Dawn Discovered

"Gina, this is how we live. We don't have a social security number. We don't have birth certificates. We are totally and absolutely anonymous as far as the outside world is concerned. We, none of us, exist beyond our Pack."

Gina sighed and rubbed the tips of her fingers across her forehead. "I have to think about this. What am I going to say to him?"

Daniel grabbed Gina's sleeve hard. "Nothing. Don't say anything. You can't tell him what I've done. He can never know. This is our secret."

"It's a pretty big secret, Daniel. Where'd you get all this money?"

Daniel pulled it together and released her sleeve. Gina was becoming more and more suspicious of him. He worked up a frown and turned away from her, faking a shuddering sigh of despair. Truth was, there was always a handy cache of money hidden away. He'd lifted the stash in question out of his grandfather's most obscure hiding place. If he'd taken it out of the general fund or simply asked for it, there would have been questions he'd rather not answer. By the time his grandfather noticed the money, he'd used to buy the pre-paid credit card to make the reservations and give her a hefty sum on the side, she'd be long gone.

Where the money came from wasn't her concern. It'd be his ass when his grandfather and his dad finally figured it out. He was well skilled in the art of making fake identification. Hell, he'd been doing it for various members of the Pack for various reasons since he was twelve. To them, it wasn't illegal or forgery. It was just the way they lived. Still, he needed a plausible explanation. "I cashed in my college fund. As much as I'd wanted to go to drafting school, my future doesn't mean much to me without my dad."

"I just can't leave without telling him why."

"Gina, if you love him, you will. Think it over. If there were any other way, I would have told you so. I consider you my friend. Why would I lie to you?" Daniel faked an expression of innocence. Compelling her to listen to him. Hiding his deceit beneath a disguise of concern and youth.

"How am I supposed to get to the airport?"

"Wait until dad is asleep. Take the truck and drive it to the city. Park it somewhere and take the bus to the airport. The truck has lo jack, he'll be able to find it. But, you, you'll have already disappeared without a trace." He'd actually thought about the questions she'd ask. He'd accounted for every possible variable he could think of. Faking his downtrodden expression, he asked, "Did the vampires give you a phone?"

"Yes, why?"

"Pick a random place, far from here and send it there. The phone has a tracking device in it. That may be enough to lead them away from you. Gina, you are family, not only to us but to the brothers as well. They will try to find you. The brotherhood is good at what they do. They are expert trackers. But, my dad is better. If you don't go and do it they way I've told you to, he will find you," Daniel said.

"I don't think this is the right thing to do. Leaving without a word. I'll break his heart."

"Gina, I don't want to lose my dad. I know you don't deserve this. And neither does he. But, my brother and sister...we don't deserve to live in a world without him."

"I..."

"Think about it. Remember, there's not much time left. If you do this, you can never come back here. You can never speak to any of us again. You can't even talk to the brothers. Nobody can ever know. Gina, you have to disappear at least long enough for him to get over you." Daniel threw his arms around her neck and hugged her. Conveying his desperation and fear to her to make the act convincing as possible. " I don't want to lose you. But, please Gina, please help us."

"I'll try." Gina climbed out of the truck, clutching the envelope in her fist. Stray bits of gravel kicked up from underneath the truck's tires as Daniel backed out of the drive. His eyes were on her, silently begging her for help. She climbed the porch steps. Staring through the cheerful gingham print curtains over the window at Hunter as he slept. Her fingers reached for him, stroking the pane of glass that separated them. "Hunter, I can't take you away from your children. Why didn't you tell me?"

Daniel didn't go straight home. Tristen would pick up Gina's scent. He pulled into the campgrounds at the far side of the lake and went for a swim. He was careful to bag the clothes he'd worn, dropping them into a dumpster. He had a change of clothes stashed under the seat, carefully bagged in a ziplock bag to keep her scent off of them. He was freezing his balls off in the lake water. It was eighty degrees outside and sunny. But, the lake water was fucking cold. Or maybe, that was the guilt causing him to shiver in his shorts.

He'd done the right thing. He had nothing to be guilty about. He dodged the swimmers around him and paddled out to the deep end. Treading water, he let the weight of his body pull him under the surface. There, forcing himself down, he floated, suspended weightlessly in the crystal clear depths. His dad would hate him for what he'd done. Tristen and Mouse would hate him too. He didn't care. Wolves lived a long time. Eventually, maybe in a couple of decades, they'd forgive him. Eventually, they'd have to because what he'd done would no longer matter. Gina would be dead.

