7. THE ALPHA

Upon hearing Gil's question, Serafín slams on the brakes and turns to face her with a look of deep concern, which piques Gil's curiosity. "Of my size? What do you mean? Where did you see a wolf as big as me?"

Could her father be aware of the existence of her wolf? She notices him scanning their surroundings, his head turning this way and that as if searching for something that might be following them. He restarts the car, visibly shaken. Seeing her father in such a state, Gil reassures him.

"It's just curiosity, Dad." She says in a whisper

Serafin now looks at her and realizes that he scared her, so he takes a breath and tries to speak as calmly as possible. "Gil, my daughter, there are things you don't know, but I need you to promise me something," he says in a very serious tone.

"Anything you want, Dad." Gil answers, frightened.

"If you ever see a wolf my size, you must tell me immediately. It's very important, Gil. Promise me! You could be in serious danger, my child."

"I promise, Dad, I promise," she rushes to say, sensing the fear in her father's voice, which remains tense.

"Daughter, I know you don't understand now, but one day you will. You must tell me if you saw a wolf my size. Did you see one? Trust me, my daughter, I promise I won't scold you. Did you by any chance see a wolf my size lurking around our house or your school? I swear I won't be upset for you not telling me sooner!"

Now Gil starts to feel frightened by her father's reaction. Could she really be in danger? Although her wolf didn't harm her, perhaps it is dangerous. What if it wants to eat them because they are bigger? Or Mrs. Rita because she is plumper? She thinks and turns to her father who watches her expectantly.

"Alright, Dad, I saw one last night behind the house. But it didn't do anything to me!" she hastens to clarify. "I touched its nose and scratched its ear, and it didn't harm me."

"Last night?! Behind our house? Did you sneak out of the house in the middle of the night and encounter a wolf my size, Gil?" he almost shouts, alarmed.

"Don't be upset, Dad. I've always seen those red eyes for as long as I can remember. Last night I got curious and went out to see what it was. They belong to a huge black wolf."

Upon hearing this, Serafín instinctively accelerates, eager to reach home for fear that Nara might be in danger. He keeps glancing in the mirrors, searching for any sign of pursuit.

"Gil, promise me you won't do anything so reckless again," he pleads, genuinely frightened at the thought that their enemies might not be behind this, and it could just be an ordinary wolf. Because if it had been them, they would have taken her. "And what if it had attacked you? Did you not consider that?"

"But it didn't do anything to me, Dad. It seemed like it wanted to be my friend. It's lonely; I can take you to see it yourself," suggests Gil, who doesn't want to lose contact with her only friend.

Serafín falls silent, contemplating doing just that. Though he dislikes the idea of putting his little girl at risk again, he needs to find out who this wolf is that visited her and didn't harm her. Friend or foe? Could their Alpha have survived and found them? He tries to sense something, but feels nothing. So he exhales deeply and says to Gil, who is looking at him anxiously.

"Alright, we'll do that. You'll take me to see your wolf tonight. Agreed?"

They arrive home and she dashes to her room. But not before hearing her father urgently speak to her mother.

"They've found her, they've found her!"

"What do you mean, Serafín? Who's found her and where?"

"Gil saw a black wolf last night. Right here! She says she went out to meet it in the night."

"What? How did we not sense its presence? Are you sure it's them?"

"And who else could it be?"

"Do you remember the wolf that helped us? The Alpha, I've seen it many times over the years near our house."

"Really?" he asks, breathing with newfound hope.

"Yes, it might be him."

"I hope so, dear, because if not, we'll have to flee from here. And we're so well settled! I wouldn't like to have to leave poor Mrs. Rita."

"Let's first make sure who this wolf is. If it were the enemies, they would have taken her."

"That's what I thought. Do you think my Alpha could have survived and it's him?"

"Who knows? Was he very powerful? He might have been able to return, even if the required time hasn't passed."

"I hope so, dear, I truly hope so."

Gil remained still for a while longer, listening to her parents. Which wolf had helped them, and why? Who were those pursuing them, and for what reason? Her young mind couldn't fathom why they were so terrified, but she understood that she shouldn't keep secrets from them; it seemed they were running from something or someone. Thus, she decided to trust her father, and as soon as she saw the red eyes that night, she dashed into the living room.

"Dad, Dad, my wolf has come," she said breathlessly. "I've just seen it; let's go see him."

