The Protector (Complete)

Chapter 12

Greta wanted to let her students sleep longer, but she knew she didn't have that luxury. She took a long sip of her lukewarm coffee. She missed her cup that was sitting so safely on her desk at school. She pushed aside the thought of never returning to the states. She and her cup would be reunited soon because she had three students she had to get back to their parents.

Slowly she shook each student, starting with Patrick. She wasn't surprised to see them blink once or twice, think about going back to sleep, and then remembering what had happened the day before. It was the memory of the previous day that had them sitting up straight without a complaint about being tired.

"What's going to happen?" Sofia whispered quietly.

Greta put a smile on her face. "First you all will take showers, then we are going to eat breakfast, then perhaps a walk around the city. We'll see in a little bit. Sofia, why don't you take a shower first?"

The youngest student quickly agreed. She took one of the well-worn towels provided by the hostel and left for the communal bathroom down the hall. Greta made sure she was in the bathroom with it locked before turning to Patrick and Isabella.

"I have made a decision," Greta said. "You both will ask me for food and water." She put a finger up in the air when she saw Patrick start to speak. "I will become your leader. This will give me the upper hand when the others catch up to us."

Isabella's eyes got as big as saucers. She turned to Patrick. "Did you tell her about us?"

"He did," Greta told her. "It was the right thing to do."

"But you'll be killed," Isabella whispered. "Humans can't know about us. Nic or another Seeker will for surely kill you."

Greta pulled the distraught girl into a hug. "I will take care of you and Patrick. When I get all three of you back to the states. I will take care of Nic and your fathers. You have to trust me. However," Greta moved Isabella an arm's length away and wiped off the tears from her face, "in order to get the three of you safely back home, I need to be the leader of you two. I won't have to be Sofia's leader because she is a human. But I need to be yours. You will both ask me for food and water."

"There aren't any female leaders," Patrick said, not even deciding to pass along the information that there weren't any human leaders either. To Patrick, it was more of a shock to have a female leader than it would have been to have a human leader. Since Patrick was born he had been inundated with Lycan culture. Male Lycans were to protect females at all costs. Every male Lycan willingly offered his life for a female Lycan.

Greta shrugged a shoulder. "I know it's abnormal, Patrick, but this is the best decision. I need to be your leader before those other Lycans find us."

"But you're a female," Patrick pointed out again.

"I am," Greta agreed. "However, this is what we will do."

Patrick's only argument against Greta being his leader fell short of convincing Greta that the idea wasn't going to work. "I can just bet that Papa is going to kill me for this." He looked Greta in the eyes. "Miss Klassen, can I have some of your food and water?"

Instead of answering him right away, Greta turned to Isabella. "Ask me, Isabella. I have to protect you."

"Can I have some of your food and water?" Isabella asked. Although she didn't voice her fears aloud like Patrick, she was thinking along the same lines.

"You may both have some of my food and water," Greta said, hoping that she was using the right words to accept leadership over Patrick and Isabella. She handed each of the children a bottle of water and a power bar. She wasn't sure what the proper food was to transfer leadership, but the power bars happened to be the food that the hostel offered in the morning.