He swam till exhaustion drove him to the shore. He really didn't enjoy swimming and his limbs were pale, almost dusky from the chill of the lake. But, the longer it took his 'do gooder' brother to realize that he'd paid Gina a visit, the better. His brother had such a boner for the woman that it wasn't funny. Too bad, Tristen hadn't gotten to her first instead of his dad. Then he wouldn't have risked hypothermia to get her out of the way.

After drying in the sun, Daniel sprayed an entire can of air freshener into the cab of the truck. Choking on the sickeningly sweet stench of pine, he drove home with the windows rolled down all the way. All in all, he thought his plan was a success. Gina was probably sniveling in a corner somewhere bawling her eyes out. She was going to leave. He saw the spark of belief and determination in her eyes. Maybe, tonight, maybe tomorrow morning, she'd be gone for good. The only thing he could hope was that by the time his brother caught on, she was long gone and that it wasn't too late to save his dad.

Gina ran her cool fingers down the side of Hunter's feverish, sweat-drenched cheek. His fever had come back, worse than before. He moaned at her touch. Grimacing in agony. The closer it got to sundown, the worse he became. She could barely rouse him. His body was tense and rigid. His skin burned her fingers. He couldn't go on like this much longer. He needed the only thing she could give him. Her love. She slid the ring off her finger and placed it on the pillow beside his head. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "Your kids need you more than I do."

She couldn't leave without some sort of an explanation. She owed him that much. She scribbled a note and placed it on the pillow under the ring.

Hunter,

There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you.

Never forget how much I love you.

I'll never forget how much you love me.

Gina.

As far as explanations went, her words were cryptic. But, there was too much to say. And Daniel was right. His father was rapidly running out of time. She gathered up the envelope and her meager belongings. Casting one last look at Hunter before she left. She didn't need to memorize his features. They were already engraved on her heart. Gina pushed aside all the small fears and focused on the biggest fear she'd ever faced, losing him.





Chapter 27

"Where in the hell have you been?" Tristen demanded as his brother sauntered into the mudroom. "I can't believe you took the truck! Grandpa is pissed. I'm pissed."

Daniel glared at his brother. Tristen stood with his hands clutched into fists. Looking a lot like dad. But, Tristen wasn't dad. Their father was pathetic and weak. Trying to kill himself over a woman. But, Daniel noted with satisfaction. He'd taken care of that. He hid deep in the woods surrounding the cabin after going for his swim. Watching a tearful Gina make a run for it. Just as he predicted she would. Maybe, he should go into acting. He'd obviously plaid his part convincingly enough. A pang of guilt shot through him at the hurt he'd caused. But, he quickly stuffed it into the back of his mind. He didn't want to hurt her or his dad. But it was necessary. And what other choice had they left him with?

Daniel glowered at Tristen. "Fuck off." He kicked off his tennis shoes and pushed his way past his brother. "Who the hell do you think you are? My dad?"

"Where have you been?" Tristen growled.

"None of your goddamned business."

Tristen grabbed Daniel by the collar of his shirt and yanked him close so that they were standing face to face. Glaring at him, staring him down, locked eye to eye. "I asked you a question." He rattled Daniel hard, shaking him. "Where have you been?" He'd gone up to his room for a minute and when he'd come back Daniel was gone. Nobody knew where. Tristen caught a scent on his brother. Vague. Faint. He buried his nose in Daniel's hair. Sniffing.

"Cut it out you pervert!" Daniel wiggled in Tristen's grip. Obviously, his brother had inherited dad's sense of smell. His dad was a tracker, and a very good one. Tristen had caught Gina's scent on him.

"You went and saw Gina? Don't lie. I can smell her on you." Tristen's fury boiled and he shook his brother harder. So hard Daniel's teeth rattled in his head. "What did you do?"

"Yeah, so I went and visited Gina and dad today. So what?" Daniel said defensively. His heart pounded in his chest. He had no doubt that his brother was going to land a few punches. But, he wouldn't kill him, would he?

"What did you do?" Tristen lifted Daniel by the collar. His feet dangled off the floor as Tristen shook him.

