My Personal Hell, D. Richardson [ebook reader browser txt] 📗

when another was born. But the only thing that really caught my attention was that in all of the family pictures, Asher was almost always off by himself.

I shrugged and headed for the bay window. I had always wanted one of these, so I could do exactly what I had planned on doing now. I sat down with my back to one side, and looked out the window as the sun finished it’s ascent.

The house was quiet and it was just me and my coffee. I had never experienced a moment so peaceful. The view was amazing. All I could see were trees with the sun rising above them. It was perfect. And remained perfect for about an hour.

I heard the others stirring in the house and sighed. I listened as one by one, they made their way into the kitchen. And though they weren’t being loud, I could still hear what they were saying. They were talking in normal tones, but it was easy to pick them out.

When I was a kid that was how I always kept tabs on my father when we weren’t in the same room. I would listen for his footsteps and his voice. It helped in anticipating if I was going to be punished or not. After a couple of years I just kinda did it all the time. It had come in handy more than once.

“Oh, no breakfast?” That would be Aaron.

“Good, I hope she slept in. It isn’t good for a girl to get so little sleep.” Becca added.

“Coffee’s made,” Drake put in. I could here someone rummaging in a cabinet. He must have been looking for a cup.

“Her door was open when I came down,” Jen said, I could hear her light footsteps as she pulled back a chair to sit. “It’s too bad. Breakfast yesterday was awesome,” she added.

“You’re the one that told her she couldn’t cook anymore,” Adrian snapped. It was odd. He was normally so soft spoken for someone so large.

“Oh please, if Mom’s yelling couldn’t keep her from it, I highly doubt anything I said would have an affect.”

“Well, she’s up, so where is she?” One of the others asked. I didn’t recognize the voice, it was probably one of the one’s that I hadn’t actually met yet.

“If she got up before anyone else she probably just went wondering. She hasn’t really been anywhere in the house except for the kitchen and her room,” Asher answered.

“Drake…” Becca said suddenly. There was an odd note of panic in her voice. What was wrong with me looking around?

“Let’s find her,” He answered, just as I heard small footsteps on the floor above. Kadi must be up. I stood and walked calmly into the hallway just as the rest started to leave the kitchen. Drake was in front and he stopped dead when he saw me. He looked behind me, obviously taking note of the direction I had come, and relaxed.

I raised a brow at him, and he shrugged a little uncomfortably, his face going a little red from embarrassment. The little foot steps came closer and I looked up at the stairs just before Kadi came into view. She made her way down them slowly, but when she saw me she picked up her pace.

We hadn’t seen each other much in the last couple of days, and that was rare. I had missed her, and judging from the way she flung herself at me she felt the same. She was still in her pajamas, and when I picked her up she felt a little warm to the touch.

“Ally, I’m hungry,” she mumbled, as she buried her head in the crook of my neck. I saw Lori come down the stairs over her shoulder.

“Okay Sunshine, I’ll make you some breakfast. Do you want some eggs?” I asked softly, motioning for Drake to get out of my way. He moved quickly, and stepped into the kitchen.

Kadi nodded in answer to my question, but when she tried to talk her body shook from her coughs. I exchanged a worried glance with Lori. Kadi had always been a little sickly. I had always just assumed it was a lack of a good environment though.

I set her down on the counter and turned to sink, knowing that Lori would’ve already taken my place in front of her. I grabbed the softest wash clothe I could find, and ran it under some cool water. When it was damp I barely turned enough to toss it behind me. I knew Lori would catch it.

This was all routine by now. Kadi had been sick several times, and we always did the same thing. I would make her the best meal I could while Lori kept cool clothes on her forehead and neck, to keep her temperature under control. After she had eaten we would put her back to bed, and split her chores for the next couple of days, until she felt better.

I took some things out of the refrigerator, while going through a mental check list. Eggs for protein, milk for calcium, fruit for nutrition, and French toast for energy.

I put her at the table to eat, and me and Lori took turns playing with her hair. It was something she liked and it kept her calm. Which in turn evened out her breathing and kept her coughs to a minimum. When she was done she leaned against me as Lori took her plate to the sink.

“You feeling okay, sweetheart?” She nodded, but looked up at me with glassy eyes.

“I’m tired.” I nodded.

“Okay, how about we go up to your room, and I’ll run a lukewarm bath. It’ll help make you feel better, then you can take a nap.”

