KEYS' FIRST DAY PART 2

"Do you know if they've woken up?" I asked.

"Not since I last checked, Princess." Harvey answered.

We were walking down the corridor towards the ward that Flynn and Hank were sharing.

Keys', or rather Killion's new image was doing wonders for him. The medical staff would speak to him first, and were very quick to grant him their attention, particularly the female nurses. Well, the last part was no different from usual.

I guess to the adults, Harvey and I still looked like a pair of highschoolers. Killion was the real deal grown up.

"How old are you anyway, Killion?"

"22." He answered.

"Wow, you're old." I told him. He was almost as old as Flynn and Hank.

"You ever wonder how old your mate is, goddess?" Killion asked me.

Oh right... Killion knew Rebel, "How old is he?"

"I don't think I'll tell you." Killion smiled and walked on ahead of me.

I promptly punched him in the back and kicked him roughly where his long coat covered his butt.

"Pop it, goddess." Killion turned around to face us.

"Mind your language, Ki." Harvey intoned calmly from beside me.

Killion growled at the beta beside me, then he shrugged, "Kids nowadays, have no respect for their elders."

I laughed at that, "Dogs nowadays, have no respect for their masters."

Killion growled again, and for a moment, I thought he was going to tell me he wasn't a dog. But then he quieted, "He turns 19 this year."

I made a face, "He's old too."

With the cool new look, a new name, and his benign air, I thought Killion had transitioned into his new life, but it turned out that he still saw himself my dog.

"But I don't believe you can't teach old dogs new tricks." I said, "You, him... and all the others we will one day save."

"Goddess, all we're good for is fighting and popping." Killion told me.

I shook my head, "You'll see, Killion. One day there will be a town for any wolf who chose to leave their dog days behind them."

"Princess, we're here." Harvey's calm voice brought me back into the present. I suddenly realized he was hearing every word, but he said nothing of it. His hand rested on the door handle. Once he was certain we had ceased our private discussion, he knocked twice and pushed the door open for us.

"Pardon us." He said as he entered.

10 more points for the perfect beta.

The room light was turned down, and the curtains were drawn. There were two beds, one on each side. Esther and Macy were sitting, facing each other on the edge of their mate's bed. They had been crying. I could smell their tears intermingled with the harsh disinfectant in the air.

"Oh Sam!" The moment Esther saw me, she bursts into a fresh bout of tears.

I stood there stunned while she ran up to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders, "Thank you. Thank you for finding them."

Her tears fell into my hair.

What should I do?

Very carefully, I wrapped my arms around Esther and hugged her, "It's going to be okay."

We pulled apart but only to join Macy.

Then I took a peek at Flynn and Hank.

It was hard to watch them lying there, weak and lifeless. There was a pallor on their faces of men who had brushed too close to death.

"The doctors said they should wake today, but they haven't." Macy told me.

My heart broke for Esther and Macy when I saw their tear stained faces. Macy handed Esther a fresh tissue.

It was hard to watch their fear and anxiousness. What would I give to make it okay for them again! I hated the helplessness that coursed in my veins. I hated these situations.

I could fight, but that's all I could do. In many ways, that made me no better than a fight dog. There were so many situations that punching something wouldn't fix.

What would I do without my Deltas? Choose new Deltas? I didn't like the thought of that. Flynn and Hank were my Deltas.

What would Macy and Esther do without their mates? They won't be able to choose new mates. These were their mates.

Harvey stood silently on one side of the room. Killion was hanging back by the door. Killion!

"Killion! Can you?" I looked at him, somewhat hopeful.

"Oh no, goddess." Killion sighed deeply, "I was afraid of this."

"Why? Will it hurt you?" I was suddenly concerned, all white wolves healed in different ways. What if Killion's healing will cause him pain or shorten his lifespan or something cruel like that?

Killion locked the door and walked to the center of the room, "If I do this, do you promise never to speak of it to anyone?"

I nodded. Killion looked at the ladies and Harvey, and only after they had all nodded, did he lift his hands. He started glowing, his hair turned white, and a soft light, like that of the moon illuminated the room.

We all stood where we were, watching Killion glowing in the center of the room. His hair ruffled, white with light.

And then, Killion put down his hands, the glow faded away, his hair darkened till it was his original black, "That's all I can do."

The room was quiet. Killion walked over to the door and unlocked it, "I'll wait outside."

We listened to Killion's departing footsteps before the door shut off the sounds.

Suddenly, there was a coughing sound from Hank.

Flynn flew up from the bed, wide eyed and shouting "Hank!"

I grabbed Flynn by the arm, "Sit." I alpha commanded.

Flynn sat back onto the bed behind him, looking stunned. I pulled Macy by her arm closer. The moment we were at arms length, she threw herself into his lap crying. Flynn was bewildered, but he instinctively cradled his mate against him, growling lowly to sooth her.

Hank sat up more slowly.

"Oh Hanky!" Esther exclaimed.

That alone was TMI. I needed to get out before the PDA began.

"I'll wait outside."

I slipped out of the hospital room just as Harvey brought in the doctors. I paused at the door watching them rush in, should I go in too?

It sounded chaotic and emotional with the ladies crying and the doctors and nurses busying over the charts and instructions and things...

I spied Killion in the gardened balcony, just on the side of the ward. He was looking out from the railing.

I joined him, standing next to him to view the carpark below. He stiffened but said nothing.

"I've decided to wait outside too." I explained.

I felt Killion relax.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Killion nodded, "I'm fine, goddess."

"What's the price?" I asked, "What do you have to pay in order to use your power?"

