Okay so to those of you who are reading my thanks and here is my next chapter. I do hope you are going to enjoy it.

Squawswarpath, calwitch, angelsdee327, Blackhat, nolabell66, and jessica619 thank you all so much for taking the trouble to review for me, I am truly grateful and so glad that you are enjoying this story.

I have no rights of ownership to any of the wrestlers mentioned in this story, maybe in some alternate reality; well a girl can dream can't she? Anyone you recognise is the property of the WWE and the people who entertain us each and every week.

So here for your inspection the next chapter, if you could take the time to review it would be appreciated.


Natural Selection

Part one

The Pack

Chapter twelve A delayed funeral

Together Genna and Roxy headed down the steps, into what they were guessing, was an underground room. It was brightly lit, and seemed to be quite spacious, as if it were underneath a good part of the house, they could make out several load bearing pillars. There were steel tables, along with many display cases, which they walked closer to, interested to see what Genna's family might have displayed there.

It was when they got close to them that they realised just what was on show, there carefully displayed were skulls, both human and wolf, along with pelts and skins. Each one accompanied by a carefully written card, such as you would see in a museum. This was no museum though, unless it was to the macabre madness of the people who had done this.

Roman looked into his mates tear filled eyes; he knew how much she loved this house, so why would she suddenly want to destroy it? What had happened in the short time they had been apart to make her so upset? Dean was holding an equally distressed Roxy, petting her hair and face, as he peppered it with kisses, trying to reassure her all was well and he was with her. When he had got here, Roman had been well prepared to give his mate a telling off, now however seeing her so upset, his protective side came out.

"Genna what's wrong?" He questioned, looking into her tear filled face.

Clinging to him as if she were trying to burrow into him, Genna's body shook as she answered him. "We found a letter from my Grandmother, from our Grammy, she left it for us to find, so she could explain things to us, she also mentioned a secret room." Gulping air into her lungs she paused and looked up at him. "We found it, and, oh god Roman it's horrible there are, there are skulls and skins, Roman my family murdered them and they, they put them on display like, like trophies."

Roman growled low in his throat, so that for a second the visibly upset young woman tried to pull away from him, however he held her tight against him, gently, despite his growing anger, he kissed the top of her head. The other pack member having heard her words were growling too, while Dean still offered comfort to Roxy, who was in his arms sobbing just as hard as Genna was.

"We need to see." John growled out his eyes fastened on Genna's back, the hatred obvious in them. "We need to see what it is the Hunter's." He spat the word out with obvious distaste. "Have done to our family."

Roman nodded his head before looking down at Genna, even with her eyes, red and swollen, and the silvery tracks of her tears down her cheeks she was beautiful he thought. He found her lips with his, kissing her gently before holding her slightly at arm's length. "We need to go in and see baby girl." He told her softly.

Genna nodded her head, gulping slightly as she did so; she knew his unspoken words as clearly as if he had spoken them, he wanted her to go back in there. Taking her hand in his, feeling her still shaking slightly, Roman drew Genna along with him, as he headed for the door. While Dean wrapped his arm around a visibly shaken Roxy, offering her what comfort he could, as her distress slithered along their bond, so that her horror for a moment became his own. He lifted his head as he watched his brother lead Genna into her home, stamping down on the horror, sending instead his love and comfort back along the bond to her, before drawing her in the direction Roman and Genna had gone, leaving the rest of the pack to follow more cautiously .

Entering the kitchen with his mate Roman paused for a moment looking down at her. "Where is it?" He asked quietly.

"The study, this way." Genna whispered, leading him to the room she had discovered.

Entering the study with his mate, Roman felt the hairs on his neck standing on end, there was something about this room, looking down at the woman by his side, he knew she felt it too. The hole in the floor drew his eyes, the opening somehow like an entrance to hell; drawing Genna towards it as he heard the rest of his pack entering the room behind him. Looking down, he saw the steps leading down into the darkness, glancing at his mate in question.

"The lights come on as you walk down the steps." She told him quietly, so he took the first step into the darkness.

The lights flickered on as his feet hit the stairs, he looked around as the two of them descended the steps. Pausing for a moment, from here he could see the room was full of display cases, and he shivered involuntarily at the sight of the metal tables, he could feel Genna shivering still as their feet hit the floor. Looking around he felt the growl rising in his throat, even as he wrapped an arm tightly round his mate, in some ways her horror was greater than her own. Guiding her around the room, past the cases, he looked at what her family had done to his family and his kind. In some cases the body of the were in wolf form was displayed, with neat cards giving the possible human name, who had killed them and how they died. In other cases there were skulls both wolf and human, again with the neatly written cards, while still others held the pelts of wolves, in some cases Roman could see, from the cards, they had been removed while the victim was still alive.

