Suddenly A Beta's Daughter

Chapter 11 : Wolves; Lone, Pack, Rouge, and Feral

Robert's POV:

Gabi left soon after the boys did while waving off my warnings to stay away from the other wolves. Even if the kids are innocent the adults aren't. Often when a group of rogues join together to form a collective there's an agenda behind it.

When I got to the school's office I asked the receptionist if I could speak with the principal. Right when she was going to answer, a door to the right opened revealing a tall, slim man with salt and pepper hair, and a weathered look to his face. I could tell by the rotten scent that he was the rogue uncle the boy had spoken about.

“No need to page me, I'm right here. I'm principle Groo, you must be Mr Black, your daughter is your spitting image.” He held out his hand that I refused to take. “Right then.” He retracted his hand and motioned for me to enter his office. “Shall we.”

I followed the man into his office and took a seat in front of his desk. I watched as he shuffled through a pile of papers on his desk. He attached a few to a clipboard before handing it to me along with a pen.

“Alright I Just need an updated list of emergency contacts, and the new address. Honestly you didn't need to come all this way, I would have sent the files with Gabrielle for you to fill out.”

“No, I needed to come to make sure it was a safe environment. I have to say I'm glad I did come.”

“Yes, I understand. But let me assure you she's safe here.”

“We'll just wait and see about that. Your nephew was pretty informative, what exactly was your plan after you approached my daughter knowing good and well who's child she was?”

He held his hands up, “No plan, just naive hope. Dylan must have told you about the collective, we are just a harmless group of mostly born rogues. The hope was that if Gabrielle was in fact a lone wolf we'd be able to swear our loyalty and petition the council to become an official pack.”

“You must know that wouldn't have worked when she already had a pack.” I don't like the way he smiled.

“A conversation I would have had with her when the time was right. Though I am still hoping that she'll be mates with my nephew.”

A low growl escaped me as I glared at the man. “That won't be happening. She's where she belongs so I suggest you keep him where he belongs.” I finished the forms and dropped them on his desk before standing to leave.

“Well, only the Goddess knows where this will lead.” I let out another growl as I stormed out.

After I left the school I made my way down to the hospital to check on Marie. Sitting by her bedside listening to the steady beeps of the machine brought me little peace. The only comfort I had was the light tingles felt while holding her hand. Letting me know that the bond was still alive no matter how weak it had become.

“Robert.” I looked up and saw Dina entering the room with a bouquet of flowers. “I'm Surprised to see you here.” She walked to the bedside putting the flowers in a vase on the bedside table. “How's Gabi?”

“She's adjusting I suppose. I just dropped her at school.”

Dina took the seat beside me, placing a hand on Marie's leg. “That's good to hear. Marie is doing a bit better, she's stable now at least. Her latest scan showed that the swelling has gotten a bit better so she should make it through this.”

“Mmm.” I was glad to hear that she was improving But was in no mood for small talk and I just kept my eyes on my mate.

“Robert, I'm sorry.” I gave her a quick glance before returning to Marie. “Marie always spoke about you like she was in love but one day she showed up as though she was completely traumatized. Constantly looking over her shoulder like she was just waiting for the boogie man to pop out and attack her. What happened?”

“I wish I knew. We were at my condo in the city. She was asleep, I had to step out to do business and when I got back she was gone. I called and called but she never answered. When I finally caught up to her she was terrified of me and wouldn't tell me why.”

“And you have know idea what could have scared her that badly.” I just shook my head. “When she found out she was pregnant She was convinced you would hunt her down. She was so paranoid but still never said a bad word against you. It was almost Like she herself wasn't sure why she was so afraid.”

“I should go.” I leaned over Marie and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Take care.”

“Robert, don't give up on her, I'm sure she still cares for you. She hasn't been with anyone since. When she's up and ready the two of you really need to sit down and talk things out even if it's just for Gabi.” I didn't respond, I just walked out knowing it would only lead to fighting a losing battle.

Gabrielle POV

I was walking down the hall with steph while we were on our way to lunch. Stephs a year older than me so that's the only time we have together, besides the few minutes we get between periods.

. “Gabi-kins.” Steph waved her hand in front of my face. “Are you even listening to me?”

“Yes.” She gave me an Oh really look, “Ok no. I'm sorry I've just been a bit distracted lately.”

“Understable. Anyhow, what was all that this morning?”

“What about this morning?” The whole thing was a wreck so there's no telling what she's referring to.

“All of it. Hot guys in suits Dylan Rodgers with your dad. By the way, is everyone in your family that hot.”

“First eww. And they are in charge of taking me to and from school while they intern at Robs tech company.” “And Dylan?” I shrugged my shoulders. “turns out his dad was an old acquaintance of Rob's, he was just saying hi.”

“Mmmhm. Sooo…. Your brother.”

“I refuse. I draw the line at being a wingman for my siblings.”

“Oh come on it's not like we are related but we could be.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me and I feigned sickness. She laughed, “no need to get dramatic. At least tell me if he's single.”

