The Destruction of the Vlkolak Ch. 08

The women shook their heads.

He grinned at the three females waiting with the car before shutting the door. "Please, have a seat. She'll be here in a minute. I think she's in the back office doing the bookkeeping. She's much better at numbers than I've ever been." He gestured to the couch where they took their seats. "I don't bite, honest." He smiled again and turned to greet the woman who entered the room, taking her hand. "This is my wife, Margie."

Rebecca and Danielle sat mutely, looking from the hunky male to the beautiful woman at his side. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but they couldn't put a finger on it. They let their sister panthers see all that they did, letting them hear the slight accent the couple couldn't hide. How long had they been here? Where were they from? And who was Sally?

"Here she is." The tall man smiled affectionately at his sister and guided her to the two visitors. "Sally, these ladies are here to see you, I think." He backed away and stood with his arms around his wife and an amused look on his face.

Rebecca wasn't sure if he thought they were crazy or maybe he was. She looked up at Sally as she swept into the room and had to remind herself to close her mouth. She couldn't believe it. "OW!" She felt Dani's finger nails digging into her arm and she glanced over to see the same surprised look on Dani's face as she was sure was on her own.

"Hello, I'm Sally. I think you've been searching for me, haven't you?" The stunning woman stepped forward and held out her hand to Katy and Dani, taking them one at a time. "Do you know me?"

They looked surprised. They seemed to know something she didn't. "Sally? Is that your real name?" Dani almost bit her tongue after she said it. She felt Jenna's reprimand through their bond.

"Your friend shouldn't be cross with you. I'm sure this is a shock. You've traveled cross-country, haven't you?" She smiled at both women and sat down across from them. "So tell me, what brought you here? How did you find me?"

Her comment about Jenna's reprimand was missed. "We-we felt you. We knew we had to find you. Did you want to be found?" Rebecca was at a loss for words.

"Many years ago I dreamt of being found again, but by my love. But it was never to be. I had to learn to live without him. But maybe now it's time to return to the world of the living, return to my world, our world. If the time is right. And since you've found me, I think that time has arrived. Fate brought you here, brought us together. Do you believe that?" She seemed hopeful.

"Yes, I think we believe that. A year ago, we probably wouldn't have, but now, yes, I think so." Rebecca swallowed hard. "Sally, we had heard you had died, years ago."

Sally's smile faded and her voice lowered to a whisper. "I wanted to save the one I loved from terrible pain. My brother and I faked my death, and we moved here to start over. It was for the best. He had to be allowed to live his life and not wait for something that could never be." Tears rolled down her cheeks as she thought about him.

"What about you? Did you find someone?" Dani leaned forward. Did she want to know the answer.

The look of horror on Sally's face answered the question without any words. "Oh no, never! I could never betray him even though he thought I was dead. I've lived with the wonderful memories we had." As she said it, her hand strayed to the locket around her neck. "And my panther refuses to admit that our mate is lost to us. She insists he is waiting for us to return to him. Panthers are silly creatures, aren't they?

"That's beautiful. May I see it?" Rebecca was entranced by the golden locket with the engraving. Was that a wolf? She slowly approached the woman as she lifted it up to show her guests. "The wolf is amazing. I've never seen anything so small and detailed."

Sally stood straighter and smiled through her tears. "It is an uncanny likeness." As she said it she stroked her fingers across the wolf face with the sapphire blue eyes.

"What's on the other side?" Dani moved closer, fascinated by the beauty of such an intricate piece of jewelry.

Sally smiled and slowly turned the locket, showing the large cat on the opposite side. "Isn't she wonderful?" She slowly stroked the panther, with its green eyes that matched hers perfectly.

"Where did you get it?" Dani wondered if she could find one like it.

"My love had it made before I left him, so that I would never forget him, or us. How could I? He's the only man I would ever love." Again her tears flowed freely.

"But if you aren't dead, why wouldn't he come looking for you? Doesn't he feel your bond anymore?" Dani almost jumped when Rebecca elbowed her in the ribs.

"I silenced our bond." Sally looked down into her lap, her hands clasping and unclasping. "It was the only way to give him peace. I was sure that when he heard from his friend, the American Archivist, that I had died, he would grieve. But in the end, it was the best thing for him. He could move on with his life. Hopefully, he was able to find a new mate. It can happen, you know."

