Chapter Nine

Daniel sat quietly as he processed Donna's story. Lucas brought her the tea and sank back down in the chair he claimed earlier. Henry was looking down at his hands and Daniel could smell sadness, anger and despair as it rolled off of Henry and narrowed down to one emotion. Hate. He shook his head. Poor kid.

"First things first. Henry, you will become a part of my pack. You will accept me, listen and obey me as your Alpha. I will teach you to control, live, and thrive with your wolf."

Henry looked up at Daniel. Uncertainty and hope began to dawn on his face.

"Sir? How can I?" he whispered. “I lost my family, my home. I’m a monster! I’m the same as that thing that destroyed my life! I want to kill myself, and I can’t even do that!” He sobbed and Donna's emotions overtook her as well, his pain adding to her own, causing her to quiver next to him as she hugged him tightly.

"You'll do no such thing," Daniel reinforced softly. "We are not monsters. Sometimes, there are bad things out there and we just get dealt a shitty hand. We can either let it destroy us or define us. I will show you the path, but you will have to be the one to choose it and walk it. And son, you're strong. Your wolf is strong. You can do it."

"Yes, sir," Henry nodded as he wiped his face on his shirt sleeve. "Thank you, sir."

"Another condition is that your grandmother will live here as well. You need each other now more than ever, but Ms. Donna?" Daniel turned his head and pierced her with his gaze. "How are you a werewolf with no wolf?" He knew now was the best time to get the whole truth out of her. She looked defeated, like she was waiting for, and dreading, the question.

"My husband," she said grimly. "He left me with a gift leftover from the mate bond. It was the same when he was alive. We were city wolves, and lived within the DC Pack. He was strong enough, and should have been, an Alpha of his own pack, but believed in the greater good. There's a government of wolves within our human government that keeps tabs and tracks the packs and their members. A Dragon in a high position in DC makes sure the US Government, or anybody else, never gets their hands on the information. My husband, God rest his soul and wild spirit, was killed for what he did - contacting packs and collecting their information. The DC Pack will not tell me which pack it was that accused him of betraying his own kind and tore him apart."

This woman was full of surprises. But this news... Fuck!

"How do I not know about this?" he asked her harshly as fear at the thought of someone using this information against him, against all of them, gripped him.

"Because you aren't meant to," she answered. “It is the closest guarded secret of your kind.”

"I'll need to know everything you know," he answered. "Will they kill you for telling me?”

Donna nodded. “They very well could, although I was respected in the pack, I don’t think they would unless it caused anyone trouble.”

“If you still carry a residue of the mate bond,” Daniel thought out loud. “You may carry enough to become part of the pack as well. We'll need to do it outside, tonight, in the moonlight, and I’ll make sure to keep you safe as we navigate a way for me to get in touch with them.

"But you chose not to take Henry to the DC Pack, still coming here instead. Why?

"He is young," she said sadly and ruffled Henry's brown hair. "Too young. They would have killed him, either for being unable to control his wolf, or to deter others from doing the same to young ones like him. I don't know of any children this young that have survived a change. I suspect his sister's bit of magic did something to keep him alive. And I am not a wolf Mr. Sanford. With my husband gone, I have no rank. I wouldn't have been able to advocate for him."

Daniel nodded, satisfied with her reasoning. It proved her sharp thinking and protective nature.

"What about Blue Ridge?" Donna asked curtly.

"I'll make a visit with my Beta and Gamma. In respect to the Alpha, for his request, I'll kill him first, so he doesn't see what I do to his son," Daniel swore.

"I'm coming, too," Henry said as he stood up from the couch, as if they were ready to leave at that moment.

"Absolutely not," Daniel commanded. "You are too young, still a child. I know the wolf within you wants vengeance. Trust, as your Alpha, I will provide that for you." The kid's flash of bravado leaked out of him and he deflated like a balloon, the relief plain on his face.

Daniel brought Donna and Henry into the pack that night. Her ties to the DC Pack along with his security company opened up a door to let him be brought in on the information they collected, keeping her safe as well as providing another agency for his services. He gave her a position as his assistant and knew she was capable of handling anything that could be thrown at her. Daniel made good on his promise about the Blue Ridge Pack. They were relieved he took care of it and their Beta stepped into the Alpha position. Henry grew and as promised, thrived in Daniel's Clearfork Pack.

That had been almost fifteen years ago now. Donna hadn't aged a day and was still as strong and determined as she was the day she sat in his living room. Her voice had just as much snap and pep as ever. After the third ring, she answered.

"Daniel?"

"Yes, Donna," Daniel answered. "How is everything?"

"Nothing too exciting. Just a few updates and requests, same as every other day." She gave him the rundown on the important things and compiled an email she sent to him. He made sure the pack was still faring well. A few squabbles, but so far everyone was on their best behavior. He instructed her to get with Justin.

"I'm tracking the big meeting this weekend," he told her. Code for the full moon.

"Tell Justin to have everything ready, because we are all coming in." Code for one hundred percent pack accountability and participation.

"Is there anything I need to pick up on my way home?" Code for is there any unusual activity he needs to be aware of.

"I'll remind Justin," Donna said "And give him the news. He's arranged the Deltas into teams that rotate out for patrol. He's extended them a little further out than usual, but it's been quiet up here. We'll let you know if that changes."

As the call moved toward casual conversation, Donna suddenly cut in.

"What are you sniffing at, Alpha?" She asked sharply. "It sounds like that nose is going to get you in trouble."

Daniel paused. What was he sniffing at? It was a smell that he could only catch whiffs of, something sweet and citric that left his mouth watering as soon as he acknowledged it. It wasn't herbal and it wasn't wine. He focused on the scent and noticed it was coming from her.

What the hell?