The Crimson Alpha

Chapter 9: The Log Cabin

~Mabel's P. O. V.~

I don't know why I keep falling asleep. It's become annoying. Most of the time, it's near Seth or on Seth. I asked him about it, he gave his best guess. It was either due to depression from being locked away, boredom or being too relaxed. I know I shouldn't complain about sleep, but it gave me less time with Seth while I am awake. Roxy said that it was depression. That my body is recovering from the constant stress of the engaement that it put me on. I told them both that I would cry myself to sleep every night since I was 7. The man that called himself my father didn't beat me physically, but the mental abuse that he gave me was going to take time to heal. At least, that is what Roxy's theory is.

"I remember a few times where I tried to run away." The car had been silent for most of this lat part.

"I thought you said you were too scared to try." Seth placed his head on my shoulder. It was getting close to dark. And this is day number 4 that we have been driving since the city.

"After I was caught, yeah." It's time I told him what happened, I hoped he would believe me. "My father would tell me that I was just a worthless girl who didn't care about her family. Often, he would lock me in my room, even before I knew of what was to happen." He sat up and pulled me closer to him.

"How did you run away, then?" Jericho asked.

"I tied my bedsheets, blankets and clothing together. This happened when I was 9." I looked outside where the sun had already set. "Please don't make fun of me for what I am about to tell you?"

"Of course, not." Seth kissed the top of my head again.

"I promise, Miss. Mabel." Jericho promised to me.

"The last time I tried, it was around late spring time. I finally got off my balcony and headed into the woods nearby." I started to fidget with my hands. "It was dark, the moon was gone, my parents were already asleep and the people that worked for us were on break." I started to say, "I thought I had run pretty far, so I stopped to catch my breath." Here it goes, all or nothing moment, "Well, I ran into a abnormally giant black wolf. I am not talking about The Mackenzie Valley Wolf, it was much bigger. Like a male African Savanna Elephant huge." I may have been misremembering, but it was still bigger than any wolf I read about. "I fell on my ass and started screaming. It growled and snapped it jaws at me. I had never been so afraid in my life. I ran back crying and screaming for help. When I got back to the house, it stopped chasing me. I thought I imagined it at first. There were no traces according to my father's butlers." I looked to both, I knew they promised not to laugh, but their expressions made me worried. They both looked like they wanted to kill something. "It was then, that my father threw me into my room. I ended up getting scratches on my arms because of how hard he threw me. I heard the doors lock and people being set at the bottom of my balcony." I looked down towards the floor. "He said that I only hurt myself and had I been smart, I would have caught myself."

Seth took my hands in both of his. "You don't have to worry about him anymore." He kissed both hands. "Lunaen min." My Luna? What?

"Is that your new pet name for me? Luna?" I chuckled a little. I saw him get a little flustered.

"Yes, it is." He dug his nose in my neck. "How do you know Norwegian?"

"My mother wanted me to be fluent in many languages. I know Spanish, Norwegian, Japanese, Chinese, Greek and Italian." He pulled me closer.

"That's actually pretty cool." He paused and looked up. "We're almost there." The sun had fully set. There were no street lights, just a long dirt road and a whole forest on either sides of us. The moon started to climb higher into the sky. I felt myself getting nervous. I know I had another friend here, but I don't know much about Corey. What was his company? Is he just as rich as Seth is? What if this was ploy just to get me alone? I mean, It's been less than 2 weeks, so if he wanted to hurt me, then he would have done so already, right? I felt my palms become sweaty the closer we got. Shut up, nerves. He has been nothing but kind to me. I shouldn't get nervous now. I sat up straight and breathed in long and shallow breaths. "Mabel? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just getting nervous. I only met Corey once. I guess I still have fears. I will be okay, though." I gave him a reassuring smile.