Rebecca wanted to tell her, but Jenna told her no. They weren't going to be the ones.

"But tell me, the two of you are new, aren't you? As well as your three friends outside?" She leaned forward with a grin. "And are your mates handsome?" She laughed and clapped her hands when her visitors blushed. "You know, I've never felt another panther's thoughts since I left my grandmother behind. When I first felt the presence of more panthers, I wasn't sure if I was imagining it. It was during the Ice Moon a week ago. And then it seemed stronger a few days later, and then stronger and stronger until... well, here you are."

She was silent for a moment. "Would you ask your friends to join us?" By the time Vic had opened the door the three women were standing on the porch.

They filed in one at a time, Katy first. Katy noticed the looks she got from the handsome male and the two women. And it only took a quick glance at the other woman to realize why. Katy approached the other woman and stopped a foot away from her. She couldn't believe it. She could have been her twin.

"Katy, this is Sally, her brother, Vic, and sister-in-law, Margie. These are our cousins, Katy, Tracy, and Jenna."

As shocked as their faces were when they first saw Katy, the male and two females were flabbergasted when they finally saw Jenna's face. Vic and Sally approached her slowly. They seemed to be watching for any sign of recognition from her, but received none.

"You aren't Leona, are you?" Vic said it sadly.

"No, I'm sorry. Who was Leona?" She looked from one to the other. Whoever she was, Leona must have been special to them.

"She was our grandmother. You are her exact double, even the timbre of your voice." His voice was quiet. He still expected any second for her to tell him to mind his elders and do as his father told him. "She was a brave leader. But I can't get over how much you seem like her. And Katy, you yourself can see that you are a twin for Sally."

Jenna decided to tell them a little, at least. "I guess that would make Leona our fifth great grandmother then. Because we are Sally's third great granddaughters."

Sally took in a big breath and grinned ear to ear. "My granddaughters? Oh my! If only Guillame was here to meet you! Then my day would be complete." She went to each of the women and hugged them fiercely. She stood back and eyed each in turn. "What do you think Vic? Are your nieces beautiful?"

"To a fault, little sister." He put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her gently. "Guillame would be proud to have such granddaughters."

Jenna seemed a little uncomfortable. "May we invite our mates to join us?"

"Of course, all of you are welcome." Vic had the door open in time to see the second SUV barreling down the driveway. Through their bonds the men had seen everything. There would be no surprise on their faces or in their voices when they met Sally. And they understood why Jenna didn't want to mention Guillame.

Sally watched the men walk into the house, trying to mentally match each to his mate before they had a chance to see each other. As soon as she saw the distinguished-looking white-haired male she knew his mate was Jenna. She paired the giant silver-haired were to the tiny blond. When she saw the massive black haired male, she knew he was Katy's mate. But the last two, who were obviously twins, she couldn't figure out which female they were mated to until they moved towards each other.

Katy's mate took her hand and approached Sally. "Madam, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Rhys Davies, and I am the American Archivist. It was I who sent reports to your mate about your well-being. And it was I who sent him word of your death." His voice lowered. He sounded as if he had done something wrong and was asking for forgiveness.

"Rhys, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. It gave my love some closure that he would otherwise never have had. He would have lived the rest of his life waiting for me."  She took Rhys's hand in hers and held it to her lips. "Thank you." She smiled, tears again in her eyes as she looked up into his face.

Katy was crying too. She wanted to blurt out that Guillame would be waiting for her. But Jenna said to wait.

Jenna's mate moved to stand next to Rhys. "Madam, my name is Alistair Alexander. I am the head of the North American Council. I would like to welcome you back to your people. All of you." He wanted to be sure they knew they could rejoin them.

"We've lived as humans for so long. How would we find a pack?" Sally looked at her brother, a worried look on her face. "Will we even be able to shift? I've ignored my panther for so long. What if she refuses?"

Vic came to his sister and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Your panther and our wolves will be happy to be free again. They know it was for the safety of all. You have nothing to worry about, sister."

Rebecca got up and took her grandmother's hands. "Sally, I think we all know that we belong together. Otherwise, why would our panthers be so insistent about meeting? Would you come with us to our home in Nevada?"

