A Long Walk Home Ch. 02

OMG you guys blow me away all the time! The comments on chapter 1 were fantastic and often hilarious and the poetry...please don't make that a new trend. I mean seriously...don't LOL!!!

Okay a second helping for this week thanks to my Tweeters' appealing to my better side in the most inventive ways possible. I'll never forget that photographic evidence T LMAO!!!

This is unedited and I hope I proofed it vigilantly enough! Enjoy!

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The large brown wolf prowled silently through the dense forest. It was restless, sensing that soon it would be sublimated by its human half, and it wasn't happy at the prospect.

The animal detested being caged. It was the only word to describe what its human did to it. It was forced into submission, snarling ineffectively as it fought for a freedom it knew would only be granted on one night of every lunar month.

Last night had been that night. The moon had been at its fullest and the man who controlled the beast surrendered as he always did. The wolf had been free to run, free to hunt prey in all its savage glory until the tantalising scents of the bitches called to it.

The beast understood the pact its human had agree with the Lochlyn Alpha. At full moon, the lone wolf was allowed to run with the Pack despite not being a member. It was permitted to rut with any single bitches who were amenable to its lust.

The wolf growled low in its throat, satisfaction rolling through its big body. It had sated its lust with three different bitches. Its human had curled up in a tight ball deep inside as it had mated ecstatically with the females.

The man always detached from these engagements, always pretended they were not occurring. Which suited the wolf just fine. This was its reward for staying subjugated to the whims of man for the rest of the time. It was their private agreement carved out so many decades ago.

Stopping in the heart of the forest the wolf stared at the new sun as it shone through the trees. Usually its other half had taken over dominance by now. This morning the man hid further within its body, hiding from the wolf memories of the last succulent bitch it had rode mercilessly less than an hour before.

It was only the fact the animal understood so painfully well why its human half hid that it didn't rise up and take complete dominance, shedding the last of its humanity completely and going Rogue.

The wolf missed her too. It could still remember her scent, could still remember the sleek, glossy black fur when she was in animal form. Memories of running with its mate always surfaced on the night of the full moon. The animal grieved for its other half just as much as its human did but the wolf was more pragmatic.

Their beautiful mate was dead and had been for a very long time. They lived and they had to go on, it was as simple as that to the wolf. The man shut down, pretending he was living when he was really dead inside. The wolf did the only thing it could for its other half. It lived and loved with abandon for one night every month, keeping the man sane even though he would never thank him for it.

Scents suddenly carried on the wind and the huge wolf turned its head slowly, large blue eyes shining with interest. The scents piqued its interest immensely. It had never scented anything so unique before. There was wolf carrying on the wind, but it was a different kind of wolf. Very stealthily, the animal move off towards the intoxicating scents.

*****

"Daddy's going to be very angry!"

Stopping with a deep sigh, the little girl turned slowly to face her baby brother. He was almost a full year younger than her almost five years and yet she felt as if she was so much older than him sometimes.

She wanted to be cross with him but she couldn't find it in her heart to be mean. She adored her brother so much but she did wish he could be a little braver sometimes. They never got to have any real fun in the compound. He should be enjoying this new adventure, not being scared of Daddy finding out.

He was blinking nervously at her, his light brown hair falling in his eyes wildly as it always did and she couldn't help smiling. "Daddy will never know, Kallum. We'll only be gone for a minute and they're all still sleeping," she reassured him with all the poise of her tender years.

"It's okay for you, Lily. All you have to do is smile and Daddy always stops being angry with you. He frowns at me and tells me off." Kallum Romanov was very sensitive to his father's displeasure. He always felt bad if he was angry with him. His sister just seemed to let it all roll off her back and he envious of her confidence. He wished he was as brave as Lily.

"Don't you want to try shifting?" Lily tempted, devilment in her chocolate brown eyes. She knew it was something her brother was desperate to be able to do. Mummy said they wouldn't know until they were at least fifteen whether or not they would be able to shift into wolf form. Lily wasn't prepared to wait that long to find out. She wanted to know now!

