Heartache in Yellowstone

STANLEY POV

"She has brown hair as of right now," Dan says, and Lauren squeals which makes me smile.

   "When will we get to meet her," Finley asks, and the others second his question.

"Well, she was a tad bit early, so they are watching her. They don't know she is a shifter, and their worry isn't needed, so who knows. Samantha's incision has confused everyone...its already basically healed. The nurses have all started to gossip. I think Dr. Hurst will have to discharge us sooner rather than later to keep suspicions down," Dan says, and I growl.

  Great. That's all we need is nosy humans.

   "I will alert the council. They might send "her" out," I say, and Lauren glances at me curiously for a second before looking back at the phone.

  "Don't say it like that. You make it sound like the mother Luna is evil," Boyd says, and Dan chuckles.

  "I think it freaks my twin out that there is a shifter with the ability to alter memories," Dan says explaining how I feel in his basic terms.

  "I think it's weird that in every generation, there is a wolf shifter born with such a deep connection to our creator. I mean, none of the other species have anything close to that. It makes me wonder. I can't help it if I hate unanswered questions," I grumble not liking the topic change.

  Lauren giggles at me and my stomach does it's normal flip flop when I hear her laugh. Focus Stanley, she isn't yours to drool over.

  "Well, call the council. Make them aware. I also need them to investigate a few things for Samantha. Apparently, the reason for her distress last night was due to some things that happened in the past. Now hold onto your seats for this...Kyle Layne had a twin sister," Dan says, and we growl in disbelief.

  "That's impossible," I snap as the brothers next to me share a look, and Dan sighs tiredly.

  "Not according to Hazel Layne's diaries. Samantha was reading them last night. Apparently, in 1973, Hazel gave birth to a set of twins. A boy named Kyle and a girl named Grace. Graham and his sick-ass father took the daughter away from Hazel the day she was born. Hazel had been fighting against their ways, and to keep her in line, the two of them took the baby. Graham also killed a shifter named Nevaeh in front of Hazel. Samantha didn't take the information too well, as we all saw. She wants to know what happened to Grace, and I guess, where Nevaeh came from," he explains, and we all glance at one another.

My eyebrows crease in frustration at the unexpected news. I hate surprises. Especially ones that involve the Layne's. Their tarnish on the land that is now ours is going to give us problems for years to come.

"I believe it. I remember our grandfather telling us about the Old Luna one time. He said she once disappeared for a whole year. When they saw her again, she wasn't the same. She looked sickly, but she had a healthy pup with her. The entire pack assumed her body had had a hard time carrying such a strong bloodline. The main assholes that my grandfather hated started to say she was too weak to be mated to a Layne. By that point, I had started to hate everything about the Laynes, and I had just shrugged it off. I didn't care about the Alpha couple's past. I felt like the Luna could do more to help us instead of just watching how we were being treated...I just wanted them dead. That was about seven years before you guys came down...and about three years before Graham executed our grandfather for treason," Mike says making my anger bubble up even more and Dan growls over the phone.

  "Well, it seems like the story is true then. Graham locked his mate up because she back-talked him. When she had their pups, they took one to force her into compliance with their rules. I guess when she had proven herself, they let her back out again. I pray they didn't kill the poor thing...It explains why Luna Hazel was so docile about what her mate was doing. She already had one child stripped away from her," Dan snarls, and the wheels start turning in my head.

  We have to investigate this. I would like to gather information myself, but the council likes to gather evidence in their own way when alerted to crimes. Handing over our evidence won't be easy, but it will be worth the invasion of privacy if Luna gets answers. Family is as important as righting the wrongs of Graham Layne.

  "I will need some more specific dates, but I should be able to find something. I will also alert the council. They might ask for Hazel's diaries as evidence. So maybe give Sam a heads up if she wants to read more. I'm guessing she got so mad last night she didn't finish reading them," I explain after my brain stops debating, and I hear Dan sigh again.

  "I will let her know. Thanks, Stan. I will call again when we are discharged. Get the move finished," he says, and the line goes dead.

  "That man was vile. I am so glad he is gone. I would hate to deliver my pup under his rule," Lauren practically whimpers, and David wraps his arm around his mate in a comforting way that makes my heart physically hurt.

  "I hope the son of a bitch is rolling around in his grave because his half-breed granddaughter is our new Luna," Finley growls, and my eyebrow raises due to the hatred in my brother's voice.

  "I bet he is," Boyd laughs out in agreement, and Mike nods while grinning.

  "We should get a move on. We have orders," I say as I avoid looking at the Swift mates cuddling.

   I pull out my phone and step away from everyone. I need to call the council quickly. If the nurses report Sam's healing abilities to anyone and we didn't properly alert them, punishment will be placed on our pack.

As the line begins to ring, I take a deep breath. Lauren's presence is making it harder for me to function and I hate it. I hate feeling guilty and dirty for lusting after a female who is mated, but I can't stop. David is bound to notice soon if he hasn't all ready, and I hate that I might be ruining my relationship with him.

  "You've reached Council Edmund's office; please leave a message."

"This is Stanley Gray of the southern Gray Pack. We have a possible secret leak at a hospital. Our Luna required a C-section to save her cub, and her healing is beginning to cause concern. I expect to hear from you soon. Thank you."

I end the call and exhale. Making important phone calls or researching information for the pack is easy. Facing my pack members while I secretly pine away for Lauren...Excruciatingly hard. All I want to do is hide in my room. But I know that would be too much suspicion. Angelica is coming home soon, and it should be all hands on deck to prepare for her arrival. I just need to suck it up and move on...