Chapter 4 Delta Marius

The night stretched like an infinity for Stella. She lay motionless for a long time staring at the ceiling above her. Everything would have been so different if she had been a wolf and if Ivan had only been with her today, because then she would not have had only her thoughts to keep her busy. But now she probably won't see him again after his call.

She felt the tears burn behind her eyelids and heard the soft pounding of her heart against her eardrums. He wasn't there for her through the whole thing. She didn't blame him either, because she thought he had his duties as a warrior for the Gray Claws. She washed her face and walked down to the kitchen.

"My dear Goddess, child! What are you doing here so early? You look even more tired than last night."

Stella smiled and started pouring herself coffee.

"Mother . . . how and where do I go to find out where I came from?"

"Pup, I told you I found you in the mountains." Tashia frowned.

"No mother, I mean who are my parents." Stella sat down at the table with her head down.

Tashia sat down across from her with her hands folded together on top of the table and leaned forward thus forcing Stella to look into her eyes.

"Stella, is it about you not knowing whether you are a wolf or a human?" Stella looked up at Tashia with a desperation in her eyes and face. Tashia took Stella's hands in hers.

"My pup, you will always be part of my pack, whether you are wolf or human." Stella shook her head slowly and a tear rolled down her face.

"No mother, I don't want to be part of Gray Claws." Her mind went back to the call she had from Ivan before she came down.

She was so happy to hear his voice. She hoped he might still come to her today, but after he heard that she had no inheritance his words were sharp, and it cut her from the inside. "Stella you human and without your father's inheritance, I don't have any reason to take you as my mate." She wanted to say something else, but he hanged up.

Tashia looked at her with a frown.

"Stella what is going on?" Stella tells Tashia about the call and an ugly growl comes from Mother Tashia. Stella jumps out of her chair. She has never seen Mother Tashia in wolf form and never heard her growl. Mother Tashia's canines erupted. Tashia took charge of her wolf when she saw Stella's face.

"I'm so sorry pup. That Ivan mustn't come near me!" Stella was still shaking as Tashia wrapped her in her chubby arms. She always felt so safe with Mother Tashia.

"Stella, I have to tell you. The reason I was so glad you said I could come with you is . . . you see I'm not part of the Gray Claws. My pack was massacred by the rogues, and I was on my way to Bacdrane, when I found you on the mountain." Stella realizes how little she really knew about the people around her. Did she live in her own little world? Her arms tightened around Tashia. "I'm so sorry mother, why didn't you ever tell me?" Tashia pushes her a little away; "It wasn't necessary, because your father, you and the pups were my new pack." A tear rolled down Tashia's cheek.

She tapped Stella's shoulders as she turned to make them breakfast.

"Are you going to see Delta Marius today to see if he will help you, maybe you can still keep the house with the racehorses."

Stella is standing next to Tashia, spreading the toast. "I don't know mother; I really don't want anything more to do with Gray Claws or any of father's stuff." Tashia clicked her tongue and shook her head.

"Try at least Stella, I know how much you love the house and the horses." Stella gave a deep sigh. If she had been a wolf, she would have been more positive and had more courage to ask her father's friends for help.

After breakfast she goes to her room and gets dressed. Not long after that she got into her car to go see Delta Marius. The moving van doesn't come until two o'clock and she will be back in time.

They don't want to let her into the Gray Claws' pack offices at first. You see no human has access to the pack offices and pack house. She begged them to just let Delta Marius know she was there. They communicated with him through the pack's mind link, and they let her through with a frown. Not at all happy that a human has entered their domain.

Delta Marius is a tall man with a sensual mouth and small beady eyes. He was breathing heavily like someone who had just climbed the stairs to the eighth floor.

While Stella talks to him, he listens seemingly without much interest. His hands are constantly scrambling between the pile of documents lying on the desk in front of him and every now and then he gives a low growl.

This annoys Stella so much that she stops talking halfway through. After a few moments, Delta Marius sat back in his chair. "I therefore conclude that your father could not fulfil his obligations and Alpha Duncan is now demanding the debts from your father's estate" he said with a grin on his face as he looked her up and down. She is annoyed but keeps herself in check. She knows he knows everything; he is the delta after all.

"Yes Delta."

"And . . .?" She feels like slapping that grin off his face, for the umpteenth time she wishes she was a wolf.

"I was wondering if maybe it would be possible for Delta to help me keep just the house and racehorses." Stella wishes she hadn't come.

"How are you going to pay it back? Are you going to sacrifice yourself as my pet?" Stella jumped up. She is furious and feels dirty and humiliated. She walked as fast as she could to her car. His laughter kept echoing in her ears.

Her hands tighten around the steering wheel, and she realize that the circle of friends her father has built up over the years suddenly no longer exists.

They all rejected her.

That evening, Stella and Mother Tashia eat together in silence in the small apartment.

"I'm sorry mother Tashia." it comes softly from Stella. Tashia frowned.

"Why my pup?"

"Mother doesn't even have room to run here in Silver City right now." Tashia clicked her tongue in habit.

"Forget it pup, are you going to the auction tomorrow?" Stella gave a tired sigh.

"No mother."

"Didn't you want to buy over some of your father's personal belongings?" Stella thinks back to how Delta Marius treated her and the looks the other wolves gave her.

"No, rather not mother." She is tired, tired of everything and everyone.