Broken and Bonded Ch. 13-14

"Who was she?" he whispered hoarsely.

Seline smiled a steely sort of smile and shook her head. "No, I will not hand it to you on a plate. You must remember for yourself for it to have any meaning."

Matt growled and he clenched and unclenched his fists. "Seline," he warned.

She patted his arm. "I am sorry Matt, but I have another to think of, one who swore me to silence for fear of retribution from your father -- or the council. I was never released from that promise; but more than that I care too much for you, to just give you a cold impersonal name. I know... I just know that if I do then it will cause you more harm than good."

She was firm and resolute, and Matt realised that she would not give in. She thought that what she was doing was the right thing, and he could not change her mind.

He had seen how steadfast she could be, if she felt she was protecting another -- even against his brother, when Jonathon had tried to bully her.

A deep part of Matt, sort of understood and agreed that this nameless faceless person deserved more than just a name pulled out of the air.

Seline watched his internal struggle and sensed the moment that he conceded. She draped her arm through his. "Come and join me for a glass of wine -- or two, before you retire to your cabin for the night."

He let her lead him from the building, and whilst she chattered away about nothing, he allowed his whirling thoughts to settle. Belle had been important to him... but not in the way he had thought. She had been instrumental in his meeting with the sunshine girl -- the girl that he had loved.

Not Iris, not Laurie, not their mother Belle... not Seline either... but someone else who had been close in their family circle? He felt that he should know, but it was as if his heart and mind shied away from it -- refusing to let him see what was there.

What had become of her? Of their relationship? Had she rejected him? Just because he had loved her -- it did not mean that she had returned his feelings.

He smiled bitterly. He had come to Seline for answers, but instead he had more questions than ever.

Before though he had always just hated his loss of memory -- that black hole of nothingness. But now he felt that he wanted -- needed to remember -- that those memories had value and were precious to him, if he could just find them again.

As they neared the main house, lights began to pop on in several of the rooms, and he could hear the sounds of laughter and of chatter bordering on shouting.

He smiled again as he glanced at Seline.

"It really is a good thing that you have done here," he said as he thought about the possible fates these girls could have endured, had Seline not stepped in and rescued them.

"It was necessary," Seline shrugged. "And I would do it again a dozen times over, if I could."

"In spite of the cost?" he asked softly, as he thought of her solitary life and how simply she lived now.

"I have help with funding," she told him casually.

"I was not just thinking of finances, but to your own life too... have you never felt the pull of love, of the need for someone to hold you -- of a child or children of your own?"

"My heart was given over a long time ago to your brother, but at the time he was married with a young child, and so I knew that he would not be in my life; and even when his wife died, and the years passed by, I knew that he would not look at me in that way."

"And yet you flirted with him openly?"

Seline laughed, but there was an edge to it too. "There was a certain amount of safety in knowing that he would never take me seriously; and a large amount of spite that he would not take me seriously."

"Until recently."

"Yes, I don't know what happened, why he changed his mind, but I have hopes for a warmer future... and more security for my girls."

"I have hopes for you both on that score too," Matt told her seriously. "But you will have to be patient with him -- my brother has a lot of irons in the fire and he has been on hand to assist people for more years than I can remember -- even though he believes that he can just walk away from it all -- it will be difficult and complicated for him to let go completely."

"He does seem overly eager to volunteer in the help front," Seline nodded. "But then that is part of the reason that I love him."

"Good, I am glad that you understand," Matt smiled. "But in the meantime, I should like to add my name to your funders list."

"Why?" she asked bluntly.

Matt sighed. "Sitting there with them -- listening to their happy banter, I found myself thinking how different their lives could have been had you not stepped in."

"And?"

"And I would not want that for any of them, for any future girls either," he shrugged. "I think what you do here is important, and I want to help."

"Well then I accept -- with gratitude your offer of funding."

She led him into the house but this time she went into her study, where she did the finances and ordering and so on.

"One thing though please, Seline," Matt said as he sat down across from her. "I want my donations to be just between you and me... no one -- and I repeat no one else is to know about this."

"But..." she began to protest.

"I mean it Seline; this is a very serious matter. It's one I cannot afford for the council -- nor anyone else to become aware of my involvement."

She looked openly confused and Matt sighed as he sat back. "The council believes that they have me on a short leash -- under their total control, if they even think that I go off and do things on my own initiative, well then they will become threatened by me."

"You are talking about your inner strength." she guessed. "The repressed power that we all see in you, but no one dares to acknowledge."

