Mated To The Alpha: A Standalone Wolf Shifter Romance, стр. 52
Galen added his thoughts to hers, "Or they were on their way here to bring Elam to her. Maybe he started shifting, and to the village he was a constant reminder of the wolves? His wet nurse knew he was Ziva's, and had probably heard the story of her rape, but maybe him shifting upset the balance and the village decided to give Elam back to his mother? Or yeah, wrong place, wrong time, with them all just ending up at the same place in the woods and Ziva realizing who they were? I guess that part we will never know."
"Well, we know she killed a man and a woman in those woods. She said so herself. I guess Elam got away and was found later?"
"The whole pack knows the story of when Elam was found, that part of it was never a secret. Thomas was out in the woods, heading out to hunt, when he found a two year old boy wandering by himself. He was shifting already, so Thomas knew he was a wolf at least. There was no mention of Elam ever shifting into any other form as a child, but they knew he was a wolf shifter from the moment they found him. The story Thomas told was that he abandoned the hunt once he found Elam, and was heading back to the den with him when he came across Ziva and the two dead humans in the woods.
He said that Ziva said she found them like that, alive but quickly dying, and that she tried to help them. They died anyway, and Thomas assumed the pair was the boy's parents. Although, the male was quite a bit younger than the female. Maybe one of the teens from the village that had grown into a young man. He was probably escorting them on their way to the pack, or whatever they were doing. Ziva probably killed them, and was looking for Elam to kill him, too. Only Thomas found him first."
"And took him in, much to her dismay." Kate added.
"Never knowing until the end that it was his own son he was taking in." Elam said, of himself.
"Well hell, no wonder Ziva was bat shit crazy."
"And then, after everything else, Elam turns into a bear and beats Galen. Then Thomas dies. And Galen wants to move Ziva back to the territory where it all began for her. Reine's cub is back, taking over in her eyes, and she is forced to move. Not only out of her cabin, but back to where it all began."
"So when Ziva saw me all alone, headed to the hot spring, on the very day that the pack was to meet to decide about the split..."
"She decided to kill you, too. Only you shift, and kill her instead."
"Wow. Just, wow. That is a lot to take in right after being shot."
"Well, you've got to admit," Kate said to Emma with a grin. "Our time here has not been boring. I'm thinking my parents in Africa have nothing on our adventures here, so far."
Epilogue
A month later, after the two packs had settled in, on adjoining lands, co-ruled by two Alpha brothers, both packs all got together for Kate's birthday.
Henry had been invited, and came to see how the girls were doing, and was shocked when he heard the story of everything that had happened since he dropped the girls off not very long ago.
Emma told him that she learned the reason why her mother had left the pack, to protect her cub, and Henry said he wasn't at all surprised, now that he knew the full story.
"Protective of others, above herself. That does sound just like your mother. And of you, my child."
Emma smiled at him, glad that she could fill in some empty pieces for her father, who she knew always loved her mother very much. And still did.
"So, Emma," her dad nudged her with an elbow in her side as they caught up. "I bring you here a troubled young lady, and I come back to find you the forever mate of an Alpha wolf, a shifter yourself and a hero to boot."
"Dad, stop. I'm not a hero. I just did what I could, that's all."
"Whatever you say, my wolf child. Do you love your wolf form? Your mother did. She was a beautiful wolf, and you look just like her."
"I do. Thank you. For bringing me here, I mean. This is where I belong, and I never would have even known of its existence if you hadn't brought me home."
"Home, huh?"
"Yeah."
"I see you and Elam are living in our old cabin. Mine and Reine's old cabin."
"Yeah. I like knowing that I am living where she lived. Where you two were happy."
"We were that- happy, I mean. I'm glad you are happy there, too. And Kate? Is she as happy as she looks?"
"Yes. She loves it here, too. She loves Galen. She loves being Alpha's mate of her own territory. And she loves that she is carrying Galen's cub."
"And you? Do you like being with cub? I must admit you glow with it, just like Reine did."
"I do like it. I'm glad I get to go through it with Kate, too."
"Your mom knew you were a girl, from the very beginning. Do you know what you're having?"
"I do. Actually I know what Kate is having, too. She doesn't want to know. They want to be surprised, so you can't say anything- but Kate and I both are having boys."
"Ah, two boys, from brothers with shape shifter blood. This ought to be interesting, huh?"
"I have a feeling, Dad, that interesting isn't even going to begin to cover it."
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