Daniel lifted his chin in defiance. "Something you failed to do. I took care of business."

Tristen roared in rage. Seeing red and beyond the point of reason. "You little shit! WHAT DID YOU DO?" He tossed Daniel like a rag doll sending him sailing across the room. Daniel landed with a crash against the dining room table. Chairs scraped across the floor as Daniel scrambled for footing against the slick and highly polished wood. Tristen launched himself at his brother. Knocking his younger sibling to the floor and planting a hard knee into his chest, he pinned Daniel to the floor. "You'd better tell me or I swear...!"

"You'll what. I'll tell you or what!" Daniel croaked. It was a little hard to breathe with Tristen's knee planted in his sternum. He felt a hot trickle of blood roll down the back of his neck. He'd expected a few punches, maybe a good cussing out. But, bloodshed? He hadn't anticipated that. "What are you gonna do about it?" He pushed at Tristen's knee, bucking his hips and trying to dislodge his brother. Twisting his head to dodge a fist that descended rapidly to connect with his face.

Hands grabbed Tristen from behind. Pulling him off Daniel and restraining him. "What the hell is going on here?" Grant huffed. Tristen had his father's temper. And he was unleashing a hell of an ass kicking on his younger brother. Boys fought and these two had been fighting since they were old enough to walk. But, this was different. Tristen had hit Daniel hard enough to send him flying across the room. The air was filled with the thick, musky scent of wolf. In his fit of rage, Tristen was going to lose his control. And as well as the brothers had built the house, it was no match for a full-grown wolf. It was all Grant could do to keep Tristen from another go around at his brother.

Nash jerked his grandson out of Tristen's path and helped him scramble to his feet. He pulled off his shirt and pressed the wad to the back of Daniel's head to staunch the bleeding. The scent of blood would only excite Tristen's wolf more. Daniel's scalp had been split open in a deep laceration, gushing blood and soaking the shirt. Tristen had hit Daniel hard. Thrown him and the most probable cause for the injury was Daniel's head connecting with the table leg. Daniel twisted in his arms, sputtering curses at his brother, bucking and swinging wildly with his arms and legs in an attempt at retaliation. Nash unleashed the power of his alpha wolf to gain control of the situation. Tristen fought the power. But, Daniel wasn't strong enough to do anything but obey. "Boys... someone had better speak," Nash said in a low voice of warning.

"I got nothing to say," Daniel sputtered. His grandfather's power rolled over him. And whether Daniel wanted to or not, he stilled as his wolf, still buried deep inside of him, responded to the call of authority. The dining room tilted sickeningly to one side as his grandpa pressed something to the back of his throbbing scalp.

"Little fucker. He's done something to Gina. I know it. He won't tell me what."

"Language!" Grant gritted. Sweating from the force of keeping Tristen's arms and legs pinned, Grant squeezed his nephew harder in an attempt to regain control. He lent his alpha power to that of his father's. He could not allow Tristen to get his hands on Daniel. As enraged as Tristen was, he might accidentally go wolf and kill him. "Damn it hold still!" He tightened his grip. Tristen was heaved and struggled in his arms. Twisting as he tried to reach for his brother and fought against the alpha influence that was powerful enough to almost drop Grant to his knees.

He and his brother, Hunter, had gone at it more times than Grant could count. They hadn't been raised together...too many years separated them for that. Hunter was a grown man before Grant was born and Nash had taken him as one of his own. But, once Grant hit adolescence, filled with piss and vinegar and the fury of his emerging wolf. The age hadn't stopped them from an occasional go round. Sure, they'd bruised one another and drawn blood with their fists. And yes, their father had been forced to intervene. But, they'd never tried to actually physically harm each other. Well, there was that whole trying to drown him in the river story their father and sometimes, Hunter liked to tell. But, that was ancient history.

Nash glared at Tristen. Commanding him to stand down with a hard, relentless stare. He turned to Daniel. Ordering him to speak without so much as a word. "Daniel?"

"I didn't do a damn thing. I merely went out to visit. That's all," Daniel said. Defending his actions. "I can't help that Gina asked questions and I answered them." He glared disdainfully at his brother and added, "Honestly."

"WHAT DID YOU TELL HER? YOU HAD NO RIGHT!" Tristen shouted. Struggling furiously against his uncle's hold to get his hands on his brother and beat the truth out of him.