"Perceptions and illusions!" he snapped, then he gave her a wry, apologetic sort of smile. "But you are not wrong either."

He sighed again and she saw for the first time the tiredness of his spirit. Matt had been the council's 'grim reaper' for too long now, and she could see suddenly how much it damaged his soul.

"And then there is the public perception of you too," she continued thoughtfully. "You inspire fear and subservience wherever you go and so an act of kindness here would undermine that."

"Yes, and that is something that the council would never allow, they would have me disposed of rather than have their chief henchman seen in a weak light -- it would make them seem weak too."

She nodded suddenly. "You have my word Matt, any donations you give to my home will be for my knowledge only... no one will hear of it from me."

"Good enough," he nodded back with a small smile. "And thank you for understanding, Seline."

"I do Matt, I really do. The council were indifferent to my girls in the beginning, and ignorant to my intervention... but as soon as they became aware of my home and young women -- then they saw it as an opportunity -- as something belonging to them by right of power -- for them to dictate and decide upon."

Matt gave a soft understanding grunt, but he did not have the energy all of a sudden to get hot and bothered over those foolish old men who 'thought' they held power.

He suddenly had a need to be alone, to lose his conscious mind to those veiled dreams of someone who he now knew was real. He had a real need to get back to her and try to discover her in his dreams so that he could find clues of her in the real world; he knew just knew that if he could find her then he would know her immediately.

"Give me your bank details and I will arrange for funds to be moved into your account, on a month-to-month basis... I think... five thousand a month to start with...?"

"Five thousand! A month!" Seline gasped.

"I can well afford it," he shrugged, with a half-smile. "And I am more than confident that you will make good use of every penny of it."

"I will indeed," she nodded, and her brown eyes shone with excitement with what he guessed she was already mentally spending this unexpected money.

She pulled a notepad to her and scribbled some information onto it, before tearing out the page and handing it to him.

"Thank you, Matt, this means so very much to me -- and the girls," she said softly.

"You are most welcome, Seline."

He stood up and Seline stood too.

"Would you like to join us for some supper... in about an hour I should think -- which would be time enough for you to take your bag over to the cabin and settle yourself in -- freshen up or whatever?"

He would have enjoyed supper with Seline and her girls, had found their company earlier strangely therapeutic for his inner turmoil.

"No, thank you Seline, it's been a long day and I think I shall just settle in and have an early night."

"Just give me five minutes and I shall have a hamper made up for you then, to take across with you."

"I am quite able to fend for myself," Matt protested indignantly.

Seline smiled placatingly. "I have no doubt that you are, Matt; but there are no supplies in the cabin, so if you take nothing with you, then you eat nothing either -- no matter how capable you might be."

Matt gave a short laugh and half bowed to her. "I'm sorry Seline," he sighed. "As I said before -- It has been a long day -- a long couple of days if the truth be told, and I would just like to be alone with my thoughts for a while... to digest all that has happened and been revealed to me."

"I won't be long," she promised before hurrying towards the back of the house.

Matt wandered out of her study and loitered in the hallway, by the front door.

"Will you be staying here long on this visit... sir?"

The hesitant young voice had Matt turning with a scowl of surprise -- he had not even heard her approach; he had been so deep in thought.

"What?" he snapped thoughtlessly.

The young woman's lip wobbled slightly, and her wide brown eyes dropped to the ground as she hung her head.

"I am so sorry for snapping like that!" he exclaimed full of remorse for her obvious distress.

He reached out to gently tilt her chin and look into her eyes.

"Please forgive my rudeness." he begged huskily.

She blinked up at him and her eyes dilated.

"Yes, sir... of course, sir..."

Matt smiled and stepped back before she could conclude what she was in danger of doing.

He turned away casually giving her time to pull herself together.

"In answer to your question, I plan on staying for a day -- two at the most I should think."

"Oh," he turned back at the obvious disappointment in her voice.

She blushed and looked down at her feet, and Matt thought how pretty she was.

"What was your name again..." he grinned and watched as her eyes darkened.

"Sandra," she whispered.

"Well, it is very nice to have met you, Sandra." he said in his best jovial uncle-ish sort of voice.

"Is everything okay here?" Seline demanded suspiciously as she walked back carrying a small wicker basket. "Is there something amiss here?"

"No, not at all -- your young lady here was merely being hospitable as I waited for you to come back... is that for me? He asked hopefully as he reached out for the basket.

