The Bachelorette Ch. 07

Leon walked over to the circle, noticing that a crowd had started to gather. Very few women came out from their new homes, but that was to be expected. What he didn't expect was to see Sam there. He walked over to where she was standing on the edge of the circle looking out onto the grounds. "Sam, I'm surprised to see you out here, I thought you would be inside with the pups."

Sam looked over at Leon and smiled, "I was, but when Valerie woke up, she had a few ideas to maybe help the pups break out of their shell, she was working with them and I seemed to be a third wheel. I had some questions for you though, and I was coming out of the house to find Dayna when I heard you." Sam gestured to the circle and Leon nodded.

"What kind of questions?"

"Well, there were just a few but now that I'm out here and have been pondering for a moment there seem to be a lot more." Leon laughed and gestured for her to continue. "Well, first the wolf that you were with last night, the one that growled a lot and scared the pups. Who was he?"

"That would be a old friend of mine and another Alpha, Blake Halley. He has a pack a few hundred miles west of here."

"He's an Alpha? Oh, well then maybe that explains it." Sam seemed to look crestfallen.

"That explains what Sam? There was no real question there."

"Well, last night, in my dreams I had a vision of my life before I was turned and then as the dream morphed into what I guess would be present time, I saw him and he talked to me. It was strange, because I didn't really know him. Since he's an alpha though it explains how he can get into my head."

"Sam, that's not the reason that he can get inside your head." Sam looked confused, Leon looked about and saw that Elkin had not yet showed his face so he had time to explain a few things. "Just because someone is an Alpha does not mean that they can get into just anyone's head. Each Alpha is the leader of a specific pack of wolves, true?" Sam nodded, she knew that. "Alright, let's just say that Ayden here," Leon grabbed onto Ayden's shoulder and pulled him into the conversation, "is the Alpha of his own pack. I cannot get into the minds of his pack, the same way that he cannot get into the minds of my pack."

"However, If I were an Alpha and Leon and I shared a blood bond, we could speak to each other mentally. A blood bond is as simple as it sounds. I would take some of his blood and he some of mine to form the bond. Quite similar to what mates do at a mating ceremony." Ayden added and looked over at his brother as he approached.

"That still doesn't explain why I can communicate with him." Sam's head tilted to the side in a very canine manner.

"The fact that he is an Alpha has nothing to do with it, yes, but maybe there is another reason? When one wolf recognizes their mate, they can often speak to each other through dreams and sometimes even through a bond that neither knew existed. Kind of like the Alpha bond." Leon let her ponder his words before he let his attention focus more on the crowd gathering.

"So, you are saying that this Blake guy is my mate?" A few emotions crossed her face before she settled on a blank look. "Does he know?"

"I believe he figured it out sometime last night. I knew right away from the way he was acting, as did Jack. Evidently our blunt observation was lost on him and he only gleaned the information from our conversation in the wee hours of the morning. I know that after the meeting he wanted to have a few words with me, no doubt about you and how to approach you." Leon scanned the crowd and noticed that a few of Elkin's men had wormed their way up to the front of the circle on one side. An uneasy feeling tingled down his spine. "I haven't exactly let the single males meet any of you unmated ladies yet, and I am sure he was going to ask when and if I was willing to do so. After the episode inside its more a matter of if then when."

"What happened inside?" Sam looked curiously at the men that had joined the circle and studied their odd behavior. "Those men don't feel right."

"They are the underlings of Igor Elkin, the man who has challenged Petra. His views and her views of the world differ quite greatly, and he decided she was wrong to insinuate that she was correct. Ego really, but he took it to this level and he is the one that is going to pay the price. Ayden, make sure we have some of our men surrounding them. I don't like the look of them bunched over there. None of our men will initiate in any action against them until they make a move to enter the ring during the fight. There will be no disrupting this fight if it starts to turn in Petra's favor. She has told him as much but I want to make sure his men know."

Leon looked from Sam to Ayden and then to Petra.

