Ciaran's eyes were locked onto Runa's face as she began to stir. She rubbed her eyes and tried to sit up, his hand on her shoulder held her in place and sent another jolt of fear rushing through her making her heart race. "Shhh. You're alright but it would not be wise to sit up, sweetling. You shredded your cloths." He whispered to her and felt the tension release her muscles as she resettled herself in his lap. "Where are we?" She asked groggily. "Another hour away." Jake answered from behind the steering wheel. "How long was I out?" She turned her eyes upward to find Ciaran's dark orbs. "Roughly five hours." He replied, still stroking her hair resting against his leg. She tried to stretch in the small space of the back seat, folding her arms under her head as she arched her back listening to a few of her vertebrae pop. Her legs were starting to cramp curled under her. "Close your eyes.
The pack house was rather large, though with so many huge male bodies standing around there was very little room to move, not that Runa wanted to be anywhere else other than by Ciaran's side. His pack had more people in it than the usual hundred or so. There were more than a thousand bodies that filled the large lobby and over flowing out onto the patio. They all turned their attention towards their Alpha. Ciaran stood tall, confident with an aura of authority surrounding him as he prepared himself for what was to come, his speech and his confession to his pack with the hopes of their understanding. He took a deep, steady breath and let it out on a sigh as he cleared his throat, giving Runa's hand a slight squeeze and stepped forward to face his pack. "I'm sure all of you are wondering why I called for an emergency meeting in the middle of the night. There has been new developments over the past few days and as everyone knows, I have been out of the territory in search of
Ciaran stepped out of the shower, steam filled the room. He tried to rub the left over tension knotting the muscles at the back of his neck that the shower had no affect on. He had a bad feeling twisting his gut after that phone call with Alpha Mike. It would seem there are more packs against them than willing to help. He grabbed a dry hand towel and wiped off a small area of his mirror to get rid of his five o'clock shadow. A soft knock interrupted him half way through causing him to cut his cheek when he jumped. "Shit." He cursed quietly. "Who is it?" He yelled towards the door. "Runa. Are you busy?" Her voice was muffled through the door, though the soft sweetness in her tone had a lasting effect on him. He opened the door to get a blast of air filled with her scent. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the aroma. His eyes shot open when she cleared her throat. She was shielding her eyes from him, when he looked down he knew why and a grin sprea
Runa quickly dressed after she ran up the stairs causing a few females to scream in surprise at the huge wolf nearly barreling into them. As she came out of Ciaran's room, the hall was vacant. She strained her ears, trying desperately to hear anything. Everything was silent, eeriely so. She slowly made her way down to the foyer. Still, no one in sight. She made her way to Ciaran's office. Her nose picked up on several scents just behind the oak door. Pressing her ear against it, she could hear whispering."I got word from a friend I made on my travels. The Grey Mountain Pack I do believe, then again I could be wrong. I don't keep up with the pack's names and borders. I was surprised to hear that a hybrid was not only in a pack but possibly the mate to the alpha! Now I find out not only is it true, but you are also a hybrid. So, I've decided to help a fellow hybrid out. You're welcome." Sarcasm laced those two little words. Vicky was making it harder and harder to trust or e
Ciaran watched as Runa's skin slowly knitted it's self back together. The wound at her neck almost completely healed while her chest and abdomen had barely begun, the flow of blood had ceased however. As soon as he had gotten her onto a clean bed he had scored his wrist to let his blood flow past her lips, hoping his blood would speed her healing. She had just been wheeled in from surgery and looked horrible. IV tubes ran from morphine bags and bags of O negative to her well toned arms. Her hair and skin pale in comparison to her healthy glow. The endotracheal tube that had been stuck down her throat was working properly to aid her labored breathing, however. Zane had certainly done a number on her mid-section, nearly spilling her organs. If she had not killed him, Ciaran would have, only he would have made it torture. "Alpha?" The pack doctor cleared her throat."What." He grumbled aggressively then cleared his throat, ran a shaky hand over his tir
{Author's Note: This chapter contains mature content. If you do not wish to read, please continue to next chapter. Thank you for your support and time for reading my story.}Time seemed to pass slowly, waiting for another battle to present its self, though life still moved forward. The snow thickened and the temperature dropped further as the days became shorter. The female's in the pack were kinder toward Runa with each day, though she was unsure of their reasons behind the new found acceptance. Sympathy or gratitude, which ever the case may be, she was grateful she no longer had to deal with their dirty stares. She was able to convince Ciaran that Tristan posed no threat to the pack and was released from the jail cell he occupied for a week. Ciaran was still unsure, however, and had someone shadow his every move. Alpha Mike's pack had submitted to Ciaran with his death, though they remained in southern Ohio. Jake was appointed as the overseer of the territory until more p
"Ok, around about how many people are we going to be cooking for?" Sascha asked as she bounced the toddler sitting in her lap."An army." Runa replied with a grin. "There is maybe a hundred and sixty, hundred and seventy people in my old pack and, what, three hundred here?""Three-seventy five, actually." "So yeah an army." Runa giggled again and made a funny face at the little girl playing peak-a-boo around the back of the stool Sascha sat in, absently rubbing her belly. "We certainly have our work cut out for us, don't we?" Sascha smiled, as she rubbed her nose to the toddler's in her lap. "Yep." Runa popped the 'p'. "Wonderful thing we have these two little rascals to help taste test everything." Sascha said and the children's faces lite up with excitement. "I want first bite!" the little girl behind the chair piped up, raising her arm as far in the air as she could reach. With a smile on her face, sadness filled Runa's heart. She was al
"Why do I feel like we're going to become lab rats for out own pack?" Runa asked after she and Ciaran stepped out of the shower after their little scare before the ritual. "Let's hope it does not end as badly as you make it sound." He was pulling a white button down shirt around his shoulders to lay flat over his white slacks, while she slipped into a golden red gown with a slit that revealed her hip if she stood just right."Is there anything else I can wear? I feel just a little bit exposed." She fiddled with the plunging neckline of her dress trying to close the gap as much she could with little success around her bust."I think you look gorgeous." He stepped up behind her, the buttons on his shirt forgotten as the two halves fell open around her while his hands found themselves at her waist and he pressed his lips tenderly to her neck."I never did like these ceremonial traditions. To formal for me." She confessed."Me neither but think of it this way,