Looking down as his mate, as he walked around this museum, dedicated to the murder of one set of people by another, he watched the tears falling down her cheeks unchecked, while he could hear his pack growling behind him in horror and disgust. He felt Dean grip his shoulder from behind, offering a kind of comfort and solidarity.

"How could they?" Genna's voice was soft and almost swallowed up by the space around them. "How could they do this, how could they ever think that doing this was acceptable, that they were somehow right, they were monsters?"

Roman turned her into his body holding her against his chest, feeling her tears soak his top, as she wept and mourned for his family and the horrors that had been inflicted on them.

"Ro you better come look at this." Daniels voice was harsh, filled with sorrow and anger.

Pulling his mate with him, Roman walked slowly and with a heavy heart, as bad as all this was, it seemed Daniel had found something worse. They stopped in front of the other were, Roman looking into the case he was indicating. It held a human skull the sightless eyes seemed to stare at him, for a moment he glanced at the hate filled eyes of Daniel which rested on Genna. Pointing at the card before turning away, Daniel walked off, while the rest of the pack crowded around to see what he had found.

Roman's eyes found the card, at first the words written there did not make sense to him, then it was as if his world came crashing down around him. One hand reached out touching the glass, as tears up till now unshed, ran down his cheeks. He sensed rather than saw Genna look up at him, before he threw back his head and a howl of intense pain and sorrow, was ripped from his throat. Her eyes growing wide Genna looked round her, as the rest of the pack Roxy included joined him in that sorrowful, mournful sound.

"Roman?" She asked softly, wondering what the reason was for that soul rending sound, it must have something to do with the skull.

Stiffly Roman pushed her away from him, before drawing his fist back and smashing it into the glass, making it shatter as he reached for the skull.

"This was my Mother's." He growled angrily, making her flinch and step away from him.

Glancing at the other members of the pack, she saw for the most part looks of sorrow and horror, however on John and Daniels faces there was the look of shear hatred, which made her shiver and step instinctively closer to Roman again. The alpha pulled the skull out of the case unmindful of the cuts the jagged glass had made in his skin. He held the skull gently, almost reverently in his hand as Genna's eyes flicked to the card. It read Patricia mother of monsters destroyed by Brian Hunter.

"Oh no, please no." Genna murmured. "Not that, please not that, my Father killed your Mother?"

"Hunters have always preyed on our kind." John growled out, so that she could hear the hatred in his voice. "And we've always killed and hurt them."

Genna knew what he meant by hurt, and had an eerie feeling, that right at that moment, the brown wolf would like nothing better than to punish her, for what her parent had done to Roman's.

"No." The authority in Dean's voice was obvious, as he stepped up to Genna, wrapping his arms gently round her from behind. "None of this is Genna's doing, her last name might be Hunter but she's not one of them, she is our Alpha's mate."

"Let her go." The sound of Roman's voice seemed to bypass his ears and go straight to the brain as Dean's arms fell to his sides, and he stepped back.

Cradling the skull of the Mother he had never really known to his chest, his blood dripping onto the floor, he wrapped his free arm around the young woman pulling her close to him, his eyes meeting hers, before he bent his head to hers in a gentle tender kiss.

"Genna is my mate." He said softly as he looked at his pack, using one finger to brush her tears away and gazing at the silver tracks on her cheeks. "She has nothing to do with this room apart from a shared name, if you don't like it, feel free to make a challenge!"

His pack looked away from his blazing eyes, as his gaze moved to each one of them, apart from Dean who met his eyes with an unflinching gaze of his own. "What are we going to do with all this; we can't leave them here like this?" The Beta questioned.

It was Genna who answered rather than Roman. "We could bury them all in the glade, the one where the stream runs, we all love that one and so would they, I expect."

Roman nodded slowly, looking down at her, a small smile gracing his lips. "No one here is going to hurt you Genna, not while there is still breath in my body." He whispered to her. "You are my mate, I marked you as mine a long time ago, you've just been waiting for me to come claim you." Then louder so the whole pack could hear. "My mate is right we'll bury them in the glade, they would have loved it in life, so it's a fitting place for them to lie now in death." He saw the puzzled look on her face, and knew that later he would have to tell her what he had remembered, for now though he lifted her hand to his mouth and gently kissed the scar he had left there years before.

Speaking softly between themselves, the pack agreed with Romans idea, deciding how they would go about removing the former trophies of the Hunters, so they could take them to the glade.

