Gypsy Wolf Ch. 07

This story is a work of fiction solely from the twisted mind of Chromex. Any resemblance to any persons living or dead is purely coincidental. All characters are of at least 18 years of age unless otherwise specifically mentioned. Please do not copy/redistribute the story, in part or total, without the author's permission.

*****

"Alright we'll be there shortly," Angel said as she put her phone down, "That was Jean. You need to head back to the compound. That van we passed a bit ago is at the gate waiting for you with some kind of delivery." The main road into town was listed as a state highway but wasn't much more than a lightly traveled two-lane road.

"I'd ask if you were joking but this is Jean we're talking about." I hadn't ordered anything from Amazon since moving to the packhouse so I had no idea what was going on. The next few days were supposed to be warm so Angel and I were taking an opportunity to drive into town and visit our parent's gravesite. She couldn't remember them but we both felt it was an important step in reconnecting with her past.

"Yeah, he seemed quite serious even for him." Slowing down I turned the Jeep around and made the short drive back to the compound. Approaching the gate, I was able to get a clear view of the van and thought I was losing my mind for a moment.

"Is that a florist logo?" Angel asked.

"So it would seem. What in the fuck is going on?" I said as we rolled to a stop at the gate. I climbed out just as Mike and Dave came out from around the van with the driver. In the weeks following the massacre, we'd had a series of long conversations with Jill and the other adult survivors and while they didn't want to jump into a new pack right away it was decided that having Dave shadow some of the Betas would be a good way for him to get familiar with the duties he would someday have.

"Well, fancy seeing you again," Mike said way too cheerfully. It didn't matter who the delivery was from I was going to be getting grief for it for a long time.

"Hello again Alpha," Dave said, sounding a bit sullen. Ever since returning from inspecting their pack grounds, I'd somehow found myself in the role of unofficial Alpha for the survivors, a situation which pleased my wolf to no end, and as such Dave refused to refer to me as anything else. It probably didn't help that it was obvious he had developed a bit of a crush on me.

"Hello, again boys. So, what's up?" I asked.

"Are you Elizabeth Grey?" The driver was holding a long white box with a red ribbon around it.

"I am."

"If you could just please sign here," he said, handing me his tablet. Signing my name, he handed over the box and quickly jumped into his van. Given the impressive dirt cloud his vehicle left, he seemed eager to get away from whatever kind of cultists he thought we were.

"So, who's it from?" Angel was as curious about this as I was.

Untying the ribbon, I opened the box to find half a dozen lavender roses and an envelope. Handing the box off to Angel I opened the envelope and read the card.

"Elizabeth,

Allow me to first apologize for my Alpha's brutish and frankly inexcusable behavior towards you. He is of a volatile temper and does not do well when told no, a failing I lay directly at the feet of his parents. As you can imagine his previous mates were not women who possess your unique strength of character and I'm sure he couldn't imagine a world in which you would not only refuse him but also embarrass him so completely. It has taken me these many months to get him to turn his attention elsewhere which is why I am finally able to send this correspondence.

To put it simply Elizabeth you fascinate me. I'll admit to having done some research and what little I have been able to learn about you leaves me wanting to know more. When Damian directed me to pick you out from the crowd, I had nothing more than a rough description to go by, that honestly could have been anyone, but when I laid my eyes upon you, I knew it could be no one else. There was something that just made you stand out and it erased any doubts as to who you were. While I am certain you are surprised by this, it is my hope that you are also intrigued and even though we have not so much as spoken I would very much like the opportunity to get to know you better.

Warmest regards,

Xavier"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I couldn't stop the incredulous look that crossed my face as my hands dropped to my side.

"What? Who is it?" Angel asked. Instead of answering I simply handed her the card and watched as the same stunned expression quickly grew upon her face. "Fucking seriously?"

"Okay, who in the hell is it for you both to react like that?" Mike asked. I couldn't imagine what was going through Mike or Dave's minds right at that moment as they watched a simple card leave us both completely poleaxed.

Taking a deep breath, I tried and failed miserably to wrap my brain around what the hell he was thinking. "It's from Xavier Richards."

"You're joking, right?" Mike not believing what he just heard.

