Chapter Nine

Coral

Sleep eluded me most of the night. I tossed and turned, my mind racing through most of the worst case scenarios. I hadn’t asked Duncan for more details because I knew that I needed to wait for Raina. Even if Duncan knew, he wasn’t going to tell me. It scared me to think that it was somehow about me. There was very little threat to any specific red wolves since the first red wolf, Raina. Why would someone be so interested in me? What made me different from the other red wolves? I laid in bed worried about that most of the night, although Duncan’s wolf, Conan, was also interesting and occupied many of my thoughts.

The interaction with Conan had left me with many questions.  Although I had asked Ivy a few questions about what they talked about, she didn’t disclose much. She did tell me that they had talked about mostly things related to the red wolves and the guardian wolves, but I got the sense that there was more. She had said that they talked about their “humans” and that some of that was about Duncan and the relationships he had been in. Although she refused to share much, she did say that Conan wasn’t happy about the relationships Duncan had been in, but Conan felt as if there wasn’t much he could do. Duncan’s feelings were overwhelming with guilt, shame, and sadness, and a lot of anger. 

I knew that, in many ways, Duncan was broken. And it wasn’t just that his heart was broken. It was also that a part of his spirit had been broken. He was an Alpha who could have any she-wolf he wanted to have, and the one that he wanted hadn’t wanted him. I think that this is where the shame came from. He felt like it made him look less powerful; inferior almost. 

I also reflected on how it felt just to sit so close to Conan and Duncan. I was still coming into my own when it came to my abilities, but I knew that there was a sense of comfort and closeness being right next to Duncan and his wolf. I felt very at peace and content. Cammie, the second guardian wolf who is around five years younger than Raina, had spent a lot of time working with me to develop relationships with my guardian wolves. She said that it wasn’t uncommon to feel very calm around your guardian wolves. They are protection. They are our safety.  

I rolled over and looked at the clock. 7:02. I had stayed in bed longer than I thought I would, but it was time to get up. I couldn’t stay in bed any longer.  While my sister typically enjoyed sleeping in, I was more of an early riser. This was partly why I enjoyed the cafe so much. I could pop in early and get a breakfast treat. There was also hope that a delicious treat this morning would calm my nerves. 

As I got out of bed, my mind continued to mull over the meeting this morning. Raina had wanted to meet at 9:00 to discuss the news from Luz. While Duncan didn’t provide us any details, I could feel emotions and I knew that whatever Raina told us this morning was not going to be good. Those thoughts continued while I was in the shower and as I got dressed. I could feel my fear increasing. 

‘Ivy, we need to get it together. Worrying about this isn’t helping and you and I both know I don’t respond well to fear.’ I reached out to my wolf, hoping she could help with managing my emotions. This was something that I had been working on with the other red wolves in training. From the training, I had learned just how important it was to work directly with my wolf on this. 

Ivy didn’t respond but I could sense that she was helping. When we had talked about the threat, Ivy felt much more confident than I did about the meeting this morning. That definitely helped with managing my feelings. 

I got dressed and headed out to the cafe. An apple fritter and coffee seemed like a good choice this morning. Just knowing that I was going to be going to the cafe helped. It was a bit of calm for me in the midst of everything else that was going on in my life. 

As soon as I left my house, I could feel the presence of at least two guardian wolves close by. Turning around, I could see Jorge to my left and Adam to my right. While they were always close by, this was the first time I had noticed them as soon as I left the house. I knew why they were close, and that made me feel even that much more uneasy.

Jenna greeted me as I entered, but it wasn’t quite as cheerful as she normally was. It was as if the entire compound was a bit on edge. I sat at the table for a few minutes, eating my apple fritter. On another day, I might have gotten another snack to enjoy. But today, I simply got my food and ate in silence. 

I knew that Harley had entered the cafe without even having to look at the door. She came and sat next to me. 

“Do you know what this meeting is about?” I asked as I turned, and I could see the worry on her face. 

Harley looked down at her hands, fidgeting with her fingers. She shook her head. “Not really. There was a meeting yesterday that both Duncan and Anders were at with the warlock, Luz. Anders told me that it was best to wait and hear everything from Raina today.” She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “Apparently Raina spent the rest of the evening talking with Luz, Sarah, and a vampire ally named Victor. She has much more to tell the red wolves this morning.” 

