Shattered Rules

Part 2-Old Connections

I was slowly awakened by the tantalizing scent of food and the quiet rustle of turning pages. Turning my head, I saw Healer Gerard reading in a near by chair.

"Good Morning, Healer."

"Morning Ms. Kyra, feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you." I slowly stretched, wincing as a few of the larger injuries twinged, and sat up. "When did I shift?"

"After the silver was out and the sedatives wore off. I placed your prosthetic on the foot-board before starting, and took the liberty of cleaning and oiling the harness last night."

I found my wolf prosthetic, and traded it for my human one. Once settled, I began eating voraciously, knowing that it would take several days to heal from the effects of the silver and food provides the energy. Seeing that I would be quite willing to care for myself, Healer Gerard informed me that I was welcome to use the shower, but otherwise I was to remain in bed for the next three days. I wasn't going to argue, as silver poisoning drains shifters of energy even when they were healthy to begin with. I had been underweight, and so was happy to rest and relax. After a lovely hot shower and soak, I elected to sleep until lunch.

:Kyra, wake up dear, the Alpha wants to chat with you.:

:Could it be postponed until after lunch, or better still tomorrow?:

:No dear, I've already asked. He is most insistent about talking now. I believe it has something to do with his guest, who is also joining the chat.:

:Guest?:

 Just then the door opened revealing a man with golden brown hair streaked with black. He was not a broad shouldered as I had expected, though he still had a striking physique. It was the man behind him that shocked me.

It was Fang!

I started moving to rise from the bed, as it was bad manners to stay seated when the Alpha enters.

"Stay", the Alpha rumbled.

"Yes m'Lord", I replied, smoothing the blankets once more.

"Your carving skills have improved, Cricket. Tell me, what did the patrol do wrong when they escorted you in?" Fang watched me while slowly scraping dirt from under his fingernails.

"They did not force me to shift, thus I was able to investigate the pack during the journey. I was brought almost straight here, without intercepting any other patrols. Finally there has been no guard on me since I entered the house, leaving me free to escape or cause damage the moment I was recovered.

I had responded automatically, having felt Fang's none to  gentle head thump many a time the winter he was with us. This was immediately followed by a cringe as I realized that I had just criticized the pack in front of the alpha. I bowed my head, chin tipped to the side exposing my throat.

"Well Alpha, I do believe that this has proven my point." Fangs' eyes twinkled with mischief.

I trembled under the Alpha's menacing gaze, "My apologies Alpha, I did not mean anything against your pack. I was simply responding from longstanding habit from Master Fang's lessons when I was a pup."

Fang continued to scrape dirt from under his nails. Finally Alpha spoke, "At least she is honest, Sire."

I froze, my thoughts a whirling maelstrom caught on his last word, "Sire". Instinct reacted first, scrambling out of the bed; I once more attempted to prostrate myself on the floor. Fang caught me before my knees touched the ground, sat me back on the bed, and sat gingerly on my legs to keep me there. "Cricket, breathe in." His voice took on the Royal Command tone, basically  the Alpha tone but about twenty times stronger, and his eyes locked with mine allowing no submission,"Report, initiating two years ago, what brought you here?" I obeyed gut clenched and shivering as memories took over, recounting the events beginning with the genocide of my pack, encounters with other loners and rouges, and the misfortunes leading to today.

Alpha had begun softly growling when I told of the young pack members being killed, Fang joined him when I spoke of being hunted and attacked. By the time I finished telling my tale, there were tears of grief streaming down my face. I had not felt safe enough to grieve until today. I must have been subconsciously whimpering and trying to submit to the two visibly angry males, as both men tried to comfort me simultaneously. They held me until my tears dried, fears ebbed, and trembling ceased.

Fang gave me one last hug as the Alpha self-consciously moved back to the chair. "You've done well Cricket. In answer to your yet unspoken question, I became king about the time your pack was killed. Since you were never able to release your pack to the Moon, you also never joined the Loner's Mind-link. Which is why you never learned of the change in authority. Loners are able to link with any other loners they have met that are within twenty miles of them, as well as the King and any local Alphas that they have met before. My guess is that you were so focused on surviving that the loners who initially helped you simply forgot in the face of tragedy, and any others you met simply assumed that you were new, or  passing between packs. For this I am sorry, as we should have been able to help you much sooner."

"The first I believe,about the grief and such. However, the few others I met, I believe intentionally did not tell me, as they saw me as a liability to the safety of the others. What if I had not been trained in self defense, what if I was constantly calling for help? No, in a way it is almost better that I did not know I could rely on others, as it forced me to become stronger, faster, and more cunning to survive."

"I will not contradict your opinions Cricket." He kissed my forehead like a loving father, "Sleep, when you are rested and healthier we will talk more."

As I drifted off again, I though I heard the Alpha say, "I wonder how my pack would accept her if she decides not to go with you?"