"Let me help with that, then." He placed his hand over mine and touched my forehead with his. We closed our eyes for a moment. "I promise, there is nothing for you to fear. If you need to, you can always come to me. I will protect you from anything. If it's to help with your feelings or to act as your shield against bad people like your father, I will protect you." I could feel the nerves calming down. His words made me feel a lot better. "Lunaen min. You are safe here." He slowly moved away and I opened my eyes. "We're here."

I looked out the window and my jaw hit the floor. The flowers, the meadow, the tree in the middle. It was, "Beautiful." I breathed out. The cabin was already lit up. I had no words.

~Seth's P. O. V.~

I almost blew my cover, again! I didn't know she spoke so many languages, I thought I was safe using what should be her title. I was mentally kicking myself for not asking her in case she did know. Jericho raised an eyebrow when I said that. Mabel got out of the car and put Yua down.

Delta Jericho: A Luna who knows more than 2 languages? She's a force to be reckoned with right there.

Me: I know what you mean. She could potentionally make allies with packs from across the world with just her language skills.

Delta Jericho: That wolf she mentioned, do you think Alpha Eustace was the one she saw?

Me: Almost without a doubt. 13 foot tall wolf? That's Alpha height. And only 1 Alpha I know has a pure black wolf. I narrowed my eyes. So, he has seen her before she knew about him. That scum flea bag. He may have waited for her to turn a legal age, but he's had his eye on her since she was a kid. Blake stirred in my mind. I got out and saw her running with Yua in the meadow, laughing and enjoying herself. I looked back at my team and gave them the go ahead to go back to the pack. Delta Jericho bowed to me.

"Miss. Mabel. It has been a pleasure." She came back to us.

"You're not staying?" She asked.

"I am not. Myself and the 11 others are returning to our jobs tomorrow evening. Do not fret, Miss. Mabel. Mr. Seth and Mrs. Roxy are going to remain here. Mr. Corey is in the house with his wife and kids. Good evening, ma'am's and sir." He bowed to us and rounded the others. With 4 Alpha's here, no one would dare be stupid enough to attack us. Corey is also a blessed wolf. His heritage comes from Wolf and Witch. So, he has fire power if we need it. Blake is itching to run, which is understandable, this place is sacred to us. The wolf spirit loves to run in forests such as these. I will have to wait until Mabel is asleep for that, though. She held out her hand for me to take. I didn't hesitate. We both walked hand in hand to greet the others. When we got there, the most amazing smell hit my nose. I looked to Mabel and she practically had drool coming out of her mouth. Antonia always did make the best lesagna. We rounded the corner and there she was, cooking away.

"Seth! Welcome back, honey!" She was like an aunt to me. We both hugged each other.

"Aunt Antonia, it has been a while." My mother and her come from the same pack when they were pups. Both ended up with Alpha's. Who knew, right?

"And this must be Mabel." She engulfed Mabel in a hug as well.

"I-It's a pleasure to meet you." She hesitantly hugged her back.

"Oh, Seth. Why is she so thin?" Antonia looked back at me.

"It's my fault, I normally eat like bird. Something that was drilled into me at a young age, I guess." Mabel answered for herself. I am glad to see her gain some confidance.

"Well, we will have you at a healthy weight in no time." She smiled and pulled Mabel away. She started to show her the kitchen and made her stand there to help Antonia. I decided to leave there, Roxy has gone with Yua, I figured I should find Corey. He was in the living room flipping through pages of the news paper. I sat in a chair across from him.

"Who ever wrote this? I want them found." He spoke in a whisper. "That meeting was supposed to be private." He slammed the new article down and leaned back in the chair.

"Another reason why we are here. This is to keep her safe." I too whispered to him.

"I know." He looked at me with concern. "At least, she is here now." Then, he looked towards the kitchen.

"Corey." I gained his attention again, "Eustace met her once already. Before she knew about the deal." He looked at me with anger.

"How?" He leaned forward and placed his head on his hands.

"She discribed a giant black wolf that she ran into when she was 9." His eyes glazed over with obsidian for a split second. "He chased her back to her parents."

"So, he's been watching her since she was a child, huh?" It was no secret that Alpha Eustace's wolf was pure black.

