A Wolf's Truth

Chapter 6 - Dangerous

He stood up from the desk and walked over to the window, looking out to the city and world below. Lachlan was up in his office, on the top floor of the main business building for their Clan. There were over thirty levels and so many more business’s in there. It all ranged from simple things such as entertainment and news, to bigger things, like good exchange companies, the money market and more. Throughout the city, there were lots of other types of places, but this building was large enough to be classed the heart of it all.

At the very top, was his own company, as an investor, he took charge of many different things. They held and managed securities for investments, offering a variety of services. They worked over a couple of levels, dedicating areas to portfolio management, recordkeeping, custodial, legal, accounting, taxes and more. He had a large team and they were the biggest investors in the lands. He always had meetings about new investments, for as he was the CEO of it all, he had to know what was going on.

Today, it could be said that he was taking a moment to himself, but it really was not for himself. Spread out on his desk was a bunch of papers, images and lots of different things. The problem was, no matter how many documents they had, they simply could not find a single thing. Koby and Shay-Lee were in the room with him, sitting in chairs and he knew the moment he got out of his chair and looked out the window, they shared a glance and then looked back at him in question.

“It makes no sense.” He stated to the world outside.

“I know, but honestly, I just keep hitting dead ends!” Koby said exhausted.

“Like she is a ghost.” Shay-Lee said with thought. “There are no records of anyone missing, no records of a child born around this time eighteen years ago. She is there, but… not.”

“This is why I was against her staying.” Lachlan stated. “Because we know nothing and she is simply too dangerous.”

“But we could not have just kicked her on the door step.” Shay-Lee said with shock. “What that poor girl went through, how could we?”

“Trust me, I know.” Lachlan said, his tone tight. “But I still fear, there being a danger.”

“What Danger do you worry for?” Koby asked.

“That who ever did this… will come looking.” Lachlan claimed, that fear of it still on his mind. “I want the Clan to be safe, I worry, that by letting her stay, we are opening ourselves up for danger.”

“I get it Lachlan.” Shay-Lee stated. “But think about it. She has been here for about a month and a half now. Nobody has yet come looking. Maybe… they do think she is dead.”

“That is what that basted expected to happen.” Lachlan hissed angry.

He clenched his fist tight, ready to smash something again. While he was not happy with the idea of letting an intruder stay in their territory, while he worried for his clan and how dangerous she could be to them all, it did not take away the fury in him as to what had happened. From a young age, he had been against any such crime as to what they had witnessed from the memory Jake showed them. It had been associated to a visit he had with his father many years ago when he was young, to the far South, where there were more wild clans then tamed. Where on a visit, they had witnessed some very disturbing acts and while his father had tried to fix matters, to stop what had been happening, it did not work. It was disgusting and it had never been lost on Lachlan the horror of it all, the pain and fear those people felt with their rights stolen from them.

His father had sent Lachlan home with others and stayed, to try and help. His father never returned, not alive. He returned, like he was worthless in the eyes of those from the far South. Their whole family had grieved, he was gone forever, and the memory of those horrors stayed with Lachlan forever. Now, because of the attack on this girl, because he had ordered for the intruders to be found and killed, his own brother, his younger brother, had to witness such a thing and he was furious about that. Witnessing things like that, it was not easy.

Now though, as much as he feared the danger the girl had bought with her, as much as he had wanted to get rid of her, send her back to the East, he did not have the heart. The realisation of what she went through had messed with his head and he knew, he would do anything to make sure she was looked after, protected until they found whom did this to her and killed them instead. It was strange, because he did not even know the girl, refused to know her, but he still felt the need to help.

While he found the longer his siblings and friends watched over the girl, the more attached they got to her and he was not liking that, because he knew the moment she was fit again, and the moment they knew whom she was, she would be gone, away from their Territory and back to her own Clan, where ever she came from.

“May I suggest something Lachlan?” Koby said in a thoughtful manner.

“What is it?” he asked, still looking out the window.

“I want to explore an area we have not yet.” Koby suggested. “We all saw that memory, and I have to say if nobody else noticed it, I am surprised.”

“Noticed what?” Shay-Lee asked confused.

“In that memory, right at the end, it keeps playing in my mind.” Koby said softly. “Those eyes… they were red…”

“You don’t think?” Shay-Lee gasped.

“No.” Lachlan said turning around, looking slightly panicked himself by this thought.

“Have either of you ever met a wolf with red eyes?” Koby asked like it was obvious.

“No… but surely there could be some out there.” Shay-Lee stated.

“It would be too risky! It would mess with the agreement if we go poking our nose in there.” Lachlan stated. “I forbid it Koby. It seems like a good idea, but I forbid you to think that path. I choose not the believe it is possible.”

“But what if it is. Wouldn’t it be better to know, then not and it gets us into more trouble?” Koby defended. “We know what they are like, if she comes from them, that area, and they find out she is here, then it could fall back on us badly. For keeping her.”

“AND THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN SAYING ALL THIS TIME!” Lachlan yelled, smashing a fist into his desk. “I have been worried about things like this, while you all have been running around, treating her like some princess. She is dangerous and we should not let her stay here!”

“Then let me, find out. It is the best lead right now.” Koby defended again. “Look at all that paper work on your desk, of everything we have, we still can not find who she is. No name, no birth details, no body is looking yet. We are at a dead end, and this I feel is the only option.”