"I had every right!" Daniel shouted back. "You're so infatuated with Gina. It's sick, Tristen. You're too busy sniffing after her ass that you don't know what she's doing to dad!"

"ENOUGH!" Nash shouted. "Remove yourself from this room and don't you dare come back down until I've asked for you."

"I think I need stitches," Daniel protested weakly as he balanced on his own two feet. The wadded shirt pressed to the back of his head was saturated with blood. And the wound throbbed with each pulse.

"GO!" Nash growled, pointing to the stairwell. After Daniel had tromped out of the dining room, cursing under his breath and pressing the t-shirt to his wound. He said, "Take Tristen and go out to the cabin." He glared up the stairs after Daniel. "I'll see to the boy."

Tristen twisted out of Grant's grip, tearing his favorite t-shirt into shreds. "This isn't over yet, you little prick!" he shouted. Glowering after his brother, his lip curled in threat.

All the noise and shouting had drawn Marianne out of the pages of her favorite book. She bordered on crying at the sight of her brothers fighting so violently against one another. This wasn't just another one of their spats. This was full blown war. And unfortunately, she worried that her dad and Gina were the casualties in this battle. She helped straighten the dining room. Mopping up Daniel's blood with a wad of paper towels. She sniffled a little when her grandpa came over and rested his hand reassuringly across her back. "Is Gina gone?"

Nash regarded his granddaughter and took the wad of bloody paper towels out of her hand. She was trying so hard to be mature. And for the most part she succeeded, too well. Sometimes, it was difficult for him to see her still as a child. Someday, she'd break his heart. And in the process of breaking it, the little girl he saw trying so hard to snuffle back her tears would be gone forever.

He had no words of reassurance about the future or the present. Destiny took people places...made them do things they never thought they'd do...in the name of love...in the name of hate. He worried about Daniel the most out of all his grandchildren. The day his mother had pulled Daniel out of Marianne's womb and dragged him kicking and screaming into the world. She'd called him a wolf of many colors. At the time, Nash had no idea what his mother had meant. Now, he began to understand. Daniel was conflicted. The fractured parts of his personality...his rage...his love were as uncontrollable and unpredictable as a storm. And, they could be just as violent and destructive.

Nash did not believe in lying to children. One day, Mouse was going to lead this pack. And he dealt in nothing but the truth with her. He sugar-coated nothing. He loved her too much. One day, his love for her would be his death. He wouldn't fight as hard. He wouldn't try. When it came down to the contest between her and him. It would be her. "They'll find Gina. Don't worry about that." But, whether she came back or not was a different story. One he could not predict the outcome of.





























Chapter 28

Hunter bordered on the edges of dream and reality. Desperately, he tried to decipher which world was which. He heard the wolves howl in the darkness outside the cabin. But, he didn't know if the music of his brothers was real or not. He struggled to open his eyes. One look at Gina's sweet face would bring him back to the reality he struggled to cling to. "Gina?" he rasped.

Grant knelt over his brother. Cursing under his breath as he held the note and the ring between his fingers. "Brother, Gina is gone." His brother was so weak. Exhausted by the simple act of opening his eyes. Hunter didn't have much time left before his wolf, like Gina was gone without a trace. Grant knew what he had to do. Once more, a decision that he made on his brother's behalf, one he might hate him for later. "Tristen, leave us. Go out on the porch and shut the door. Call the vampires and see if they can get a lock on Gina's cell phone."

Tristen cast a worried glance at his dad. His dad had always seemed so big and so strong. Untouchable. Now he lay in a crumpled heap, weak as a pup, on the bed. Gina was gone. No doubt, Daniel's doing. But, he'd have to save his plan to pulverize his brother's face for later. Tristen knew what his uncle was going to do. And if he were too close when he did it, he'd no doubt go all furry too. He needed his wits about him if he were going to find Gina in time to stop her. He hit speed dial on his cell phone and waited for someone to pick up.

Grant whipped the blankets off Hunter's fevered body and opened the back door. Filling the cabin with the cool, fresh night air. He pulled off his clothing, kneeling naked beside the bed as he initiated the ritual. Ancient words fell from his lips a power older than time coursed through him. His song of wolf and spirit reverberated off the cabin's walls. His skin rippled with energy as he placed his hand on his brother's chest. Slowly, Hunter's wolf began to awaken.