Gamma's Energy Attracts

Part 29

Caly’s POV

A sticky-fingered little thumb pushes into my eye socket before it peels back my eyelid and I groan out, “Be gentle Atlas. Why are you awake this early?” I peel his little hands from my face but it makes no difference, both my eyes and my mouth feel gritty and dry as if I only had a few minutes of sleep in the past few days.

“Is breakfast time, waffles and bacons,” he informs me before hopping off the bed. Waffles, that explains the sticky fingers, he’s probably going back for seconds.

I stumble out of bed and as I almost reach the kitchen I hear an extra voice in there, so I silently slink back to my room to throw on a bra and some pyjama bottoms. I flop into my chair and Colin looks worriedly at me as he hands me a cup of coffee. I grumble out good mornings. The gang is all here, along with Micah, that extra voice.

“You look like you were the one who had the pup last night,” Colin chuckles.

“Mmm,” I stick my face over the mug to deep breathe in the steam of heavenly coffee. “Athena thought the pup’s shoulders were stuck, so I helped a little,” I quickly downplayed last night.

“Your energy doesn’t lie, Caly,” Colin gives me a hard look, and I give him one right back. “Then if you're full of energy you should be okay for the busy day you have. We need to get statements from both our guests and you will need to contact the Elders.” 

Crap. He’s right. I have to call to explain this to Artemis and Moon’s Heart so they can stand down security. Tabi might want help talking to her Mother, her Mom seems to trust me more than most. I better fill up on coffee and waffles, it’s going to be a long day. “Can someone grab Mama her phone? I need to write a list.” Both kids are finished eating and race down the hall. Unfortunately, the sticky pup outran his Sister. 

Colin looks horrified at the state of my phone then looks under the sink for bleach wipes and cleans it for me. “Let’s wash your hands, young man, or you will be the next thing that gets wiped away with bleach.” Colin lifts Atlas under the armpits and carries him at arm's length to the bathroom.  Yep, it’s going to be a long day.

*****

Considering that all I did all day was listen or explain things, I was beyond exhausted and halfway to dissolving into tears. We learned so much about how this black market WIC was run, but my Goddess, it was difficult for me to hear. WIC was responsible for leasing out these gifted she-wolves like shiny new sports cars. The gifted she-wolves were passed back and forth to the private homes of rich clientele, the places as individual as each of its owners. 

Sometimes buyers would buy directly, believing they themselves were only purchasing the services of the gifted. They treated the gifted as honoured guests, they were willing to pay extra to travel on their private jets and limousines and also kept them in lavish (yet locked and guarded) gilded rooms with amenities with plentiful food, drink and even socialization. You can imagine how few of those there actually were, considering how shady the whole operation was.

The second type of buyer was most common, the ones with a singular focus. They paid for no-frills, leaving WIC to organize the travel.  Often out of necessity, travel was done under the cover of darkness, avoiding passports and away from travel authorities. That meant being moved like freight, crated up to fly in the freezing cargo hold in the underbelly of airplanes or sweltering in hot box cars. They received minimal care; they were fed and given a plain room to stay in. They were only used briefly and returned still in good shape. These stints were easily survivable.

Then there were the depraved and desperate buyers. They wouldn’t care how their purchase would show up. They wouldn’t waste resources on medical care, they would be given rooms that were stripped bare, or tossed into basements or dungeons. They would get the best value for their dollar, the rich bast*rds would siphon anything they could out of the poor she-wolf, often working them into unconsciousness.

In Paulina’s case, Goddess forbid that they were foretold an outcome they didn’t like (as if she had the power to change the future) their anger was taken out on her, too. Threats mostly, and time spent in silver chains, withholding food or water. 

Other times she wasn’t so lucky. Visits to torture rooms with methods not even imagined by the writers and directors of the goriest of human slasher films. Things that made bile burn my throat as it threatened to come out and wreaked havoc on the little energy I had left. I so badly wanted to soothe away each painful memory Paulina shared with us. I wanted to soothe my friends as well. Colin looked ready to pull his own hair out and chuck up his breakfast, he looked like I felt. Theressa and Micah were silently seething, anger rolling off them and weighing me down. 

Of course, WIC warned the buyers about the cost of any permanent damage done to the women's bodies and suggested they shouldn't be sexually interfered with, but they rarely checked up on it. If any damage was done, they may get a fine based on the days the she-wolves were out of work. What a farce. That's where Everleigh came in, she would heal the abused up instantly, and the renewed gifted she-wolves were sent for grooming. You heard it correct, 'grooming' like a damn dog. Washed, trimmed, painted, then they were ready for the next assignment. 

