Courage of the Wolf

Chapter 7

He said it so dramatically that Mac and I were having a really hard time not cracking up at him.

"What? It needed said with a flourish" he says, looking offended. I snorted, throwing my hand over my mouth quickly. Mac lost it and started laughing. Ray's lips twitched a little as he tried to keep a straight face and look upset.

"Hmph! If you don't want to respect my valuable information then I will take my leave!" He puts the books back on the shelf, his nose in the air, and starts to sashay away.

"Ray, my oh so brilliant friend, please stay and impart all your knowledge to us! I personally am in desperate need of you right now!" I had grabbed his arm and dropped to my knees in front of him. I made sure to speak loudly for anyone else who might be in here.

"Get up and let go!" Ray looks completely mortified while Mac is falling out of her chair laughing, saying something about peeing herself. I am batting my lashes and trying to make a pouty face at Ray, while he's doing his best to shake me off his arm.

He finally gives in and promises me his first born great grandchild if I just let go and get up from the floor (he's not dumb, he knows I'll be too damn old to want the kid by then!). I agree and he helps me up. The floor is cement under a thin rug and not great for the knees.

I go sit at the table while Ray grabs the books and sits next to me. Mac moves her chair to sit on Ray's other side. We are all feeling a mix of nervous excitement at finding out what hidden history is in those books. Ray takes the top one first and explains it's the oldest. He opens it carefully, thumbing through to about the halfway mark.

"Ok, here is where your family line starts. Your ancestors had their own pack. There is a long history of Alpha Hunts throughout history, as well as the Luna's having Alpha blood. Each generation was stronger than the last. Each new generation always had a special gift as well, whether it was more strength, foresight, master tracking ability, etc. Until around 50 years ago, when your grandpa was around 10. His dad, your great-grandfather, is the reason you're family is no longer Alpha's."

I am stunned. Not just by the revelation, but that Ray knows so much more about my family than I do.

"How do you know all this? You couldn't have found these books by yourself."

He smirks at me, "What? You think I never come to the library?"

"That's n-n-not it!" I shake my head rapidly as I stutter out a reply, afraid I offended my friend.

He starts laughing softly. "No worries, I know what you meant. And someone in a hoodie dropped them on my table while I was here studying and walked quickly away. There was paper at the parts dealing with your family."

"Ok, back to the history of me, what did my grandfather do to lose our Alpha-ship?"

"He didn't do anything. Your grandfather's mate couldn't have pups, which left your family line to die out. But no matter how many times he was implored to take a lover he absolutely refused. Unfortunately for him, his Luna put the good of the pack over their love for each other. She had a long talk with her best friend, wrote a letter to her love, then walked out of their territory and straight into a small pack of rogues."

Ray's eyes are moist as he pauses, trying to compose himself. Mac has tears running down her face and I'm fairly sure I do as well. I reach over and squeeze his arm gently.

"Can you continue?"

Ray takes a deep breath and nods. "The Alpha feels his mate die, and it almost kills him as well. The Luna's best friend watches over him, keeping him alive for the next couple weeks. When she felt he could handle it, she gave him the letter from his mate. The Luna explained that she wanted him to mate with her bestie, make her Luna and create an heir with her. It took him a while, a couple months, but he did as his mate requested. He made her best friend Luna, they had three children, and he ruled peacefully for a while."

Ray takes a deep breath "This is where it gets a bit strange. As shifters, we all are used to seeing pack members naked. So I have no idea how nobody had ever seen the Alpha naked before, besides his 2 mates. One day a member, it was either the Beta or Gamma, walked in on the Alpha while he was changing. He saw huge white spots all over the Alpha, from the neck down."

"OMG!! He had vitiligo too!" Mac almost shouted. We both look at her like she's lost it. She looks a little embarrassed and encourages Ray to continue.

"Ok, now that we have that out of the way, once the pack discovered Alpha had 'a curse' it became imperative to them that he be removed as leader. The Beta challenged the Alpha and instead of a fight to the death Alpha Hunt yielded his position. From that point on, your family has lived on the outskirts of the pack. Part of it but not really included. All because nobody can accept that shifters can have conditions as well."