For those of you who thought this story was done surprise. This though sadly will in effect be the last chapter of the story apart from an epilogue. I hope you will enjoy this chapter.

I know it goes without saying that I own no one and nothing that you recognise the wrestlers past and present belong to themselves and to the WWE.

My thanks to jessica619, calwitch, squawswarpath and nolabell66 for reviewing the last chapter for me.

Natural Selection

Part four

The Future

A time for Goodbyes

The three nights of the full moon were over; and Randy stood on the back decking of the porch watching, as the group of tired men and women, made their way across the back yard towards him. It had been a period of revelation and healing, oh not his banged up ribs, rather it was his soul that had healed, his heart having a chance to mend. The pain killers he had been prescribed for his ribs helped a lot, but like a lot of things they would take time to heal. Shallow breathing and taking things easy helped a lot as well, thought coughing hurt like a bitch. Still all in all, he had gotten off pretty lightly. He supposed he and Dean were never going to be blood brothers or anything like that, but the two of them were getting along well enough, especially now that Randy knew he had no hope with Roxy, who, anyone with eyes in their head, could see was totally in love with the other man, as much as he was with her.

Stephanie had not been so lucky, or maybe she was really the lucky one. Her head injury was not in itself bad, just a concussion really, she had been coming around when the paramedics arrived. They had prescribed her some pain killers, and given the advice that she should be woken every two to three hours by someone, if she fell asleep, to check she had not drifted into a coma. It was what had also happened to her, when she hit her head so hard on the branch. She had lost part of her memory. It had been a shock for her, when she looked into the mirror, and saw an older face looking back at her. Then, she had to face the fact that she had been married, and her husband had been killed, worse though, was the fact that she grieved for her family all over again. The plus side, and it was in his opinion a big plus, she had no memory of all the lies Hunter had filled her head with, or the truths she had learned that first night of the moon.

The authorities had taken away Hunters body, and searched the area, finding the corpses of Joey and Jamie, ironically killed by their own trap. The two packs had been skittish while they were in the wood, not liking the scents of strangers all over the place, or the lingering smell of blood, however, now with the pull of the moon over, they seemed to be more relaxed. They were chatting and laughing, as they climbed the steps to the deck.

Randy was surprised that he and Stephanie had been made welcome here, not something he would have expected, even after he realised, that Hunter had either been mislead himself, or was out and out, lying to them all. If he was honest with himself he wasn't sure which it was. Yet the packs had seen how things had been and allowed them to stay and rest here, something he was grateful for. If he was honest with himself that first morning he had expected them to kill him, as well and to gang rape Stephanie. Sika and Roman had admitted to him, that there had been truth to those stories Hunter had told him about, but they had also explained why, something he had not thought about before. The packs were not blood thirsty killers, as Genna said they were men, and women, human with just a little something extra, no worse or better than anyone else in the world. In fact really they just wanted to live their lives free from persecution and prejudice. Hearing the lies and twisted truths they had been told, Sika and Roman were willing to give himself and Stephanie a chance, and it was something he was happy to grab with both hands, a chance to start over in peace.

The investigation into the deaths, that night in the wood, had been pretty cut and dried. Idiots venturing onto private land, had encountered the animals they had come to hunt, and found themselves at a disadvantage. Obviously two of them had panicked, or been so dumb they fell into their own trap. The third member of the group had obviously been killed by a wolf, throat ripped out, pretty cut and dried. They had interviewed Randy, and been satisfied that his, and Stephanie's injuries, were due to the fact that they had been hunting on private property, and weren't they just lucky that Roman and Genna were not pressing charges for trespass? All in all Randy reflected, as the group headed into the house it couldn't have had a much better outcome. No one actually blamed the wolves, though of course there would be mutterings in the town, there always were, but it would serve as a reminder to keep out of the wood, and for a while at least no one else would come here.

