Chapter 7

Daniel's POV The car ride back is completely silent except for the sounds of our breathing. I sit in the back with Gianna as she stares out the window. My fingers lightly rub across her knuckles as she allows me to hold her hand, feeling the familiar shivers that come with touching your mate. I don't know where her mind is at, but she hasn't looked at me since we left The Bane. My beta, Luke, looked in the rearview mirror, making eye contact with me as his voice enters my head through the mind-link. "Is she alright?" "I don't know..." "Are you?" "Yes.... No.... I don't know. I've got a lot on my mind right now." With everything that had gone down in such a short period of time it is hard for me to focus on one thing at a time. I can't even make sense of the jumbled mess of thoughts swirling in my head. I was happy to have finally gotten revenge on the man who seems to be the responsible party for the deaths of my men. Though, I'm still worried about who else had been with him. His scent had been the most dominant, but it certainly hadn't been the only one. There had been five other scents, five other accomplices. But along with these thoughts, I am also curious about why Gianna had been there, worried about what could have happened to her, angry that she snuck out and put herself in harm's way, and jealous of the way she had sought comfort from that other wolf. Luke nods in understanding before continuing our conversation. "Anything you want to talk about?" "Not really. But I need to talk to Gianna once we get back to the penthouse. That guy that had been attacking her was the scent that I had followed back to The Bane after Gary and the others were killed at Blue Moon. But he wasn't the only one. She clearly knows more than she is letting on." "You think she can lead us to the others?" "Maybe. Or at least tell us who they are." "Alright. Well, as soon as you know what you want to do about them let me know and I'll get a team together." "Good. Thanks. And while you're waiting increase security around the borders. I don't need any more problems cropping up right now." "Will do.” We cut off the mind-link and I look back over at Gianna. As we get closer to the center of town, she sits up straighter, her whole body tensing. I cock an eyebrow at her curiously. Finally, she turns her wide eyes to me, fear written all over her face. "Am I going back to the dungeons?" "What?! No! Why would you think that?" I answer her, turning my body so that it is angled in her direction. Is that why she has been so quiet this whole time? She bites down nervously on her lip, as though she's afraid to tell me her answer. "I just thought.... I thought I'd be punished..." "Not like that. Never like that again. I promise." She stares at me as tears fill her eyes and her lip starts to quiver. What the hell did I do to upset her now? Suddenly, she flings her arms around my neck and buries her face in my shoulder as she lets out a sob. After a moment of shock, I instinctively begin to rub her back as I shoot a questioning look at Luke. He simply shrugs and shakes his head. He doesn't understand what's going on either. "Gianna? What's the matter? What did I say?" I murmur softly as my fingers begin brushing through her soft, red curls. "It's nothing. I... I'm just... a bit overwhelmed I guess," she answers breathily as she tries to stop herself from crying. She pulls away and swipes at her tears with an embarrassed laugh. I want nothing more than to continue holding her, but instead sweep my hand across her cheek before tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. I stare into her violet eyes, mesmerized. She really is the most gorgeous woman I have ever laid eyes on. The golden flecks in her irises seem to sparkle like stars and her pink full lips look so soft and kissable. She's magnificent. I cup her face and place a light kiss on her forehead. She lets out a contented sigh and seems to be hit with a wave of calm. She nuzzles into one of my hands before I pull her into another embrace, breathing in her intoxicating honey and lavender scent. The feel of her in my arms seems to make all my worries melt away. It's addicting. Everything about her is like a drug and that I can't quit. Soon we are pulling up to the valet parking in front of Lopez Enterprises and one of my men quickly comes up to open our door. He helps Gianna out and I quickly follow before wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her to me. I support much of her weight as she leans into me, holding my jacket closed around her with one hand. Werewolves heal quicker than humans, but she still looks banged up. I had already mind-linked Mason to send for the pack doctor to come up to my room and examine my mate. I didn't want her having to spend more time in the hospital if it wasn't necessary. Guards quickly surround us and escort us to the elevator where I swipe my card for access to the penthouse. When we reach the foyer, I scoop Gianna up bridal-style and carry her to my room. I don't feel like being away from her and I can't say I trust her to stay in her room by herself anymore. Upon finding out that she had escaped, I had a brief moment where I had seriously considered putting bars in front of all the windows. I place her gently on the bed and