Visions Unveiled Ch. 04

Logan did not like where this was heading. He and Erin did not often disagree. But when they did, it quickly escalated into a horrible altercation. While he was a Beta, she was born of Alphas. When in harmony there was nothing they could not accomplish. But when they disagreed, others quickly learned to not be near the pair.

Logan gave his mate a heavy stare while grinding his jaw to control an outburst. He did not want to argue with her, but he had to make her see that the longer they waited to tell Shane what they knew, the more likely something horrible would happen to the pack. "Erin, I have to alert him. How can you not see that?"

Before she could answer he began pacing wildly once more, and so Erin got up from the bed and went to him. She stepped straight in front of him forcing him to stop his mad pacing and look at her. The pain he saw in her eyes nearly stopped his heart. Finally she spoke. "There are some Februarys, where I fear my brother will run himself straight off a cliff as it already is. It has been years, but his pain runs as deep as ever. If we approach him with this now, I fear he will snap. Then he will be lost to me forever. Please don't ask me to tempt that fate."

Logan could not bear the tears in his mate's eyes. The most difficult part about being mated to the Alpha's sister, were the times he felt his loyalty divided. He knew alerting Shane of just how deep the fracture in their pack was should be his priority. As a Beta and as a friend. But when Erin expressed her fear of losing Shane to his own insanity, he melted. There was no way he could live with himself if he made a decision that allowed his mate to be hurt so permanently. Logan found himself at an impasse. While he was currently in charge of the pack, his impulse was to go into full warrior mode. First locate the Alpha, and then share the intelligence he'd gathered. Together they would form a plan to annihilate the enemy, even if said enemy was within the pack. But to care for his mate ... to spare her the pain of possibly losing her brother, he yielded.

He pulled her into his arms hoping to stop her tears. "I will wait one day. If he does not return by dusk tomorrow, then I will have no other choice but to seek him out."

Erin nodded against his chest, happy with this compromise. And so Logan hugged her tighter to him and worriedly whispered, "Though when he discovers the truth, Luna help us all."

* * *

Shane had a headache. One he recognized as the result of ignoring his wolf. Apparently he had been subconsciously blocking his wolf from communicating with him, and the price for that was the bone splitting ache he now felt in his temple. The wolf wanted out to tell him something, and would be heard no matter what. He was afraid the animal wanted to be free, to run the forest and sleep near his favorite rock wall. But Shane knew that was no longer an option this night. Still, the wolf wanted to speak to him, so Shane closed his eyes and gave in. He took a deep breath and centered his mind, allowing the wolf to come to the front for a moment, while keeping his human form.

The wolf snarled and chuffed at him immediately, angry at being repressed for so many hours. To make amends, Shane took another metaphysical step back, deeper into his mind and allowed the wolf to take the current lead. Instantly, Shane felt his eyes snap open, and immediately knew he was seeing through the golden eyes of his wolf. All of his senses heightened as the wolf started to take control. As if he were sleepwalking, Shane felt the wolf lead him into the main room of the cottage and straight to the sofa and to the girl.

The wolf focused intently on the girl's face for many minutes, and it took that long for Shane to realize that the wolf was imploring him to look at her closer, to really see her. Next, the wolf called upon the power of scent, and Shane felt the aroma of crisp rain hit him like a rush he had never known. This time though, the wolf would not allow him to look away. Deep inside himself, a shadow to the wolf for the moment, Shane recoiled in disbelief. There was something about this female, about her features which he now noticed called to him. And there could be no denying, the scent of rain which he earlier could not escape was indeed coming from her.

Feeling bolder, the wolf pressed forward further, forcing Shane to drop to his knees beside the girl. With hands that were unsteady, Shane pulled the blanket slightly down from her shoulders and leaned in towards her, taking in her scent with relish. Inside though, Shane was in disbelief. The scent assaulting him was unmistakably that of his mate. How could it be, he wondered? His body began to stir beyond his control. His heart hammered and his hands trembled, as a sweat began to form on his skin. This was the scent of his mate, which meant the female that carried the scent, was one he could not resist. But Shane had not desired anyone in decades. Not in any way. Could this female truly be his mate? Inside, Shane screamed and protested. No, his mate was dead! But her scent, the wolf countered, was clearly that of his mate.

