Chapter 19

Gabriel

I gazed at Erik, my mind spinning. How could this be? The border had been solid for nearly fifty years, yet here he was, telling me my little pup was part werewolf.

If this was true, it made her ordeal even more horrific. Don’t get me wrong, no pup should endure what she had, but to do this to one of our own—it felt like a war cry.

I wondered if they knew. Was that why they treated her so horribly? What about her brother, did he know? Was he a hybrid too? Did she feel different?

“Does she know, Erik?” I asked.

Erik shook his head.

“I don’t think so, she’s too young to understand.”

I squinted at him; she’d told us she was twelve. Pups usually discovered their wolf between eight and ten.

“So, she doesn’t have a wolf?”

Erik ran his fingers through his hair.

“Gabriel,” he started, “you need to know something. There’s not much information on hybrids. Anything I found was over fifty years old.”

I stared at him, sensing he was trying to cushion some kind of blow.

“What are you saying, Erik? Is she in danger?”

Erik shook his head.

“No, Gabriel, quite the opposite.

“It’s just that, with the information I have, her build, and everything we know about her life so far,” he paused, “I’d guess that she isn’t twelve years old...I’d say she’s much younger.”

I raised my eyebrows and took a deep breath.

“How much younger?”

“Well,” Erik scratched his head, “based on size and height, comparing werewolf pups and human pups, considering the lack of meat in her diet and its poor quality...”

“Erik!” I growled, “I don’t need a fucking biology lesson! Just tell me how old you think she is?”

Erik swallowed nervously.

“I think she’s somewhere between six and eight,” he blurted, “I can’t be sure, it’s an educated guess.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

“How old...” I swallowed, “when...”

I didn’t need to finish; he knew what I was asking.

He sighed, “probably about a year or two ago. As you know, werewolf pups don’t get their enhanced healing abilities until they sense their wolves. She may or may not have a wolf.

“Time will tell. Most pups sense their wolves at around ten. I don’t know if that’s different for hybrids; I’m no expert.

I nodded.

“Is there one? An expert, I mean?”

Erik shrugged, “I’ll make some calls. If there is, they’ll be old. You should ask your father; someone on the council might know.”

I stood up, still reeling from the news.

“Should I tell her?” I asked.

Erik shrugged again. We were both in uncharted territory, I guessed.

“It won’t be easy for her, finding out that her father wasn’t really her father. I’d guess that her mother was human. How a wolf impregnated her, we’ll probably never know.

“It could be her mate snuck across the border, or she was raped by a rogue. The man who acted as her father, even for a short time, must have known.”

I sighed. I didn’t want her to despise the man she loved as a father. I just wondered if he chose this path for her, knowing she wasn’t his.

A lot of things started to make sense now. The curiosity, the fatigue. The way she had become more attached.

“She sleeps a lot, is that normal?” I asked.

Erik nodded, “I’m not sure how she managed before. She was probably running on autopilot. Likely not even aware of what she was doing. Now she’s using her brain.

“Panic attacks and flashbacks will tire her. Just let her sleep when she needs to. How’s the feeding going?”

I chuckled, “she loves sweets, but I’m getting her to eat small portions of regular food. Today might be an exception. Mom baked cookies. She probably had Ellie try every single one!”

Erik laughed, “I always remember when we were kids, your mom’s cookies were legendary.”

Erik’s face turned serious, “be careful with too much sugar though. Try and explain to your mom about a balanced diet.”

I rolled my eyes, “Yeah, right. You try and explain to her why she shouldn’t spoil her newest grand-pup.”

Erik laughed. He knew my mom just as well as I did.

With nothing else to discuss, I headed back to my parents' house. My thoughts drifted to who Ellie’s father might be. Was it possible that Ellie’s real father was still alive?

Maybe even living in my pack. If Ellie’s mother had died, and she was his mate, he would have felt it. Or was it the other possibility, that Ellie’s father was a rogue.

I doubted that. A rogue would likely have just gone on a killing spree. That left the other option, that her father was still alive. If he found out about her, would he try and claim her?

Over my dead body, that little girl was mine.

