Wolfblood: the Price of Loss

Thank you all for your feedback and votes; they really do help me move on with the story. The complaints that some have are noted as well but then again, the very purpose of story writing is to build a world that the author is happy with and I'm happy with this one, dreadlocks or no. Thank you, again. Now to move on to Ch. 3.

*****

Valery ran as fast as her short legs and sandals could let her, she burst through the doors leading outside from the office and ran into the parking lot, tears streaming down her face. She had faced rejection before, most of it at the hands of her Were brethren but something about this one had pierced her so deeply, it was all she could do to get away before she instinctively bent over in pain and cried herself into a mess. She raced towards her jeep through the barely lit expanse in the dark but realized a little too late that she had left her purse back on the chair in his office.

"Goddammit," she cursed in frustration, unable to even think of the anguish and humiliation that would involve her going back to get it. A few more drops slid down her face and she struggled with her beast as it tried to exert control and take over her form. Thoughts were rushing through her head and she could barely think clearly even as she considered that there was no way she could simply just walk to wherever she wanted to go. Valery pounded against the car and barely noticed the dent caused by her assault as she finally gave all control over to the animal that had been clawing at her in its agony, trying to take over and tore out of the parking lot in wolf form, letting a sorrowful howl fill the air.

The animal raced towards the Wyle Pack woods, her first instinct to get away and go back to a place that was safe. Valery had thought letting the wolf take over would numb the pain that had wracked through her body, affecting her almost physically but she was wrong. In wolf form, she felt all the grief and rage of a wounded beast, with every single snarl and successive whimper of sorrow the wolf gave.

'

He doesn't want us!

'

The thought tore through her again and again as she realized that the one person fated to love her, the one man chosen for her did not want her. She remembered the brilliance of his eyes distorted by the disgust he put out as he called her a dog, angered by the thought that she wanted him. It was too much for her and she tried to recoil from the pain but it overwhelmed her, impaling her from every angle until she screamed in agony and the wolf stopped running to let out a pain filled howl so heart-rending she felt her pain intensify even more.

Was the animal feeling the same loss she felt at Vincent rejecting her so harshly? Did the wolf understand what it all meant or was it the loss of the chance to mate that hurt the beast?

'

We are his but he has discarded us,

' the thought rang through her head.

'

No, no, perhaps he doesn't understand what it truly means...perhaps he-

'

'

He thinks us beneath him! He has rejected us!'

the thought cut her off.

She tried to think through the haze of pain in her mind but felt more emotions piercing through her; anger, despair and loneliness all raged through her mind as she tried to fight them.

'

We should force a mating on him! He is ours!

'

'

What?! No! No, that's not right...you can't do that, you can't!

'

She fought through the haze of emotions even as she felt her consciousness start to slip. Her control over the wolf had diminished and it seemed to want to violate their pact, considering doing something as impractical as forcing a mating with a vampire. Valery panicked as she felt the vestiges of insanity begin to crawl into her thoughts and she tried to wrest control back from the wolf in futility. She couldn't shift back to her human form and the wolf walked in circles, growling and snarling as it completely overwhelmed her senses, something dark and empty starting to engulf her, slowly corrupting her and overwhelming every emotion she felt at the moment.

'

No, NO!

' she tried to scream, still trying to take back control of her form but she didn't shift back. '

Please, please don't!

' she sobbed in desperation before she lost all awareness.

****

"Why would you let her do that?!" Richard almost roared, trying to hold back his anger and fear as the possibilities of the situation hit him and he weighed the danger of them all.

"Why are you so upset? It's what she wanted and I saw no harm in it," Lyn retorted, her tone showing some exasperation with him.

He ignored it and they both continued walking in silence for a few paces as he considered how best he could explain his concerns to his mate. She was his life and he had created a family he deeply loved with her, a family that included Valery as well. Lyn was as wonderful a mate as he'd ever dreamed of but she was far too stubborn for his liking some times, disregarding his opinions on some matters whenever she got an idea. This was like the time she'd decided to go after her brother during a particularly difficult time in his life when he'd almost turned rogue. Richard sighed and raked a hand through his already messy hair.

