Chapter 4

I could barely sleep that night. The feeling of Eric's cold fingers on my skin was still in my mind. The way my wolf responded to him was what scared me the most. It had never happened before, and I wasn't quite sure that I knew what it meant. I certainly had an idea, but I wasn't sure it made any sense.

Then there was Sookie. She and Bill got into a fight that night and she says that she doesn't want to see him again. She told me all about it this morning and showed me images of what happened with the cop. I had told her that she was being naïve about this. Seeing how she forgot how dangerous I was, just because she didn't have to fear me didn't mean that I wasn't dangerous. That hadn't gone over too well.

I walked downstairs yawning as I didn't get much sleep. Gran was at the stove with the phone tucked between her ear and shoulder. The phone had been ringing rather early this morning, and Gran was on the phone as she cooked breakfast. She tried to cover up what the woman was saying as Sookie walked in behind me, but my hearing picked it up.

"Well, I don't care what sort of wretches you keep in your own home, but when you bring freaks and abominations into our church, in front of our children you will have—" she ranted before being cut off by Gran.

"Well, I will be at the church early if you would like to stop by and say hi," she said a little loudly. "Mr. Compton's talk starts at eight."

I had forgotten that Bill's talk at the DGD meeting was tonight. With everything going on, it slipped my mind. I knew that I would have to go, and I knew that it would be interesting. Not just Bill's talk, but the tension between Sookie and Bill. I also remembered that my brother and some of pack were coming tonight. This was all very interesting.

"Phone's been ringin' early today," Sookie commented as she sat down at the table.

"Oh!" Gran said as she walked over and put some eggs on Sookie's plate. "Everyone is excited about meetin' the town vampire tonight. I didn't hear either of ya come in last night."

"You went to bed early," Sookie countered. "You didn't want to hear me come in."

I snorted into my orange juice and Sookie gave me a look with narrowed eyes. She still wasn't happy about what I said to her this morning. Rolling my eyes, I turned back to my food. I ignored both Sookie and Gran as they talked about Bill. I was still concerned about what was going on with my wolf. All wolves were different and not much is known about how the previous Queen's wolf acted, so I didn't really have anyone that I could ask.

The previous Queen was alive almost two thousand years ago, and there hasn't been one since her death, until me. From the stories, she was born during the Roman Empire. While she was very beautiful, she was also very strong. Strong willed as well as independent. She remained unmarried and unmated until she left Rome. Her pack was powerful, and she brought together packs from all over. But since the wolves haven't had a Queen since then, there was a lot of pressure on me to bring the packs together.

I was always worried that I wouldn't be able to. So far though, I had gotten through to most of the packs in the US. It's the packs that are overseas that I was having the most trouble with. But my personal pack was strong. Many of my Alpha's had unusual gifts, much like me. Georgette was an empath, Bryson could control water, while his twin could control fire. We take in other wolves that have strange powers as well, in order to teach them control. Even Dorothea Pearson, one of Georgette's Betas, she had been a witch before she was bitten. She still had her powers and was a great asset to our pack.

They all keep me safe and sane. But we shall see how tonight is going to go.

*Queen of the Wolves*

Later that afternoon at Merlotte's, I was fixing my drinks behind the bar with Arlene as Sookie was transferring ketchup to another bottle. Some ketchup splattered onto her hand, and Arleen just had to make a comment. "That vampire Bill would get a rise out of that."

"You'll have to ask him yourself," she replied snippily.

Arlene gave her an 'I told you so' look, before finishing her drinks. "Vamp club not all it was made out to be, huh?" she queried. "A lot of freaks, I hear. And people from Arkansas."

"It was fine," Sookie said, continuing her task and still a little snippy.

"So, what, then?" Arlene questioned, getting a worried tone. "Did that vampire get all handsy with you."

"I can take care of myself," Sookie defended, and I snorted. Ignoring Sookie's glare, I took my drinks out to my tables.

"Sorry for the wait gentlemen," I said as I placed the drinks down with a friendly smile.