"Yes. Talk about pedophillia. Absolutely disgusting." I spat out.

"I agree." We sat there for a few minutes in silence. I don't know what to do. It's been almost 2 weeks since I met Mabel. I guess I have 2 more weeks to figure it out. I promised myself I would tell her the truth.

"I'm going to show her my wolf in 2 more weeks." I started to shake a little. "What if she rejects me?" I looked at him.

"Have faith, Seth. Just show her that you mean no harm to her. Have you talked to your wolf about submission to your Luna?" If I know almost every Alpha on this side of the continent, their wolves submitted to their Luna's when they found their mates.

"I have. We agreed to submit." I reassured him. He nodded.

"Then, you will have to have to trust the Moon Goddess to know what she is doing." He smiled at me.

"Blake and I need to run. Would you care to join us after Mabel has gone to bed?" He sat back and smiled. His wolf, Thunder, is incredible.

"We would like to. The girls are asleep already. We got them McDonald's for dinner since this is a vacation for us." I nodded and looked back at the kitchen. Mabel was helping Aunt Toni with prepping more food.

~Roxy's P. O. V. ~

I took Yua out so we could have a talk on when she was leaving us. I was still sad that she knows when her time is up. Though, being 17 years of age for a dog is pretty old even in itself. Mabel and the others are inside the cabin cooking dinner. I set Yua down and went into the darkest part of the woods. I stripped out of my clothes and hung them on a branch. I shifted into Rose.

Yua: It's good to see you again, deary. She chuckled softly.

Roxy: This is the place, Yua. When will it... I trailed off, I didn't want to asked it fully.

Yua: When will I go with Death? I am afraid by the end of this week. It has been an amazing last few days with you and everyone.

Roxy: Do you have to? Mabel just got you. She'll be heartbroken.

Yua: Oh, young one. I am well past when I should have gone. I am happy, though. She gave me memories I will never forget. I will always be with her and you and the handsome one. She laughed a little more. Even if in spirit. This old dog needs rest. I am not as spry as I used to be. I'm old and tired. Mabel let me see what human kindness truly is. And for that, I am truly grateful. I can sleep the long sleep here. And with you and the other being werewolves, I am leaving her in good hands. I was stunned. She knew what I was?

Roxy: You know what a werewolf is?

Yua: Of course, deary. You and your wolf spirit are known to all and any dogs that cross your path. The kings and queens of the canine kind. May I meet your wolf? I nodded and gave Rose control.

They spent the next 10 minutes talking about anything and nothing at all. Yua just said that she was tired and needed some sleep. I shifted back into my human form and put my clothes back on. I picked her up and went back inside. Mabel and Toni were placing down the food on the table and Seth was talking with Corey. I knew he planned on showing Mabel his wolf. I put Yua down and let her go to one of the chairs to sleep. I apporached Seth.

Roxy: Yua is going to be passing away by the end of this week, Seth. His eyes immediately went to mine.

Seth: So soon?

Roxy: Yeah. Maybe wait to show Mabel Blake. She will be a mess. And Yua knows exactly what we are. She called us "Kings and Queens of canine kind."

Seth: Very well. Does she know when exactly? I shook my head.

"Laila. I have your food." Mabel called to Yua. Yua got up and went to her food bowl. I really wanted to tell her. But was it my place? No. I will be there to comfort her. As will Seth, Corey and Toni.

"She is a pretty dog. You have good taste, Mabel, honey." Toni hugged her from the side as Yua ate her dinner. Toni pet Yua as she ate. I wiped the tear that threatened to escape. "Dinner is ready. Come and eat." We all went to the table and sat where we wanted. I was not surprised when Mabel sat next to Seth. That ended the first night here. Mabel and Seth went to her room together. Knowing Mabel, just to sleep next to him. I went to mine and Corey went with his Luna. I closed my eyes. Thinking of the inevibility of Yua's passing. And I hated it. Still, I let sleep take me. Deciding that I will play this by ear.