“He is, surprisingly enough. But you are on your own.”

“That's not fair I would help you if the roles were reversed.”

“Yeah I'm sure you would.” As soon as we entered the lunch room we were approached by Lily Rodgers. She had a slight resemblance to her older brother but all of her features were softer and more round compared to his sharp ones.

“Gabi!” She had a bright smile on her face revealing a set of dimples. “I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with us?” She gestured to a table towards the back of the cafeteria. Dylan sat there along with two other boys I recognized from the basketball team.

“Thanks but I'll have to pass. I usually eat with Steph.” A flash of disappointment crossed her face before she quickly covered it with another bright smile.

“Don't worry about it, it was a pretty random request seeing as we're not really all that close.” She passed a quick glance at steph before turning her attention back to me. “Well the invitation stands if you ever want to join us. Even if you just have some questions or need someone to talk to you can come to any of us. Us lone wolves gotta stick together.” She gave me a pat on the shoulder then made her way back to the table with, who I'm assuming are, the other wolves.

Once she got a good distance away Steph nudged me in my side. “What was that all about?”

“Not entirely sure but I think it has something to do with Rob and her dad. Dylan must have told her Rob knew him.”

“Huh. Something tells me that's not what it is.”

“What else could it be? It's not like we're friends.”

I got in line with steph so we could get lunch. I was probably only going to get fruit and maybe a salad since Ben had given me a lunch bag, though I never checked to see what it was.

“Well think about it, you said Dylan came up to you because he knew that your dad knew him.” “Yes, we've established that.” Well if he knew that why not approach you sooner. I mean you're pretty much a clone of the man. If he recognized him right away you would think he already knew who your dad was.”

“It's not a Well kept secret that Rob was never in my life, plus he said his dad died when he was really young so it's not like he and Rob were still in contact. What was he supposed to do, go up to little freshman Gabi and say ‘ Hey my dead dad and yours used to know each other how's he doing, have you heard from him lately’.

After we got our lunch we made our way to our usual table along with a couple of other friends. I opened the bag Ben gave me and found a BLT and a bag of chips.

“I mean I guess that makes sense but still you would think that at some point during the last two years he would have said something. If he really thought the connection wasn't important, why wait until your dad shows up to say something, he could have continued to pretend he knew nothing. And now Lily is coming up trying to make friends.”

I rolled my eyes before I took a bite out of my sandwich. “I really think you're overreacting.”

“If you say so.”

Steph spent the rest of lunch talking to the other girls while I sat lost In thought. It was a little strange that they waited until Rob showed up to approach me but his reasoning made sense to me. They knew I was a wolf and probably knew who Rob was to me but because he was never around coming to the conclusion that I had no idea what I was made sense. Still, Steph was right why wait, even if they didn't bring up wolves or my parentage they still could have tried to befriend me beforehand, or at least tried to become acquaintances.

I looked over to the table we're they all sat and immediately caught Lily's eye. She waved to me with a big smile on her face. I gave her a half hearted smile in return before turning back to finish my lunch.

‘Ivey’

‘ I don't know the workings of another wolf's mind.’

‘Yeah but do you have any guesses?’

‘A few but most of them aren't good. I think it's best we listen to dad and keep our distance.’

‘But what if they are harmless, If mom wouldn't have had her accident we would have been on our own. We would have needed their help, help he said they were willing to give us.’

‘The Goddess works in mysterious Ways. Even without the accident we would have eventually found our way to where we belong.’

I stopped to think her words over. Maybe she's right, I would have had no choice but to ask mom why this was happening to me. Maybe she knew what I would become, maybe that's why he was listed in case of emergency instead of Dina and Mark. She knew I would need him, but if that was the case why hide my existence.

‘Curiosity in itself is not harmful but it could lead you to danger. If you must approach them, do so with caution.’

Ben texted me saying they would get here at 3:30, that gave me less than about fifteen minutes to find Dylan and get some answers. As soon as the final bell rang I raced down, more like speed walked, to the gym. When I got there it was mostly empty save for the 5 boys sitting on the bleachers. I recognize Leo as being a part of the group of wolves this morning. That must mean the rest of them are seniors too. As soon as he noticed me standing there, probably looking lost, he got up and jogged over.

“Hey Gabi, you need something.” As he got closer I noticed a distinct smell about him. Ever since I got Ivey I realized that everyone has a unique scent about them but he had something extra on top of it. It was a little faint but it was there, almost like rotting fruit.

‘It's because he's rogue.’

“You know me?”

“Of course, we all know you. Sooo… You need something.”

“Um, not really. I was just hoping I'd run into Dylan.”

“He should be here soon, practice doesn't start until 3:30 though.”

Well that's inconvenient. “Does he usually get here early, my brother will be here soon and I'm not really supposed to talk to you all.”

“He's here,” I turned to see Dylan and a few others approaching the gym. “What can I do for you?” He stopped in front of me while the rest passed by us into the gym.