"I'll need to sleep." Killion told me.

"That's all?" I asked, that didn't sound too bad, unless every minute of power required 10 hours of sleep!

"How long for?" I asked.

"A few hours." Killion shrugged.

That actually really didn't sound too bad. Didn't that make Killion a very powerful white wolf? And to my surprised Killion continued talking, like it was just a casual conversation, "The strength of my heal is dependent on the moon."

"Your mate, " Killion told me, "Can heal too...but he needs water."

"Like to drink?" I asked, then I remembered how the red wolf in my dream turned white in the lake, "or to bathe?"

"Either?" Killion didn't sound sure, "His power is carried and amplified by water." And then after considering it he added, "A nice long soak in the water might do wonders."

Oh, so it's true after all. My mate was a merman.

Harvey joined us in the balcony. He shut the attached sliding door to provide us more privacy.

"Are we ready to leave?" He asked us. He looked at Killion, "I've told the doctor that Flynn and Hank woke up on their own as they had expected, I hope that was alright."

Killion shrugged, "This is the last time I do hospital visits."

Now he was starting to sound like Savy.

"Okay, but just tell me why? You could do so much good here." I said.

Killion looked like he didn't want to answer, but he did, "My mother did hospital visits. She visited and slept until the day she died. Call me selfish or whatever, but I wanted to do other things too."

"So you ran away and became a fight dog?" I asked?

"No. I... I was betrayed and sold." He said finally.

He looked at Harvey, "For the record, my power is selfish and only heals myself and the goddess."

"Fair enough." Harvey said.

Killion fell asleep the moment the truck pulled out of the parking lot. It was like he was holding out till the last minute and just collapsed.

I pushed his head to lean on the truck window. Harvey locked the truck doors, just to be safe.

"How was Killion today?" I asked Harvey.

"He did well. Beta Lucas is pleased." Harvey told me.

"And you? Are you pleased?" I asked Harvey.

"He's a fast learner, and for most part, it seemed he had prior beta training." Harvey said.

"But?" I prompted.

Harvey took a deep breath, "He claimed in his forms that he was rogue before becoming a fight dog, that his eyes are "blue-green", and his fur colouring is "silver", he is supposedly 20, an orphan, and his name is Killion."

"Sounds good." I said.

Harvey paused. And pressed his lips together, "He is hiding his past."

"Right now it's necessary. One day, perhaps it would no longer be."

"Even his pre-fight dog past?" Harvey asked.

"He has his reasons." I told him, I remembered Killion's tone when he spoke of being betrayed and sold, "Maybe one day he will tell us."

Harvey was quiet.

"What is it Beta? Say it."

"What if he turns on us?" Harvey asked.

"He won't. BUT, if he did, I'd have you. BUT he won't. Don't worry."

"In that case, Ki would make a good beta. Maybe even better than me." Harvey concluded with a wry smile.

"Train him well for me, Harvey. He will be my third beta."

Harvey was quiet. He had a thinking face on as he mentally shifted through the new information, I could almost see the gears turning.

Then suddenly, he spoke, "The town for former Lycan slaves you were talking about , who else knows about it?"

Now it was my turn to quiet. If it's Harvey, I knew he would accept it if I refused to say anything. But since it was Harvey...

"No one. It had just been something... Harvey, you will always be Beta of the Morning Light as Ben will always be Beta of Night Leaf. I refuse to sacrifice even an inch of my pack's happiness.

But there are hundreds and thousands of wolves who would spend the rest of their lives as dogs unless someone frees them, and even when they escape they have no where to run to unless a pack accepts them.

I've always left it as a daydream, until last night, when I saw Keys. When I look at Keys, I see the others too.

Little by little, one step at a time. We will free the ones who could not free themselves and build a safe town here."

"What about security?" Harvey asked, "Our defense will need to match those who pursue the runaway slaves. It's not like just picking Ki off the road. A whole town of escaped Lycan slaves would make a lot of enemies."

I nodded, I don't know. I hadn't thought of that. The empty lands were secluded and wooded. Nearest to the warlock forest, which now seemed perfect. A hidden town? But how do you hide a few hundred people?

"We would need a large army." Harvey said.

I grinned then, "Well, Killion did say they were good at fighting?"

Harvey turned to stare at me, "You want to raise a fight dog army?"

And then I realized it, even as the words left my mouth. Suddenly the image from my dream flashed in my mind, the scene of Rebel's army, "No, that would be my mate's job."

My heart was soaring suddenly, this was going to work! My dream was going to become a reality someday. I could see it.

"For now, let's train Killion to run with me to start this urm...personal project. We are already preparing Night Leaf and Morning Light for war, that would be a good first step to increase security."

"I would assign Ki as your personal assistant after training him. He would also double as your bodyguard and chauffer. This should not raise any suspicion." Harvey said. He was in Beta mode.

"Ben next. Make sure he would be able to run Night Leaf autonomously, like Morning Light. Killion too, eventually he has to manage the safe town."

"Safe town?" Harvey raised a brow.

"Yeah, like when we play catch, and there is a safe home point. A safe town." I explained.

"Right, you're 15." Harvey said, "What the hell was I doing at 15?"

"I'm still 14." I corrected, "and you were becoming the beta you are now."

Harvey made a low whistling noise. He looked like he just uncovered an atomic bomb in his basement.

I'm sure this was not anything he signed up for when he became my beta, "You don't have to come with me. Just help me train Killion and Ben, and stay with Morning Light."

"I'll follow you." Harvey told me. Good beta.

I nodded. Now all I had to do was not get us all killed.