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Trent stepped between us, edging me further away and Anna leaned around him, laughing as she patted his flat stomach. “Excuse my husband, he gets jealous easily.”
“I’m not jealous,” Trent denied, but he didn’t move and Anna’s laughing gaze met mine.
“It’s really good to see you,” she said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t join the rescue team.”
I chuckled, shaking my head dismissively. “No worries.” I gestured to Trent. “He had it covered.”
“Your girl….I’ve met her,” Trent disclosed and Anna didn’t look surprised so he must have already told her about Dru. “She was the one who warned me away when I visited the first time.”
This didn’t surprise me considering Dru’s panic when Trent had said he’d been there. “I think she’s been scaring away shifters for a long time.”
“She didn’t scare you,” Anna declared slyly and I grimaced.
“Not for lack of trying.” I glanced at Trent curiously. “Did you ever hear voices in the forest?”
His face grew contemplative and finally he shook his head. “No, I don’t recall hearing anything. That was one of the reasons it was so strange. There was this overall feeling of wrongness, the sensation that there was something else out there and it wanted me gone.”
I nodded, knowing firsthand what he meant and Anna eyed me like I was crazy. “And you wanted to go there?”
I shrugged defensively. “It always intrigued me. There was this Pack that was so close but we knew nothing about them. Or at least no one told us about them,” I corrected, frustration lacing my voice. I didn’t mention how I’d felt drawn to the Ghost Pack, to the place labeled off limits, and now I knew it was because Dru had been there. She’d called to me, still did, and I was determined to get back to her.
“Welcome,” Gregory’s deep voice somehow managed to carry over all the buzzing conversations, silencing them instantly.
I really wish I had that ability, Dom murmured over the Pack link and I looked down, hiding my grin.
Maybe when you hit the hundred mark, I joked, keeping my expression neutral and my eyes alert as Gregory’s gaze swept over me. It felt like I was finally about to get some answers, the missing piece of a puzzle, one that would allow me to be with Dru.
“Thank you all for coming today to hear my little history lesson,” Gregory began with a self-deprecating smile. “I trust it will help put the little ones down for their naps.” A few chuckles met his words, relieving the tension that had built in the room. “The history of our people has been passed down from father to son,” he paused and smiled at Anna, “And now mother to daughter.”
His smile faded as a faint regret filled his expression. “But there is one story, the story of our beginnings, which has been left out.” An air of expectancy grew and I waited to see if he’d mention my father’s role. “It’s time you knew how the wolf and the man became one.” The stiffness in my shoulders eased and Gregory settled on a low wooden stool Dom had brought out. “Long ago man and wolf walked side by side, together but separate,” Gregory’s hands moved with the flow of his words, mesmerizing the room. “The wolf stood as companion to the man, showing himself as a fierce protector and the man returned the favor, providing shelter and food for his four legged friend. They shared their life’s journey, working as one. They provided a necessary balance between man and beast, each guiding the other.” The wrinkled folds on his face deepened as his voice lowered. “They would die for one another.”
“One night they were woken by the rustling of a fearsome beast. It had huge paws twice the size of any they’d ever seen,” Gregory lifted one hand as the Packs watched with wide eyes. “Razor sharp fangs elongated out of its mouth.” He bared his own teeth as some sucked in quick breaths. “And it stood taller than the tallest sycamore tree.” One of the children whimpered and his mother quickly quieted him.
“The very sight of this beast froze them in place as they hoped it would leave them in peace.” Gregory shook his head slowly. “But it wasn’t to be.” His arms lowered as we hung on his every word. “The beast attacked,” Gregory leapt from his seat and everyone jerked back, one little girl letting out a shill scream. “He slammed one huge paw into the man, knocking him down, but before he could tear into him, the wolf stepped between them.”
Gregory’s face grew dark, his eyes glittering as he stalked the room. “The wolf stood ready, fur bristling, his eyes glowing as he protected his fallen friend.” We listened, enthralled as he painted a vivid picture of the valiant wolf. “The beast was confused by the wolf, as his snapping jaws kept the beast at bay long enough for the man to stand. They had no weapons to defeat this monster, only a slumbering fire and brave hearts.”