It took several hours for them to empty all the trophy cases, destroying them as they did and carry the remains to the glade they had chosen, here they had dug a long deep trench to finally lay to rest, all the werewolves, humans and wolves that had been on display. Roman laid his Mothers skull to rest last of all, kissing the white bone gently.

"I wish I could have known you Mom." He whispered to her gently. "Dad and the others avenged you, Rosey and I grew up with Dad's pack around us, always loved, always cared for, and now I have my own pack, and a mate like you were Dad's, her names Genna, even though she's a Hunter she's not like them, she would never hurt any of us." Placing her skull gently in the mass grave he went on. "One day soon, I'll have young of my own, I hope wherever you are now, you can look down and see your grandchildren."

Genna moved to his side taking his hand in hers. "I'll look after him." She whispered to the skull. "I'll do everything I can to make up for the way my family has treated yours, I'm the last Hunter, so now this land won't be Hunter land anymore, it'll be pack land, and all of you can rest in peace here."

Roman turned slightly, kissing her lips tenderly, before the pack began to fill in the hole covering the remains of countless weres. In the end they were left with a mound of earth which left a brown scar in the green of the glade. Genna was the one who patted the last handful of dark earth into place, before stepping back and into Roman's arms.

"I'd like to mark this place somehow." She told him softly. "Maybe some plants, ones that have light scents, so it's an even nicer place for them to rest."

Roman smiled looking down at her smiling. "You don't have to Genna."

"I know." She whispered. "But it feels like the right thing to do."

Smiling he kissed her tenderly, cupping her cheeks with his hands and grinning when they finally broke apart breathless, and he saw he had left behind muddy hand prints on her cheeks.

"If that's what you want to do." He replied looking at the rest of his pack, all but Dean and Roxy seemed to be spending some time in quiet reflection; after all they all had family members interred here. "I think they would have liked that, and I know they would have liked you my little Hunter."

"I'm not though am I, not really, not anymore?" Genna replied leaning into him and resting her head on his chest. "I'm your mate."

"For the rest of our lives." Roman replied lifting her hand and despite the earth that coloured it now, kissing it. "Come on we've said our goodbyes, we need to go have a shower." His eyes took on a wicked look. "Lets go back to Meadow House, you can show me your bathroom and your bedroom."

Smiling up at him without a word, her hand still held in his Genna led her love out of the glade and back to her house.

Entering through the back door, the pair of them found their eyes drifting to the still open door of the study, and Roman found his feet almost automatically taking him into the room. He had not really looked around the room before, now he did so, it was much like his own office with the desk and the chairs. There was an aura about the room though, that made the hairs on his body stand up. He had no doubt in his mind, that it was here that many of the attacks on his family had been planned. Looking down at Genna, he could not help but wonder how different things would have been if she had been raised by her Father and not her Grandmother, he could see she was as affected by this room as he was, his mate, he smiled at that thought, did not like it in here either.

Feeling the tension in the air, Genna walked over to the books she had placed here earlier, while Roman watched to see what she was doing, so much had happened since she had placed them here on the desk, so much always seemed to happen here.

"These are the books." She said softly. "My family's history I guess." Her eyes travelled to the gaping maw in the floor, that was the entrance to the hidden room. "I think that room should be filled in, maybe we could find someone."

Roman moved to her side, his hand covering hers on the books. "We'll do it ourselves." He told her. "Maybe that way, we can lay the last of the ghosts here to rest."

Genna nodded her head. "I still feel like torching the place, I can't believe, they could do that, that my family could."

Roman cut her words off with one of his gentle kisses. "I'm your family now." He murmured as his lips left his for a few moments before finding them again and deepening the kiss. Genna wrapped her arms around her mate pulling him closer to her, almost clinging to him, as their kiss grew more heated. "Bathroom." He growled with their lips parted, without hesitation she took his hand leading him out of the office and to the stairs.

Following closely behind her, Roman wondered how he was going to tell Genna something he now felt she needed to know. Once they were at the top of the stairs, his nose informed him which room was hers, plus he had seen her at the window in his wolf form. Once they entered the room, just as she had with his, he took a moment to look around her bedroom. It was tidy and the motes that danced in the sunlight were the only hints of dust that he could see. Her scent covered the room though making him feel comfortable, and while the room was tidy he could still see personal items placed here and there.

His hand still in hers, Genna lead him to the bathroom, here Roman could not help but smile, there were wet towels on the floor and she flushed slightly. Spinning her around into his arms he found her lips once more taking his time and kissing her thoroughly.

"Want to shower with me?" He finally asked, a wicked smile dancing on his lips.

