"Have you made a decision?" Kaia asked, stepping closer and wrapping her arms around Kaleb from behind. He sighed and leaned back into her, resting his head on her chest. They were in his study because Kaleb had been working. Well, as close to working as he could get; Kaia was here, and he couldn't stop thinking about her and their night together.

"What do you think I should do?" he asked, taking her hand and looking up at her.

Kaia smiled and touched his cheek. "I think you should talk to them. You can't decide this without knowing what it is you're deciding. Not all of his Pack can be evil, right?"

Kaleb nodded and stood up, stepping away from his desk and into Kaia's arms. "You're right, as always... What did I ever do without you?" He was serious. Kaia somehow made him stronger than he'd ever been before. He had someone he could talk openly with, who could share the burden with him. It was precious, being together. 

Kaia laughed lightly, and the sound filled Kaleb's heart. But soon her face sobered up, and she looked up at him, gently resting a hand on his chest, "Kaleb, I'm going to go see my family today."

He frowned, "Are you sure? We can bring Cole over here, you know? I've already exempted him from the regular Hunter rules; he can come and go as he pleases."

Kaia shook her head, "No, it's more than just Cole. I have to see my dad, too. I need to talk to him and straighten this all out." 

Kaleb fell silent for a moment, but soon enough he closed his eyes and nodded. Even if he didn't like it, it wasn't like he could stop her. And if Cole went with her, she'd be safe. He did have one enduring concern, though. "Kaia we don't know much about Jack's Pack. We don't know how big it is. Hell, up until now we didn't even know it existed." 

Kaia frowned, "You didn't know it existed?"

Kaleb nodded and absently tucked her hair behind her ear, "I know all of the Alphas of all of the Packs. It's my job, as Alpha of Whispers. But I had no idea about Jack."

"So you're saying that I should be careful," Kaia said, "That his Pack might still be out there somewhere." 

"They can't be happy about losing their Alpha," Kaleb said, "So keep your eyes open. I'm sure you'll be fine. I want you to be safe." 

"Thanks for letting me go and not worrying like an idiot," Kaia said, smiling and wrapping her arms around his neck, bringing their faces closer. 

Kaleb smiled softly, "Oh, I'm still going to worry like an idiot." He smiled as he leaned down to kiss her, closing his eyes and feeling the little explosion of fireworks in his heart. Every time he kissed her, he remembered that there was a little good in this world, beautifully still water in a stormy sea. He never wanted to lose that feeling. "But I trust you. I don't see a point in being overprotective around someone who's probably braver and stronger than I am."

"Good," Kaia said, touching his chin with the tips of her fingers. 

Kaleb sighed, looking down at her, "I love you a little."

"A little?" Kaia asked, smiling. 

"Ok, you got me. It's a lot," Kaleb said, smiling. 

Kaia seemed to glow, her face lighting up, "I love you, too." Kaleb loved it when she smiled. He wanted to see it every day for the rest of his life. He'd protect their future, no matter what came their way. 

"I'm going to go call Cole," Kaia said, "He'll drive me over."

Kaleb nodded, "I'll go see Jack's Pack members right now. I'm sure at least one of them will have something to say." 

"Before I go, there's one more thing," Kaia said, her tone serious, "When I was with Jack, he left himself vulnerable, and I was able to see something, a woman. I think she has something to do with who or what I am."

"You've given up on the alien theory?" Kaleb asked. 

Kaia shook her head, "No, I'm pretty sure she was an alien, and I'm right." 

Kaleb laughed and pulled her close again, "If it turns out that you're an alien, I'll dress up in a clown suit and moonwalk for an entire day." 

"I can't wait to see you in a red nose," Kaia said confidently. Kaleb was still laughing when he kissed her. He felt high around her, was still coming down from being so amazingly immersed in Kaia the night before that he couldn't even think straight. 

"We'll figure this out, ok?" Kaleb said, "I spoke to Jaeger, and he said he has a theory. We'll talk to him once you're back if you want." 

Kaia nodded, "Sounds good. I'll see you soon." 

"Be safe, Kaia."

☾

"Cole," Kaia squeaked out when she saw him leaning casually against the car, hands in his pockets like the world had nothing to do with him. He looked up at her and smiled. 

"Hey, Kaia," he said, "You look tired." Kaia blushed as she walked towards him, remembering why she hadn't gotten much sleep last night. She and Kaleb had stayed up all night after, talking and kissing and talking some more. It had been perfect. And then there was what had come after the talking and kissing. Kaia's body was still kind of reeling from it all. She could still smell the smoke from the raging forest fire Kaleb had lit in her heart. She could still feel him. 

