Chapter 5: Secrets Withheld

When Darren awoke he was laying in his bed. "What happened?" he groaned aloud, the left side of his face feeling as though he had just been hit by a brick.

Sitting up he noticed his door cracked and something folded laid on the ground. Slowly getting up he replays what had happened before everything went black He was yelling at Sephrina for fighting with Kyle then about her being or not being a werewolf. 'So a mortal like you-' That's when he felt pain explode in his jaw and ear. He felt the whisper of something else there. 'Who said I am a mortal.' The words were so faint he couldn't tell if he had actually heard them or if they had just been in his head.

Picking up the letter that was on the floor he turned it over, it was a pale yellow piece of paper. Opening it he was met with three lines that stretched from the top to the bottom of the paper. She needed to speak with him at his earliest convenience. Closing the door he changes into a tank top and shorts then leaves his room leaving the letter in the pile of dirty clothes. In the hall he looks to the right and see's Sephrina's door is wide open. Panic starts to flutter in his chest as he makes his way to her room but when he get's there her things are not on the bed as they were from what he last remembered. Starting to panic he flew to the dinning hall seeing Hallie sitting there. "Where is she?"

Hallie looks up from her book surprised. "I didn't know you were awake. She wanted to go on a run but didn't feel like running around the house so Lillianna and Josh are showing her some trails in the woods." Relief took over him so swiftly it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he lost his balance for a moment. "You know she hit you right?" Hallie looked at him as he raised a hand to his sore jaw. "Yep, you were out cold when we got to her room."

Hallie seems to have changed when speaking about Sephrina. "Why does that seem to bother you more than me?"

Hallie looked back to her now closed book on the table. "She said you had said something to offend her. I don't believe it. I think she has other motives and is trying to make it seem like she didn't mean to hurt you."

"But she didn't mean to."

"And how do you know that. She was working on putting her things away whenever we got there, not a care in the world that you were on the floor."

"You know what she is to me. Unless she rejects me then I have no reason to believe that she is meaning to harm any of us."

"She doesn't know though does she?" Hallie's voice was unwavering as she looked back to Darren.

His jaw clenched and he could feel the muscles twitch. "You can't tell her. It has to be me."

"I know." She responded shortly. "Just don't wait until your dying in front of her feet to let her know that."

"I don't understand you, you loved her just earlier."

"But I love you more but your not my mate and I am not yours. If you love someone you would do anything to protect them, not hurt them like how she did you."

Something finally clicked inside his heads as the gears sparked to life. "Before I got knocked out I had called her a mortal. Do you know anything about that?"

She shakes her head and goes back to her book. Figuring she wasn't in the mood to talk anymore he went to the kitchen and grabbed a couple water bottles before leaving the house and heading into the woods to the right. He knew that Hallie had always loved him, he was hoping it would turn to a brother and sister type of love or care, but maybe she was still hoping that they were meant to be even though the moon deities did not deem them so. His thoughts wondered away from Hallie and to Sephrina, why did she hit him after he called her a mortal, was she something else? Couldn't be a vampire she has no fang's and isn't sensitive to light, He doesn't think that she is a skin walker or changeling because she doesn't smell like them, nor did she smell like anything other than a mortal. She can't be a dwarf that's for sure, she is much too tall. He want's to learn more about her, everything he can about her. Maybe when he gets back he can try his luck and ask her on a date. Coming out of his thoughts he realizes that he was where he needed to be. Looking around he made sure he was alone. "Come on out Unniass."

Glowing eyes peered out from the dark of the cave he stood before and smoke started to billow from it. A large head of a red dragon made its way into the light. "You got my letter."

"Did you think I would not?"

"You never know now a day's, good messenger squirrels are so hard to come by what with their planning to take over the world." She made a chortle sound that mimicked a laugh.

Darren laughed with her. "So what did you need to talk about?" He wanted to get straight to the point so that he would be able to get back before the others noticed that he was gone.

