Wolf Creek Alpha (Texas Pack 1) (19 page)

“Me and my brothers will go and talk to her.  She knows she is family to us and we’d never hurt her,” Rafe stated.

“I’d like to be there too.  Maybe I can answer questions for her and she can tell me what happened,” said Dunstan. 

Rafe thought it over.  Whereas they were her adopted family, Dunstan was blood.  He decided both Dunstan and Lisa should come.  Since Lisa had the vision, she
may be able to
help Anna remember things she’d forgotten. 

“My brothers and I
, along with Dunstan and Lisa will go.  I think one
fae
showing up on her doorstep is enough.  Lisa, you may be able to help with her memories, since she was so young in your vision.”

“I’ll
come,
but she may not be comfortable with me being there.  I only met her once, and she may not want me digging around in her memories.”

Lisa had liked Anna as soon as she’d met her, but getting in her head would be somewhat intimate.  Knowing how
reserved Anna was, she was afraid she wouldn’
t agree to it. 

“I’ll go around the back of her cabin.  I’m
afraid if she sees
Dunstan with us, she may run,” said Ian.

“No sense putting this off, we’ll go now,” Rafe declared.

Leaving through the kitchen, the group headed towards the cabins in back.  Dunstan was uneasy.  Thinking about having a sibling and actually meeting
one was very nerve wracking.  Funny, he’d faced down his father’s flunkies and his father too with less trepidation.
  The short walk didn’t give him any time to prepare.  He watched
warily,
as Rafe knocked on her door, with Lisa beside him.

“Devlin, Dunstan, hang back.  Let me speak with her a moment before we all go in.”

Anna was reading when she heard the knock.  Automatically sniffing the air, she recognized Rafe and Lisa’s scent.
  Wondering why they would seek her out, she opened her door, smiling.
  She couldn’t see beyond Rafe, he was blocking her view. 

“Hi Anna, there’s something we need to discuss with you.  Would it be all right if we all came in?” asked Rafe solemnly.

Anna laughed, “We all?  What, have a stowaway in your pocket?”

Rafe stepped aside and motioned Devlin and Dunstan forward. 
Her face went white when she saw Dunstan. 

“It’s all
right,
Anna.  No one here will harm you.  You’ve known me for years.  I wouldn’t bring anyone
to your home to hurt you
.  It’s important we speak with you,” Rafe calmly reassured her.

Lisa stepped forward, putting her arm around Anna’s shoulders to support her.  “Please, may we come in and sit down?”

Anna motioned for them to enter, going to sit quietly on her couch.  Lisa sat beside her with her arm still around her.  All these years, she’d hidden.  Now it was all over.  Tears slowly ran down her cheeks. 
With that man being
fae
, she knew he would tell them that she was too.

Rafe sat on her other side.  “I’m not going to drag this out.  Anna, this is Dunstan.  He is part dark
fae
, part wolf.  We’
ve come to believe he’s
your brother.”

“
Whaaat
?” she stuttered.  Stunned, she could only look at Rafe in confusion.  Lisa had reached up to wipe the tears from her face. 

Dunstan stepped forward and knelt down in front of her.  Tak
in
g her hands, he told her his story
.  Anna was fascinated. 
Could this man really be her brother? 
She kept staring at him, trying to see a resemblance.  There was so
mething familiar about what he told her
.
The castle, the woman he said was their mother.  She got chills when he talked about Ciar. 

She said the only thing she could think of.  “We look nothing alike.”

Dunstan chuckled.  “No, I look like our father, much to my regret.  But you, you look so much like
Mother
,
it floored me when I saw you.  She had long blonde hair just like yours.”

Anna started crying again, but these were
happy tears.  “I have a blood brother
!”
  She threw her arms around Dunstan, almost knocking him over. 

“Thrown over so easily, you wound me,” Devlin joked. 

Laughing, they were relieved it had gone so well
.  Ian had come in once
he knew she wasn’t running away. 
The brothers hugged her, feeling
as if
a weight had been lifted.

“He may be your real
brother,
but we are still your family
.  We’ve always thought of you as our
little
sister, you know,” said Rafe.

Lisa was crying now also.  Hugging Anna, they sat back down on the sofa. 
Dunstan sat beside her this time, knowing it would be difficult for her to tell her story to them.

“We’ve always known there was something you were hiding.  We never wanted to push you, hoping you would come to us.  Knowing you’re part dark
fae
, doesn’t change how we feel about you.  We know you don’t have an evil bone in your body.”  This was the longest speech Ian had ever made to her.  He made her realize she should have trusted them long ago.

“I’m so sorry I’ve lied to you all for so long.  I was told to never tell anyone about my
fae
half.  I was s
o young
when it was ingrained in me.”

“By
who,
Anna?  Our mother?  Do you remember her?” asked Dunstan hopefully.

Anna cast her mind back
to t
hose memories from so long ago that she had tried to forget.  She remembered being scared, running from something or someone.  She couldn’t remember the
person’s
face, she thought sadly.

“I remember someone pulling me along, running.  I can’t see their face.  I put so much of that early time behind me, trying to forget.  There was so much fear, I just blocked it out.”

