If Sky hadn't been there to hold me up, I'd have fallen over. The surge of adrenaline that goes through me at the sight of my former mate feels like enough to stop my heart, and as I sag in Sky's arms, I almost laugh at the irony that Elena might kill me in front of the kids after all.

The rest of my family is not amused.

"Julian, hold me back," Dane growls, his eyes flashing red and his Wolf practically visible as he bristles.

Julian crosses his arms. "Nah. Go wild. I won't stop you."

"The kids," Dane mutters. "Probably best if I don't tear their mother's head off while they watch."

"Allow me." Ambrose steps forward and rolls up his sleeves as flames flicker up and down his arms, singeing his clothes. "She'll be gone in a puff of smoke and we can hose the ashes into the sewers, where they belong."

"Now, now," Elena chides, still with a soft voice and a smile, "don't you at least want to hear what I have to say before you carry out the execution?"

Regaining control of myself a little, I take a step forward, putting myself between her and the rest of the kids.

"There is absolutely nothing you could say that I would want to hear, Elena. You shouldn't be here. Miguel," I beckon, "come."

Elena's hand tightens on his shoulder, and for a moment, I'm not sure what she'll do. Then, thankfully, she releases him and gives him a little shove.

"Go on, mijo," she says, her eyes still locked with mine. "Do as your father says."

Shoulders hunched and head bowed, Miguel shuffles forward and into my arms, where he bursts into tears and a half-coherent apology. I do my best to soothe him while keeping one eye on my ex-mate. 

"Did she hurt you?"

Face buried in the front of my shirt, he indicates a 'no.' He hasn't hit his first puberty-driven growth spurt yet, so he still only comes up to my chin; still my little boy.

"M'sorry," he whimpers. "M'sorry, Dad."

"Shh — it's okay. As long as you're okay. That's all that matters to me."

"I just wanted... to help," he sobs. "And I wanted... to be a wolf... like you."

Confused, I kneel in front of him, gently wiping the tears from his face with the pads of my thumbs. "What do you mean, Sweetheart? You are a wolf. Just because you haven't Shifted yet doesn't mean—"

"No." Miguel shakes his head, more tears filling and spilling from his amber-hued eyes. "There's n-no w-wolf in me. I've n-never felt it. Even N-Nico and R-Rio... It's obvious. With m-me, there's just n-nothing there."

"Sweetheart, every Wolf is different," I say, attempting to comfort and calm him while aware that all eyes — including Elena's — are on me. "Just because your wolf hasn't woken up yet doesn't mean—"

"I'm sure," he insists. "There's nothing there."

"Miguel, you're the son of two wolves," I say gently. "It's impossible for you to—"

"Not impossible," Elena interrupts. "Highly improbable, but not impossible. And he's right, as far as I can see. He's not a wolf."

Casting her a glare, I study Miguel with fresh eyes. Apart from behavioral quirks and some advantages in strength and speed, human and wolf children are indistinguishable before the Awakening, which usually occurs — as Flora's had — with the onset of puberty. But behaviors can be learned as well as instinctual, and personality has an influence, too. Miguel has always been quieter and less physically active than his siblings, but...

I shake my head and rise to my feet, hugging Miguel to my chest and glaring at Elena.

"I don't know what nonsense you put in his head, or when you had the chance to put it there, but you've got about ten seconds to get out of here before you're either torn to shreds or turned to ash. Your choice."

She lifts her brows at me. "You won't even hear me out?"

"I told you: there is nothing you could say that I would want to hear. If there's something you want to share, you can send it in a letter. You obviously have my address."

She frowns, but to my surprise, she doesn't argue.

"Fine." Shrugging, she pulls a card from her purse and bends at the knees, long slender legs pressed together, and lays it on the ground before straightening to her full height. "If you change your mind, call me. I have a proposal that I believe will benefit us both. Just don't wait too long. I'd hate for our children to lose both parents."

With that, she flicks her long red hair over her shoulder and walks away down the street to a black McLaren parked a few spots down, sliding into the passenger side with the grace of a dancer. With a roar of an overpowered engine, the car pulls into a tight turn and speeds away.

Still holding Miguel, I lose my balance as the muscles in my legs fail, and fall into Sky's arms.

He'd been at my back all along, steady and strong, ready to support me if I needed him, but letting me stand on my own as well.

"Are you alright?" he asks, as Flora, Nico and Rio gather round as well and join our dog-pile hug. "Martin? Talk to me."

"Yes, I'm... I think I'm... alright," I gasp, and realize, even as I say it, that it's true.

Somehow, and against all expectation, I came face to face with Elena and I survived.

A shadow falls over me, and I look up to see Dane's hulking form blocking the sun.

"What did she mean, 'lose both parents?'" he asks.

Frowning up at him, I rest my head against Sky's chest while still stroking Miguel's hair, and sigh. "It's gonna take a while," I say. "Can we go inside first?"

〜〜〜

Arranged in Noah and Ambrose's spacious, if slightly musty, antique-filled living room, Sky and I spill forth our tale. Noah has taken Nico and Rio out back to play with Dougal the dog, but Flora and Miguel join us. Miguel clearly knows more than he should already, and Flora is mature enough to handle the truth.

Most of it, anyway.

I skirt a few issues, making the extent of Elena's abuse crystal clear to the adults, while keeping it vague enough to pass above the heads of those with younger ears.

When I finish, Dane swallows and clears his throat.

"When were you gonna tell me this, Martin?" he asks quietly. "Before, or after you vanished without a trace?"

I frown. "I wasn't planning to 'vanish' at all. I was—"

"I'm your Alpha," he snaps, amber eyes flashing red. "I accepted you here as a gesture of trust. Brother to brother. I expect your trust in return."

My lungs empty and fill themselves twice before I catch my breath enough to answer.

"I know, Dane. I know. And I'm sorry. Please, I—"

"Stop."

The command in his voice shuts me up like a slap, and it takes every ounce of willpower I have not to cower as he rises and stands before me. Miguel leans against my side, Sky looks on tensely, and Flora growls. I shoot her a quelling glance as I lower my head.

Dane is right: he's my Alpha, and as non-traditional as his pack is, it's his right to punish me if he sees fit.

Instead, I gasp with surprise as he pulls me to my feet and into a tight embrace.

"Martin, you are loved," he says. "Everyone in this room loves you, and quite a few outside of it do as well. You are not alone. Not ever. You understand?"

Fighting against tears, and losing the fight, I nod.

He releases me and pats my shoulder before turning to Sky.

"I made a mistake, once," he says, glancing at Ambrose. "Well, I've made a whole bunch of mistakes, to be honest, but I try not to make the same ones twice. So, if you're my brother's Mate, then that means you're Pack. And that means you're not alone, either. We will fight and die for you, and we will do everything in our power to help you in any way we can."

His eyes wide as the open sea, Sky nods. "I thank you," he says. "And I do hope that, fate willing, I may return the favor, someday."

Dane grunts and returns to his seat, dramatic Alpha demonstration at an end. Julian pats his shoulder and smiles at me.

"So, Martin," he says, shooting me a wink. "Sounds like you caught yourself one helluva fish."