"What I can't call my only friend here to catch up and have a nice talk?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "Fine. I noticed that you brought someone new back with you and I saw her fighting with Kyle out in the front of the house."

"Yeah, I already got onto her about that."

"And where did that get you?"

Curious eye's look at him intently. "She may or may not have knocked me out cold with a single punch." He confessed rubbing the back of his neck embarrassed.

"Hmm. Your lucky that's all she did." at that comment he looked at the dragon confused. "My squirrel messenger told me that when he was in the window sill of the room he heard you call her a mortal."

"Well yeah. She look's like one, sounds like one, smells like one, acts like one. So am I wrong to think that she is a mortal."

Unniass looked at him disapprovingly. "You are more wrong than you could ever know. Just because a dwarf has adapted to modern day society and blends in easy does not mean they are normal, the same has been said about the elves, most elves cut their ears round to blend. She is no where even close to being a mortal. I bet you don't even know her real age do you?"

Curiosity peeked to it's highest he couldn't help but to ask. "How old is she?"

She snorted. "You don't ask a woman her age. That's so rude."

"Fine then tell me what she is, please." He tried changing direction while being respectful.

"Grow your bond with her and she will tell you. She need's you just as much as you need her. The world need's her."

A woman's scream sounds back the way he came towards the house. "Darren." Unniass' voice serious. "There are forces out there that want her dead. None will ever succeed however they will attempt it. There are others who want to use her powers for their own." He waited for her words. "Protect her."

He shifted as soon as her words left her lips and sprinted as fast as he could back to the house. He burst through tree line but saw nobody. He barked calling the others to him. He raised his nose to the air and sniffed when they didn't come right away and the scent of blood filled his nose. A yelp came from closer to town through the woods and he races towards it his paws like wings as they carried him through the woods until he came upon Josh laying against a tree panting. Darren tried to gauge what was wrong and got the sense that another pack decided they were gonna have some fun. He raced in the direction that Josh gestured to and when he got to the town square he found the other three guarding Sephrina who was by the fountain. A low growl came from deep within him as he saw some others from another pack circling them.

Based on their smell they were a part of Issacs pack. He was a bastard who likes; as he put it 'playing a game with the newbies in town.' He was lucky that this is a werewolf town. The other wolves turned to him when they heard him growl but none of them flinched in any way, instead the seemed to laugh. Something red glinted by the fountain as a thud came from it and fear made a pit in the deepest part of his stomach but he forced his eye's over to where Sephrina was. She was now on her knee's clutching her arm but he couldn't tell if she was injured. "Enough." A loud stern and deep voice said making everyone bow except for Darren.

Darren ran over to his pack and they turned to bow. "What is going on here?" Alpha king asks. "Get then some robes."

Once robes were brought to all the wolves and it was laid on their backs they shift back to their human forms. Darren ignores everything else going on and turns to Sephrina and hugs her tight but his left arm seems to slip in something wet. Pulling back he see's Sephrina grabbing her arm and blood trickling down. Anger rose in him and he was about to rip out Issacs pack members throat's when Sephrina grabbed him and pulled him to her with her good arm, her right arm hanging limp by her side. Pulling her to stand all she did was burry her face into her chest and let him pick her up to her feet. He finally started paying attention to his surroundings and saw alpha king screaming at Issacs pack with his face going beet red. "Darren-"

"Not here. We will be going back to the house in a minute. How bad is your arm hurting you." She didn't say anything. "Sephrina?"

"I can deal with it."

"Darren." Alpha king called him over.

Leading Sephrina to him he stopped in front of her. "Why did you bring her here?"

"She was bitten on the night of a full moon."

After a long silence of the alpha king debating he finally speaks. "We will talk later. Get her seen by the healer." With that he walks away.

Doing what he is told he takes her to the hospital and the Healers take her from Darren. While they tended to her Lillianna and Kyle came to meet him, they were still in their robes. "I have a good idea of what happened but tell me what you two saw."