"No, I'm not." Handing him the card I enjoyed watching his eyes go wide as he quickly read it.

"Who's Xavier Richards?" Dave asked.

"He's second in command for the Iron Mountain pack," Mike told him as he handed me back the card, "and from what I've heard he keeps that pack together more than Logan."

Thinking back to the day Damian and his crew arrived I had to admit that Xavier was a good-looking guy and other than a couple of hookups it's been forever since I'd been on anything resembling a date. Now that I had Angel back in my life there wasn't any reason to not start looking towards my future although I was wary of anyone coming from that particular pack.

"Elizabeth, you can't seriously be considering going out with him," Angel said. I need to work on not having my thoughts cross my face.

"We'll talk about it on our way." While I figured Mike might understand where I was coming from, I could already see a bit of jealousy building up in Dave. Normally we'd hang out for a bit and check-in with how they were doing but we'd already done that on our way out so there was no reason not to get back on the road.

"So, Xavier Richards," Angel said after a few minutes of strangely uncomfortable silence.

"What about him?"

"Just wondering where your head is in all this?"

"My head is confused as hell," I said, "I've never even spoken to the guy and he's sending me flowers. Who the fuck does that?"

"Someone who's trying to get your attention I suppose," Angel replied, "I can't wait to hear what Natalie thinks because I'm sure the entire compound will hear what Rasp thinks."

If it weren't for the fact I was driving, I'd be bouncing my head off the steering wheel. "I'm never going to hear the end of this am I?"

"Oh hell no," she laughed.

"What do you think?"

"About Xavier or the amount of shit you're going to get for him sending you flowers?" she asked.

"About Xavier," I said.

"He's part of the Iron Mountain pack," she said, all trace of humor gone from her voice, "You know Rasp thinks they are behind the attack on your pack."

"The Glades Meadow people are not my pack."

"Are you sure about that?" she asked, "Because I'm pretty certain they have a different opinion on the matter."

"And some people think it's perfectly acceptable to drink coke but that doesn't mean they're right."

"You better not let Bethany Anne hear you say that," she said.

"Yeah, I know."

"And what about Watcher?"

"What about him?" I asked, "He hasn't been around for months."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," I said.

"How?"

"How what?"

"How can you be so sure he's not around?" she asked, "No one has ever been able to tell when he's around or not. He's a freaking ghost when he wants to be."

"I'm just sure okay and please let's just leave it at that," I said. How I could be so sure was not a topic I wanted to think about.

"Fine with me." I could see the smile she was struggling to hide.

Pulling into the cemetery, I was able to park directly across from our parent's gravesite with only a low stone wall separating the graveyard from the parking lot. It was a peaceful experience with the air being clear and cold with patches of snow visible in the shadows of trees and gravestones. There was only a trio of other people visible a few rows away.

It was so emotional for me to be standing there with my sister after all of these years that at first, I didn't notice the sense of alarm rising in my wolf. Something dangerous was close but I didn't know just yet what it was.

"Elizabeth," Angel said, her own wolf sensing the same danger, "somethings wrong."

"I know," I replied, my eyes searching until they fell upon the others in the graveyard. It took only an instant to recognize Dimitri standing with Nick and the blonde witch from a few months ago. "Fuck me," I muttered.

"I see them," Angel said, "What do you want to do?"

My hand instinctively moved to where my gun would normally be but I hadn't brought it with me. I had a shotgun in my jeep which was maybe twenty feet away but it might as well be twenty miles. That's what I get for expecting today to be a nice relaxing day with my sister.

"I don't think they see AH FUCK GET DOWN," I screamed grabbing Angel and pulling her down onto the wet grass as the hairs on my arms suddenly rose. It seems that when you get hit by lightning, you're so busy with being electrocuted that you completely miss the deafening sonic boom an instant later. I wouldn't say it was bleeding from the ears loud but it was a near thing.

"That was too fucking close," Angel yelled, her voice muffled by the intense ringing in my ears that took a few moments to clear. Yay for werewolf healing.

Jumping to our feet we both quickly spotted the trio as they ran towards the thicket of trees that marked the edge of the graveyard. They had a good head start but we quickly began to close the distance.