“Can we talk?” he didn't smell like Leo. I looked over at Leo who was still standing behind me. They smelt different.

“Sure but we'll have to make it quick. I don't want my captain giving me any shit.”

Leo snorted. “ Yeah like you've ever cared. I'll give you a pass.” He turned to walk back in the gym, “five minutes.” He shouted over his shoulder.

“Come on.” He walked out the side door that leads behind the gym. I followed after him looking around to make sure we're alone. “Relax, it's just us. What did you want to talk about?”

“How long have you known?”

“About what, your wolf?” I nodded my head. “Since you were in seventh grade. My aunt was the one that realized.”

“Ok so why wait so long to do something?”

“It's not that simple, it's not like we could just say ‘Hey little she-wolf why aren't you in a pack with you dad?’ And even if we had said something to you, would you have believed it?”

“Of course not, but someone could have befriended me, I mean me and Lily are the same age. Also when did you realize who my dad was?”

“My uncle, principal Groo, knows your paternal family, we technically weren't sure who your father was but we had it narrowed down. Lily on the other hand was told to stay away from you, we all were. They were afraid we would let something slip.”

“They? Who's they? What's a collective? Am I a rogue? If you are how come you smell different than Leo?”

“Hey, hey slow down. The adults within the collective, it's similar to a pack just no Alpha, no, you're a lone wolf, and because Leo's a rogue.”

“But you're a rogue, also why does Rob not trust you, are you a threat? Aiden said rogues have a habit of attacking she-wolves.”

“Lily and I aren't rogues, we belong to our dads pack. Though if the Alpha ever found out we're alive we will be. And no we're no-”

“What's the difference?” I realized my anxiousness got the better of me and I just cut him off. “Sorry.”

He let out an amused chuckle, “don't be. I can't even pretend to imagine what it must be like growing up without any real knowledge of our world. You could always ask your pack about this stuff, it's pretty common knowledge.”

I snorted, “they barely tell me anything, every answer I get is either censored or I'm told it's just complicated.” I let out a frustrated sigh that Dylan seemed to have found amusing. “So what is the difference, between the wolves I mean?”

“Well, think of it like citizenship. Americans are pack wolves. Lone wolves would be like people born abroad but still have citizenship or if they choose to move abroad.”

“So what, does that mean rogues are immigrants?”

He contemplated that for a moment before responding. “Sort of, but illegal immigrants. You know they're there but the government, pack leaders, try to keep them away.”

“I don't get it if they are just technically immigrants, why treat them like a threat?”

“Well…. Wolves are very social creatures; it's very rare that one chooses to leave their pack, unless they find their mate, then they might switch packs. That being said, most rogues aren't with a pack because they've committed some sort of crime and were banished or they ran away before they could be punished.”

“Ok, I guess that makes sense.” I tried to collect my thoughts and organize all that new information when it dawned on me why Rob wanted me to stay away from them. I took a step back before asking, “what did you all do? If you and Lily are the only pack wolves, why are the rest rogues?”

A look of sadness flashed across his features, I am not sure if it's because I stepped back or because of the situation they were all in.

“They were born that way, they've never belonged to a pack.”

“But their parents were.”

“Yes, though their stories are not mine to tell, just know none of us are a threat to you. And just to be clear, rouges aren't all bad wolves. The real danger lies with feral wolves.”

I was about to ask another question when my phone vibrated. I looked down to see a text from Ben rushing me. “s**t, my brothers here.” Before I could react he snatched my phone from my hand. “Hey what are you-”

“Relax, I'm giving you my number.” He hit the dial button and I heard his phone ring briefly before he hung up. “There,” he handed me my phone back. “Feel free to text me if you need someone to talk to.”

“oh, thanks.”

When I made my way to the front of the school Ben and Joe were standing in front of Ben's car.

“What took you so long, I was about to come looking for you.”

“Sorry.” I ran up to them and Ben casually took my bag from my shoulder. “ I was talking to a friend.”

Ben looked mad as he got closer and sniffed me. He let out a low growl, “You were told to stay away from them.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” I tried climbing into the back but he stopped me. ”what?” I looked up at him as he glared at me. “I really did keep my distance, they approached me earlier but I told them I wasn't allowed.”

“Gabi, this isn't a game, they're dangerous.”

“Oh please, they've been around me for years and nothing has happened. What makes you so sure they're a danger to me now?”

“I know it doesn't seem that way now but there is no telling what they will do.”

I rolled my eyes at him trying to protect me from an invisible threat. “Can we go now?” he let out a heavy sigh before moving back so I could climb in. It was a two door car so I had to squeeze behind the seat. Once I was settled in the back the boys got in the car and pulled out of the school's lot. We rode in silence for a bit until I realized we were headed in the direction of the hospital.

“Where are we going?”

“We still have some time before we need to get back so I thought you would want to stop by and check on your mom.”

“Really?”