Gabby's eyes connected with the strange silver eyes of the wolf that was Riley. They were waiting for her. "You guys get ready. When I track him down I'm going to need you there." She said and headed for the van. They drove to the battle sight and unloaded from the van. Then she shifted, heading for the trees. For an entire glorious hour, the wolf in her ran side by side with the royalty of their kind as an equal and as a friend, just as they had so many years ago. Together they found Aiden's scent in the mess of other scents and they followed it, thankful they hadn't had any rain overnight. They hunted well into the night, stopped and slept, and then got up and ran again in the morning. Raph's bond was wide open as she hunted, tracking her every move, ready to follow at a moments notice. The compound he had been occupying was empty when they got there and so they pushed on, alerting Raph that the Allies could move forward and claim it as yet another post. The hunting party moved forward, the scent of their quarry growing stronger. He had slowed down. He must have thought they would stop and secure the compound. Gabby was beyond caring about safety anymore though. The bulk of her forces could clear that compound. Her mind was on one prize and one prize only.
The closer they got, the trickier it became to hunt him. He was a skilled in evasion but she was the huntress and she unraveled his tricks like a tangled knot of yarn. Bit by bit she pulled the tangled mess into a neat and clean trail until she hit the road and stopped. He'd been picked up.
"We need a van." She said to Raph who was just showing up at Aiden's last compound to clear it and begin setting it up for their occupation. She felt him acknowledged her request and after a while, a van rolled to a halt where they waited. Raph was driving, his brothers were in the back. They managed to squeeze in and off they went.
"He didn't go far." Riley whispered as she closed her eyes. "His next compound is a two hour drive and he stopped there. He isn't thinking. He's like a wounded animal." Her body jerked and her eyes opened. "I still haven't learned to control my powers completely."
"Yeah, well neither have I." Gabby said, her eyes hard as she stared straight ahead. "We'll worry about that after he's dead.
Riley wasn't wrong. They stopped a safe distance from his compound and called for reinforcements.
Gabby sent out her mind, touching Aiden's with a strength that made him tremble. Wanted him to know she was coming for him, that her powered exceeded anything he could hope to compete with.
"He's bolting." Gabby said. "Let's go hunting."
The wolves climbed out of the van, shifting and giving chase to the squad of wolves that had run from the compound in an attempt to escape. They didn't make it far before the triplets and Gabby caught up and rained hell down upon them. It was four against nearly thirty though and even though Aiden was being held powerless by her, that was a lot of hard fighting. She knew the turtles were coming to their aide and she was glad. The wolves Aiden used as his personal body guard were always good fighters and exceptionally large. The turtles hurried into battle just as two enemy betas converged on Gabby whose fighting had separated her from the protection of the triplets. Raph ran in and bulldozed one of them and then stabbed the other in the stomach with his Sai. Gabby jumped on the enemy beta's back as he doubled over and tore the side of his neck out. He fell to the ground, his blood spurting from his ruined neck. Onward they pushed. Aiden had taken off again and Val the Destroyer went with him, still healing from the vicious wounds Jayden had given him before he had managed to fight him off and make his escape. Furious, Mikey went after him and he quickly caught him, throwing his arm around his neck and squeezing, trying to suffocate the bastard. Talons dug into his arm and Mikey raged.
"This is for Gracie." He growled and with more strength than he had ever shown in his whole life, he jerked his arm, crushing the wolf's neck and stopping his heart. He dropped to the ground, dead and Mikey kicked him for good measure. By then, Aiden knew he couldn't run and he turned to face the youngest turtle. Raph came up beside him.
"He's mine Mikey." Raph said quietly. He adjusted his Sais in his hands and slowly started circling the False Alpha. "You hurt my girl." Raph said, his voice deadly calm. "You took away her family, you took away her freedom, you took away any happiness she had and you gave her nothin' but fear and scars. I'm gonna kill you Aiden, but first you're gonna pay for every tear my girl cried because of you."
Aiden sneered at the hulking turtle. "She could have had everything she ever wanted. She brought her pain on herself. If she had only submitted to my will, she would have lived happy and free."
"Naw. Gabby is good. She's strong. She's her own person. You couldn't break her spirit even though you broke her body. She's still fightin', and she's gonna win."
