So I debated about whether writing this chapter or the chapter for my new story but I went with this one.  Have fun :) 

Chapter Quote:
"Fear is beside the point when you're faced with the thing you fear."
~Andrea Cramer, Invisibility
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Chapter 7

Lily 

Six years later...

I rolled over and rested my head on Caleb's chest.  After three years of dating, we usually ended up sleeping in one another's room now.  He was snoring softly, so I poked him gently in the stomach.  He grunted but stayed asleep.  I tried a different tactic by kissing him on the ear.  Caleb's mouth spread into a smile.

"Morning beautiful," he whispered.

"Morning handsome," I said.  He turned his head to me.  It was still hard for me to believe he'd chosen to stay with us.  I remembered sulking in my room, wondering whether or not he'd stay after I talked to him that summer six years ago, and having him come barging into my room to kiss me.  It was settled after that.  The Searchers made him a new identity, leaving his last name as Laroche.  They looked at him like was crazy because they knew who he was but one glare in their direction made them keep their mouths shut.  I was proud of my alpha boyfriend.  He'd grown up so much, both mentally and physically.  I actually had to stand on my tiptoes to kiss him now.  He rolled out of bed and got dressed.  I followed in suit.  Callie had just graduated so now that we were all out of school, it was time for all of us to throw ourselves into our family's business.

"So what do you think they're going to have us do?" Caleb asked, putting on his shirt.

"They'll start us off with something simple," I said while I put on my makeup. "Although they're having me go help do some stuff for a wedding that's being hosted at the hotel."

"Good luck with that.  I think I want to do the sales and marketing.  I'm good at that.  Come on, let's go get some breakfast." We went downstairs hand-in-hand, unaware of the argument we were about to enter.  Immediately I recognized how distressed, how angry, Spencer was.  I could practically see his wolf form slithering around him.  It frightened me to see him like this because he rarely lost his temper.  In fact, he'd only lost it once in his life.  Spencer could easily beat me, Callie, and our parents in a fight.  If he was angry enough, he could even beat Caleb.

"How could you not tell me this?!" He demanded.  Elaine and Michael were standing in front of him, looking extremely guilty.  Callie sat next to them at the table, crying.

"What's going on?" I asked, cutting through the tension.

"This." Spencer threw a piece of paper at me.  I caught it.  Caleb and I read through it.  I felt my heart beating faster and faster.  How was this possible?

"You're... you're his parents?" Caleb queried, looking up at the Starks.

"We couldn't afford to keep him financially when we had him.  We gave him to the Searchers until we could get on our feet.  In three years' time, we could so we took him back but we didn't think he'd understand why we did what we did at that age so we waited."

"For what?!  My whole life I've been thinking my parents simply didn't want me.  You've let me live with that.  How could you do it!"

"We didn't know how!  We didn't know how to bring it up.  And then we saw how much resentment you had for your parents for giving you to the Searchers and we thought it was best not to tell you because we wanted you to love us for who you thought we were instead of for who we really are.  I'm so sorry son.  I'm so sorry," Elaine said, crying.

"Well now I don't love you as either.  And Callie, how could you keep this from me?  How long did you know?" Spencer turned his anger onto my second.  Callie had been promoted when Spencer became Caleb's second.

"They told me not tell you.  I didn't want to hurt you.  Spencer, please, I'm sorry!" Callie begged.

"You and I?  We're over." He stormed over to the door, slamming it shut after he walked out.  Elaine sank into the chair next to Callie and started crying.  Michael rubbed his forehead.

"Someone has to go after him.  They have to talk some sense into him," Callie said through her tears.

"I'll do it.  I'll be back," Caleb announced.  He gave me a kiss on the cheek before running off after his second.  That left me with a wreck of a family.  I didn't know what to do or say.  I saw both sides of the story.  I understood why the Starks kept it a secret but I understood why Spencer was so angry.  Instead, I asked, "How did he find out?"

"I asked him to go get a paper from the safe.  It was the deed for one of our hotels.  I don't know why he dug around in there but he found the letter we wrote to the Searchers about why we were giving him to them.  It spiraled from there," Michael explained.

"Caleb will get him to come to his senses, but don't expect him to be totally accepting of it for a while.  No matter what he said, he still loves you.  I have to go to town to help with the wedding.  Will you be okay while I'm gone?"

