Dawn Reclaimed

Claire's eyes rounded with fear and stared unblinking, locked on a tawny colored wolf standing in the middle of the bedroom. The wolf's fangs were sharp and pointy. His lips curled in a fierce snarl. Eyes narrowed to slits and ears pinned back against his skull and his full attention on Daniel. Daniel stood with his back to the wall, caught between the bed and the wolf. Blood trickled from a split in his bottom lip and bruises blossomed out in dark purple blooms along his jaw. He didn't dare as much as breathe as the wolf bristled his fur and crouched, ready to attack. "Oh shit." Claire mouthed and immediately wished she hadn't as the wolf snapped his head and turned in her direction. Growling in a low menacing tone as he stalked forward.

"Danny? What's going on?" Marianne whined. "I want to see. I wanna see! What's going on?" She stood on her tiptoes and stretched to crane her neck, peeking over Claire's shoulder for a better look. Marianne froze, balancing on her tiptoes. Her fingers wrapped around Claire's arm as she tried to inch her back from the door. Wolves didn't do well indoors. And Tristen was just a baby wolf. His wolf had not filled out to his full adult size yet. But, he was powerful enough, strong enough, and out of control enough to rip this place and them to pieces trying to get outside.

Grant had finished showering when he heard the commotion going on down the hall. Generally, pack mates were left to settle their disputes amongst themselves. Daniel and Tristen were always fighting. It was the way things were among alphas and the two brothers were definitely alpha material. In many ways, their basest personalities put them at odds and in constant competition with one another. He smelled wolf and blood, and Claire. The three scents mingled in too close a proximity to one another.

"Claire!" He flung open his bedroom door, cinching a towel around his waist as he bolted down the hall to protect his mate. His wolf bristled beneath the surface of his mind, scrabbling to get free at the scent and presence of another wolf far too close to his mate. "Honey, don't move. It's Tristen. Just be still. He won't hurt you." Grant edged closer to the terrified wolf, gently inching around Claire to block the wolf's path. He called on Pack magic and the power within him that was wolf and wild, and pure alpha. Forcing Tristen's wolf to yield to his will, Grant whispered the ancient words to call Tristen out and send his wolf back.

The wolf was trapped, agitated and frightened. Pulled abruptly out of the spirit world and thrust into this unfamiliar body he could scarcely control. Confused and without guidance from his human host. He growled at the human female, instinctively protecting him self, on automatic defense. He had no idea where he was or what happening. The presence of the older alpha wolf was comforting. The words the alpha spoke were those of Pack and spirit. Calming. Soothing. The wolf shook out his massive pelt and abandoned the body to boy who shared it.

Daniel was fascinated. Not frightened. Watching his brother shift had been the coolest thing he'd ever seen. "Damn bro. It was just a CD. Don't give yourself a stroke." He shook his head and stepped over Tristen's quivering body. Triumphantly, he tucked a stack of CDs under his arm. His jaw ached and his tongue was coated with the coppery taste of his blood. But, to see Tristen so totally lose control he transformed into a wolf, worth it. Oh yeah, he'd have hell to pay for pushing his brother too far. And in retrospect, it probably hadn't been the smartest thing he'd ever done, to provoke a wolf. Tristen's wolf might have taken a pretty good bite out of him. But, so what.

"Awesome. Freaking. Awesome," Daniel said as he retreated to his room. No doubt a punishment from Grandpa was coming on swift wings. And Tristen would probably give him the silent treatment for a month or two. No great loss there. It wasn't like his pain in the ass brother ever said much worth listening to anyway. He had his CDs back and that was the important thing. Sometimes, a guy had to stand for what a guy had to stand for. And, for now, before his grandfather took them away as part of his punishment, he was going to download the discs on to MP3 and jam on some tunes until the hammer dropped.

Tristen moaned and curled up into a ball on the floor. He remembered being incredibly and unreasonably pissed at his brother one minute and then this. Waking up naked on the floor. He couldn't even really explain why Daniel being in his room had set him off in the first place. Just that it had. Daniel was annoying, sure. But, they'd shared a room for as long as Tristen could remember. And he had no idea why Daniel being in his personal space, going through a stack of CDs he was going to give back to him anyway had caused his temper to go off the chain like it had. Tristen blinked up at Claire and Mouse. His little sister was wide-eyed and bouncing with excitement at seeing his wolf. Claire was wide-eyed and scared shitless, clinging to Grant like saran-wrap. "Sorry," he gritted.