“But if we try ask, it could be even worse!” Shay-Lee spoke up worried. “I get it Koby, you feel stuck and that if we know and if it is so, we can be prepared. I get it Lachlan, that you see it as a danger to even question, opening us up to an attack from that side. We are all feeling the fear of it and that is why maybe we ignored it. But… maybe we should continue to ignore it. If we start asking, then whom ever it was in that memory will know, she is alive. Maybe if we do not ask, they will not know and wont be looking. Maybe it is safer that way.”

Lachlan looked to his sister, thinking. He had to pull his thoughts back and think about what she was saying. So far, no attack, nobody coming looking. They did not know she was alive. The one with the red eyes… to them, she was dead, she was dead the moment they walked out of that room and left her with the dirty filthy wolf. Yes, Shay-Lee was right, she was always right. That was the reason why she was their best strategist, because she was good at seeing things differently and bringing it forth to the point in which it made sense. She did not let feelings or emotions get in the way of things.

Lachlan took the desk chair once again, sitting behind the solid wood, elbows on the top and sighing, leaning his head into this hands. This was complicated. The girl, Winter, as his sister kept calling her, in the end, was the victim to it all, and his desirer to protect his Clan got in the way of what was really going on here. He was desperate for her to get better, for them to find out whom she was, so she could leave and they would not have any back issues. However, in his desperation, he was missing that bigger fact, that she was in the end the victim and his sister was right, she needed their help. Did he accept it? Did he give in and stop trying to push it just to get rid of her?

“Is she awake yet?” he asked, looking back up at his sister.

“Not yet. Day four, still resting. Jake said it should not be much longer now though.” She replied.

“Stay with her, wait until she wakes.” He ordered.

“Lachlan?” Shay-Lee asked curious.

“You are right. The fact that nobody has come looking yet, means they think she is dead. You are right, they left her to be killed.” He advised. “So, we will do it your way. Koby, stop looking for who she is, we will pull back from checking other Clans if they have anyone missing. We will wait until she remembers things herself. Once we know who Winter really is that way, then we can start looking again.”

“Are you sure?” Koby asked.

“Yes. If we stop looking, nobody will come here trying to finish the job off, nobody will know and so our people, may be safer from that threat for now.” Lachlan thought. “However, I still want the Clan to be on the look out, for any stranger who may seem to be up to no good, just in case.”

“Understood.” Shay-Lee and Koby both said at the same time.

Lachlan looked at them both. Even now, they were still so much alike. He could not help but smile on the inside at the two. Known by all, they were actually twins and in moments like these, it really came forth, when they mimicked each other like the way they just did. Looking for a distraction, Lachlan looked back down at the papers. The whole time she had been on their territory he had avoided even seeing her, because he was angry for her slipping through their boarders and putting his people in danger. Now, today, was the first time he was actually looking at information, her file they had started to pull together on her, on the girl known to them as Winter.

They suspected she was eighteen, due to Jake advising she was going through some sort of witch change that happened at such an age. They knew she had a wolf sent as Lachlan had been told this was getting stronger every day. The report he picked up now noted the medical data they had so far. Her blood type, O negative. It was the more commonly used blood when a transfusion is needed as it was so universal, but it was actually the hardest to come by, and an O negative owner, could only take O negative blood. Basic data was there as well, golden eyes, amber hair, pale skin, one hundred and fifty centimetres tall. She was short, no wonder they kept thinking she was only fifteen when she was first recovering. From these basic details, the information led into the medical report of her first time in their hospital, the injuries.

Broken jaw, broken nose, broken left eye socket, crack in the skull in multiple places.

Broken hyoid bone, damaged larynx.

Broken collar bone, dislocated left shoulder, shattered right humerus, dislocated left wrist and fingers.

Cracked, broken or shattered ribs.

Dislocated vertebra’s throughout, dislocated hip bones, broken left femur, shattered right tibia and fibula, broken left ankle.

Punctured lung, failing liver and kidney, damaged spleen.

Swelling to the face, bruising and cuts all over.

Old scaring, indications of stab wounds, cuts, burns and previous broken bones.

It was a massive list and Lachlan was sure that Koby had a proper list in full medical terms for each bone, each part. He had ignored all this and now he could no longer. Winter, the girl, had arrived in a devastating state, she is extremely lucky that Koby was able to save her life. As he continued to read the report, confirming she had flat lined twice during the operations where they were trying to save her life, that she needed quite a lot of blood due to the amount lost, which had used a lot of their reserve. Read that they had to do other exams, which was the hardest part to stomach reading. They had to check for any s****l activity, and while there was marks and bruising to suggest there was an attempt, the report confirmed it did not get that far, something they knew because Zakari had stopped it happening. It was an uncomfortable read and it was clear that the night Winter was attacked, was not the first time she had been physically harmed.

He sighed again, putting down the report, turning in the chair and looking out the window. His siblings, they all felt protective of the girl, he was sure of it, he could sense it. He did not know why, but he wondered if it had something to do with how close they had all been to the situation. Zakari saving the girl, Koby further trying to keep her alive. Shay-Lee watching over her every day at the hospital, like a big sister would. They all had a connection, even Jake had one, because he could sense things from her. Lachlan knew, what ever decisions he would ever make about Winter, his siblings would always have something to say about it. That girl, was now a part of their lives, and it would seem, with his last words to his siblings, that now, Winter was under the protection of his family. It was going to be a mess, but they would have to work around it all, do what they could to assist until she remembered whom she was and then they would go from there.

All in all, he knew this whole matter, everything going on was dangerous and was going to continue to get dangerous no matter what was done. The best that they could do was find the least dangerous option and work with that, which was now what they were doing, the new plan in all of this.