Chapter 6 - Grace

The cloudless sky had my attention. A nice breeze passed over my muzzle. I looked around my small backyard. My home didn't lead into the forest as others did. I had a fireproof dome that a swinging dog door led to.

This was my safe place when I was in a mood or my past was getting the most of me. I slept out here last night, in wolf form. I didn't look like a dog as most Mahani did. I was an Elemental with control over fire.

We had a shift into a wolf and also a transformation into a larger wolf. I would become itchy and bitchy, just like a normal wolf, if I didn't shift regularly. However, Elementals could go our whole lives and never transform. We can only transform the first time with the help of a Mahani Blood Alpha. My transformation is only used for work and training.

I had a normal back door that led to a small patio if I wanted to sit outside. There are two ways out of my dome, the dog door into the house and a gate latch in the back that can only be reached in human form.

I could sense through the bond with my sisters that something was going on, but they weren't sharing it with me. I didn't sleep much and awoke twice breathing fire, so I let it go as I didn't have the proper control to help.

However, my curiosity was getting to me so I called Delta Four, my bestie, to find out.

"Good morning. I know you're busy but any chance you can tell me what's going on?"

I could feel my thought go through but she didn't respond right away. It was several minutes later before she answered me.

"It's been a bad morning. One of the Gammas was drugged, kidnapped, raped, and forcibly marked before the Betas could get to him. The amount of drugs used would have killed him without medical attention. We believe the brothers helping the Blood Alpha did it purposely in an attempt to kill the Blood Alpha but we are still sorting it out."

"My Goddess," I whispered. "How is the Gamma holding up?"

"His human is unconscious and Blood Alpha Cooper calmed his wolf to sleep. He is healing well but I can't imagine he will be good for a long while."

"I'll contact Nicolas and ask if there is anything I can do. What happened to the Blood Alpha?"

"He is being held in the BA (Blood Alpha) holding cells. He will go in front of the Council later today." She stuttered a bit as she said that and I knew there was more.

"Tell me!" I demanded. I could feel her stress and emotions were close to breaking.

"It was Nicolas."

*******

"Let me go in!" I yelled at the Beta guarding the door to Nicolas' room.

"I'm sorry, Alpha. The Blood Alpha said no one was to enter."

I had been updated that the FMT (Fated Mate Talk) was being given now as she was found when her own Blood Alpha called after she collapsed. I can't interrupt that to get permission. As angry as I was, I knew better.

I stomped my displeasure as I headed back to the Elemental housing. Instead of going home, I went to Doc's.

I entered without knocking and found my sister in the kitchen, scrubbing a spotless counter, a forgotten cup of coffee sitting on the stove warmer.

"Before you start screaming," she said out loud, "if his mate wants to meet him, a female scent on him could mess up the process. You know this."

I growled in frustration. Yes, I knew this. I just didn't care. With as much as the Elementals hated Nicolas at times, he was our confidant, our secret keeper, and our trusted friend. He would do ANYTHING for us.

My wolf let her feelings known. She trusted him too. She wanted to comfort him.

My sister stopped her cleaning and pulled me into a much-needed hug.

"We are going to have to help each other until he finds his new normal. Talk to me about yesterday. I'm your therapist today."

My crazy, funny, prank-loving sister was going to try to be serious. No, thank you.

"Doc, I love you, but that's not going to happen. I'll talk to Gamma Two when she's free. How are you holding up?"

She didn't argue because she knew I wouldn't talk to her about my past. She had her own set of demons. I wasn't adding in mine.

"As good as can be expected. I have a paper due so I'm going to try to work on that while waiting to see how the FMT turns out. If she's going to reject him, they will have to wait. Neither is strong enough now," she paused as she turned away from me.

"She's an Alpha," she said softly.

My heart went into my throat. Alphas almost always reject Mahani mates. They are too arrogant to handle having a lower-ranking mate who is more powerful.

Nicolas is not going to recover from this without outside help.

"Has anyone contacted his birth tribe?"

"Yes. Blood Alpha Kelly is arriving this afternoon. He wanted to wait until Nicolas was awake."

Both my sister and I jumped as an excited voice entered our heads.

"Delta Four to Alphas One, Two, and Three!"

"Go ahead Delta Four." Leah said as we all linked our minds.

"Blood Alpha Cooper has issued a Mate Meet for tomorrow with Nicolas!"

None of us responded at first, as the shock set in. Does she want to be his mate?

"Delta Four, can you send us the file on the fated mate?" came from Doc.

"Sending now." Doc and I took out our tablets and pulled up the files.

"My goddess," whispered Doc. "His mate is Kayla Sinclair."

I glanced at my sister before reading further. The name sounded familiar but I couldn't place it.

Then I saw it. She's the Alpha she-wolf that survived the Wolf Camp massacre. She was able to prevent herself from shifting, which saved her life, as the drugged Alpha wolves were killing anyone who did.

I was 14 when it happened and I remember the chaos after.

The seventeen-year-old Alphas arrived first. An Alpha she-wolf decided on another Alpha as her choice mate, as hers had died before she came of age. He had a fated mate and refused her. When the lower-ranking wolves arrived the second week, his fated mate was among them. She was an Omega. The Alpha she-wolf was furious and drugged the Alpha males.

She knew they would kill any wolf that shifted, as that was her plan. Every Omega at camp was killed as well as a few Gammas, as they shift easily when under duress. The Alpha had tried to protect his new Omega mate but was overpowered.

Kayla had tried to trap the Alpha males together, away from the others that hadn't shifted yet. It worked but at a huge cost to her as she ended up stuck in the room with them. The males were in human form and overpowered her easily. She was raped over and over again but refused to shift.

It took the leaders almost an hour to get the antidote and pump it into the room.

The families of those killed ripped the she-wolf's head off and shredded her body. Her father still swears her innocence, even with proof of her actions, and holds a grudge against those involved.

Kayla spent a month in one of our facilities, healing physically and mentally. Even with wolf super healing, she would never have pups. The damage was too great.

The lives she saved that day will never take away the pain she endured. This sounded all too familiar.

She would make a great Mahani.