After a few minutes, Arlene came running over to me to tell me that Sam asked Sookie to the DGD meeting. I just gave her a blank look and rolled my eyes. While I was happy that Sam finally grew some balls, I was worried that it would end badly. While Sookie insisted that she was done with Bill, something would happen, and she would fall right back to him. And Sam, I think he only asked her now because Bill showed an interest in Sookie. That rebound never ended very well.

"Did something happen between you and Sookie?" Arlene asked with concern, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"We had a disagreement about vampires," I replied, lying about what it was really about. "We'll be fine."

"Honey, if she doesn't stay away from the vampire, she could end up hurt or dead," Arlene defended.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes at her small mindedness. "Arlene, humans have done worse to each other than any vampire. Everyone is capable of violence. To think otherwise, is being ignorant and naïve."

I walked off to get my orders from the window, leaving a stunned Arlene behind. After delivering my orders, I heard a familiar deep voice call my name. Turning around, I grin spread across my face at seeing Zander and Georgette standing there. I ran over and put my arms around his neck in a hug.

Zander hugged me back and laughed. We broke apart and Georgette brought me into a firm hug. Since Georgette was an empath, and us wolves feel stronger than humans, she could feel my anger and frustration from anywhere. Zander and Georgette didn't really come into Merlotte's because Georgette loves to cook for them. Sitting them at one of my tables, I got their drink orders, before taking their food orders.

We could feel everyone staring at us, but we didn't care. As I walked over to the kitchen window, Lafayette couldn't hold his curiosity. "So, White Lightning, who's the beautiful couple?"

I smiled at him. "Well, my Chocolate Thunder, that's my older brother, Zander, and his wife Georgette. So, can you put a little extra love into their food? Georgette loves to cook, so she'll be judging."

"Oh, I'll put more than a little," he said with a wink. "For your family, I'll make it flamin' good."

I winked back before checking my other tables. Getting refills for one table, I stopped at the bar.

"So," Sam started as he made the drinks. I raised an eyebrow and Sam smiled sheepishly. "I didn't know you had a brother."

I narrowed my eyes to him. "It's rude to eavesdrop Sam. But you never asked, so I didn't tell. I like to keep some things to myself."

"Are you mad at me?" he questioned out of nowhere.

"No, but you have horrible timing," I replied honestly, sighing heavily. "You should have waited a little longer before asking her out." Before he could reply, I walked away to deliver the drinks. Getting the food for my family, I took it to them. "Enjoy you two," I smiled at them. "Lafayette's food is one of the best I've tasted, so let me know if you need anything else."

"We will," Georgette replied, but then gave me a knowing look. "You also need to talk about it."

I nodded at her. "After the DGD tonight, I'll come over to the house."

They both nodded before digging into their food.

*Queen of the Wolves*

That night, I put on a white sundress with lace on the short sleeves and the end of the skirt. My auburn hair fell in beach waves past my shoulders, and I had put on some light makeup. I was slipping on some tan gladiator sandals that went just under my knees when there was a knock on my door. Opening the door, I was surprised to see Sookie standing there with a tentative smile. "Hey Sookie," I greeted. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry," she blurted out, and her tone told me she was gonna start a rant. "I'm sorry about what I said and for being angry with you about the same thing that I was trying to be. You were being openminded, and I was being small minded. It was just so many things at once that I freaked out. I didn't mean to take that out on you. And I didn't mean to imply that you were any less dangerous than vampires. Can you forgive me?"

I sighed and reluctantly nodded at her. She wasn't going to stop rambling until I agreed, but she wouldn't realize it. Her shoulders sagged, and went to speak, but I covered her mouth with my hand. "Look, let's just forget about it, and agree to disagree. If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me."

I could feel Sookie smiling behind my hand and nodded. Letting go of her mouth, I looked at the stairs when there was a knock at the door. I knew that Gran was already at the church already and Sookie rushed down to open it. I walked down the stairs slowly behind her and saw Sam standing there in the doorway. I tilted my head to the side at the choices they made with their clothes.

