Chapter 38: Chapter 10

DAMON

Finn has his arms crossed over his chest as he stares down the intruder. The look in his eye is enough to make a person piss themselves. He gives me a nod but never takes his eyes off of the prisoner.

~“What’s up?”~

~“You’re gonna want to see this, it’s too good.”~

I look into the cell to find the prisoner huddled in a corner. “Well, well. So you have been lurking around my territory. What do you want?”

Owen Roberts slowly gets to his feet. His body has lost a lot of mass and he’s shaking. He looks so small and weak, it’s pathetic, almost sad. “I came for help, to ask if I can come back. I have nowhere else to go.”

~“What do you think?”~

~“I think he can’t hack it. Spoiled wannabe Alpha never learned what the real world is like.”~

~“That’s obvious by the state he’s in. I’m pretty sure he’s in the same clothes he left in. And he smells.”~

~“He did submit to you. He knows you can take him. Hell, Kya could take him.”~

~“She did. Broke his nose twice when he tried to rape her.”~

Finn growls angrily in his chest. ~“I don’t want a rapist anywhere near my mate!”~

~“Agreed. However, he was insanely obsessed with Kya… I don’t know what he’s like now. What should we do with him?”~

~“Send him to Dec. Let him deal with him.”~

~“Dec will kill him on sight.”~

~“Maybe we should too.”~

~“I grew up with the guy… I don’t want to be a softie, but I can’t send him to die either… One chance?”~

~“Command him that he’s not to be alone with any female.”~

“Kneel in front of me, Owen.” He does without hesitation. “I’m going to allow you to stay in my territory. You will have to earn your way into the pack. One screw up and you’re done.”

“I understand, Damon,” he quickly responds, but I have to put him in his place.

“I AM ALPHA RAMIREZ. YOU ARE NOT TO BE ALONE WITH ANY FEMALE.” His body stiffens and he bows his head. “You’ll stay here tonight while I figure out what to do with you. This is Beta Archer. He has no problem breaking your neck, just like Dec did to your dad. I have no problem letting him either.”

Owen sinks lower in the cell. “Understood, Alpha Ramirez.”

“Get him hot food and a blanket. We’ll deal with him tomorrow.” Finn nods and heads up the stairs. “Owen. I’m not sure what your plans are, but if you cross me, you’ll pay with your life.”

“I’m here because of Sarah.” Okay, curiosity piqued.

“What happened to Sarah?”

He answers immediately. “She lives in a camp with a bunch of rogues. She had the baby, it’s mine. I felt the bond the second she was born. I have a daughter named Jessica Alani.”

I just barely manage to keep control of my face to stop my mouth from dropping open in shock. I knew they were mates, but he rejected her.

“So, your new baby daughter sleeps in a tent in the middle of winter while you get a warm bed.” I cross my arms at his cowardice.

“No. It’s not like that. I’m doing this for her. She needs a pack.”

“She has family in the Redd pack. If not, she has a place here at the pack house, but you and your mate…we’ll have to see, won’t we?”

“Yes, Alpha.”

“I’ll inform Dec about Alana’s niece. Alana will want to know what happened to her sister.” I leave the cells and call Dec to fill him in on everything. He informs me that he’ll send Chase and Alana to pick the baby up, but Sarah is still not welcome in his pack.

The pack house is decorated in twinkle lights and garland. Mom, Bianca, Felix, and June are getting everything ready for tomorrow. Finn grabs B from behind to rub her barely there baby bump. He kisses her cheek then steals a piece of chocolate.

She laughs and leans into him then kisses his cheek. It makes me happy to know my sister has such a good mate. I made a good choice in him as my beta. “Mom. I’ll send you some more help. Where do the girls sleep?”

My mom kisses my cheek. “We have three on the second floor and Natalie on the third. Why, Mijo?”

“We have a new guest, but I don’t want him near the girls. I know it’s extra work, but I want the girls moved to the third floor and my office will be his room. Where’s Pop?”

“Down at the greenhouse.” I kiss her cheek then steal a chocolate from B. I give her a kiss on the cheek and muss her hair. She swats at me as I head out the door with a laugh.

“Hey, Pop. We need to take a trip to no-man’s land.” I fill him in on the plan and we get moving. I want Owen on the ground floor, away from everyone else.

“I’ll keep Owen under my watch. He can work the greenhouse and only go in for sleep, food, and showers. You’re a merciful alpha. I don’t know that I could let him stay.”