"They will not do anything until the match is almost won Leon. Elkin may have rocks rattling around inside his head but he is smart enough to realize that I will back up my threats." Petra smiled at Sam. "I do not think we have had the pleasure of meeting one on one have we dear? Petra Whitewolf at your service dear. " Petra bowed low in a very gracious and dignified manner.

"Samantha Jones." Sam bowed her head, " you went into that house with us the other night didn't you? I thought I glimpsed you as we were about to go in."

"Yes, I was there. I was told by Devlin that there were a few women who could use some of my more unique healing skills. I came over as soon as I could and saw the mess that Leon and his men were walking into and I had to help where I could."

"Your accent is strange, may I ask where it is from?" Sam looked at the strange woman. She had beautiful silvery purple hair, and the most crystal clear grey eyes she had ever seen. She was tall towering over her own five foot six frame. Her body was well rounded and ultra feminine with a hint of warrior under the surface.

"I didn't even realize I had an accent anymore. When I was young, so was the world child. I am much older than I appear, and I have lived through so much that it is often hard to remember where I gained this accent. It's old world, I guess you would say." Petra smiled and her whole face lit with the smile. A hiss suddenly settled over the crowd and a small gap parted to reveal Igor Elkin stepping into the circle. "it's about time you joined us Elkin. I was wondering if perhaps you realized your mistake in insulting me and backed out." Petra spoke without a hint of malice and the smile remained on her face.

"I was not the one who foolishly insinuated themselves in an Alpha's meeting when they are clearly not an Alpha. I also was not the one who did the insulting, so why should I back out of a fight that I know I can win against a bitch who does not know her place?" Elkin spat the last and removed his clothes standing naked on one side of the circle.

Petra then removed her robe and handed it to Dayna. Sam looked over Petra's form in awe. There was no doubt that she was a strong woman. She had curves and wore them proudly, there was not an inch of flab to be found, but there was a softness about her. Her body was toned, and around each of her wrists and ankles was some sort of tattoo. A few strange symbols were etched down her back, they rippled with magic and Sam wished to reach out and touch them.

"I may not have my own pack Igor, but I have been on this earth long enough to know my place, and it is well above yours." She flashed a smile and rolled her head around on her neck. "I have nothing to prove. You on the other hand, you have a lot to prove to me and the other Alpha's that heard the pitiful tirade you put on back there. How about we cut the chatter and let this match begin." She bowed low with the flourish of her arm and waited in the bowed position for Elkin's first move.

The anger flowing from the scrawny Alpha was palpable, it radiated off of him in waves and his men growled on the sideline. Elkin lunged at Petra's bowed head. She used his own momentum against him and tossed him with her shoulder. He hit the dirt hard and snarled and shifted as he got up. A lean grey wolf snarled and growled where he hit the dirt. Instead of shifting Petra smiled and watched as he began to circle her. She moved with him slowly, and watched. Elkin lunged again, this time biting at her limbs looking to draw first blood.

Petra easily danced away from his lunge and countered with a swift punch to the back of the wolf's skull. Dazed he fell to the ground, it took him a moment to recover and stood shaking his head and growling. He barked at her, his intent clear, he wanted her to shift. "You don't deserve to see my wolf form Igor, you can't even beat my human form." Elkin barked and snarled as he shifted into his hybrid form. Sam looked on in horror as the wolf shifted. Its limbs elongated and bulged, it's torso doubled if not quadrupled in size and looked more like the male torso she knew than that of the wolf. He stood on his two back feet and snarled as his muzzle elongated and his head swelled to match the rest of his body.

"Shift you insolent bitch!" The words were growled out of his muzzle, and behind him his men growled with him.

Petra shook her head and looked up at the wolf man. "If you think your little display will get me to shift, you are wrong Igor. There is no need for me to shift when my human form is taking care of you just fine." She laughed as he snarled and swiped his massive paw in her direction. "You call that a swing Igor? How pathetic." With each move Elkin made, Petra danced around him and avoided each blow. She landed a few punches of her own and knocked him on his ass. "Submit to your superior Igor."