Sookie was wearing a short Sunday dress with different color flowers on it and her blonde hair hung around her shoulders. Sam wore a blue stripped button up shirt and blue jeans with brown cowboy boots. They seemed to complement each other without trying. While I was happy for Sam, I had been hoping that my talk with Sookie would encourage her to make up with Bill.

"Do you have a ride, Teddy?" Sam asked kindly, knocking me out of my thoughts.

I held up my car keys with a smirk. "I'm driving my car."

"You have a car?" he asked stunned.

I usually only drove my motorcycle to work and never my car. Sookie and I shared a laugh as we walked outside, and Sookie locked up the house. I walked up to my 1968 Chevrolet Camaro RS. In the limited light of the porch, the deep blue color looked black. I opened the door to put my purse in and turned back around when I heard Sookie giggle. Sam was standing there with his mouth open in awe of my car. I giggled as well. "I only really drive her when I wear dresses," I explained to him. "She's my baby."

*Queen of the Wolves*

At the church, I pulled in seeing my brother's forest green Ford 250 pull into a parking spot. After locking up my baby, I walked over to greet my brother and sister-in-law. "Hey guys. Where are the others?"

"Hey Teddy," Zander smiled at me as he gave me a side hug. "Their inside already. They wanted to get good seats."

We walked in a I smiled at how many people were in the church. Despite what others said, they were all curious about our town vampire. I came up to Gran, who was passing out flyers. "Hey there Gran," I greeted giving her a hug.

"Hello dear. Can you believe all of these people?" she gushed. Gran then spotted Zander and Georgette and moved to give them hugs. "Zander, Georgette. Why don't I see you two come around more often? You both know you are welcome anytime."

Zander smiled at her scolding tone. "Sorry Gran," he apologized. "We've been really busy recently, but I promise we'll come around soon."

When I came back hone a few years ago, I came back with my brother and sister-in-law, along with the rest of my pack. Gran welcomed them both with open arms and told them to call her Gran. She said that they were family even if he and I were only half-siblings. Zander had welcomed the family connection, his own mother and grandparents died when he was a young. Georgette had been adopted and the family that took her in wasn't a kind home. While the beginning was awkward, she eventually loved the warmth that the older woman gave off.

"You had better," Gran threatened with a smile. She handed us each pamphlets and ushered us in.

We spotted Bryson, Abbie and Farren in the back and we moved to sit with them. I noticed that my Alpha's brought a couple of their Betas along. Sebastian Kane and Drystan Ebonywood were Zander's second and third in command. Sebastian stuck out in the crowd with his short, wavy, platinum blond hair and hazel green eyes. He worked with Zander at the construction company and was surprisingly strong for his slender frame.

Drystan stood next to Sebastian, looking like a dark twin and being the opposite of the male next to him. His dark brown hair was spiked slightly, and his forest green eyes showed curiosity. He worked in Shreveport as an interior designer.

Bryson brought his two Betas as well. Leo Ransom stood behind Bryson with his arms crossed. His short, curly, pitch black hair hung down in his guarded light blue eyes. Rhory Kane stood next to him in a more relaxed position. He was Sebastian's younger brother with short, pitch black hair and seafoam green eyes. He and Leo work at Ranger Automotive as mechanics with Bryson.

Farren also not only brought her third in command, Abbie, but her second in command, Octavia Hawthorne, as well. Octavia sat between Farren and Abbie while talking to Abbie. Her shoulder blade length, thick, raven black hair was up in a high ponytail and her honey brown eyes were light with excitement. She works as an aromatherapist in Monroe and was one of the Betas with unusual powers. She was born with the power to control fire and it stayed when she was bitten. Farren took her in so she could learn to control her powers.