Genna giggled, both their moods suddenly lighter, before nodding her head and letting Roman start pulling her clothes off, while doing the same for him. Once they were naked, he lifted her up allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist, and her arms around his neck. Managing to turn the water on without letting her go, the pair of them shivered at the cold water that hit them, giving them both goose bumps, before it warmed up and cascaded down over them in a warm waterfall. Their lips met again, in a warm and heated kiss. Genna felt her back hit the cool tiles, realising she had not even felt Roman move, their lips met once more as he manoeuvred her body so that he could enter her again, clinging to him and letting him guide her, Genna moaned softly as Roman slid into her, tightening her grip on him.

Nibbling on her neck carefully, fighting the desire to bite down harder, Roman made love to his mate gently, making sure to pleasure her thoroughly, as he slid in and out of her while pinning against the wall.

"Roman, oh god Roman." Genna gave in, letting her orgasm wash over her.

"That's it Genna let go come for me baby girl." Roman growled, as he felt his own release cresting allowing him to join her.

Both their bodies shook with the strength of their orgasms washing over them, Roman leaning into Genna, along with the wall to steady himself for a moment or two while he recovered. Finally though, he straightened up and let his mate down to her feet, once he knew she was steady, he washed her body with the warm water, only using soap on her hands to wash away the dirt, before laving the old bite with his tongue once more.

"Why are you so interested in my scar?" Genna questioned as he turned off the water and they got out, to grab clean towels with which to dry themselves.

Roman began drying her off , before replying. "I was the one who made that mark." His eyes met hers. "It happened so long ago I'd almost forgotten it, this isn't the first time we've met Genna, we played here together when we were children one day, you me and Roxy, I remembered when we got back to the house today, or rather the memory came in a dream."

Genna's eyes were wide as she looked at him. "You were my wolf boy; we played with the blocks and at chase all that afternoon."

Roman nodded wrapping her in his arms. "I decided that day you were mine, and I bit you to make sure you'd be linked to me, of course I didn't know what I was doing just going on instinct, that's why you've never looked at any other man, also why I've never Fathered any children, I was waiting for you."

Genna looked at him now that he had mentioned that day she could remember it in detail, the older boy who had played with her, the one who had bitten her finger. Was it normal she wondered to herself, to have such a clear memory now of that day when she was so very young?

"Genna, there's something else."Roman rubbed the now damp towel over himself, resisting his wolf's desire to just shake himself dry. "You know my Dad's pack were the ones who killed your Father, they ripped him apart in there were forms, it was not too long after they found out who killed my Mom, you also know they raped your Mom, the whole pack, there's something else my Dad told me she was pregnant by them when she killed herself."

Genna took a step back, she knew her parents had been killed by Roman's Dad's pack. However to be told so matter of factly, by the man she was more than a little in love with, exactly what had happened shook her for a moment. Then however she remember what her parents had done, what her family had done to his, what her parents had done to his Mother and she knew it didn't matter to her feelings for him. Taking a step back she wrapped her arms around him feeling him relax. When she had stepped back from him it had been like a physical blow, however her arms around him soothed the hurt and he pulled her closer to him.

They stood quietly just holding each other, Roman letting the past slip away, while Genna processed what she had been told, before letting it go. She looked up into the face of her lover and smiled.

"I love you Roman, I love you, that's all that matters, not my family not the past, I love you and I love your wolf, I'm glad you picked me as your mate, and I can't think of anywhere else I would rather be than in your arms." His eyes were gentle as he gazed at her, she could see the love in them. "I hope my family is screaming where ever they are now, and that yours are celebrating, this isn't Hunter property anymore, it'll belong to the pack."

Roman's eyes grew wider as he realised what Genna was saying, she would have his children, he already knew that, however she was telling him she was willing to have them, and he could not help the smile that broke out on his face. His children would never know the horror, that even he and his older brother had, by having a loved one murdered, for no other reason than they were different.

Looking down at her with that contented smile , he asked her "Will you run with me tonight?"

One of her hands moved to stroke his face gently as she smiled too. "Always." She replied before pulling his mouth down to meet hers.

As Roman found his mates mouth with his, kissing her hungrily, far away from them and each other, two men both read an obituary in a paper that had been sent to them. Both frowned, one then picked up the phone and began to make some calls, becoming more confused with each one. While the other grabbed a bag and began to pack, before calling together his friends and heading out to the truck parked outside his home, getting ready to take a road trip across the country so he could get some answers and to see his family, it might take a while, however he would get there sooner rather than later.


Well this ends the first part of my stor,y I have started work on part two and hope to have the first chapter finished soon.

Again a review, even if only a few words is greatly appreciate,d until the next time this is Psion53 signing off.