"Lyn, this is a vampire we're talking about, a very old one from the sounds of it and he..." he paused in frustration as he searched for his next words. "He could destroy her. She would be nothing to him!"

"So what now, are you also getting the urge to rip my head off too?"

Richard stopped in shock, turning around to look at his mate with widened eyes that quickly went back to their normal size when he took in her expression. Relief flooded his system as he realized she didn't actually mean what she'd said and indignation started taking its place.

"As upset as you are with me now, the idea of harming me can't even occur to you," she said, eyes narrowed as she stepped towards him and reached up to cup his cheek. "He's her mate, baby, he will not harm her, at least not physically."

Richard looked into the depths of her brown eyes and felt his agitation ease a little bit. He took hold of the hand on his cheek and kissed her palm, closing his eyes for a second to enjoy her scent up close.

"Ok, so even if I assume that he won't injure her, what about if he rejects her? You've read the reports as well as I, the few vampires mated to wolves were less than thrilled with the idea at first. What if he rejects her, Lyn, she will not know how to deal with her Were instincts then."

"I don't think that would last, baby. He will accept the mating eventually, they all do."

Richard sighed in resignation at her immovable and optimistic view, linking his fingers with hers as he began to walk again. He'd originally headed for Valery's cabin when he'd scented his mate and sought her out to ask how it had gone between Valery and the vampire. Hindsight was a strange thing as he realized that his hopes at the time that both Lyn and Annet would hang around her until they were sure no danger would come to her, were stupid. Lyn strongly believed in private matings and Valery hated being mothered, between the two of them, there was no way his expectations would have been met.

He'd moved quickly after that realization struck him, unsettled and wanting to know whether Valery was ok. The tension between Lyn and him had increased gradually, leading to their little argument. Valery's cabin was near and she hadn't been picking up her phone earlier, worsening his worry. He quickened the pace as the trees parted and he entered the clearing, only to stop short in disappointment, his fear rising steadily.

"She's not home," he said dully as he took in the dark windows. "What if she-"

"What if she's back at his place completing the mating?" Lyn cut him off, her tone insistent but he could feel her sudden worry as well, through their mate bond.

"She would have called, Lyn," he said as he headed towards the house, wondering what to do then.

It was nearing 11pm and there was no word from Valery and he felt his wolf rear up within him as his protective instincts surged.

"We'll have to get a tracking tea-"

Richard was cut off mid-sentence as he picked up footsteps in the forest surrounding them, his Beta instincts kicking in but his eyes, as well as they could see in the dark, barely picked up anything. He quickly maneuvered himself in front of Lyn, who in turn grunted in protest as she took up a defensive stance, ready to shift if necessary.

The footsteps got louder and Richard caught a whiff of blood as he let out a low growl. Whatever this was, he was not going to like it and his feral instincts were in high gear given the frustration he'd been feeling. He was ready for a fight. He slowly advanced towards the source of the footsteps, sniffing as he went along only to stop in surprise, relief and then confusion flowing through him.

"What is it?" Lyn asked, having felt the surge of his emotions.

"It's...Valery," he said, his tone conveying everything he felt at that moment.

Sure enough, a few moments later Valery stumbled into the clearing, completely naked, with dried blood covering her front and all round her lips to her chin. Richard froze at the sight before him, his brain processing the information but his body unable to move. He sniffed a little more and felt the tension in his body ease some when he realized it wasn't human or Were blood but animal blood covering her.

"Valery!" Lyn called out in concern as she ran towards the girl and Richard felt a little guilty that he hadn't done that despite having been closer to her.

"Lyn...Richard," she croaked, her eyes widening slightly in recognition as if she was just then noticing them.

"Come honey, let's get you inside," Lyn said, her hands around Valery, slowly guiding her towards the cabin as she exchanged a worried glance with Richard.