That led to how they came to be in their current state. There are facilities WIC runs all over the world. Everleigh had been stationed in the US for more than a year. Since she is never seen by the clients they only kept her to the bare minimum standard. Yes, she was fed, as much as an active male wolf, but it never came close to providing her with the energy she needed for the healing work she was forced to do, so she was quite thin already.

They met when Paulina was dropped off after her last job. She didn’t tell the buyer what she wanted to hear, so she had Paulina punished by her enforcers and shipped her back in a pine box that was used to ship coffins in to send a message. That was the third complaint against Paulina in a year. She was told they would be keeping her until a suitable replacement was found. She doubted they would allow her to retire, she expected to be put back in the pine box and buried where no one would ever find her.

She was placed into prison cells with the others who were being punished or just plain dangerous. She was still working though, there was an endless deluge of small tasks they wanted to see into the future of. Whether their schemes would work, searching for other gifted who might be ripe for the picking. Then Paula was shown a vision of the future, it was unusual because she hadn’t been awake, she was dreaming of a dark lake. The Moon Goddess promised a future with the All-Mother where she would no longer be controlled by WIC or the Elder’s Council. A place where she would be respected, happy and safe. She was told to follow her dreams to find what she sought. All Paulina had to do was escape and follow the Sun east. Paulina spent any free time obsessively tracking futures that involved the All-Mother.

Paulina decided there would be no better time to make her escape, as she was in the same spot for more than a few days. Everleigh was in the neighbouring cell. so she whispered her plans when the guards couldn’t hear. She knew she was back in the US, and Everleigh had knowledge of the facility. They listened to the conversations of other prisoners and the idle chatter of the guards, gaining snippets of information, piecing together an educated guess that Blood Pact was their destination. There were whispers from werewolves about a collector who had taken in three gifted she-wolves and they were legitimate Pack members, the Elder’s Council even knew about them and couldn’t separate them. WIC was trying to find a way in to take them, but the Pack was defended by a bloodthirsty Alpha and a trained army.

I knew right away, they believed my Stavros was the collector. I had to set them straight, he didn’t ‘collect’ any of us (I didn’t mention how I actually came to Blood Pact). I explained that I was the Alpha’s Mate, Tabi was Ryan’s. Julia had escaped a bad situation with her Alpha, a coincidence she wanted to stay here. 

My wolf hissed that she-wolves were gathering here, that Mother Moon was sending them to us.

We sat enthralled as they told us of their escape. The guards stupidly didn’t think a wolf and a vampire would work together, so against protocol, they placed a vamp in the cell Paulina shared bars with. She had Paulina push her hands and ankles through as she easily removed the silver bracelets and then Paulina used her claws to remove the vampire’s collar.  She shared with them her unique gift, she easily melted the steel bars with her eyes, it sounded impressive. Then they created a distraction and the vamp slipped past the guards by compelling them. They had truly believed they were smack dab in the middle of nowhere, only to sneak out and find themselves in the middle of a business district of endless warehouses. A nearby warehouse was receiving a shipment of large barrels. They spilled countless containers of caustic liquids to cover up their scents and create more chaos. Once they escaped the city and in the safety of a dense treeline, they thanked each other and parted ways. The vampire shimmered away, they realized she was helping escort them to where they would have a fighting chance of escape.

Not wanting to take any chances, Paulina shifted, carrying a wolfless Everleigh on her back. They travelled for a few weeks, but food has been scarce in the forest with the arrival of winter. Even though the trek was becoming harder, they were too afraid to stop. They ate and slept when they could, sneaking past different territories. They became thinner and sicker. They had no idea how far they had travelled or where Blood Pact was, but when they spotted Shane, they took it as a sign stop. They left their fate in the Goddess’s hands. Either they would be killed onsight as rogues or perhaps they could ask for the help they so desperately needed. 

When Shane heard the word All-mother, he immediately took them in, and they felt a surprising sense of calm, they knew they had arrived. I was proud of Shane, he always did what he knew to be right. I hadn’t taught Shane Rule 3, he embodied it and he was the wolf who inspired me to train Conner that way. He was the one who made sure the rest of the warriors knew it and always followed it.

I could also feel they were sent to me for a reason. They were floored when I said I was working with the Council. They didn’t calm down until I happily told them of Elder Giles’s demise at my own hands. Terri loves it when I tell this story, I bet she could recite it word for word. I told them how the Council had transformed and how we needed them to tell us of any other wolves they remember, hoping to update even a few of the 206 missing person files. How I wanted to put an end to WIC’s stranglehold on the blackest of black markets.