she looks around, realizing where I had brought her. "Do you need anything? Food? Water?" She nods. "Water please." I hurry out to my gourmet kitchen to get her a drink. Before I make my way back to my room the front door opens as Mason leads in the pack doctor, Aurora Hauser. "Alpha," she greets me as she comes up to shake my hand. "Good evening Doctor. Thanks for making a house call." "Not a problem sir. Mason filled me in. Where is Gianna?" she asks, getting straight to the point. I have always liked that about her. Very no nonsense. She is the one that I had trusted to care for Gianna while she had been in the hospital as well. I lead her to my room where my mate is now curled up in my bed. She sits up when she hears us enter. "Hello Gianna. Do you remember me?" Gianna nods before answering. "You work at the hospital that treated my stab wound." "That's right. Alpha Daniel here asked that I come take a look at your injuries. Can you tell me what hurts?" I stay close with Mason by my side as Aurora examines my beautiful mate and talks with her. Mason has the decency to turn away when Gianna is asked to take off the jacket to show the doctor her other injuries. Anger begins rising to the surface as I notice the finger shaped bruises around her wrists, the long claw mark that stretches down her chest and to her abdomen, and the multiple scratches and bruises that cover her torso. Mason places a hand on my shoulder, seeing my wolf wrestling to come out. Turning to look at him, allows me the chance to take control once more as I push my rage down. The beast that did this to her is dead. And I'll never let anyone hurt her like this again. Aurora sits up and Gianna does too as she pulls my leather jacket back on, covering herself up. "Umm... Doctor, by any chance did you find a necklace after my stay in the hospital?" Gianna asks as Dr. Hauser gets up from her spot on the edge of the bed. The doctor's eyes open wide for a moment and she holds up a finger. "That reminds me," she begins before reaching for her bag. She opens it up and pulls out a small plastic bag. "A nurse found this when she was cleaning out your room. Is this what you were looking for?" Gianna swiftly reaches out and takes the baggie from Dr. Hauser, a smile spreading across her face as she sees what's inside. She quickly tips the bag upside down over her palm before a necklace falls out into it. "Yes! Thank you so much Doctor." I watch as she clasps the delicate chain around her neck and see a small diamond hanging from it. There is no way someone from The Bane would be able to afford something like that. "Where did you get the necklace?" I inquire, my body instantly tensing as though it expects to not like her answer. She looks up at me worriedly and bites her lip, unsure. Clearly my instincts were right. "A friend gave it to me." "A friend?" I ask, my voice coming out gruff and disbelieving. What kind of a friend gives someone expensive jewelry? She nods at me, reluctant to say any more. "What friend?" She clears her throat uncomfortably. "Just a friend from The Bane." "And how did your friend afford something like that?" "He found it." "He???" My wolf growls. Why is another man giving her jewelry like that? No wonder she didn't want to answer me. This time Dr. Hauser clears her throat as she comes up to me, interrupting the conversation that quickly seemed to be heating up. "Well, she has a few tender spots still and that one gash is pretty bad, but I bandaged it up. Shouldn't take more than a couple days to completely heal. Nothing to worry about. The main thing I could suggest right now is some rest for her. Quite frankly it looks like you both could use some Alpha." She gives me a pointed look and I smirk and nod at her. "I'll see what I can do." I walk her and Mason to the main exit and watch as the elevator doors close after them before heading back to my room to talk to Gianna. She is still sitting on the bed, her arms wrapped around her knees while they are bent up to her chin. I sit down next to her and her gaze rises to meet mine. Her expression betrays her and I can see the guilt and the anxiety. "Why did you do it? Why did you sneak out and go back to that place?" "I... umm..." she begins as her eyes begin to wander around the room like she's trying to find another escape route. "Don't even think about lying to me again Gianna. Why didn't you tell me you knew who had killed my men? What was your relationship with him?" Her eyes shoot back to me, wide and shocked. "We didn't have a relationship. He was just some asshole who lived in The Bane with his little gang of thugs." "But you knew he was guilty and you didn't tell me. Why?" "I wasn't sure how you'd react..." "And you think that's a good enough reason to lie to me?" "No! I... I just didn't want any more innocent people to die. The packless aren't bad people..." she says before I cut her off with a scoff. "They aren't bad people?! Are you fucking kidding me right now? Do you know what that asshole was going to do to you? Do you know what would have happened if I hadn't shown up?!" The idea of what could have happened kills me. I had seen the damage he had done and I could smell his arousal. He was enjoying it. My fists instantly tighten in anger and my jaw tenses. "Not everyone in The