Kierra

My pace back up to the ground floor is laggy, not looking forward to the coming conversation. Gabriel is still standing by the front door as I make my way back in. He's turned to face out, but when I walk in he turns, directing those blue robin’s egg eyes at me.

"So which part of my soul are you wanting? Bits and pieces are already gone, but it isn't that tattered...yet."

I make it a joke, smirking. Joke, yes, but a legit question all the same. Becoming shy by the way he's looking at me, I turn to the fireplace and crouch in front of it.

I remember when doing this before I became a monster, my knees would pop. Now they move easily, fluidly, no genetic flaws or heavier stature to hinder movement. Granted I've slimmed down, but I'm still a bigger girl, no changing that fact.

The mesh frame that's meant to keep the flames at bay or stray coals from getting too far is in front of it, the floor a good couple feet out from it is all brick as well. Looks a bit weird, and messes with my OCD, but it's still amazing.

"Don't want your soul, little wolf, but I do need a guarantee that all those you bring in won't cause any problems with my wolves or the campgrounds."

My fingernails run over the mesh, the noise and feeling distracting for a moment before I pull away and stand.

"Sadly, I can't guarantee that. The others act subservient to me, but I am not an Alpha. No way I can be. Only been one of you guys for less than a month."

I snort, looking at the blackened interior bricks, voice lowering a bit as I fight my own fears and doubts.

"Barely a month and I've already had humans, Vampires, and other wolves try to kill me. In the beginning, I’d almost wished they had. All I want now is a place for those I protect to be safe. The house is beautiful, but I'd be lying if I didn't say part of the draw is the protection of you and yours for those I call mine."

A self-deprecating laugh escapes me.

"When I was first told of how your guys' world works, I wanted nothing to do with it. Two out of the three other Werewolves I knew had wanted to kill or maim me, yet I'm told I'm supposed to be above that, one to be protected. Call me crazy, but that's some fucked up protection detail."

I glance over and give a weak smile.

"Wasn't till I became more comfortable with my own abilities and had several around me that I willingly came out into the open. Not like hiding was doing much for me, having been found anyway at the worst possible time and then ending up in a fight right in front of Alarico's bar."

This time, my laugh is genuine. The sheer stupidity of it all as I look back on things. Running my hands through my hair, I scratch at my scalp vigorously.

"You were the one that howled that night; made everyone share in what you were feeling. Why?"

Green eyes find his blue ones in question.

"Why did I howl or why did everyone feel it?"

"Both."

My hands go out as I shrug, half-smile in place.

"The everyone feeling it part was an accident, I didn't know that would happen. I was upset and everything kind of piled on all at once, so I had to let it out. That was the night I found out my best friend in the world is a supernatural being and she never told me, then acted afraid when I tried to show her what I am now."

I turn back to the fireplace, arms wrapped around my middle.

"That wasn't the only pain you sang of. One of my wolves who'd been close and heard you said it felt crushing on multiple levels."

Tossing my hair over my shoulder, I look over curiously, then turn so I'm facing him and tilt my head as a niggling feeling is felt.

"One of your wolves? Or you?"

When he doesn't answer, I know the answer. A soft chuckle escapes me.

"No worries, Mr. Big Bad Alpha, your secret is safe with me."

Grinning at him, I come clean. Least I can do with what all's going on, but I turn back to the bricks and speak to them instead.

"It was crushing, to me. So much had been going on all at once. Getting attacked and almost killed, sister abducted, and waking several days later from a drugged coma to humans wanting what I wouldn't give. A mental bond of shared pain, fear of the new world, and the cruelties of the ones within it. Was pretty harrowing, but it worked itself out, for the most part."

Skirting specific detailed truths while still trying to be honest is a tricky thing.

"Did it?"

Gabriel's voice gives no clue as to what he's thinking, so I look back to him.

"Well, all the ones who'd hurt me are now dead, in one form or another, my sister has been found, and I'm working on making things better for those within my home. Safer."

