Ninja Turtle Meets Huntress

The night was quiet in the industrial part of the city. It was well after closing hours on a holiday and the bitterly cold air had the inhabitants of the city bundled up warm with their families in their homes. A dark figure darted between buildings, on a mission. Though her figure hinted at no great athleticism, she kept up a fast pace, barely breaking a sweat. She stopped in front of a packaging plant. It was one she often visited. She picked the lock and entered the building as she had a hundred times before. This plant packaged meat to be shipped to supermarkets and she was hungry. What she didn't know was that the superiors who ran the place had noticed her theft and installed silent alarms. The police were crashing through the doors before she knew what was happening. She had allowed her hunger to distract her sharp senses.

She took off for the roof where she knew there would be no cameras to witness what she was about to do. They chased her up there. Ten officers surrounded her, guns raised.

"Freeze!" They yelled.

"Leave!" She yelled back. "If you want to live then get out of here!"

The cops converged on her and she felt the animal within her rise, ready to take out the threatening men. Her teeth began to lengthen and fur began to sprout on her skin. It was too dark for the men to see her properly. She urged her wolf to hold back. She wanted to take care of this without fully transforming.

"I warned you." She growled and then she blurred into action. She moved so quickly that many of the officers didn't have time to react. She threw herself at them, knocking them unconscious one by one. She snarled as bullets entered her flesh but she ignored the pain and quickly dispatched the officers. She swayed as the last one fell. She had been shot three times and healing those wounds was taking a lot of her energy. She resumed her full human form and sat beside the meat she had stolen. She couldn't eat it raw unless she was in wolf form and she couldn't cook it unless she got to a place with a stove or a fire. She decided to wait. Her wounds would heal in about an hour and she was confident she could make it back to her den before then. She rose to leave when an intoxicating smell reached her sharp senses. Her wolf rose inside her, eager to hunt down the source of the smell but the woman refused her, sensing someone behind her. She turned to see four hulking beings before her. She tensed, ready to fight.

"We don't like law breakers in our neighborhood." Said the massive turtle in the blue mask.

She gaped at the turtles for a minute before she found her voice. "I'm not a bad person." She replied

"You took out ten cops." The largest one pointed out skeptically.

"Easy, Red." She replied, her shock at seeing the strange beings quickly fading as she tried to figure out a way out of this mess. "I could have killed each and every one of them but they're all still breathing."

"We can't let you go. You're stealing." Said the one with the orange mask.

She sighed. She didn't have the energy to shift to hybrid and if she shifted to wolf she would be too weak to keep her human half present. "Then take me wherever you're going. Just make sure you bring my meat or I won't be able to control her. I would hate to hurt one of you."

"Her?" Asked the one in the purple mask.

"My wolf." She replied.

"I don't see no wolf." Said the one with the red mask.

"Maybe it's coming back for us." Whispered the one in the orange mask.

"She's a part of me, my animal side. I'm a werewolf."

"Werewolves are a myth." Said the one in the purple mask.

"And so are talking turtles." She shot back.

"I want proof." Red said.

"Not a good Idea, Red." She replied, gesturing around her. "Cops everywhere."

"My name's not Red, its Raphael."

"Well, Raphael, say these cops wake up and see a giant wolf with four big ass turtles. What then?"

"Leo?" Raphael asked, turning to the one in the blue mask.

"We'll bring her back with us. Sensei will know what to do."

"Don't forget the meat." The woman reminded them as they blindfolded her.

Before long, the smell of sewers assaulted her nose and a little later she was put down in a room full of weapons and all kinds of gadgets. The four giant turtle guys stood before her and so did a big mutant rat. She sat where they had placed her, waiting.

"She says she's a werewolf." Said Leo.

"She doesn't smell human." The rat said. He turned to the woman.

"My name is Master Splinter. These are my sons and this is my home. We won't harm you. Tell me, what is your name?"

"I go by two names. The packs call me Huntress. To my friends I am Gabby."

"And which would you have us call you?"

"You can call me Gabby if you want."

"Gabby, you have already met my sons. They are Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello."

"Leo, Raph, Mikey, and Donnie for short." Mikey chimed in.

"Did you bring the meat?" She asked them.

"No." Leo said. "It wasn't yours to take."

A growl ripped from Gabby's throat, the unhuman noise startling the turtles. "You need to get me meat NOW! I was wounded in the fight and my wolf demands the energy to heal and if I don't eat soon I will lose control of her and I will hurt someone."

"Leo!" Master Splinter barked. "Go retrieve what you have left behind."

"Yes, master." He replied and left.

"He won't be back soon enough." Gabby said. She stood and approached the large turtles. She sized each of them up. "I'm going to shift into my wolf form. I won't be myself. My wolf will take over completely. I'll be dangerous. Your best chance would be to knock me out. If you can keep me unconscious then I won't attack Leo when he comes back with my food."

The turtles looked at each other skeptically. She knew they weren't taking her seriously, not that she blamed them. They had no idea what they were up against.

"If my wolf recognizes one of you as dominant, she might submit. If I end up on my back, tail between my legs it means I give up, but you should keep me like that until Leo gets back because I might attack more than once." A sharp cramp in her stomach made her gasp. "Werewolves heal extremely fast. Something that would kill a human in a heartbeat only hurts us for a day. If you have to beat the living shit out of me, do it." Another cramp brought her to her knees as her wolf struggled to push forward.

"She's coming. I'll try to slow the change to give Leo more time." She yelped as she fought against the change and the turtles watched in wonder as the writhing woman in front of them slowly sprouted hair while her limbs reformed. Her clothes disappeared as she outgrew them, leaving only a pendant around her neck. After an agonizing five minutes of popping joints and yelps of pain, a huge wolf stood before them, as dark as her chocolaty brown hair in her human form. The wolf shook out and then looked around. She saw the awestruck turtles around her and began to growl. She needed food and they stood between her and the exit. The turtles drew their weapons and got into a ready stance. The wolf snarled menacingly and lunged for the nearest turtle.

Mikey didn't expect the ferocious speed at which the massive creature moved and so he took the full impact of her weight straight to his chest, sending him flying backwards. He was quickly replaced by Donnie, who didn't hesitate to use his bow staff. He whirled and she dodged in a complicated dance of action and reaction but she was cunning and managed to trip him up. When he fell she leapt for him only to find arms of steel wrapped around her middle as she was bodily thrown across the room. Her eyes narrowed as she saw who had foiled her attempt to finish her opponent.

The wolf stared into the green eyes of the biggest turtle. There was something in them that called to her, a fierceness that matched her own. She wanted to test him, to try and make him bleed. She circled him slowly, noticing that he kept his weapons in his belt. She stalked forward and he waited, tense. Finally, she charged at him and he surprised her by charging as well, using his weight to knock her back. She went rolling across the floor and by the time she had regained her footing, he was bearing down on her. She jumped at him, her claws screeching against his plastron plated torso as he held her snapping teeth inches from his face. The sheer strength he was exhibiting impressed her. He was a worthy opponent. He toppled her backwards again and she managed to fasten her jaws around his ankle. She heard a crack and then he began to rain blows down on her head and face. She quickly released him but he was injured and she knew it. She charged one last time. He threw his arm up just in time for her jaws to fasten around it but he surprised her by pinning her to him with his free arm and dropping to the floor, pinning her with his body weight. In her panic to regain her footing, she released the arm she held in her jaws and tried scrambling away. He managed to grab her by the scruff of the neck.

"Get her on her back, son." Master Splinter called, "Demand her submission."

Raph finally managed to flip her over and he held a hand to her throat, choking off her air supply.

"Submit!" He said.

She struggled violently, nearly squirming from beneath him so he put more weight on her. He pressed his hand harder into her throat. She would not hurt his family.

"Submit or die." He said quietly as her breath gurgled in her throat. She went still and lay her head back, exposing her throat.

"Her tail's between her legs, Raph." Donnie said.

Raph felt a searing pain in his mind. It was so painful that he released his hold on the she-wolf, but she seemed to be rolling around in agony too. Then, as suddenly as it came on, it was gone.

"What was that?" Raph asked. His brothers looked at him, concern coloring their faces.

"I believe answers will come when she becomes human once more." Master Splinter said, not letting his concern shine through. He was used to having all of the answers but a myth was walking among them and he was as lost as his sons were.

Raphael looked at the wolf beside him. She was no longer growling, no longer fighting. He wondered why. Her soft whines communicated nothing to him, though there was a strange feeling inside him that was setting him on edge, as though he was being spied on, but the thought was ridiculous. They had defeated their enemy years ago and had heard nothing to believe he would be returning. He attempted to stand and his breath hissed through his teeth as he put weight on his injured ankle. He had forgotten its dull throbbing pain in the aftermath of the pain in his head but it now came back full force. He hobbled to the couch and sat, the wolf following. She laid down at his feet and huffed as master splinter brought some ice and an ace bandage to wrap his ankle.

"You must be strong to hurt my sons." He said to the she wolf. "Their bones are much harder to break than any humans." He administered his first aid and then crossed to his armchair to sit. The room fell into an awkward silence, no one daring to talk about what had just happened, as they didn't know how much the wolf would understand or how she would react. There was a collective sigh of relief when Leo arrived a little over ten minutes later. He threw the packaged meat to Mikey who promptly set it on the ground and backed away quickly. He was lucky he had done so because the wolf was on the packages almost as soon as they landed. She tore into one pack which held three large racks of ribs. The first rack disappeared, bones and all, in less than a minute. The second she took a moment to taste and the third, she picked the meat from the bones with her scissor-like incisors. With a big huff, she licked her paws and muzzle clean and then stood and faced Raph.

"I'm myself again." She projected into their minds. While she hadn't had control of herself before, she remembered all of it.

Raphael about jumped out of his skin when he heard her voice echo in his mind. He knew she hadn't spoken. How could she? She was a wolf.

"What the hell is going on?" He demanded as his brothers ogled her.

"I need sleep. I don't have time or energy for this discussion tonight. If you have somewhere I could sleep and maybe get some water it would be appreciated. We will talk about all of this first thing in the morning. Please save the other packages of meat. I have others to feed."

The turtles gaped at her but Master Splinter had the tact to stand and get her a glass of water. She shifted and he noticed a pendant around her neck that glowed red as she changed forms in less than a second, returning to her human form dressed in the same clothes she had been wearing when she had shifted to wolf.

"Thank you." She said and drank deeply. Her eyes were drooping in exhaustion. "Is there a place I can sleep?"

"Will the couch suffice?" Asked master Splinter.

"It's perfect." She said. "And I won't need any blankets. I run hot." She walked over and fell gratefully onto the couch, despite Raph still being on it. Luckily it was a long couch and she could lay full out without even touching him on its other end. She was almost instantly asleep and the remaining occupants of the room looked at each other in disbelief. She had rocketed into their lives, tried to kill them, and was now sleeping peacefully on their couch.

It was Master Splinter who broke the silence. "There is no point staying up all night." He said. "You best be off to bed, My Sons. We will learn more tomorrow." He turned and headed for his bedroom and the brothers disbanded shortly afterwards. It had been a trying night and they could feel that it was just the beginning.

