"Too late,” Grandma said tartly. “Done seen ‘em now."
Danika dropped her hands into her lap, frowning. “If I'm part wolfen, why didn't I know?"
Grandma shrugged. “Like I said—in the woodpile. It wasn't anything anybody wanted to talk about. Anyway, honey, you ain't got more'n a drop in you. My mother was half—that's why I know. Back then, we were just trying to protect the family, not worried about ‘good lines'. It just sort of evolved into a ‘dirty secret’ because of all the hush hush about it."
Danika plucked at the leg of her jeans. “You think, maybe, they sensed that and that's why they were interested in me?"
Grandma studied her for a long moment. “I doubt they could sense it. They have amazing perception, but I think you're too far from the tree. Maybe subconsciously. On the other hand, my grandmother didn't have a drop and Grandpa was crazy about her—never looked at another woman even though she passed a good twenty years before him."
Danika felt her throat close. “I always thought that was so sad."
Grandma nodded. “It was. How many were there?"
Danika sent her a startled look, reddening to her hairline. “How many what?"
"Don't play stupid, Dani. I counted three marks on your neck, but I caught five scents. I'm guessing five."
Danika squirmed uncomfortably. “You can't really tell, can you?"
Grandma shook her head, looking as if she was undecided of whether to laugh or scold. “Got you in heat,” she muttered finally.
"They
what
?” Danika gasped, horrified.
"You needn't look at me like that when you've been romping with a pack of wolfen, Danika Marie Whitney!"
Chastened, Danika clamped her lips together. “If I don't have more than a drop of wolfen in me, I don't see how that would be possible,” she said finally, although, upon reflection she realized that it made her feel a little better about her ‘romp’ to think it might have been hormones and instinct after all.
Not much.
She couldn't
believe
she was having this conversation with her grandmother!
"Genetics are so unpredictable,” Grandma dryly. “The real question here is whether you caught a litter or not. I'm thinking if they had a strong enough effect to bring you in heat, they set your hormones in overdrive and there's no telling how many eggs you produced for them. How many had a go at you while you were ovulating?"
Danika felt her jaw go slack with horror and stunned surprise. “Litter?” she asked in a suffocated voice.
"It's been known to happen—rarely, of course, but then a female don't generally mate with a half a dozen,” she said tartly. “Alphas, I'm guessing, if they had that effect on you."
"Oh my fucking god!” Danika gasped, surging to her feet. “You're saying that to scare me, right?"
"Why would I say it to scare you? You've already done it!” Grandma snapped testily. “Too late to try to scare any sense into you!"
Danika wrung her hands. “I don't know! I didn't know I
was
ovulating!” A sudden thought occurred to her. “They'd be able to sense that?"
"Of course they would, particularly when they were the ones that got you in heat to start with."
"Will you stop
saying
that! It makes me feel like a bitch."
Her grandmother gave her a look. “Imagine that."
She glared at her grandmother. “I'm too
old
to be having a baby at all! Let alone a ... litter!"
"Don't be ridiculous! If you were too old you wouldn't be pregnant."
"You don't
know
I am."
"Yes, I do,” Grandma informed her complacently. “And long overdue if you ask me. I was beginning to think you weren't going to give me any grandchildren."
"
How
would you know?” Danika demanded.
"I can
smell
it! Just like
they
smelled the chemical change in you that told them you were ripe for mating. Sent them into a frenzy, I can imagine, if they were all fighting over who was going to mark you."
"What is this
thing
everybody keeps talking about—marking? Wolves don't do that."
"They're wolfen—not wolves. They left their love tokens all over you, I'm thinking. Like I said, you look like you got caught in a stampede. I'm guessing it didn't turn out like they expected. They were trying to mark you as their mate to warn the others off, so
you
would warn the others off.
Mine!
That's what each one of those bites are all about. Possession. It takes three to seal the deal, but the first begins the binding and each successive one makes the binding stronger, harder to resist."
The jerk of hopefulness in her breast was hard to put down to anything else. “What happens when more than one does it?"
"Oh, I'm thinking war—I'm thinking disaster—I'm thinking you're in for a really rough ride!"
Danika blushed fierily.
"I was talking about dealing with them,” Grandma said dryly. “Not the fun part. Now you're going to have to live with it. They marked you. They impregnated you. You'll never get rid of them—any of them."