"Are you certain?" Serafín asked, his senses sharpening. He felt a strong presence, but it wasn't that of his Alpha; he could determine that much. Nor did he sense a threat to their lives. Perhaps it was the Alpha his wife had mentioned, the one who had helped save Gil and had protected their Luna. He looked at Gil, who nodded affirmatively and said,

"Yes, I'm sure; it's my wolf. I know its red eyes. Come so you can meet him."

Her parents, filled with trepidation, walked ahead of her to the edge of the forest, ready to confront whatever lay ahead. Gil sensed their fear and also felt her wolf watching from the darkness, which frightened her. She stepped forward, intending to go first to alert her wolf, but her father stopped her.

"Wait here," Serafín instructed and ventured into the forest alone. Both Nara and Gil were very scared and anxious. Gil, because she didn't know how her wolf would react to her sending her father. Would it attack him? Would it be annoyed? Would it stop coming to see her? Was it an enemy? Nara was fearful because, although she didn't believe it to be an enemy, she feared for everyone. After a long and agonising wait, they saw him emerge smiling, and both ran to embrace him.

"Gil, you can go see your wolf; there's no danger, he's a friend. But if you see another that isn't him, you must tell me right away," her father said, much to her delight. Her wolf wasn't bad; that was all she could think about.

"I promise, Dad; I'll tell you straight away. Can I go play with my wolf now?"

"Yes, my dear, go ahead."

Gil dashes out to meet her wolf, waiting at the same spot as the night before, only this time she isn't afraid. She embraces the wolf joyfully, her face being thoroughly licked. Meanwhile, Serafín speaks with Nara.

"You were right, my dear, it's not them. But you won't believe who it is."

"Is it the Alpha that helped us escape?" Nara asks immediately.

"Yes, the very same. He says he's been following us all this time, to look after Gil. I don't know why, but I have this feeling that I know him," he says thoughtfully.

"I do too, but he never turns human. I only saw him briefly in human form on the day Gil was born. He's blond and well-built. But I didn't see his face. He turned back into a wolf straight away," Nara shares as they walk happily and peacefully back to the house. "And the times I've seen him as a wolf were in the darkness, and because he's so black, all you can see are those red eyes of his."

"It doesn't matter. He told me he will watch over her, and he asked my permission to establish a connection with me, so if I ever need his help I can call on him. I agreed, for all three of us. We're blessed to have such an Alpha, my dear; he's very powerful!"

"Did you allow him to form a connection with Gil too?"

"Yes, he's a powerful Alpha. I don't think there's another like him because of all this. If he protects her, I'll feel more at ease. Look what he brought me," he says, showing a large bag.

"What's that?"

"Money, my dear, lots of money! Ha, ha, ha..."

Nara looks at the enormous bag filled with gold coins and watches her husband laugh joyously at the situation. Who is this strange and powerful Alpha? Above all, what does he want from them? Or could he be interested in their Gil?

"Don't overthink it, Nara; it's none of what you have in that head of yours. He's just helping us; perhaps he's a lone wolf who wants to start his pack and knows that I'm a beta, maybe that's why he wants me."

"Really? Do you think that's it?" It could be an explanation for that amount of money he gave you, although dear, I really like living where we are and working with Mrs. Rita."

"We must continue doing so, but we need to find a safe haven. Somewhere we can hide Gil should she be discovered. The scare we've just had reminds us of who we are and what we're fleeing from; we must be prepared for anything."

"That's true, we shall. Do you think this Alpha could be Gil's other half?"

"Why do you ask?"

He turned swiftly to look at his wife. He had thought of everything but that possibility. He wasn't ready to lose his girl so soon; he was counting on her other half taking much longer to appear. Why hadn't he considered this before accepting the money?

"I don't know, why else would he follow and assist us? He appeared out of nowhere the night Gil was born, the first thing he did was sniff my Luna's belly, and after that, his eyes changed colour, they turned golden and he fiercely defended us. If not for him, we would have been captured. He killed many that day, which is why I think he might be the one. When he returned, he didn't speak to us; he went to see Gil and turned into his human form."

"If what you're saying is true, it would be a blessing for her," said Serafín, now pensive as he walked into the house, glancing towards the forest with a sigh. Even though that Alpha was indeed very powerful. "I hope so, my dear, I truly do. Then we could rebuild our pack. He's an Alpha and I'm a beta; Gil would be our Luna. We'd just need to find the scattered members of our pack."

"Don't rush things, my love. Gil is still a child; we must wait for her to grow up."

"Alright, let's get some sleep. He will watch over her and bring her back."

They walked slowly, feeling a sense of relief and joy they hadn't experienced in many years. Meanwhile, Gil played happily with her wolf in the forest, unaware that other eyes were watching them from the other side.