Sting and Roxy were walking close together with Genna, the Father and daughter were trying to make a connection. It had come as a shock for the young woman to find out she had a living parent, and to hear that he was the reason for her Mothers fragile state of mind. Sting had promised to tell the two packs the full story of what exactly had happened all those years ago, once their moon time was over. Roxy was finding that making a connection with her Father was harder than she had thought it would be, though as friends, rather than parent and child. It was obvious by the way he spoke how much Sting had loved Katherine. Yet at some times, she could also see the pain in his eyes, as he looked at her, and was reminded of her Mother, the pair of them could have been sisters in their features. She also knew without him saying that when the old pack left he would leave with them, becoming a part of that pack. It was too late for them to form the kind of relationship they might once have had, and she had Dean, the two men had already butted heads over her, and she did not want to see them fight, sometimes their wolves were too close to the surface.

Bringing up the rear of the group were Roman, Dean and Seth, rough housing slightly and seemingly all in good spirits. The three of them had bonded slightly, which was surprising to everyone really. Dean was able to reconnect with Seth somewhat, and with Genna prepared to accept the other man; Roman was willing to give him a chance. So far Seth was a little wary around the young alpha, careful not to upset him in anyway, but they were slowly beginning to bond, and everyone knew that he would be staying with the pack, he was slowly finding his place in it, glad to have his brother back, and forming a bond with Roman, which he never thought would be possible that first morning. Yes both of them were taking it slowly, and he was careful around Genna, not wanting to give Roman a reason to kick him out. However he was finding his place in the group, and had privately admitted to Dean that Genna was not his type. Looking back, the former street kid, turned hunter, turned were, realised that he had just allowed Hunter to dictate what he did, and did not want, to him. Yes he wanted security, but the price he had paid had been far too high. The things he had done haunted his dreams, and his new pack had cuddled up to him in the wolf piles, reassuring him with their presence, thankfully accepting him, and teaching him how to live with what had happened to him.

Randy was pleasantly surprised at the way he and Stephanie had been treated by the packs too, there had been a moment or two when he thought Genna might turn on Stephanie, the older woman had hurt the younger one quite badly, and none of them had realised that Genna was pregnant, not that Hunter would have cared Randy suspected, quite the contrary, in fact he was sure the older man would have wanted her to lose the baby she carried. Still, once she found that Stephanie had no memory of anything that had happened, she seemed willing to just let things go. Both packs seemed willing to tolerate the pair of them, while they began to heal. They had learned so much more about weres in the two days they had spent with them, well at least he had, than they had ever dreamed they would.

At first Stephanie had been afraid when she realised that the men and women could transform, however, when she realised no one was going to hurt her she was willing to just accept it was something they could do. Randy himself had never hated the weres, until Hunter made him think they had killed his family. He had never really wanted any part of what was happening, and therefore, was able to revert to his earlier philosophy of live and let live. He was surprised to find himself developing a tentative friendship with the man who had saved his life, and when Sika had mentioned there was land close to where his own pack lived for sale, Randy found himself considering it. Stephanie seemed to rely on him a great deal lately, and he had to admit that, he was not adverse to helping her, and having her lean on him a little. Maybe he thought, one day when time had healed things somewhat, they might have some kind of future together. He had always considered her pretty, and he knew she could be affectionate, and warm, when she wanted to, when he had met her though, she had been Hunter's wife, and he never allowed his mind to consider her as anything else.

Stepping back from his spot by the doorway, he smiled at the other men as they trooped into the kitchen, they looked tired, but relaxed, and were milling around getting drinks and laughing slightly. Stephanie hung back a little from them, her hands on the shoulders of the two boys. Mike and Tony had taken to the woman, and were a great part of the reason she was as relaxed around everyone, as she was very fond of the cousins. Her mothering of the two boys, reminded Randy how much the woman really wanted children of her own. He knew Hunter had blamed her for their lack of children; however he had to wonder if the lack had been the other man's, rather than his now widow.

Sting looked around at everyone, he knew that soon Sika's pack would be leaving, part of him wanted to stay and get to know his daughter, however he knew they would never have the kind of relationship they could have, if he had not made the mistakes he did. While he knew Roman would have allowed him to stay and get to know Roxy, he also knew he would feel more at home with Sika, than with his younger son.