Georgette also invited her Betas as well. Ruth Lowell sat back in her seat in a relaxed position. Her shoulder blade length hair was a lighter shade of auburn than my own, more of a strawberry blonde, and her light blue eyes were checking the exits. She works as a private investigator for Georgette's law firm and is very good at her job.

Dorothea Pearson sat next to Ruth and talked with Drystan, her mate, who stood behind her. Her shoulder length, curly, pitch black hair was in a French braid and her chocolate brown eyes looked around despite talking with Drystan, not that he minded. Dorothea is a social worker in Monroe that helps troubled teens.

I also saw Isleen McCalmont and her Betas in the back as well. Isleen was the youngest Alpha that I had at nineteen and she was still a college student. Her mid back length, straight dark brown hair was in low ponytail and her hazel brown eyes were looking around in curiosity. Isleen came directly from Ireland from a very old and very large pack, which she was the youngest of. She was born with the power to control the wind and came to us to learn to control her powers.

Isleen's second and third in command Betas were Belladonna and Almora Paine, twin sisters that were like night and day. Belladonna has chin length, wavy, deep brown hair that was almost black and deep chocolate brown eyes. She works as a tattoo artist in Shreveport and has a very rebellious personality. Her younger twin, Almora, has shoulder length, wavy, platinum blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She works as a writer and journalist for the paper in Bon Temps.

Felix Rogue was also in the back, standing with the boys. His short, wavy, pitch black hair was slicked back, and his chocolate brown eyes were glancing around every so often. He was the last of my Alphas and worked alongside Georgette as a partner at the law firm. He also brought his second and third in command.

Nikola Ebonywood was Drystan's younger brother and Felix's second in command. He has buzzed dark brown hair and chartreuse green eyes. He worked as a paramedic at the hospital in Monroe and sometimes picked up shifts in Shreveport. Ciro Hawthorne was Felix's third in command and was Octavia's younger brother. He has short pitch black hair and piercing ice blue eyes. He was still in college, getting his Masters, and like his sister, he could control fire. He's still learning to control his power but it's getting better.

The three of us joined the rest of the pack in the back of the church and made ourselves comfortable as everyone in the room settled. Gran walked up to the front where Mrs. Fortenberry had put the American flag over the cross. "Welcome," she said loudly. "It certainly is a pleasure to see so many new faces here this month. But Mayor Norris assures me that there will be enough ambrosia and tipsy cake for everyone."

There were a few who laughed at the joke and Gran straightened herself up. "Now, our guest tonight is a gentleman who, despite what you might have heard, is one of us. His family was among the first to settle in Bon Temps and he bravely fought for Louisiana in the war for Southern independence. Let us welcome one of the original sons of Bon Temps back to the town that he helped build. I give you First Lieutenant William Thomas Compton."

Gran stepped aside as she sat down, and Bill came out of a door near the pulpit. There was some people who clapped, including me. There were some in my pack who clapped politely as well. Not everyone in my pack was as accepting of vampires as I was. Bill steps up to the pulpit and looks out to the crowd.

"Thank you, Mrs. Stackhouse," Bill thanked. "If you'll pardon me for a moment…" He then stepped away from the pulpit and went to the flag covered cross. Removing the flag from the cross, the crowd around us gasped, expecting something to happen. As nothing happens, Bill takes a flagpole from the altar and attaches the flag to it. Bill looks up at the flag, then back out at the crowd. "As a patriot of this great nation, I wouldn't dream of puttin' myself before Old Glory."

He put the flagpole back in the pedestal and then returns to the pulpit. "As you can see, I did not burst into flames," he joked. "We vampires are not minions of the Devil. We can stand before a cross, or a Bible, or in a church, just as readily as any other creature of God. I am honored to stand before you tonight. Vampires have traditionally been very private, perhaps to our detriment. But I believe, if we reach out to one another, that we can coexist, and even thrive together."