“Are you going to come to the meeting?” I asked, looking out the window. The compound wasn’t too far away, and I could make out Duncan standing by the door. A shiver ran down my spine.

Harley nodded. “Yes. Your guardian wolves specifically were asked to come. Of course, the guardian wolves will be all around the compound with all of the red wolves there, but yours will be in the room.”

My heart began to race and a feeling of dread washed over me. “Why?” I asked, barely above a whisper. Ivy, who initially was pacing, slowed and began to focus on helping me with my emotions. I was certain that Ivy’s own initial fight response had kicked in, but she was able to work to be tuned in with me. That was one of the necessary skills of the red wolf - they had to be one with their wolf. Wolves and their human counterparts worked well together, but the red wolf needed to be completely as one with their wolf. Without that, the abilities of the red wolf were almost useless. 

Harley noticed my change in demeanor and placed her hand on my shoulder. “I honestly don’t know too much. Anders shared a bit with me last night, but I think most of it would not be useful to you at this point. From what I did hear about Raina’s visits last night, much more was uncovered during those meetings.” 

I simply nodded my head and took the last sip of my coffee. My eyes were drawn to Duncan. Although I had guardian wolves all around me, including my own sister, having Duncan so close by made me feel safe. 

“I guess we should probably head out.” I stated. Harley nodded and we left the cafe. 

The walk to the compound was quiet. Harley walked next to me, but I could also sense my guardian wolves moving towards the compound. Duncan and Anders stood by the door of the compound. Adam, Will, and Keith, my other three guardians, were moving around us, thankfully giving me some distance. 

“Are all the guardian wolves attending?” I asked, looking around the compound. Each of the other red wolves had ten guardian wolves, and it felt as if most of them were around the compound. 

Harley laughed slightly. “No, not right now. Anders said that the plan is to have your guardian wolves here for planning and discussion purposes. Callan will meet with the other guardian wolves later today to discuss the rest.” I looked around as Harley spoke. 

“But they know something is going on?” I asked as we entered the compound. “I mean, they are everywhere right now.”

Harley nodded as we entered one of the two meeting rooms at the compound. Aside from my guardian wolves, it seemed as if everyone else was already waiting in the room. And we were early. Looking around the room, I noticed that both Alpha Callan and Alpha Michael were present. Now that both were retired from their Alpha roles, they served as leads at the Red Wolf Compound and to the guardian wolves. They also had oversight of all security operations at the compound. 

I took a seat at the only seat left open at the table, my guardian wolves filing in close behind me. Duncan stood right behind my chair, his hand resting on the back of the chair. I took a deep breath, appreciating the calming that I felt with Duncan so close. It was a much needed moment, when my nerves made it feel as if my brain was fried. 

Looking around the room, the other nine red wolves all sat around me. Raina, Cammie, Elizabeth, Stephanie, Vivian, Grace, Ariel, Sophie, and Talia all sat around the table. In the month that I had been at the compound, I had learned so much about them and from each of them. Each of these she-wolves were very powerful and I looked forward to learning so much more from each of them. Vivian, Talia, and Grace were all closest in age to me, but that didn’t stop me from having a close relationship with all of them. 

Raina took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Callan stood right next to her and Raina placed her hand in his. She closed her eyes, taking another deep breath before she let it out. Looking around the room, her eyes landed on me. I could feel the uncertainty and worry as she held my gaze. She smiled weakly before speaking. 

“Well, as you all know, I am not one to beat around the bush, so I will get right to it.” She paused and Callan placed his hand on her shoulder. She continued. “Last night. A warlock named Luz came to visit to share some details. Based on the information he shared, I had Callan reach out to one of our allies, a vampire named Victor, who was very eager to come and speak with me.” She paused, and Cammie spoke. Cammie was only five years younger than Raina and very experienced.

“Can we trust him?” Cammie asked.

“I can understand your skepticism but we trust him. You all know how much I hate vampires, so if I trust him, he is good.” Callan appeared surprisingly calm given how nervous and worried Raina was, but perhaps that was why he was calm; she needed it.

Cammie seemed satisfied with the response from Callan and nodded. Raina continued. 