"I promised you my story." He said, as he looked around at everyone, his eyes lingering on Roxy. "I think now is the time." He looked at Roxy who had moved to Dean's side, and was watching him with a steady gaze. "I fell in love when I was a young man, there was never anyone else for me, there never has been. I was older than her, and already working when I asked her to marry me. She accepted, at that point I took a better paying job further away, while she was at college like her family wanted, we'd talked it over, and agreed that we would marry when she was done with her education. I was going to work and save for our future, everything seemed to be going well and we were happy. There was an accident, I was badly hurt. I lost the use of my legs, and was stuck in hospital, the money I'd so carefully saved for our future, vanishing to pay for the bills I was racking up. When I was finally able to leave, I had very little left of my savings, and I was stuck in a wheelchair. I felt like my life was over, like I had nothing to offer Katherine. I fell into depression, and that's when I met him, while I was at my lowest ebb."

He could see everyone hanging on his words, his daughter had tears in her eyes, and he felt a lump in his throat, she looked so much like his love, that was another reason he could not stay, he would see her Mother in her face every day, and he was not sure he could take that.

"I was in the park feeling sorry for myself when I first saw him; he was sitting at a chess board, and beckoned me over. We played a couple of games, and I found myself telling him my story. I met him there again the next day, and the next, it was strange, I felt a strange kind of kinship with him, even though I didn't really know him, and then he made me the offer. I thought at first he was crazy, or that he was playing with me, and then he showed me what he could do. He changed into a wolf in front of me, and offered me a chance to do the same. He never told me the dangers of what he was offering me; he just told me that the bite would heal me. I agreed, all I could focus on was that I would have my legs back, that I would be able to go back to my Katherine, whole and able to provide for her. He bit me and left me, I don't know if he expected me to die, or he really thought I would live through it."

He looked at the shocked expressions on the faces of the others, even Randy and Stephanie looked shocked at his story. "The pain hit me first, then it was the fever, he had taken me to a cheap motel room, and paid for two weeks, told them not to disturb him. When I came back to myself, the two weeks were up and I had to get out of there. I had no idea what to do, or where to go I had no information on what I had become, but I didn't care, I could walk again and I was determined to go back to Katherine. Of course I suppose I got luckier than I deserved, since after my first change, I ran into you." His eyes rested on Sika. "Thankfully you were able to explain things to me, it would have been better for everyone if I would have fully listened to you, but I was young and in love, and I was longing to see my girl. I left when I should have stayed, I should have let you teach me, but I wanted to see her so much."

Sika acknowledged the sad smile the other man gave him. "She was your pack Sting, your mate; you loved her so much she couldn't have been anything else."

Sting realised there were tears in his eyes, and wiped them away, he saw Roxy take a step towards him but he waved her back, having her that close to him, he knew he would break down. "I went back, it took me a while but I was back where I belonged. The trouble was it was the full moon, I thought I could just change and hang out in the countryside, I was wrong, I knew she was there, and it was as if I was drawn to her. I, well I supposed it would be honest to say I attacked her, I didn't mean to, I didn't want to, but I couldn't help myself. She was terrified of me she screamed so much, I can hear those sounds she made even now. In the end though I fell asleep and when I woke up she was gone. I searched and searched for her; I never stopped not until I came here and saw Roxy." His eyes rested on his daughter. "Until I found out what I really caused that night with my own selfish desires." He realised there were tears falling from his eyes and he brushed them away.

"Dad." Roxy's voice made him look over at her. "You have to stop beating yourself up over this, I know you loved her, you wouldn't have done what you did if you didn't."

