Chapter 11 –  Scatter

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            Ella stopped in the doorway and frown at the multiple bodies leaning, lying, and draped on the furniture and floor of her front room.  Not all of them were completely dressed.   “Do I even want to know?” she muttered to herself then shook her head and headed to the kitchen.

            “Morning,” Jing greeted her as she reached for the coffee carafe.  “Not sure if coffee is appropriate for someone of your condition.”

            “It’s fine,” Ella answered, grabbing a cup.  “Why are there half men in my living room?”

            Jing grinned and flipped the eggs she had been frying up on the stove.  “The Betas came in just after midnight yesterday; scared the out of me.  They were taking turns doing sweeps of the perimeter.  Easier to get in and out of their pelts when they’re not completely dressed.  I bumped up the heat for them; hope you don’t mind.” 

            Ella made a face and sipped her coffee.  “I doubt anything phase you anymore, Jing.”

            “You’d be surprised,” Jing replied and popped toast from the industrial toaster on the counter.  “Breakfast?” she offered, slapping butter on the hot bread.

            The scent of the fried eggs made her stomach turn.  “Not quite ready yet.”

            “Have some toast then,” shoving a plate toward her.  “The eggs were really for the boys.  I figured they’re probably going to try to eat you out of house and home for the next few days.”

            Shrugging her shoulders at the inevitable, she glanced at the clock on the wall; hour hand was just creeping past six.  “I better start the morning load,” referring to their daily bread delivery.

            “Emma helped me start it already before she went to bed,” Jing answered, loading a platter with eggs and ham.  “You can rely on others a little when you’re hurt, you know.”

            She didn’t answer, lost her train of thought at the appearance of the man in the doorway.

            Chun was silent as he entered the kitchen, reaching around her for the mugs that hung from beneath the cabinets.  He poured tea from the warming pot next to the coffee maker, stirred in a half spoon of sugar, lifted Ella’s coffee from her hands, and slipped the tea into her fingers.  “You shouldn’t have so much caffeine after a concussion, it could bring on a migraine.”

            Not answering him, she took a sip of the mellow tea and glanced briefly at the non-commenting Jing.  “I better get to work.”

            Ignoring her attempt to leave, Chun stepped into her exit route.  “How are you feeling?”

            Because he was going to force the issue and she didn’t want to make a scene, in her own kitchen no less, Ella nodded.  “I’m better now.”

            “You should take it easy for a few days,” he replied quietly.  “Give yourself some time to heal.  Everything else can wait.”  He didn’t care that they had an audience, just that she was alright.  The long silent night had given him time to get some perspective. 

            “It’s not that easy with so many personalities and factor at play,” she told him, her face reflecting the severity of the situation.  “And things don’t always go according to…” the gentle jingling sounded from the other room stopped her.  Ella held up a hand to silence the rest of the room as she turned to the door.  Someone picked up a phone and soft murmurs were heard from the other side of the house… coming closer.  She winced.

            “What’s wrong?” Chun asked, curiosity peaked by her reaction.

            As murmurs became words, “Oh oh…” Jing smirked then continued making breakfast. 

            “No… I’m not… It’s not…  I don’t care what the Council says,” Kai replied tensely into the phone as he entered the room, stopping short as he spotted Ella.  “No, the girls are staying exactly where they’re at; I’m not taking them anywhere until I know the threat has been eliminated.”  He paused to listen to whoever was on the other end before his face went dark.  “Anyone that comes here without invitation will be met with a .44 Magnum to the chest.”  He listened for another minute then made a face and then looked Ella in the eyes as he announced, “They’re both sleeping and I’m not waking them.  I’ll have them call when they’re up and about again,” he dared her to make a peep as he told that bold face lie.   

            Ella smiled, shrugged, and sipped her tea, leaning on the counter to wait out the conversation.

            “I know… I know…  I will.”  He rolled his eyes and briefly thanked Jing with a nod as she handed him coffee.  “I will…  Okay… Fine, I’ll make it happen.”  He closed his eyes and forced back a curse.  “Alright.  I got it.  Goodbye, Mother,” and quickly hung up.  He took a deep breath…

            Jing held her laughter in check and offered a plate.  “Breakfast?”

            Kai was not in a cheerful mood.  “Council and the Alphas are all asking for you to make an appearance.”

            “Not surprising,” Ella answered, all business now.  “We’re not moving though?”

            “Not until you’re ready,” Kai confirmed with a nod.

            “Agreed,” Xiu added as he walked in, pulling on a shirt and wearing sweatpants that were too short and had Hello Kitty on the left pocket – they had ran out of clothes for the guys.  A thin red line ran across his shoulder where he had been wounded last night.  “We should also consider waiting until you or Emma have a better idea of what’s happen around here.  Thanks,” that last to Jing as she offered coffee and breakfast sandwich to him.  She smiled and nodded her acknowledgment.  “Should you be drinking that?” indicating Ella’s cup with his own.

            “It’s tea,” she answered, making a face.  “I’m going to need at least a few hours to clear my head.  Maybe then we can re-evaluate and see…” she paused to look at Jing, her eyes going in and out of focus for a moment.  “Front gate,” she murmured and shook her head.  “Jing, in about half an hour, can you stop the cats from coming through the front gate?”

            “Cougars or leopards?” Jing asked as if it was nothing new or unexpected. 

            “Cougars,” she informed her with a nod, “And you won’t need a weapon; they’re not going to cross you.”  She turned to look at an outraged Kai, “They will not have gotten the message yet and I can’t have you start a war on this so stay out of it; Jing will handle it.”

            “Is she going to need backup?” Xiu asked, sipping his coffee as he eyed his friend. 

            “You can watch from the window if you’d like but she’s not going to need it,” Ella replied calmly, glancing at the silent Chun by her side. 

            He was simply absorbing it all without a word, learning their ways quickly to assimilate. 

