When Worlds Collide Ch. 14

Rafe shifted the instant they were outside, rubbing his body against his mate, placing his scent on her and receiving her scent in return. She nipped at him playfully, taking off into the trees with a little howl. Rafe let her run ahead, mesmerised by the sheer beauty of his mate in wolf form, then the call to run overcame him and he bounded after her, uttering his own small howl into the night.

*****

Millie rolled over, seeking Jared's mouth, pressing her lips gently against his as he gathered her close. She knew he was awake, his muffled groan and instant response testament to that. His body hardened and he nudged a leg between hers as he took over the kiss, his hands sliding across her back in a slow, sensual caress.

"The pack is running," She sighed against his lips, her own wolf perfectly content because she knew it was too dangerous to shift. But Millie knew Jared's wolf would be calling to him, demanding the Alpha run with his pack.

"Let them run," Jared answered huskily, his mouth travelling over her throat. "They don't need me tonight."

Millie groaned softly hearing the call of the wolves, the mating call for those with mates, the call of friendship for those without. If she could shift, they would out there with the pack, playing, joining together in wolf form to celebrate life.

Jared rolled over, pulling his beautiful woman on top of him, nudging his straining cock between her legs as his wolf growled his approval. He had no need to run with the pack, all he needed was right here with him. He slid inside her wet body, growling his pleasure as her scalding heat enveloped him. Kissing her softly, he rolled over until he was above his woman, tenderly stroking her curls back from her face, brushing her lips softly as he began to move inside her.

He loved her gently, tenderly as the wolves serenaded them with their own passionate calls into the night. The message was clear. Life moved on despite the tragedy which had befallen the pack. Some friends no longer walked among them but they would be remembered and their names would be passed on to the children who would be conceived on this night as the pack joined together as one.

_____

Ashleigh ran with the pack though her heart was heavy with sorrow. She heard them call to their mates, to their friends. She listened for the calls that she knew she would never hear again and she whined softly darting off to the left and flying as far from the pack as she could get. She couldn't bear to be there with them. She had promised Nors that she would try but it was too hard. She ran blindly into the night a mournful howl escaping her despite her best efforts to keep it in.

Nors tracked her through the trees. Something had told him to stay when everyone else had left. He had thought he was being foolish but he had stayed anyway. Now he flew through the trees, watching the little she wolf run herself into exhaustion, her pained whimpers wrenching at the heart he was so sure he had closed off millennia ago. He followed until she finally collapsed to the ground, curling into a small round ball and whimpering softly.

He dropped to her side, his movements light and graceful for one so big. "You promised you would try, Ashleigh," he said softly, reaching a hand out to gently touch her shaking body. "You haven't given the pack a chance."

She whimpered, moving into the heat of his body, remaining in wolf form. He knew why she did so. She wanted to keep the lines of communication broken between them. Sighing he rested against a tree and positioned himself so she could curl up in his lap, his arms creating a barrier to hold her in place. Her body continued to shake as she whimpered softly and he started to hum under his breath, closing his eyes as the distant howls of the wolves reached his sharp ears.

Ashleigh relaxed as Nors hummed softly. He really had a lovely voice, his tone deep and rich. She didn't recognise what it was he was humming but it soothed her pain a little. She felt safe when he was near, safe enough that she closed her eyes and fell into a light sleep as his voice lulled her.

Nors stroked her fur gently, keeping up his soothing hum as she relaxed into sleep. He felt a strange peace within himself as he sat in the middle of the forest in the dead of night with the fragile little she wolf on his lap. If anyone who knew him were to witness this, they would be wondering if he had suddenly gone mad. He was not known for his tender emotions. Usually he was bashing someone's head in to keep them in line or ordering someone to be put down for whatever wrong doing they had performed. Caring about orphaned wolves was not something he was used to dealing with.

He stayed with her for an hour until she woke slowly, snuggling into his body heat with a contented sigh. For a brief second he considered taking her with him, simply getting up and carrying her from the forest, but he knew it was the wrong thing to do. She was grieving, young and completely confused. She wasn't capable of making decisions about her life right now.