"I will never submit to you bitch. I am an Alpha!" He shrieked and lunged at her throat. This time, Petra didn't move. She stood her ground and swatted at him with a massive paw of her own, slicing into his flesh and drawing blood. Sam looked at the woman that stood before her and watched as Petra's human body shimmered. Her hand was no longer that of a human, but that of a wolf with silver white fur, the rest of her looked as human as she did before. "Is that all you can do? Maybe you don't have a wolf form, that's why you don't shift."

"I have a wolf form Igor. The last man to see it did not leave the circle alive. I do not want to kill you, I just want to teach you a lesson." She watched as Igor stood and touched his face. The blood trickled down his fur to drip on the ground. The tangy, pungent scent of blood floated on the gentle breeze. He snarled at her and lunged yet again snapping his massive jaws looking to bite into anything. His aim was way off, and Petra easily side stepped him and brought her knee up to meet his jaw. He flew back hitting the dirt with a thud. The only movement coming from him was the easy rhythm of breathing. His body shimmered with power and his human form was where the hybrid had been. Petra locked eyes with Leon and he entered the circle, he stepped over to examine Igor and found him to be alive, but out cold.

"Elkin has been knocked out, Petra is the winner of this fight." Those around the circle who knew her and those who disliked Elkin cheered and Elkin's men snarled. "Remove him from the circle and take him to the infirmary, our doctor will see to his injuries." He watched as three of Elkin's men entered the circle and lifted him from the dirt. The other five growled at Petra. As she turned to retrieve her robe from Dayna, all five lunged at her, shifting in mid air and landing on her ripping at her flesh with their teeth. Sam felt the blood hit her face and watched as Petra's body shimmered silver and then were she once stood with five wolves latched onto her back a massive white wolf stood. The wolf snarled and ripped the much smaller wolves off of her with a twist of her head. Three of them rolled over and showed their stomachs to her, but two continued to growl and snarl. She barked at the ones on the ground and they scattered, and she shifted focus to the two remaining.

They lunged at her going for the kill, she dodged one but the other latched onto the back of her neck as she moved. Deftly she rolled her body, slamming him into the ground crushing his bones with her lofty weight. The other snarled and snapped still aiming to kill her as she was on the ground. As he got too close she snapped at him with her massive jaws. One instant the much smaller black wolf was snarling there and then next he was in her jaws whimpering and yelping to no avail. The time for mercy had come and gone and she was no longer in the merciful mood. She shook the wolf in her jaws back and forth. Bones snapped and blood spattered across the earth, and at last the yelps ceased. The bloody carcass dropped to the ground and the white wolf howled her victory to the sky. Sam watched transfixed as blood dribbled down the near perfect white of the wolf's maw as she howled. She could feel the stares from the people around her, all of them focused on the gigantic white wolf. As the wolf finished her serenade she turned her massive head their way. Her eyes landed on Leon and she let out a sorrowful whimper.

"Petra?" Leon's voice was almost shaky, he had never seen her shift before. He knew that she held great power, but he had never seen her wolf. She was without a doubt the biggest wolf he had ever seen. Just the sheer size of her wolf was more than five of his own, and he knew his wolf to be larger than most. Alpha's normally were the biggest wolf in the pack because their size and agility meant protection, but even he felt dwarfed in comparison to Petra's size. "You can shift back now Petra, the match has been won." The wolf sat with it's head cocked to the side and it's ears twitching. It could understand his words, of that he was sure, but she did nothing to act on them. Her tail twitched slightly, and her head snapped in the opposite direction. A white mist had started to gather inside the circle.

Petra's ears dropped back on her head, and her whining began again, this time more urgently. As the mist began to solidify, her tail thumped the ground, and she looked almost playful. The mist now took on the shape of two barely distinguishable figures. The wolf laid down, with her head on her paws, ears pressed forward and her tail thumping. Two men walked forward from the mist, both wearing cloaks of what looked like green silver. "My dear, you are in a predicament. The runes were meant to keep you in your human form, how is it that you have shifted?" The first man spoke, his voice seemed deep and musical. He had an air of wisdom and age bout him that seemed to conflict with his appearance. Although his hair was long and white, his face looked free of age. His features sharp and pointed, but young none the less. Petra whined and yipped and the strange man nodded his head. "I see, but it does not explain how the wolf was able to overcome the runes. You underwent immense pain to have them etched into your skin until they stuck. How this is possible, I know not, but I do know we have to get you back don't we?"

