Derick's POV
We stood and watched as Danica left. That motorbike was something else. Someone had really put in a lot of effort to bring it back to life. I frowned, my wolf was still pacing in my head. From the moment I saw her he seemed agitated and wanted to get away from her or fight her but now she's actually gone he's whining and wanting to go after her.
"Why does that bike mean so much to her?" Jenny sighed as she placed Maggy into her car seat then looked down and grabbed Lilly's hand.
"It belonged to Harry." I packed the last of the baby's stuff into the boot.
"Who's Harry? Was he her father?" Jenny shook her head and let out a long sigh.
"Danica's mother was attacked and killed by hunters when she was ten. She never knew her father or had any contact with her mother's birth pack." I saw the pain on her face.
"You must really care about her…" She nodded.
"I tried to get my parents to adopt her, but they weren't allowed. All her foster parents were human." I felt my stomach drop away.
"That never goes well…" She nodded and placed Lilly into the car.
"After a few incidents that involved the police, she was taken away and surprisingly adopted. I think the social services were just glad someone took her off their hands. The whole process seemed rushed and covered over." As we got into the car I remembered the conversation about the sent blocker and could understand why Danica was so standoffish.
"Was this when Harry came into her life?" Jenny nodded slowly.
"Harriet, or Harry for short, adopted Danica. She was also the police officer who had rescued Danica from the three incidents." I nodded and started the engine.
"Why would a police officer adopt her?" She shrugged.
"She was going through her own hell… Her ex-husband of eight years divorced her after the last round of IVF failed." She sighed. "Harry wanted to protect Danica and always told me that Danica was special and we should make sure she was taken care of." I nodded as I drove back to the pack house.
"But why would the social services let a single female adopt a child? Especially one in such a... dangerous job?" She smiled evilly.
"Harry was a cop. A really good one too... She had dirt on a lot of people..." She trailed off and my mind jumped to some horrible ideas. I quickly steered away from that topic and changed the subject.
"But Harry was human? How did she deal with the wolf's energy?" Jenny smiled.
"Easy, she found ways to burn it off. To deal with that undeterminable volume of energy, all werewolf kids, have Harry enrolled her into a self-defense class, a Kung Fu class and a kickboxing class and even took her to participate with the police officers during training, running laps around the assault course and unarmed combat lessons." She began to smile. "The stories she would tell me about how she would beat the police officers were hilarious. Even though she was a kid she still impressed a lot of the officers who insisted she enter tournaments." She frowned.
"You didn't like that?" She shook her head.
"Neither did Harry. But against her better judgement she agreed and Danica won her first, of three, successful tournaments at 14… She won enough money to pay off the mortgage on the apartment in the city." I nodded and pulled to a stop inside the garage.
"She sounds impressive. Why did she stop fighting after just three tournaments? She could easily be a gamma now and you wouldn't have to worry about her." She turned away as we exited the car. There was something she wasn't telling me.
"One day… Just after we finished the exams she was summoned to the principal's office. Harry's superior officer was there waiting for her. That's when she found out Harry had been shot and killed in the line of duty." I froze as I held Maggy.
"How old was she then?" I felt like my wolf was about to explode in my head.
"Fifteen." She took Lilly out the car and we walked into the pack house. I walked to the shared living room and sat on one of the sofas.
"What happened then?" Jenny shrugged and sat at the other side of the sofa placing Lilly between us.
"I tried again to get my parents to adopt her, but they said they couldn't this time either. So she ended up being emancipated." I felt my heart leap out my throat and had to fight my surprise.
"But Mathew said she was put forward two years and was the one who helped you study to get into the university." She nodded and smiled.
"She was… but both of us were moved forward a year… So she jumped two years I jumped one." I felt my wolf reeling. His mood swings around the topic of Danica were beginning to give me a headache.
"That smart?" Jenny laughed.
"Yeah, She's something else…" Her eyes looked towards the TV. "Harry, unlike her mother, had anticipated that something might happen to her… Well, Harry was always certain she would die on duty, something about the world going nuts." She flicked the news on. "She set up a backup plan just encase one day she never returned naming Danica as her sole beneficiary. The benefits from her police retiree plan, her little 2 bed apartment and everything in the life savings and life insurance policy." She cast me a look. "That also includes Molly, the motorbike. Harry, Dan and I would work on it during the holidays and the two of them would ride to the seaside." I nodded.
"I guess if it was me, I could never give something like that up." She sighed.
"Harry was the one who couldn't give up the bikes and it's a trait that passed on to Danica. The two of them were molded from a similar clay. Headstrong, smart, free spirited…" I nodded and pulled my wolf back trying to calm him.
"Cut from the same cloth?" She nodded. "Why was she emancipated and not put into care?" She looked at me. "I mean at fifteen she was still just a kid." She nodded.
"She was a kid with benefits," She must have seen the look on my face. "The money, the apartment and the motorbikes were all things that would have gone. Never to be seen again." I felt my hackles rising and my wolf suddenly wanted to fight.
"Someone would steal from a kid who's just lost their guardian?" Jenny gave me what could only be described as a slow look.
"Yes." She sighed. "It's not like anyone would have fought for her. She's an orphan. Well, there was me and my parents but all my dad was able to do was the legal things." I frowned and she explained. "My dad did the lawyer stuff when Danica's mother passed away then helped Harry to make sure Danica got emancipated so no one could take advantage of her. Basically, we were always looking in on her so it's not like she was completely left alone." I let Maggy crawl onto the sofa as Jenny turned the TV over to cartoons. I frowned and went in on my thoughts.
"Sound like a tough start…" She nodded.
"You like her." It was more of a statement than a question and I could feel my wolf growl as he reeled away from the idea.
"I…" I sighed. "No idea. She's definitely different." Jenny was giving me a look. "That brother of mine opened his mouth didn't he?" She nodded.
"Two hu?" I turned away as I could feel my cheeks flushing.
"I don't know." I put my hands on my face as she giggled.
"Don't worry. I also saw the looks you were giving her at the BBQ and at lunch there. At one point when she gave you those little rolls, I thought you were going to throw her over the table." My face flushed and I stood up sharply.
"Fuck…" she laughed heartly and shook her head.,
"Why Mr. Alpha, you do seem worked up." I grunted.
"I don't seem to know anything now... if she would just take that dam scent blocker off or meet my wolf I'd know what was going on..." I ran a hand through my hair and looked around. "Since the girls are better… would you mine watching them for a little while. I really need to see to some pack business." Jenny nodded and I pointed. "I'll just be in my office if you need me." She nodded again a smirk on her face.
"You should spend more time with Danica. You actually looked happy again." I turned away my face hopefully still composed but I'm certain that I was a few shades redder.