Trying to be as nonchalant about it as possible, Tristen fumbled with what was left of his shredded blue jeans. Using the frayed scraps to form a makeshift cover for his naked boy parts. Nudity shouldn't bother him. And, if it had just been his sister and uncle, it wouldn't have. He'd never had a normal female spot his parts before. Not that Claire was looking. Or at least, she had the decency to blush and stare shyly at the floor instead of at him.

Claire struggled to find her voice. She'd thought the wolf was going to attack. And she'd be a victim of accidentally being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Tristen looked frightened, confused, and embarrassed enough without her adding to it or staring at him in accusation. There was no harm done. The drywall and Daniel's jaw had taken the brunt of the fight. And she imagined their grandfather was probably going to give them enough grief as it was. "Its ok," she mumbled.

"Mouse, why don't you bring Tristen a cup of tea. I'm going to take Claire to my room for a few minutes." Grant said something to Tristen. Using the language she had heard him speak earlier. Tristen frowned, but nodded his head, saying nothing in reply. Not that Claire could have understood what was said, even if he had. She got the gist of their conversation though. Grant wasn't giving Tristen hell. He was being as gentle with him as he was with her. Probably, telling him in a nice but effective way, as he had with her, to get his shit together. Gently, Grant guided Claire out of Tristen's room and down the hall to his room and shut the door behind him.

Tristen waited until his little sister scampered down the stairs and Grant and Claire were behind the closed door to their room before he struggled to his feet. His skin stank like a wolf. He hurt worse than ever. And he didn't want any damn tea. It wasn't going to make anything better. Nothing was going to make what was happening to him any better. He could have accidentally hurt his brother. Maybe even killed him, or the Claire, or Mouse. He snatched a pair of shorts from his dresser and pulled them on. His room was a mess, the bed broken, a hole the size of a dinner plate either from a fist or Daniel's big melon in the drywall, shredded bits of clothes, and downy tufts of shedded wolf fur everywhere. His door was splintered, hanging off the upper hinges. And although he would have to repair the damage and probably spend the rest of his natural life in punishment, he didn't care.

He couldn't care. He eased the door closed as best as he could, turned up his stereo to the loudest most obnoxious heavy metal radio station he could find and grit his teeth at the pain assaulting his ears. His grandfather would be up to give him a talking to. Or worse, he'd send Grant to do the honors. At least, though, he didn't have to worry about his dad coming up for a little father/son, one on one, bonding time. His father never came.

Claire flopped on the bed and exhaled. "Will Tristen be alright?"

"Yes. Tristen is still adjusting. I apologize if he frightened you. He's very young and very inexperienced. In time, he'll learn. The first few years are very...difficult." Grant answered her question as he fished his favorite pair of boxers out of his dresser. God, he hadn't been much different than Tristen at that age. Impulsive. Pissed at the world. Angry. And so damn lost, unsure of his place in the world and trying so hard, too hard to prove himself to the Pack. "He just needs time to cool off."

He'd given up on keeping the apartment. Between Claire and his duties to the Pack, he didn't have enough time to think about working a job or maintaining an apartment. He'd never felt at home there anyway. Here he was comfortable and at ease, a king in his itty-bitty corner of the second floor. Everything was back in its proper place, including him. Now, if he could just convince Claire that she belonged here with him. All would be well in his little world.

Claire closed her eyes. Today had been one of the most trying days of her life. She could no longer wear her size ten jeans and probably never would again. There were things out there that she didn't understand and bore no logical explanation. She'd been poked and prodded by a man she trusted as a doctor, but still continued to profess his undying love for her. She'd found out physiologically that her baby was healthy, but as big as a six-month old fetus. She'd spent the day lounging on the bluffs with Grant's wolf. She spent the evening teaching a twelve year-old the facts of life. And she'd come close to being attacked by a young werewolf with an attitude problem.

Waking up in Grant's arms had been the highlight of her day. And she couldn't wait to crawl into the bed with him. Just so she could do it again. As crazy as her life was, Grant was the only thing in it that made sense. "I need a ride to my car."

Grant stretched out on the bed next to Claire and scooped her up in his arms, cradling her head against his chest. "No problem. We'll go get it after supper." He stroked her hair gently with his fingers. She felt good, in his arms and in his bed. He gave her a minute to relax and do nothing but just breathe. "Claire, will you stay here with me tonight?"

