The anger and annoyance filled my body while I watched as he walked away. I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath, not really wanting to lose my cool in front of them.

"Ummm..," my step-mother said. Fear filled her eyes, and I knew that she was worried about what Vincent would do to her because she had "disobeyed" his orders.

'Can they live in our house?' I asked Damion, and he grunted.

'Yes, they can live in the house,' he said. 'If Vincent comes...'

'Then I will shoot him,' I replied, and he choked on his drink. 'With a rubber band or a bibi gun. I won't kill him... yet.'

Damion chuckled. He knew that I would kill him if something did happen, and I wouldn't feel guilty. He understood my revenge but hoped that I wouldn't go through with it.

"You three will be living at our place," I said. I looked at the remaining men from Vincent's pack, and they looked down or looked away from us. I could tell that they were nervous and knew that I had to find someone to tell me what it was like living there.

"Why should we?" my half-brother asked. He scowled, and I could tell that he was torn between acting like his father or listening to his mother. "If Moria hadn't fucked up, then we wouldn't be in this mess."

"And if Moria didn't have sex with your father, you wouldn't be here," I replied. I took a sip of my drink. "How old are you, anyway? Ten?"

The young man scowled and narrowed his eyes at me. "I am fourteen," he said.

I grunted and nodded my head. "In two years, you will shift into your wolf form. Correct?"

"Yes, that is what normal wolves do," he replied. "Have you shifted into your wolf form?" he asked, and I shook my head, no.

"Then again, I ain't what you call "normal,"" I replied. "In what, three or four years, you start training to be the Alpha. Correct?"

"I have already started training," he replied. "My father has the strongest pack around." Doubt filled his voice, and I could tell that he didn't believe it. "We are the strongest because we train the men and keep the women at home, making babies."

I snorted and shook my head. "That isn't how it works, Kid," I said.

"And would you know? Have you had kids?"

"Nope," I replied. "But, I do know that a pack is strong when both the men and women work together and not have this biased about it."

"And how would you know?"

"Look around," I said, gesturing around us to show him that most of the pack was gathered and eating the same food. "The men and women here are trained equally. They all are trained even if they want to do something else."

"Such as?" he pressed.

"Cook or become a doctor," Damion replied. "The Alpha is the strongest as the strongest Warrior, but he is also the weakest as the weakest link."

"What your father has taught you isn't right," I said. I took a sip of my drink and nodded in thanks as someone filled it. "Believe it or not, but you know that it isn't right. Correct?"

The young male tightened his jaw. He wanted to retaliate, but he knew what I had said was true. He had this feeling before, but it was beaten out of him.

I looked at him and saw the pain that he was trying to hide. I understood his pain, having dealt with something similar. "Come with me," I said, rising from the table. I looked down at my mate when he placed his hand on mine and nodded my head, answering his unasked question.

Damion nodded his head, too, and let go of my hand. He knew that we would be safe and that I would look out for this fourteen-year-old boy.

The fourteen-year-old stayed seated. His eyes were filled with nerves, and I could tell that he didn't trust me. "But..." He looked at his mother, and I could tell he wanted her guidance.

I, too, looked at my stepmother to see her studying me. I kept my face calm and waited for her to say something that would ease her son's mind.

"Go with her, Bennie," she said, her voice soft. She looked at her son, and I could tell how much she loved him. She was a good mother, and I knew that he would be a good Alpha if he listened to her. "It is ok; she won't hurt you."

The young boy, Bennie, as he was called, nodded his head. He stood from his seat and watched as I walked away from the tables. He stayed silent, prideful, and I knew that he would have a long journey ahead of him.

Pain didn't stop when someone with a heart came around. It was an internal battle and an external one. It tore us apart before it let us mend, and even then, we weren't complete.