"Really? We wouldn't bring you danger?" She looked at each visitor and then glanced at her brother and his mate.

"We're pretty good at attracting danger on our own, Sally. There seems to be safety in numbers and a well-coordinated offense." Rebecca beamed with the knowledge that their pack had defeated two formidable enemies. She thought they could take on anything or anyone. Even whatever or whoever it was that scared Sally so badly.

Sally sat quietly for a moment. Uncertainty crossed her face for just a moment before she smiled. "Vic, Margie, we're going to have a new home."

--------------------------------------------------

The Alphas were waiting for them when they arrived, the two SUV's and a truck that said "Saber Dairy" on the doors. Luckily they'd been warned, and when the red-haired women stepped out of the truck, they were able to hide their shock at just how much alike the two women were.

Alistair stepped to the front of the group, Sally at his side, Vic and Margie close behind her. He gestured to Carr and Lee. "These are the pack Alphas, Carr and Lee Baxter. This is Sally, Vic, and Margie Saber. They are, or were, Vlkolak. They are family to all of the women that were saved from Gary."

"We would like to welcome the three of you to the Baxter Pack. You are welcome here always. You have many family members who are members of this pack, including my brother's mate." Carr grinned at the visitors.

Lee came down the stairs and hugged each of the newcomers. "I'm so glad you're here. You're part of our family now." She was startled when Sally placed a hand on her belly, on her just barely noticeable baby bump.

"Triplets?" Sally lifted an eyebrow and looked at Carr, a huge smile on her face. "Well done, Alpha."

The entire group had a hearty laugh, Carr's the biggest. Lee's face was crimson, but she laughed as well. But Carr had something on his mind. "Sally, I think there's someone you should meet." Carr put out his arm for her to take as he escorted her into the house. As soon as they entered the foyer, Sally stopped in her tracks and looked around the room. She looked fearful.

"This way." Carr spoke softly, leading her towards his office. "It'll be alright, I promise."

The rest of the group looked on with smiles, except Vic and Margie, who just looked confused. "What's going on? Who does she need to meet?" Vic could feel her apprehension. They hadn't been in the company of werewolves in so long. The scents were overwhelming to them.

Carr opened the door to his office and held it for her. He didn't say anything. He could see the back of the male who was across the room, thumbing through a book containing the history of the Baxter Pack. He looked back at his companion, who was riveted in place. He whispered to her, "He doesn't know."

Suddenly, the scent of birch and lilac wafted into the room. Guillame shook his head. His dreams were now coming to him awake. He thought he could smell her scent. How ridiculous. But it was so overpowering. He heard a woman gasp behind him and turned. He was seeing things. It must be Katy and his mind was playing tricks on him. He saw the grin on Carr's face as he gave the woman a slight push. Then Carr backed away and closed the door.

His voice was so quiet, she almost couldn't hear him. "It can't be. Rhys told me you had died." He moved slowly towards her. She must be an apparition. He hadn't been sleeping well for the last week or so, since the full moon. His dreams had been so vivid. Or had he fallen asleep and was dreaming now? His hand came up to touch her face. His fingertips knew it was she.

Her tears fell and reached his fingers. He pulled them from her face and put them to his mouth. They were her tears. Now his own tears fell. She reached out to his face and caught the salty drops and brought them to her mouth. She couldn't believe it. She thought sure she would never see him again. "My big brown wolf, I thought I'd lost you forever. I'm so sorry I did that to you. I silenced our bond and faked my death so you could continue to live and not spend your life waiting." Neither of them moved. It was like they were rooted in place. They couldn't take their eyes from each other. The tears flowed down their cheeks. "Did you find a new mate?" Orsolya could barely say the words.

"Neither my wolf nor I had any interest in a new mate. You were, and are, our mate." His fingers traced her jaw, to her lips, and moved over them slowly. "I knew from the moment we met that you were the only female I would ever love. And when I thought you were dead, I was dead."

She let down her guard for the first time in over one hundred years and opened their bond. She was flooded with his emotions, and he with hers. She began to sob when she felt the anguish he had endured for all those years. "I'm so sorry, my love. I never meant to hurt you. I thought it was best for you to move on." She collapsed to the floor, unable to stand under the onslaught of his pain.