My brow furrows. I'd killed most of the ones who'd hurt me, one sticks out though since it was the most bizarre. I speak aloud absently.

"One though, I didn't get a chance to kill. He ran off, but not before a lot of damage was done. Never knew who he was, just found out later he'd been sent by the Vamp who took my sister. Was told he was hired to kill me but..."

I shake my head and move past it.

"While I'd been at the place where my sister was being held, a gift had been left in my car. Didn't get to it right away since I'd been in the process of dying at the time. Was a friend who found it and brought it back to me. Don't know who sent it or how they knew, or if they knew, or what."

Can't help but smile. The whole thing was creepy, but I was happy when I got it, after the shock wore off of course.

"Should have seen the faces of those around me when I opened it. Whole pitchforks and torches thing and looking for blood... Till they learned who it was of course, then they still weren't too thrilled about it, but I didn't care, it was one nightmare I no longer have to deal with so heavily."

His head is cocked at me, a blank face where I'd expect to be confusion since I haven't said what was in the box. A sinking feeling in my gut has my arms wrapping around my middle again.

"I'd wanted to hang it in my room, but I didn't want to upset those within my home, so it's still in its box under my bed."

A glint of anger sparks in his eyes before he blinks and nods, looking away. My own flares at that look.

"Since you haven't asked, I'm assuming you know what it was. Is. Are you the one who sent it? If you are, why are you angry with me? You know what? I don't care, because that pig got what he deserved."

"I agree, that's why I did it."

My heart nearly stops as I backpedal, figuring but not expecting his answer. Can feel my face blinking at him in surprise as his remains stoic. Well, for the most part, there's sadness there in those milky azure eyes.

Memory brings up the knowledge I had almost gotten to in Dirk's mind, the wolf who'd been executed recently. A friend to the Alpha. My first instinct then is to apologize, the whole death of a friend aspect, but then remember just what his friend had done.

I look away from him, eyes falling to the floor and off to the side. Do I thank him? Apologize that his friend wasn't who he thought? Rant and rave that it happened in the first place?

No. What's done is done, nothing can change that. No point in moaning about things you can't change, yet everyone does it anyway. The regrets, the wishes of going back and changing things, the wants of it having never happened.

One thing I've come to see though in all my years of fucked up, is that it's those events that shape us; that make us who we are currently. You go back and change those events, the things good and bad, then you change who you are.

Some may want that, but I don't. Yes, what I've been through has been shit, wasn't what I wanted, but if it hadn't happened, who's to say I'd be any better off?

It's always possible that things could have been totally different; where I grew up to be some successful college graduate on the rise. Then again, it could have gone even worse - and that was the likelier choice when looking back at how things were going even before they went downhill. Right now, I'm more in the middle, and glad that I am.

It's complicated.

So far in thought, I didn't notice or hear the big man come so close to me. My heart thumps as I look up at him, then accelerates. Feet seem frozen in fear as he reaches forward.

A lock of silver is taken and rubbed, looking at it before he speaks. Voice low and deep; a river of molasses. Sweet and just as deadly.

"Just as the dream you and I had shared before meeting, there is another who can foresee potential futures. He came to me and told me what he’d seen, and I didn’t want to believe him. I couldn’t. Several days later, Joshua had shown up at my door beaten up and bloody. He wouldn't admit to what he'd done but he didn't have to. I already knew."

The sadness in his voice is what draws my attention. The eyes as they focus on my hair in his hand.

"He was one of my wolves, so judgment had to be passed. Was bad enough that he attacked a female, but one that is..."

Blue eyes find mine as he stops, so I smirk.

"One that is a Silver, yeah. Been hearing that a lot. Doesn't seem to faze too many since he wasn't the only wolf to come at me. Seems to be more a pick-and-choose type of thing."

His eyes darken as he looks at me. Talk about moody...is he PMSing?

"Who else?"

Can tell him of one, but mentioning Lucia could be disastrous. She best be glad I'm not that vindictive. Not too often anyway.