With a roar, Aiden lunged, his talons out. Then and there Raph discovered that the false Alpha was a poor fighter. It was why he had always traveled with such a large and skilled guard. Raph broke his arm, then his ribs,then his jaw. The tip of his Sai pierced and left flesh many times, wounding just enough to cause pain. Raph moved with grace and focus that made Leo proud as bone after bone crunched and Aiden's face was a swollen and bloody mess. Raph broke his shins so he was down on his knees, trying to breath through a collapsed lung.
"This is what happens when you don't play by the rules." Raph said, circling. "I am Raphael, Alpha of the Storm Pack and of the family you destroyed. Your punishment is death." Aiden looked up with terror in his eyes as Raph swooped down like an avenging angel and plunged his Sai into the brain of the beaten Alpha. There was a searing pain as all that was left of Aiden's pack bonded to him. It was in that brief moment of pain that his eyes found Gabby. She stared at him, still in the midst of the warring betas. She didn't see. Not thinking, Raph bolted for her. She was only ten feet away. He shoved her, taking her place just as an attacking beta shoved his talons out. Raph felt them pierce his side, digging deep into his insides. Shoving Gabby had left him vulnerable there and the Beta took full advantage. With a strangled cry, he drove his Sai into the wolf's skull and together they fell to the ground. The pain in Raph's side was making his head swim. It was hard to breathe. He looked up as warm hands touched his face and stilled as he saw his girl's sad face. Tears slid silently down her cheeks and he reached out, brushing them away.
Gabby had saw Raph thrust his Sai into Aiden's head, watched the despicable body of her greatest enemy fall lifeless to the ground, and a relief washed through her so strong that her knees wobbled and her breathing hitched. Her eyes met Raph's standing only ten feet away when she saw them shift to something to her side and widen in horror. She turned to look at what he was seeing and only got a glimpse of the enraged hybrid before she was shoved roughly out of the way. She fell to the ground and looked back to see Raph tumbling to the ground, his Sai imbedded in the head of his opponent. She smiled to herself until he didn't get up. She got up and rushed over, pushing the dead wolf off of him and saw the raw wound. She reached to call for Saffron and realized that in her grief she hadn't thought to bring her with. There was no one there to help and he was bleeding too badly to make it back to their nearest medical post alive. Then and there Gabby knew he would die in her arms, just had Gabby had done the day before. She turned her eyes to the clear sky, silently asking why. She knelt by Raph, tears streaming down her face though her grief was far less noisy than when her sister had been torn from her.
"I can't save you." She whispered to the man she loved as he brushed away a tear.
"It's okay." He said through clenched teeth. She entered his mind and numbed his pain.
"Leo, Mikey, Donnie, come say your goodbyes." She said calmly.
The brothers looked on in horror as they realized what Gabby had realized only moments before. There was no one here who could put insides back together. This wound was beyond Donnie and it would be too long to get back to someone who could fix it. One by one the brothers approached, kneeling and clasping hands with him. Tears flowed and as their brother began to fade, they brought him his Sais. He took them, looked at them, and then looked at the people gathered around him.
"I'm tired of fightin'." He said softly. He looked at Gabby. "I'd rather die with you in my arms." With a burst of strength he grabbed Gabby and pulled her onto him. She settled on his chest like she had so many times before. His hand stroked down her back, soothing her. "I want you to find a mate, Gabby. I want you to have the pups you always wanted. I want you to run your pack and live a full life."
"Raph, without you there is no mate. Without you there are no pups. I will be no one's She-Alpha unless I'm your She-Alpha." She told him.
"That's not what I want for you." He said.
"I know." She said and they fell silent clinging to their last moments together. As his bond began to fade, she felt her humanity slipping. Raph was her future, without him, she didn't have one.
"She's going Rogue." Riley whispered in horror. With a strength she never knew she had, she thrust herself into the plane of the spirit world where her wolf form howled, calling the only one she thought might help. He appeared noiselessly, the white wolf as big as a horse.
"Daughter." His voice rumbled like thunder.
She directed his attention to the dying pair. "She's suffered enough, Father. She's led the turtle to Aiden and he freed the wolves of their tyrant. She saved your children when we were lost. Please, Father. Help them.
"I am aware of their many attributes, my Daughter. I have watched the Huntress since she was a child. I only waited so long for you. You found a friend in Gabriela long ago and you felt the fear of losing her today. That is a fear you will know the rest of your life. That is love outside of a family bond and that is your greatest lesson." The great wolf looked down upon the dying pair and with a surge of power, he drew the entire group into the spirit world.
