Chapter 4 - Sam

Within minutes of hanging up with Blood Alpha Sinclair, a file was handed to me. It was bigger than it should be. I settled down to read it.

Kayla was at the Wolf Camp for this region 8 years ago. It was the year of the massacre. I remember it well as the father of the she-wolf that caused it to happen is still causing trouble for those involved. He never accepted the death of his daughter.

What I'm reading matches up with the information in Nicolas' medical file. He almost died that day, but he was born and raised in a different region, so we didn't put them together until now.

If she rejects him, it will kill them both right now as they are too weak from the attack. It's better if I go and speak to her directly. From what I know of this pack, they may accept a Mahani. While I'm hopeful, she is an Alpha. They normally will not tolerate a lower-ranked mate.

I sigh heavily as I walk over to the medical building.

"How is he?" I ask the Omega in charge.

"His human side is unconscious, but his wolf is awake and whining. It's concerned for its mate and the children."

As I walk into the room, glowing eyes turn to me and whined. At least he is staying in human form without me giving an Alpha command.

"Your children are fine," I said through our link. "I've also located your mate."

Several images and emotions bombarded my brain at once. Severe stress seemed the most prevalent one. He was happy but scared and concerned about how much pain she must be in.

"She's an Alpha. She's tough."

He let out a loud whine, thinking the same thing I did. He's a Gamma, which is several rankings lower. The odds of her accepting him were very low.

Most Alphas and Betas will mix, but most won't go lower. Deltas, Gammas, and Omegas normally don't care about rank, only the love of the matebond.

"Relax, my friend. Get some sleep. We will talk when I return."

I nuzzled his hair and squeezed his hand. He closed his eyes and relaxed. This is one of the perks of being an Alpha, calming others. It's a bit harder when it's another Alpha, but it can be done.

I contacted my daughters, letting them know where I was going and headed outside. Looking at the clear sky, I realize it's such a pretty day. I hope it gets better. Nicolas didn't deserve this.

I check the time, pull a ring out, and open a portal. I see the Blood Alpha waiting, so I reel in as much of my power as I can, before stepping through. My natural Alpha aura will bring a lesser wolf to its knees or force a spontaneous shift. I'd like to keep that to a minimum.

"How are you, Alex?"

"Honestly," he paused. "I'm very stressed by the situation itself as well as you being here."

"I'm sorry, but this was something I needed to do in person. Can we speak privately with Kayla?"

"Of course."

He led us into his castle and through several winding halls before coming to a closed door. I could feel a few people in the room as well as a sense of family.

This is going to get interesting and I'm not sure if that's in a good way.

"Blood Alpha Cooper, may I present my second in command, Lachlan. Next to him is my head of technology, Keith. Beside them is their parents, Theo and Mary Sinclair. This is their sister, my cousin, Kayla," he said as he pointed to the woman barely standing on her own but refusing help, even though it was obvious she needed it.

"It is my pleasure to meet you. My apologies that it is under such circumstances. Please be seated."

"We need to speak to Kayla. If you will excuse us," Alex stated.

"Pardon me, Alpha, but if you approve, I'd like them to stay." I've been in this situation many times and I know it's best to tell it once to all than to separate them.

"Of course."

Once everyone was seated, I turned to Kayla.

"I'm so sorry this happened. We were able to get to him within minutes but it was too late to stop the damage. It was a well-planned attack."

"Is he going to be alright?" she asked softly.

"Eventually. The physical damage has been taken care of but it may be a while before the emotional damage fades. It never truly goes away."

Her eyes came up and held mine as she whispered, "I know."

"Kayla, the reason you can still feel the matebond is that it wasn't broken when he was forcibly marked. He is Mahani."

I waited a moment to judge her reaction. My heart filled with hope when she didn't sneer at the thought. She just looked interested. I waited a moment before continuing.

"Mahani are fated with normal wolves except for the Blood Alphas, which are mated to another Mahani. We, as a whole, are rejected about 70% of the time so our chosen mates are normally made within the Mahani."

I could see the horror on their faces, and my hope soared.

"Mahani are rejected for 5 main reasons. The first is that our fated mates will NEVER be the same rank as us. This pairing is frowned upon in most packs and some that follow the old ways even have laws against it.

"The second is our shifts do not look like pack wolves. We were put here by the Moon Goddess to do a specific task and to do that task well, we must seem approachable, especially to those who are terrified of their current situation. An abused child will come to us because we look cute and cuddly, like an oversized dog.

"The third is we do not live in packs, so the Mahani will go to live with their mate unless the situation is abusive. This can be embarrassing for the pack and the pack member who is the fated mate. As we all know, wolves are prideful creatures and this is a very big issue.

"Fourth is we have made enemies over the last five millennium. These enemies target our children and families. An unhappy pack member who complains or gossips to another in a public place has resulted in people being tortured and killed many times.

"And lastly, we come with emotional baggage. Between what we see and what our friends and families have been through take a toll on us. We may be the most powerful wolves alive, but we are not the greatest catch."

I took a deep breath, letting what I just said sink in before continuing.

"I also have more to tell you all. Kayla isn't the only one mated to a Mahani." I turned to the two brothers.

"Both of you are as well."