"Couldn't you command them to shift back as their new Alpha?" Charles added as he stood and turned to Leon.
"There is no telling if they have formed an Alpha bond with me. We have never had a case like this, I do not know what to expect and I don't want to push anyone or be a bully. The children will come to know that they are safe and loved here and that is what will bring them out of their shells. Not force, they have seen enough of that in their young age." Leon knelt down next to the pups and let them sniff him. "No one here will harm you little ones, you are safe. That is a promise." He looked up at Sam and smiled. "I know I should not ask it of you, but can they stay here with you? I don't want to make them uncomfortable and I am sure that the company of women is much preferred over the men here."
"Aye, the men can be a very rowdy bunch, not harmful but loud." Charles added at the last and leaned back against the doorjamb. "I know it is probably not needed but I will make sure to keep an eye on the house tonight as I am making my rounds. Just to be sure that they stay inside." Leon nodded and Charles exited the house.
"Why is there a need to watch the house?"
"It's nothing against you or the pups," Ayden answered instead of Leon. "During the raid we did not find the ones responsible for the whole plot. We found the puppets but not the puppeteers. We have doubled patrols around the land in general just to make sure no one followed us back and to protect everyone incase someone or something did. At this point in time, nothing can be ruled out and seeing as how we are having a large gathering we are a much more appealing target then we were just rescuing the women from their clutches."
Leon nodded at his Beta and stood. "Ayden go see if you can rouse Wendy, she would be the one to make the collars." Ayden nodded and exited the house. "Since at least Sam and Val know who you are Charles, I'd like for you to be the one outside their door tonight. Once the collars are on, we can lax security at night slightly. I will have another wolf take your spot on rounds." Charles nodded and went out into the night air.
"You ladies did an excellent job tonight helping us. I know that without your group the ladies would not have wanted to come out of that building and into our cars. Tomorrow there is going to be a meeting for all of you ladies where I formally introduce myself to the new arrivals and let them in on all the commotion going around at the present time. Even though you and the other ladies here have gone through the speech with me before, all females are supposed to be in attendance."
"I will make sure to inform everyone about the meeting. What time?" Sam stood and streched out her back.
"The final time hasn't been determined as of this moment. I have a meeting with my Beta's early and then with the Alpha's that have been gathering since early this morning. After that, I'm hoping to take some time and eat and take a breath before speaking with you ladies." He smiled and leaned against one of the walls. "I know that Halea had requested a punching bag and some other boxing equipment. The bag was installed while we were out and the other equipment she was looking for is in the gym on the far side of the complex. Seeing as how she was oh so vocal about having some of the equipment within arms reach, was there anything else that you ladies needed?"
"I was unaware that Halea requested that, but it doesn't surprise me. She was very good at boxing before all this started. It was her outlet, that and photography. She has a hard time interacting with people without a buffer. She holds her emotions in check around people, she is very secretive about them. The only time you will see her emotions is in her art or when she is boxing."
"Well, be sure to let her know that the bag is downstairs and if there is anything else you ladies need my betas can help if i'm not around." Sam nodded and stood.
"I guess then I shall see you tomorrow?" She smiled and motioned for the pups to follow her as she led them upstairs. She knew that Leon could find his own way out.
Once the pups were in her room she wasn't sure what to do with them. She went into the hall and grabbed some blankets and pillows. She made them a small nest at the side of her bed. She knew that they would more than likely curl up with her in the night, but she wanted them to have their own space just incase. They immediately took advantage of the blankets and jumped into find their own spots. Sam got up and paced over to her window. She could see Charles out by the front of the house pacing. A yip startled her and she whipped around to see the pups pawing at the door. "Oh!" She ran to the door and flung it open, the pups fell over themselves trying to get down the stairs. She led them to the back door and opened it, then the screen. She pushed the stopper into the screen and watched as the pups found their spots to relieve themselves. Charles head poked around the side of the house and she smiled at him.
He kept an eye on the pups as they finished their business and jumped around Sam's feet. She smiled and waved to him as she counted the pups and led them back inside. Once they were back, safely in her room, they curled themselves into each other on the blankets. She could tell when the dogpile finally fell asleep, it took them awhile though. She had changed into some comfy clothes and laid on the edge of her bed staring out at the stars. When the whimpering and soft noises started to come from the pups she laughed and relaxed.
She didn't think she would be able to sleep with all the tension flooding her body, but she did. Tonight she dreamt, she saw people she knew from her old life. She saw things that could never be, but she felt secure with herself now to know that eventually she could have found this life. She may not like it, but she knew now that her wolf had always been a part of her. It wasn't a manifestation in her life, but she felt that she was the instinct that led her through her life. This time the memories and the faces didn't make her hurt like they normally did, they made her smile. She hoped that Jake had found his way through life, and that he found happiness wherever he could.
Her dreams brought her to her present, she saw the ones that she became closer to. The ladies in her life that she now thought of as sisters, and in a way they were. They were sisters of circumstance. She saw the pups that she had rescued and as she moved closer to them she saw the wolf, the one that kept growling when she found them. Throughout the dream no one seemed to notice her, but this wolf did. He was staring straight at her, his head was tilted to the side and his ears cocked in her direction, in the wolfish version of confusion.
She looked him over and tried to figure out who this wolf was. Her wolf sensed that she knew him and wanted to go to him, but Sam was a little hesitant to embrace a random wolf. She circled him, giving him plenty of room, and he watched her slow movements. When she got downwind of him, his head snapped up and his ears lurched forward. She caught the movement and stared at him, her gaze fixated on his eyes. The intensity increased threefold, and he took his first step towards her. Instinctively she took a step back. He growled a warning, and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She could feel butterfly wings against the side of her stomach, she knew that she was ill equipped as a human to handle the wolf, but she didn't know if she trust her wolf not to stand up to him.
She stood her ground and squared her shoulders, this pup was not going to push her around. He chuffed at her actions but she paid no heed. She flared out her senses behind her and heard the slow gurgle of water. She slyly looked over her shoulder and saw the pond and stream not four feet away. She positioned herself solidly and feigned running to the right. The wolf took the bait and he rushed at the spot he figured he would go, but instead of hitting her, he fell into the pond. Sam couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the wolf in the pond. As his head broke the water, bits of vegetation from the bottom clung to his fur and snout. He chuffed and rolled his eyes, the situation so comical that Sam fell to her knees laughing, throwing in a snort or two of pure delight.
He used her laughter to his advantage and lept from the water and pinned her with his wet body to the ground. Sam froze, unsure of what exactly to do. Other than pinning her to the ground, he was not being overly aggressive. A cold, wet, nose touched the side of her neck. She jerked away with a gasp out of instinct. He let out a low rumble as he breathed deeply the scent at the juncture of her neck. She felt his raspy tongue slither across her skin. Gooseflesh spread across her body and she sighed in response. The wolf lifted his head back and looked down at her face. She watched as his face started to shimmer between that of a wolf and that of a man. His human features never became crystal clear but she heard a word rumble from his chest. "Mine."
