Ten.

Dylan

Lecia?

No, what was the name of her wolf again?

"Brea, my name is Brea."

What the actual f*ck! "How can we hear her Rae?"

 I couldn't see what expression Rae wore, but I was pretty sure I had a dumb founded look on my face. The utter shock at being able to hear Lecia's wolf, no Brea, communicate with Rae and essentially me, was astonishing.

 This was the first time that I have ever heard another wolf and I didn't really know what to do. Rae on the other hand seemed pleased not only by the fact that she could clearly communicate with her, but by my reaction as well.

 The soft purr I felt radiating through Rae felt more of a confirmation for her, but I wasn't sure what exactly she was feeling so glad about.

 The soft sweet voice I had heard from Brea still filled my thoughts and if I could cry, I probably would be balling my eyes out right now. Never, not once had I ever thought that Rae would be able to communicate with anyone in this pack.

 From the beginning, Alpha Rogan had explained that my connection to the pack had been severed when my parents tried to rebel and join the opposing pack. 

 He said that when my parents were turned away and their bonds were shredded from not only Blood Mist, but with each other, that I never had a bond to be reinforced with.

 My mother gave birth to me shortly after the war, but was already so wounded that they couldn't save her after my delivery. 

 I had always dreamed of what her and my father could have looked like since I had no memories of them and there were no records or pictures of them anywhere. But that was neither here nor there.

 My brain was churning with all of the thoughts and memories that made this situation seem that much more unbelievable. On more than one occasion, Alpha Rogan had given me reasons why something like this would never be possible, and yet, here we are.

 Rae was patient with me as she stood there above Brea and let me try to get my thoughts in line. "Take all the time you need little one, I'm just glad to have you back," she purred to me. Yeah, I would definitely be crying my eyes out if we shifted right now.

 No. I would not miss this opportunity for me or for Rae. If we could actually communicate with Brea, maybe that means that I'm not as broken as I thought.

 Focusing her attention back to Brea, I noticed that she was still bowed down on the ground in front of Rae, but why. "Rae, what is she doing," I asked her quietly, as if they might hear us. 

I felt Rae chuckle softly before she finally said, "she is showing her respect for us precious one."

Respect?

 Why would she be doing that? I was no one. I mean, Rae was beautiful and strong, but we were barely even members of this pack. What reason did she have to respect us?

 Rae seemed as if she wanted to say something to me, but instead she spoke to Brea. "Rise young one."

 Brea jumped to her feet and I noticed that she was much smaller than Rae not only in height, but in size in general. Brea seemed to be smiling, if wolves can smile, but the gleam in her eyes was much brighter than it had been moments ago.

"What is it you wish to ask her my dear?"

 Gosh, there was so much I wanted to know, but I couldn't figure out what I should have Rae ask first. Again, I could feel the soft rumble resonate through Rae. "Do you wish to speak to Lecia instead my precious?"

 "No!" I screamed. I wasn't ready to let go of this feeling just yet. It felt strange, but in a good way, almost like, like I might actually belong here. 

 Brea didn't say anything, but sat on her haunches as if she was patiently awaiting further instructions from Rae. It was kinda cute. The questions I wanted to ask might not have any answers that Brea or Lecia knew, so I decided to go with one I knew they could.

The second I thought it, Rae asked it, "why were you at our home tonight?" 

 Brea sat there for a moment and it was obvious that she was speaking with Lecia. Finally she replied, "Lecia was worried about Dylan because she would not respond to her calls or texts."

 Well, I definitely wasn't expecting that. For one I hadn't even realized my phone had gone off, since there has never been anyone to contact, I rarely check it. And only a few people have my phone number in the first place.

 But, the fact that she actually cared enough to come and personally check on me was so kind of her, especially since we have really only known each other for such a short time.

New questions were running through my mind, but I didn't want these answered yet.

Is this how friendships are made? 

Is this what it means to have someone care for you?

Did someone ask her to be my friend?

 No, I couldn't go there, that would just pull me back into that hopeless place and I wasn't ready to go back there just yet, but for some reason I really needed to know if Alpha Rogan was involved in this some how.

 While Rae asked Brea, I braced myself in case what I suspected was correct. As I listened to Rae and Brea I let myself slowly take in our surroundings. It was full night now, thank the gods, and we were in a pretty open area near the coast.

 With the moon overcast by the clouds, the sand looked more like grey dust than white sand. I liked it. It was more beautiful to me in the dark of night, when things could be seen by the light of the moon and stars.

 Brea was still talking with Rae, when I felt her attention shift to the wooded area on the opposite end of the beach. I tried to figure out what she detected, but there was no time to process anything before she moved. 

 It was a scent, a soft, almost undetectable sweet scent that didn't seem to belong here. The smell of an unexpected guest suddenly hit me with so much force, I barely registered that she had already turned around and was running towards it. 

 Though I was so in tuned to her, I couldn't place this particular scent, but by her reaction, I was positive that Rae knew who this was. As Rae raced down the beach I saw that she was heading towards the border of the pack lands by the small mountain range.

 The scent was getting stronger the further she ran, but each time I tried to reach out to her and ask what was happening she just ignored me. Rae's heart was racing, but not from exertion, she was too strong to tire from just running.

 No, there was an undercurrent to the emotions that I felt her trying to hide. I pushed her to answer me, but it seemed to only make her rush towards this mystery guest that much harder.

 Words couldn't reach Rae, so I decided that she must have a reason for her behavior. I tried to pick up on any other emotions that she would share, but as I tried to clear my thoughts and pick up on hers I felt a sudden tinge of fear shoot through her.

 She suddenly stopped running and got down into a crouching position. I could feel her racing heart and honestly, I was almost done with this entire day. I still couldn't sense what happened that could have changed her all out search for that foreign scent. Finally she spoke to me.

"We are not alone here little one, please do not be afraid."

 Well f*ck! The one thing you never say to anyone is not to be afraid, that automatically makes them afraid. I still couldn't tell who it was who was near by. Maybe it was some of the pack guards, or even Alpha Rogan himself. We were too far from the main portion of the community for it to just be some random wolves.

 There was a soft padding in the distance that seemed to be heading in our direction, but I still couldn't pick up anyone's scent. Rae was now emitting a soft gowl and I knew that whoever was about to meet us here was someone Rae did not want to be around.

 The whole day turned to crap so fast, and I really wasn't ready to have to deal with any more surprises. I knew Rae could handle this so I tried to calm my thoughts and focus on her.

"Rae, who is it, who is coming?"

 Her growl steadily got louder to match the sound of the approaching foot falls. Who ever was coming wanted us to know. The approaching wolf would reach us in seconds, but suddenly, the sound of their approach shifted from a four legged creature to a two legged one. Rae was full on snarling now.

 There was only one person who could bring this reaction out of Rae and I knew immediately who was about to join us. And just as I thought his name, he appeared a few feet to our right.

Eren.