"Do I still have a toothbrush here?" She'd noticed the addition of clothes to his closet and dresser, and the odd little knickknacks placed here and there on the shelves that hadn't been there before. Instead of lacking personality, the room was wall-to-wall Grant, cozy and masculine, like the man. Everything fit perfectly in the space. He fit in the space. Keeping an apartment and being away from his must have been hard on him. This was his home. Not just any four walls, a bed, and a toilet, would substitute the comfort of being home.

"Of course. So, you'll stay?" Grant tightened his arms around Claire and smiled.

"I'll stay, if you promise to have lunch with me tomorrow." Claire bit her lip and frowned. She just couldn't ambush him. But, if she warned him he might run off screaming in terror. Tuesdays, if Claire wasn't working, were reserved for lunch with mom at the One Shot Bar and Grill. Her mom hated the place. And that was part of the reason Claire insisted on eating there. That, and the place had damn good onion rings and chicken tenders. And right now she could definitely use some high carb, greasy comfort food. "And my mother," she blurted out.

"Sure. You have half her DNA and I love you. So, I'm certain I'll like her. Have you told her yet?"

"Grant, you poor, misguided, fool. I plan to tell her tomorrow, somewhere between her first martini and her second. I'm taking you as a shield. That way she'll burry her poison daggers in your chest instead of mine." Claire rested her chin on Grant's chest and stared up at his expression. He didn't look intimidated at the moment. But, he would be shaking in his boots by the time her mother got done with him. The woman that brought her into this world was evil, pure evil in a size six and stiletto heels.

"What about your dad? Should we go see him too? Tell him before your mother does?"

"First of all, dad will be easy. He'll be thrilled. Secondly, my mother and father don't speak to each other unless they absolutely have to. I think the last time they occupied space in the same room and said more than two words to each other was when I graduated from nursing school. "

"So, your dad is the good cop. And your mom..."

"Is a viper straight from the pits of hell," Claire said, finishing Grant's sentence.

Grant chuckled. Kissing the top of Claire's head, he sat up on the side of the bed. "I'm pretty hard to resist, you'll see. After all, I won you over. I'm not worried about your mom. Vipers are my specialty," he said with a wink. From the dining room, he could hear the rattle of dishes and the scrape of chairs across the floor. "We'd better get down there before all the food is gone."

Chapter 50

Claire took her seat between Grant and Mouse and dutifully accepted the heaping pile of mashed potatoes and meatloaf that, between the two of them, had ended up on her plate. What difference would a few thousand more calories make at this point? After dinner she curled up in a rocker and watched a row of flickering, scented candles burn on the natural stone hearth of the fireplace while Grant and a very repentant Tristen went to retrieve her car. Nash sat across from her, rocking his matching rocking chair slowly back and forth with his heel. Casually distracted by overseeing Mouse's latest art project as she worked on a drawing, sprawled out on the floor at his feet.

Marianne sprawled out on the rug between Nash and Claire drawing pictures of the woods and of wolves with blue eyes and light yellow hair. She was happy that Claire was staying the night and hoped there'd be many more nights to follow. But, she wasn't quite ready to let go of her hurt feelings yet. Claire had betrayed her trust. And it would be a while before she forgave Claire and added the Aunt to her name again.

"Nash, forgive me for asking, but are you divorced?"

"No. I'm widowed." Nash stopped mid-rock and glanced at Claire. "My wife died bringing my Tala into the world."

"I'm sorry."

"No need. Tala has brought me much joy in the place of sadness."

"That seems to be a trend, women dying in childbirth. Didn't Mouse's mother..." Nash cut her off with a nod and a quick flick of his eyes to Mouse. For a house with this many people living in it, the living room was surprisingly empty. Nana sat in her usual perch in a rocking chair similar to the one Nash and she occupied. But, Nana was busy crocheting something and might as well have been in another continent for all the attention she paid to the conversation. Upstairs, mothers and fathers were bedding down their little ones for the night. From the kitchen came the unmistakable clank of dishes as Daniel washed and dried every dish, pot, pan, fork, knife, and spoon in the cabinets by hand as part of his punishment. To Claire it seemed that everyone was giving her a respectful amount of space and privacy. And that was a hard to do in a family this size.

"Our path is not an easy one. And putting a baby's feet upon it is not always a simple task. The midwives tried to save my wife and Mouse's mother. But, the bleeding was too great. My wife, sweet Abigail, and Mouse's mother, Marianne, made a choice. They chose the lives of their babies over their own."