"A deal is only a deal if both people hold to their end of it, little wolf," he said regretfully. "If you don't try then you're not honouring your end of our bargain and I will have to withdraw my offer." He felt her stiffen, heard her little whimper and he almost relented. But he was older and so much wiser. He knew he had to do the right thing. "It's time for you to go home, Ashleigh."

Ashleigh whimpered softly again. She didn't want to leave Nors. She wanted to go home with him but his tone told her he wouldn't allow it. He was serious. If she didn't try then he would rescind his offer to adopt her into his family. If she didn't try then she had nothing to aim for in the future. Slowly she uncurled from his lap, her big brown eyes meeting his for a brief moment before she turned and ran back into the forest.

Nors tracked her to make sure she did return to the pack, sighing regretfully when she entered a clearing full of wolves playfully sparring with each other. She was barely there before her people surrounded her, nudging and cajoling her into the group, rubbing against her soothingly until she relaxed a bit and allowed them to comfort her.

Satisfied she was once more safe, Nors turned and headed away from the forest. He would come back in a year's time to see how she had faired. Maybe by then she would have begun to heal, maybe even chosen a mate within her pack. The thought of her mating disturbed him slightly but it was the natural order of things within a pack. If she had mated when he returned then he could continue on with his life happy that she was content with her mate.

_____

One month later

The large fire blazed in the middle of the Hanlon Compound. It was not a cold night but it was traditional to light a fire when the pack came together to commemorate those they had lost or had been when it had happened in the past under other Hanlon Alphas. Jared had ordered the fire to be lit. Some traditions the pack needed to maintain.

It had been a hard month. Grieving families had to be taken care of, orphans had required foster families to take them in. Jared had to replace his fallen betas. So far he had elevated Brody and Connor Alexander. They had saved the children and his mate, proven themselves to be as loyal as Aaron and Cedar. Their sister was currently working a dual role. She was Millie's second but she also acted as beta too when Jared needed more hands.

Some of the pack had returned to their lives in the city, the ones who were not grieving and had businesses to run. At the end of the first week after the attack, Rafe and Aaron has begun opening up Wicked again though they returned to the compound nightly. Jen had needed to get back to her job though Lacey was at a loose end. She spent a few hours each day helping out with the children so their parents could get on with other pack matters. When she was at the compound Ashleigh invariably was on her heels, shadowing her until the older woman left with Rafe to go to the club.

Jared worried about Ashleigh a lot. A few times he had even ordered her to be placed in the safe room overnight. She appeared so fragile, a shadow of her former self. She had been such a happy little thing before the vampires came. Now she lived in her own world of memories that she wouldn't allow anyone into. Luke had told him about the girl's attachment to one of Caleb's friends, about his offer to adopt her. His initial reaction to it had been outrage but as the weeks moved on he wondered if maybe it wasn't something to be considered. He had to do what was best for his pack and right now, he couldn't work out what was best for the little orphan who grieved so badly.

The pack began to gather in the centre of the compound. Millie slipped from the house and wrapped her arms around Jared's waist as they watched everyone come together. There was a feeling of deep sadness in the air but also a feeling of hope too. Luke had reported ten new pregnancies within the pack, most probably from the night when the pack had run in memory of their friends. The circle of life went on despite everything. All they could do was live their lives to the best of their abilities and remember those they left behind.

"This isn't supposed to be a sad time, Jared," Millie said softly, tightening her arms around him.

He sighed softly brushing his lips gently across her forehead. "I know," he answered quietly. "It's hard not to feel some sadness though."

"The pack will follow their Alpha's lead, love," she whispered reaching up to pull his mouth to hers for a gentle kiss. He accepted her kiss, drinking in her sweet taste and then he smiled and raised his head. She was right. If he allowed his grief to show then the night would be a sombre affair and it was supposed to be a joyous one.

His head turned to the left as he scented the night air. Caleb and Annie slipped through the trees followed closely by Mara and Demetri. The vampires had obviously chosen to run to the compound rather than bring their cars. He smiled as they approached. Mara looked stunning as a vampire, her man noticeably more relaxed now that his woman wasn't as fragile as she had been.

