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Chapter Quote:
"I'm not going to kiss you today just so you can tell me to go to hell tomorrow."
~Shay Doran, Nightshade
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Chapter 49

Hunter

Josilyn was reading a book when I entered our room. I collapsed onto the bed, resting my head on her shoulder. Placing her book down, she asked, "What happened?"

"I attacked Stark. I lost my head again... then I realized I attacked him for a reason that didn't even exist. Elsa is out of the pack for now but only until the end of the war. Dad realized she couldn't keep being loyal and torn between two packs so to make it easier for her, he gave her an easy out. She can come back to the pack once the war is over. For now, she can decide who she wants to be loyal to and when. I need to find Stark and apologize. I also need to call Caleb and tell him about mom..."

"He knows about your mom. Of that I'm sure," she replied softly.

"Why do I get the feeling you've talked to him?"

"That night the Stark pack howled after they'd been told to get out of our territory, Spencer snuck into the garden to check on Elsa because she hadn't been answering her phone. He and his pack was worried about what had happened to her. She'd told me to stay in the house but when she was taking a long time to come back, I went out to investigate. I overheard Spencer offer her a place in the pack. I confronted her about it and it was then that Spencer told Elsa that I could know. That he would understand. Then a wolf jumped into the gazebo. I didn't recognize him when he transformed. Not at first anyway. I think I wouldn't have unless he'd spoken."

"Caleb? Caleb was at our house?" I demanded, sitting up.

Josilyn cowered. "Caleb asked me not to say anything because he said it was for the best that no one knew. At least that's what I got from it. He came because he hadn't heard from Elsa and was worried about her like Spencer. Elsa asked me not to say anything because she didn't want to lose him again. I said nothing about it because I didn't want her in more trouble than she already was. I'm so sorry Hunter... please don't be mad at me... I wanted to protect my sister..."

"I'm not mad at you. I just- Caleb was at our house? Like actually in it?"

"No, he was at my gazebo because that's where Elsa had caught Spencer."

"I need to go talk to Spencer or Lily. Stark will be of no help since he doesn't shift. I mean he shifted when I hit him but that was only so he could shout back at me."

"Stark shifted in front of you?" Josie squeaked.

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"You didn't see what he looked like did you?"

"No. I was too busy beating him up to be honest. Why?"

"Oh, just curious. That's all. A mystery is always intriguing."

"Right... well I'm going to go find Spencer or Lily and convince them to give me Caleb's number. I'll be back okay?" Giving her a kiss, I exited the room. I made my way to Spencer's room. I could hear voices inside but it sounded like two male voices so one of them definitely wasn't my sister.

Spencer opened on the first knock. He cocked his head at me as if trying to figure out why I was at his door. Behind him, Stark stood with his hackles raised.

"What can I do for you?" Spencer asked.

"I was wondering if you'd be willing to give me Caleb's number. I wanted to call him, talk to him," I said slowly.

Stark growled. Spencer turned around to look at him briefly before turning back to me. "Sorry man. I can't. Caleb doesn't want his number getting out to anyone but Elsa, Anna, your mom, or dad."

"My dad knows where Caleb is?"

"Yeah, but honestly, those four are the only ones that have his number."

"What about Josilyn?"

"She talks to him when she's with Elsa."

"Listen, I just want to apologize to him. I want to reconcile with him for the sake of Elsa and our parents."

"Hunter, I can't. You know I'd do anything to help Elsa but I still have to listen to my alpha on this and I have to respect Caleb's wishes. I can't give you his number."

I hung my head. "Well it was worth a shot. Thanks Spencer."

I walked off, formulating a new plan in my head. Stark didn't like me, which I understood why. But I needed to convince him to let me to talk to Caleb. He was the one preventing Spencer from giving me his number. I'd enact my plan today. I had to. My first stop was Elsa's room though. I needed to talk to her. I poked my head inside, calling her name.

"You can come in!" she answered. I found her lounging on her bed, reading a book. "What's up?"

"I wanted to come say hi. Is that okay?" I queried, sitting at the foot of her bed.

"Of course. Is everything okay? You look like something's on your mind." Elsa sat up, crossing her legs. She stared at me intently, as if she was probing my mind for answers since I wasn't responding immediately.

"I tried to get Caleb's number from Spencer but he couldn't give it to me. Stark and Caleb wouldn't let him."