Gabby's whole body hummed with energy and she felt Raph strengthening. She opened her eyes and gasped as she laid her eyes on the fabled white wolf. The spirit of their kind. She lifted her head and saw everyone there, staring openly at the impossibly large wolf.
"Stand before me." His command shouldn't have worked. As two Alphas, neither Gabby nor Raph should have felt the pull of a command but they could not remain down. They both stood. Gabby looked at Raph, gasping as she saw the puckered scar where his fatal wound had been moments before. The wolf eyed them both curiously.
"My daughter has laid your need before me and I have deemed you worthy. However, one of you is not my kind." The wolf's rumbling voice said. He moved, circling the Alphas and then turning to where Raph's brothers stood. "There is no great turtle spirit in this realm. There are no wereturtles in the world. I wonder how you came to be." He listened as Donnie explained their origin and then his head dipped. "Science is a beautiful thing. It is the closest the mortals come to wielding the magic of the spirit world, the same magic that allows a shift or a bond. You turtles have impressed me in your time with my people and more importantly you have earned my daughter as your champion. I will grant the red turtle his life, allowing your pack to keep both of your Alphas. I will also grant one wish to reward you for fighting and dying to free my people. What would you ask of me?"
"His life is all I need from you, Great One." Gabby said, her eyes locked on Raph.
"And you?" The wolf turned his gaze to Raph. The turtle bowed respectfully.
"Great One, your people took us as their own. Your magic allowed us to bond to them, but we can't be one with them until we can run and hunt with them in a different form. All I ask is for you to find a way to give us a form to run and play with our wolves in."
The wolf actually chuckled. "You are a good leader, Raphael." He walked forward and touched his nose to Raph's plastron. Right over his heart. There was a searing pain but then his form morphed into something else.
Gabby's eyes went round as Raph shook his head, ears flapping against his skull. He looked like maybe some kind of wolf/turtle mix. No fur covered his thick green scalyish skin and in place of a muzzle he had a turtle like beak. Intelligent green eyes stared out at her and a muscled, long neck melded into a powerfully built body just like a wolf's but with webbed feet and claws. His shell was almost gone, reduced to sectioned plates down his back and up his neck. He even had a tail. And, she noticed with an inner thrill, a sheath like a wolf that she was willing to bet covered an impressive cock. His form was bigger than she was in wolf form and she couldn't wait to run with him, test his strength, his speed, and his senses.
The wolf touched Raph again and he shifted back, amazed. Then the wolf went to each of the brothers and did the same thing and then stepped back and took them all in. "Go with my blessing." He said and then he stared at his daughter. She nodded at whatever mental communication they were having and then after a pause he nodded as well. "May your days be full of life and love." He said and he raised his voice into a howl that shook the ground. The spirit realm faded and they found themselves back where they had been before. Gabby looked around, her face as full of shock and confusion as much as any of them.
"That was some crazy. Ass. Shit." Mikey finally said. His voice broke the tension and they all began to babble together. Gabby looked to Riley. She knew what her friend had done for them. She wrapped the woman in a tight hug.
"You saved us." She whispered. "You will always be welcome wherever we are. I know you'll have your own pack someday but you are free to call us family for as long as you want."
"It would have been a poor reward for your loyalty to let your mate die and your humanity slip away. I did what was in my power, as you've done for me so many times." Riley replied. Her voice lowered in a warning, not wanting the others to hear. "My father told me Leo has the capability to shift but he is not one with the beast inside of him. Until he accepts his animal side, he won't be able to change forms."
Gabby's face fell and Raph stroked down her arm. "Is there anything we can do?" She asked.
"The only thing you even can do is put him in situations where he has to face his beast. Mating season, danger, anger. Those things drag the beast up. I have a distinct feeling he's a hard one to ruffle though. We're going to stick with you guys for a while so I'll do what I can to help. There will still be people we have to fight and I want to be here to look after you." She turned her silver gaze to where her brother Wayne was talking to Donnie, commenting on his tech scattered about his frame. Donnie was listening intently, shocked at the Were's huge knowledge of circuitry and technology. "I think we'll all be good friends."