“I think we should let Dunstan and Anna get to know one another.  We’ll all go up to the house for lunch.  Anna, when you’re ready, Lisa may be able to help retrieve those memories.  I don’t want you under any pressure to relive that time.  If or when you want
to
try, come to me,” with that, Rafe leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

“Thank
you,
Rafe,” Dunstan said sincerely. 

Rafe’s
mother was in the kitchen when they entered. 
After explaining the situation, Liz wanted to go and assure Anna this would always be her home and family. 

“I left Dunstan with her so they could talk.  Mom, wait to go to her
after
they’ve had some time.”

“I’ll go see her later today then.  Everyone sit.  I’ve made soup and it’s ready now,” said Liz.

Mack came in and sat to down to eat.  They all started explaining what had taken place.  He thought back to when he’d met her.  He remembered how timid she’d been.  He always thought someone had abused her and she was running.  To think
her father
was the one
she was running away from
made him angry. 
Fathers should cherish their children. 
Thank
God,
she’d gotten away.

“I th
ink we need to go and visit Chase
,” Robert said sitting down at the table.  “After meeting Dunstan, I don’t believe he is the ‘darkness’ the seer spoke of.”

“I’m thinking
the same.  With Dunstan’s revelat
ions about Ciar, I believe that is
the darkness
she saw
.  I
don’t think it’s a coincidence he showed up now,
” said Rafe.  “
I’d like to talk to his seer in person.”
   

“Dunstan’s story was that he was sum
moned by that guy
having his dirk. 
How did that dirk go missing? It’s
bothered me since he told us.  I want to track this guy down that had it and question him,” said Ian. 

“Do that.  But first, wait
until Dunstan finishes speaking
with
Anna.  I think it would be a good idea to take him with y
ou.  He knows this guy, Stephen,” Rafe said.

“Just checking, but are you sure you trust Dunstan?  I know you l
eft him with Anna, but we don’t
have much
to go on,” said Robert.

“Like I told Ian, I trust Lisa,” Rafe stated firmly. 

Oh, great.  They’ve known me three days and now I’m responsible if something happens to the pond or the wolves,
Lisa was thinking. 

“Umm, like I said, Dunstan is a good soul, but I’m not
a psychic
.  I don’t want anything to happen to anyone
here, or something going wrong with the pond,” she said nervously.

“You are not responsible for my wolves or the pond.  We’ve protected both
of them
all our lives, and if evil comes, it wasn’t brought by you,”
Rafe stated.

Rafe and Ro
bert left after contacting Chas
e to see if he was available.

Lisa went looking for Stephanie, hoping to spend some time with her and the girls.
 

Colin had brought them back to the castle after the meeting, thinking they would be safest there.
 
His parents were still fierce wolves, but there were more guards at the castle. 

After learning they were down at the pond, Lisa went to her room to get Kiki.  The kitten would enjoy getting out of the bedroom for a
while, she thought. 

She found Stephanie chasing the girls through the grass
out front
.  Lisa sat down, releasing the kitten to play. 
It wasn’t long before they all came and sat down with her.

“I thought Colin took the girls to his parents?”

“Robert gave us the all clear after learning Anna was probably Dun
stan’s sister.  Isn’t that a kicker
?  Threw me for a loop.  Anyway, after he dropped them off here, he went back to the house to get more of the girl’s things, He thin
ks we may be here awhile.”

“I think that’s a good idea, since they’re still worried about this prophecy.  I’m at a loss to what I’m supposed to do now.  Just hang around, waiting until
Rafe’s
free to spend time with me?
  I don’t think so.
”

“How about tomorrow we take the girls to the zoo?  They love seeing the animals and we can get away from here for a while.”

“That sounds great.  Too bad Colin will be back at work.  I know he’d love going along too,” said Lisa. 

“Yeah, he does love those girls.  Well, and me too,” she laughed. 

Deciding they had been out
in the heat long enough, they all went inside for a cold drink and
for them
to cool
down.
  After putting the girls down for a nap, they relaxed in the great room.

“I’ve got some questions for you,” Lisa paused.  “What if I’m not the right one for Rafe?  I mean, he tells me it’s forever and I keep thinking, what if he’s made a mistake?  With all that’s happened, my mind is just too confused right now.”

“Then it will be good for you to get away tomorrow.  We’ve all been on tightropes these last couple of days.  We’ll enjoy the zoo and not worry about anything else.  As far as you not being the right one,
these wolves don’t make those
kind of mistake
s
.  They know instantly when they meet their mate.  Make him take you on a date.  Get away from here and all his responsibilities so y’all can just talk.”

She was right.  They’d only had a short time alone together. 
There were always others around.  T
hey hadn’t had an opportunity to spend time just learning about each other. 

“
Now,
on to the good stuff.  Is he a sloppy kisser, all slobber and tongue?  Or smash your teeth kind of guy?”

“Neither,” Lisa laughed.
“He was very smooth, no bumping
noses a
t all.  If it wasn’t for all this wolf stuff
, have sex and you’re mates for life thing, I’d be a happy girl right now.”

“
Ohhh
, so now you’re just frustrated?  I heard what you can do with a rock, I’d better be careful,” Stephanie said grinning. 

“Yeah, watch out, I’m dangerous. 
Seriously,
though, it did scare me to see what I could do.  Although after practicing a bit, I could feel the magic, you know?  I could send out a little, or a lot.  It felt better once I understood how to control it.”