Crossing Paths With The White Wolf

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POV

It's been two months since we welcomed all the shifters into the pack. A few of the ones that had only been gone from their pack for under two years had left, but to my surprise, the rest decided to stay and train. My warriors came back, a few had even managed to

find their mates while travelling on a full moon.

The council had been hesitant to sanction us as a pack, but after we made our case and showed him what was happening to the shifters, they not only sanctioned us, but urged us to keep pursuing this unknown shifter while they gathered the other councils and the vampire royals to inform and form a plan. Markus and I were also forming our own plan, including a new branch of his security business that my pack would head up. We had sold half the shipping company and became silent partners in order to focus on our new venture.

My pack was training every day. The rescued shifters were almost back to their full strength and going to therapy daily. They were all finally sleeping in their own rooms and doing better each day. We got weekly reports from the therapist, letting us know which of them were ready to begin pack duties and which still needed more support.

My warriors and I were buffing up as we trained our new shifter bodies. I was now training with Markus. Ezequiel and I were getting stronger physically and our bond with each other and our mate had also grown.

Nat was settling into her Luna role well and she and Celeste were becoming good friends. Her training was also going fairly well, though I was secretly happy that despite her body becoming more toned, her beautiful curves remained. We had opted for a small private Luna ceremony as I didn't want people seeing her white wolf until we had brought the black-market operation down.

Slowly but surely, things were coming together. I had even managed to convince the council to allow me to bring Mama Isabel as our cook. Since she was a human, there had been push back, but considering she had been aware of the supernatural for several decades now, they finally acquiesced. The biggest struggle was getting her to agree. We had to promise her that she would be put to work, though I had made sure her assistants were aware that she was to be treated with respect and to make sure to avoid giving her heavy loads. Not that it really needed to be said, everyone had taken to her and had adopted her as the pack's unofficial mother. She always had one or two people at her beck and call any time I saw her.

The biggest thorn in our side was the fact that we still had no idea where this shifter was. Evergreen was still monitoring the shipping company networks and the black-market networks, but we had yet to make any headway. He also had his face recognition software running 24/7 to try to find him but the angles from the feed and grainy quality were making it difficult. Nat kept insisting that we could use her as bait to draw them out but, thankfully, everyone vehemently agreed that it was a bad idea.

We were now 6 weeks away from Celeste and Markus' wedding. I was headed over to Markus' packhouse now using the newly completed bridge near the river. I had volunteered to help with the security measures so that his pack members could attend the wedding, so we needed to start looking at the guest list and event programme. We were also due for an update from Evergreen. I passed one of the buildings we were currently renovating. A lot of the smaller dwellings needed to be brought up to code for the warriors that had found their mates, but we were also building a few new ones. This one would be new training grounds and gym.

I nodded to the workers. They were contracted from Alpha Rhett's pack, who Markus had introduced to me when I explained my plans for the property. His people were hard workers and things were ahead of schedule. I went up to the third floor and smelled her before I saw her and I couldn't help the smile that came to my face. I walked into the Crescent Moon Offices and my eyes went straight to Natalia. She had come over to help with someone's pup that had wandered too far and fallen into the river. They weren't sure if he would make it and they asked her to see if she could reduce the swelling in the brain. She was sitting on the couch with Maya, eating from a jar of peanut butter with a spoon, a sure sign that she'd been able to help. The high calories and high protein helped her regain her energy quickly.

"Helios, we're just waiting for Evergreen and Danny," Celeste said without looking up from her computer. Markus told me she had been obsessing over any outstanding work since he convinced her to leave for a week-long honeymoon. We had bets going to see how long she would actually stand to be away.

I walked straight to where Natalia was sitting and put her on my lap. "You managed to help I take?" I asked her as I wrapped my arms around her waist and put my chin on her shoulder, giving her cheek a quick kiss.

"Yes, but I've never healed brain damage before, it took a lot out of me," she said as she relaxed in my arms. I knew the mate bond should help her recover from it faster. Evergreen and Danny were late and after 20 minutes, I saw Markus mink link, likely checking to see where they were. A few minutes later, Danny and Evergreen walk in and they are both smiling. That gets my and Ezequiel's attention and I nudge Nat a little. She had dozed off on my chest as we waited. "You two look like you just found the secret stash of Halloween candy. What did you find?" Markus asked.

"Umm, first, Is there still Halloween candy somewhere around the house? I love candy corn and Maya won't let me order off a****n," he asked, making Maya snort, "And second, you will see, it was worth the wait." He grinned as Evergreen plugged his laptop into the TV on the wall. The rest join us on the couches as we wait for Evergreen to begin talking.

"We had some activity in the feeds that are still active yesterday. There was some sort of big meeting that I was unfortunately unable to get audio for, but things have been quiet since. Our big news," he said as he typed on his laptop and an image popped up. I sat up as I examined the image. It looked like the shifter, sort of. All the images we had of him were partially obscured or blurry because of how fast he moved when he attacked the others.