“During the meeting with Luz, he shared some newly learned details about the history of the red wolf. Well, I guess filled in some gaps and provided some clarity is perhaps a better way to put it.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “As you all know, Rebekah was the first red wolf. She had many, many children, and all of us can, in some way, trace our heritage back to one of her ten children.” She smiled, shaking her head. “I know, crazy to think about having ten children. The two I have were a handful!” She smiled broadly and it lightened the mood, but I knew that was short lived. 

“It is fascinating to think about that. One of Rebekah’s daughters was believed to also be a red wolf, but then after that it varied which generation a red wolf was born to. We do know that by the time Rebekah’s great, great grandchildren were born, it was believed that the first ten red wolves had been born. During that time, wolves lived much longer, so Rebekah was alive when the tenth red wolf was born.” Raina paused again and smiled, before taking another deep breath. 

“What you probably don’t know, and what I did not know, was Rebekah’s lineage. This is where there is quite a big hole in wolf history. Or maybe it was hidden. I am really not sure.” Raina shrugged and paused. At this pause, I could feel Duncan tense next to me, and I knew that the story from Raina was going to change. 

“Rebekah’s mother was a white wolf. I think most of us knew that. When I dove into the history of the red wolves, that was consistent. What we never heard about was that white wolf’s mate. I know I personally never thought twice about who the mate was. I just assumed that he was a fairly strong wolf to be the father of the red wolf. But when we learned about that part of the history, that didn’t matter, because we were always concerned about Rebekah. And we didn’t look deep enough into the history and we missed an important part.” Raina fiddled with her hair. 

“And what part did we miss?” Talia asked, a bit of trepidation in her voice. 

Raina looked over at Talia and then around the room. “We missed that Rebekah’s father was a vampire. Which means that, as red wolves, we aren’t just the descendants of the first red wolf, but we are also descendants from a vampire.” 

The room was eerily quiet, as if everyone was mulling over the information. I shook my head. There had to be more to this story that was missing. 

“That can’t possibly be the end of this story. Just being partly descended from a vampire is not enough. What else is going on?” I asked, a chill running through me as I spoke. Duncan seemed to notice and placed his hand on my shoulder. I felt Harley move closer as well. 

“You’re right. There is more.” Raina looked up at Callan. “As you all know, Callan has a great disdain for vampires, and I thought that he might know more about the history and where the bad blood came from between the creatures. I mean, witches, vampires, and wolves have never really gotten along, but I didn’t understand when it started. And it seems like no one really did.”

“Are you saying that not one wolf knew that Rebekah’s father was a vampire? How could no one know that?” Harley asked, her voice holding her confusion. “How is that possible?” 

Raina shrugged. “I really don’t know. But the thing is, vampires knew. Our history indicates that around the time of Rebekah’s birth, the relationship between vampires and wolves deteriorated very quickly. It became pretty hostile at that point and, well, it isn’t any better today.” 

“We have all heard the stories about how vampires think that we are nasty, dirty creatures. Or whatever it is that they like to call us. Is this where that came from?” Cammie, the most senior red wolf after Raina, asked. 

“It would seem that this is probably the case. I know that it sounds strange that there is no aspect of our history that knew about Rebekah’s father being a vampire. I can’t say that I really understand how that could happen, but I do know that Rebekah’s father was killed when she was less than three years old. We know that Rebekah’s mother was a white wolf who was essentially a lone wolf. I believe that after Rebekah’s parents mated, they stayed in isolation, especially with how upset the vampires became. It would not surprise me at all if Rebekah’s mother had long isolated from her family and her parents probably never met her mate. We do know from our history that Rebekah was trained by her mother once it was clear that she had some abilities and that Rebekah joined a pack when she was 13, after she shifted for the first time.” I could tell how draining all of this was for Raina. She appeared so worried and stressed. 

Callan spoke. “Michael will go to the council to speak with them and to review the wolf archives to see what was missed in our history. As you can see, there is more here that we need to understand.” 

 I could feel Duncan tense behind me. “How about we get to the reason why everyone is here.” He stated curtly. The ire coming off of him was clear. “While this is all quite interesting, there is more, and it needs to be discussed.” I placed my hand on Duncan’s hand, which still sat on my shoulder, as he spoke. I sent a slight calming emotion through the touch. His wolf was clearly on edge. He relaxed slightly. 

The air in the room was tense. 

“Are they coming for me?” I asked, my hands trembling as I sat waiting for an answer. My question hung heavy in the room.