A Beta's Second Love

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Dustin’s POV

            As I walk past the den, I tell Tyler’s parents goodbye. As soon as I was within the shelter of the trees, I shift. My blue-black wolf races through the trees like a bullet. I link with Ralph. Hey alpha. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.

            Alright. What’s this I hear about you smelling something that the other guys didn’t?

            I, uh, I think I found my mate.

            You think? Well, who is she? It is a she, correct? I could hear the laughter in his voice. Of course she’s a she alpha. I’d rather discuss this face to face in private if you don’t mind though.

            Fine. I’ll be waiting in my office. When you get here, just come on in.

            Yes sir. He cuts the link and I push my wolf to run faster. In fifteen minutes I reach the pack house. Shifting behind a tree, I pull on a pair of shorts. Not even bothering with a shirt, I stroll quickly through the house. Reaching Ralph’s office, I open the door and step in. Closing it behind me, I take a seat in front of his desk.

            “We’ve just received word that we might have a rouge attack coming our way…” He pauses and sniffs. Then he looks at me and narrows his eyes. “Dustin, why do you smell like my niece?” His voice sounded hard and cold. I look him in the eyes but kept my gaze respectful.

            “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about sir. I found my mate. And it’s Tyler, your niece Tyler.”

Ralph’s POV

            The more I thought it over, the more I liked the idea of Dustin and Tyler together. Dustin was hard working, loyal, trustworthy, and he spoke his mind. Before Sam’s death, Tyler was a very outspoken, sunny girl. Sometimes, if I looked at her from the corner of my eye, I could catch a small glimpse of the girl she used to be.

            There was a part of me that hoped that Dustin would be able to bring that bright and cheerful Tyler out, the one that I knew her parents were missing terribly. “How did she take the news?”

            “She didn’t seem too happy with it. When we met in the woods, she ran. So I followed her home, met her parents and talked to her a bit. She seemed real shy around me and acted as if I was going to reject her. I told her that I wouldn’t reject her in a million years but I don’t think she believed me. What’s wrong with her Ralph? Why is she so closed off?”

            I sigh softly and look at a picture of my niece, nephew, and myself. Rubbing my hand across my face, I stand and walk to the window. Looking out of it, I don’t see anything. I was seeing a very happy Tyler chasing Sam around screaming and laughing. I could feel Dustin’s eyes on me.

            “As you’re probably aware, Parker, my brother, and his family just moved here. He met his mate, Sarah, right after his twenty-second birthday. Because Sarah was from a small pack, Parker didn’t want her to move and leave her family behind. So he moved to her pack. He gave the alpha-ship to me. His father-in-law gave him the job of being his beta due to the alpha blood that ran in his veins. Almost twelve years passed. I heard that they had twins, a boy and a girl.

            “Fifteen years passed. I was in the neighborhood on pack business, so I decided to stop by and see my brother. When I arrived, I was met by two of the tallest wolves I’d ever seen. They followed me up the driveway and just watched as I entered the house. I’ll never forget the color of their fur. It was as black as night. Across both of their faces was a dash of white which made it look like they were wearing masks.

            “Never in my life had I ever come across wolves such as those two. Not before and not after. I stayed a week, getting to know my niece and nephew. The day before I was to leave, we were goofing around in the back yard. Suddenly, these kids came running out of the woods screaming bloody murder. Right behind them were several rouges. Sam and Tyler shifted before the thought could even run across my mind. Standing before me were the two black wolves with white masks. I didn’t even realize that they had shifted early. Parker told me that they shifted on their 14th birthday. I’d never heard of any wolf ever doing that.

            “It didn’t take the two of them long to kill the rouges. They were walking back to me when Sam let out a howl of pain. I rushed to see if he was hurt, but there wasn’t a mark on him. I turn around just in time to see Tyler faint. On her back was a deep slash. Sam explained to me that he and Tyler could feel the other’s pain, sort of like mates can.

            “I hated to leave them, but I couldn’t abandon my pack. The three of us kept in close contact over the years. We had gotten very close during my visit. They were almost like my children to me. Last year, about six months after the twins 17th birthday, Parker calls me, asking if he and his family could move back. I was surprised. I thought he loved it where he was at. It wasn’t until the week they arrived that I learned the reason behind their move back.” Here I pause to clear my thoughts. Slowly making my way back to my chair, I felt so tired.

            “On the day of their 17th birthday, they were attacked by a large number of rouges. Since the entire pack was at the party, the rouges were able to slip in unnoticed. Tyler and Sam fought back to back, protecting each other. Tyler noticed that a rouge was sneaking up behind Sam, so she jumped the rouge, pushing Sam out of the way. The rouge injected Tyler with wolf’s bane, not enough to kill her but just enough to make her wolf almost too weak to fight.

            “Feeling her pain, Sam went to help her. Instead he was killed right in front of her. With the last ounce of her strength, Tyler ripped that rouge apart bit by bit. The wolf’s bane and the agony she felt as Sam died drained her fast. Tyler felt every last excruciating second of his death. She spent the next six months recovering in a hospital. When she woke up, she was like she is now. The girl that was happy, funny and outgoing was gone.

            “In her place is a girl who blames herself for the death of her brother. She’s a girl who thinks herself unworthy of a mate because she let her younger brother down; unworthy because she couldn’t keep Sam from dying. No one blames her. If a normal wolf had been injected with that amount of wolf’s bane that was in her system, it would have killed them instantly. Parker told me that Tyler hasn’t shifted in a year because she’s ashamed.”

            Dustin looks at me. “But why would rouges attack such a small pack?”

            “I have my personal theory on that. I think that due to Sam and Tyler’s unique wolves and the fact that they are the great-grandchildren of two pure royals, the rouges wanted to use them as breeders to build an army. Could you imagine an army of wolves stronger, faster and tougher than any wolf you’ve ever met? No one would be able to beat them. They would be able to do what they pleased.”

            “So, why won’t Tyler talk?”

            “It’s part of her coping defense. If she doesn’t talk, then she won’t get close to anyone. She thinks that if she gets close to someone again, then somehow that person would be hurt because of her. My advice to you Dustin would to take it very slow with Tyler. She’ll be worth it son, I promise.” He smiles at me and laughs. “I already know that sir.”

            “Good. Now back to business.” We spend the next four hours going over plans on strengthening our defenses. If the rouges were to attack us, well let’s just say that we’ll have several surprises up our sleeves waiting for them.