The Adopted Alpha

Hibernation

Hunter drove over to her aunt's home when he did not see Clare in school. Whatever reason made her skip school had to be serious, because she was a very studious teenager.

He left school early not wanting to have a run in with her pack members. The gates of the fenced property opened on it's own so he drove straight to her aunt's.

Driving into the pack with his car completely unquestioned, he wondered again about the security detail of the so called pack. How was it that no guard wolf was rushing at him trying to lay him off the land? Even the damn gates opened to any body automatically.

He remembered Clare's reply when he had asked her about it.

"This is the twenty first century, you know. There is such a thing as cops that uphold law and order in the country. You could go to jail if you attempt to 'maul' someone, it doesn't matter that they drove into your property, or that you were an animal that's proprietary by nature when it happened. They are even more strict on us werewolves so we try not to give them any excuse to get to us."

Her sass in every conversation, he missed it, and just how quickly she could go back to being serious was another thing he admired about her.

Smart, Sassy and Lively.

Regardless, her helplessness when she should be an unstoppable force of nature was the reason that he had to protect her.

He, the one that would ultimately destroy all she had and would build.

Few minutes later, he was knocking at the door of the secluded house.

When Lilith opened the door for him, she had a worried look on her face. She did not spare him more than a quick greeting before waving him in.

Hunter walked into the living room and noted that all the blinds had been drawn throwing the room into semi darkness but he could see well in the dark so it had never been a problem to him.

The house was quiet and there was a feeling of melancholy in the air. He felt like he had walked into a funeral rite uninvited.

In the room, a man was seated on a sofa discussing with another standing in front of him, in whispers.

The eyes of the seated man strayed towards him and locked, hard and expressionless.

The eyes of an Alpha!

Hunter knew that had to be Clare's adoptive father and he was probably wondering what he was doing here. Lilith gestured for him to follow her before any conversation could ensue though, and he obliged.

He walked past the room with the Alpha's hard stare burning into his back till he was out of sight but it did not faze him, it was to be expected.

Especially since he did not hide his aura like someone else did. He could not cloak it anyway while he was on duty. Which he was, every second of the day.

Clare was laying on her bed looking pale and lifeless, but she was alive. He should know more than anyone else.

Her adoptive mother sat on a chair beside her holding her hands. She glanced up at him on his arrival but went back to soothing her hand over her still ward's hands, worry clearly written on her face.

While Clare looked like she was dying outside, Hunter knew she was more than alive and active inside. The hyperactivity was what was telling on her weak body.

But, her body was adjusting, hence the unconsciousness. Her body was preparing for the change that was happening to her wolf.

He had tried to prepare her but it had happened sooner than he had assumed.

But she would be fine soon! She would not die unless he made it happen.

Clare's eyes felt like lead when she tried to open them.Every muscles in her body ached and felt heavy as if she had been in a marathon race rather than passed out for three days.

She tried again to pry her eyes opened and was successful. The room was dimly lit thankfully so her eyes were not attacked by bright sunlight.

Sounds of a body turning made her glance at the window at the, clearly, weary woman who snored away softly.

"About time, Clare."

Clare turned her head in the direction of aunt Lilith's voice.

She was sitted on a cane chair beside the bed she was laying on. She sat up and leaned closer to her niece. "You gave us quite a scare. I, especially. One second you were kneeling down at that tree, the next, you were falling and that witch was nowhere to be found."

"I was so worried. Are you okay?" Her aunt put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "What happened to you?"

Clare could not remember that happening. Last she remembered, she had been in the woods relaxing by the river. Delta Tony had came to call her that her parents had arrived.

Did she faint on the way there?

No, she remembered meeting and hugging her parents. She also remembered going to school after that.

But something was wrong with her memory, she just didn't know what it was. It was just there on the edge but she couldn't quite reach it. The feeling that she was forgetting something important lingered on her mind.

"I-i c-can't remember... " Clare managed to croak out. Her mouth felt dry like sandpaper.

Aunt Lilith picked up a glass of water on her bedside table. "I'm j-just... sore." She answered the earlier question.

"It's okay, dear. Have some water. I'll draw you a hot bath. Alpha Edward said your body is adjusting to being an alpha so it's normal, the hot bath should sooth your muscles." Her aunt moved in the direction of her bathroom. "We should let your parents sleep, they have barely had any since you collapsed."

Clare mouthed an 'ohh' feeling guilty for making them worry so much for her.

"I'll be just a minute."

Clare fell back asleep within seconds.