A clean up crew was called and the Allied Alphas were informed of Aiden's fall. Raph was now the Alpha of a huge but damaged pack. It would take a long time to sort through who would go where and he would have to do a lot of traveling before everything was settled but the worst was behind him and he could finally breathe easy. He was sure there were factions he would still have to fight but his Gabby would be safe and a very useful person to have around to weed out the good from the bad. He looked down at the woman smiling up at him with tears in her eyes and emotion overwhelmed him. He had felt her fade with him before the Great One had spared them. She was going to die with him and it was then and there he knew the absoluteness of the feelings she had for him, feelings he shared.
"Your hair is long again." He said, tucking a strand behind her ear. Her hand went up and pulled it over her shoulder. It fell past her breasts.
"That was me." Riley said. "I know how you like your hair and I figured one less reminder of all this was a good thing."
"Thank you." Raph said to the silvery eyed woman as Gabby buried her head into his chest. He cupped the back of her neck, cradling her to him. He stroked her hair until she could control herself again. He leaned down and plucked a chaste kiss from her soft lips.
"Mate with me." He requested, his hands cupping her face.
Her heart dropped and butterflies filled her stomach. How like Raph it was to request something without actually asking a question.
"Okay." She agreed. They hadn't been in an official relationship that long but a part of each of them had known from the very beginning that they belonged to each other.
Raph lifted her and twirled her and then kissed her soundly. "I love you." He said, his voice a little hoarse with emotion.
"I love you too." She whispered a little wobbly. She had never cried happy tears before but the tears streaming down her cheeks were anything but sad.
They all packed into the van and headed back to the closest compound where Carl was busy setting up. They returned to the sound of cheers and howls. Jayden barreled into the group, pulling the girls into tight hugs and pounding the guys on the backs. Carl and his mate beamed with pride as the group entered and they called for a hunt. This area was rich with big game. It would be a perfect time to come together and celebrate the survivors and mourn the dead. The compound hummed as they went to it.
Raph sat in a chair, bent forward, his elbows on his knees and this chin resting on his interlocked hands. He watched as Gabby flitted here and there, arranging things in their new room to her liking. It was a nice room, rustic and warm, and just down the hall he knew there was an awesome built in hot tub that she was dying to try. For now, he just watched her, incredibly aware that her life could be over right now. Her presence in this world was a gift.
Gabby was arranging their room to her liking. She could feel Raph's eyes following her every move and as soon as she finished, she walked over. Raph leaned back as she climbed into his lap and settled above him, her tank top clinging to her curves.
"When do you want to do this mating thing?" She teased.
"Now." He growled, his hips grinding up into hers.
She threw her head back and laughed. "You realize that an Alpha pair has to have sex in front of the pack right?"
He stilled beneath her. "Really? Why?"
"Who knows?" Gabby laughed. "Free porn? According to the books its to show the pack the the pair will be strong, united. I think back in the old days everyone just wanted a good reason to fuck, and let me tell you, everyone does. Everyone who's over the age of eighteen is allowed to go and I'm not kidding, wolf form, hybrid form, human form, whatever…. everyone's fucking. It's like one big orgy. My parents brought me to two Alpha matings before I was of age so I could learn what it was like before I had to attend one as an adult."
"So, like, the entire pack then?" He asked nervously.
"Whoever wants to come. It's important that your lead betas show. If they didn't, it would be like them saying they didn't support our mating. We need to invite those Alphas we allied with as well. It would be a poor reward to make them miss out on that big of a celebration. Also, the triplets will be there of course." She replied.
"I'm gonna haveta have sex in front of my brothers." His face was in a grimace.
"And our parents. As the elders of the pack it's their duty to be there." She grinned
The miserable moan that came from his lips made her giggle. "I have to have Ronnie there. I've known the triplets for a long time so it's gonna be awkward with them watching too. It didn't seem like the Alphas cared too much when I attended. They were too focused on binding to each other."
"I think I could do it." He mused, as if trying to imagine what it would be like.
"I know I can." She teased.
"Well you won't have your brothers judging your performance!" He complained.
She laughed for a second and then he watched her face fall as her mind went to the fact that her baby sister wouldn't be there for her big day. Tears welled up in her eyes and he pulled her to him with a ragged breath as he realized what she was thinking.
"I know, babe. I know." He said as she cried brokenly into his neck. His own tears joined hers as they streaked down his face. He had cried more in the last week than he had his entire life and he wasn't even ashamed of it.