"What do you want to talk to Caleb for?" Her brows furrowed together, not in anger, but in seemingly genuine confusion.

"I want to apologize. I want to make amends for a few reasons although I didn't say that in front of Spencer or Stark. First off, I want to make amends with him for you. I ran him off and that devastated you. I want to make amends with him for your sake so you don't have two brothers who are forever at odds with each other."

Elsa smiled at me. "I appreciate that, but you don't have to apologize to him for my sake. I've been dealing with you two arguing practically my whole life. I can deal with it for a while longer."

"But you shouldn't have to." I sighed. "Second, I don't want mom and dad to have their two sons at odds. They've raised me better than how I've been behaving and I want to show that to them. They must be so disappointed in me..."

"Mom and dad are not disappointed in you."

"I've been so irresponsible and immature though. I've lost my head so many times. I've been such an ass lately and I don't know why."

"Because you're protective of the pack. Half the time you were trying to knock sense into my thick skull. Most of the problems stemmed from me so your reactions are my fault. You never would've reacted the way you did if I hadn't done what I did."

"You can't take the blame for my own reaction, but I appreciate you trying to make me feel better."

"You look like you feel like shit. I'm your little sister. We're going to argue and fight, but we're also going to laugh and love, and it's my job to make sure you're okay and to make you stop feeling like shut. Now what's the next reason?"

"Last, I really want my brother back. I mean we argued before Anna died but not like how we did afterwards and that was all my fault. I miss having him around. I know he's an alpha now but maybe he could take the south compound or something. Then you could live with him and be with Spencer but still live near us so I could visit you whenever I wanted."

"I'll talk to Caleb, try and get him to warm up to the idea of talking to you. I have to warn you... Caleb is pretty reserved still, but he has dad's temper. In fact, he's a lot like you with his temper once he loses it. I think that's another reason you two butted heads. Despite how different you two are, you're still really similar."

"Thank you Elsa." I stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving so you can read your book. I'll see you at dinner?"

"Of course. Love you!"

"Love you too." I gave my sister a kiss on the top of her head.

Now it was time for my plan. My plan involved me 'accidentally' running into Lily. Problem was trying to find her. I followed her scent around the Academy but this girl took mercurial paths. What on earth was she doing? Always backtracking and going a different direction.

Finally I found her in the library with Stark sitting next to her in wolf form as usual. I calmed my racing heart so neither of them would be suspicious. They both looked up at me the moment I came into their view. My courage fled in that instant. I simply nodded to them, going up to one of the bookshelves and grabbing a random book. As I walked past them, Lily said, "Why do you have Being and Time by Martin Heidegger in your hand? You never struck me as the person to read something about philosophy."

The lie that came from my lips just spilled out. "Oh it's not for me. Josie once claimed she could read anything, so I'm bringing her this. I heard it was one of the most challenging books to read."

"Well you're not wrong. It took me a year to get through it."

"I don't know what I'm going to win if I'm right but hey, if it's just bragging rights, that's fine by me. Oh, before I forget, Elsa wanted to see you in the garden at four, Stark."

"Why at four?" Lily queried suspiciously.

"Because she wants to finish reading her book," I answered in amusement. "She and Josilyn are like two peas in a pod when it comes to books. Once they start, they can't stop. I'll see you two later."

I dashed off to my room where I handed Josilyn the book. I had ten minutes before Elsa's supposed meeting with Stark, and I needed to get there before he did if this plan was to work.

I made up an excuse that I can't quite remember what it was, but it worked. Besides, my fiancée was too engaged in her book to really pay attention to what I was saying. I entered the garden as a black wolf, darting behind a rock that gave me a clear view of the bench next to the fountain. I crouched down so I wouldn't be seen.

At 3:59, Stark came trotting into the garden. He jumped up on the bench, staring at the fountain. Three minutes after four, he jumped down, pacing around the fountain. At five past four, he shifted into a human, but his back was towards me so I couldn't see his face. He was tall whoever he was. His hair was either light brown or dark blonde. It seemed to depend on the lighting.

Stark pulled out his phone, texting someone. He kept looking up and around. I wondered if he knew this was somehow a trap. Barely thirty seconds later, his phone began ringing.

