Chapter 20

Randy’s Point of View

            The Mutt attack surprised us. In over eight years, the Mutts left my pack alone. After the SVU stops flipping, I look around. Bobby’s got a metal pipe sticking out of his throat and I can tell that he’s dead, Dean’s alive, moaning. But the girl, Mari, I can’t hear her. I hope that she’s just knocked out and not dead. No father should lose his daughter.

            I look around and see the Mutts coming closer. I look back at Dean. He’s hurt, but he’ll live. “Dean.”

            “Yeah?”

            “I need you to go find help. We can’t let these Mutts hurt a human. I’ll keep them entertained. Just find someone and bring them back.” I feel a pain in my shoulder as the Mutts try to pull me out of the car. I look back at Dean. “Now Dean. Go.”

            He looks at me and then at Mari and nods. Then, in a blink of an eye, he disappears. I moan and let them pull me out. If Dean’s to find help, I need to keep their attention on me. They can’t find Mari in the back of the car. They start circling me, throwing a punch or kick. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mari slip out of the car. What’s that girl up to?  I shift my focus for a second, and that’s all they need. One of the hits me and I fall. I watch as Mari starts shaking. Man, that little girl looks pissed.

            Yeah she does. I feel sorry for whoever she’s mad at. I snicker softly. I feel the Mutts move closer, each kicking me harder than the last. I just laugh, taunting them. It’s an alpha’s place to protect those who can’t protect themselves. I watch as she falls forward and shifts into a silver…Drake, that’s…That’s a pure silver wolf. Those red marks. It’s….It.

            It’s your daughter, Marie Contessa Cortez. I take a deep intake of breath. She’s even more beautiful that I could ever imagine. Isabella would be proud of her. Suddenly, one of the Mutts kicked me hard in my back. I let out a cry of pain. Mari rushes torwards me to. She stood defensibly in front of me glaring and growling at the Mutts. Boys, you had better turn and leave right now before you make me do something that you wish I won’t do. But if you don’t care if you live or die, then by all means take one more step towards my father. She yells at them through the link. Even I hear it, though it was meant only for them. I could see the fear in their eyes. But, but, that’s not possible. I… You. They start to whine, looking for a way to escape if need be.

            Leave now or die! She barks out. Several leave, including one that was trying to kill me. She growls at the only remaining Mutt again and he jumps at her. I watch as she steps left and grabs his throat. I hear the bones snap as she crushes his windpipe and throws his body as hard as she could against a tree. That’s some fighter you got there Randy. Some fighter. I hear Drake’s voice slowly start to fade as darkness claims me. I’ve found my baby girl.

            I jerk awake and look around. “How did I get in this room?” I see Mari lying on another bed beside me. I realize that we’re in some pack house’s little hospital room. I look back at her and she’s staring at me. She gets up and locks the door. Walking towards me she sits on the edge of my bed. “Hello daddy.” She says softly shocking me. I thought she was mute.

            “Wha..You can talk?” She chuckles. “Yeah. I was just passing myself off as mute just for safety. Never know who you will run into out in the woods right?”

            “Why did you lock the door?”

            “Castiel.” She says, sticking her tongue towards the door. “He keeps checking on me every stinking five minutes. It gets boring pretty fast.”

            “Why does he do it?”

            “Because… He’s my mate daddy.” She tells me, blushing a little. Great, I’ve finally found my little girl, just to lose her to her mate. “How long have you known about him?”

            “Since our wreck. The mutts were attacking you, which pissed me off. I mean, I had just found my father, and here some idiots are trying to kill him. I got so mad that I saw red. Next thing I know, I’m shifting. I’ve been freaking out the last couple of years thinking that I was that one in a million wolf pup that wouldn’t get one.”

            “Baby girl that would have been impossible. So, how did you come to be Lynx’s daughter?” I ask, curiosity eating away at me. She sighs and gets comfortable on the bed. “Lynx told me that one day not too long after a Mutt attack on your pack, a family with a son and a newborn pup with them. They were seeking a place to live and hide. Since Lynx saw that they held no threat to his pack, he let them in. They said that they were just members of your pack. They would leave me with my brother or grandfather and go into town once a week until I was eight. Then only one would go into town and that was maybe once a month.

            “Lynx told me it was because they saw you and they were scared that you would force them back to the old pack. My parents, well adopted parents were Jon and Marcella Bellflower.” I gasp softly. “They were killed by Mutts when I was eight. I would have been killed as well, but I was in my tree house playing. I watched it all. But the Mutts didn’t find me. I didn’t know until later that it was because I have no scent almost. I stayed in that tree for days. Lynx and some of his men finally came to check up on us. They were worried because Jon hadn’t been into town when he was supposed to.

            “They found the bloody mess that was left behind. Their bodies had been dragged behind the shed, but I could still smell their blood. Lynx got worried when they didn’t find my body. They assumed that I had been kidnapped or dragged off and killed elsewhere.” I see a small smile appear on her face. “Lynx and Michael, his beta, stood beneath my tree house. I wanted to be found so bad. I didn’t know I had thrown something until Lynx turned around and started looking at the woods. At first I thought the Mutts were coming back, but then I realized that I had thrown a ball at him. Then I saw another one of my toys flying at him. It hit him directly. He looks up and sees me. Both he and Michael climbed up and brought me down. The other men told Lynx that they would look for a place for me to live, but he just told them that he and Nina would take me in. I’ve been with them ever since.”