Claire twirled a strand of hair in between her fingers. Thinking. Again, there was talk of midwives. Didn't anyone ever go to a doctor or to the hospital to deliver their babies? "What's wrong with a little modern medicine thrown into the mix?"

"Nothing, I suppose. But, our secret has to be kept. Not many, could be trusted with such a burden. If you choose to use modern medicine, please do so with caution. We have to protect our own. If the secret were to get out, it could bring about the ruin of the pack and an end to our way of life."

"I've actually thought about using both. I have a friend. He's an excellent physician. And he is all too familiar with keeping secrets," Claire said, referring to Thomas. "He could supervise my medical care and help with the delivery. Who is the midwife anyway?"

Nash nodded to the empty rocker in the corner with a wad of baby blue yarn in the seat. Nana had wandered off somewhere. Probably, out to let her wolf roam free.

"Nana? She looks too frail to deliver a baby."

Nash scoffed at Claire's assumption. "I can assure you she has helped more babies take their first breath than your doctor ever will. She brought me into the world, and Tala, and this one down here too," he said, patting Mouse's head. "Almost everyone in the house was delivered with her aid."

"What is she crocheting by the way?"

"A baby blanket."

"For me? But, the blanket is blue. Does she think I'm having a boy? I don't even know yet. How could she?" Claire asked curiously.

"If Nana says it's a boy. You're having a boy. I don't know how she knows. But she's never been wrong yet." Nash stared at the front door and sniffed the air at the familiar tingle of Pack magic running along his skin. "Grant is back. Come on Mouse, I'll tuck you in." He tugged at her ponytail as he got up from his chair. "Claire, I'm glad you're here," he said with a smile. Hefting his yawning granddaughter onto her feet, he steered her toward the stairs.

"G'nite, Claire." Marianne climbed the stairs two at a time. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Mouse." Claire watched Nash disappear up the stairs with Mouse in tow. She smiled as Grant came in the door and stifled a yawn. Reaching for her purse to show him the first of many, many pictures of his, she had to assume Nash wasn't blowing smoke up her ass, son.

Grant and Tristen were in the middle of a heated debate about Fords and Chevys as they entered the house. Grant had allowed Tristen to drive Claire's Mustang back to the house. Kind of a consolation prize to let him know that neither one of them harbored any hard feelings about the incident. "I still say Fords suck ass." Tristen stubbornly held his ground. He was a Chevy man to the very core. Sure, the Mustang had a powerful V6 and plenty of horses under the hood. But, it was still a Ford. And when/if he ever got that Camaro done, he'd put that Mustang of hers out to pasture for good. He tossed Claire her keys and shrugged with a grin. "No offense."

"None taken." Claire grinned, catching the keys. "If you want to borrow my car sometime, just let me know."

"Nah, I'm good." Tristen headed for the kitchen to scrounge up some leftover meatloaf.

"You look tired. Ready for bed?" Grant asked. Bending to peck Claire on the forehead, he took her hand and helped her onto her feet.

"I don't have any pajamas here. What am I going to sleep in?" Claire asked rolling her big, bloated body out of the rocker.

"I like the thought of you sleeping naked," Grant rasped. Following her twitching tail up the stairs, he grinned. He liked the idea of her naked in his bed, a lot.

"How 'bout we compromise and you lend me a T-shirt and I'll go commando underneath?"

Easy access to all his favorite parts of her anatomy, easy to take off, he had nothing to lose. "Deal."

Claire dressed for bed and lounged against the pillows. Fingering the glossy printout Thomas had given her earlier today. Grant was in the bathroom brushing his teeth. Turning off the bathroom light, he scooted her over in the bed. "What you got there?"

"A picture."

"Oh, of what?"

"Our baby. I had an ultrasound today. Don't worry. Thomas did it. You've met him before. He's my friend. I trust him."

"Then I trust him too." Thomas was not unknown to him. After spending a week with the vampires and hearing the man's name tossed around here and there, he'd learned exactly how well Thomas could keep secrets. He might not like the guy. But, he didn't have to. It was enough that Claire thought so highly of him that she was willing to place her life in his hands. Grant leaned over and stared down at the black and white printout. "Look there's his head and his spine," he said, pointing to the structures. "Is he sucking his thumb?" Grant chuckled and plucked the picture out of Claire's fingers. "Oh, and how 'bout that? There's his little root. He's hung like an ox. Just like his old man."