There was no sunrise for Gabby to wake up to but she felt safer than she had in months. That was how she knew she wasn't trapped in his rooms. She inhaled deeply and the smell of bacon and eggs made her stomach rumble to life. She opened her eyes and stretched. She hadn't heard anyone walking around her. She hadn't even heard Raphael get off the couch she had been sleeping so hard. As her mind wandered to him she frowned. There was no mistaking what had happened the night before. The searing pain was something she had experienced once before. It only happened when an Alpha bond was forged. Somehow the turtle had become her Alpha.

In the world of the Weres it would have made sense. If an Alpha had dominated her he would have won her wolfs submission and forged a bond but Raphael wasn't a wolf and he should not have been capable of forging any kind of bond, much less an Alpha bond. Her heart stuttered at the implications. Her new Alpha would have no idea what it was to even be pack, mush less the leader of one, but there was a chance that he would be trustworthy and would be able to help them save the thousands of people who were under the thumb of a tyrant. She was unsure and for the moment she decided that caution was the best course.

She rose from the couch and followed her nose into the kitchen where Master Splinter stood at the stove, stirring the eggs. A mound of bacon sat on the table where Donnie already sat. She moved into the room and sat beside him. She could sense him tensing as he realized who sat beside him.

"Good morning." Master Splinter Said. "I hope you are hungry."

"I don't mean to be rude," She answered, "but I can't stay. My people will be worried."

"Other wolves?" Donnie asked her.

"Yes. My family. I need to get back to them."

"Donatello, bring Gabby to her family."

"That won't be necessary." Gabby said.

"Is the place close?" Master Splinter asked.

"Close enough." She lied.

Splinter nodded. "Will you do me one small favor before you go?" He asked.

"That depends." She replied suspiciously.

"Go wake my sons. Their breakfast will get cold otherwise."

Gabby relaxed a little bit. It was a simple enough request, and he had given her a place to sleep for the night. She nodded and stood.

"They each have their own room." Master Splinter said.

"I'll be able to find them." Gabby cut in quickly. "I can follow their scent."

"Your sense of smell is that sensitive?" Donnie asked, impressed. Their sense of smell was better than a humans but tracking by scent wasn't something they could really do.

Gabby grinned. "I was the best tracker in the Midwest and even here on the east coast I haven't found anyone better." And with that she disappeared from the room.

Gabby followed her nose and the first scent led her to Mikey's room. She peaked her head in and saw a cluttered mess from which rose a cool entertainment station where there was a 46 inch TV and a PS4 and an Xbox 1. Shelves full of comics and movies lined the walls along with some very male oriented posters. To the side there was a night stand and next to that a bed where there was a large lump buried under the covers. She approached the bed and cautiously reached out to prod the lump. She knew how dangerous waking a sleeping person could be if they got startled, especially when they had reflexes like she knew these turtles had.

Her finger made contact with hard shell and Mikey didn't stir. She figured their shells must not be all that sensitive to touch and so she followed the line of his shell down and over the ridge where she felt skin. She poked him again and he muttered and rolled over. She poked him again. He groaned and stretched and settled back in.

"Wake up." She said as she jabbed him in the side.

"Don't wanna." Mikey mumbled.

Gabby pulled his covers down so she could see his head and shoulders. She let one of her sharp hybrid claws to grow and she stroked it firmly on his skin so he could feel its sharpness. "Don't make me claw you." She said.

That got his attention. He opened his eyes and turned to look at the sharp black claw that quickly shrunk back into her finger. "Okay, okay." He said. He quickly reached for his mask and tied it over his face.

"Splinter says breakfast is ready." She said and she left, heading for the next closest room. It was Leo's room and she noticed that every bit of it was well maintained. The shelves were neat and orderly and he even had one of those mini Japanese sand garden things. He too slept under a pile of blankets and again she had to find a piece of skin to poke. Unlike Mikey though, he woke immediately, stretching and yawning.

"Morning." He said, as though a walking myth he hadn't even known for 24 hours wasn't standing before him.

She smiled softly. "Splinter says breakfast is ready." She said.

Leo grabbed his mask and tied it around his head. "Alright. Thanks." He said and she left to seek out the last of the brothers. His was the room furthest from the kitchen. She had passed Donnie's room on her way there and couldn't resist a peak into it. It had been organized chaos with electronics and books everywhere. It almost looked like some sort of science or tech lab. But she had moved on quickly, hoping to wake the last brother and say her goodbyes. When she reached Raph's room, she hesitated. He was her new Alpha and he had no idea and she would keep him in the dark as long as she could but eventually he would find out. It rubbed her wrong to take advantage of his ignorance but desperate times called for desperate measures.

She stepped into the room and looked around. It wasn't as untidy as Mikey's room and it wasn't as tidy as Leo's. There was some trash here and there and a few things on the floor. Those weren't the things that drew her eye though. There were pictures all around her. They were on the walls, on the shelves and on the desk. Pictures of the New York skyline at sunrise, of the city lights, of flower boxes and the river and the trees and of animals. She wondered if he had taken them himself or if it was just images he found online that spoke to him. She looked at the mound of blankets and steeled her nerves. She walked over and sharply prodded his shell before she could lose her nerve.

He jerked awake, quickly rolling and sitting up. "What the hell are you doin' in here?" He growled, his eyes suspicious.

His anger took her aback. "Your dad asked me to come get you." She shot back.

"Oh really?" He asked. "Not here to break my other ankle?"

She couldn't understand why he was being so hostile. "That was an accident. I wasn't myself. If you want I can heal it for you."

Raph eyed her. He didn't know her and therefore he didn't trust her. "And how you gonna do that?" He asked.

"My saliva has strong healing properties. I could shift and lick all over the break. It would probably heal in about a day."

"So you're a werewolf with magic saliva?" He asked. He made it sound ridiculous and she was just fed up with the whole conversation.

"Splinter says breakfast is ready." She said and she walked away without looking back.

She went back to the kitchen and saw Leo, Donnie, and Mikey piling eggs and bacon onto their plates. Her mouth watered at the smell but she forced herself to remain focused. She needed to get to her family. She needed to keep them same from him and his cronies. She cleared her throat.

"I wanted to thank you for letting me crash here while I healed. I also wanted to apologize for any damage done." She paused as Raph limped in behind her and took a seat, ignoring her as he filled his plate. "If there's any way I could repay you all you have to do is ask."

"She could go get us some pizza for dinner." Mikey said as he handed her the bag of meat that she had stolen the night before. "No risk of being seen that way."

Everyone looked at Master Splinter expectantly, like he was the Alpha of their little pack. He turned to Gabby. "We don't often have a chance to entertain company." He said, "Would you come have dinner with us? You could bring your family as well."

Gabby knew that bringing her family to the turtles' home would be dangerous. They were still tied to her old Alpha, and he would have felt her bond break so he would be going after them soon to draw her back. If her family went to the turtles, he would track them.

"I don't think that would be a good idea." She said, her body tense.

"Why not?" Donnie asked.

"I would be putting you in a lot of danger." She said.

"Are you in trouble?" Splinter asked concerned.

"Not me, not really anyway." She answered.

"Your family then?" Splinter asked.

"I need to get to them." She said and she hurried from the room. She had been blindfolded on her way in but that didn't matter. She just needed to find a man hole. Once she was on the surface she would know where she was.

"Go, my sons." Splinter said. "I fear she may need your help whether she wants it or not."

All of them rose except Raph who knew he wouldn't be able to keep up on a broken ankle. He finished and hobbled to the couch, irritation at the little wolf for injuring him building. He felt agitated and put it down to the fact that he was unable to follow his brothers into danger.

Gabby managed to find a manhole and crawl out into the pale morning sun. She quickly covered the hole and headed for the first car she saw. She didn't notice three shapes silently emerge from the manhole and melt into the shadows. She hotwired the car and sped off towards the industrial part of the city. The turtles followed discreetly in a van. Every minute brought her closer to her family just as every minute brought her old Alpha's thugs closer to capturing them. She reached out with her mind, straining in her human form to reach that far. Mind communication wasn't a common thing in human form but it was one of her talents.

"Gracie?" She called to her younger sister.

"Gabby! Are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm on my way. My bond to Aiden has been broken and he'll be coming for you. Be alert and don't let anyone in until I get there. Pack everything and get it ready to go. We'll take the money too."

When Gracie had given her promise, Gabby cut off her link and focused on getting there quickly. After nearly half an hour of tense driving she pulled up to an abandoned warehouse. She quickly exited the car and made a sweep of the building. It was scent free so she approached the door, calling for the people inside. She missed the flash of the white van pulling into the next ally where the turtles exited and quickly climbed to the roof where they entered and made their way into the rafters of the large space. They saw Gabby talking to four people who were gathering up what little they had and setting it by the door. They moved closer so they could hear what was being said.

"….did it happen?" One woman asked. "Who is your new Alpha?"

"His name is Raph but, Mom, he's not a wolf." The brothers looked at each other questioningly at the mention of their brother.

"Not a wolf? Well what is he then? A panther? A Mustang?"

"He's not a Were."

"Not a Were?! What is he, human?" The woman looked extremely agitated.

"I don't really know what they are. I didn't have time to ask questions. I needed to get here. The cops came when I broke into the meat plant and I got shot a few times." She explained. "Just after I knocked them all out these four huge turtles showed up and kidnapped me. I needed energy to heal and they didn't bring my stolen meat and so I lost control of my wolf and she fought with them and it was Raph who finally subdued me. I forged a bond with him."

"You bonded to a Were-turtle." Her mother said in disbelief.

"They're not Weres. I don't know what they are but I know they're not Weres."

"So what now?" Another, younger woman asked.

"We need to go. I left the car running outside and if we can quickly get all of the bags in the car we could slip away before they found us."

"We can't run forever." Said the older blonde woman.

"Well it's the only option we have right now. Grab your stuff, let's get to the car."

"Gabby." Gracie said. "I can't hear the car anymore."

Everyone froze in silence for a moment and then they bolted for the opposite exit. There was a pounding sound at the main entrance. It sounded three times and then a truck tore through where the door had been, sending the bags flying in all directions. The truck backed up and people swarmed in through the hole.

"Stop!" Commanded a big man.

Everyone but Gabby came to a halt. She ran a few steps before realizing her family had been commanded by her old Alpha's second and lead Beta, Richard. She cursed and came forward, standing between her family and the handful of advancing men. The turtles got themselves into a position where they could help.

"Thought you could get away from the Alpha did ya?" Richard sneered. "You should have known that he would draw you back to him. It looks like we didn't have to wait long at all. Tell me little bitch, which Alpha stole you? Was it Thompson? We hear he's been rallying to attack over the last couple of weeks. He would know what it would do to Aiden to have his prized bitch taken away. Tell me sweet, was it him?"

Gabby didn't answer but she did shift. The turtles watched in amazement as her usual 5'7" grew rapidly and hair and a tail sprouted from her form. In a split second she towered at nearly seven feet tall. Her head was mostly that of a wolf on a neck too thick to be entirely human. Claws topped each of her elongated hands and padded feet and a tail brushed against the back of her legs. She had shifted to her hybrid form and she loosed a ferocious snarl.