            “You think I can talk a bunch of cougars down?” Jing mused, covering the prepared food.  It was hard to say when the others would wake. 

            “Quan and Fabien aren’t going to cross you for fear of offending you,” Ella explained, nibbling on a corner of the toast she’d been given.  She looked at Xiu, “How’s Ming?”

            “Recouping back at the village,” Xiu answered.  “He’ll be fine.”

            “And why would they care if they offend me or not?” Jing asked, clearly amused by Ella’s assessment. 

            Ella smirked, her amusement dancing in her eyes as she peeked at her brothers for a split second.  “Because they’re both convinced they’re in love with you.”

            Jing gave a bark of laughter that was pure glee.  “You’ve got to be kidding me?” she giggled… then stopped when Ella didn’t react.  The smile slipped away as horror set in.  “You’re kidding me, right?” she paused, waiting for the punch line.  “Tell me you’re kidding me!”

            Finding it highly amusing, Ella was having some trouble keeping the hilarity from her voice.  “Emma warned you four months ago to stay out of that dispute.”

            “But it was a stupid, crazy fight over some idiotic…”

            “Doesn’t matter,” Ella replied, lifting her cup to hide her grin.  “You stepping in just made you an interested party in that…”

            “Oh come on!” Jing complained. 

            “I’m just letting you know,” Ella turned around and refilled her cup, and to hide the fact she was finding this funny as hell.  “And those two aren’t going to alienate you by pissing you off.  Just warn them about Kai’s edict and send them on their way.  They’ll thank you for saving them.”

            Jing frowned at her for being obnoxiously obtuse about it.  “And how does that solve my problem?” because it was a definite problem. 

            “It doesn’t,” Ella replied smugly.  “Your mate will solve it for you.”

            “I don’t have a…” she stopped and glared at Ella.  “That’s not funny.”

            “Didn’t say it was,” she shrugged and head for the door to the work kitchen.  “I’ve got bread to make.  Let me know when Emma’s up.  We need to talk.”

            Gritting her teeth, Jing let out a sigh of frustration before she headed toward the front door.  “I really hate her sometimes.”

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            “Selina?”  Kristen reached over and shoved her sister.  “Wake up!”

            Groggy, Selina blinked against the rising sun.  She had traded positions with Kristen only an hour ago.  “What is it?”

            “I think we’ve got company,” Kristen said as she glanced at the rear view mirror again and watched the green jeep that’s been following them for the last 10 miles.  She resisted the urge to hit the gas pedal harder. 

            Wide awake now, “Are you sure?”

            “No,” since there weren’t that many turn offs on the narrow 2 lane road through the woods.  “But it’s been there for half an hour now, never more than half a mile behind us.” 

            Selina studied the jeep in the side mirror, watching it carefully.  It was too far for her to see inside of it clearly.  “I think we should wake Rainie.  We need better eyes.”

            “Agreed,” Kristen answered and glanced down at the dashboard again.  They had less than a quarter tank of gas.  With the five gallon reserve in the back, she hoped the road wasn’t as deserted as she thought. 

            “Rainie, wake up,” Selina reached behind and shook Rainie’s shoulder.  “We’ve got company.”

            Eyes popping open, the she-wolf woke as if she hadn’t ever been asleep.  “Where?”

            “Behind us,” Kristen answered quietly, keeping her eyes on the road.  “Can you get a better look?”

            Easing up in her seat, Rainie peeked through the space between the headrest and seatback, tucking her legs under her to get leverage.   “Don’t freak out if I end up having to dive out of the window, okay?” 

            “Should I slow down?” Kristen asked, easing her foot off the gas pedal. 

            “No, don’t do anything to let them think you’ve spotted them.”

            “I think it’s a little late for that,” Kristen muttered.  “We’re the only ones on this road for like fifty miles around.  It’d be really weird if I hadn’t spotted them by now.” 

            “Point taken,” Rainie nodded and took a breath, pushing back her humanity and allowing her wolf to emerge.  She went into partial shift, fingers elongating, eyes sharpening, and her senses bursting wide open.  “There’s two of them,” she growled, her vocal cords starting to change.  “Can you get a little closer?  I can’t see their faces.”

            Gently easing off the gas pedal, Kristen kept glancing at the rear view mirror.  “Tell me when you’ve got a clear picture.”

            “There’s something about that car…” Rainie said as she bit into the seatback, her wolf coming too close to the surface. 

            “They’re gaining a little faster than I like,” Selina said, watching Rainie and the jeep with equal parts nervousness. 

            “I feel him,” Rainie whispered, forcing her wolf back with a little bit of a struggle.  They were too close to the full moon now.  “It’s Jiro and Aaron.”

            “Are you sure?” Selina asked before she could stop herself.  “Never mind… forget I said that.”

            “It’s okay,” Rainie replied, turning back into her seat.  “You’ll understand how this works one day.”

            “One day,” Kristen muttered and glanced at the mirror again.  “Should we stop for them to catch up?”

            “Yeah,” Rainie nodded her head, eager to see her mate again.  “Let’s do…” the internal phone system went off, interrupting her.  Selina picked up from the controls embedded in the stirring wheel then nodded to Rainie.

            “Keep moving,” Jiro ordered without preamble. 

            “What’s happening?” Rainie asked calmly, leaning closer to the center console where the microphone was.

            “Wasn’t a clean breakaway like we’d hoped,” Aaron explained quietly.  “We’re pretty sure we were followed out of town.” 

            “We might have lost them through the river bents back in the city, took them on a little chase,” Jiro added, “But we can’t be completely sure.  Haven’t seen anyone for a few hours but that doesn’t mean much right now.  Stay ahead of us, we’ll see about drawing them away tonight if they’re still on our tail.”

            “I’ll keep you in my mirrors but I’ll pull ahead,” Kristen replied, gaining speed. 

            “Do not follow us if we turn off,” Aaron said, calmer than he really ought to have been.  “And if we need to go, we’re going to keep them off your scent.”