The front door to my parents' house was unlocked, so I walked in. Dad was sitting on the edge of the sofa, gently stroking Ellie’s forehead with his thumb.

“Is everything ok?” I whispered, careful not to wake her.

My dad looked at me and smiled. It was nice to see his softer side for a change.

“She was a little restless. This always used to work with your sister when she was a pup, albeit a lot younger than this little one.”

“Don’t be so sure of that, Dad,” I countered.

He frowned. Then, with one last check on Ellie, he stood up.

“What do you mean?”

“I just had a chat with Erik. Turns out, she’s half werewolf. He thinks she’s about six or seven.”

My father’s face mirrored the shock I’d felt when Erik had shared the news with me.

“He’s certain?” My father asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

I nodded. “As certain as he can be. The swab I took today will give us a definite answer.”

I watched as my father’s eyes filled with unshed tears.

“Poor little thing,” he murmured, his voice breaking.

He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and seemed to regain some of his composure.

“I don’t want your mother to know about...” He trailed off, but I knew what he meant.

“She’s already upset about the pool incident, the beating, and the shooting,” he added.

I nodded, then glanced at Ellie.

“I’m not going to tell Ellie about her being half werewolf yet either. It’s going to be tough for her to accept that the man she thought was her father isn’t.”

My father nodded in agreement.

“Does Erik have any idea who the father might be?”

I shook my head. “No, and it’s probably for the best. If he’d been there for her, she wouldn’t have had to suffer so much.”

My father nodded again, then placed a hand on my shoulder.

“We’ll help her through this, Gabriel. We’ll help her heal from her past and come to terms with her heritage. We’re her family now.”

I smiled at my father. I hadn’t seen this softer side of him growing up. He was always too focused on preparing me to become Alpha. I liked this side of him.

“Thanks... Dad... I appreciate it.”

He smirked at me. “The last time you called me Dad, you were about her age... I like it.”

I rolled my eyes.

“There’s something you could do for me?” I asked.

“Name it, son. Anything for my granddaughter,” he replied, his gaze softening as he looked at her sleeping form.

“Erik thought you might know someone who has experience with hybrids. We just don’t know what to expect. We don’t even know if she’ll get a wolf.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he replied, “but right now, I think our little girl is waking up.”

He was right. A small groan of annoyance escaped her lips, and she began to rub her eyes.

I sat on the edge of the sofa.

“Hey, pickle, did you have a good nap?” I asked.

She groaned again.

“Still sleepy, huh?”

She hummed in response.

I picked her up, hoping to gently wake her.

Suddenly, she looked panicked.

“What’s wrong, pickle?” I asked quickly.

The last thing I wanted was for her to start crying again.

“I lost wolf,” she whimpered.

I looked around, wondering where it had gone. She was quite attached to it. I hoped I could find it before she started crying.

Luckily, my father stepped in.

“I think your Nana has him, in the kitchen,” he soothed, “why don’t you stay with me, and your daddy can go find him?”

Ellie looked at my father, then at me, clearly torn. I wanted her to bond with both my parents, not just my mother.

“Why don’t you stay with Grandpa...I mean Gramps, and I’ll go find your wolf. I need to have a chat with your Nana anyway,” I suggested.

My father held out his arms, and I encouraged her to go to him. She looked a little worried, but I smiled at her.

As I walked to the door, I paused for a moment.

“Now, sweetheart,” my father began, “how about a story?”

He sat on the chair, and perched her on his knee.

“I never had a story, Grandpa,” Ellie replied.

My father chuckled, “well let me see...” he hesitated for a second.

“Ahh, I know… Once upon a time there was a little girl with golden hair and blue eyes, just like you...”

Ellie gazed at my father, completely captivated.

“One day she decided to go for a walk in the woods...”

“Did she get shot...like me?”

My father stifled a laugh, “No, pumpkin, she didn’t. Would you like me to carry on?”

Ellie nodded, and he gently kissed her on the top of her head.

“Ok then, where was I?”

“The little girl was going for a walk, but didn’t get shot...” Ellie concluded.

My father chuckled.

At that point, I left them to it. If Murdoch thought I was going to be wrapped around her little finger, then he had no idea what was in store for her grandpa.