            I smile at her. “Why did you start looking for me? I mean if you already had a home and were happy?” Her eyes sparkled a little. She took a deep breath. “Well, about two months ago, I started feeling this tugging to head for the western borders. And I was getting stressed about not having shifted yet. I told Lynx and Nina all about it. They told me what I just told you. They agreed that I could go look for you. I was doing fine too until I came to this old outpost on Cass’s land. A stupid novice trap got me. Tom and several others found me. I pretended to be human. The rope gave out and I fell. I woke up at Cass’s pack house. We talked, I pissed him off, and then I ran to my room. I waited until he left and snuck out of my room by the window. I made it to your little pack house. I was just going to sleep on the back porch, but then your men surrounded me. I fought just like Lynx taught me because I thought that they were going to kill me. I woke up in your holding cells and you know the rest.”

            I nod. “I’m glad you found me darling. I had but all given up hope. I searched for years after your mother was killed. I traced you as far as Lynx’s territory, but that’s where I lost the trail. I was devastated.” Suddenly, someone starts banging on the door. “Open this door right now!” I look over at Mari. She smiles and mouths “Cass” before she jumps off my bed and hurries over to hers. “Don’t tell him I’m awake.” She pleads as she lies down. I chuckle softly as I answer, “Of course sweetheart.”

            She lies down and closes her eyes just minutes before the door flies open. Standing in the door, looking very pissed, was Cass. He opens his mouth to say something, but I beat him to it. “If you wake her up Cass, I’ll kill you. I’ve been sitting here for the past ten minutes watching her sleep. I locked the door so no one would walk in.” I smirked as he looked guilty. “I’m sorry Randy.”

            “Oh, and if you ever hurt my baby girl, I’ll kill you.” I tell him with a smile. Worry and fear crosses his face. Then he looks at me confused. “I thought she was Lynx’s daughter.”

            “She is his adopted daughter. She is my biological daughter.”

            “So…That means she not human, she’s a wolf.” I nod at him. “Then how come when I first met her, I couldn’t tell she was my mate, but at the wreckage I knew the instance I touched her?”

            “Because Mari’s wolf came out when the Mutts were trying to kill me. She would have shifted at 19, but because I’m her blood and I was in danger, she shifted early.” I roll over a little. “Now pup, if you don’t mind, I think I’m going back to sleep. If would be so kind as to shut the door on your way out. And don’t let anyone except the doctor in, got it?”

            “Yes sir Randy.” I wait until he’s out of the room before busting out laughing. I look back over at Mari to find her laughing at me. "So, what's my real name daddy?"

"Isabella named you Marie Contessa Cortez."

"That is a cool name. I like it." She pauses and nibbles on her lip. "What is it baby girl?"

"Even though I like the name daddy, could I still keep Marianne as my name. Just untill I get used to it?" I laugh softly. "Of course darling." She smiles at me and I smile back. She looks so much like her mother. 

Mari’s Point of View

Three Months Later

            I sit between Randy, Lynx and Nina. Cass had to go north and help train another pack. But he promised that he’d be back in a week. My dads still don’t like him that much, only because they don’t want to lose me. Every day Randy and I go for walks, driving, or just hanging out on the porch getting caught up on the past 18 years. I let Cass mark me a month after the Mutts almost killed my father and I. But I told him that I wasn’t ready to mate yet.

            That made him so mad, but when he started yelling at me, I just ran and hid out at Randy’s. He didn’t find me for three weeks. And only then because Randy let it slip out. But I wasn’t mad at him. I was missing Cass something fierce by then, but I refused to be the one to cave in and go crawling back. Cass stayed away another two weeks before he finally came and begged me to go back. We made up and were on our way back to the house, when he started yelling at me again. So, I just turned and ran.

            When I got back to my dad’s I borrowed a car and drove to Lynx’s. Cass would’ve followed me, but he got the call for help. So, without a good bye, he left. I was pissed. I went out drinking with a few of the guards, and got into a fight. It was awesome, yet horrible. I took out maybe ten of them before one stabbed me in the back. Because of our link, Cass thought that I had been killed. He called Lynx all crying and weeping. If I hadn’t been lying in bed, I would have found it just slightly funny.

            Randy promised me that he was going to teach me how to control the five gifts that come with the marks on my wolf. I’m excited, but scared at the same time. I hear my name and I look up. I see Randy and Lynx walking towards me. I stand up and smile at them. “Hey dads.”

            “Hey darling.”

            “Hi sweetheart.” I give them both a hug. “Cass is on his way home. He’ll be here within two hours, or less.” I nod. I’m still mad at him, but I long to see him. I kiss Lynx and Randy on the cheek.

            Yesterday, I was informed that the Mutt attacks have been increasing. The Mutt Alpha is rumored to be looking for me because he wants the powers that I would give him as mate. But I stay hidden and protected with three alphas around me. My family protects me. I sigh and head for the house. That’s a worry for another day. I have a homecoming to get ready for my man.