            “Be careful,” Selina said, “And don’t do anything that will get you guys…” she wished she hadn’t started down that thought.  “Just be careful, okay?  Take every precaution.”

            “You too,” Jiro replied then paused for a second, “Rainie?”

            “Yes?” Rainie leaned forward again.

            “I love you,” Jiro pronounced softly.  “I’ll be right behind you.”

            “I know,” Rainie smiled stupidly at the console.  “We’ll be waiting.”

            The line clicked off without another word and the three sat in the silence for a moment. 

            Kristen, unable to keep quiet, “Your sappy romance kind of makes me jealous.”

            “Kind of?” Selina huffed, “It totally makes me jealous… and happy for you,” she added with a grin as she stared at the open road.  “When do you think we’ll get a chance at it?”

            “When the Moon pulls at you,” Rainie replied and glanced at the dashboard.  “We better find a gas station soon.”

            “I was just thinking the same,” Kristen murmured.  “We’re going to be going nowhere on empty soon and I don’t want to be caught out here… in the open.”

            “Don’t worry,” Rainie assured her, glancing through the rear window at the receding jeep.  “We are more than capable of protecting those we cherish.  And we’ll do whatever it takes to safeguard our families.” 

            Selina turned to glanced at Rainie a moment, a slight frown of concern reflecting her thoughts. 

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            Xiu stood by the window, the curtain pulled back to allow him and his rifle an unobstructed view of the decorative iron wrought front gate.  Jing hoisted herself up onto the stone wall with her cup of coffee and a basket freshly baked bread.  She turned and waved at him, knowing he would be worried and watching.  He nodded his acknowledgement and pulled up a stool.  Given Ella vision, it wouldn’t be long. 

            “We need to talk,” Kai announced and promptly dropped himself on the chair by the window.  He glanced out and watched Jing relax in the hazy sun for a minute.  From a distance, she looked like any other carefree girl just simply enjoying breeze.  “You know, I’m surprised the two of you never dated.”

            Frowning, “Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?  My non-existent love life?” Xiu shook his head and continued to watch the window. Despite growing up together, he and Kai had never gotten along well, but the two of them had always shared a respectful understanding of their roles within the clan and their unconventional family.  And the stepbrothers have only ever truly agreed on two things: their sisters.

            “We don’t have love lives,” Kai corrected, looking at the window as well, “We have people we sleep with until fate decides who we’ll be sleeping next to for the rest of our unnaturally long existence.”  It was said with an almost bitterness.  “So back to my original observation: how come you and Jing never made it out the gate?”

            “Some of us can keep it in our pants.  And I wasn’t aware that you sleep with your friends.”

            “How would you know?  You’re never home.”

            “How would you know?  You’re never there.”

            Kai conceded the point with a shrug.  “Fair enough.  I’ve never been very good at treading on ice.”

            Shaking his head, “What’s with the small talk?  What do you want?”

            “Fine, I’ll get to the point,” Kai frowned at the motorcycles that rolled to the front gate.  Jing didn’t even leave her seat, she just sat there and greeted them with a raised mug.  “Ella procured sanctuary for that short haired chick and her brother.”

            “Yeah… I heard.”

            “Is that what you are sulking about?” Kai asked with a sigh.  “For god sakes…”  The unspoken rivalry between them had always been a point of amusement for the other betas.

            “That’s not it,” Xiu said quietly as he lifted the rifle up, taking careful aim at the one standing too close to Jing talking animatedly.  “I don’t know what she’s thinking anymore.  She’s been so silent since she’s been back and now… now this.”

            “She’s got her reasons,” Kai replied calmly.

            “Like?”  Xiu slanted him a quick glance. 

            Kai glared.  “You know I can’t tell you that.”

            He shrugged and continued to watch the scene by the gate unfold.  Two of the guys were clearly arguing while Jing looked simultaneously amused and horrified.  Xiu lowered the scoop.  “She called it.”

            “You had doubts?”

            “She’s been wrong before.”

            “For reasons that were well beyond her control.”

            Xiu glanced at Kai again.  “What do you want?”

            “Emma,” Kai said, coming to the point. “She’s got a real soft heart.  And right now, it’s bleeding for that Calvin guy Ella’s got stashed here.”  He narrowed his eyes on Xiu.  “By the way, how long has that guy been here?”

            “About two weeks now – that I know of,” Xiu replied.  “But who knows how long he’s actually been here.  The girls weren’t exactly keen on sharing right now.”

            “How much have they told you?”

            “Next to nothing,” Xiu admitted with a sigh, watching the shouting matching now happening outside with Jing smack in the middle.  “You?”

            “Only a tiny bit more than that,” Kai admitted, frowning at the shoving match that’s suddenly started.  The two others that had been silently watching now jumped into the fray to break up the fight.  “Those idiots…” then watched as Jing kicked the two fighting boys in the head from her higher position.  Kai chuckled.  “Back to the subject on hand…”

            “Which is?” Xiu asked with some exasperation.

            “How upset are Ella and Emma going to be when I kick their little friend out of sanctuary and possibly put his life at risk in doing so?”

            Xiu smirked.  “If you ever want them to talk to you again…”

            Kai sighed.  “So that’s a ‘she’ll probably try to kill me’ answer then.” 

            “Like you said, Emma’s got a soft spot for the guy.  God knows why…”

            “I’d say it’s cause he’s a bleeding heart too.”  He shook his head with pity.  “And at that soft squishy center is a place for our baby sister.”

            “Great… Just what we don’t need,” Xiu sighed and lowered his weapon.  Jing had successfully convinced the cougar-shifters that it was in their best interest to leave.  “So what now?”

            “Unless Ella wants to do a lot of explaining or there is some miracle in the next day or two, we’ve got to get that guy moved before something unwise happens.”

            “Agreed,” Xiu watched as Jing waved the intruders away, “What are you suggesting?”