"Very well, little one. If this is the game you wish to play, then…" He never finished his sentence. The turtles hurtled down on the five male wolves with a speed and fury that took the wolves completely by surprise. Each had knocked one of the wolves out before they knew what was going on. The other two charged in human form but Gabby flew in, claws swinging. Her sharp talons severed the spine of one, killing him instantly while Leo used his Katana to defend against the onslaught of the other. He was reluctant to use the sharp edge to end the man's life but Gabby quickly took that decision away from him. She leapt onto him and fastened her jaws around his neck, quickly dispatching the threat. Then she turned to the others.

"Wait." Leo said. "You don't have to kill them."

"I do." She replied mentally. "They will tell Aiden what happened. They will reveal your existence and you will be hunted like we will be. They need to die. It will buy us time and a fraction of safety."

Leo frowned but he knew she would not be swayed so he watched as razor sharp claws made swift work of the unconscious men. When they were dead, she returned to human form, her face sour.

"I take it you followed me?" She asked the turtles. They nodded and she sighed. "I lost my head. I wasn't being careful enough. Still, I owe you guys one. You saved my life and my family's lives." She glanced at the bodies of the men and shuddered. "I don't like killing," She said, "but this is war. A war which they started."

"A war against who?" Mikey asked, "The five of you?" He looked at the other four wolves who stared at them with a mix of awe and fear.

"We have no time. I just killed his second. He'll be coming himself now and we need to be far, far away from here by the time that happens."

"He won't be able to track you in the sewers will he?" Donnie asked.

"I don't think so. Your scents were masked by the smell of sewer down there. That plus the sewers would be the last place a wolf would look for a wolf. We're not big fans of being underground for long."

"We can protect you." Leo said. "Come back with us."

"It's too dangerous." She said.

"Danger is our job." Donnie said.

"Yeah!" Mikey replied. "If you hadn't noticed, we're ninjas."

"We don't have much of a choice." The older woman said. Gabby sighed.

"Alright. Gather all the bags. Let's go."

They scrambled to gather everything and quickly hauled it out to the turtles' van. They loaded up shortly after and headed for the turtles' layer.

There was an awkward silence in the van as Leo drove them through the back roads of New York. The turtles wanted to ask questions but they knew it would have to wait until Master Splinter and Raph could be there. What they had overheard in the warehouse was going to have to be discussed.

Gabby was having a very busy ride back. She was recounting, in detail, everything that had happened overnight and what options they had.

"The only reason we haven't been commanded back yet is because he knows you don't have to follow us back. He doesn't care about us, he wants you. Your next heat will produce a pup if he breeds you and he knows it. He isn't confident that you'll come for us because of that. He'll have to come find us but if he commands information from us we won't be able to resist. Your Alpha needs to break our bonds as well or else all of this will have been for nothing." Brandy, Gabby and Gracie's mom was saying.

"He doesn't even know he's my Alpha! Even if he did how do we know that he would want that? He doesn't seem very sociable." Gabby protested. "They aren't Weres, they don't have a pack or a herd or a pride mentality. Why would they even want to help us?"

"They already have helped us. If it weren't for them then we would all be dead or on our way to Aiden's prison. They seem to have a strong family bond as well. We don't know what they're capable of. There is hope that this could work." Brandy countered.

"Well, like you said before, we don't have much of a choice right now." Gabby said. "I'm going to keep an eye on their thoughts either way. At least 'til I know I can trust them."

"Caution is always good, but don't abuse your gift. As soon as you feel you can trust them, leave their minds to themselves." Brandy warned her daughter.

"I know, Mom. Desperate times call for desperate measures but I won't overstep myself. I'm not like him."

"I know you aren't, honey." Her mother sent her love down their familial bond which eased some of Gabby's tension. She turned her attention to the minds of the turtles. She could sense no malice or harmful feelings in them but she could tell they were concerned and confused. Donnie was pondering the biology of the wolves, wondering what allowed them to shift forms like they did. In Leo's mind she saw him planning for contingencies as far as other wolves finding them. He replayed the fight in his mind, analyzing how the wolves fought. In Mikey's mind, a more basic thought was pressing on him. He found the younger women in the van attractive and wondered if their being animals themselves would make their strange appearance more attractive. Gabby smiled to herself. She looked at each of the turtles in turn, getting a smile from Leo when his eyes lifted and met hers. She supposed they could be attractive in their own way, if she were interested in pursuing any kind of relationship. There were way more important things to worry about though. The survival of her and her family were top priority, followed by finding a way to bring Aiden and hos followers down for good.
When the van pulled into an empty parking ramp, everyone quickly exited and filed into the sewers via a manhole outside of the building. They took a winding approach designed to throw off any and all trackers. They even trekked through slimy, stinky piles of refuse to mask their scents. By the time they were back in the lair, they all stunk terribly.

"We all need to clean up and then go have a talk with Raph and Master Splinter." Leo said. Being the gentleman he was he directed the wolves to the two bathrooms they had. He and his brothers waited until they were done before cleaning up themselves.

Finally, they all sat in the living area, Splinter sitting in his armchair. Gabby was keeping a close track on Leo's thoughts as he ran through what he'd like to say first. When the issue of Raph being her alpha popped up she panicked. He couldn't find out like this. Not in front of everyone. Not somewhere he could blow up, and it wasn't something that should be just blurted out. She didn't even think, she just reacted.

"Master Splinter," She said, "could I talk to you? It's important and it's kind of private."

"They overheard us talking about Raph being Alpha." She explained to her family mentally. "He can't find out like this and I need Splinter to help me reveal it in a way that it won't cause such a big scene."

"Certainly." Master Splinter replied. He stood and gestured toward the next room where he slid the homemade door shut. "What is it you wish to speak of child?"

Gabby sighed. "I'm in a little bit of trouble here. A situation came up that I think will need to be handled delicately. You see, when my wolf took control last night and Raphael forced my submission I forged an Alpha bond with him." She glanced up at Splinter whose confusion prompted her to explain further. "When a wolf is beaten in a fight with another wolf, it means the winning wolf is dominant. In most cases that's not what forms an Alpha bond but for me it's different. I come from strong Alpha bloodlines on both sides of my family. I will be the She-Alpha of a pack one day. A She-Alpha is the Alpha's partner when it comes to running a pack and it's rare for anything under an Alpha to be able to beat one. That's why every time I am forced into submission, I will forge a new bond. It shouldn't have been able to happen with Raph. He's not a wolf, he's not even a Were. I don't understand it but it happened. That was why Raph's head hurt when he beat me."

"And what does this Alpha bond entail?" Splinter asked.

"He is the leader. Alphas can command things of their pack members and they are compelled to listen. I'm not sure how well he'll be able to command. It's an instinctual ability in Alphas but he isn't a wolf. The biggest thing is that I am bonded to him. Where he is, I will be. What he does, I will do. I am his She-Alpha now and we are responsible for each other. My family has bonds with my old Alpha still and he will use those bonds to find them. If Raphael can fight my mom and my sister to break their bonds, then Renee and Ronnie will be able to choose where to place their loyalty. My mother was She-Alpha in all but title in Aiden's pack. They can choose to remain loyal to her dominance rather than Aiden's. I need your help convincing him to do so."

Splinter sighed and began to pace. He knew his son was ready to be a leader. He was a natural protector. He was smart and strong and many of his issues with his brothers had been worked through. He was, however, not very trusting of others and suddenly being forced into a position where he had to care for and protect a bunch of strangers would be a sure way to anger him but there was nothing for it now. Splinter would make him see reason.

"I'm going to call him in and I will have a discussion with him. If you would shift into your wolf form, it would probably make things easier for you. He might not turn as much of his anger on you that way." Splinter said.

Gabby nodded and in an instant she was once again the big dark wolf. Splinter slid the door open a fraction.

"Raphael, I need to speak with you." He said.

Raphael rose from the couch and hobbled into the room where he eyed the wolf suspiciously.

"What do you want?" Raph asked.

"A situation has come to light. You have taken on a very important role in these wolves' lives."

"How? I don't even know them." He said.

"Last night when you forced a submission from Gabby, she bonded with you." Splinter said.

"Bonded? What does that mean?" He asked frowning.

"She is tied to you now. You have become her Alpha. It is your job now to protect and care for her as she will protect and care for you when she can."

"Whoa whoa whoa. I don't want to be responsible for her. She can go find another Alpha." Raph said, crossing his arms.

"It's not that simple, Raphael." Splinter explained. "She is being hunted and her family as well. Her old Alpha could use her family's bond to find them which would put us all in danger. Embrace this. Challenge Gabby's mother and sister and take them into your pack so we can all be safe."

Raph looked at Splinter as if he were sprouting an extra head. "You want to saddle me with a bunch of wolves?" He asked "We don't even know if we can trust them! We don't know what they're capable of!"

"I feel that they mean us no harm." Splinter said calmly.

"We should have never brought you back." Raph said to the wolf laying on the floor. "I can't believe I'm getting stuck with you."

She growled at him and he pinned her with an angry glare. "Don't you fuckin growl at me!" He practically snarled.

Gabby was surprised when the command ripped down their bond without him even trying. She cringed and the angry noises flowing from her throat ceased immediately.

"Raphael!" Splinter scolded. "You have gotten what you have always wanted, a roll of leadership. I'm not certain you realize what's just happened. You have allowed this wolf to bond to you. You have absolute control over her."

"Big deal." Raph said.

"My son, it is a tremendous responsibility to become responsible for someone's wellbeing. An Alpha is supposed to take care of his pack members. How will you provide for her? She needs food, she needs to be protected from other wolves."

Master splinter watched Raph stiffen as Gabby touched his mind with hers. "I'm sorry, Raph. I didn't even know this was possible. I didn't mean to bond to you but please give us a chance before you send me off to find another Alpha."

Raph started pacing, his agitation pouring off of him in waves.

"Calm yourself, Raphael. She is in a vulnerable position and anger will settle nothing here."

"Please just listen to what I have to say." Gabby began.

"Just lay down and shut up!" Raph barked. The command was so strong in his voice that she collapsed under it falling to the floor in a heap, trembling but not making a single noise, physically or mentally. Raph's eyes widened at the absolute obedience and he felt bad which just made him angrier. She shouldn't have put him in this position.

"You have to be careful, my son." Splinter said. "When you command her you take away her freedom. Would you like to be a slave to anyone? Such is the burden all of her kind carry."

"That's sick." Raph said.

"That is their nature. It is part of them just as much as your shell is a part of you. This is a lesson you must learn quickly if you wish to be a good leader to her. You must learn to request when you can. Giving her a choice is what makes her more than an animal."

Raph looked at the cowering wolf. "This is your fault." He growled.

"Enough!" Splinter barked. "It is as much your fault as it is hers."

Raph looked taken aback. "But…"

"Did you not force her submission?" Splinter asked.

"Yeah, but I didn't know." Raph answered.

"And nor did she! You and your brothers are utterly unique. How could she have known you would be able to forge an Alpha bond? Hmm?"

"I don't know." Raph admitted.

"This is new for everyone." Splinter said. "You will not be alone in this. We will be here to help you and the wolves the whole way. Accept the others into your pack. Save them and in return I suspect you will win their love and their loyalty."

Raph's anger cooled though he was still irritated. He looked at the wolf. "You can get up now." He said. The wolf stopped trembling and rose to her feet.

"Now, Gabby, please return to your human form. I believe we have a discussion to begin with the others.

The three of them returned to the living room and took up their seats. Everything that had transpired was retold.

"Now tell me more about your old pack." Splinter said after the account of the attack on the warehouse had been told. "What is this war you spoke of?"

"We were all a part of the Storm pack back in Minnesota about six years ago." Brandy said. "It was a highly respected pack with some of the strongest bloodlines in the world. My mate and I ran the pack for a long time. There was plenty for everyone. When the fall came, a beta exiled from the neighboring pack came and challenged my mate for his position. He was smaller, slower, and weaker in every way possible except one. He had been born a telepath and used the powers of his mind to disable my mate and decapitate him." Her voice quavered as tears filled her eyes. "More wolves came and he used his powers to force my submission as well, stealing the loyalty of the pack. He killed every male that might become a threat to him one day… including my son." A sob tore from her lips and Renee gathered her friend into her arms.

"That was the start of the war." Gabby said. "He is a vicious and cruel person who wants power and money. With his followers he has conquered every pack in the North East that he's come across. His pack number in the tens of thousands. With his strong mind powers, he can defeat any enemy."

"Other than you." Gracie said to Gabby.

"He can't break my mind but I can't fight him mentally and physically at the same time. The last time I tried he broke into my mind. I will never forget the punishment for my insubordination that day." She shuddered a little and the turtles looked at her in amazement.

"So you're telling us that a telepathic psychopath is out to enslave the entire were population of the United States." Donnie said.

"He will take his power as far as he can." Gabby said.

"And why is he so interested in you?" Raph asked.

"He wants me as his mate." Gabby said. "I have stronger bloodlines than even my mother. He knows I would never complete a true mating with him so he will settle for breeding me. It's my offspring he really wants. That's why he's coming for my family and that's why we need you to break their bonds."

"And how am I supposed to do that with this broken ankle?" He asked.

"We can heal it for you." She replied. "Aiden will take at least a day to mobilize. He will need to install a new second and then round up a tracking party and make sure his compound is secure before he leaves. I'd say we have about thirty two hours before we have to worry. Aiden isn't one to come unprepared."

"Fine." Raphael said. He reached down and unwrapped his swollen ankle. Gabby shifted and began to bathe the injury in her saliva. Raph felt it tingle and the rasp of her warm tongue against his cool skin was soothing. She continued to lick until he was covered in her saliva and then she shifted back to human.

"Just keep it uncovered and it should be good as new around this time tomorrow." Gabby said. He just grunted.

"So now what?" Mikey asked.

"So now we have Christmas." Splinter said.

"It isn't!" a red eyed Brandy gasped.

"It is." He said. "We should celebrate our good fortune."

"Does that mean we get to open presents?" Mikey asked.

"Go on, my sons. Retrieve your gifts and I will start on lunch."

The turtles scrambled off to get the gifts they had prepared for each other, and Splinter went to retrieve the presents he had gotten for his sons. This left the wolves together alone for the first time since the turtles had come crashing into their lives.

"Merry Christmas everyone." Brandy said, hugging her two daughters close. "Gabby has a new Alpha and it looks like he will be taking us on too if he can beat us. We're alive and safe and we're all together. We have more to be thankful for this year than we've had in a long time."

"If only we'd had enough time to get presents!" Renee said. She glanced over at the pile of bags by the wall. "It's not as if we don't have enough money now."

"I'm just happy we're safe." Gracie said. "That's enough of a gift for me."

"Yeah, Mom." Gabby's best friend Saffron said. "I'm just glad we can be here. Together and safe beats presents any day."

Renee pulled her daughter into a hug, kissing her pale blonde head. Splinter returned to the room, carrying his gifts. He sat in the armchair and his sons quickly reassembled in the room. Spirits flew as they tossed gifts wrapped in plastic bags and newspaper to each other. They tore into the packages, their excitement a tangible thing that put the wolves at ease. It didn't seem to matter to the turtles that most of the stuff was made or worn out or second hand. They were just glad to have gifts at all.

"I think it's time I started lunch." Splinter said once everyone had a chance to check out their new stuff. He rose from his armchair but was surprised when both Renee and Brandy rose with him.

"We would love to help." Brandy said. "We haven't had a chance to actually cook a meal in a very long time."

"You're our guests." Splinter protested.

"You would be doing us a favor." Renee insisted. "Lead the way."

Splinter smiled softly. "Very well. Perhaps you can teach me a thing or two about Weres while we work." He led them off to the kitchen.

"What do you think they're going to make?" Gracie asked, her eyes sparling with excitement. Their moms were great in the kitchen.

"Anything would be perfect." Gabby replied. "I'm starving."

"You've obviously never had Master Splinter's vegetable rice." Mikey said, pulling a face. "I'd rather starve. Just don't tell him I said that."

"Your secret's safe." Gracie said, winking playfully. Mikey grinned. So did Leo and Donnie. Even Raph looked a little less grumpy at her light teasing. Not that Gabby was surprised. Her younger sister had always been a lighthearted, bubbly person with a unique talent of making everyone love her instantly.

"So do you guys like gaming?" Mikey asked, holding up the new video game he had received from Donnie for Christmas.

"I'm always down to try but its Ronnie who's the big gamer. Or at least she was before." Gabby said.

"You wanna play?" Mikey tentatively asked the willowy blonde.

"I'm a little rusty but I'll give it a shot." She replied.

Mikey handed her a wireless remote and turned on the big TV in front of them. He put the disk into the gaming system and started the game. The whole time that the adults worked on dinner, the turtles and the younger wolves took turns playing and cheering each other on. All of the awkwardness that had been there before evaporated as they realized they weren't all that different. Still, even as she cheered for her best friend, she couldn't completely relax. They were still in danger as long as Aiden's bond held.

She looked over at her new Alpha who was watching the TV intently. She tested the bond between them, causing him to twitch unconsciously. It was a strong bond, almost as strong as her bond to her father had been. She wondered why. Usually loyalty strengthened a bond but she had no particular reason to be loyal to the turtle. All he had been was rude and surly since she first met him. She wanted to know what he was thinking but her mother's warning resonated within her. She would only use her powers in delicate situations and this wasn't a delicate situation any more. If Raph was thinking about his new role or what was to come, he deserved to be able to keep that knowledge to himself.

They were called in to lunch and found the table laden with a veritable feast. There were burgers and French fries and pizza and Jell-O. Casserole and mushroom gravy sat by a pot of mashed potatoes and there were crusty rolls in a basket. Their mouths watered as the turtles sat down.

"Does it matter where we sit?" She asked.

"Why would it matter?" Raph asked.

"It matters in a pack." She said defensively.

"You may sit wherever you like." Master Splinter said.

Gabby picked the spot next to Raph, who noticeably tensed, and began eating.

"I can't remember the last time I enjoyed Christmas." Ronnie said randomly. All conversation ceased and they looked at her like she was crazy. "What?" She asked.

"How could you not enjoy Christmas?" Donnie asked

"My current pack doesn't celebrate holidays." She explained. "They're the reason we all ended up in the city anyway. We were trying to find a way to escape."

"Isn't your pack supposed to be like your family or something?" Donnie asked.

"A wolf pack is supposed to be a family but some Alpha's are bad." Gabby explained. "They command obedience because of strength and fear instead of trust and loyalty. My last Alpha was that way. He killed my dad and enslaved us all."

"That sucks, man. I'm sorry." Mikey said.

"Yeah." Gabby replied. "It's not easy but I still have Saffron and Gracie. I have my mom and Saffron has hers. With Raph as our alpha we will make a nice little pack of six. At least I think so anyway."

"So is it like having split personalities then?" Donnie blurted. The table went silent and then Brandy chuckled. "Sometimes it's like that. When the human half and the wolf half are at odds they can separate from each other. Like last night, Gabby wasn't present. Her wolf was convinced she was in imminent danger and overpowered her will. It was like the human part of her was put to sleep. Usually though, we can't tell where the woman ends and the wolf begins. Some people permanently put their other selves to sleep and can't bring them back even if they wanted to. The human half that banishes their wolf turns human but stronger with better senses. They still have the genetics and usually end up alone because they know they can't have a child with a human without possibly having some kind of were-hybrid and they wouldn't fit in to a wolf pack. The wolves who banish their human half are what we call rogues. The human half holds reason and consciousness. Without it, the wolf half runs only on instinct and become dangerous to humans and werewolves alike. They are usually hunted and terminated by the alpha and his betas."

"You mean a wolf the size of you when you're a wolf just runs around the forest with no sense of good and bad? Scary." Mikey said.

Gracie smiled. "Most of our kind aren't like that. Going rogue is pretty rare. It takes a lot to split the person and the wolf."

"Like what?" Asked Donnie.

Raph's hazel-green eyes peered at Gabby through his mask. Her face was drawn as though in pain. For a minute she seemed almost as messed up as he sometimes felt. He frowned. He had his own issues and didn't need her baggage on top of it.

"Just stuff." She said gently, meeting Donnie's curious gaze. "Really bad stuff."

"The wolf's strongest instinct is to protect." Renee interjected. "When the human half feels unbearable pain, the wolf part can take over, cutting off the emotional part of us and acting only as a wild animal would act. They hunt, they feed, and they breed. A rogue is a danger to our secret, a danger to humans which it could hunt, and a danger to any female in heat."

"In heat?" Leo asked. "Your kind go into heat like a wolf?"

"Oh god." Ronnie groaned, blushing. "Do we really have to go through this?"

"They need to know as much about us as they can." Brandy reasoned.

"I find it fascinating." Donnie offered.

"Of course you do." Raph said. "You're a giant nerd."

"Anyway." Brandy interjected. "A werewolf starts going into heat somewhere between eighteen and twenty-five years old. The only time she can reproduce is when she's in heat. It lasts for about a week depending on the wolf. She tends to be very territorial and will often den."

"Den?" Asked Mikey.

"She'll pick a room where she's comfortable and rearrange the space to her liking. Often times, in a pack compound there are special rooms set aside for just that purpose. There are always extra pillows and blankets as well as some easily movable furniture. It's kind of like a wolf digging herself a den for her and her pups. Obviously it isn't used the same because we usually have our babies in human form, but it's something that comforts the wolf side of us."

"So how often do you have these heats?" Donnie asked.

"Usually around twice a year as long as no pregnancy occurs. In a pack, wolves in heat are highly protected. Because her hormones are in overdrive, her libido is usually through the roof which makes her an easy target for the males of the pack. The Alpha will often require either a mating or the consent of both partners before allowing a breeding."

"And mating and breeding are different?" Leo asked.

"When two wolves decide to mate they mark each other and this creates a bond much like the Alpha bond except stronger…. Well, stronger isn't really the right word. Deeper would be a better description of it. It bonds them for life where as a breeding requires no commitment and doesn't create a bond."

"Does it hurt when you change?" Mikey blurted out randomly. Donnie was also interested.

"Not really." Renee replied. "It's kind of like getting squished really hard for half of a second. The shift doesn't take very long if we don't resist it."

"How does your wolf side affect your human side?" Donnie asked.

"The wolf part of our nature plays a big role in how we interact with the people around us. Wolves are very close knit in their families and crave to be touched and cuddled and played with. They crave the approval and attention of their alpha both in human and in wolf form. Hugging, cuddling and just a simple touch is a common occurrence in a pack. It calms us and helps keep our bonds strong."

"So you want all of us to be all cuddly and cute with you?" Mikey asked.

"My wolf sees you as her Alpha's family which makes you our family." Gabby replied. "I'm not saying we want you to act like we're in a relationship or anything but things like leaning on each other or touching our arms when we're nervous or tense or even happy help keep our familial bonds strong. And if you catch us smelling you guys that's normal. Wolves recognize their family by scent and it's comforting to them. If we rub ourselves on you guys in wolf form it's because we want your scent on our fur. It helps to mark us as part of your family."

"Any other questions?" Renee asked.

"Do you mate for life?" Donnie asked. "I know wolves in the wild will stay with a mate for many years."

"We are more like humans in that aspect." Ronnie said. "Our wolves can smell who's most compatible biologically and we chose among those who are compatible. Most of us date and fall in love just like anyone else."

"You can smell compatibility?" Donnie asked.

"Yes. The breeding instinct of a wolf is to pick the male that will genetically give her the strongest pups. A she-wolf would never choose her brother, for instance, or her father or any family. The chances of inbreeding weakening her pups is too high and therefore their scent isn't attractive."

"We're not compatible though..." Donnie said, "Right?"

"You are." Gabby said. She flushed as the turtles all turned to her in amazement.

"We're different species." Donnie said. "Scientifically that should be impossible."

"Scientifically it should have been impossible for me to bond to Raph." Gabby said. "We trust our instincts and our instincts say that your biology would father strong pups."

"So we could have kids with you guys?" Raph asked.

"Technically, yes, but just because we find your scent appealing does not mean we want to fall in to bed with you and pop out little wolf-turtle hybrids. There is a whole world of Weres out there. Weres we can be compatible with and Weres that you can be compatible with. Like we said before, we date and fall in love just like anyone else."

"But how are we ever going to meet were-girls?" Mikey lamented, "We can hardly go above ground."

"One thing at a time, Mikey." Gracie said. "We have to get Raph all healed up and get our Alpha bonds reformed first. Then we can decide where to go from there."

They finished their meal quickly after that and everyone headed for the living room for a movie, too full to do much else. Pendants flashed and everyone changed into their wolf forms. The turtles, of course, recognized Gabby as the chocolate brown wolf from the night before. A slightly smaller steel gray wolf stood next to her where Gracie had stood and next to them a Wolf with grey, black and a hint of cinnamon fur stood where Brandy had been. A few paces away, a tan and sandy yellow wolf licked at the face of her pale almost white daughter. The wolves converged and laid together in an organized heap. They were exhausted from the stress they had been under the last few days and slowly they drifted off one by one. As Gabby dozed off she touched Raph's mind. Causing him to tense.

"I know you didn't ask for this but you will never know what you've done for us. Thank you."

Raph sighed, feeling the sincerity in her voice. He gave a small, tense nod and returned to watching the movie.

The wolves dozed on and off for a few hours. After the movie had finished, the turtles went their separate ways, each taking up something that they liked to do. Mikey was immersed in his comic books, Donnie was tinkering with something off in the corner. Leo had his katana across his lap and was polishing the blade. Raph had disappeared, off to his room to be away from the pack, Gabby presumed. She got up and stretched, shaking her fur out. She began to wander through the lair, getting to know her new home. There was a kitchen and living room area as well as the bathrooms and a room for each turtle that she had already seen. She sniffed around and found Master Splinter's room but she didn't go in. For some reason the thought of entering his room seemed more an invasion of privacy than entering the turtles' rooms.

She found a room with walls full of various weapons used in martial arts. Some were obviously decorative while others were worn and well used. She padded back into the room where she had started and realized that there really wasn't a whole lot of room down there and concern about where they would fit in rose in her mind. They would have to find some kind of solution. She glanced at the pile of bags still piled up by the door. With that kind of money, they could buy a nice big farm or ranch, build extra housing units, and have enough room for all of them. She frowned mentally. They wouldn't be able to buy on Aiden's territory. Too many wolves roamed through there that would happily bring them back to him. They couldn't buy on any other wolf pack's territory without their permission either. Those were grounds for permanent exile from the territory. She thought of what the dead Beta, Richard, had said. Was the Thompson Alpha really massing for an attack? He was the Alpha of the richest pack on the east coast. She knew he, among others in the states, had been paying tribute to Aiden to keep him from attacking their territories. She wondered what he would do if she went to him and offered her pack to his cause. Would he allow them to take their own little piece of his territory for themselves until Aiden could be defeated and she could return to Minnesota and claim her inherited territory? She huffed and went off to find Raphael. The more saliva his skin absorbed, the sooner he would heal.

Raph sat in his room, gently handling the semi-carved piece of wood. His brothers would begin a bout of training soon, as they always did before dinner, but he wouldn't be joining them on account of his broken ankle. He scowled darkly at the small and mostly shapeless chunk of wood in front of him. He was itching to do something but he couldn't get a solid concept in his mind. Those damn wolves were preoccupying his attention. He put the block of wood down and switched on his computer. He mindlessly scrolled through webpages he really didn't care about. Even didn't hold his interest that day which was a rare thing. His mind kept drifting back to the conversations he'd had earlier that day. He would be an Alpha tomorrow, was an Alpha already. He wasn't about to tell anyone, but he was feeling lost. He was a creature straight out of a science fiction novel and he had just been thrown in with a group of people straight out of a horror film. He had never been a fan of change and this was a huge curveball and he just didn't know what to do. A scratch at his door drew him from his troubled thought. Before he could even get up to open his door, the handle turned and the large dark wolf he had come to recognize stood staring in at him with her liquid brown eyes.

"What now?" He grumbled.

"Your ankle." She said.

"Again?" He groused.

"The more I lick it the faster it will heal." She replied as she slowly came forward, as though worried he might lunge at her.

With an exasperated sigh he stuck out his injured leg and she gently began to run her tongue over his less swollen ankle. Raph had to admit that it was a pleasant sensation. Her tongue was warm and wet and it the tingling sensation her saliva induced relieved some of his pain.

"Doesn't that gross you out?" He asked.

"I am a wolf." She replied, "It's in a wolf's nature to lick an injury, no matter where it is. Especially as a wolf, it's easy to let go of human standards of gross and dirty and stuff like that. I often eat raw meat in this form."

Raph didn't reply. The thought of eating raw meat kind of grossed him out. He wondered if he would be expected to do the same as their Alpha. The thought was chased from his mind when Gabby shifted and examined his ankle in human form. She ran her hands over the break gently.

"You're lucky your ankle wasn't shattered." She said as she gingerly felt for any protrusions or bone spurs. "A human would have required surgery and even then would have been lucky to be able to walk after. It feels like it wasn't much more that a fracture and a sprain."

"Strong bones." He said. He was a little distracted by the feel of her hands on him. The casual touch put him on edge. His family wasn't the lovey sort and only Splinter or Donnie had ever attended to his injuries. Her invasion of his space so casually was something he was very unused to. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" Her eyes flashed up to his and she released his leg, drawing herself to full height, which only had the desired effect because he was sitting.

"I am your She-Alpha." She said sternly. "Your wellbeing is as much my responsibility as mine is yours."

"You're the one who broke my ankle!" He replied.

"You weren't my Alpha at that moment." She said with a smug smile.

"Wish I wasn't now." He muttered under his breath, forgetting about her superior hearing.

In an instant she shifted into her hybrid form, knowing he had yet to see her in it. Instead of shrinking back in fear as she had hoped, he reacted to the threat by jumping to his feet so he stood toe to toe with her. In her hybrid form she stood eye to eye with him. "You do not disrespect your She-Alpha like that!" She snarled, her hybrid voice rough and guttural, the wolf mouth not made for speech.

"I'll do what I want. I'm the Alpha and you have to follow my orders." Raph fumed.

She struck out at him with her talons but he had moved just as fast as she and stopped her claws barely an inch from his chest. They both knew it would have been a harmless blow but it had still infuriated Raph.

"Are you challenging me?" He asked, staring into her eyes.

She glared at him for a moment before dropping her eyes in submission. She shifted again, her height drastically decreasing as she returned to her human form. "No, Alpha." She replied.

"Good. Now get out of my room." He said.

"You can't just order me around like you own me."

"Get out!" He yelled, the command rippling down her bond. She snarled but she was compelled to turn and walk out of the door.

Raph felt kind of sick ordering her around like that but the stupid wolf deserved it, coming into his space, disrespecting his boundaries, and forcing her wolf ways on him. He hadn't asked for any of it. He sat back down and picked up the block of wood again. He worked at it until dinner time, slowly but surely shaping it into the likeness of the hybrid paw that had come so close to his chest.

Dinner was also a meal to die for. Turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce sat in the center of the table surrounded by biscuits and cornbread and candied yams and pumpkin and apple pie. Gabby sat as far from Raph as possible and he was just fine with that. Everyone else seemed to be in jovial spirits though and they chatted and jokes as though they were good friends.

"I wish we could run." Gracie said after everyone was stuffed.

"That would be amazing." Ronnie sighed.

"We have no territory." Gabby said.

"We're just wishing, Gab. No need to be so practical all the time." Gracie rolled her eyes.

"Someone has to be." She shot back though she knew her sister had a point. She was overly practical at times. It hadn't always been that way and she did have secret dreams and fantasies that were nowhere near practical but someone had to keep the group grounded and she was always the one worrying about the next move or what should or shouldn't be done in any given situation.

"But not 24 hours a day." Ronnie teased.

"I'm not even awake for 24 hours." Gabby said.

"I bet she even dreams practical things." Gracie said and they busted out laughing, earning themselves a withering look from Gabby.

"Oh lighten up." Ronnie said.

"You're so annoying." Gabby replied though she was smiling gently.

"You love us." Gracie said.

"More than life." Gabby replied, pulling on her sister's light brown hair. Her sister could annoy her sometimes but there was nothing she wouldn't do for her.

"How many years apart are you two?" Master Splinter asked Gabby.

"I was born three years before her and Grant." Gabby said.

"Your brother I presume." Splinter said.

"My twin." Gracie said, her usually smiling face falling.

"I am truly sorry for your loss." Splinter said, looking around at all of them. "I know it is not the same but you may call us your family as long as you wish."

"Thank you." Brandy said, "And that goes for you as well."

Splinter smiled. "I am curious to know what everyone's age is." He admitted.

"Brandy is 59. I myself am a young 41 years old." Renee said. "I met my mate fairly quickly and had children. Brandy wasn't as fortunate but she got there eventually. Our husbands were best friends and in the years we ran in the same pack we became close too."

"Ah." Splinter said. "And you girls?" He asked the younger ones.

"I'm the eldest." Gabby said. "I just turned twenty-two last month. Ronnie is twenty and Gracie is nineteen."

"How about you boys?" Renee asked the turtles.

"Well we were made in a lab so we didn't have a birth date." Leo explained. "Master Splinter gave us each a birthday so even though we're all technically the same age, we celebrate at different times of the year. We're all twenty-three now."

"You were made in a lab?" Gracie asked, dumbstruck. "How much weirder can this get?"

Donnie laughed. "We feel the same way about you guys." He said.

"So how old are you?" Gracie asked Splinter.

"Technically I am also only twenty-three years old." Splinter said. "But I was an adult rat when they began experimenting on me and so I have developed faster and grown older. The turtles were newly hatched when they first received the mutagen."

"And you guys have lived here your whole lives?" Gracie asked.

"Yes." Splinter replied. "We couldn't go where people would see us. Staying below ground has kept us safe. My sons began to venture above ground when they were fifteen and they met a woman who often helps us when we need it. She is part of our family as well."

"And what do you guys do all day? I mean you can't have jobs or anything." Ronnie said.

"Mostly we train like you saw before dinner." Leo said. "When night falls we usually patrol the streets of new York. Donnie built a police scanner and a lot of the times we can get there before them."

"So you're crime fighting ninjas?" Gracie asked.

"Yep." Mikey said. "Totally awesome, I know."

"How did you get all of your stuff?" Gabby asked.

"You'd be surprised what people throw away." Donnie said. "We scavenge a lot of our stuff. The stuff we need that we can't find we buy online and have delivered to April who will bring it to us."

"Where do you get the money?" Renee asked.

"Donnie runs an online computer service during the day. He can fix almost any computer problem from his station. He gets paid pretty well. And Raph sells his photography and sculptures online too. We scrape enough money together to buy food and other essentials. Donnie even sold a couple of his drawings." Leo said. "He's the one who did our tattoos and Raph's brand."

"You have tattoo equipment down here?" Gracie asked, amazed.

"Donnie can figure out how to make anything." Mikey said.

"I want a tattoo." She said.

"Absolutely not." Brandy said.

"Come on mom. I'm nineteen and legally an adult. I should be able to get a tattoo if I want one." She complained.

"I am still your She-Alpha and until such a time that is no longer true you'll do as I say." She said.

"You realize you're going to have to challenge Gabby for that position now, right?" She said.

Brandy looked at her oldest daughter who looked a little shocked. She obviously hadn't been thinking about what would happen when they were all in one pack again. Gabby was She-Alpha and that wouldn't change until someone beat her in a fight. Brandy frowned. At twenty-two, her daughter was just coming in to her prime. At fifty-nine, Brandy was starting to fall from hers. Neither of her daughters had ever challenged her for dominance and looking at them, she wasn't sure if her years of experience would be enough to beat either of them anymore. They had been fighting a lot lately and were gaining quite the arsenal of technique. It was a cloud that suddenly hung over them all.

"We'll get to that when it comes." Brandy said. "If it's time I stepped aside then I will support the new She-Alpha in any way I can."

The tension at the table eased and the meal resumed. Once they were all finished and everything had been cleared out, they went back to the living room.

"I haven't eaten that good in years." Mikey groaned as he rubbed his stomach.

"Me either." Gracie sighed in contentment.

"Our cooks did good." Gabby agreed.

"Best Christmas dinner in a long time." Ronnie said. "I'm going to sleep so hard tonight."

"Speaking of sleeping," Brandy said, "where are we going to sleep?"

There was a silence as everyone realized there were five females in the lair now and nowhere to put them.

"We could set up cots out here." Donnie suggested. "At least until we can figure out more permanent arangments."

"That would be fine for now." Brandy said. "We'd prefer to stay together for now anyway. Also, it's been a while since we've had more than just a sponge bath. We don't want to inconvenience anyone by using up all the hot water or by taking too much time, do you guys usually clean up in the morning or at night?"

"We usually shower after our patrol." Leo said. "So not until pretty early in the morning."

"We should clean up now then." Brandy said to the wolves.

"Me first!" Gracie said.

"I don't think so." Brandy laughed and she went to the pile of bags in the corner and pulled a smaller one out. She gathered a pair of sweatpants, a lose t-shirt and a towel and headed for the bathroom. It wasn't really a conventional bathroom but she was able to get the shower working without going for help and she stepped under the water and sighed in relief. She would have to go for some soap and shampoo for her and the girls soon. They hadn't been able to bring much. As it were, she scrubbed herself down quickly and then shut the water off. She quickly dried and dressed in comfortable pajamas and turned the bathroom over to Renee, who in turned it over to Gabby and so on until they were all showered and dressed in pajamas. The turtles had gotten the cots set up and they were pushed up against the wall until they were needed.

As night began to fall, the turtles began to prepare for a nightly patrol. Raph disappeared off to his room again, unable to follow his brothers even though the swelling had mostly disappeared. Even though she was still upset with him, Gabby followed him back to administer her last saliva bath. He just stuck his leg out and she licked across the injury, taking her time and making sure to completely saturate the area. It was important that he was sound for the following day. Everything depended on him breaking the Alpha bond with her mother. Then the others would be able to choose their loyalty to their old she-alpha over their loyalty to Aiden. When she was sure she had covered the area she shifted to her human form and eyed her Alpha wearily.

"Do you really think you'll be able to beat my mom?" She asked.

"Yeah." He replied.

"I need you to." She said, her voice strained. "I can't go back to him. I would rather die than give him a pup and my next heat isn't that far off. I need you to understand that if you don't beat her then I will die and Gracie is next in line to be his prized breeder. I think she would rather die too and that would send my mom rogue. The fate of my entire family rests in your hands. If you can't save us it will be too late."

Raph's usually guarded expression softened. "My brothers and I have always protected the people of this city." He said. "I'll do my best to do the same for you guys."

She was surprised that he hadn't given her some tense or angry response as he had the entire day. She focused on the Alpha bond between them and sensed the protective side of his nature surfacing. He may not have liked the thought of being saddled with a bunch of wolves, but he really hated the thought of someone being able to hurt them while they were in his home. Maybe he wasn't as big of a jerk as he seemed. She gave him a tense smile.

"I'll have Ronnie check out your ankle in the morning. She's medically trained. Get some sleep. Big day tomorrow." She said and she walked out, leaving Raph in a state of confused feelings of irritation at being told to go to bed and protectiveness for the little wolf. He sighed and headed for his bed, deciding that Gabby was right and it was best to be rested.

Raph was once again jerked awake by the lightest touch on his skin. He sat bolt upright and took in the sight of Gabby, her face strained and circles under her bloodshot eyes as though she hadn't slept in days.

"Ronnie needs to check your ankle." She said. "And then we need to get the Alpha bond reformed before Aiden demands answers. If we don't do it now it may be too late."

With a sigh, he climbed out of bed, stretching his powerful muscles and grabbing for the various pieces that put his outfit together. For the first time, Gabby really noticed the silver duct tape that snaked across his shell. If she weren't so concerned about the danger everyone was in, she would have asked him about it but instead she hurried him into the living room where all of the wolves and master splinter were awake and waiting.

"Sit here and let me see your ankle." Saffron said.

Raph sat on the couch and she took his ankle into her hand, massaging the area and bending and rolling his foot to test his range.

"Is there any pain at all?" She asked.

"No. It feels great." Raph said.

"I can't feel any evidence of the break or any sprain. Short of an X-ray there's no other way to tell if it's healed or not. I'm confident he's healed though."

Brandy stood up and faced him. "Is there any particular place you want to do this?" She asked.

"The training room." He answered and led them into the space he and his brothers sparred. All of the wolves shifted into their wolf forms and lined the edge of the room.

"She will end the fight in her hybrid form." Gabby said. "It will be harder than when you fought me because she will be more conscious and less driven by instinct. Her talons are wicked sharp and you might want to use your weapons to defend yourself. Remember, you need to do whatever it takes to defeat her, even if it means almost killing her. Good luck."

Brandy stepped forward, stalking slowly around the largest turtle, looking for a place to punch through his defenses. He held his ground, waiting for her to make the first move. She leapt at him and he used a mix of his strength and her momentum to throw her halfway across the room. She quickly righted herself and they faced off again. Raph was determined. His years of fighting and training had taught him to read others extremely well and he again waited for her to attack. She charged at him again and he engaged her in combat.

Gabby lay near the edge of the wall, watching each move the pair made. They were a flurry of motion, landing blows and dancing away. Her mother's eye was swollen shut but Gabby knew that wouldn't last long. Raph had a jagged scrape across his shoulder where her mother had managed to rake her teeth. Still the two fought. Brandy seemed to realize that her wolf would not be able to beat the turtle and so she shifted to hybrid in an instant. Gabby tensed. This was it, the final test. If Raph could get her to submit in this form, the Alpha bond would be forged instantly.

Brandy attacked, her talons slicing through the air. They collided with Raphael's twin Sai. He had finally drawn his weapons and Gabby knew he would use them on her if he needed. Her words had resonated with him and she knew now that if he had to nearly kill her he would. The fight intensified, both participants whirling in a graceful and deadly show of speed and strength. Raph was scoring Brandy's flesh at regular intervals whereas Brandy was finding it difficult to find skin. The sound of talons on shell screeched out regularly. Finally, as Brandy lunged forward, Raph flipped landing behind her and kicking out her legs. He jumped on her back as she fell forward and pinned her down. He flipped her on her back and held the point of his Sai to the spot just under her ear. He let the point push into her skin, drawing blood.

"Submit." He growled.

She bared her throat to him and her tail tucked between her legs and white hot pain lanced through both of their minds and spread to all of the wolves in the room as they forged an Alpha bond. When the pain subsided, Raph released Brandy and she shifted to her wolf form and brushed against his legs followed by Renee and then Ronnie and then Gracie as they all affirmed their status as his pack members. Then they each rubbed along Gabby, affirming her status as their She-Alpha. Then Gabby approached Raph. "If you kneel down I can clean up those cuts for you." She said. He sat on the floor and her tongue began to flip over the ragged cuts in his skin. They slowly began to knit together until there was nothing but angry red scars. "Those should fade." She promised. Then she turned and looked at her family as he stood up.

"Tomorrow you'll see a challenge among She-Alphas." Gabby told him as they moved to the living room. "It's a general rule that only one challenge may be fought a day to give the wolves in the challenge a chance to be at top health. My mother will challenge me for the right to the position of She-Alpha of this pack." They all shifted back to human form and chatted excitedly, they were finally safe. Before Raph could answer her, Splinter called him into the other room.

"What?" He asked, frowning.

"I'm proud of you, my son." Splinter said. "You have faced two wolves and you have won both of them. In doing so you have made them your family. You have made us stronger."

"I did what I had to." Raph said. "I couldn't just let them be hunted down and killed. I would have done it for anybody."

"Well they are no longer just anybody, my son. They are family and I want you to always treat them as such. I know you will grow to love them, and they you. Don't look at them as a burden, they are a gift."

"I'll try." Raph promised his father.

"That is all I can ask of you." He smiled and they joined the rest of the family who was piled around the living room. Gabby, he noticed, had passed out on one of the cots still set up on the floor. He sat on the couch next to Gracie.

"What's her deal?" He asked, his eyes roaming over her prone form.

"She didn't sleep last night." Gracie said. "As our Alpha I feel obliged to tell you she has a strong mental gift. She can manipulate minds. She spent the night making sure you got enough sound sleep to be ready for the challenge."

Raph went rigid with shock. She had mind powers? And she used them on him?! "So she can get into my mind whenever she wants?" He asked tersely.

"She can get into anyone's mind. She doesn't use them often enough to be as strong as Aiden though. If she would just practice with it as a weapon she might be able to beat him. She has a strong mind and a strong will. I know she could do it." She saw the horrified look in her Alpha's face and realized what that would sound like to someone who didn't know her sister and had no idea that any of this stuff actually existed. She backpedaled quickly. "She would never use her powers unless she absolutely needed to." She tried to reassure him. "She needed to last night. She needed you in top condition. To her, using her gifts without real need makes her no different than Him." Her voice was full of venom at the mention of her old alpha.

"He's really that bad?" Raph asked.

"He's a monster." She replied. "I've never seen a pack so disheveled and afraid. I've never seen so many twisted and sick dominants in one place. These people reveled in their control over us and He was the worst one. If it wasn't for our blood status, we would have suffered like the rest of the pack. Luckily, he wanted to keep us pure so he could ruin us himself."

"Ruin you?" Raph asked.

An uncharacteristically dark look entered the normally cheerful brunette's eyes. "Do you think my sister would let him breed her? Do you think I would? He was going to rape her and if he didn't get a pup out of her then he was going to move on to me. We have the strongest bloodlines in the States. If he could have raised a child that had his and my sister's gift along with the strength of our bloodline, he could have founded a dynasty that could have spread even beyond the country." Goosebumps rose across her skin at the thought.

"So he wants to be Alpha of all of the packs and he wants heirs to take over his super pack?" Raph asked.

"Yes." Gracie replied. "And he has killed countless people and forced even more to submit to his will. There are packs that pay tribute to him to keep him from attacking him but they're kidding themselves. They might be the last to fall to him but they will fall. When he has enough wolf power he will take them and then move on beyond the borders of the country."

"Is there any way to stop him?" Leo asked. He had been listening in on the conversation the whole time while the others had been chatting among themselves.

"With his mental prowess I can't see any way to stop him other than my sister. If we could just get her to use her powers more so she could really learn to focus them and amplify them I think she could at least incapacitate his powers long enough for a fighter to get in and kill him. Even if that were to happen though, there are some truly massive wolves with him and they would be just as eager to build on the dynasty he has started. Even you guys, with all of your training, would have trouble with some of these wolves."

"Well what if we had a whole pack of wolves?" Leo asked. "Would we be able to beat his army then?"

"Maybe." Said Gracie. "If we had enough. If we had the right people." Her thoughts flashed to the Triplets.

"Is there a way to recruit any?" Raph asked.

"I don't know." Gracie said. "That's a discussion that should wait for the She-Alpha and the elders of the pack." She glanced at her sister. "But Gabby needs some rest. When she wakes up we can discuss our options."

Raph sighed. Sometimes he wondered what his life would be like if he hadn't grown up the way he did. Maybe he wouldn't feel the need to fight to protect everyone all the time. He hadn't even known these wolves for a whole three days yet and they were living with him and he was trying to figure out ways to keep them safe and defeat their enemies. All he really wanted was some peace. He figured that once they had taken down the foot clan, they would be able to quit fighting so hard but here he was being dragged back in to another war. Gracie watched his face fall into his broody look and she wished she had Gabby's gift so she could decipher what had caused his shift in mood.

"What matters," she continued, trying to distract him, "is that we are all safe. It wouldn't be this way if it wasn't for you." She swooped in and he felt the warm press of soft lips against his cheek. Gracie's laughter rippled through the room at the bashful look on her Alpha's face.

"Where's my kiss?" Mikey teased from across the room. Gracie got up and walked over to him and dropped a kiss right on to his head.

"Better?" She asked dropping onto the arm of the chair he was sitting in. She swiped the remote from him as he smiled up at her and turned the channel to HBO to watch reruns of The Big Bang Theory. She liked the humor and she knew Saffron loved the nerdier elements. She figured most of the people in the room would enjoy it. They watched it until Gabby woke up a couple hours later.

Raph turned the TV off as Gabby joined him on the couch. "Tell us about your mental abilities." He said, not being one to beat around the bush. Gabby shot a look at her goody good, suck up sister who grinned sheepishly.

"I was born with them." Gabby started. "I can hear what people are thinking. The voice in your head you hear when you're thinking is what I hear. I can also sense emotions. I can't force my will on anyone but I can knock someone unconscious or I can paralyze them just like Aiden did to my Dad."

"And you've used those powers on us?" He asked sternly.

She paused for a minute considering lying to him but she threw the idea aside. She would not make excuses or try to shirk her responsibilities. "Yes." She replied.

"Unless you have to or you have express permission from someone to use your gift on them I don't want you using it within this pack, got it?"

"Yes." She replied. It wasn't an unreasonable request.

"Good." He replied. "Now Gracie thinks you can hold your old Alpha off in a mental battle. I want to know that you think of that."

"I'm not as strong as he is." She said. "I don't think I would be able to hold him off for more than a minute before he overwhelmed me."

"She tells me you could get better with practice."

"I don't want to invade peoples' minds unless necessary."

"You don't think it's justified if it helps bring down the Alpha?"

Gabby chewed her lip nervously. "I guess." She said.

"If you can start using your powers more to strengthen them then I want you to do it. If you want to do it within the pack you gotta ask, but anyone outside of the pack is fair game. I also wondered what we could do to recruit more wolves to our cause."

"Our cause?" She asked, her eyebrows raised.

"You guys are in my pack now. That makes your cause ours." Raph said. His brothers nodded their agreement. "So where do you think we should go from here?"

Gabby looked around at everyone who looked at her expectantly. She wasn't used to orchestrating things in a group and it was making her a little self-conscious.

"Just tell us what you're thinking. We aren't putting anything into action right now. We're just throwing around ideas and thoughts." Brandy reassured her daughter.

"Well," Gabby started a little uncertainly, "I'm betting Aiden will be looking for us for a good while. It's not safe for us to go above ground in the city or anywhere in Aiden's territory.

If any of his pack scented us we would be turned over in a heartbeat. We also can't stay here forever. There isn't enough room for all of us as it is. If we started recruiting more wolves we would have to move."

"But where?" Ronnie asked. "I realize we have the money to buy our own place but we can't buy on Aiden's territory and we can't buy on another Alpha's territory. All of the territory that wasn't taken around here is infested by Aiden's army now. I don't see another choice."

"Richard said something before he died that got me thinking." Gabby said. "He told me that they had Intel that Carl Thompson was massing his pack for an attack."

"A smart move on his part." Brandy said. "He's a very powerful Alpha. One of the richest packs in the nation and he's been paying tribute to Aiden for the last five years. He had to have been buying himself the necessary time to gather his forces and train them."

"If he's going to do war he could use us." Gabby said. "Who else had such intimate knowledge of him? Who else was forced to remain by his side for many hours a day? Who else knows every inch of that compound and every compound he's taken over? The Thompson Alpha can use us and I think we should barter our knowledge for sanctuary."

"It makes sense for us." Saffron said. "But what about the turtles?"

"What about them?" Gabby asked.

"We don't know how the Thompson Pack will react to them. They have no connection to Aiden other than through us. If they have nothing useful to offer will he let them stay?"

"They have something useful to offer." Renee cut in. "They're warriors. They can fight and they can teach others to fight."

"And do you think the Thompson Alpha will look past the fact that Raph is an Alpha? You know as well as anyone that two Alphas can't share a territory." Saffron persisted. "He'll want them under his control."

"No one controls me but me." Raphael said. The turtles nodded in agreement.

"Well maybe just the wolves can go and the turtles can operate out of here." Gracie suggested. "They would be closer to Aiden's compound."

"They would be too far away." Gabby said. "If something happened, how would we get a hold of them? How long would it take for them to get to us or vice versa? What if the Thompson Alpha decided he wanted us in his pack permanently and Raph wasn't there to answer the challenge? He could steal us."

"Maybe that would be best." Renee said. "We're safe from Aiden's bond now. Maybe the turtles would prefer we moved on to another pack." She turned to the turtles. "You took us in. You saved us, fed us, provided shelter and Raph even bled for us. I would say we've asked enough from you. We would be fine in the other pack. We could have a mostly normal life I think. If you want, we could go to them soon and submit to Carl and leave you in peace."

Gabby tensed at the suggestion. Renee was right. They could live a normal life with the Thompson Pack. They could find mates, have families, run through the vast forests of the east, and when Aiden came for them they could fight and even die as part of the pack. Suddenly there was a strangely familiar presence in the room. It wasn't something that could be seen but it could be felt, even by the turtles whose hands went to their weapons as they looked around nervously.

"Reilley." Gabby spoke. "I'm listening." She opened up her mind, touching the presence with her unique powers.

"I have seen." The female presence spoke. "The turtles will tip the scales. Without them you won't have the strength to complete your task."

"I won't drag them into a war that isn't theirs. The choice will go to the Alpha." Gabby replied.

"Fine." The presence dissipated.

"What was that?" Leo asked.

"She's something of an anomaly within the Were society. Her and her two brothers are something of royalty. They're very powerful and very mysteriously disappeared over a year ago. We knew they were alive but it's important that they remain hidden and so we never knew where they were."

"And what was she doing here or whatever that was?" Raph asked.

Gabby looked at him. She tested their bond again, still marveling at the strength of it. It was drawing them all together. She reached inside her and studied her pack bonds closely, surprised to find a weak pack bond to all of Raph's family as well. They were growing slowly which was unusual. She instinctively knew that the more they grew to like and even love each other the more the bonds would grow.

Raph looked into the deep dark pools of her eyes, watching the flickers of emotion cross her face. He wasn't sure how he knew it but as he watched her he knew she felt fear, sadness, and exhaustion. "She has shown me my future." Gabby said heavily.

Raph blinked, taken aback. The longer he was around these wolves the more strange stuff happened. "And you trust it?" He asked uncertainly. Nothing seemed impossible anymore.

"She's very powerful. I know she's right." Gabby confirmed.

"And what is it that she told you?" Raph asked.

"That is for me to know, Raphael. A person's future is a very personal thing, and it's not set in stone. If I take any action to try and change it, I could very well just be doing what it takes to create the seen future."

Raph frowned. "Well is there anything I can do?"

"You need to make a choice." Gabby said. "Do you want us to leave or do you want to be our Alpha. Do you want to fight with us or do you want to live in peace?"

Raphael looked around the room, at each member of his pack who waited for his verdict. He thought about the last few days, of how they had taken away the relative peace of their life, of how they had caused him pain, aggravation, and had invaded his space and his very mind. Then he looked at his father. Splinter sat still and quiet in his chair, his face serene and his eyes soft as he looked at his son. Raph knew his father trusted him to make the right decision for everyone. He swallowed as his eyes returned to the somber eyes of his She-Alpha.

"What do you want?" Raph asked her.

"This isn't a choice I can be a part of." Gabby said. "It's your decision. Do you want us or not?"

"I've made my decision," Raph said, "but I won't keep you from a normal life with a normal pack if that's what you want. If it's best for you guys to be with them then I will turn you over to the Thompson Alpha without a fight."

He saw hope leap into Gabby's eyes as the rest of the wolves gaped at him. Her smile was radiant. "You've won our loyalty already." She said. "We want to stay."

"Sweet!" Mikey said. "So what are we going to do about this whole living in a small space with a lot of people thing?"

"I believe it would be best to try to find a place with the Thompson Alpha." Splinter spoke for the first time. "We have lived here in isolation and fear too long. I want you to have friends, my sons. I want you to find mates and be happy. The time for hiding is over."

Raph looked at Gabby. "Do you think you could pull it off?"

Her brow furrowed as she thought quickly. "Getting there will be tricky. Their pack boundaries are a few hours south and it's at least another hour and a half drive to their main compound from there. We'll have to get there without being caught by Aiden's crew and if he turns us away we're screwed. I could call him I suppose but we all had to ditch our phones so we couldn't be tracked and we can't risk going above ground for a payphone."

"I can hack into the phone line." Donnie said.

"Can you find me his number?"

"No problem."

"What do you want us to do?" Saffron asked.

"We just need to lay low for a couple weeks. I'll get in touch with the Thompson Alpha tomorrow morning after the challenge."

"There will be no challenge." Brandy said. All of the wolves looked at her, stunned. "I'm tired." She explained. "I've fought this battle for too long. I've been responsible for so many for too long. I will happily serve as my She-Alpha's second but my time is over. I will not challenge my daughter for her position."

Gabby smiled at her mother. She was giving her blessing to Gabby and her confidence soared.

"Does that mean I get a tattoo?" Gracie asked hopefully.

"Why not?" Gabby said. "We can all get them."

"No one wants a brand?" Raph asked, smirking.

"It takes more than a burn to scar us." Saffron said. "We heal too fast for that."

"So it's settled." Brandy said. "We'll lay low here. We can look for property in the Thompson territory while we wait. I'm sure that we'll be able to work something out."

"In the meantime," Raph said, "I want you to work on your mind stuff. We need you strong. We need you to know your limits. A lot rides on you."

Gabby nodded. "I'll have to practice on you guys." She warned. "I have a hard time working at a distance."

"Just warn us first." Raph said.

"No problem." Gabby replied. "I should do some work with you too. You need to learn to communicate through your bonds."

"My what?" Raph asked.

"You have a bond with every member of your pack. You use it when you command something but you can also use it to sense emotions and speak mentally. It's useful to an Alpha. It helps keep things organized and it helps with understanding. We'll start on it tomorrow."

He nodded and everyone relaxed into casual conversation. Donnie and Saffron went to his computer and began mapping escape routes and searching for properties that might be viable choices for a pack within a pack. Raph and Leo were engrossed in a conversation about how they would manage to get all of their stuff out of there and how to keep everyone safe. Mikey and Gracie were playing video games again and Gabby watched them all with equal interest. This was her pack. This was her family. She would do anything, be anything, to keep it safe. Aiden would never hurt them again. Not if she could help it.

The next two weeks were hell, but the good kind. They were constantly doing something whether it was making arrangements with the Thompson Alpha, who was only accepting their proposed sanctuary because he personally knew Brandy and he wanted Aiden gone, or practicing with the turtles who needed to learn to fight against wolves, or learning to stretch their minds. They had discovered a property to settle on and to their delight it was already owned by the Thompson Pack and so they wouldn't have to spend a bunch of time waiting around for the closing. They would just be handing the Thompson Alpha his part of the tribute money they had stolen. Gabby worked hard to expand her talents and she successfully taught Raph to recognize the bond and even differentiate between his pack members. He was stubborn and surly most of the time but he was proving to be a quick study in the way of the wolf.

Gabby, however, was becoming restless. Her heat was due at any time and she was still in range of Aiden's pack. She knew her wolf would want to run in the forest and she would want to den. She wondered if Raphael would be able to contain her. She was the She-Alpha now so there was no woman who could subdue her in her pack. She knew she would have to have a talk with Raphael about this but it seemed that every time she brought something new to him he just got irritated. So she put it off

The time for the move to the Thompson pack grew closer. They packed their belongings and memorized routes and contingency plans and finally, the day came. Donnie brought the van to the nearest manhole in the dark of the night. Now a month after the wolves had disappeared, they hoped that Aiden had stopped the search for them. They quickly loaded what they could into the van. The turtle's friend, April, had rented a Moving truck and she pulled up after the first van was loaded. They got all of their stuff packed and then loaded themselves into the truck. Brandy drove the turtle's van. They knew they would be going through at least one toll on their way out of the city and the turtles couldn't be seen. Renee, Saffron, Gabby, and Gracie all decided to keep the turtles company. They pulled out of the alley they had loaded up in and they headed south.

Gabby kept close to Raph in the back of the truck. They had formed an easy friendship over the month they had lived together. She had a better understanding of him now, especially because of all the time they had spent in each others minds during their practice time and training. She had come to be friends with all of the turtles but Raph was her Alpha and she felt safest with him. At the moment, that was very important because not only were they more exposed, but her heat was starting. She looked at her sister who was sitting with Mikey and her sister gave her a sympathetic look. Gracie could smell the light scent of her pheromones.

The drive was tense and quiet. Every stop light, every time April had to decelerate, hearts leapt into throats and stomachs dropped but April never called the alarm. Not until they were a mere mile from the borders of the Thompson Alpha's territory. There was a sudden slam against the side of the truck which sent them spinning. As soon as they came to a standstill, Raph jumped in to action. Through his bond, he commanded Brandy continue on to the Thompson Territory and raise the Alarm. Hopefully they would have a border patrol that would be able to get to them quickly.

The doors were ripped off of the van and they could hear April screaming. Leo and Renee went to her aid. Raph knew they were sitting ducks in the truck and so he quickly got them out only to run smack into a pack of thirty wolves, all in hybrid form, all staring at the tiny pack that had tumbled from the truck. Next to him, Saffron, Gracie, and Gabby had also shifted to hybrid form.

"Gabby's on heat." Gracie told him through their bond. "We waited too long. If they catch her today she will be bred and she will find a way to end her life."

Fear shot through Raphael. There were too many to stand and fight. "It's a mile to the Thompson Territory." He said. "Do you think we can outrun them?"

Before Gabby had a chance to respond, the thirty wolves parted and through them came the object of Gabby's nightmares. Tall and thin with dark hair and wide blue eyes, Aiden struck a handsome figure but Gabby knew the ugliness inside of him. "We won't outrun his mind." Gabby said to Raph. "We'll have to stall and hope for help to come."

"Well, well, well. Isn't this a surprise?" Aiden gloated. "I expected a pack of wolves, not a couple of…of… well whatever you are." He waved a dismissive hand at the turtles. The turtles just glared at him and his eyes moved on to the three wolves that were partially hidden behind the turtles. "I'm glad to see you are all well." Aiden said, "Especially you, my pet." Gabby snarled at him. He tutted at her. "Manners, manners, my dear. I will have to teach you some when you are once again safely under my control. I can't have you teaching such bad behavior to our children can I?" He drew a deep breath in, scenting the air. He grinned in delight. "I see we will be able to start making our little family right away. I was hoping you would be near your heat. Now don't be silly. Come to me willingly and I'll let the rest of your little pack live."

"She ain't going anywhere with you." Raph said. He was bigger than Aiden and he was confident he could take him out if Gabby could keep his mind at bay. He glanced at her, knowing that in a high stress situation like this she would be keeping tabs on peoples' thoughts.

She shot him a quick glance in return. Fear shone in her eyes.

"I'm on heat and he'll know how to exploit that. I'm not confident that I can hold him off for long." She said.

"Just do your best." He replied. "We won't let anything happen to you as long as we're able."

Aiden was laughing at the turtle and his defiant statement. "You really think you can stop me?" He laughed. "I have thirty Betas at my side and you have a measly eight people. I won't even count the human."

Gabby glanced over to see that Leo and Renee had rejoined them, along with April. All of them had blood on them and she couldn't tell if it was theirs or their captors but she didn't have time to worry about it. She knew Aiden and she knew he was about finished with his theatrics.

"If you won't surrender her to me then I will have to make you." He said.

"Go ahead and try." Raph snarled. He leapt forward, charging Aiden and his followers, his brothers and his pack right behind him. Aiden began to reach out with his mind only to find Gabby's there.

"Let me by, my pet." He said. She refused to respond. She tried to block out the sounds of fighting all around her. She needed to focus. She surrounded his mind with hers, sealing off access to anyone else's mind.

"To ruin you would be a terrible waste." He warned. "Especially at such a time as this. I can feel your need, love. I can feel how much you want a thick cock in you. You want to be bred. I could give you a pup. Release me and I will meet every need you ever had or will have."

Gabby's mental shield weakened a little as her body reacted to his words but she took a deep breath and pushed harder, using her fear for her family to regain what power she had lost. He battled against her for a while, looking for any weak spots in her shield.

"Maybe it's not my pup you want." He pushed, trying to break through her defenses. "Perhaps you believe your new Alpha is more worthy. Is he the one you want you little whore? I see how aggressive and strong he is. Perhaps you want him to pin you down and fuck you raw. I bet he has a huge cock. I bet he would stretch your little hole so tight around him. He would rut you like an animal until he filled you with his seed over and over again."

Images flashed through her mind and her arousal grew painful. Her shield began to dissipate and suddenly Aiden turned the tables. He surrounded her mind, cutting off access to anyone else. Raph knew when he could no longer feel her that she had lost the battle of the minds. Gracie had been subdued and Renee was unconscious. Saffron was going down under three Betas and he couldn't see his brothers through the wolves. He cut his opponents down as fast as he could but suddenly there was a huge weight in his mind and it forced him to stand still. The wolves backed off as Aiden came forward, dragging a subdued Gabby in her human form with him.

"This is mine." He said, holding Gabby in front of him. He ran his hands up her body and cupped her breasts in a show of possession. Gabby gave a cry of protest but she was helpless beneath the weight of his mind. Raph's heart was breaking. His friend, his She-Alpha, was being hurt and he could do nothing. He reached for Brandy urging her to hurry. "And now you will see the beginning of my dynasty before I kill you." He quickly shredded her clothes from her body and shoved her to the icy, snowy ground. He knelt behind her and undid his pants, releasing a raging erection.

"She's nice and wet for me." Aiden said as he ran the head of his cock up her slit. "I suppose I have you to thank, Alpha. I distracted her with thoughts of you breeding her and it aroused her enough for me to break her shield." He positioned the tip at her tight hole. "But it doesn't matter anymore. She's mine now and always will be."

"NO!" Raph cried but it mingled with the roar of a werewolf and Aiden froze. The Thompson Alpha had come.