Shaking himself out of his non responsive state, Richard quickly pushed the horrifying image of his daughter covered in blood, her tear-stained face displaying her glazed and unseeing eyes. He headed towards the cabin and got the extra key Valery had given him, pushing it into the lock and opened the door. He went in and switched on all the lights as Lyn helped Valery walk in, all the while whispering soothing words to her as she led them towards the bedroom.

"Let me get her cleaned up, make some coffee," she told him and he set to work, closing the front door and headed towards the kitchen.

He'd been inside the cabin numerous times and he reached into cupboards, taking out cups and coffee grounds as he started the process; anything to do as his mind processed what he'd just seen. The animal within him was agitated and he felt exactly the same: glad that Valery had looked relatively unharmed but unable to get the dead stare in her eyes out of his head. Just what had happened to her? Various possibilities rushed through his head and he started pacing as he considered each one. It was clear she had been in wolf form, but the blood...perhaps she had hunted down, in wolf form, some animal and eaten it. That really was the most likely possibility and while many Weres did that from time to time, Valery had previously expressed disgust at the very idea and that meant that something had happened to the balance she kept between her human self and her beast.

"Shit!" Richard let out in frustration. He'd always had the niggling feeling that this would happen, at the back of his head, every time Valery insisted that having an arrangement with the animal inside her was much easier than accepting it. She'd suppressed her wolf for so long and now came a time when the instinct in her was stronger than her human reasoning; she would not be able to hold back the beast once it decided to break free.

The coffee-maker stopped humming and he grabbed the pot, pouring into 3 cups, pausing before he reached for a bottle of whisky and added some to Valery's cup. From the look he remembered plastered on her face, she would need it. He heard the faint opening and closing of the bathroom door as well as feet shuffling around in the bedroom. Richard needed to keep moving so he made himself busy, fishing through the fridge and deciding to make them all some ham and cheese sandwiches, choosing the most readily available ingredients. It helped keep his mind off the images running through his head and the questions whether Valery would really recover from this, whether she understood it. He'd have to wait and see until she came out of the bedroom.

He was just beginning the third sandwich when the bedroom door opened and he turned around to see Valery headed towards the kitchen, dressed in a loose t-shirt and sweatpants, her dreadlocked hair wet from the bath and held back in a ponytail. She smiled weakly at him, her eyes taking on a gentle look like she was trying to reassure him and headed over to give him a quick hug. His body relaxed a bit when she let go, releasing a great deal of tension he hadn't realized he was keeping in. The dead look was gone from her eyes and while she did look very tired, at least her steps were not dragging and she didn't need support to walk. The sharp smell of blood no longer clung to her though, but she was letting off small emissions of fear which mixed with the shampoo she'd probably used to give off a rather jolting blend. It was time they got down to it.

Richard pulled out a chair for Valery, at the small kitchen table and another for his mate before he placed their coffees and sandwiches before them and decided to lean against the counter-top facing their table.

"So, Valery, care to tell us what happened?"

Lyn turned to give him a wavering look and he spread his hands in a gesture of innocence, silently asking her what it was he'd done wrong.

"No, it's okay," Valery spoke before Lyn could say anything glancing from one to the other. "I probably should talk about it."

"Honey, we're here for you. Don't push yourself," Lyn let out, reaching for Valery's hand and sending her silent strength.

Valery nodded, some of the drops from her wet dreads falling onto the kitchen floor but she barely noticed. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the cup of coffee with her free hand and took a large sip before Richard could warn her of the extra ingredients. As expected, she let out a series of spastic coughs into her hand and Richard winced at his carefreeness; perhaps that hadn't been a very good idea.

"Sorry, had added a few shots of whisky in there for you. Thought you'd need them," he let out, avoiding Lyn's questioning look. "You can have mine if you don't-"

"No, no!" Valery let out before she cleared her throat again, her voice a little hoarse. "This is perfect, it just surprised me. Thank you Richard."

She took another sip and they waited for her, ready to listen whenever she decided she was ready to start speaking.