            “I’m not, that’s why I’m asking you,” Kai replied, frowning as Jing waved gaily then hoped off the fence, landing on the wrong side of the stone wall.  “What is she doing?”  Realizing her mistake, Jing quickly slipped behind the gate before anyone else noticed.  She glanced briefly at the window, and shrugged at the brothers frowning at her.  “Idiotic…”

            “He’ll need to stay close,” Xiu continued, letting the curtain fall.  “Ella mentioned that Emma wanted him around because of moving pieces in the dark.  Nothing more than that though.”

            “What about the café?” Kai asked, flipping the curtain again to watch Jing checked the area around the house.  “The apartment upstairs is currently unoccupied until Tank comes back from his sabbatical.”

            “Sabbatical?” Xiu stood and dismantled his carry away rifle.  “Is that what we’re calling almost getting your heart ripped out?”

            “Tank knew what he was doing when he walked in there,” Kai replied firmly.

            “We should have done a better job by him,” Xiu said with no room for argument. 

            “There was nothing we could have done,” he answered softly, unwilling to admit to the same guilt his stepbrother was no doubt harboring.  “Tank issued the Challenge of Vengeance.  None of us could have protected him once the gauntlet had been thrown.”  And god knows they’d all at some point or other tried to convinced the angry young wolf not to seek revenge for his family’s tragedies. 

            Shaking his head, Xiu reframed from continuing the conversation.  There was nothing more to be said, just regrets that couldn’t be rectified.  “You were saying about the café?”

            “How about we stash him there for the time being?”  Kai considered the possibilities.  “It’s close enough that Emma can’t really complain and far enough that he won’t get caught here if any of the Elders show up unexpectedly.”

            Xiu nodded, also running through scenarios in his head.  “If he’s at the café, it’d be another pair of eyes and a good nose for the area.  If hyenas are prowling, I’d rather not rely on the girls’ sight as the only thing watching out for them.”

            “Agreed,” Kai replied and looked through the window again.  “And can you get that girl in here?  She’s making me nervous being so exposed.”

            “Jing can take care of herself,” Xiu replied though he had been getting up to do just that.

            “But why should she have to if we’re here?” Kai replied and headed to the back kitchen again.  “All girls like to be treated like girls at some point; and they should be.  We need to make sure they’re protected.”

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            “How are you feeling?” David asked tensely over his shoulder.  He didn’t take his eyes off the road, or his hands off the steering wheel.

            “I’ll live,” George answered with a grunt.  He lifted his head to look at the wound at his side, it still bled but looked much better from when he had dragged his bloodied and bruised body into the getaway van. 

            “Keep the compression on,” Benji advised, trying not to move in his seat.  His mangled leg felt like it was on fire but he refused to cry about it.  Getting caught in that steel trap had been sheer carelessness on his part.  He should have known the Browns would play dirty like that.  “It’ll be a few more hours before we can stop.”  And several more before the moonrise and their shifter powers were heightened.  While they healed fast in daylight, their bodies did miraculous things by the moon.  If only they had been closer to a full moon…

            “You guys rest and heal,” David ordered grimly as he grip the resin wheel tightly, telling himself that flying off the handle won’t help right now.  Besides, they’ve already taken care of the offending parties.    “I’ll handle whatever else is thrown at us.”  He glanced at the rear view mirror again and reached for the packet of wet wipes Selina had given them, carefully erasing the faint traces of blood still clinging to his jaw and neck. 

            “Stay the course,” Benji replied, leaning his head back and willing the pain away.  “We still need to catch up with Sean and Wes.”

            “Is that a good idea now?” George turned his body, trying to find a slightly more comfortable position where there were none.  “I don’t want to bring the enemy to them if we’re being followed.”

            “We’re not,” David replied with confidence.  “I made sure of it.”

            “There’s never an absolute of anything in life,” George said quietly, his eyes on the gathering clouds in the sky.  It looked like rain.  “We can only hope for the best.”

            “My best is my all,” David glanced at the rear view mirror again, this time angling it to check on his down comrades.  “And I’d take it to the end if I had to.”

            Neither George nor Benji said anything, both understanding perfectly well what they had to do.  No one ever said it was an easy decision but one that born of necessity.  With everyone scattered in the four winds, the three of them would be the retreating line of defense.  And they would give it their all if it was called for.  But right now…

            The phone attached to the car’s internal system rang loud. 

            “No one say anything, okay?” Benji ordered unnecessarily. 

            David nodded and picked up.  “Hello?”

            “Jiro and Aaron thinks they’re compromised,”  Wes answered, handling the SUV he and Sean rode in with practiced ease as he switched to cruise control.  “We’re about to stop for gas.”

            “So soon?” Benji asked, careful of how he sounded. 

            “We had a few unexpected run-ins,” Wes explained without explaining anything.  The bloodied clothes on the floor of the back seat will have to be ditched as soon as possible.   The wild chase through the night had drained their tank and he was several hundred miles from where they should be.   Sean, bless him, had insisted on making most of the hard decisions.  “How did you guys do?”

            “We’re fine,” George answered quickly.  “You guys hurt?”

            “We’re fine,” Wes replied, glancing at his sleeping friend.  “Sean’s exhausted though.  He did a lot of running last night.”  More than that, Sean had cried himself to sleep; letting darkness and oblivion soothe his wounded soul for a few moments.  “We’re off course.  It’ll take us at least another day to catch up to you guys.”

            “We’ll swing around,” Benji ordered.

            “No,” Wes interrupted quickly. “Don’t.  I don’t know how clean our trail is.  We’ll catch up with you once we know it’s safe.  Continue onto the rendezvous point.”  He’d never be able to live with himself if he brought the enemy to his brethrens. 

            “How bad is it?” George asked, unable to stop himself from leaning up toward the speakers.  The movement reopened his wound and he bit his lip to keep from gasping out loud.

            “I honestly don’t know,” Wes replied softly.  Sean had refused to say how many he had to take down to secure their exit.  “I just know that it wasn’t good.”