Bill then began to speak about his time in the military back in the 1860s. When he went to speak about the winter, Royce, one of the racist asshole rednecks, and his friends used a garlic press to squeeze garlic into the air. Members of my pack flinched slightly at the smell. With our strong sense of smell, garlic was annoying to us as well, not just to vampires. Remarkably, Bill remained composed and only glanced at the three rednecks, then continuing to speak. Later, one of the older DGD members, Mr. Humphries, stood us to ask a question.

"My great-grandfather was in the 28th," he began. "I wonder if you might have known him. His name was Tolliver Humphries."

Bill smiled at the name. "Tolliver Humphries. Yes. I knew him very well. We fought together. Tolliver Humphries was my friend. He was a brave man, perhaps to a fault. I dare say it contributed to his death."

"What happened?" Mr. Humphries questioned. "Were you there?"

"I was," he told us. "We were about 20 miles north of where I stand now. The Federals outnumbered us five to one, and they had better firepower as well. We'd spent much of the afternoon recovering the bodies of those we'd lost. There was a boy in our troop, no more than thirteen or fourteen, who lay wounded in the middle of a field under poor cover. He called to us all day. He begged us to help him.

"He knew that he would die if we didn't. I admit I considered shootin' the boy myself just to shut him up. But Tolliver convinced me that would be an act of murder, not war. He told me God wanted him to rescue that boy. I pleaded with him not to go. To think of his wife and children back home. He ran into that field like it was a cool spring day. They shot him just as he reached the boy. It was obvious to us that he was beyond help. And then, after a while, the boy started screamin' again."

It was quiet, the whole church captivated as he told the story. Mrs. Fortenberry broke it. "What happened to the boy?" she asked.

"He lived," Bill answered. "He survived the day, and then under cover of darkness we retrieved him later that night, along with the body of Tolliver Humphries. But it seems as if Tolliver was right. God did look after his descendants." Mayor Norris then raised his hand in the air with a question, and Bill turned to him with a smile. "Yes? Mayor Norris."

The Mayor stood up with the aid of his cane and he slowly walked up to where Bill stood. "I've been digging in the archives this week and I found this old tintype," he said. "The inscription on the back says, 'Mr. W.T. Compton and family.' Can you tell us if this is a picture of you?"

Bill's face seemed to lose more color and was now paler than snow. He slowly walked up to the Mayor and took the tintype from him. Bill opened the frame and tried not to become emotional. "This… This is a remarkable photograph," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "I remember the day we gathered to have this taken."

"When was the last time you were with them?" Mrs. Fortenberry asked curiously.

"When I… I went to war in 1862," he replied shakily. "I… my human life ended before I had a chance to come back home."

"But 'choo became a… a vampire after that, right?" Rene questioned. "Couldn't cha go back to your family then?"

"No," Bill answered quietly, before clearing his throat. "No. That wouldn't have been possible." He then closed the frame and dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief. "I apologize. This is not a subject I'm very comfortable speaking about. But thank you for the photograph, Mayor. Brings back many memories for me."

I could hear the pain in his voice, and I glanced at Georgette, noting the unshed tears in her eyes. I also noticed that she had a death grip on her husband's hand. We found out that Georgette, with her empath ability, was able to read the emotions of vampires, so we could still see if they were being sincere with their words. There was the slight smell of blood that came from where Bill stood, and I knew that he did cry, vampires only cried tears of blood.

Bill then returned to the pulpit as Mayor Norris returned to his seat. "Any other questions?"

*Queen of the Wolves*

After his talk was over and everyone was eating, people were coming up to meet Bill. I approached after Mrs. Fortenberry and Hoyt took a picture with him. I smiled as I gave him a hug. "That was great Bill," I told him. When we pulled back, I motioned to Zander and Georgette. "This is my older brother Zander Maddox and his wife Georgette. Guys, this is Bill Compton."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Bill greeted politely. He held his hand out and Zander shook it with a smile.

"It's good to finally meet you Bill," Zander greeted. "Teddy speaks very highly of you and your talk tonight was great. It was cool to hear about the war from someone's point of view and not just from a textbook."