Danika found herself smiling. “Really?” she asked hopefully.
Grandma started laughing. “Greedy Gus!” She sighed. “I always hoped I'd find a wolfen—or one would find me. I wanted a man like grandpa in the worst kind of way. Not that I'm complaining about your grandfather, mind you! He was a good man and we made a good life together. But it was so ... tame! There was none of the fire like there was between my grandparents."
She patted Danika's hand. “Stop worrying. They'll find you. They won't stop looking until they do. They bound themselves to you. You're in their blood. You're carrying their pups. They have to."
Danika stared at her grandmother, feeling a horrible suspicion wash over her. “Pups?” she echoed weakly.
Grandma snorted. “Their babies. They call them pups. Don't worry, you're not going to birth a litter of baby wolves. If they're very, very lucky, they'll have enough wolfen in them to have their fathers’ ability to shift, but don't get your heart set on it. They'll only be half wolfen. You don't have enough in you to make a bit of difference."
* * * *
Con knew she was gone before he checked the cabin and he still couldn't prevent the howl of rage and pain and fear he gave vent to when he saw he was right. “She's gone!” he roared when he whirled around and saw the others standing behind him in her empty cabin. “I'm going to beat her ass black and blue when I find her!"
"I'll beat the fuck out of you if you even think about it!” Balin snarled.
The threat sent a jolt through Con, cutting through his pain and rage enough for him to actually recall what he'd said. “I didn't mean I actually would!” he growled. “Gods damn it! She left!"
"We see that!” Dakota roared, pacing around the room furiously.
"It's
your
fault!” Con snarled, zeroing in on Balin. “She saw you with that wolfen bitch you were fawning all over!” He turned to scowl at Dakota evilly. “And you!"
Dakota and Balin exchanged an uncomfortable glance. “
I
wasn't fawning,” Balin said through gritted teeth. “
She
was."
"That was my sister!” Dakota snapped indignantly.
"Right!"
"You've got a sister?” Xavier asked in surprise.
Dakota glared at him suspiciously a moment. “My twin,” he said finally.
"Got a lot of females in your line? We don't."
"Nobody does,” Balin growled. “And I don't give a fuck if he has a sister."
"So—you're saying that actually
was
his sister?” Con asked.
"
I
said it was my sister, gods damn it! What the hell are you asking Balin for? He don't know my sister!"
"All I'm saying,” Xavier interjected, “is that you needn't claim the other was your sister, because I know you don't have one. There ain't been a girl born in your line in at least four generations."
"Five,” Balin corrected him, “and I never said she was my sister. I wouldn't have been fawning on my gods damned sister!"
"You said you weren't fawning on her that she was doing fawning,” Con said suspiciously.
Balin eyed him coldly. “I meant.... Gods damn it. It was Felicia!"
"Who the fuck is Felicia?” Jared demanded.
"His intended,” Xavier supplied helpfully.
"
Your
intended?” Dakota demanded. “You mean to say he already had a mate staked out and he's been encroaching on
my
preserve?"
"Just when the hell do you think Dani became
your
preserve?” Con growled.
Xavier shrugged. “Well, his parents intended that he choose her and her parents intended that he choose her, but he didn't—yet."
"Stay out of it, gods damn it!” Balin snapped.
"Felicia,” Jared muttered, thinking. “Wait a minute! She's the one that tried to give Dani the damned needle!"
"What?” Balin roared.
"That guy you told to keep an eye on her,” Jared said. “Whats-his-name."
"Nelin,” Balin said grimly.
"Nelin? Now that's just fucking weird! Where the hell did his parents dig up a name like that?"
"I don't care! What did he say?” Balin growled.
"He said Felicia tried to inject her. I just told you that, gods damn it!"
"That bitch!” Balin snarled. “If I'd known that...."
"You wouldn't have let her fawn all over you?” Con asked sarcastically.
"I didn't
let
.... “Balin glared at him in fuming silence for a moment. “What was I supposed to do? Pitch her on her ass? She stopped to talk."
"
That's
why she asked you if you'd talked to your parents lately ... and when you planned to visit her parents!” Dakota exclaimed, abruptly enlightened.
Balin's face darkened, his lips tightening.