"One who Changed me. Was the dog that belonged to the Vamp who took my sister. He's dead and the Vamp will be too if I ever see him again."

His features become guarded before asking about my sister.

"How long had she been with this Vampire?"

My spine stiffens and I move to step away, but he doesn't release my hair. Now it's me who's becoming moody.

"Long enough to have become one, and so help me if you or any other come at her..."

The tug at my head makes my green eyes flash yellow while glaring at him. He smiles, looking at them.

"There they are. From what I've been able to gather about Silver Wolves, that's usually the first sign of who they are. How they can be told apart since they're the only Weres who can change them back and forth. Hair too, but from the things I've read, it should be all over, not just streaks."

I give him a droll look.

"Great, so I'm even more of a freak among the freaks. Glad to hear."

His grin is dangerously sexy, so I slide my eyes away again.

"You still haven't told me what you want. I know there's no way I can afford this by sheer currency, so what else are you wanting?"

The Alpha Gray lets go of my hair and steps away.

"Well, for one, you still haven't told me your relationship to the ones within your home."

I glare at him, annoyed.

"Still don't see how that is relevant."

"Humor me."

When I growl at him, a wave of heat washes over me as he steps close. His dominance is clearly evident right now. Just like in my dream when I first met him though, I feel it, but I'm not cowed by it.

An amused grin forms with a raised brow, yellow eyes bleeding back to bright green as they glitter in laughter at him. The Alpha’s annoyance is clear as I feel it strengthen when he steps closer, almost toe to toe with me. Have to bite my lip to keep from laughing aloud, his expression and annoyance very amusing to me.

My heart thumps when he kicks it up another notch, but not because it's working the way it should. Having pegged it as the 'Alpha Draw', the way I figure it works is it draws wolves to their leader, making it less likely for anarchy and upheaval in the ranks. The instinctual feeling to back down in front of a major dominant.

But what can I say, I have a problem with authority figures, don't matter what species they are. The pickup of my heartbeat is not me fighting it, but the call it draws from the deeper female part. Have I mentioned that there are times that I hate being female?

We may not have to worry about the awkward public boners, but females do have something to worry about.

Scent.

Can be as clean as they come, that doesn't matter. Females have a stronger arousal scent, even more so for those equipped with an animal nose. My thighs clench as I turn and walk away, turning my back to him as I did before. Probably a stupid move, again, but no one said I was smart. I keep my smirk in place, acting like nothing is out of order.

He growls and backs off with the wolf magic, thankfully. Can only go on bravado for so long before it just doesn't work anymore. Having come that close, I give him what he wants before he tries to hit me with another wave.

"You know, if you asked nicely, I'd probably have told you before. But nooo, macho guys have to be all big and badass."

I snort at him, arms crossing as we standoff once more, this time feet apart.

"I've added a couple more since yesterday, just got them today..."

"Added? Are you planning on creating a Pack within my grounds?"

I glower at him, annoyed all over again.

"No. At least not intentionally. They just come to me, I don't go out looking for them."

My hands clench since my arms are already crossed. My expression softens though.

"Four of them are kids that have come from some pretty dark shit. The only one I had taken intentionally was a human boy."

Gabriel clears his throat, so my gaze goes back to his, having wandered down to his chest so I wasn't staring at him.

"You took a human boy?"

I nod and raise a hand before he can spout anything retarded.

"It was either take him or leave him in a dog cage in a house that was going to be burned down."

Looks a little speechless at that one before nodding.

"I'd heard the rumors of a couple wolves running from a burning house with a boy, take it that was you."

Nodding, I loosen my hands.

"Twelve years old, molested, abused, and stuck in a dog cage. What would you have done?"

When he's silent, I keep going.

"His name is Bastion, and he was the first. Maii was the second child I took in, he'd come with my sister from the brothel. We're not sure just how old he is because he doesn't speak."

My brows furrow once more.

"It's strange really, even in his head he doesn't speak and doesn't use telepathy at all..."

"His head?"

Whoops.