I wanted them to sit on a video call tomorrow with Elder Darryl and Alpha Darius. Even filled with trepidation, they said they would try. I knew once they spoke with these Alphas they would see they were truly good wolves. 

I let them rest, they were still tired and hooked up to machines, but making progress. Rosemarie was cooking up all the easy-to-digest food she could think of, practically smothering them in her concern. I knew Rose was wondering what would happen to these she-wolves. She passed me a look and I nodded back at her. If they wanted to stay here, I would accept them without a doubt. 

It was well after dinner time when I stepped into the hall and I took a peek through the tiny window of the room next door. Tabi was being discharged so I opened the supply cupboard looking for my favourite knitted creations, adorable wolf toys. I brought it with me to say hi to baby Heather. I offered to carry the baby upstairs so Ryan could carry Tabi who was still understandably a bit sore after a difficult labour.

Heather was so precious, she had Tabi and her Aunt’s big eyes. Sure enough, I felt a longing to have another pup of my own. I would just have to appreciate that I had five floors to talk to this Little One about our Pack and all the best things about being a werewolf. I told her about the wolf toy I was holding, and that I couldn’t wait to meet her wolf one day. I helped her Mom and Dad get settled back into their room. An apartment with a few more rooms was already being renovated for them, but it wouldn’t be ready for a few more days. It didn’t matter, no wolf parent wants to be away from their pup the first few days, Tabi was no exception, she had a bassinet set up beside her bed. 

I made it upstairs just in time for bedtime for my own pups. I felt more than a little guilty I hadn’t seen them since breakfast. I came in to find my Daughter putting on her own pyjamas, her hair wet and uncombed. That means Atlas must still be in the bathtub in my room. He and Stav were in an angry staring contest, the bottle of baby shampoo in Stav’s hands. 

“How are my two favourite boys? Atlas, do you want Mama to wash your hair?” I try to get the boys to stand down.

My Mate takes one look at me and warns our Son, “Be nice to your Mother, she’s had a rough day.”  Atlas pouts but nods, taking the small bucket and filling it with water for me. I wash his hair without a single squeal. I get him out of the tub and dry him off. He runs out b*tt n*ked for his pyjamas while I grab the comb and hairdryer to tame the pup's hair before a bedtime story.

“Do you want me to read to them?” Stav offers. 

“Let’s all sit together,” I tell him. I want to sit curled up in his strong arms while the kids pile on top of us. I just want to feel safe with my family around me and leave the stress down in the hospital wing until tomorrow. 

I read aloud until Atlas lost interest for the second time, then I put the story away and tucked the pups into their beds. In just a few more days, their big pup room would be ready. I sigh, they are growing up so fast.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Stav asks me as I stand in front of the microwave watching it spin my plate and warm up my dinner.

“Not really. You’ll hear all about it tomorrow, we are video calling with Council at 10 am. I just want to eat and relax.” I tell him. He gives me a smirk and heads off to our bedroom, coming back with a bottle of something hidden in his hand. “What are you up to?”

I watch him turn the tap on and fill a glass with hot water. He drops the whole bottle in the glass. I peer at it shrewdly.  “You need a massage,” he tries to say looking innocent.

“Really? That bottle says cherry flavoured,” I deadpan.

“I can massage you all over with my tongue. It will be very therapeutic.” I can’t help but laugh. I wolf down my dinner, Stav having increased my hunger.

He helped me undress and laid me on the bed, using just his warm hands to squeeze the stress out of my neck and shoulders, working his way down to my lower back.

“What happened to the massage oil?” He flipped me onto my back so suddenly I made a squeaky noise.

“That’s for places I want to give some special attention to,” he whispers as he drizzles the warm oil over my puckered n*pples. “I will have you relaxed in no time.” He says as he laps at my sensitive skin. He spent hours making all the tension leave my body.

*****

‘Luna? Are you still awake?’ I was almost asleep when Shane’s voice entered my mind.

‘Yep. Is everything okay?’ I say pretending I’m awake when I’m not. 

‘We picked someone up at the western border.’

‘Another she-wolf?’  Well, I’m wide awake now!

‘No, it’s a male. He’s not a rogue though. Says he’s here to see his Mate.’

I saw red. ‘Put Erik in a damn cell, I will be right down. In fact, put him in the first cell.’ I’ve had enough of his bullsh*t, I am about to set this boy straight.

‘Yes, Luna.’