Shane was taken aback even further. Could it be possible? That this was his mate? Would Luna send him another mate? And if she did, would the new mate carry the identical scent of his previous mate? He didn't think that were possible. The chances were too slim. But if that weren't so, then the only other possibility was ...

His eyes snapped suddenly back to the shelf where Gregor kept the photograph of Ilsa in a crystal frame. He didn't need to move from where he was kneeling to focus intently on the photograph. He saw Ilsa, sitting on the front steps of the cottage, wearing a summer dress. Her eyes were alight as she smiled, and her dark hair was falling over her shoulders. Ilsa's fair skin was lovely as well. The color of cream, the same as ...

Shane's eyes turned again to the female before him. His heartbeat now tripled as he finally saw what the wolf wanted him to see. The same dark hair, a deep, rich shade of mahogany. The shape of her eyes, the curve of her jaw. How could he have not seen before?

He was rocked yet again as the wolf surged on, allowing scent to rule his musings. Shane was powerless to stop himself as the wolf urged, demanded, that he lean even closer to the girl and scent her. With his hand he brushed her soft hair aside, allowing him to lean close enough to scent her throat. Beneath her wonderful natural scent, was another and the wolf growled low in his throat. He could scent another male there, and his agile mind quickly knew that it was a Were, and also one of his pack. Shane was astounded at how he could have missed it before. He pulled away enough to look over her flesh closely where he could see her skin was marred. He gently pulled the shirt away enough to see the bruises which had formed both on her throat and also on her shoulder, disappearing towards her back. Before he could fully process the bruises, his attention was drawn to another scent.

The wolf demanded Shane lower his face to the bottom of her throat and inhaled deeply until he identified the scent. Sickness. It suddenly occurred to him as his ears pricked and he became aware of not only her labored breathing, but the wheezing sounds she was emitting. The girl hadn't been simply sleeping like he allowed himself to believe. She was ill. From the weather, and probably the exhaustion of being hunted as she was. He inhaled again and listened with keen ears to the rumbling sounds in her lungs as they struggled to process the air she took in.

Shane was stunned as suddenly the wolf retreated, having shown him everything he felt he needed. Withdrawing suddenly, the wolf gave up control causing Shane to fall backwards. He threw his hand behind him to stop his fall, and rested a moment as his human senses once again aligned themselves. Once they had he hung his head, fighting off the shock that threatened to consume him. Within scant moments he was forced to acknowledge that the mate he'd thought dead for over thirty years was alive and before him. She was alive! But she was also injured. And sick. Though he was still reeling, Shane forced his body to raise it self once again to kneel beside her. His fingers still were shaking as he gingerly brushed her hair back once again to take a look at her with his human eyes this time. Even unconscious, he was certain she was the most beautiful creature his eyes had ever seen. But Shane was also angry with himself. Because she may be beautiful, but she was also injured, and sick. All because of him. And knowing this, Shane hung his head in grief.

A moment later and Shane's head shot up again, to the bookshelf. To the photograph of Ilsa. His mouth went dry as her words sprang into his mind. Words he'd repeated to himself every single day, since she had first spoken them to him.

"She will come to you on a night that is neither dark nor light ..."

Shane's eyes went to the window where the storm raged beyond. Freezing rain was sheeting down, almost instantaneously turning to ice wherever it landed. Accompanying this was the most out of season lightning he could ever recall. He remembered the way the light reflected off of the clouds and hills earlier in the evening. The strange light that allowed him to clearly see this female despite the darkness that surrounded her.

"You must help her ..."

Shane's eyes returned to the girl before him. Alone. Cold. Sick. Obviously abandoned. When he first saw her she was terrified, running for her life.

He could still hear Ilsa's every word, clear as a bell.

"Promise me! Promise me you will. That you will help her."

Shane swallowed again, as his wide eyes traveled yet again from the photograph, to the girl, and somehow still through his memories of Ilsa. He finally found his resolve as he gazed at this girl, who he now realized was not only his mate, but the one Ilsa assured him, would one day come to need him.

"Promise me!" Ilsa was saying to him, over and over in his mind.

And finally deep inside him, Shane came alive once more. The part of him which had died years ago was suddenly reborn of the knowledge that he had reason to live once more after all of these years.

"Promise me!" he heard.

And Shane nodded, as he gently took the hand of the girl he kneeled before and brought it to his lips.

"I will," he whispered to her. And then he once again, 33 years later, answered her mother's desperate plea. "I swear it."