"Hey Elsa, where are you?" Stark asked. His voice sounded familiar but I couldn't quite place why. "I'm in the garden. Hunter told me you wanted to meet me in the garden..." Pause. "He lied to me. You were never going to meet me in the garden. This was all just a ploy so he could see who I was!" Stark whirled around, eyes scouring the garden for my hiding spot. It was only a matter of time before he spotted me but I didn't care. I was too busy trying to figure out why he looked so familiar.

I hadn't been able to hear what my sister had been saying until this very second when she practically shouted, "Caleb! Caleb, don't do anything stupid!"

Caleb...

I cursed myself for not realizing it sooner that Stark was Caleb. Things had been made clearer about why Elsa was so loyal to them but now everything was crystal.

Caleb had grown tall. Taller than me by a good few inches. He wasn't a gangly teenager anymore. He was still lean, but that was an illusion. Caleb was stronger than he'd ever been and I'm pretty sure he liked deceiving people about his strength. That way he could take his opponent by surprise.

I would know. I'd been on the receiving end of his attacks recently.

"You son of a bitch," Caleb growled, his eyes finally settling on me. I shifted into human form, staring at him wide-eyed. Words wouldn't come no matter how hard I tried. "You knew I didn't want to talk to you yet just like always, you shove your unwanted presence in other people's business."

"I wanted to apologize Caleb," I finally said. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for the shit I put you through when we were younger. Anna-"

"Shut up," He interrupted. "I don't care what you have to say. You should've apologized eight years ago when it was happening. That's when it mattered. Not now."

"I want to do it for Elsa and our parents. None of them deserve to have us fighting, especially now that you're in our lives again."

"I'm not in your lives again. Elsa was the only one who was supposed to know. Then Josilyn found out and the only reason I told her was because I knew she'd say something about me and Spencer being at your house that night to the pack. I wasn't going to risk Elsa's safety for that. Then mom somehow got my number which I'm pretty sure that was Elsa despite my protests. Then it was dad. And now you. I didn't mind those four knowing. They respected what I wanted. But you? You never have."

"Caleb!" Elsa hissed, skidding to a stop next to me.

"You stay out of this," Caleb ordered.

"No. You're not my alpha and neither is he. I have no pack which makes me my own alpha."

"This isn't a discussion! I want nothing to do with Hunter!"

"He's your brother!" my sister argued.

"No he's not!" Caleb roared. "Spencer treated me more like a brother than this ass ever did!"

"You were always the one saying people needed to try and talk things out before stuff got physical. I never listened, but I'm willing to try it now," I said. Caleb's fist connected with my jaw, sending me staggering back. Elsa was by my side instantly, helping me regain my balance.

"What the hell?!" She demanded.

"He deserved that and a whole lot more for the hell he put me through, for the hell he put our family through!"

"He put you through hell but that didn't mean you had to run away!" Elsa spat.

"What other choice did I have?! He was never going to forgive me getting Anna killed and if you really believe he would have, then you're not as smart as I thought. I want nothing to do with him Elsa. Not now, not ever."

With that, Caleb stormed out of the garden. My sister's grip on my arm had tightened so much that I was beginning to lose feeling.

"Elsa, you okay?" I questioned gently.

She nodded, her grip relaxing. "Fine. Just mad at him. He should've talked to you."

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have lied to him and I shouldn't have pushed him."

"You shouldn't have lied, but I get why you did it. I'm glad I figured out what happened because if I hadn't, I wouldn't have been here and wouldn't have been able to stop him from hurting you more."

"But that put you in his line of fire."

"I can handle it. It's not the first time I've been spoken harshly at. I know not to take it personally. And Hunter, not everything is your fault. Caleb could've reacted to you wanting to speak to him in many ways, but he decided to punch you instead. Do you need blood?"

"No, I'm okay. That... could've gone better."

"He'll come around. I promise."

"I think it'd take something drastic for that to happen," I laughed humorlessly.

"This is no excuse but he's dealing with a lot lately and there's going to be a decision he has to make in the future that could have some serious repercussions."

"You can't tell me, can you?"

"No... only Spencer and I know about it. Even Lily doesn't."

"That bad?"

"Yeah..."

"I'm going to go see dad, tell him I know about Caleb. See if he has any advice on what I can do to get him to talk to me."

"I'll go with you. I want to see mom."