"Let me introduce you to Shane Doyle, CEO of Siorai Pharmaceuticals, based in New York. The meeting from yesterday was the first time we've seen him facing front, and I managed to upload a clearer picture into the program and I got a hit shortly before this meeting. What little I was able to find in the last 30 minutes is this: His great, great, some more great grandfather was the Alpha of an Irish pack before they moved the pack to New York during the potato blight. His father was challenged and exiled, despite this leaving the pack penniless in the process, as the Alpha took the company and finances with him. Not sure of the reason why yet. Shane was five years old when this happened. They have kept a low profile since. He rarely makes public appearances." "So, he's a rogue?" Markus asked.

"As far as we know, Alpha. He is not a part of any sanctioned pack," Danny responded.

"Can you print out the picture? Something about him seems familiar. I can't put my finger on it," Nat said, surprising me. She looked uncomfortable.

"You think you've encountered him before?" Celeste asked.

"No...well, I don't know. I haven't been to the United States since the 1600s, but I can't be sure. Something about him is nagging at me," she said, and I could sense her uncertainty through the mate bond before she cuddled further into my arms and closed her eyes. "Evergreen, why don't you send the picture to our emails and the recording of the meeting? I think a couple of my warriors know how to read lips," I said.

"Oh yes! Alpha Helios, great idea. I think I have a lip-reading software somewhere from my days in University. I'll dig it up and see if I can update it and send you a transcript." He said as he started running with the laptop towards the door. He stops at the door and turns around. "I'm sorry, did any of you need me for anything else?" He said, turning red.

"No, go. This shifter is the top priority," Markus said, smiling and shaking his head. He looked back at me. "Do you want to take a rain check on the wedding stuff? Your Luna is falling asleep. I am grateful that she was able to help little Lucas. I know the harder the heal, the bigger the drain."

"Yeah, I'll make some time tomorrow and we can chat after training," I said, getting up with Nat in my arms. "Mind if I can borrow one of your guys to drive me home?" Nat was pretty much out by now. She wasn't even stirring anymore.

"Yeah, I'll have someone bring a car for you." He said and I nodded gratefully before I left the room.

A few minutes later, I passed Theo on the way into the Packhouse. He stops as he sees me carrying in Nat. "What happened to her?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"She healed a kid that sustained brain damage when he fell in the river. She just needs to rest," I answered.

"Damn, the kid is OK?" he asked.

"Yeah. She managed to heal him," I said proudly, "Where are you off to?"

"Training the new patrol group. I let Sebastian off the hook since he's got training in the morning," he answered.

"Don't you train in the morning too?" I asked him, confused. We all train in the mornings unless you had overnight patrol duties.

"Yes, but he's starting in the advanced group while I've still got a bit to go in the normal. He's going to be sore enough," he laughed.

I went up to our room and cradled her to me and fell asleep. I woke up an hour later as she mumbled. I couldn't quite recognize the language, but her tone was angry and sad. I could feel hurt through the bond. I tried to shake her awake a little but she didn't even notice. Finally, I got up and brought my laptop into our bedroom and decided to try to get some work done while keeping her close. About 15 minutes later, she stood up screaming things in that same weird language. The same phrase, over and over. "Gheall tú dom(Translation from Gaelic to mean: You betrayed me)! Gheall tú dom, Conor!"

I put my laptop down and ran to the bed. I grabbed on to her and shook her awake. She was crying and kept repeating the same thing. When she finally recognized me, she grabbed onto my shirt and cried. I just held her and rubbed her back while Ezequiel was howling in my head.

"I think I know who that is," she said quietly a few minutes later. I looked down and she was looking up at me. Her eyes rimmed red and so much hurt in her eyes that all I could do was to hold her closer. "In the early 1700s I was traveling in Europe. I went to the UK and travelled through Ireland. I was fascinated by the castles. I met Conor Walsh, my 4th mate, the second mate I rejected." I tried not to let my jealousy flow through the bond. This was so long before we even met. Instead, I focused on the hurt that I had felt while she slept and rubbed small circles on her back and waited for her to continue. "Conor was the Beta of his pack. We were getting to know each other. I hadn't planned on rejecting him. I was lonely and he seemed kind. They were in the middle of a territory dispute with another pack. Their Alpha got injured in the fight and I healed him from the brink of death. They realized what I was and two days later, Conor brought me before his Alpha and handed me over to him. The Alpha's name was Brian Doyle." She took a steadying breath to continue, "I tried to fight him and they stabbed me with silver as I tried to run away. They left me for dead. When I came to, I rejected my mate and killed him. I tried to kill the Alpha too, but I have never fought before and he overpowered me. He tried to mark me against my will once he realized that I couldn't die. He said he wouldn't rest until I made him immortal too, even though I tried to tell him that I didn't have that power. He took a bunch of blood from me and tried to inject himself with it, thinking it would make him immortal. I barely escaped that night and I have never been to that country again. I...Shane, he looks a little different, but I think he's related to that Alpha."

"I won't let anything happen to you, mi amor. I will tell the others. Maybe Evergreen can confirm the relation and we can get that much closer to finding him if we reach out to the council with this information." I kissed her head and mind linked Sebastian and Gonzalo when she nodded.