Bane is like that though! There is just a small group of guys that are always getting into trouble but that's it! Most of the people there are really decent. I just didn't want to risk any of them getting hurt if you went in there guns blazing again." I can't stop the growl that bursts through my clenched teeth. She was protecting those lowlifes. Her eyes narrow at me and she sits up straighter, clearly going on the defensive. I decide not to argue about the morals of the packless. It is obvious that we don't see eye to eye on that matter and right now there are more important things to worry about. "Tell me about that guy who was attacking you," I order. "His name was Hudson Jones. He has been living in the Bane for as long as I can remember. He was always up to no good. Picking fights, crossing borders, stealing stuff, that type of thing," she answers, taking the chance to avoid an argument as well. "And what about this gang of his that you mentioned? How many other wolves did he hang out with?" "Five. But they never used their wolf forms." "Why not?" She gives me a weird look as though she doesn't understand my question for some reason. "Because they're packless," she states as though that explains everything. When she sees that I'm not following she continues. "Packless can't mind-link each other. So they don't usually shift because that leaves them no way to communicate. They typically only shift to hunt for food to bring back to the shelter." I nod. I had never even thought about that before. My eyebrows furrow as I continue to think. "What's the shelter?" "It's where I live, where most of the packless live," she answers. She looks down and plays with the hem of my jacket that she is still wearing. Is she uncomfortable talking about this? I want to ask her more about this, but I need to stay on track. Getting to know her and her past can wait. First, I need to get justice for my pack and that means finding the rest of Hudson's gang. "So, did Hudson and his men live at the shelter too?" "No. They lived in one of the abandoned apartments next to where you rescued me, but they've been laying low since your last visit." "Any idea where they would be hiding?" "Not really. There are plenty of uninhabited buildings in The Bane. And we are along the outer borders so they could hide in the woods that are outside of anyone's territory. Those would likely be their only options unless they decided to take their chances and leave the area." So far the information doesn't seem to be narrowing down the possibilities. "Okay, can you describe all of his lackeys for me?" She nods with a sigh before her face twists in concentration as she tries to remember Hudson's goons. "Well... first there is James..." she begins before telling me about the scents and descriptions of each of the members of this so-called gang. I quickly mind-link the details to all my pack's warriors and guards. I also make sure to tell Mason and Ethan so they can inform their own packs. "Great. We'll let you know as soon as we find anything," Luke's voice comes through in my head. "I have all my guys on the lookout for them. Don't worry. We'll get them," Mason replies. "Don't worry bro. They'll soon know they messed with the wrong pack," Ethan answers in his usual arrogant tone. When my gaze lands on Gianna, she is looking at me, observing me. "What?" I ask her as I raise an eyebrow. "You aren't going to hurt anyone else, right?" "Gianna, my responsibility is to my pack and our allied packs. They come first. As long as the packless don't get in our way, they won't get hurt." She instantly narrows her eyes at me. "We weren't in your way the last time either. They had been minding their own business and you and your men tore them apart," she seethes, making my own anger spike. "Why are you always trying to protect them?!" "Well someone has to!" "What's that supposed to mean?!" "Seriously?! Daniel! We don't have an Alpha or any leaders to protect us. We aren't allowed to work. We constantly have to scrounge for food. We are on the outskirts of the borders which means that we have to worry about rogues and other threats..." "Why do you keep saying 'we?' Those aren't your people anymore." She gives me a withering look and I exhale the rage that is boiling to the surface. "That is seriously what you took away from what I just said?! Do you even hear yourself?! And I'm not part of your pack Daniel! I'm not part of any pack! That's the very definition of being packless! What do you have against us?! What did we ever do to you?!" "THEY KILLED MY MOTHER!!!" I see shock wash over her face and I turn away from her. All those bitter memories begin flooding my mind, the night we were told, the stabbing pain in my chest as my heart broke, the look on my brothers' faces. I don't want to relive this. I don't want my mate's pity. I need to get out of here. "Daniel, I'm—" she begins as I can sense her approach before her hand lightly lands on my shoulder. I shrug her away, not even bothering to look at her. My feet immediately carry me to the door and I reach for the knob. "I have things I need to take care of. I'll send someone to bring you up dinner. Don't wait up for me." With that I fling the door open and close it behind me, not even sparing my mate a glance in her direction.