He knelt next to her, wrapping his arms around her, holding her tightly as her body was wracked with sobs. "Shhh, my little red kitten, shhh. We are together now. We will be together always. No one will part us again. I will see to that. I won't allow it. We belong to each other. Obviously my wolf and your panther knew, even if we didn't. They didn't let us seek others to ease our pain." He pulled her into his lap and rocked her. "Shhh, I love you, Orsolya. I have always loved you, and I will never stop."

She pulled away from him so she could look at his face, his beautiful sapphire-blue eyes. Her hand cupped his face for the first time in one hundred and sixty years. His skin felt the same as it did then. He lowered his head until their lips met. It felt like an electric jolt hit them both as the kiss healed the wounds of their last hundred years of pain and longing.

Guillame's wolf pranced in his head, proud of himself that he had been right all along. His beautiful red panther had returned to him, and they would have their time together soon. For now he would allow his human half to enjoy their reunion. Guillame's hand tangled in her long red hair, and he pulled her away from him long enough to look into her beautiful, pale green eyes, just the way he remembered them. He had not forgotten a detail. He buried his head in her neck and inhaled deeply, birch and lilac wrapping around his heart and holding it tight. He closed his eyes and could swear they were sitting in the meadow where they had first met, near the river.

The gentle knock on the door pulled him away, and his wolf snarled dangerously.

A familiar face looked in, a large smile plastered on his face. "May we come in just for a moment?"

Guillame was startled and he jumped up, assisting Orsolya off the floor. "Zsigmond, you kept her safe for me, thank you, brother, thank you!" He grasped Zsigmond's proffered hand and pulled him into a tight bear hug. He slapped him on the back, laughing now, almost to the point of hysteria. "Thank you, thank you." He spotted the woman behind his brother-in-law. "Margareta, it's wonderful to see you both." He hugged her to him as well.

The whole group stood on the other side of the door, waiting. Guillame saw them watching with huge smiles. He took Orsolya by the hand and walked her out to formally meet his new friends and family. "I would like to introduce you all to my mate, Orsolya."

The rest of the day was spent with introductions and congratulations amid a party atmosphere.

"So I just have a silly question. I get Sally from Orsolya, and Margie from Margareta, but where did you get Vic from Zsigmond?" Danielle just had to ask. She'd been wondering all day. Troy had begged her not to, but she'd shushed him. She wanted to know.

Zsigmond smiled. "Not a silly question at all. When we came to this country, we wanted to assimilate. Like other Hungarian immigrants, we wanted to Americanize our names, but I hated the name Sig. Zsigmond means "protection through victory. "So I took the name Victor, or Vic." He grinned. Suddenly his face lit up. He turned to his sister. "Orsolya, do you feel it?"

Her face mirrored his. "Yes, soon." She looked at Guillame who grinned as well. He kissed her cheek.

Those who heard the exchange wondered what they were feeling. None of them had felt a thing.

The van reached the long driveway that led to the Baxter Compound. The driver stopped and looked around, spotting cameras that he could tell allowed them to see every car that drove in. He smiled to himself. Things had come a long way in the last few years. It had been a long time since he'd been around a pack.

"Dad, are we gonna sit here? Or drive?" His son in the backseat couldn't remember what it was like to live in a pack.

"Ash, leave your dad alone. Van, is this it? Are we at the right place?"

"Yup, this is it. Not even that far from home. Only took us four hours from Utah. Well, no time like the present. Let's see what greets us." He hoped this was a good idea. Even back home it hadn't been smart to come uninvited to a pack. The white van drove up to the biggest building. There were people milling around, all of whom stopped what they were doing and stared at the newcomers. Van watched the group of Betas approach the car. He motioned for his son and wife to stay inside and stepped out.

Before anyone could say a word, the front door of the house burst open and their newest guests came running out. "Istvan!" Orsolya almost screamed it as she leapt into his arms. "Orsolya, Zsigmond. I wasn't sure what was bringing me here. My wolf insisted we come. Even though we had closed off our bonds, he knew." Istvan hugged his siblings and then saw Guillame standing on the steps. "Brother, you're here too. Ash, get out of the car and greet our family." "