She didn't know what she wanted to say to this man who was her Father, really she wasn't sure, there wasn't the closeness there could have been if things had been different. He had had a part in her existence, but it wasn't the kind of part that either of them would have wished for. Maybe if Sting had ever found Katherine, things could have been different, yet she knew, that what had happened that night had affected her Mothers mind and driven her, if not completely mad, at least slightly so. Possibly she would have survived if Sting had found them, she just didn't know, somehow though she doubted it. There was no way she could say those words out loud though, it would hurt the man who was her Father too much.

"It was my fault Roxy, I can't pretend that it wasn't, that's why when the others go back I'm going with them." He looked at her with a sad smile. "You look so much like your Mother, it hurts so much." He tailed off looking at her.

Dean wrapped an arm around his mate, offering her his support. Sika looked at Sting shocked to finally hear the whole story of what had happened so long ago. He had to wonder who that irresponsible man was, to do something like that, it was crazy, the packs could have been exposed, especially since he left Sting in a cheap motel of all places. Still questions like that could wait for another day; there was still time to be spent with his son and his mate. He glanced over at Roman and Genna, the bond between the pair was visible to anyone with the eyes to see it. He could not help smiling when Genna looked at Roman the love in her eyes was clear in them, but then the same thing was true when Roman looked at her. His youngest son stood behind his mate, his hand unconsciously resting on her belly, as he held her close to him, Genna relaxing back against his body in total trust.

The young woman could feel her mates love for her singing along her nerves, the bond between the two of them strong and healthy. At first it was strange she reflected, to be so aware of another human being. The bond had snapped into place as soon as they made love again, reaffirming their mating and their love. After it was over, they had lain in each other's arms with the biggest grins on their faces, just basking in the afterglow of being with each other, along with the fact that they could sense each other. Soon though she became aware of another presence along the link, and realised that their unborn child was a part of their bond too, sharing the love of its parents, even at this early stage of its life.

Roman had been slower to pick up on the third part of the bond, maybe they reasoned, it was because Genna was carrying their child that she felt it so quickly. Whatever the reason, Roman could feel their child too, and his casual contact with her belly became more frequent, as if he were reaching out lovingly to their child as well as his mate. Often, this would be accompanied by deep feelings reaching out from the baby to its parents. Both packs shared their joy at the contact with the child, and both Afa and Dean had already started to document the pregnancy, as reference for future weres. Once the old pack left, it would be left to Dean, and maybe Seth, who had found an interest in the history's of the weres, to document everything.

Randy watched the group as they began splitting up some heading to the house in the wood, while others headed up the stairs to the bedrooms, to sleep away the morning and recover from the moon time. He knew that soon the two groups would part for a time at least, two alphas could not co-exist for too long without fighting, and though there arrival had lessened the impact of the desire to prove dominance between the two men, it was still there. There were mumbled farewells in their direction, as the sleepy people headed off, and soon it was just him and Stephanie in the kitchen.

Looking after the departing groups Stephanie smiled, not the forced smile she used to wear for Hunter but a genuine one, which reached her eyes and had him smiling back at her. "They're good people." She said softly. "A little different, but they have good hearts."

Randy felt himself nodding his agreement to that, though he knew it bothered her that she had no memory of recent events, he found himself hoping that her memory never came back, she was a better, happier person without all that in her head.

"Come on the boys will soon be wanting breakfast." He told her with a smile as they too headed for the door.

She smiled at that, caring for the two younger boys had given her a purpose these last few days, she enjoyed looking after them and wondered if maybe at some point she could have babies of her own, just because she and the man she had married hadn't had them, didn't mean that she couldn't. Slipping her hand into Randy's, she smiled at him again, as they headed across the yard and into the wood, walking the now well trodden path between Meadow House and the house nestled in the wood. She felt at peace here in the woodland, in spite of the horrors that had taken place there only days before. Maybe if she could actually remember the events instead of just having been told about them it would be different, but the wood seemed a beautiful place to her right now. It would have been odd for the woman she had been, to realise how much at peace this new version of herself was, yet she was. Her old unremembered life had ended, and this new one was taking shape, without her even trying.