After she calmed and his tears stopped he stood and gently deposited her on the bed. He took off his clothes, but tied on a red knitted scarf around his neck. She looked at him like he was crazy, standing there naked and putting on a scarf.
"It so they know which one I am." He explained. "Now come on. I want to give my new form a test run." He knew how to shift. He just had to embrace that piece of him he had always been so aware of and had always effected him so greatly. It was his beast. He had shifted in a moment and he let out a strange hiss as he realized his scarf was about to be in his way, the tails of it trailing to the floor.
"I'll fix it." Gabby said and considering his shoulder was up to her chest, she didn't even have to bend to take the tiled and wrap them once more around his thick neck to keep them from tripping him up. Her hand rested for a moment on his neck, feeling his pulse rush strong against her fingers but then her hands moved, feeling the slightly more scaly skin and the hard muscle underneath her hand moved to his shoulder and he shifted, causing his muscles to flex and relax beneath her fingers. She felt his plates that ran along his back. They were smooth like glass and she imagined they were as strong as his shell was. His tail started waging as her hands continued to explore and she couldn't help but laugh.
"C'mon wolf turtle. I'll let you out and then we can run." She said, getting up and opening the door. He walked out ahead of her like a freaking giant mastiff. He was all muscle bound and she couldn't help but wonder how heavy he would be to support when he mounted her. The thought shot a bolt of arousal through her and she wondered if his senses had improved at all. Most shifters she knew had excellent noses, even in their human forms, and he was a shifter now.
Raph had really enjoyed Gabby's small exploration and he'd been just a little bit embarrassed when she caught him wagging his tail. He hadn't known he was doing it until she had laughed. When he moved, he felt light and quick even though he knew he was massive. Losing most of his shell had lightened him up a bit, though between the muscle and thick bone, he still weighed more than any wolf he had ever seen, more even than the Cougars probably. He trotted down the hall, Gabby following behind him until they reached the door to go outside. Out they went and it looked like Raph wasn't the only one who had thought to take his new form for a test run. All of his brothers were out there, but Leo was looking frustrated and angry standing before a shifted Mikey and Donnie. He couldn't grasp how to do it. No matter how hard he focused on changing forms, it wouldn't happen.
"Could I command a shift out of him?" Raph asked.
"It would draw his beast out but if he's really as out of touch with the animal inside him as Riley says, he won't stay shifted. His human half will take back control immediately and he won't even know how or why." Gabby answered as her pendant glowed and she shifted. She watched as Riley walked over to Leo and started talking to him, explaining why he was having trouble shifting. He argued that he was more in touch and in control of himself than any of his brothers. She then pointed out that he was in touch with his logical self, not his baser self and that he had to let his control go if he wanted to be able to join his brothers. They were words Leo didn't want to hear so he shook his head and turned around, walking off. Riley stood with her hands on her hips, her brows furrowed. She shook her head and she too went off on her own.
Suddenly, Saffron in wolf form bounded by her Alphas and literally attacked Donnie who didn't need his glasses in this form. They wrestled and then she ran and he gave chase. Gabby eyed Raph mischievously and then took off running after the pair who already had a head start. Raph bolted after her and they all quickly caught up. The three turtles and the two wolves ran together for the very first time. Gabby was still worried about Leo, and her heart was heavy with missing her sister, but the wolf in her couldn't be any happier unless she were mated and with a pup, but she knew that was in her near future. The joyous howl she loosed was echoed by a thunderous roar that pulled her up short. Raph himself looked a little startled at the noise that had come out of his mouth. Mikey opened his mouth and made a similar roar, followed by Donnie. Gabby's lips wrinkled showing her teeth as she made a coughing sound that Raph realized was a laugh.
"You guys sound like dragons." She coughed again and a softer rumble came from Raph's chest. He was laughing too. He looked at his brothers. Leo would get there. Raph had never seen his brother put his mind to something and fail to make it happen. He had faith. There was a long road ahead but for now he was happy. Happier than he had ever been. They were together and for him, that was home.
A/N: Oh my lovely, lovely readers. So ends The Ninja Turtles Meet The Huntress. It was my FIRST EVER completed work and I want to thank you all for reading, especially those of you who left reviews. If you still have unanswered jest ions, that's okay cuz the second installment of this series Becoming One, will soon be out so keep your eyes peeled for a little more Leo and Mikey action woohooo! Thanks again all. It wouldn't have ever gotten finished if not for you.
-Donna Lee