            Benji swallowed his rage and pain.  “Okay, we’ll keep moving toward the meet point.  We’ve got less than two days to the full moon.  Let’s meet up afterwards.  You guys find a place can safely run, got it?”  They had mapped out their route days ago to find the safest place for them to wait out the effects of the full moon – and now it’s been shot to hell. 

            “Don’t worry about us,” Wes answered with confidence.  “We’ll find somewhere to rest and meet up later.”  He glanced at his mirrors, checking for any movements behind them.  “By the way, has anyone heard from the sanctuary crew?”

            “We got nothing,” George said, breathing through his mouth.  “Have you?”

            “Nope, and I know Jiro was worried.”

            “You think their meet-up went south?” David asked with dread. 

            “We are not going to speculate,” Benji ordered sharply. 

            “But we have to think about it,” Wes argued logically.  “We can’t just assume everything is fine and…” the phone beeped, interrupting him.  “Hang on a second,” grabbing the encrypted cell phone to check the ID.  “Speak of the devils,” breathing a sigh of relief.  “I’m patching them in,” and hit the merge button on the phone.  “Calvin!”

            “You guys safe?” was Calvin’s first question. 

            “Are you?” was the question fired back from everyone on the line.

            “Is that a yes?” Pets asked, yawning through the question.  She had gotten very little sleep and what little sleep she did have had been wrought with dreams and left her wishing she hadn’t slept. 

            “Thank god you guys are together,” David sighed.  “At least something went right…”

            “What does that mean?” Calvin asked quietly, shushing Pets. 

            George winced and glared at his cousin. 

            “What happened?” Chun asked quietly.  “Did the exit get messy?”

            “A little more than that I’m afraid,” Benji said reluctantly. 

            “Who’s been hurt?”

            There was a pause.

            “Guys,” Calvin warned, “I’m really not in the mood to be coddled.  We had a rough night here so just give it to us straight.”

            “What happened?” George and Benji both asked urgently.

            “Don’t change the subject,” Chun said sharply.  “Who’s been wounded?”

            Again there was a pause before David answered.  “The Browns did a number on George but he’s healing some.  Benji is the one that can’t be moved right now.” 

            “DAVE!” was the sharp reprimand. 

            “They asked,” David answered with a huff.  He was never good at lying, especially to his friends.  “And besides, they need to know everything if we’re going to plan our next move.”

            “We’re sticking to our plan,” George insisted, bracing himself up, “Go toward safe, open ground for the full moon then rendezvous afterwards.”

            “That’s about as basic as it gets,” Calvin muttered and rubbed his head with concern.  “So how can we help?”

            “You can’t,” Benji said, staring at the open sky.  Even with George and David with him, he’s never felt so very vulnerable.  “This one is on all of us.”

            “Just be safe,” Wes replied, glancing at his mirrors again.  A white truck had appeared over the ridge behind him.  “We can handle things on our own until we’re together again.”  The truck was speeding… coming closer with each ticking second. 

            “I don’t like knowing you guys are hurt,” Pets admitted, clutching her brother’s arm.  “Be careful out there, okay.  Call us if there’s anything…”

            “Just secure a home for us to come home to,” George said, pressing his hand to the reopened wound at his side.  The pain was getting worse.  “We’ll see you there.”

            “Stay safe,” Calvin and Chun said simultaneously, knowing there was little more they can do for their scattered pack.  They were on their own now. 

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

            “You wanted to see me?” Emma yawned as she rubbed her eyes and tried not to spill her tea.  She needed to eat something before she could take anything for the pain.  But at least the damn wound had finally stopped bleeding. 

            “How are you feeling?” Ella asked, elbow deep in bread dough. 

            “Better,” Emma replied with a deep breath.  “Still hurts like hell but at least I can move a little more fluidly now.”  She sipped the tea again, it was doing good things to her belly.  “How are you doing?”

            “My head feels like a bowling ball and I want to throw up every time I move too fast but other than that, I’m doing great.”  She flipped the dough again, letting gravity do some of the work.  “Seen anything interesting?”

            “Not really.  Which actually makes me a little more concerned.”

            “Me too,” Ella tossed the dough into the kneading machine again and placed the cover over it.  She wiped her hands on the towel and faced her sister.  “Had some interesting but unhelpful dreams last night; nothing that indicates where the wind blows.”

            “Have you discussed it with Xiu or Kai yet?”

            “No.  They’re both pretty pissed at me right now.  I’m just going to let them calm down first.”

            Emma winced.  She knew things weren’t great when even her siblings aren’t in agreement.  “How bad is this thing going to get?”

            Ella lifted her face, feeling the cloud-over sun against her face.  “Can’t you feel it?”

            Staring at the dimly lit sky, the clouds all but holding the sun hostage behind their thick curtains, Emma suddenly felt a chill – like fingers of death gently caressing her.  “Darkness… Strife…” 

            “You can almost smell the blood on the ground,” Ella murmured softly, swallowing the repulsion and fear.  “Things aren’t going to get any better any time soon.”

            “What a cheerful thought,” Pets muttered, stopping at the doorway.  She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, had only meant to catch up to Emma in the hall to apologize for last night, but the conversation had taken such a dark turn so quickly.  Neither sisters said anything, both stared for a moment.  “Okay… that’s not a little unsettling...” 

            “You need to be careful what you say around here,” Ella warned with a frown.  “And you need to watch your step.  People aren’t going to tolerate your reckless behavior for long.  I can only offer you so much protection until…” she shut up quickly and looked at Emma, who shook her head. 

            “Until what?” Pets asked, looking for answers in their impassive faces.  “A little answer would help.”

            “Not always,” Emma replied softly.

            “Not in our world,” Ella added and turned away.  “Pets, word of advice, stay inside.  Don’t even walk the grounds.”

            “Why?  What’s going to happen?”

