Chapter 4
1367 Words
I asked him, purring at him to annoy him, "Now was that so hard?" I grabbed him by the collar and yelled, "Get up." He intended to personally unlock their kennel.
I was standing outdoors with my Gammas and three freezing kids five minutes after Albert pushed his little magic button that shifted the bookshelf aside. If I were to guess, the oldest might have been fifteen. There was no way the youngest was older than five. Clearly, these folks were ill.
I told them, with a reassuring tone and as much composure as I could muster in my eyes, "You're all safe now." "Your pain will soon be over."
My Gamma, Toby Collins, tried to break the ice by asking, "Do you kids want to come back to the pack house and have some dinner? You can also get cleaned up and have a proper room to sleep in." He has greater kid-handling skills than I do.
The middle of the three youngsters stuttering with panic in his eyes, "Th-th-th-the p-p-pack house." Like Lenny, he was probably eight years old when he passed away.
The three young men suddenly appeared terrified. They clearly had some sort of irrational fear of the pack house. My memory appeared to recall legends, things that the stronger wolves would impart upon the weaker ones. They socialized them to fear Alphas. Maybe that's why nobody I'd helped before trusted me so much.
I was on my knees in front of them, smiling softly and hoping they would believe me when I said, "You don't have to worry. I'm not the same Alpha that was here before. I'm here to protect you like a real Alpha should. I've turned the pack house into a sanctum for you. A place where you can all feel safe. There are others there, as well."
The younger youngster walked to me, albeit reluctantly, after I smiled and said something nice to him. Shortly after, he had wrapped his scrawny arms around my neck and was clinging to me for dear life. As he sobbed softly into my shoulder, I felt his shaking body against me.
With my big palm, I stroked calming circles into his back and hushed him with a soft "Shh." Because my hand covered so much of his back, the circles were tiny.
The second little child, the one who looked just like Lenny, approached me next. His sobbing and tears joined the first one as he buried his face in my other shoulder. I lifted them up in my arms and held them close as I glanced at the bigger boy and stood up easily.
The older boy was supposedly a teenager on the cusp of adulthood, yet he couldn't have been more than ten at a guess.
"From now on, I promise to keep you safe, each and every one of you." As I stated this, I was Staring at the eldest. As in, "Are you coming along, too?" That's what I questioned him on. He didn't say anything more than a simple nod, but I could see he was jealous of the lads I was holding. "Wanna hop on my back for a ride?" That's what I questioned him on. He nodded eagerly, "I will carry you all to the car, or even all the way to the pack home if you want, whatever makes you three feel the most comfortable. What do you prefer?"
"H-how far away is the pack house?" The eldest one inquired.
"It's just a few miles; I can do it."
"I-I don't w-wa-want to b-be outside that l-long." In agreement with what he was saying, I nodded.
They will never again come after you. But don't worry, I'll drive you to the house, and my pals and I will help you unpack and get settled in.
"O-ok." It brought a grin on his face.
With the two younger sons in my arms, I stooped down.
"Come on, climb on." The oldest boy was inspired by my words of encouragement. He didn't think twice, which is great. He was beginning to have faith in me and Toby.
The trip home was swift and uneventful. Toby drove, while I sat in the rear. The eldest sat in the middle, between my knees; the younger two sat on either knee. Easily, I encircled the three of them in a hug, providing them with the first sense of security they'd felt in a very long time.
By the time we got back, they had all gone to bed. I carried the bigger of the two boys, while Toby and Morgan, my fellow Gamma, carried the younger. When they were ready, it was when they would awake. When that happened, they'd get a glimpse of the full potential of existence.
My best friend and Beta, Philip , was sprinting towards me as I emerged from the room where we had locked the kids up.
In other words, "I found another one, Maximus." He appeared to be in the midst of a panic attack.
Let's have a chat at the office, shall we? I spoke softly so as not to disturb the sleeping children or frighten them. When Philip nodded, he took the helm.
As soon as we were inside, he turned to continue our conversation. Before I could even take a seat, he was already deep into his explanation.
"I found another one of our savior!"
I questioned, "Where is he?"
"It's not a he." Instantly, he let it slip. I looked at him with surprise written all over my face after that.
A repeated invitation to "come again." I touched my light copper brown hair and looked at him square in the face with my beautiful green eyes. Every single boy in the pack that we've rescued so far has been the weakest link. I had not yet discovered any female captives, and it was possible that they had all perished or simply been released.
"I'm aware of that, Maximus, but I met a girl tonight who really needs my assistance."
"What the heck happened?" I had to know everything there was to know about her condition if I was going to help her.
"As though trying to avoid me, she collided with me while sprinting. She appeared terrified and on the verge of a scream, but instead she climbed to her feet and continued running. When I looked down at her leg, I saw the huge bruise and the swelling. She was moving quite quickly, and I believe she had a broken leg, so she was probably running.
"Good to hear that she's determined."
However, pursuers were on her trail. Four others, all in wolf shape, including a man in his thirties.
Inquiring minds want to know, "Who was the man?" I was curious about this myself.
I don't know, but I've already committed his aroma, along with the others', to memory. I will never forget the look on his face. It was clear that he was certain of that, and I saw no reason to disbelieve him.
As in, "Did he say anything to you?"
According to the witness, "Yeah, he basically told me to mind my own business or he was going to get rid of me."
"Hmph." I laughed at what he said. As in, "So he threatened you?" To my surprise, I found myself laughing. Philip was powerful, almost as powerful as I was. There was a good chance he could easily defeat that opponent.
Absolutely, he did. He then "snatched the girl by the hair and yanked her behind him."
"Seriously?" What a horrible thing to do; I wonder how much brain damage he caused her. Did she possess any magical objects? Most likely, she did. All the ones we've saved up to this point have, and that's how we've kept the wolves out of this pack. A mystical artifact that was first introduced to us by the wicked warlock Griffin many years ago.
"I didn't see one, but that doesn't mean anything."
I agree with you. I confirmed this with a nod of my head. Once we've located them, we can begin making our way to her aid. Excellent job, Philip .
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