"She's still not responding. At least she's stabilized. The Healers think that her Guardian blood is helping keep her alive. They believe that if she hadn't been a Guardian, she would've been dead by now. It might take a while, but they think she'll pull through."

"That's the best news I've heard in ages."

Elsa and I walked to the infirmary where we found the rest of our siblings waiting outside. Caleb, in wolf form since Ember still didn't know it was him, let out a growl directed at me. Elsa growled back at him. Caleb seemed taken aback. Anna and Ember just appeared confused.

"What's going on?" I inquired.

"Dad said something to the Healers and Anna and I got kicked out of the room. Stark came over a few moments later," Ember said.

"Why do you have a bruise on your cheek?" Anna asked me. She glanced over at Elsa when I didn't answer. The two had a mental conversation to which it ended with Anna glaring crossly at Stark. He sat down indignantly.

Elsa sat down on the floor, against the wall. Anna joined her. Ember and I sat across from them. Caleb lay on the other side of the hallway. His coat suddenly changed colors. Ember's eyes widened at the sight of it.

"I thought only our family could do that!" she exclaimed.

"Spencer, Lily, and Stark can do it too. There were more successes than just our parents, but not many," Elsa explained.

"How on earth did Caleb find another pack that could do the same thing as he could?" Elsa shrugged in response. The four of us stopped talking, waiting impatiently for dad or the Healers to come out. I couldn't stop the worry gnawing at me that dad had finally told the Healers to pull the plug on the life support that was helping keep mom alive. But dad wouldn't do that. Not when there was a chance mom could pull through.

It felt like we waited for hours. One by one, our pack mates joined us when they found out what was going on. Josilyn sat next to me. Noah hesitated in trying to find a place to sit. He and Ember were still arguing over whether or not Elsa and the others should have gone after Anna. However, in the end, he sat next to his girlfriend. She rested her head on his shoulder. Two hours in, Caleb stood up and started pacing back and forth, his claws tapping on the tile floor in an almost hypnotizing way. Finally, Elsa shifted forms and nipped his tail to get his attention. He turned around to face her. The two had a silent conversation for a few moments. When it was finished, Elsa went back to being human. She sat down next to Anna. Caleb lay next to her legs, resting his head on her shin. Elsa gave me a tired smile before putting her head on Anna's shoulder and closing her eyes.

Five hours in, most of the pack was asleep. Only Loren, Shiloh, Lily, and I were awake, and even then, the four of us were struggling to stay awake. In fact, Loren and Shiloh had finally given in about ten minutes past the four hour mark. I was pretty sure Caleb was still awake despite his eyes being shut. His ears kept moving at the slightest of sounds.

"I heard you figured out who Stark was," Lily murmured.

I looked at her. "Yeah. I did. My oh-so brilliant plan to talk to him didn't exactly go brilliantly."

"I can tell. The bruise has faded but it's still there."

"Did you teach him how to fight?"

"I taught him a few things, but it was mostly Spencer. He's the black belt in the family."

"Thank you for taking him in. Thank you for watching over him."

"You're welcome."

I hesitated. "I'm sorry about Callie."

"Me too. I thought she was going to be okay once we got her back here but I was wrong."

"What are you going to do if you see her again?"

Lily mulled over the question before finally answering me. "That isn't the Callie I know. Hell, that's not even Callie. She's too far gone to ever come back. That much is obvious. She will always be a threat to my pack and yours. If I see her again, I'm going to have to kill her."

"You'll kill your own packmate?"

"She will never stop coming after me and my pack because she's mad we didn't join her side. She'll never stop going after your pack because she hates Elsa with every part of her being for grabbing Spencer's attention and keeping it."

"I'll kill her if she tries to kill my sister."

"Which is why you'll be in danger too. All of us underestimated her. Now I'm overestimating for our safety and yours."

At that moment, a Healer came out of the room, completely exhausted. I stood up, praying silently for good news. The movement caused Caleb to lift his head (so he had been awake). Elsa, Anna, and Ember stirred awake. The Healer turned to me. "You and your siblings can come in."

The girls dashed into the hospital room. I had my foot in the door when I stopped, turning to face Caleb. "Are you coming?"

My brother shook his head.

"I'm not your brother anymore, but the girls are still your sisters. Mom and dad are still your parents, no matter what's happened in the past."