He suddenly had a rather desperate need to get away from this house and its occupants. To escape before he became embroiled in whatever it was that frightened Sandra so much.

"I'll walk you out," Seline said reading his expression.

He nodded and strode out with a light, "Goodnight," to the girl.

Seline walked behind him and although he wanted nothing more than to stride down to the cabin and leave her standing, well his manners would not let him.

He shifted the weight of the basket under his arm and gave a resigned sigh.

"Okay," he said turning to look at her. "Out with it."

She looked around her quickly.

"Not here," she said in a low voice. "I don't want to risk us being overheard."

He raised an eyebrow but seeing her genuine concern, he gave up on the idea of getting the solitude he desired and allowed her to walk ahead and into the cabin.

"Come on then Seline, the day is wearing on so tell me now, what's bothering you?"

Seline sat down with a little sigh and gathered her thoughts whilst Matt placed the basket in the kitchen.

"There is a bottle of scotch in that hamper -- if you wouldn't mind pouring us both a glass."

She heard his little non-committal grunt and then a moment later the clink of glasses.

After handing her a drink, Matt sat down across from her, and took a sip of his own, whilst he waited patiently for her to begin.

"Sandra... the girl you were talking to... her family -- if you could call them that... well it was just her and them, them being four males, and all of them very aggressive. Sandra was treated pretty much as their slave, and well I won't bore you with all the details; but she came into our home when... someone, contacted me and arranged to get her away from their control. We had to do it while the others were out on one of the full moons."

"Risky," Matt murmured. "In animal form I would have thought they would have known of invaders on their land."

"Yes, we could not go to her, so Sandra had to put her trust in strangers and make a run for it."

"Obviously she did this, and it was successful?"

"Yes, it took weeks of talking to her, building up her trust and confidence. But in the end, I think it was just desperation on her part -- to escape a terrible situation.

She was in charge of shopping and all things domestic, and it was then that someone could meet with her, and they began to make their plans. It was painfully slow, with moments snatched here and there, but they managed it, and she came to my home, late one night, a terrified young girl with only the clothes on her back." she smiled a little smile. "At first, she would barely talk, and she would never make eye contact with anyone... she was just so submissive -- so broken, it was sometimes just heart-breaking to watch."

Matt guessed a lot by what Seline was and was not saying, and remembering how Sandra was with him, and picturing how she was back then, he felt all new levels of respect for this place.

"I'm glad she came here -- to you, I hope that her future makes up for her past, and that her pack gets everything they deserve for not valuing her or any of their females."

"Well, that's partly the problem now... Her father and her brother turned up a few weeks ago -- demanding to see her, to talk with her, I have no idea how they tracked her down, but they are citing pack law to take her back with them as was their right of pack and family."

Matt gave a little snort. "And you saw them off -- good for you!"

"My housekeeper, she is something to reckon with and she would have damaged the two of them if they did not leave -- something they both recognised immediately."

"Good, she scared them off!" he declared smugly, but he could tell that was not all. "You think it's not over with them though?"

"The full moon is almost upon us, and I am afraid that they will come back with it, perhaps with others, and they will use the moon's influence to fuel their aggression." She said it simply enough, but he could tell that this had been on her mind for a while now.

Matt sipped at his drink thoughtfully.

"I believe that if they do plan to come back for Sandra, that you are right... they will wait for the full moon to do it..." he murmured, he looked across at Seline suddenly, as he made his decision. "I was planning on staying for only a day or two -- but I will stay until the moon has come and gone -- until Jonathon can come here, himself."

Seline's shoulders slumped, and her sudden smile lit up the room.

"Thank you, Matt." she whispered. "I know that it's a lot to ask of you but..."

"Hey, I have a vested interest in this now," he laughed lightly. "I shall talk to my brother tomorrow and let him know my plans, although I will leave it to you to explain why."

"Thank you -- again, Matt, it will give me an excuse to call him myself," she laughed.

Matt laughed with her for a moment but then he turned serious. "I want you and your girls to know that I won't let anything happen to any of them -- or you... I will protect you all to my last breath." he pledged.

Her eyes filled with moisture, but she blinked the tears away defiantly and simply nodded.

His sudden smile was like the sun coming out -- it was so full of mischief, and Seline blinked in surprise at how young and handsome he looked... No wonder Trudy had fallen so deeply in love with him -- how could she have resisted that?

"And while I am here," he murmured huskily. "I shall try to persuade you to give me more information, regarding the summer girl in my dreams!"