"We'll be here, waiting for Spencer," Elaine replied sadly.  I gave them all a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  I grabbed the keys to our Ferrari.  It was mine and Caleb's car.  Spencer and Callie shared a Mercedes McClaren.  Spencer and Caleb also had motorcycles, wicked fast ones too.  They were in storage because you can't really ride motorcycles in Canada even in May.  There's too much of a risk that it'll snow because we have strange weather that makes no sense.

The entire time I was working with the wedding planners, I was on edge.  I couldn't shake off my worry for any of my pack.  I tried not to let it distract me from work but it was nearly impossible.  About an hour into work, there was a loud boom.  I thought a worker had dropped something, so I got up to go reprimand them.  When I entered the lobby, I saw everyone running outside.  Curious, I followed them.  Smoke rose up in the distance and a cold feeling settled in my bones.  My house...

"Parker, get my car," I ordered the valet guy next to me.  When he continued to stand in shock, I shouted furiously, "PARKER!  GO GET MY CAR NOW!"

The poor guy jumped and did as I said, but I didn't care that I scared him.  All I cared about was getting to my pack to make sure they were all right.  Surely it wasn't my house.  It couldn't be my house.  It just couldn't...

One agonizing minute later, Parker pulled up with my car.  I tossed him a fifty and tore out onto the road.  Cops pulled out behind me but I could care less.  If I got arrested for reckless driving because I was scared for my family, then so be it.  I just had to know.  I skidded onto my driveway, racing up the long road.  When I rounded the bend, I came to a screeching halt.  I scrambled out of the car and stared at the inferno of flames that engulfed my house.

"No..." I gasped. 

I screamed for Caleb.

I screamed for Spencer.

I screamed for Callie.

I screamed for Elaine.

I screamed for Michael.

Not one of them answered me.

At least I didn't hear the first two calling me because I couldn't hear them over my own screaming.  Through my tears I saw them come tearing out of the forest.  Both collapsed onto their knees when they saw the sight before them.  I dashed over to them.  I fell next to them, pulling them into bone-crushing hugs.  I felt their arms go around me.  We stayed like that until we heard people trying to speak to us.  I hadn't realized the policemen and firemen were there.  They had an ambulance too but none of us were harmed and we refused to move.  All of us were in too much shock.

"Let me talk to them," a voice ordered.  Through my tears, I looked up at the person who thought they could get us to talk.  I wasn't speaking right now for the life of me.  Spencer had stopped crying but wasn't speaking.  He was staring at the wreckage of our house.  Caleb was murmuring "not again" over and over but I couldn't understand why.

"Caleb?  Caleb Laroche?" the man stated, staring at the alpha in disbelief.  It broke my boyfriend out of his stupor.  His eyes drifted over to the guy and widened in surprise.

"C-Connor?" Caleb stammered.

Connor knelt down. "I can't believe... we looked everywhere for you.  I'm so glad you're safe."

"You know him?" I said, glaring at the guy.   I didn't like how well he seemed to know my boyfriend.

Caleb nodded. "He's my... my dad's sister's husband."

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I- I'm... no, I'm not.  Connor, this is the same thing that-"

"I know.  That's why I'm coming to take you to the Searchers."

"No, I'm not going!  I want to find the people who did this!"

"And we're going to, but we need to get you three safe, okay?" Connor replied.  He helped the three of us up.  With a quick word to the cops, we were off to an unknown destination in a surprisingly nice van.  Caleb seemed to trust this Connor guy, so I did too, but that didn't mean I was going to be friendly.  I turned my attention to Spencer who was still mute.

"Spence?  Hey, say something," I whispered.

"They didn't know..." he said softly.

"Know what?" I asked.

"That I loved them.  I did... all of them... They all thought I hated them when I left and I didn't.  I was just angry and now they'll never know."

"They did.  They knew you were upset."

"But what if they didn't?" Spencer was breathing hard now and I worried he was about to have a panic attack.  I needed to calm him down.

"They did.  Because I know.  Because Caleb knows.  Because I told them before I left that you did.  They know why you said what you did, and they understood, okay?" Spencer nodded.  I held his hand and slipped my other hand into Caleb's.  I rested my head on his shoulder.  He kissed me on the top of my head and said, "I'm going to get who did this.  I swear on my life."

I corrected him. "We are going to get them.  I'm not losing the only family I have left."
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Two chapters in less than 24 hours.  You better love me.  Review :)