Lillianna speaks first. "Josh, Sephrina and I had just gotten back after showing her the best trail's for her to run along because she had asked about going on runs through the woods but didn't want to get lost. I had the feeling as though we were being watched but was staying cautious. Issacs pack members came from out of the woods as their wolves, two of them kept me and Josh busy while the other one grabbed Sephrina in their maw and when I released what had happened after they left us alone we went after them not waiting a second more to shift. Josh nearly had gotten to the one that was dragging Sephrina through the woods when one of the others smashed into him sending him into a tree. I stopped to check on him and when I knew that he was okay I continued on. When I caught up Sephrina had been left by the fountain, Kyle and Hallie by her side. I'm not sure when they got there."

Darren turns to Kyle. "I heard her scream and bolted out of the house in time to see them run off with her. I grabbed Hallie and we chased after them, we didn't pass Lily or Josh on the way though so we assumed that they were already ahead. When we got to the square Sephrina was standing by the fountain looking like they had sent her into any bush that they could."

Darren thought for a moment. "Issacs pack has gotten out of control. They didn't even know if she was a wolf or not and they decided it would be a good idea to sink their teeth into her." Darren balled his fists and he was about to leave and find the one that dragged her through the woods when someone came out of the room. "Darren." He turned. "She want's to see you."

He went to the room his anger quickly forgotten. She was picking leaves and sticks out of her hair. He walked to her side and grabbed her hand in the middle of her looking for a twig. She didn't meet his eye's. "I want to say I'm sorry for hitting you earlier. I was going to when you woke up but then all that." She waved her hand in a circular motion as if to refer to Issacs pack.

Darren pulled her chin up making her look at him. "Don't Apologize. You did nothing wrong. You are your own person and I get why you did what you did. I shouldn't have yelled at you." Looking at her arm his heart ached as if he was the one that was losing the blood. "I'm Sorry this happened. Don't worry I am going to make sure that they all pay."

Sephrina just looked at him with her blue and green eye's. They seemed to glow bright, something in them swirling and it sounded as though she was whispering something but her mouth didn't move. "There was something I was wanting to ask you before all this happened."

"What would that be?" She asked laying back looking as though she was tired.

"It can wait."

"Can you see when they are going to let me leave. I don't like being in hospitals for long."

Darren smiled and went to find the healer who had called him to her room standing out in the hall talking to Lillianna and Kyle. "Sorry to interrupt." He said announcing himself. "When do you think that we can take her home."

"She can leave in about a half hour but she has to stay in bed for a day, no running or training until that arm has healed."

"Thank you."

"No problem dear." She turns back to the other two. "We will have to talk later." And with that she walks away.

"Would one of you two mind going back to the house and grabbing the car please." They both looked at him like he had grown two heads. "What?"

"You said please." Lillianna whispered.

Darren sighed. "Just go get the car."

He turned before either of them could say anything else and walked back into the room. Sephrina had fallen asleep, her chest slowly rising and falling. Once she was safe at home in her bed he would go and talk to alpha king. He sat in the chair but was only seated for a minute when she started to stir and make noises like she was in pain. He stands and places a hand on her shoulder. This seemed to help but she still seemed as though she was in distress. "Your okay. I'm right here."

"No." She muttered almost too hard for even his ears to hear. "I didn't do anything."

"What's wrong?" he asked seeing the anguish on her face.

"I didn't kill her. Stop. Stop!" Her breathing became labored and he did the only thing that came to mind.

He laid next to her and stroked her hair. This seemed to do the trick, she stiffened but then relaxed. He laid next to her and continued to stroke her hair until a nurse walked in then nearly walked back out until she noticed the Darren motioned for her to come in. "She can go home now, someone has a car waiting for you outside."

