it, but I do understand it, it was to protect you from his father. Odin, his wolf, is beside himself that he couldn't protect his pup. His father was a tyrant. If he didn't leave, you would have been killed, after his father had made him watch you being tortured, even at that young age.'

I sighed. 'I can't forgive him just like that, Hela.'

'And they both understand that, but you should give them a chance. They have been looking for us for years. Just hear them out.'

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Kari, are you OK?" Came Ralf's voice.

"Yes, sorry I will be out now." I said, pulling on the clothes and pulling my hair into a pony tail. I walked out to be greeted by both Henrik and Ralf.

"So, I hear you are my brother," I said.

"Yes I am." He smiled. "You have three other brothers and a sister as well. They are dying to meet you, but only when you are ready to."

"Not yet. This is a lot for someone who thought she had no one." I responded and he nodded with a smile.

'He is the Alpha.' My wolf said. 'Should be your position by rights as we are older, but we have better things ahead of us, it is his destiny to be the Alpha of the Western Nordic Pack. He is in charge of over 13,000 wolves.'

"So you are the Alpha?"

"Hela is getting you up to date?" He smiled. "That is good to hear. Yes, I am the Alpha, but it is rightfully yours. If it is what you want, I will happily stand down."

"No, no, thank you. From what I've been told, the job is all yours." He chuckled. "Apparently, it is your destiny, and I don't know enough to be comfortable doing such a position. I'm not the type of person to be the face of anything. I am better in the shadows."

"Come, let me show you where your room is. Sorry to have to move you, but with Hela, and you not yet being a part of the pack officially, we need to keep you protected."

"Why?" I asked with a frown.

'Because we are special,' Hela said.

'Special how?'

'You will know soon.' She replied as I followed my brother out of the room.

'What does he mean by not being a part of the pack?'

'We are technically what they call a rogue, some of whom are hell bent on destroying packs, the other members may not understand who you are and try to hurt you. Once we become a member of the pack, we will lose the scent of being rogue and will gain the pack's scent. So, wherever we go, other wolves will know what pack we come from.'

'And how do I become a pack member? If I can be less of a burden, then I will do it.'

'Speak to your brother, it will consist of some ritual which differs from pack to pack.' She said.

"How do I become a pack member?" I asked as we exited the clinic and there was a black SUV waiting. Josiah climbed out and opened the door for me. Henrik helped me get in before walking around and sitting next to me. Ralf got into the front.

"It is a ritual done under the full moon. You have to pledge allegiance to the pack. It doesn't take long but you will feel it once you accept. It will also mean you can use the mind link," he explained.

"Mindlink?"

"It means you can talk between members in the pack through your mind, kind of like a telephone in your head." He smiles.

"Wow. This is a lot to take in," I muttered.

"I understand, and we will take everything at your pace. But it is my duty to protect you."

"I have protected myself for the last 19 years, I am pretty sure I can continue."

"I don't doubt that, but this is a new world for you and I want to make sure you are safe until you are settled. We have just found you, Kari, we are not ready to loose you again."

'Just take it.' Hela said.

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, it's just..." Henrik took hold of my hand, I looked down at it, and for the first time, I felt like I was meant to be here, That I actually belonged here, just from that one touch.

"Kari, I understand. You have been alone for so long, and i can't begin to imagine any of what you have been through, but we want to be here for you. My mate, Ingrid, is going to stay with you today and show you around. Josiah and Josh will be

with you. Please make sure one of them is with you at all times around the packhouse or packland. They are there to protect you. Until the pack are aware of who you are, we need to make sure you are protected. The nurse this morning

was a fine example."

"Hela explained what a rogue was, I didn't understand when she first turned up."

"We will explain more over the next few days. The next full moon is in three days, and if you are ready we will initiate you then." He said. I nodded as we pulled out the front of what I could only explain was a mansion. "This is the pack house where the family all live and so do a lot of the unmated wolves?"

"What is a mate?" I asked as Josiah opened my door and helped me out. I took his

arm until Henrik came around and let me take his as we walked in.

"It is the other half of our soul," he said. "A soul mate that the moon goddess has chosen for us. Ingrid will explain more."

He led me up the stairs and through a massive oak door in to a massive hallway with people running around, a few people glared at me, others looked at me in curiosity. It felt like i was back in school. I took a deep breath, looked at the floor and let him lead me into an elevator.

Suddenly a man ran up to us.

“Alpha!” We turned to him.

“Delta Raidon?” Henrik asked.

“The thing you asked me to look in to? The research, about the purple eyes?”

“Yes?” My brother said, the man handed my brother a book. “Well Sh1t.”