Chapter Fifteen

Daniel's eyes popped open with a start. The soft tap on the door was just enough to rouse him from his deep slumber. He checked the clock on the nightstand and it read four pm. Dammit. He meant to be awake before now.

He got up and threw a tee shirt on, over his dark jeans, as he opened the door and found Lucas lazily leaning against the opposite wall in the hallway with his arms crossed.

"Sorry to wake you from your beauty sleep," he drawled, not looking the least bit apologetic. “Donna sent me to get you so she could have a word with you before the cookout officially starts."

"I'm surprised she didn't get me herself," Daniel mused as he left the door open and put his shoes on.

"Why would she when she knows she can get me to do it," Lucas grumbled good naturedly.

Daniel followed Lucas down the stairway. As they descended, the smell of food became thicker in the air, making his stomach rumble and remind him it had been a long time since his last meal. He could hear Donna just outside, issuing orders as deftly as a dealer threw cards. He stepped outside, keeping his aura lightly suppressed to observe the scene laid out before him.

She was a powerful presence, not just in the gifts from her late husband, but her natural personality exuded power as well, over the humans and wolves alike. She stood in the middle of the chaos like a rock bending and directing the flow of a raging river.

"Eli, you, Ethan and Sarah grab the foldout chairs from storage. Stack them neatly over there so they're available if anybody needs one." The three young teens moved at once.

"Hannah, dear, let Emma take over the potato salad for you, I hear your baby girl getting fussy. You can let Emma know if she's missing anything." Hannah was a new mother and mate to one of the wolves and was still adjusting to life in the village. She nodded and came back with her sweet blue eyed baby. Emma was fifteen and even though she was smart and capable, the girl did tend to have her head in the clouds.

Donna spied one of the newest wolves attempting to leave the pavilion with nothing in his hands. "Marcus!" she barked. The wolf in question snapped his head up and whipped around to face her like he'd been caught red-handed, doing something wrong. "Take those jugs of water to Justin then get more wood for the fire." Marcus hesitated. Daniel could see the look of wonder on his face as he felt the true weight of Donna's command, as if it came from a dominant wolf. "Is there a problem, boy?"

Marcus stammered. "I, uh, no ma'am. How?" Marcus was used to listening to her like everyone else when he was still a human, but he never expected to feel the compulsion of his wolf to obey her now that he was an official pack member.

Donna smiled and gentled her voice and reigned in her force. "I'm just an old woman Marcus, think nothing of it. But go on, don’t dally." Daniel surmised Marcus must still be trying to sort out and learn the pack bonds and identify each one, or he would have recognized Donna's presence in them. Bringing her into the pack was an open secret and had caused Daniel a little consternation at first, the wolves unwilling to accept a human’s admittance in the pack, and nervous about Henry’s young age. Daniel explained to them she had no rank, and that they had been given a gift in the form of the vigorous old woman.

He scrutinized her now, and how the pack and village both seemed to hold her in revered awe. He caught some of the nervous glances of a few that snuck them in when they thought she was looking the other way. If he hadn't been watching so close, he would have missed the way her jaw tightened when it happened.

She had helped deliver many of the children and was always a matriarchal figure to everyone around her, no matter status or rank. She was extremely good with the women adjusting to life with a werewolf mate, having been there herself. She understood their reserved ambivalence, but it didn't mean she liked it. The humans were confused as to why the wolves obeyed her just as readily as they would the Alpha and Beta. They knew the wolves would never tolerate that kind of command coming from one of them.

The wolves knew she wasn’t quite one of them, having no wolf or rank in the pack structure. She was like a puzzle piece that didn't quite fit, but ultimately held the whole picture together and a backbone of their little society.

When everybody was focused on her task to her liking, she finally addressed Daniel standing next to the wall. She always showed him the appropriate amount of respect in public. When it was just them, however, she had no problem sharing her mind if she thought he was treading waters too dangerous. He cherished that about her.

"Alpha, if I knew you were waiting in line for something to do, I would have saved a small task for you," she said as if in apology. Daniel snorted at the lie. She knew as soon as he stepped outside. Some of the people and wolves around jumped when she called out to him, not realizing he was there. He released the tension withholding his aura and let it expand naturally with a smile as he stepped further into the shelter towards her.

"Donna," he smiled warmly and took her hand between his. "Will you show me what area might need my attention?" She knew it was code to take a private walk. After all these years, the two seemed to have a secret language between them the others suspected, but never fully understood.

The two strolled down from the packhouse on the path close to the rocks at the water's edge. Daniel looked with pride over his people, grateful they were able to have a tight knit community and a place away from prying eyes and the constant worry of being discovered. He didn't know how the city packs managed it.

Donna could sense his train of thought. "You're a good Alpha," she said. But then her face contorted and became tight as if she was unwilling to let out what was bothering her, why she sent Lucas to get him.

"What is it?" Daniel asked her. She huffed.

"I know your plans for the Blue Ridge Pack and the new business you've bought," she said darkly.

"I figured you did," he responded, keeping a neutral expression to see where she was going with it.

"I don't like it," she said harshly. Daniel sighed.

"Blue Ridge has been struggling since the problem with their old Alpha and his son. Leonard was the right choice at the time to take over, but we both know he isn't strong enough to keep the pack together much longer. Judd is still down there helping out for now. But I bought Elevated so Leonard’s wolves would have a safe place to acquire a substantial amount of income for the pack, and us. Clearfork will expand as a pack, creating ties to them as their sponsor. Blue Ridge will ultimately be running the business so Lucas can eventually come home,” he said gently.

"Blue Ridge, Alpha? Or Henry?" she exploded.