That was all it took to ease her brother's concerns. He wanted to be a wolf like Rafe, big, strong and a powerful Alpha. He literally hummed with excitement, starting to peel off his pyjama top as she finished speaking.

"Not here, Kallum! We're too close to the compound. Just a little bit further." Reluctantly he followed his adored big sister deeper into the forest. She was very smart, was Lily. If she said they had to go further from the compound then she was probably right.

The siblings walked for a few minutes more before Lily decided they were far enough away that no one would sense them shifting. She was certain they would be able to do so. They had to because they couldn't grow fangs like Daddy so that meant they had to be able to shift into wolves like Mummy.

"Lily, do you smell that?" Kallum whispered, a hint of fear creeping into his tone as his eyes darted around the little clearing she'd led them to.

The moment he mentioned a smell she could scent it too. It was a wolf but not one that she recognised. "Get behind me, Kal," she breathed softly, moving to push her brother back as she looked towards the trees just as a large brown wolf entered the clearing.

All Lily's bravado left her in an instant as she stared at the giant animal looking down at them. It was a monster of the kind nightmares were made of. She opened her mouth to start screaming as loudly as possible when the wolf stopped moving and sat down, cocking its head to the side as it sniffed the air delicately.

A long thick strand of pure silver fur fell over one of its eyes and it looked so funny that Lily giggled instinctively, her fear forgotten. "You look funny," she laughed at the wolf, moving forward hesitantly and then with more confidence.

"Lily," Kallum wailed softly, fear shivering through him as his sister reached up towards the huge beast. He blinked when the wolf lowered its head slowly until she could touch the lock of silver fur.

"Kal, it's really soft," Lily laughed, delight in her voice. "It's okay. It's a nice wolf."

A little more hesitantly he joined his wild sister, his eyes wide with apprehension. "Daddy's really not going to like this," he whispered. "We're not allowed to go near wolves we don't know."

She ignored him, smiling into the face of the wolf. "Are you going to shift?" she asked curiously. "Kallum and I want to know if we can shift to wolf form but nobody will tell us how to. Will you?"

The wolf remained silent, watching the children intently, trying to work out just what they were. It scented vampire about them but it also scented wolf. It was confused and tried to draw out its human side to talk to them but the man was still wrapped within its body, ignoring it completely.

"Can you not shift to human form?"

The sound of the little girl's voice inside its head shook the wolf to its very core. No one had spoken to it mentally in over fifty years. The child shouldn't have been able to. The only good thing about this strangeness was it captured its human's attention and the man responded.

Dayton Alexander coiled within the animal, pressing his essence forward until he balanced precariously with his wolf. He looked down at the children before him, retaining his wolf form but conscious that the child had addressed him mentally.

It should have been impossible. Only his mate could talk with him in that manner, or a member of his pack in animal form. The scents of the children washed over him and he stiffened slightly. He knew them for what they were. For a brief instant he wondered if the girl was Cedar's and then he scented Loretta on her.

"What pack do you belong to?" He couldn't stop himself asking, though he already knew the answer.

"The Armand-Hanlon Pack," Lily answered gravely, trying not to smile at the sound of the wolf in her head. He had a very nice voice, deep and silky sounding.

Dayton closed his eyes, trying to block out the information she had given him. He had wandered too close to his Pack without realising it. He hadn't been thinking very straight since Ashleigh had turned up at his Gallery. He knew to stay as far away from this area as possible.

Yet, his Beta instincts were kicking in. The children were alone in the forest. It was dangerous for them. Long dead emotions were starting to rear up, a need to protect the vulnerable members of his pack screaming at him. He didn't know what to do. Most of him wanted to turn and run but the other part refused to let him move. The issue was taken out of his hands an instant later.

A loud hiss suddenly rent the air and Dayton tensed automatically, scenting vampires just as two of them dropped out of the trees. One had long flowing blond hair, the other wild light brown locks running down his back. In a instant the children were gone from in front of him, secured in the arms of the two vampires.

