"Sally's Place" was a glorified truck stop, which was perfect. With all the new faces coming and going we didn't add too much attention to ourselves. The place was old and rundown but clean as it could be with the old green vinyl booth seats, white speckled countertops missing some of the edging and scratched up chrome bar stools. The pictures were nice. They were all of the surrounding areas. Mountains, trees, and a couple dirt road landscapes. After doing a quick perimeter check we went inside. Grabbing a booth in the back corner we dragged another table over so we had enough room for all of us to sit. Leaving Nikko's other sons, Sam and Vic and three of his other pack members to grab the booth behind us. Close enough to hear but too far to make a comment without others possibly hearing. Ordering our food we waited to begin until Dana, our server, brought our drinks over.  

"Remember when I told you that many borns have "Gifts"? Sight isn't the only one I was granted. Myself and my son also have a rare but not as rare as the Gift of Sight. We are able to read what others are thinking...at times. Before everyone gets in an uproar please let me explain." He was right to add that last piece on. No one looked to happy right now. I knew some of this but not to the extent of it. "First, I would like to say that it's mostly borns I can hear but not everything they are thinking. It doesn't work like that for me. I can only hear what they want me too. Ok "hear" isn't the right word for it. I don't exactly hear word for word. It's more like a gut feeling. Just like when you know what someone is going to say before they say it." Nikko wasn't the type to beg, just like myself, but I could tell he really wanted us to understand and I completely understood why he kept this a secret. People would be more nervous around him if they thought he was "reading" them. My group was.

"What I do "hear" loudly are questions that are either directed to me or the conversation we are having. But like I said that was mostly with borns. I can also tell what a weaker member of a pack may be thinking/asking as well. But in your case, all of you at this table for that matter, dominates have to give me permission, I guess you can say. It's like having a wall around your thoughts. Unless you lower that wall I do not receive anything from you." My pack who sat at the table visibly relaxed.

"What about C.J.?" Amanda snared the traitor's name.

Nikko was shaking his head. Looking more frustrated than anything. "There are limits to what I can do. He is not weak but also not a dominate but my gift only works if they are thinking about it at the time I am with them. I don't see/hear what was already thought. Just the now. Plus, most times I have to be looking for it. Listening for it." That explained his frustrations. Not that we all weren't there right now anyways.

"Wait! Hunter. She knew." Grayson spoke for the first time since he shifted back.

Nikko's smile was one of fondness. He cared for my niece. Not that I could fault him for that. Hunter was a hard kid not to love. "She is an amazing young lady. No, she did not know but she knew something was off, sort of speak. My son didn't help with that." Nikko stared behind me where his two eldest sons, the twins, sat with a couple of his pack members.

"Sorry Pop's." Vic mumbled but I swear I could hear laughter in his voice. I wasn't the only one who caught it since Nikko shook his head but his smile grew.

"Sure you are son. Now the reason I am sharing this all with you is because Hunter is one of the loudest I have ever heard besides my own sons. I have never heard anyone so clear. It's quite amazing. It wasn't until after the full moon that I could "hear" her so clear. I am not sure if it was because her mind became clearer or just the fact the stronger she gets the louder she gets."

"Oh she is just going to love to hear about that." Grayson said and Jarek actually chuckled. Grayson looked over at Jarek and they both started to laugh.

"Ah maybe we don't tell her that yet." Jarek added and laughed a bit harder. Exhaustion was getting to the both of them.

I wasn't sure what the inside joke was or what they were hiding but it was nice and weird to see them get along. I guess a common goal can bring people together. "Question. If Hunter is getting stronger then shouldn't you be having less problems hearing her?" I asked.

"Yes. We will discuss that later." He said to the boys. I think Nikko knew something about why they were laughing. I couldn't tell if he was irritated or shocked about it. To me he said, "Honestly, Adam, I do not know. Everything seems to work differently with Hunter."

Vic started to laugh once the boys started to but he tried to hid it with one of his coughing fits again. I was starting to wonder if it wasn't him that was a greater threat. Nikko not once said anything about Vic besides that he, too, had this particular gift.