"Thank you," Bill said with a thankful smile. "I'm glad that you enjoyed it."

Georgette then walked up and gave him a tight hug. "You're not alone," she whispered in his ear. Bill looked shocked as she let him go and both Zander and I looked at Georgette in sympathy.

"Well, we better get going," Zander announced, and he walked over to give Gran a peck on the cheek. "I promise that we'll come over tomorrow Gran." She gave them both a hug and nodded with a smile. Zander then turned to me. "I'll see you at the house, okay?"

I nodded as they left, and I turned back to Bill and Gran. "It was really great tonight Bill." I then turned to Gran. "I've gotta go and have a talk with everyone, so I won't be in till late. Don't stay up late tonight okay?"

"I won't dear," she reassured me as she gave me a hug. "The same to you though, don't stay up all night."

I returned the hug and reassured her I wouldn't. After giving Bill one last hug, I left the church.

*Queen of the Wolves*

I pulled up to the house that I owned and sat in my car for a moment. The house that I owned was left to me by my mother when she died. It was a two story tan colored house that had a dark brown wrap around porch. It was almost the same size of a plantation house and there was enough room for when other wolves came to visit. I had opened my home to Omegas that were looking for a new pack or to those that needed advice from me.

It was ironic that now I was the one that needed advice. I took a deep breath before getting out of the car. Walking slowly, I went inside and saw all of my Alphas in the living room. Bryson and Farren sat on my couch and my brother and sister-in-law sat in the love seat. Isleen sat in the recliner with one of her textbooks on her lap as Felix leaned against the wall next to the fireplace. They all looked up at me as I closed the door.

"So, what has you all jittery?" Felix started. "You could hardly sit still during Bill's talk."

I sighed as I sat in the other chair. Leave it to Felix to be blunt and to the point. "I'm not sure," I answered him, and Felix scoffed at me. I shot him a look and he held up his hands in surrender. "My wolf had a strange reaction to someone, and it's never happened before. It worries me."

Georgette stood up from the love seat and walked up to me to look at me closely. Assessing my emotions with narrowed eyes. "What happened?"

I told them about what happened at Fangtasia, and how my wolf had reacted. Zander got up to pace with an angered look on his face. As my main advisor, Zander was very supportive of me getting along with vampires, but as my older brother, he was very overprotective of me. Our father was never there for us, so we only really had each other and our cousins growing up.

"Maybe he's your mate," Isleen said with her thick Irish accent, breaking the silence and everyone looked at her in doubt. "Well, it would make the most sense. Not every reaction is the same, but some things are always similar. When I met Ciro, my wolf started to get very protective over who he was around."

Each of my Alphas, except for Farren and I, were mated. Zander had Georgette, Bryson had Aberdeen, Isleen had Ciro Hawthorne, and Felix had Ruth Lowell. Farren and I were the only ones that didn't have mates, but I had a feeling I knew who hers was. Even most of my Betas were mated. Sebastian had Almora, Rhory had Octavia, Leo had Belladonna, and Dorothea had Drystan. Nikola was the only Beta without a mate, even though it didn't bother him.

But I was still skeptical about her theory.

"It is a possibility Teddy," Georgette agreed, sensing my doubt. "My wolf had wanted to rebel right away, before recognizing Zander and then wanted to be near him all the time. Not to mention, more wolves are finding their mates with vampires these days."

Suddenly, Zander punched a big hole in one of the walls and growled loudly. "There is no way that leach is her mate!"

I walked up to him and got in his face, my eyes glowing silver and growling loudly in my chest. "I can handle myself brother! And you're fixing that wall."

Zander grunted in acknowledgement. There was a sudden pain in my head, and I grabbed it with a groan. 'Teddy,' Sookie's voice called to me in my head. Her voice sounded like she was in shock again and numb.

'Sookie?' I replied in concern and worry. I had heard her in shock before with Dawn, but never numb. 'What's wrong?'

'You need to come back home,' she said robotically. 'It's Gran. She…she…she's dead.'