"Daddy, no!" Lily shouted, afraid for her new friend when she saw the expression on her father's face. He was furious but it wasn't at her and Kallum. He was angry with the wolf and he sometimes forgot to be human when he got that angry.

Andrei Romanov quivered as he tried to abstain from attacking the wolf. The need to rip the animal to pieces was unbearable but he was aware his babies would see any violence he committed and that held him back as nothing else could.

"Alexei, take the children back to the compound." He passed Lily into his brother's waiting arms, his cold eyes never once leaving the wolf.

"Daddy!" Lily shrieked desperately trying to wriggle free from her uncle. "Don't hurt him, Daddy! Please!"

"What the hell is going on?" an irate female voice demanded loudly. Loretta Simpson strode purposefully into the clearing, clad in hastily thrown on sweatpants and tank top. Her long brown hair was tangled, a deep scowl marring her pretty face.

She was angry and perplexed, seeing her mate, his brother and her children all in the clearing. One moment Loretta had been tucked up in bed with Andrei and the next he was snarling viciously and streaking from their bed, fear and a killing rage running through their mate bond. She'd followed as fast as she could, sleep still clouding her brain slightly.

"What are the kids doing out of bed?" Bewildered she stared at her children before turning to see what had Andrei so close to killing. Her entire body went rigid with shock, her eyes filling with unshed tears in an instant.

"Andrei, back away, baby," she said in a low tone, sending instant reassurance through their bond. "The children are fine, they're safe."

"He touched them," the growl erupting from Andrei's throat was feral, fury laced with hatred.

Loretta eased herself around her mate's body capturing his gaze even as he hissed at her furiously for getting between him and the dangerous wolf in their territory.

"He's a friend, Andrei. A very old friend. He would never do anything to hurt any child let alone a child of mine."

That got his attention and he relaxed slightly, surprise warring with the fury deep within him. His heart had almost stopped when he'd sensed Kallum's mental shout of fear. Finding his children gone had lodged fear so deep within him for a second he had actually frozen on the spot before he had called mentally for his brother.

Tracking Lily and Kallum to the clearing and finding them with the wolf had been the last straw to his fragile sanity. He would have killed the wolf on the spot if the children hadn't been present. Now it was sounding as if it was fortuitous that he hadn't.

Sensing her mate was now calm enough, Loretta turned to face the wolf who was staring at her with deep blue eyes that were so familiar even though she hadn't seem them in such a long time. She couldn't believe he was here, so close to the compound. She couldn't believe neither Aaron or Cedar were there to see him. With him rebuffing Ashleigh's visit so strongly, finding him close to home was staggering.

"Don't go," she said softly, seeing the instant the wolf made the decision to leave. "Please, Dayton."

Alexei stiffened slightly, his eyes intent as the wolf hesitated at Loretta's words. He knew that name well. Cedar has spoken of her lost brother on many occasions, a deep sadness invading her soul when she talked of him. When she learned he had been so close and she had missed seeing him, she would be devastated and that sparked a vicious anger inside the vampire.

Dayton shifted, staying crouched low to the ground, aware his nakedness may cause the vampires to react aggressively but trusting that Loretta would be able to contain them. She had handled the most dangerous one already quite adroitly. He had known her all her life and knew what her capabilities were.

"Loretta." It sounded strange to say her name after such a long time. Despite recently meeting Ashleigh, Loretta was the first old pack member he had spoken to in five decades. "It was not my intention to harm the little ones. I was in the area and scented them. I was curious as to why children would be out alone."

A slow smile curved over her lips even as she sighed wearily. "My children have a tendency to do things they know they shouldn't be doing. It's good to see you again, Dayton. We've missed you greatly."

He regarded her intently, his eyes devoid of all emotion. "They are curious and also very talented," he finally answered, ignoring the personal remark completely. "Your daughter asked me to teach her how to shift."

Loretta's eyebrows raised in surprise and she turned around to look at her errant children who were being remarkably silent in their uncle's arms considering the trouble they had just caused.

"She asked my wolf mentally," Dayton added causing her to gasp with shock, her head whipping around.

"Your wolf heard her?" she whispered.

