I'm The Alpha's Challenge

44

Okay, so I had found out who J was. I could handle that. No more secrets. Now he could tell me all about those not… normal… things. Like that pull I always felt between us, or the need to touch all the time. It would explain why he would growl an animal-like growl or why he avoided my questions so much. It explained why he was so protective of people. It explained why J wasn't there whenever Josh was. What it didn't explain was why he talked to me in the first place, or why he continued to talk to me and choose me over Destiny.

"I got 'er!" Iya yelled, bringing me out of my thoughts as she dragged me into the house. A bark immediately answered her, along with multiple growls and snarls.

Danny! Let me go! Josh growled. Ow! Stop! Lemme go! I have ta speak ta 'er! He growled, and I don't think he realized I could hear him.

"Iya, you are not helpin'!" Gail growled. "Joshua! Stay still or yer gonna make it start bleedin' again!"

No! Just lemme go! He snarled. I could hear it all the way from here. Iya led me into the kitchen where Josh lay on the table with all of the boys holding him down as Gail tended to his shoulders. He whined as soon as he saw me, thrashing around widely. Cormac growled as he held him down. Ouch! He yelled as Gail cursed.

"Well if ya'd stop movin' around so much, I could finish this and we'd be done!" She yelled. I took a step back, my breath catching in my throat as I gazed at him. "Goodness, Josh! Just stay still for one second!"

"Iya, I need somethin' ta get 'em ta calm down. He ain't gonna listen ta me." Gail said, nodding towards the cabinets. Iya nodded, going towards him. Josh whined again, scratching at the table, gazing up at me with those bright blue eyes. As I stepped back, hurt flashed across his eyes.

Suddenly, he growled, turning his head to snap at his mother's fingers. Ouch! What the crap was that?! He snarled.

She wacked him in the nose, making him recoil. "Joshua! Stop that! Calm down for one minute, alright?!" She snapped, glaring at him. His head suddenly dropped along with his eyes, his whole body relaxing.

"Haha!" Iya gave an evil laugh, holding up a syringe, an evil smirk spreading across her face. "He is never gonna live that down!" She laughed, bouncing slightly. I relaxed, hardly realizing I had been scared.

"Iya…" Cormac said slowly, holding up his hands as he started towards her.

"Stand back!" She screamed, holding the needle at him.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Calm down, Iya. There ain't no need for any violence here." He joked.

"Okay, okay, you two." Gail said, smiling and shaking her head. "Could one of ya show Danny up ta Josh's room? I don't think she needs ta see this."

Iya nodded, never taking her eyes off Cormac, and vice versa. "What would happen if I just," she lunged at Cormac, but he jumped back, growling, "poked Cormac with this?"

"I'll hold 'em back!" Coffeeblue yelled, taking Cormac's arms and pulling them behind his back. Cormac growled again, trying to free himself, but Coffeeblue would not let up.

"Perfect!" Iya said, laughing again as she set the needle down on the table, lashing out with her fingers.

"Stop!" Cormac laughed, trying his hardest to get away from them. "Help! Stop! I'm bein' attacked by two girls! Adam! Levi! Kyler! Help!"

"Gotcha!" Adam yelled as he wrapped his arms around Iya's waist, pulling her away from Cormac. Iya squealed, kicking and screaming.

"I put Hanna down for a nap, and Kyler and Levi are…what the crap is goin' on here?" Peter said as he entered the kitchen, staring at the kids. A small smile played on my lips as I studied his confused expression.

All of them froze, turning their attention to him. Cormac pouted, trying to pull away from his twin again. "Iya and Coffeeblue attacked me."

"I was just helpin'." Adam said, clearing his throat as he set Iya down. She turned, catching him in the shoulder with her fist.

"Ouch!" He exclaimed, frowning as he stepped away from her, rubbing his shoulder. "There was absolutely no reason for that."

Peter laughed, shaking his head as he walked over to Gail, wrapping his arms around her waist and laying his head on her shoulder. "How's he doin'?" He asked, a slight frown on his lips.

"He'll survive." She replied, flashing him a smile.

"Good." He said, pecking her cheek.

Iya's arms suddenly wrapped around mine, pulling me away from the sleeping wolf on the table. I glanced back at him, frowning as she led me out. "Let us go!" She sang, trying to skip down the halls, but when I didn't follow her, she stopped.

"Okay, spill." She said, her eyes narrowing as she closed Josh's door behind us.

I sighed, collapsing on the bed, staring at my hands. "I—It's just that… this whole… wolf thing explains a lot, but…" I let out a shaky breath. "It still doesn't explain why he likes me. Why he talked to me on that first day. Why he kept continually trying to talk to me over and over again, even when I pushed him away. I just don't understand. Why me?" I glanced up at her, gulping.

She sighed nervously, taking the seat next to me. "I can't really answer that. That's a Josh question you'll have ta ask him when he wakes up."

My stomach turned, making me clamp a hand over my mouth. "Oh my goodness." I muttered, standing. "I think I'm gonna be sick." I said, running to the bathroom.

"Oh my gosh! Danny, are you alright?!" Iya said, following me as I emptied my stomach's contents into the toilet.

I held my hair away from my face, my whole body suddenly shaking. I shook my head, groaning. "No…" I moaned. "Could you—do you have any flu medicine?" I asked, a wave of heat passing through my body.

"Uh…Well, we, uh, we don't get sick." She replied, running her hands through her hair. I groaned. That explains why Josh didn't get sick. "So, uh, no, I don't think we do."

I tried standing, but it seems my strength had left me and I fell back down to the ground. "I need to go home." I told her, squeezing my eyes shut.

She shook her head. "Josh ain't gonna like that. Besides, you can't even stand. You can't go home. I'll go get ya medicine, alright? And I'll tell Aunt Gail that ya ain't feelin' well." She said, turning and disappearing out the door. I folded my arms, laying my head down on them.

"Oh, honey!" I jerked awake, groaning as my stomach flipped at the voice. Gail crouched down next to me, brushing my sweaty hair out of my face. "I'm sorry ya feel this way. Iya and Cormac should be back with some medicine any time now."

I lay my head back down, shivering, and closed my eyes. I just wanted to sleep. "Oh, c'mon, sweetie, let's get ya ta bed." My heart rate spiked, but my eyes didn't open as her hands appeared at my waist, helping me to stand on my feet. She led me over to the bed, where I climbed under the covers, tightening them around me. I was so cold, and yet I was sweating. Spare blankets suddenly weighed me down until I sighed contently, curling up into a ball.

"Goodnight, Danny." She said. My breath caught in my throat as I felt lips place a kiss on my temple. Is this what having a mother was like? Is this what it felt like to be cared and waited on? Whenever I had gotten sick, my father would just beat me more for not doing my chores and cooking for them. You know, Josh, I thought, I might just take you up your offer.