"I...uh...I tracked his scent from Nicholas' office to one of the office buildings next to that park with the large pond. The one on the East side, after Jonathan's grill restaurant."

"Wasn't that too long a walk for you? I mean that must have been like 8 miles," Lyn interrupted her. "You must be so tired."

"No, not really...well, yes, I am tired but the walk wasn't too long, at least I didn't notice it. I was arguing with my wolf about how we were going to go about it and while the scent was faint, it was also driving me...crazy."

Richard heard the slight hesitation in her speech and saw the embarrassment in her eyes before she looked down at the table, suddenly interested in the rim of her cup, and smiled slightly. He knew exactly which kind of crazy she meant, but something bothered him.

"What do you mean you

argued

with your wolf?"

Valery glanced up at him and shrugged. "It's like a different voice in my head, like I'm hearing someone speaking to me."

"Does it respond to your thoughts?" Richard inquired.

"Yes, actually. It's usually like a mental conversation. Started when we first scented Vincent and she told me he was our mate."

"Alright, continue please," he said, waiting to hear what had actually happened and taking in her suddenly more subdued state, wondering what had caused it.

"Is it something bad? Is something wrong with me?" she asked, looking at the table and ending her second question in a near whisper.

Lyn reached for her other hand and squeezed. "Valery, honey, there's nothing wrong with you and you need to stop thinking there is," she said firmly. "Hearing your wolf in your head is perfectly normal but what we want to hear is what happened before you ended up as distraught as you were this evening."

Richard loved his mate for her diplomacy and she smiled slightly as she felt his gratefulness for her interruption through their bond.

"Uh, after I found out where he was, I just headed over to the mall to change and pick up my jeep, it wasn't much further and I drove to his office. It was evening by that time and I felt ready, I had my mind made up on what I'd do...but...but it didn't go as planned."

They both waited for her to gain the courage to continue, watching in silence as she took several sips of her coffee.

"It went well to begin with, I asked him out for coffee and things quickly escalated from there...uh, intensified."

"Did you have sex?" Richard asked before both women turned to him in surprise, Lyn particularly almost glaring at him.

A thick silence passed before Valery broke it. "Uh..no, but we got c-close. He..um...he bit me and-"

"Wait, he

bit

you? Bit you? Just how intense was that sex you were having before he lost control enough to bite you? How much did he drink from you? Are you ok?" Richard asked, question after question tumbling out of him in frustration even if he could see how mortified Valery looked and could feel his mate's intense disapproval morphing into frustration with him. But he'd bitten her...an ancient vampire had lost enough control to bite her while they were in the throes of making love, that was significant, couldn't Lyn see that?

"Richard!" Lyn said, loudly enough for it to reverberate in the kitchen.

He kept his peace, folding his arms to show his frustration and looked intently at Valery, willing her to answer his questions.

Another pregnant silence hung in the air before Valery, once again, broke it. "We didn't have sex and he didn't feed for long, I don't know...I was out of it and ended up telling blurting out that he was my mate and-"

She paused as Lyn suddenly stiffened and Richard sighed, passing his hands through his hair.

"What? Did I do something wrong?"

"That...that," Richard started, trying to find a diplomatic way to air out his thoughts. "That probably wasn't the best way to breach that topic."

Valery looked at him, confusion written across her features and he turned to Lyn, silently begging her to help.

"Valery, sweetie, vampires tend to be...individualistic and don't like the idea of being bound to somebody. From what we know, most of the vampires currently mated to wolves resisted the mating at first so...blurting out that you were mates right in the middle of your...activities, wasn't the best way to do that."

"Oh...well then that explains his condescending and rude manner after that," Valery said, annoyance tingeing her tone. "He actually kicked me out of his office even when I tried to reason with him. He called me a dog and said he'd never want to be bound to m-me!"

Her tone had steadily gotten angrier and her voice louder until she was practically yelling, tears starting to form in her eyes before her voice had broken at the end there. Vincent's frustration grew and his wolf reared up for a second, letting out a growl that escaped through his lips before he struggled to control the beast.