He nodded. "And she heard me." He shifted to wolf form when he finished speaking. It had been an effort to talk to his former friend, not because he disliked her. He had only survived for as long as he had by keeping himself closed off from the past. Talking to Loretta had created the tiniest of cracks in his armour which he needed to repair. Too much had happened to assault his defences recently.

He didn't regret talking to her. She had needed to know about her daughter's abilities. He retained enough of his previous Beta instincts to feel a need to protect the vulnerable members of a pack. He had done what he had to. Now it was time to leave.

"Dayton, wait. Cedar and Aaron are here. They'd love to see you."

He hesitated again, hearing a low growl come from the blond vampire. He turned to meet cold, brown eyes that glinted with barely concealed fury. He could scent his sister on the vampire, knew that this man was her mate. He could also understand his fury. A long time ago he too had had the same instincts to protect his own mate from any harm, no matter what direction it came from.

He turned away again and streaked out of the clearing, disappearing into the trees. Dayton ran as hard and fast as he could before he was tempted to listen to Loretta, before he agreed to enter the Pack compound. Something deep within him told him he would never be the same again if he did.

He was miles away in barely a handful of minutes, a sweet scent rushing over him a moment before the sleek, black panther fell in beside him, matching his pace effortlessly. As always Rayne sensed when he was close to losing control. He hadn't seen her since she had turned up at the Gallery after Ashleigh's visit but somehow she had known that he was in need.

They ran silently through the trees, Dayton working on his inner barriers methodically until he reached the spot where he had left his clothes. He shifted instantly, unashamed of his nakedness before Rayne. She watched him in panther form as he pulled on his jeans and boots before she too shifted.

He had known instantly the first time he had watched Rayne shift that she was more than what she appeared be. The simple fact that she was fully dressed after her shift was a strong indicator of that. Clothes disintegrated when a Were shifted, which was why they usually tried to undress first so they had something to change back into when they returned to human form.

Rayne's clothes didn't disintegrate, or if they did, she had some way of forming new ones when she returned to human form. He didn't know what she fully was because she only ever allowed him to scent what she wanted. He found that he didn't care either. She was no threat to him and he trusted her. She accepted him for who and what he was and he returned that trust.

Now he watched her give a long lazy stretch, her midnight black hair loose and flowing down her back. Today she was dressed in a tight red tank top which bared her midriff, a pair of black jeans and black spiked ankle boots which laced with hooks and eyes. The sun glinted off her navel piercing as she stretched. A black leather jacket graced her slender shoulders.

"Interesting Pack," she said softly, moving to sit on an upturned boulder as she watched him pull on his T-shirt. "Those vamps are pretty hot, all those rippling muscles and sexy growls." She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a hair tie. She quickly secured her hair back in a loose ponytail as she continued to watch him dress.

It was her way of letting him know that she had been around the whole time, using her hidden ability which she called shadowing. She was able to mask herself from everyone's line of sight, no matter what the species. Add to that her ability to mask her scent and she became truly invisible.

Dayton stiffened at her words, shooting her a dark look. "They're mated. One of them to my sister. I suggest you don't try and play with them."

His comment brought a short, husky laugh from her lips. "I wasn't planning to, Day. But there's no harm in window shopping. Is there? That female vamp from the other day was pretty stunning to look at."

He blinked slowly, an image of Freya's face coming to his mind unbidden. She had been flawlessly beautiful. Logically he could admit that even though she left him completely cold as a man.

All women had done so since Faith had died. He knew denying his sexual appetites was dangerous so he had come to his agreement with his wolf. The animal was allowed to rut on the night of the full moon. It could do it as often and with as many bitches as it wanted. The trade off was it became dormant the rest of the time. His human half was left alone in his solitude.

Before the vampire had lain hands on him, the only other woman to touch his human skin since Faith had died was the woman sitting before him now. Nothing was allowed to sully his memories of being with his mate. Freya Eriksson had done so and he hated her for it.

His lips twisted in a bitter smile. "Only a fool gets sucked into the shallowness of beauty."