The second man looked very similar to the first, with the exception of his hair. Of what could be seen, his hair was a dark brown and just about along as the other's. His hood was drawn up and his features barely visible. "Elric," The first man's voice drifted on the wind it seemed, "I will need your help with this." The second man bowed his head, glided closer to the first. With his approach Petra raised her head. Her tail no longer wagged, and her body seemed tight with tension. Her nose twitched, the only real movement from her. The second man came to a halt and watched the large wolf asses him. Her eyes flashed as she scented him. If this man feared the wolf, he did not show it, in fact he moved closer and the older man moved back. Elric, the dark haired man, began to sing. The words were soft and melodious, and not in any kind of language that Sam had ever heard. Elric moved forward more and lifted his hand to touch some of the fur. As his hand made contact, his singing steadily grew louder and the wolf closed her eyes.

Once again, power shimmered in the circle. It thrummed with every sound that the strange man made, it pulsed and danced on the very air. Sam could feel the words in her heart, and in her blood. Her wolf was there in her mind sitting up and paying attention, completely at ease with the power, it knew it was safe and felt comforted by the strange sounds. The melody heated her blood, and made her want to move. Everyone around her seemed to be feeling similar effects, softly swaying in time with the chanting. More and more people started to gather around the circle. The rescued women stood as close as their fears would allow, letting their bodies be moved by the power and sound emanating from this strange man.

Sam felt something brush her leg, and looked down to see the pups pushing their way forward, seeking the comfort of the song. She wanted to stop their forward progress, they were too far from her reach now and almost at the man's feet. Petra dropped her head to the ground and whimpered as the power engulfed her. Light shimmered and covered her fur, and slowly her form shifted back to that of a human. She sat kneeling on the ground, tears in her eyes as the light around her faded. The chanting continued as the man knelt down and turned his powerful voice on the pups. Soon they too were surrounded by the power and their bodies engulfed in the healing light. Seven small bodies lay hunched together as the chanting stopped. The wind seemed to die out with the chanting and the power level dropped from the circle. Elric removed his cloak and wrapped it around Petra's naked shoulders. The other man removed his cloak as well and draped it over the younger ones.

"It would seem these younglings are going to need some clothes." He turned to face Sam & Leon. "I am sorry to intrude on your territory young Alpha, but I felt that our presence was needed. When she shifted, I could feel the shift in the balance of power and knew that she would need our assistance."

Leon nodded mutely at the old man, and scented the air himself. The man smelled strange, but it was unlike anything he had scented before. Mentally he sent for someone to find clothes for the youngsters, at least some robes until they could be sized. "What are you?" Sam voiced her question before he could even speak.

"My dear lady," He bowed with an old and other worldly grace, "My name is Lasvitar and I am an elf." Laughter sparkled in his eyes. Leon took in the strange clothes and as the man turned to look back at Elric, he noticed that he did indeed have pointed ears.

"I thought that the elves had died out long ago." Leon seemed to find his voice.

"No, we just moved to a different realm, we were no longer needed here. The time for our magicks had passed, and belief in such things no longer existed. We live on a realm similar to this one, but where we are free to do our magicks and we live in peace. Rarely do we venture back here, but I knew our presence was needed today." He turned back to look at Petra as she was shaking in Elric's arms. "I have been keeping an eye on you Leon Comeaux. I know that you have called a meeting of your Alpha's and I know the problems that you face. I have come to offer my aid, and that of my son's. The problems you face here have dipped their hands into our realm. Some of our old artifacts have been stolen, and I fear that the ones behind your problems are the same that are behind ours. If it is as I fear, then this has become more complicated than anyone could ever dream."

"What? If you live on another realm, how could our problem's be yours? Elves have had nothing to do with earth in a long time." Leon felt a the pulse in his neck kick up a few notches. "What do you mean you have been keeping an eye on us?"