He slowly got up and steadied himself before picking her up with one arm under her knee's and another under her upper back and she snuggled into his chest. Walking her out of the hospital and straight to the car with the open back door he carefully climbs into the back still with Sephrina in his arms and once he was settled in the car he closed the door and Hallie drove them back to the house in silence. Once they got back Hallie got out of the car and without looking back went straight inside.

Opening the door Sephrina wrapped her arms around his neck helping her to stay up. Darren carried Sephrina up to her room and managed to get her under the blankets but she wouldn't let go. He reached back to untangle her fingers and barely manage to get her hands off of him. Covering her with the blanket's he smiles at her and leaves the house going back out to the car and driving to meet with the alpha king.

When he pulled up to the large office his stomach knitted knots and then pulled them tight as he made his way up to the doors. He spoke with the receptionist who sent him up to the proper floor of the building and when he got to the secretary's office she sent him straight inside the alpha king's office and immediately he had to duck when he walked inside as a blue blurred object came flying at his head. His arm burned as the whatever had been thrown smashed against the wall and fell to the floor. Looking back he saw that a now broken blue coffee cup had been the thing thrown at him and steaming coffee pooled on the ground. That was probably what had burned his arm. "Why the Hell did you bring her here!"

"She was bitten-"

"You told me that but I want the full honest truth. I am not only your Alpha king but I am your father too. So tell me why you brought her here."

"Why are you getting mad at me? It's Isaac's pack that came to our territory!"

"They are being dealt with. Leave that alone and tell me why the mortal is here and don't spew the 'she was bitten on a full moon' bullshit, she doesn't have even the slightest hint of a wolf. I have a lot I need to do and this has piled onto it."

Darren took a deep breath and prepared himself for finally saying it out loud for the first time since he had seen her. "She's my mate."

The alpha king stiffened and seemed to be debating something. He didn't respond for the longest time. "She is the future Luna queen."

"I haven't told her yet. She doesn't know."

"And why would that be." He demanded to know more than asked as muscle in his jaw twitched angerly.

"I was the one that bit her and after everything that happened I just either haven't gotten the chance or haven't felt it was the right time. She was attacked by vampires the night we picked her up."

When the alpha king spoke next he spoke slow. "She is not a wolf. She cannot be be bitten to be turned to a wolf. What the hell are the moon deities planning."

"What are you talking about?"

"She was bitten by a werewolf on the night of a full moon and not just any where wolf, an alpha king to be. The future alpha king. She can't be a mortal. She has to be something else that's masking it's scent somehow. Find out what and tell me when you do."

"What?"

"She is your mate, so you have to get to know her, that includes what she is. Make sure that that's one of the first things you figure out and get back to me as soon as you do. You may leave."

"That's not right."

"I don't care."

"Well I do and you are not going to tell me what to do when it comes to my mate." Caller her his mate made him feel warm inside.

"I can and I will." The alpha king stared at him.

"Then you will have hell to pay. You try and force me to do something like that and I will leave your pack. You will have no heir. The rest of your packs will start to fall out from under you. You may be the Alpha king but I have the trust of the other packs Alpha's."

"You know that they also trust me. Otherwise they would have rebelled by now."

"Fear and trust are a tricky thing and often walk side by side but never hand in hand within the werewolf community."

"Would you not say that fear is stronger than trust then?"

"No. I wouldn't. Being a tyrant isn't being a leader."

Darren leaves his father's office and goes home. He went to check on Sephrina who slept in her bed but was now laying on her stomach. He walked over to her and knelt beside the bed to get a good look at her face. She didn't seem like she was having much trouble so he left her room making sure to close the door then made a mental note to knock the next time. He thought about where he would take her on a date, there was a waterfall not too far, he could do a hike up to the waterfall, or maybe he could have her ride on his werewolf form's back she might like that, it's also a very intimate thing to do among the werewolves, yet until she learned that she wouldn't know. Unless she already knew, she seemed to be very keen with knowledge about werewolves but he couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing.