Instincts
A Shifters Unbound FanFic
When a female shifter, Hannah Murphy, is found after having been abused by her old pack, Liam welcomes her into their Shiftertown and his home. Connor finds himself strongly affected by the new comer, an odd need to protect her and to kill those who once hurt her takes over him.
Can Hannah overcome her fear of male shifters and accept that Connor isn't like the males in her old pack? Or will she run at the first chance she gets?
Connor stared at the cake in front of him, the frosting a creamy white, candles in the top, and the words "Happy Birthday, Connor!" written in a neat print across it. Andrea and Kim had worked most of the morning on the cake, which was Carrot, his favorite.
He looked across the small kitchen island at his family. His father Dylan, his uncle Sean and his mate Andrea, his Uncle Liam and his mate Kim and their son Ethan. Each of them stood opposite of him, smiles on their faces. Connor couldn't help but smile back.
"Do you need help with the candles, Connor?" Ethan asked from his stool beside Kim.
"You know what, Ethan, I think I do need some help." Connor replied, his smile widening as he saw the look of joy cross Ethan's small face.
He watched as Kim helped Ethan down from the stool and then as he nearly ran to Connor. Leaning down, Connor picked up the four year old and held him up to the cake.
"On the count of three," Connor said to the boy, who nodded vigorously, "One…two…three!"
Ethan audible took a big breath in before blowing it out at the cake. The candle flames tipped sideways for a moment before going out all together, a thin line of smoke trailing up from each.
"Good job, Lad." Connor said to the boy, nuzzling his neck as he returned him to the floor. "You want the first piece?"
Ethan's head nodded excitedly and Connor chuckled as he sliced the cake.
"Con!" Kim exclaimed as Connor handed over a paper plate with a huge chuck of cake on it. "That is huge!"
"Let the lad have a little sugar," Connor said, good naturedly.
Kim shook her head and accepted the slice that was being offered to her, smiling. "When it's time to put him to bed, that will be your job tonight."
"A whole quarter of a century," Sean smiled, clapping him on the back as he took his own piece of cake.
Once everyone had a slice of cake, the Morrissey 's made their way to the living room, where they lounged on the sofa to enjoy dessert and good company. The chatter was kept mostly light-hearted, birthday's were not days to spend speaking about pack affairs.
Connor watched from his spot while Liam pulled out his cell phone and looked at the caller id. He glanced, first at Dylan and then at Sean, before stepping outside. Curious, Connor wondered what Liam could possibly be talking about that he wanted to keep from the family. It wasn't like him to leave the room to have a conversation. He watched the look that Dylan and Sean shared before they both glanced towards the door. A few moments later, Liam returned, his face grim.
"What is it, what has happened?" Sean asked immediately.
"They found a female. She's pretty messed up. They are bringing her straight here."
"Oh, goddess," Andrea whispered.
"We might need you, lass." Liam murmured, nodding towards Andrea, "I'm not sure how bad the damage is, but they made it sound as if she is pretty injured."
Andrea nodded as they heard a car pull up out front.
Tossing his half eaten cake onto the coffee table, Connor followed Liam, Sean and Dylan out the front door. He watched as they pulled a petite woman from the back seat and carried her into the house. They carried her up the stairs and into Sean's old bedroom, where they set her down on the bed. She curled into the fetal position, head tucked against her knees. As Liam bent to place his hand on her arm she cringed away from him.
"She's been like that since we found her, strayin' away from the males." Ben O'Callaghan said to Liam, "Seems like they been abusing her pretty good up there."
Connor could feel a growl threatening to spill from his throat. How could anyone want to abuse a female, especially this petite, innocent looking female. Her submissiveness sang to Connor and he wanted to tear from the room and kill each and every shifter who had ever hurt this girl.
Dylan glanced at Connor, but before he had a chance to say anything Kim bustled into the room. "Why don't all of you boys go down stairs and find something to occupy yourselves with, hm? Andy and I will get her cleaned up and tucked in. A good night's sleep can do a world of good."
Liam nodded to his mate and began ushering everyone from the room. Connor was reluctant to leave the room, for reasons which he could not imagine. As Liam passed, he placed a hand on Connor's arm and steered him from the room.
"Will she be okay?" Connor asked, concern evident in his voice.
"I'm not sure, Lad, but we are certainly hoping so."
"Who did that to her?" Connor asked, referring not only to her wounded demeanor, but also to the several bruises that he had seen on her arms and legs.
"Her old pack." was all Liam answered. His tone told Connor that he too wanted to storm into where ever they had found her and rip the bastards apart. "She'll be safe now, Con."
Connor nodded, still standing in the hall and staring at the closed door. Finally, he turned from the door and headed up into his attic bedroom, where he could listen for any sign of trouble for the girl.
"Hi, sweetie, I'm Kim and this here is Andrea. We're going to help get you cleaned up, okay?"
Hannah slowly opened her eyes and saw that Kim and Andrea were the only people still in the room.
"We brought you some clean clothes," The darker haired girl, the one she assumed was Andrea, murmured as she offered her a small pile of fabrics. "And we weren't sure if you'd want to use the shower or not, but we brought some stuff to get you cleaned up, maybe clean out a few of those cut's you've got there."
Hannah nodded slowly as she cautiously sat up. Every movement she mad was always cautious. She had learned long ago that when you made fast movements, sometimes they could be mistaken for attempts to run. Males didn't like it when you ran. They liked it better when you just stayed where you were supposed to, like a good little cub, and gave them what they wanted. What they usually wanted was sex of some kind.
Hannah slid her dress off. She was almost embarrassed to be seen in this particular dress. It had seen much better days, and now, the fabric was wearing thin in spots. She stood before the two women in nothing more than her cotton underwear.
She heard Kim suck in a breath. "My god, you're skinny. Did they not feed you either!"
The two women set to work on cleaning up Hannah from face to foot. Andrea combed her long brown hair and pulled it into a tight braid as Kim cleaned out a particularly nasty gash on her right thigh.
"What's your name, honey?" Kim finally asked as Hannah slipped on the cotton pants and tank top that they had brought her.
"Hannah... Hannah Murphy."
"Welcome to our Shiftertown, Hannah. If you need anything, my room is right across the hall okay?"
Hannah nodded and sat back on the bed. As the door clicked shut she pulled the covers loose and buried herself beneath them, curling up for warmth. She desperately needed the touch of a shifter to calm her, much like the other females of her pack had done for her on nights when it had gotten really bad. Here, though, she had no one to comfort her.
Silently, she let a tear slide down her cheek.
Connor awoke to what sounded like a whine coming from downstairs. He threw on a pair of flannel pants and made his way down the stairs to the second floor. Liam was just coming out of he and Kim's room when Connor hit the landing. For a moment they just looked at each other, and then the girl whimpered again and Connor broke eye contact, going for the door.
"Her name is Hannah," he heard Liam say before he softly closed the door behind him. He stared at the small form that was tangled up in blankets before him, she thrashed again, emitting a whimper and he climbed onto the bed beside her.
Wrapping his arms around her, her shushed her and murmured that everything was going to be okay. He drew in a deep breath, taking in her scent. As she quieted, he sighed and pulled her closer.