They had been frequent visitors to the compound since the attack, studiously ignoring some of the younger members who saw them as solely vampires and reacted slightly negatively towards them because of it. Instances of dark scowls being thrown in their direction had gone down significantly as they almost daily arrived to help out in any way they could.

Jared couldn't remember the last time he had noted a youngster glaring at them for which he was relieved. He didn't want to come down heavy on any of them. They were grieving because vampires had devastated their lives. It was to be expected that some would blame all vampires. His friends' understanding and unwavering commitment to the pack had been enough to ease over that slight hurdle.

"Glad you could make it," he smiled when they reached them.

"You think we had a choice?" Demetri grumbled good naturedly shooting a teasing glance at Rhianna. "She nags like a harpy when she wants something," he laughed nodding his head in her direction.

"Excuse me," Rhianna snorted with a laugh. "Who was the one who yelled up the stairs that we were going to be late if I didn't get my ass hustling?" Her lavender eyes sparkled with laughter as she slid from Caleb's embrace to hug Millie warmly and then Jared.

Demetri feigned a mock innocent expression and pulled Mara over to Rafe and Lacey, sinking down to the ground beside them.

Caleb smiled and greeted the Alphas with a warm hug of his own before they all moved over to sit down beside their friends, leaving Jared the only one standing. A hush fell over the compound as all eyes turned to him.

"A month ago we faced our gravest threat, total annihilation of the pack," he said loudly, his deep voice ringing clear into the night. "With the help of our friends we overcame that threat but in the process we lost many good, valued members of this pack. We've had our time to grieve as a people. I know many will grieve for longer as individuals but the pack goes on with the new life which is growing within us. The official month of mourning is at an end. Tonight we celebrate our friends and we celebrate the continuation of the pack."

He nodded his head slightly and Brody Alexander approached which a heavy bronze sculpture in his hands. He had spent the last month carefully creating the figure of a wolf with its head raised as if baying at the moon. It wasn't a large, showy piece, standing maybe 15 inches in height, but it conveyed what his Alpha had asked for. He had crafted it lovingly, working into the night to ensure that he produced his best work.

Silently Brody placed the sculpture in the base of a hewn out boulder on the edge of the dirt road directly across from the Alpha's house. It was as close to the centre of the compound as they could place it without impeding on the normal day to day travels of the pack. Most of their dead had lost their lives in the general area. It seemed fitting to place the memorial statue there. There was no list of names on the memorial. They weren't needed. Everyone knew who lost their lives.

"Thank you, Brody. It's beautiful," Jared said softly, his eyes filling with unshed tears as he swallowed the lump in his throat. It truly was a beautiful sculpture, a fitting reminder of his people who had died so bravely in defence of the pack. "Their sacrifice will never be forgotten," he said to the pack once he got his emotions under control.

He sat down beside Millie, wrapping his arms around her and taking comfort as she held him tightly. Slowly, the pack approached the statue, laying gentle hands briefly on the wolf as they said their silent goodbyes. Rhianna joined them, a lone tear rolling down her face as she touched the beautiful bronze almost reverently before she turned away and moved to hug Mille and Jared again. She settled back in Caleb's warm embrace, remembering Ben, Klaus and Hub. Mike and Pete and all the other faces she would never see again. She was a vampire but the pack was her home as much as being with Caleb was.

Jared watched Ashleigh carefully, waiting for her to approach the statue and say goodbye to her family, but she didn't. She held herself aloof and his heart broke as he watched her. He was going to lose the little blonde. She was drifting towards turning rogue and nothing he or anyone else could do was going to halt the process. The enormity of the decision which lay on his shoulders was enough to drive him to his knees. He couldn't allow her to hurt an innocent human when she went rogue. He had two options open to him, one he just couldn't bear thinking about, which only left one really.

"Caleb, your friend Nors. Is he a good man?" he asked quietly, his gaze never shifting from the shattered girl.