Three hours later I came back downstairs, exhausted. Kadi was asleep but Lori was sitting with her just in case she woke up.

“She okay?” Drake asked from his usual spot at the table. I swear I have never seen a family that spent so much time in the kitchen. I nodded in answer.

“Yeah, she’s always gotten sick easily. I was hoping that would change since we’ve been here. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it.”

“Why would it change now?” Adrian asked. I shrugged.

“She’s allowed outside. She doesn’t have to work all the time, and she can get the rest she needs. We didn’t live well. We hadn’t even been outside until you came for us.”

“Does she need anything?” Becca asked. Her worry warmed me, but I shook my head.

“I had bought enough medicine to last a while our first day here. She should be alright in a couple of days.” It looked like she was going to say something else, but there was a knock on the door.

She got up to answer it, but didn’t get far. The door opened and Tom rushed into the kitchen. He looked a little frantic but when he saw me he froze.

“Uh, Drake, can I talk to you for a moment…in private,” he asked quietly. Drake shot him a questioning look, but stood. They went to his office with Becca right behind him. I had no idea what it was about, and to be perfectly honest, I really didn’t care.

Chapter 8

Drake

 

 

 

I sighed as Tom started to pace across my office. Becca sat in one of my armchairs to wait. She had always been the patient one. That is one virtue I did not posses.

“Get on with it, Tom, I have better things to do,” I snapped and he stood at attention.

“I’ve been doing some research. First on half-breeds, and second on lone wolves. Tell me have you ever heard of a lone female?” he asked in a rush, and to his credit it was a good question, one that actually required thought.

“No.”

“Neither has anyone else. There’s a theory that females require too much care, they can’t make it on their own. No offense Becca,” he added absently. She just raised a brow at him. Great, I was going to hear about this later. Tom had never been her favorite wolf to begin with.

“I assume you’re going somewhere with this?”

“Yes, yes of course. Well, we all know that half-breeds are rare. It’s unusual for a wolf to successfully mate with a human. But the half-breeds require more care than most. Their wolves are erratic, the timing of their wolf’s appearance is based solely on their upbringing. Some will never shift if they aren’t around other full blooded, full grown wolves.

“Sometimes they end up with the instincts and a few heightened senses, but never obtain the shift. But it really depends on what line the wolf gene comes from. If it’s from the male line, it’s unlikely that they will achieve the shift. But for some reason if it comes from the female line, they are more unstable.”

“Unstable how?”

“Feral. In other words she may gain the ability to shift, but her mind will go. She’ll become violent and unpredictable. It’s likely that, through no fault of her own, she won’t be able to control her wolf. Add that to the fact that she has spent the majority of her lifetime in servitude or injured, her wolf will probably be insane. Drake, she’s dangerous just for her blood line, and then add in that she‘s a lone wolf. Lone wolves can not be controlled, no matter how strong the alpha.”

“And what do you suggest I do?”

“If she had had a normal upbringing she would be fine, but she hasn’t and right now the only advice I can give is to get rid of her. Send her off your territory.”

“I can’t do that. She’s underage and I’m her legal guardian.”

“She hasn’t even shown any signs of her wolf. She might be one of those that only gain the extra senses. We don‘t even know what line the gene came from. Let‘s just wait until we have more information,” Becca replied calmly. It was obvious that Tom disagreed, but I sided with my mate on this one.

“If you won’t heed my warning at least assign Sadler to watch her. If it turns out that she’s not dangerous he could at least help her cope with being a lone wolf.” I nodded. That wasn’t a bad idea.

Sadler was my only resident lone wolf. The process of becoming a lone wolf, if you hadn’t been born to it, was quite painful. Both physically and emotionally. Sadler had been the next alpha in his pack, but his father was a power hungry man, when it came time to teach Sadler how to run the pack, he rejected him instead.

There are only three ways to become a lone wolf. Either you’re born to it, like Ailith, you’re rejected by your alpha, like Sadler, or you choose to leave your pack. The third is nearly unheard of, but there have been a few accounts of it happening. Mostly females who didn’t like the rules and foolishly run off. Most of the time they don’t survive long. Which is why a lone female is so shocking.

When Sadler was thirteen and achieved his first shift, his father kicked him out of the pack. He lived on his own in unclaimed territory until he turned seventeen. He had heard rumors that I was an understanding alpha, and approached me. He offered