“The only thing he did to our pack was try to be controlling. What he did to Kya was because he lost his mind. Even then, that was his sick father pulling his twisted strings. I did warn him that he only gets one chance. I don’t want him training either. The last thing I need is him learning to fight.” I look at the boxes in the back of my dad’s truck. “Do we have room for any more furniture?”

Dad looks over the pile. “Why, Mijo? We have plenty at the pack house.”

“For the alpha house. With my office at the pack house occupied, I’ll be at the alpha house more.” Dad nods and we get a few more items stacking them in the back of his truck and my jeep.

Finn, Cameron, Melissa, and Spencer come to help set up for the party tomorrow while my dad and I transfer my office and convert it into a single person room. Once we’re finished, I head to the hospital.

I hear Natalie scream as soon as I walk through the doors. I rush to her room. Her palms are blue and a nurse, Gail, is stiff against them. I grab Natalie’s wrists and pull them away. Gail drops to the ground. “Natalie! Natalie! Marlena, get in here! Natalie, wake up!”

Natalie gasps and her eyes open. “Damon,” she breathlessly utters then cries into my chest. Marlena rushes in with two more nurses. Natalie sees the commotion and hops out of the bed. Her hands glow white and she gives Gail her healing energy. Gail’s eyes open so I pull Natalie away. “What happened to her?”

Natalie is confused and concerned, but Marlena and the nurses have Gail taken care of. They wheel her into another room. I sit Natalie down and explain what I saw. “That was you. Your power was blue. She was trying to wake you, but you must’ve been fighting in your sleep… Now, tell me about your nightmare.”

Natalie holds her head in her hands and wipes at her fallen tears. “It’s not a nightmare. It’s a memory.”

I pull up a chair so I’m facing her. I sandwich her hands in mine. “What happened to you? You can trust me, Nat.”

Her eyes look so innocent and scared. “I know, Damon. I trust you. It was when I was younger. I just turned for the first time when my mom beat me and I ran away. I lived in wolf form because I was too scared to be in human form. One night I heard a woman scream. I changed and went toward her. She was pretty mangled. I started healing her. I didn’t control it. It was like I just had the need to do it. When she was alert, she grabbed my hands and told me to run.”

Natalie stops speaking. She closes her eyes and shakes her head as more tears pool to the surface.

I hold her cheek with one hand and wipe her tears. “I’m here, Natalie.” I try to be as gentle with her as possible. I move a lock of hair over her ear. She sniffles then looks at me.

She takes a breath. “I was too late. The man that hurt her saw me. He grabbed me from behind and wrestled me to the ground. He ripped my clothes. I was so scared. He told me no one would come for me. I don’t know how it happened, but he stopped breathing and fell off of me…

“I didn’t have control of my power… I had never seen it turn blue before…that was the only time… I didn’t mean to kill anyone.” Her sobs rack her body so I pull her to me. She sits on my lap and I hold her tight, comforting her. Her forehead rests in the crook of my neck and she holds onto my shoulders.

“Natalie, you were young and scared. You were in danger. It’s not your fault.”

She nods her head, but continues to weep.

“I’m glad you got away. He could’ve really hurt you.”

She looks up at me. “Am I bad?” Her eyes are so innocent and pure.

I shake my head. “No. There’s not an ounce of bad in you.”

She wipes her face. “The Moon Goddess stopped talking to me after that.”

I can’t help the smile that falls to my face. “The Moon Goddess doesn’t talk to everyone. In fact, Finn thought I was crazy when I told him she spoke to me. She told you that you’re special, and you are. She just gave you the help you needed at the time. You didn’t need her help after that.

“You’re strong and smart. You have powers that are more than a healer. I forgot to show you last night, but the tome I’m reading explains about different powers wolves have possessed. You seem to have all of them. Now you need to learn to control them, just like you do your healing power.”

“So, I’m not a healer? Am I a witch?”

I shake my head. “You’re far more powerful. Witches are different than they used to be. They do things involving Mother Earth. You have actual powers. It’s not magic. Your powers are gifts.”

She looks at her hands and she brings up the white light. She watches them but nothing changes. She drops her hands and looks at me. “What do I do?”

“We’ll start after the party. I want you to experience an actual Solstice, werewolf style.” I kiss her head then get her to her feet. If I continue to hold her, I could lose control.