The Mahani Wolves (Completed)

Chapter 6 - Grace

The cloudless sky has my attention, and a nice breeze passes over my muzzle as I look around my small backyard. My home doesn't lead into the forest as others do. I'm housed in the center of our little community and have a fireproof dome that a swinging dog door leads to. There are two ways out of my dome: the dog door into the house and a gate latch in the back that can only be reached in human form. I also have a standard back door that leads to a small patio if I want to sit outside.

This is my safe place when I am in a mood, or my past is getting the most out of me. I slept out here last night in wolf form. I don't look like a dog as most Mahani do. I'm an Elemental with control over fire. We look like wolves. Well, wolf pups.

Elementals have a shift into a pup and a transformation into a larger wolf. I would become itchy and bitchy, just like a normal wolf, if I didn't shift regularly. However, I can go my whole life and never transform. We can only transform the first time with the help of a Mahani Blood Alpha, and my transformation is only supposed to be used for work and training. However, I also use it when playing with my sisters or friends.

I could sense that something was happening through the family bond, but they were not sharing it with me. I didn't sleep much and awoke twice, breathing fire, so I let it go as I didn't have the proper control to help.

But, I was curious, so I called Delta Four, my best friend, to find out.

"Good morning. I know you're busy, but what's happening?"

I could feel my thoughts go through, but she didn't respond immediately. It was several minutes later before she answered me.

"It's been a bad morning. One of the Gammas was drugged, kidnapped, raped, and forcibly marked before the Betas could reach him. The amount of drugs used would have killed him without medical attention. We believe the brothers of the Blood Alpha did it purposely in an attempt to kill them both, but we are still sorting it out."

"My Goddess," I whispered. "How is the Gamma holding up?"

"His human is unconscious, and Blood Alpha Cooper calmed his wolf to sleep. He is healing well, but I can't imagine he will be good for a long while."

"I'll contact Nicolas and ask if there is anything I can do. What happened to the Blood Alpha?"

"He is being held in the BA (Blood Alpha) holding cells. He will go in front of the Council later t-t-today." As she said that, she stuttered, and I knew there was more.

"Tell me!" I demanded. I could feel her stress and emotions were close to breaking.

"It WAS Nicolas."

*******

"Let me go in!" I yelled at the Beta guarding the door to Nicolas' room.

"I'm sorry, Alpha. The Blood Alpha said no one was to enter."

I had been updated that the FMT (Fated Mate Talk) was being given now as she was found when her own Blood Alpha called after she collapsed. I can't interrupt that to get permission. As angry as I was, I knew better.

I stomped my displeasure as I headed back to the Elemental housing. Instead of going home, I went to Doc's. I entered without knocking and found my sister in the kitchen, scrubbing a spotless counter and a forgotten cup of coffee on the stove warmer.

"Before you start screaming," she said aloud, "if his mate wants to meet him, a female scent on him could mess up the process. You know this."

I growled in frustration. Yes, I knew this. I didn't care. As much as the Elementals sometimes hated Nicolas, he was our confidant, secret keeper, and trusted friend. He would do ANYTHING for us.

My wolf let her feelings be known. She trusted him, too. She wanted to comfort him.

My sister stopped her cleaning and pulled me into a much-needed hug.

"We must help each other until he finds his new normal. Talk to me about yesterday. I'm your therapist today." My wild, funny, prank-loving sister was going to try to be serious. No, thank you.

"Doc, I love you, but that won't happen. I'll talk to Gamma Two when she's free. How are you holding up?" She didn't argue because she knew I wouldn't talk to her about my past. She had her own set of demons. I wasn't adding in mine.

"As good as can be expected. I have a paper due, so I will try to work on that while waiting to see how the FMT turns out. If she's going to reject him, they will have to wait. Neither is strong enough now," she paused as she turned away. "She's an Alpha," she said softly.

My heart went into my throat. Alphas almost always reject Mahani mates. They are too arrogant to handle having a lower-ranking mate who is more powerful. Nicolas is not going to recover from this without outside help.

"Has anyone contacted his birth tribe?"

"Yes. Blood Alpha Kelly is arriving this afternoon. He wanted to wait until Nicolas was awake."

Both my sister and I jumped as an excited voice entered our heads.

"Delta Four to Alphas One, Two, and Three!"

"Go ahead, Delta Four." My sister Leah said as we all linked our minds.

"Blood Alpha Cooper has issued a Mate Meet for tomorrow with Nicolas!" None of us responded at first as the shock set in. Does she want to be his mate?

"Delta Four, can you send us the file on the fated mate?" came from Doc.

"Sending now." Doc and I took out our tablets and pulled up the files. I keep mine in my backpack for just this type of situation. Or maybe to play games if I get bored.

"My goddess," whispered Doc. "His mate is Kayla Sinclair." I glanced at my sister before reading further. The name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it, so I started reading.

Oh, wow. She's the Alpha she-wolf that survived the Wolf Camp massacre. She prevented herself from shifting, which saved her life, as the drugged Alpha wolves were killing anyone who did.

I was 14 when it happened, and I remember the chaos after.

The seventeen-year-old Alphas arrived first. An Alpha she-wolf decided on another Alpha as her choice mate, as hers had died before she came of age. He had a fated mate and refused her. When the lower-ranking wolves arrived the second week, his destined mate was among them. She was an Omega. The Alpha she-wolf was furious and drugged the Alpha males.

She knew they would kill any wolf that shifted, as that was her plan. Every Omega at camp and a few Gammas were killed as they tend to spontaneously shift when under duress. The Alpha had tried to protect his new Omega mate but was overpowered.

Kayla had tried to trap the Alpha males together, away from the others that hadn't shifted yet. It worked, but at a considerable cost as she ended up stuck in the room with them. The males were in human form and overpowered her quickly. She was raped over and over again but refused to shift. It took the leaders almost an hour to get the antidote and pump it into the room.

The families of those killed ripped the she-wolf's head off and shredded her body. Her father still swears her innocence, even with proof of her actions, and holds a grudge against those involved.

Kayla spent a month healing physically and mentally in one of our facilities. Even with wolf super healing, she would never have pups. The damage was too significant. Her healing could not keep up as they raped her again and again. The lives she saved that day will never take away the pain she endured. This sounded all too familiar.

She would make a great Mahani.

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--April