Slowly, Caleb stood up. Looking around at the rest of the Laroche pack, he shifted into human form. He said nothing to me as he walked past but that was progress. At least he didn't punch me again...

Upon entering mom's infirmary room, I found dad in near tears, but they weren't sad tears. They were happy tears.

"Hi sweeties," mom croaked.

"Hi mom," Caleb and I said simultaneously.

"How are you feeling?" Caleb added.

"I'm okay. Your dad gave me a lot of blood."

"You're going to be fully okay right?" Anna asked.

"The Healers said I'd make a full recovery. They said that now I'm awake and can eat and drink, it'll help the healing process go much faster."

"That's great!"

Mom looked around at us. Her eyes settled on Caleb though, a grin spreading across her face. "You have no idea how good it is to see you again."

My brother gave mom a sad smile. "I missed you mom. I was so worried I wouldn't get to see you again."

"It takes more than a multiple stabbing to kill me," she declared. "Besides, if it wasn't for you, I would've been dead."

"You saved mom's life?" I asked.

"You didn't tell me that," Elsa said.

Caleb flushed. "I didn't see the point in saying anything. All of you would've done the same thing and mom still ended up in this hospital."

"Thank you son," dad said. "Kids, your mom is tired. Why don't you alert the rest of the pack that she's awake so they can come say hi before she goes back to sleep?"

Knowing not to argue, the five of us kissed our mom on the head and left the room. Caleb shifted immediately into a wolf as the rest of us woke up our pack one by one. They scurried into mom's room all at once. Even Spencer and Lily joined in. I felt bad for mom. There was not going to be any short hellos.

Once it was only the five of us in the hall, Caleb shifted again. Ember glowered at him.

"I'll be nice to you around mom and dad for their sake but don't expect me to be happy you're back after everything you caused. You should've stayed up in Canada," Ember snarled. She turned on her heel and walked off.

"She'll... come around," Elsa promised.

"I doubt it..." Caleb grumbled. "I'll see you later."

He started to walk off but Elsa and Anna cleared their throats, raising their eyes at him expectantly. Despite being an alpha, my sisters still had him wrapped around his finger. Hell, they had me too.

"Hunter, I'm sorry for punching you. You were being civil and I attacked you for no reason."

"I deserved it," I said.

"Maybe you did, but I'm above losing my temper like that."

"Does this mean you're willing to talk to me about things?"

"No. Just because I'm sorry I punched you doesn't mean I want to talk to you any more after this conversation."

"Caleb," the twins warned.

"Hey, you two wanted me to apologize. I did. I still don't want to talk to him. I'll see you later."

Once my brother was out of earshot, I said, "He's never going to forgive me."

"Oh yes he will. He's not going to get a choice in the matter," Elsa declared.

"Before he goes back to Canada, he's going to have a long chat with you, even if that means that we have to lock him in a room with you," Anna chimed in.

"He might kill me."

"We'll tie him to a chair," Elsa suggested.

"What if he breaks free?"

"We'll use chains," Anna replied.

"I could make a really bad joke about that but I'm not going to. I'm going to head to bed. It's been a long day. I love you two." They gave me the same sentiments and walked off together. I chose to go to the dining hall where I could grab something to eat since my stomach reminded me in a very loud growl that I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I grabbed a sandwich from the pantry and sat at a table by myself in front of the unlit fireplace.

"Hey," Josilyn greeted, coming to sit next to me.

"Hey," I said. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you. I came across Elsa and Anna and they told me you and Caleb had a fight."

"I'm fine... just hoping he'll forgive me one day."

"He will. Caleb's was just being irrational. Besides, Elsa and Anna aren't going to be all that nice to him until he talks to you."

"I just hope I didn't ruin our relationship completely."

Josie rubbed my back. "You didn't. Things will work out. I promise. He's going to realize sooner or later that you're being genuine in wanting to talk with him. Give him time. He never expected anyone but Elsa to find out about him."

I turned to her, a lazy smile on my face. "Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Multiple times. Especially with the ring," she giggled. "Why?"

"Because I want tell you again. Let me finish my sandwich and then I'll sweep you off your feet to our room." I kissed her before stuffing my mouth with my sandwich. It was gone in five bites. Josilyn laughed as I scooped her into my arms.
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Long chapter. I hope you enjoyed! Reviews would be lovely! :)