"Back to my point. Like I said Hunter is very clear to me especially when her emotions are running high. That is what helped us find her the time she took off. That time I just caught the odd glimpse but it was enough to pinpoint her location. Like a GPS almost." Oh I was getting what he was finally getting at and I felt my face split into a grin. "That is the main reason I keep on shifting from two legs to four. I can "hear" her in both forms but when I am in my wolf form I can sense things at a greater distance. Just like I do with my sons."

"But?" Jarek's deflating mood knocked the smile off my face.

"Not a but. I just haven't heard a damn thing. I have no doubt that myself or Vic won't hear her...in time. I think she may be sleeping or out cold. No! She's not." I wasn't sure who or what was asked and I had a feeling I didn't want to know the former. "She's...fine. Alive. I have no doubts about that. Jarek and Grayson would know as well, I think." Once again I couldn't tell if he was irritated by that or confused.

I really wanted to know what he knew about those three that I didn't but now was not the time or place. If it wasn't going to help get her back then it didn't matter right now. "Ok so

what do you suggest that we do now? Besides what we already are doing?" I finally voiced.

Nikko seemed to take his first real breath since he mentioned he had something we needed to know. "We keep in our groups that we already have. I have one or two borns with every group. They will stay on four feet. Vic and I will take turns shifting to keep track of everyone and relay the messages to you." There was something he wasn't telling us and I made sure it was written all over my face. Clearing his throat he looked past me to his son, Vic. "They need to know. Vic is stronger at this than I am and he can actually use my borns to reach farther distances. You could say he is in tuned with their senses. They will not "hear" what we do but he can pick stuff up. No we don't have a clue how that works. And to be honest I really don't care as long as we get her back and soon." Taking the words right out of my mouth.

"Now I have a few questions for you," Nikko stated then paused and looked at his son's in the other booth. "My boys are very good at research and since we all know what Hunter is and the speculations that the last should have been 500 years ago it got them curious." He had my attention, I was not sure where he was going with this.

"Hunter's birth parents. Her father was your brother?" I nodded and he went on. "But his wife was not her birth mother. So who was her birth mother?" Nikko asked cautiously.

Now that had everyone's attention. I did not know why that held any importance and I thought about not answering the question, but after Nikko just trusted us with his and his son's secret how could I not share. It wasn't like it was a secret. Not really anyways. "Her mother died in childbirth. My brothers wife found out and had all the papers signed so her rightful father, my brother, could have custody."

Nikko was so still it made me uncomfortable. What was he getting at or what did he know? "Do you remember her name?" Nikko was persistent.

"Sure. Samantha McDowell. She lived out in Ontario. Why is this important?" No one said a word but were on the edge of their seats.

"Sam, can you please check that out for us." Focusing back on me he said, "Because it does not make sense at all. Hunter should not be what she is. You all kept her so hidden that I did not even know she existed till you asked for my help a couple months ago. You should not have been able to hide a born from a born. We can sense them miles away. No, there is not many of us but still what you did was incredible."

Nikko sat and stared out the window for a moment. " You also said that her parents were killed by a pack that was looking for her. How did they even know she existed? And why did they not take her before now if Adam and his son knew where she was? She lived with them!" Nikko was not one to beat around the bush but he was now and I was not following.

"Dad..." Sam started to talk but kept his eyes on the laptop. "She didn't die. She had twins a few years after. Twin girls...oh no...But they did. They were in a car accident with their grandparents. None of them made it."

"What the..." I leaned over to see Sam better. We were told she died. My brother believed it and was heartbroken over it. If it was not for his little girl I do not know what he would have done. He loved Samantha even though he could not be with her.

"Umm Dad...You will never guess where she is living now," Sam finally looked up with had a huge smile on his face, "Atikokan, Ontario. There is not only a wolf pack there but also a lion pride. What are the chances there isn't something special about her? No one moves there on their own...Damn she's hot!"

All I could do was stare at Nikko in shock and disbelief. I had no clue. I must have missed something because next thing I knew the laptop was being passed to Nikko. He too was quiet reaching for the computer. Setting it down on the table so we all could see a picture of this beautiful redhead that looked a lot like our Hunter. This redhead that I had met. Samantha was alive.

Once I had my bearings I turned to look at Sam. "By any chance do you know if the Alpha is a Jack Trace?" I was really hoping the answer was yes.

Taking the laptop back he hit a few buttons. "Sure is. By any chance are you on good terms with him?"

Before I could answer our server came with our food. It was time to eat then I needed to make a call.