"FUCK," I yelled as I tumbled across the wet and muddy grass, my foot having caught on a fallen tombstone I'd somehow failed to notice before coming to rest against a small mausoleum. "This is so not how today was supposed to go."

Despite the situation, I could hear the chuckling coming from Angel. "So, you're saying that all of your pursuits don't go this way?" my sister failed miserably at keeping the amusement out of her voice.

"No, they don't all go this way," I said scrambling to my feet, "sometimes I catch the bad guys with no trouble at all. I just picked the wrong boots to wear today. Had I intended to be chasing bad guys today I would have picked something with a little more traction. Today was just supposed to be a nice day spending time with my sister."

We were just about to continue our pursuit when we were suddenly driven against the wall of the mausoleum by the concussion from an explosion behind us. Let me tell you smacking face-first into a granite wall does not improve your day after nearly being electrocuted.

Staggering to my feet I leaned my head against cool granite as the cobwebs slowly cleared and glanced up only to realize Dimitri and crew were long gone.

"Oh shit, Elizabeth I'm so sorry," Angel said.

"For what?" I asked as the scent of gasoline and burning rubber filled my nose. I slowly turned and took in the smoking ruin that had been my jeep.

"If that lightning bolt had hit us," Angel trailed off.

"We'd probably be dead," I finished quietly, sitting next to Angel as she rested against the side of the mausoleum in the damp grass, "I think she ramped up the power since the last one didn't kill me." I was beyond pissed but grateful it was a quiet day and there was no one else around to get hurt. "Son of a bitch," I muttered, "I just got that thing paid off."

"You're one hundred percent certain it was Dimitri and Nick with her?" Natalie asked. We'd had the chance to clean up after Derek had brought us back in one of the pack SUVs and now we were in the library, again trying to work out what the hell was actually going on.

"No doubt at all," I said, slowly sipping my coffee, "We both got a good look at them right before that bitch tried to electrocute us."

"What in the fuck is he thinking?" Rasp asked no one in particular. It was hard seeing such a strong figure brought low by the repeated actions of his son. It was clear that despite his actions on the day I joined the pack that Rasp had still been holding on to the hope of eventually reconciling with his son. Natalie simply walked over and wrapped her arms around her mate.

"Those two together really isn't a surprise," Angel said, "They've been friends ever since Nick joined the pack. What we need to do is figure out who that blonde witch is?"

"The people I spoke to at the Witches Council didn't seem to have a clue who she might be," Natalie said, "From the sounds of it being able to throw lightning is a pretty rare gift. It's not something they'll admit to any of their current members being able to do."

"So, either we're dealing with a rogue witch or someone is lying about what they can do," I said, "I've never had to deal with real live witches until they started throwing lightning at me so I'm not sure what the likelihood of either one is and I really hate not knowing who is trying to kill me."

"Holly I want you to increase the number of patrols," Rasp said finally, "and I'll be having a conversation with the friends of Dimitri that are still in the pack. We are not going to end up like Glades Meadow."

"Absolutely," Holly said, "I'll have them mix up the patrol routes as well. Try and get some eyes where we don't always have them."

"Good idea," Natalie said, "and step up the familiarization plan. A firearm just might even the odds for some of the weaker wolves."

"Yes, Alpha," Holly replied as she stood up, "I'll get working on that right now."

"Holly, one last thing," Rasp said, "pass the word that no one is to leave the compound alone for the foreseeable future."

"Understood," Holly said before stepping out and closing the door behind her.

"Angel," Natalie inquired, "you mentioned you had something you needed to let us know?"

"Is it alright if Derek joins us first?" she asked, "I'd feel more comfortable with him here."

"Of course," Rasp responded, "He's on his way." I wish I had Rasp's comfort with the mind-to-mind communications. After interrupting my sister mid-coitus, I always find myself hesitant to use it.

"Thank you."

It only took a few minutes for Derek to arrive and he quickly settled in next to his mate. Watching as she leaned into him for strength made me think about the big empty spot in my life. "I didn't want to mention anything yet because I wasn't sure it was relevant," Angel said her hands folded in front of her, her tension easy to read, "but I've been having nightmares lately. Or more specifically the same fragment of a nightmare. It feels incomplete when it's over."