            “Nothing,” Emma replied, “It’s just that there’s going to be a lot of people moving about today.  You step on the wrong person’s toe, they’re going to take it out on your hide.  And I doubt your brother is going to put up with it and that’s going to lead to all kind of pain and bloodshed.”

            Pets couldn’t fault them for that logic.  “Stay inside; keep out of sight.  Got it.”

            “I’m not saying no human interaction,” Emma added quickly.  “In fact, it might be good for you to have an ally… amongst the Betas I mean.”

            “Emma,” Ella reprimanded sharply, staring at her sister.  “You’ve said more than enough.”

            Thoroughly chastised, Emma lowered her gaze and sipped her tea.  She had said too much… more than she needed to. 

            “What’s wrong?” Pets asked, looking between the two again. 

            Ella shook her head.  “Fate is a very delicate and dangerous mistress.  We can’t play around with it too much or there will be consequences.”  She glanced at her sister, “Kind of like yesterday.” 

            Though she didn’t understand completely, Pets got enough to know.  “Then you guys need to stop talking unless it means life or death.”

            “Not everyone feels that way,” Emma replied.  “And sometimes, you forget not to do too much.” 

            Pets blinked, “How do you know which one is which and when to do what?”

            “It’s kind of a crap shoot,” Emma admitted with a shrug.  And Ella nodded in agreement when Pets turned to her for confirmation. 

            “Not the exact science I was hoping for,” Pets muttered. 

            Emma’s laughter was tinged with bitterness.  “Try it from our side.” 

            “I’m sorry,” Pets said hurriedly, finally coming to the point she had been trying to get to.  “About last night and what I said.  That wasn’t fair and… I apologize for it.  It won’t happen again.”

            Grateful and relieved, Emma’s smile was full of sweetness and understanding.  “It’s okay.  It’s hard to accept sometimes but…”

            “It’s not okay,” Pets interrupted with a frown, “Especially when I can’t even begin to comprehend what you have.  It’s never okay.” 

            Because she was a child of love and sunshine, Emma nodded and hugged her.  “Thank you.  And I will try to curb my tongue about things you don’t want or need to hear.”

            Pets laughed.  “Just warn me if someone is pissed at me.  I can duck out and save myself from a…” she stopped when Ella suddenly rushed to the window.  “What’s going on?”

            Ella’s eyes grew big.  “Oh !”

            “What?” Emma rushed to her sister’s side, stared out the window a moment.  “Oh !” then turned around in a hurry and ran out of the room.  “I’ll get the guys.”

            “What’s wrong?” Pets asked, staring at the fancy white car that pulled up to the gate.  “Who is that?”

            “Crap, crap, crap…” Ella grabbed a towel and quickly mopped her hands and face, trying to removed the fine dusting of flour that had gotten everywhere.  She stopped and stared at Pets a moment.  “You need to go upstairs and stay there until someone comes to get you.”  She stopped again and stared a longer moment.  “You, your brother, and Calvin.”

            “What? Why?”

            “No time to explain,” Ella replied shoving Pets out the kitchen.  “You guys need to stay out of sight until I say so.”

            “But why?  Who’s in the car?” Pets asked even as she jogged along the corridor quickly toward the back stairs. 

            “ELLA!” Xiu tried to stop but his forward momentum in sling shooting around the corner with one hand on the railing had him plowing into Pets before he could do anything more than try to cushion their fall. 

            Wind milling her arms, Ella just kept from falling into the human pile. 

            “You okay?” Xiu asked, lifting the girl’s shoulder so he could look at her face. 

            Pets stared a moment, not having seen this particular brother so up close and personal, before she realize what a ridiculously compromising position she was in.  Blushing, she scrambled to her feet.  “Sorry...” and felt like an idiot. 

            Xiu cleared his throat and got up quickly, looking to Ella…

            “I saw,” Ella nodded, both amused and curious of Pets’ reaction.  “I was just sending her upstairs before they get to the house.”

            “The others too,” Xiu reminded her, urging them both to the stairs. 

            Emma came around the other corner, shoving Calvin and Chun in front of her.  “Go, go, go…”

            “But why are we…” Calvin’s question was cut off in seeing the others.

            “What’s going on?” Chun asked with his usual serious tone but he didn’t slow as he approached the stairs. 

            “Hurricane Lily is about to hit,” Xiu muttered and motioned for Emma as she came toward them.  “Come on, you and I are better head her off before she starts hunting for you guys.”  Emma didn’t argue, trying to get around Chun and Calvin in the narrow back hall. 

            “Be careful,” Calvin said, as she skirted him.

            She shrugged and grinned, giving all the appearance of someone that knew what they were doing but dreaded doing it.  Then rushed after Xiu as he reached his hand out for hers.  She laughed and hurried down the hall with him holding her protectively under his arms, hyper aware of her injuries. 

            “ELLA!” Kai almost knocked the back door off the hinge as he hurried in. 

            “I saw the car,” Ella answered as she rushed Chun and Pets up the stairs; Calvin holding back with concern.  “I’ll go up front in the second...”

            Kai shook his head urgently.  “Have you seen Jing?  She needs to get out of sight before she’s seen.”

            “Oh crap,” Ella looked toward the window.  “I sent her to the storage room to get more honey for the afternoon breads.”

            “I’ll get her,” Kai replied, and nodded toward the front.  “Buy some time for me,” then turned around and disappeared again.

            “Who the hell is it that’s got you guys all freaked out?” Calvin asked as Ella tried to shove him up the stairs.

            Making a face, Ella replied, “My mother.”

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

            Tossing Jing into the room, Kai gave her a stern warning look before shutting the door in her face.   Jing kicked the air at the door in a very mature display of her displeasure and gasped when the door opened again and he wiggled a finger at her.  “Stay put; do not come down; do not defy me.  I will not hesitate to kick your skinny if you do and Xiu would agree with me,” then shut the door again. 

