A Touch of Scarlet (Wolf Secrets #1)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6
Annika

I trotted downstairs with my phone in my pocket to meet the strays. Aunt Em was chatting animatedly with them, trying to make them feel at home. I entered the room and walked over to a cabinet in the corner of the room. The conversation had stopped, leaving a tense atmosphere. I pulled a file out of the cabinet and turned toward the strays.

"It's nice having you here, but I am going to have to ask you a few questions about your background and why you want to join the pack before we get started." I had switched into Alpha mode. My voice had become more commanding, cold even. I had to make it clear that anyone who was going to betray me was going to be in for a very unpleasant surprise. Aunt Em stood up and cleared out of the room, leaving me alone with the terrified strays.

"Ever since I started taking in Strays, there have been those who wanted to take my generosity for granted. They used me to get information about my pack and leak it to those who would like nothing more than to kill me and take my pack for themselves." I sat down in the spot my aunt had been in.

"You could be a great asset to the pack, or our greatest weakness. We live by the motto, 'We are only as strong as our weakest, as united as the least loyal'." I gave them a small smile to reassure them. "That is why I am going to have to know everything about you."

I turned my gaze to the boy that didn't look like he wanted to make a run for it. "Tell me about yourself. Your name, your type, why you're a stray, that sort of thing." He swallowed some nerves and placed his cup on the table.

"I, I'm Dillan Zanthos. I used to be a part of the Hollow pack, but I left because I didn't agree with what they did and how they did it." Small beads of sweat began forming on his brow, but he continued. "I'm, I'm a Night Shifter."

He flinched as he said it, as if it was the worst thing to be. I, on the other hand, smiled. "Don't be ashamed of who you are, Dillan. A lot of my best fighters are Night Shifters. Heck, there are even a few Moon Shifters in the pack that I can't do without."

The girl that had been sitting apart from the rest lifted her eyes to meet mine. "A Moon Shifter?" Everything clicked into place in that moment. She was a Moon Shifter. That must be why she was looking so dejected. I nodded.

"More than one." I paused and set the file on the coffee table. "Just because someone can only shift at night," I looked pointedly at Dillan, "or can only turn into a classic Horror movie Werewolf every full moon," I turned to the girl, "does not mean they are weaker or are abominations to our kind."

I leaned back and crossed my legs. "To be honest, sometimes I envy you. The Moon Shifters have their heightened senses all the time, meaning that you can spot danger much easier that your garden variety Shifter and Night Shifters also have their perks. We 'pure' Shifters only have our Supernatural advantage when we've shifted."

A look of stunned adoration crossed their faces. This was not something any Shifter, much less an Alpha, would ever say. I was different. "Now, tell me your story." I told the girl.

She looked at the floor, biting her lip and wringing her hands. "I'm a Moon Shifter. I was born outside of a pack, to, to..." She trailed off. "Rogues." She clenched her jaw, shut her eyes and turned her head away from me, as if waiting for me to yell at her to get out. The outburst she was expecting never came.

Instead I reached out and placed my hand on her clasped ones. "Our past does not define us. You did nothing wrong. Tell me, what's your name?" She looked up at me, her face slack with surprise.

"M-Maya." She stuttered. I pulled my hand away and looked at the remaining two wolves I hadn't spoken to.

"Tell me your stories." I was back to business. The girl took the boy's hand and faced me.

"I -" The sound of my ringtone filled the air, cutting off her words. I wormed my phone out of my pocket. Unknown Number flashed on the screen, making me scowl.

"Hold on for a moment." I said and pressed the Accept button. "Hello, this is Annika Black. Can I help you?" I didn't bother to make my tone friendly, so whoever was on the other side of the line got the full Alpha treatment.

"Eh, Hi Annika, it's Cade. You know from school." I rubbed my temple with my free hand. Just what I needed.

"Yes, so?" I asked irritably. "Look it's kinda a bad time, can you just briefly say what you want and I'll call you back later?" Rude, yes. Unnecessary, no. I had bigger things to deal with than a boy, but my tone had become friendlier.

"Sorry," he said, "but we kind of have a History project that we have to work on together and we have to give in a few pages of research - Tomorrow." I cursed. Another mundane task that I had to do. The Strays asked me if I was okay, but I waved them off.

"Okay, thanks for telling me. Do we have to get together or can we do it apart?" I was hoping that I could just do some research on my own and be done with it, but no such luck.

"Mr. Roberson said that we have to integrate or something and I quote 'Do it together, I can smell it if you don't do it together.' Oh, and he told me to tell you that he's going to fail you if you miss more classes." I swore. Loudly. That man made my life ten times harder than it already was because of his stupidity. Okay, I had skipped a few classes, but it had been because of Alpha business. Unfortunately he wasn't a Werewolf, so he didn't understand.

"Okay. Text me your home address and I'll stop by there once I'm done here. Gotta go, bye!" I hung up and turned back to the Strays. "Go on."

The girl swallowed. "I'm Melissa. Night Shifter. Dillan's my brother, our stories are the same. Jack here is my mate." She leaned closer to the boy.

"I'm also a Night Shifter," He said. "I got kicked out of the Sterling pack when I was 17 because I wasn't a 'real' wolf." I nodded. These kids didn't seem like the spy type, so I slid the file over to their side.

"In that file you are going to find information on where you will be staying. It's like a pack house, for those in the pack who are struggling, or are like you and have no place to go. There are suggestions on where you can start looking for jobs, so you can get on your feet."

I got up and smiled, spreading my arms. "Welcome to the Blue Moon pack."

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