"She has woken several times in the last few weeks in a panic clutching the sheets," Derek added.

I felt the desire to ask a thousand different questions all at once but bit my tongue. It was obvious she wasn't completely comfortable with sharing and overwhelming her with questions wouldn't help.

"All I remember is seeing you on the ground in pain, at least I think it was you," she said quietly, "and then the sensation of being hit and flying backward followed by an instant of pain. That's where the fragment ends." It was hard for me not to gasp as I realized what her nightmare was.

"Why do you think it was me?" I asked softly.

"I'm not sure just a sense I guess," she said, "Even in pain you seemed younger, less hardened by the world and I know it's silly but I seemed lower to the ground than I am now."

Fuck, I knew exactly what she was experiencing. "Angel, it's not a nightmare. I really wish it was but it's a memory," I told my sister, "I think you're starting to remember the attack that set us down this road. He hit you hard enough that you flew into a tree and split the back of your head open," I said memorizing the grain of the wooden table, "When he carried you off, I thought he'd killed you."

"When you were found you did have a severe head wound," Natalie said, "We were more focused on getting you somewhere safe before you started to shift because we didn't know how long you had been there before you were found. We knew if you survived your first shift it wouldn't be an issue."

"I guess it never occurred to me until now," Rasp added, "but given how easily our patrol found you it's possible your attacker stuck around, watching to see if you were discovered."

"Well, that's not exactly a reassuring thought," Angel said, "If he made sure you guys found me then he likely did it so he would know where to find me in the future."

"I'll speak with the people from the patrol that found you," Rasp said, "Try and see if they remember anything else unusual from that day. It's a long shot I know but maybe we'll get lucky."

"I'll try the damn Witches Council again," Natalie said, "That's twice now this bitch has shown up in our territory and twice she's tried to kill you. There is no way it's a coincidence and as far as I'm concerned, she's as good as dead."

"Alright at least we have a plan for that," Rasp said, "Elizabeth can you hang on for just a minute there is something we want to discuss with you."

"Sure," I said, not quite sure what they wanted. Getting up I hugged Angel before she left and I slid back into my chair. "So, what's up?" I asked.

'I wanted to broach this with you before you got completely blindsided by it but the survivors of Glades Meadow have decided they want to be officially part of a pack again."

"Well, that's awesome," I said, "After what they've been through, they deserve to have someone strong looking out for them. Not exactly sure what that has to do with me though."

"Elizabeth," Natalie smiled, "they want to be a part of your pack. They want you to become their Alpha officially."

It shouldn't have come as a surprise; it really shouldn't have and yet I still couldn't stop my jaw from dropping. "You're clowning. You're not clowning? I sense clowns."

"Not in the slightest," Rasp said trying not to laugh, "You've looked out for them since the day they got here and you know they look up to you. Hell, how many times have you found Hallie curled up sleeping in your bed."

"More than I care to think of," I said.

"They look up to you and more importantly they trust you," Natalie said coming around and hopping up onto the table next to me. "Rasp and I have discussed it and we'll help you out as much as we can. I'm sure there are a few people here who wouldn't mind a fresh start in a new pack. We're a big pack and sometimes people get lost in the shuffle. This would be their chance to break out."

"Also," Rasp added, "we're not talking about kicking you out of the compound. You would need time to get established and there is no reason you can't do that right here and when you're ready and after we've dealt with the issues currently going on, we'll help you either rebuild the Glades Meadow compound or see about establishing a new one somewhere else."

"They were planning on asking you soon as you got back today but I asked for a chance for us to discuss it with you first," Natalie added, "I know this is a huge step and you don't have to answer right away so take a couple of days to think about it alright."

"Alright I'll think about it if you guys think I'm ready," I replied, slowly getting over my shock.

"No one is ever truly ready," Rasp said, "but you learn and grow. Every new Alpha makes mistakes but as long as you learn from them and work hard not to repeat them, you'll do fine."

"Wow," I said, "I know in my head I shouldn't be as shocked as I am but it's hard to wrap my mind around a group of people trusting me to lead them. I've been a loner for so long it's just hard to fathom."