Caleb followed his gaze, frowning as he watched the little she wolf wrapped in her personal misery. Annie had told him what had transpired between Nors and Ashleigh. "I would trust him with my life," he answered carefully. "I trusted the pack to him and he didn't let me down. But he is a hard man, Jared. Known for his determination and sometimes cruelty. He makes hard decisions and isn't afraid to stick to them." He felt he had to be honest with his friend. Nors was no pushover and probably not the ideal guardian for Ashleigh.

He felt Rhianna stiffen in his arms and looked down to see her glaring up at him. "You were just like him, Caleb," she said with a weary sigh. "Demetri was a hundred times worse than him too. Don't sell your friend short. Nors has more inside of him than even he realises."

Jared turned his gaze to the little redhead and gave her a thoughtful look. Caleb's words had worried him but Annie's championship of the big vampire gave him some hope. No one could read a character better than the petite little vampire. She had this uncanny knack of just knowing when someone was good to their very core even if they didn't know it themselves. He made his decision.

"Will you call him, Caleb?" he sighed softly. "Tell him I have something that belongs to him."

"I don't think that will be necessary," Rhianna suddenly smiled, turning to see the huge red haired vampire stride out of the trees towards the compound. "I think he's already realised you have something that belongs to him."

The Weres parted as the vampire strode through them, ignoring them completely, intent only on his target. That their Alpha was allowing the vampire into the compound with no challenge told them that he was classed as a friend, even if most of them had never seen him before.

Nors told himself he was only stopping by to watch from a distance, to check that the little wolf was healing okay so he wouldn't have to come back at the end of the year. One look at Ashleigh sitting in her little world of misery tore at his heart.

She had been constantly in his thoughts the last month. At first it had irritated him immensely and then he started to look forward to his moments alone when her face would come to mind. The deep sadness in her eyes always stirred him, brought out his protective instincts, incited a slow burning rage to start simmering inside him.

He wished Graves still lived. He would rip him to shreds slowly for hurting his Ashleigh so much. He didn't quite know when she became his but at some point over the last month he knew she belonged to him. That it was an impossible scenario didn't matter. That he would have to wait for her, until she healed was something he had been willing to do until he saw the sick, anguished expression on her Alpha's face. He knew what that expression meant, what Jared was considering having to do and it sent a deep rage spiralling almost uncontrollably inside him.

No one would ever hurt his Ashleigh again! Not as long as he lived.

Nors stopped in front of Ashleigh, reaching out a hand and pulling her to her feet. Wordlessly he walked her across to the bronze of the wolf, placing her in front of it and pressing her hand against the cold metal. "Say your goodbyes," he rumbled softly, holding her still as she tried to pull her hand away. "You cannot heal if you do not let them go, little wolf."

Ashleigh bowed her head, tears rolling down her face as he forced her to face her grief. She didn't want to say goodbye, she didn't want to admit that she would never see them again but Nors wouldn't allow her to hide within herself. She wept as she whispered her goodbyes to Mama and Papa, to Karen and Christina, David and Tanja, to Alicia, her little body shaking with emotion.

Nors growled softly, picking her up and striding over to the Alpha, nodding his head to Caleb and Demetri, scowling at the smiling youngling with the knowing look in her eyes. She really was irritating as hell the way she kept smiling her approval at him. He turned his gaze to the Alpha who had stood up and was regarding him intently.

"I said I would wait a year. She will not be here if I wait that long. I've come for what is mine. Will you refuse me?" He waited to see what the wolf would do. There had been a war over a vampire trying to claim one of his pack. Would there be a second one?

"Her home will always be here," Jared said quietly. "You will not refuse her that?"

Nors snorted, cradling his precious bundle as she shivered in his arms. "I will ensure she returns often," he answered carefully. "Whether she wants to or not. She will not deny her heritage though she may need some time to heal before she is ready to visit again."

Jared nodded slowly, reaching out a hand to gently caress Ashleigh's hair. "Do you wish to leave with Nors, little one?" he asked softly.

She raised her head and looked at her Alpha, a look of longing in her big brown eyes. "Please, Alpha," she whispered softly. "It is too hard to stay here."