            She stuck her tongue at the close door and huffed her displeasure.  Then checked her weapon.  She had hastily put the safety on when Kai had literally dragged her from the supply silo and she wasn’t sure the lock had completed the turn. 

            “Why are they so anxious?” Pets asked from behind her. 

            Jing grinned and shrugged.  “Mama Bear is a wimp compared to their mom – she’s a fire breathing Dragon Mom.”  She turned and faced the three in the room.  “You’re probably wondering why I’ve been locked up here too.”

            Calvin nodded rather casually.  “That had crossed my mind.”

            Shrugging with amusement, “Dragon Mom doesn’t like any girls near her precious boys, her son and stepson alike.”

            “Which one is which?” Pets asked curiously. 

            “Kai shared his mother with Ella and Emma,” Chun mused, “That’s why he called her ‘mother’ on the phone earlier, right?”

            Nodding, “That is correct but not your reasoning for it.  For your edifications, Xiu also calls her ‘mother.’  And that’s because she’s been his mom since forever.” Sitting down by the window, she used it as a lookout point over the front yard.  “Xiu’s mom died at childbirth but not the way you’d think.  She died fighting to keep him alive during an attack, less than an hour after he was born.  Her last act was to hand Xiu to Lily Tien, making her swear to rear her son as her own.  She had no idea Lily Tien had just lost her husband a few hours before and was six months with child.” 

            “Wow…” Pets blinked, so absorbed in the story.  “So they’re essentially a whole family.”

            “That was never in doubt,” Jing chambered a round and watched the window again.  “One could even say that Lily loves Xiu more than her own flesh and blood, the way she dotes on him.  My mom said that Xiu was the only reason Lily kept going after the attack.  It was the worse one in the last century.”

            “How many?” Chun asked soberly.  Packs could be wiped out overnight in a territory attack, along with the innocent human bystanders that live in the same town. 

            “Fifty-two confirmed and six missing in three days,” Jing smiled rather sadly.  “My dad was one of the missing.”  There were only two labels for the missing: coward or dead.  Unless found, no one ever knows which and the family live with the terrible burden of it. 

            “I’m sure he fought for you and your family,” Calvin said kindly.

            “I know he did,” Jing replied easily enough.  She never felt the shame or the uncertainty – her mother and brothers made sure of that.  Like Kai, she had been born after the conflict; and like him, she carried a dark wound for it; but unlike him, she had no answers when people ask.  “People can be very vicious.”  And her friends can be wonderfully kind.  She smiled.

            “What you were remembering?” Pets asked curiously.  She may not have many happy memories but she recognized it when she saw it. 

            Jing’s grin grew wider.  “In sixth grade, Xiu and Ming dumped this boy in my class into a vat of cafeteria Sloppy Joe’s behind the school for calling me a not-so-nice name.  Jie and Deng slipped hot pepper itching powder into the guy’s gym bag and spare clothes in his locker.”   It had been epically awesome. 

            Pets grinned, picturing it. 

            Calvin laughed a second before glancing out the window and promptly lost his amusement.  Several darkly dressed men guarded the front gate.  “Who are they?”

            “Dragon Mom’s bodyguards,” Jing replied, watching them as well.  She gently urged Calvin back before he’s seen.  “You guys need to stay out of sight.  It’d fine for them to see me but not you.  She may hate my guts but I’m still part of the clan.”

            “Why does she hate you?” Pets asked.

            “Maybe not me specifically,” Jing admitted with a grin.  “She just hates any unmated girls that hangs around her boys; thinks we’re going to corrupt her kids.  It’s that simple.”

            “That’s kind of insane.”

            “Not for her.  Not when you’ve got two unmated Pures and two Seers to protect.”  She looked at Chun, gagging his reaction.  His love to Ella might as well be tattooed to his face.  “Her family is like the holy grail to most clans.  Her sons are Pures, strong ones that may have the ability to do an Ascension.  And her daughters…”

            Pets raised her hand again, “What’s an Ascension?”

            “Seriously?” Jing stared at her.  “Do you know nothing about your own kind?”

            Annoyed and embarrassed, “Can we not get into my lack of education right now?  What’s an Ascension?”

            Calvin frowned, trying to remember things from long past.  “It’s when a Pure with great inner strength draws upon the innate shifter inside all of us.”

            “Our ancestors didn’t have designations,” Chun explained calmly, “It was something that we evolved into and then lost our ability to choose our animals.” 

            “Pures are essentially powerful throwbacks,” Calvin mused with nod, “And a strong enough Pure is suppose to be able to elevate their mates into their Pure form.” 

            “That sounds really cool,” Pets muttered under her breath.

            “It is,” Jing replied with a pointed look, “And every clan, pack, or family would love to get their hands on the ultimate prize.  Imagine the possibilities and the power that can be behind it.”  She raised a brow at her.  “Now imagine trying to protect two of them from every female that’s been told to throw themselves at said ultimate prize in hopes of being their True Mate.”

            “But not you,” Calvin said quietly.

            Jing smiled, shades of sadness in her eyes.  “I know what I am, I know what role I play, and I’ve accepted it.  I’m perfectly fine with just simply being the friend.”

            “Shh…”” Chun got up suddenly, head cocked to the door.  “Someone’s coming,” and reached for the gun by his side.

            “No,” Jing warned quickly and shoved her rifle under the bed.  “Put it away, now.”  She knew what could be coming up the…

            “Mother…” Emma pleaded as she was backed into the room, her mother opening the door around her.  To her credit, she did try.  But Lily Tien-Chen was a force to be reckon with and no one has ever been able to stand in her way.

            Icy eyes swept the room, like lasers scanning to identify, as Lily stepped around her daughter and coldly took measure of those in the room.  “Well…” as her eyes fell on Jing then Pets before it rested on the two boys, “Isn’t this interesting...” 