Randy gave a smile of his own, Stephanie's steps were light as they walked together, the wood which had been so oppressive and evil to him when they first came here, was light and airy, and he knew whey the packs loved it so much, in a way it was part of them, and they were part of it. They were not the evil Hunter had painted them as, they were just people, good people from what he could see, better people than he or Stephanie had been, and they were proving that, by giving them both a chance. He did not doubt for a moment that Roman was genuine in his warning, that if the pair of them ever betrayed the packs, they would be hunted down; however Randy was content to live his life now. Genna had in the end done him a favour, by killing Hunter, so that his own hands were clean of blood. He knew the young woman at times found it hard to deal with what she had done, but she had the help of her family to come to terms with it. Her inner wolf felt no remorse over what it had done; it had eliminated a threat to its mate and its pack. That alone, he suspected, helped her deal with the emotions she was feeling.

Walking into the woodland house they headed for the kitchen knowing that soon there would be two hungry boys to feed, Stephanie began to get things ready to make breakfast. It was strange though there were so many things she wondered about, things she was sure Randy and the two packs were not telling her, yet at the same time even with the huge gap in her memories, she felt somehow lighter. She was happy, and she had a feeling that happiness was something she didn't have much of before.

Randy began making coffee for the pair of them, while Stephanie started on the breakfast.

"The guys will be leaving soon." Randy said as he poured them both out a drink. "I've decided to buy the property that Sika told me about." He stopped watching her, trying to gauge her reaction to that news; she seemed to be okay with it. "I can't stay here Steph, too much has happened."

She was looking at him now, her eyes large, it was at times like this when she wished she knew what had happened, she knew it had been something bad, even though the other two women tried their best with her, she could see in their eyes that they didn't really like her.

"We can't stay here." She said walking over, and standing in front of him looking into his eyes. "I know you aren't going to tell me what happened here, none of you, but I know it was something more than just those men being killed. I know you are trying to protect me, all of you, you are all good people, but I need to leave as well."

Randy took her hands in his a smile on his face. "Together?"

She nodded her head. "I'd like that, I don't remember who I was Randy, but this me, the new me, wants to try and be happy to." She flushed slightly as she couldn't meet his eyes. "To try and make connections with the people around me."

Randy smiled he kind of liked this shyer Stephanie. "You'll be able to Stephanie, leaving here will be a new start, and you can be whoever, whatever you want to be."

Smiling at him she turned away, going back to making the breakfast, she enjoyed looking after the boys. Her thoughts slipped to ones of a child of her own, she knew she was older now, her clock was ticking, she had been married, but had no child of her own, there was always a chance though. The appearance of the boys made her smile, their happy excited chatter filling the room, and she felt as if this was what she was meant to do, this was how her life was meant to work out.

Once they and the boys were fed, Randy headed to the front room sitting down on the couch and looking out of the window, lost in his own thoughts. It was strange he reflected how at peace he suddenly felt; the past had been laid to rest. He would never forget what had happened, but for some reason without Hunter there to constantly remind him of what he had lost, the pain was fading, and he was ready to move on with his life.

Later that day, the two groups parted company with promises from the old pack to be back when the baby was born. Roman and Sika hugged each other; however the relief for both of them was visible. Then the older alpha hugged, first Genna, then Roxy and finally Dean, bidding them all goodbye. Genna had tears in her eyes as she bid her Father figure goodbye, making everyone smile. Things were a little more strained for Sting and Roxy, they were never going to have a Father, daughter relationship, but they agreed to keep in touch and would try to build a relationship as friends if nothing else.

Roman stood with his arms around Genna watching, his Fathers pack along with Randy and Stephanie, driving away, though they were going to miss them, he knew they had things of their own to work on, Seth being one of the main things. Genna looked up at Roman as the cars vanished down the road, smiling at him as he looked down into her eyes, his hand drifting to her stomach and she knew everything was going to be fine.

So there it is I wanted to give you Sting's story too, because it kind of impacts on Roxy. I hope you enjoyed this story so far just the epilogue to go.

If you would be so kind as to leave me a review it would be much appreciated.