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

            «She landed on her back, her body cushioned by the leaf pile that he had chased her into.  His body was warm, heated by the exertion and the icy pale fur that covered his body.  A wet cold nose nuzzled the side of her neck, conveying his affection as his body started to morph back to man.  Soft fur receded, limbs elongated, his human form emerged as beautiful as his animal.  But his eyes, those golden glowing eyes, continued to burn bright, boring holes into her soul. 

            Shivering with fear, excitement, and anticipation, she didn’t know what to do for a moment.  He was so unbearable beautiful, all she wanted to do was sit back and stare at him to her heart’s content.

            The smile that graced his still canine face was both charming and gleeful.  “What are you thinking?” he asked, his vocal cords finally shifting back into place.  His voice was a little rough, an alluring contrast to the delicateness of his striking face. 

            Touching his increasingly human face, illuminated by the glowing moon overhead, “The moonlight becomes you.” And it did.  The radiance of the moon gave him an ethereal look that was most definitely supernatural.

            The look of delight slipped from his face and he gathered himself up in horror.  “What the hell am I doing?” and scurried away from her on all fours.

            “What’s the matter?” she asked, puzzled by his reaction.

            “We can’t…” he moved further away, ignoring the damage he was doing to his all too human skin.  “This isn’t right…”  He wiped a quick hand over his face.  “What was I thinking?”

            “Maybe you weren’t,” she told him, reaching for him again.  She felt a ting of pain when he back away but quickly forgot that when he stood.  There was no way he was unaffected by her… in a rather primitive way. 

            “I gotta go,” he turned and was about to step away when she tackled him on a flying leap, latching onto his back.  “What the…”

            “I’m not afraid,” she whispered in his ear, locking her long arms and legs around him.  “And I’m not calling it quits yet.”

            He forced her arms open, trying to pry her off him.  It was obscene what they were doing.  He was stark and she was…  She was so vulnerable.  “You have to stop.  We have to stop.”

            “No, we don’t.  I certainly know that I don’t,” then bit him… HARD.  He gasped more from surprise than pain as her sharp little teeth broke the tender skin at his collar, cutting into tissue, drawing blood.  She tasted the cooper on her tongue.  “This is exactly what I need…”»

            Fraying about, she rolled right out of her bed, falling on her .  The jarring impact startled awake whatever part of her that had been left asleep.  Stunned and horrified, she merely sat there like an idiot for a moment. 

            The knock on the door was urgent, almost frantic.  “Fei, Fei, are you alright?”  When she didn’t answer quickly enough, Matthew merely barged right in.

            Screaming partly in outrage and partly in surprise, she grabbed her blanket and covered herself with it. 

            Searching the room and finding nothing, he was both annoyed and amused, “Come on, you don’t exactly have anything impressive for me to see,” pulling gently at his open pajama top. 

            Fei grabbed a pillow and threw it at his head.  He ducked and it sailed right through the open door behind him. 

            “What happened?” Wayne asked, coming into the room with the pillow in his hand.  He had just barely avoided getting hit in the face with it.  He averted his eyes quickly when Fei stood up, her little lacy nightgown peeking out from behind the bed sheets she was holding as shield.  “Are you okay?”

            “I’m fine,” Fei answered in a faint voice.  She was still shaken up from the not-so-real-dream – and the stranger in it. 

            “What happened?” Sam rubbed his eyes, walking in well behind the others.  And like they others, he was dressed for bed.  They all worked the night shift at the local club, bartender, dj, host and waitress.  Mornings were when they slept.  “You alright, Fei?”

            “She had a nightmare again,” Matthew guessed correctly by the way Fei wasn’t meeting anyone’s eyes.  “And I’m going to guess it’s not a normal one.”  They all had nightmares, usually ones that involved they reason they’d all be placed at the orphanage and ended up banding together. 

            “It’s the third one in two weeks,” Wayne pointed out quietly, with the kind of uncertainty that came from fear.  Fear of losing this little family they’d built for themselves. 

            “Is it the same one?” Sam asked, his bright intelligent eyes focused on his childhood friend. 

            Fei nodded, embarrassed and scared.

            “It’s okay,” Wayne assured her.  Though she refused to tell them anything, they had a good idea what it might be by her reluctance to share.  “It’s going to be fine.”

            “I’m scared,” she admitted, finally looking up at them.  Her big round eyes were wet from unshed tears.  She didn’t even know how to begin the conversation with them about what was happening.  It could change everything.  “I don’t want this.”

            “I know,” Wayne tossed the pillow back in place and sat at the corner of the bed.  “But you can’t fight the Moon.”

             “I don’t even know who it is,” Fei whispered, sitting down next to him.  Of all the boys, she felt most comfortable with gentle, sweet, innocent Wayne.  He had always been the one to comfort her after a bad night.

            “Not someone from the village?” Matthew asked, obviously surprised.  He looked at Sam, his confident and best friend.  They’ve theorized about this already.  “Are you certain?  Maybe you’re just seeing him in his shifter form and you don’t…”

            “There aren’t any gray wolves in the village right?” Fei asked, looking at the three.  They ran with almost all the younger set now. 

            “No,” Sam confirmed.  They were candid with Fei, not wanting her to be left out of their monthly exertions.  “There’s a few whites but…”

            “Gray,” Fei insisted, “like finely polished steel.”  She looked at Wayne, the only one that seemed to understand her sudden vulnerability to the unknown.  “But I’ve also seen his face.  His human face... and it’s not one that is easy to forget.”

            The boys looked at each other, knowing what the next phase holds.  “Then maybe it’s time you visit Sanctuary and confirm it with the Seers.”

To be continued…

------------------------------------------------

Author’s Note:  Much longer chapter than anticipated but really enjoyed building up the characters.  I’ve got so many people running around now, I almost feel like George R.R. Martin (except I don’t plan on killing off everyone).  I’m introducing sideways chapters to further the main story, bear with me as I set up the surrounding contents for the main events. 

Thanks for reading as always.  Leave me a comment with thoughts!