"And you look old. When did you get so tall?" Kaia asked, noticing that Cole looked like a man, not a boy. When had that happened? 

Cole smiled and reached out to hug her. Kaia practically fell into his arms, glad to be with her brother again. Cole always seemed to know what to say to her, which made her feel silly because Kaia was the older sibling and she was supposed to take care of him, not the other way around. But no matter how hard she thought about it, Cole always seemed wiser than her. 

"Get in the car, weirdo," Cole said, squeezing her one last time before rounding the back. Kaia smiled and opened the passenger door, plopping onto the seat. As she fastened her seatbelt, she watched Cole. 

She was about to tell him so much. She was a little afraid of how he would react to the news, but she felt ready despite that. Now was the time. "Hey, Cole." 

He looked at her and raised a brow, "Hm?" 

"I have a question," Kaia said quietly. 

Cole sighed as he started the car, "You're going to ask about Lion and me, aren't you?" 

Kaia smirked, "I actually wasn't, but now that you mention it, why don't you elaborate?"

Cole grimaced, "I've dug my own grave, haven't I?" 

"No getting out of this one now," she said, leaning back against her seat and smiling. 

"Ok, long story short...how do I make this short? He...from the moment I met him he's acted insane. He doesn't worry about the things that he should, and it's dangerous for him. I mean, he makes the world out to be much simpler than it is. He's a persistent idiot." Cole was blushing, his gaze determinedly facing forward as he pulled away from the Mansion.

Kaia felt her heart flutter. This side of Cole was new to her. "Hey, Cole." 

He looked at her and then back to the road quickly. It was a long enough glance that Kaia could tell. Cole was good at hiding things, but not this. "You're smiling," Kaia commented. 

Cole's smile vanished, "I'm not." 

Kaia nodded, "Of course. God forbid grumpy Cole smile." 

Cole shot a glare her way, "What did you want to ask me?" 

Kaia took a deep breath. Might as well get it over with, she figured. It wasn't going to be more comfortable if she waited any longer. "Has dad ever mentioned anything about me?" 

Cole frowned, "Besides the fact that I need to protect you with my life because you're a target for Wolves?" Kaia nodded. "Nothing comes to mind. Why?" 

"He never told you why I'm a target?" Kaia asked, looking at him. 

Cole shook his head and readjusting his hands on the steering wheel, "No, he just said that it was something about how you smell to the Wolves." 

Kaia nodded, taking a shaky breath, "I found out why." 

Cole immediately pulled over to the side of the road. When the car slowed to a stop, the comforting sound of the engine cut out, and overwhelming silence surrounded Kaia, making the words she was about to say seem even louder. 

"If you need to tell someone, go ahead," Cole said, "But whatever it is, nothing will change." 

"You don't know that," Kaia said, looking down at her knees. 

Cole touched her shoulder, "I do. Because you're my sister and that won't just go away overnight." 

Kaia felt tears threaten to fall. It was suddenly somehow harder to breathe. "But I'm not." 

Cole looked at her, confused, "What?" 

"I'm only your half-sister," Kaia said, exhaling the words. The pressure that had been building in her chest finally lessened. 

"You're-"

"I have a different father. He's the man you saw in the alley...who killed mom," Kaia said, the words rushing from her lips like they had a mind of her own and wanted to escape the thunderous pounding of her heart. "I think this has something to do with why I smell so different, why I can read people's minds and things."

The tears fell now. Kaia hated them. She hated that even after he was dead, Jack was still managing to make her cry. 

Cole didn't say anything. His face was unreadable. But then he slowly reached down and unfastened his seatbelt. He reached over and wrapped his arms around Kaia. "Are you ok?" 

Kaia let out a short sob and shook her head, pressing her face into Cole's chest. It was comforting. Kaleb would always be her haven, but Cole understood Kaia differently. It was nice to have him finally know the truth. "Not really." 

"Well, the way I look at it, you're still my sister," Cole said. He fell quiet for a moment, gently comforting Kaia. "Do you remember when we were young? You used to hug me whenever I was crying." 

"You'd stop crying immediately," Kaia remembered, laughing through her tears at the memory. 

"Sometimes I cried just so that you'd hug me," Cole admitted. 

"Really?" Kaia asked. 

"Yeah," Cole said, "So even this...doesn't change anything. It doesn't change us. We're still the same, and we're still together." Kaia nodded. "So do you have any other bombs to drop on me?" Cole asked, fastening his belt again. 

Kaia nodded, meeting his eyes, "This one is even more important..." 

Cole frowned, "What?" 

A smile crept across Kaia's face, "You need to get a haircut, or a bird's going to see that nest on your head and lay eggs." 

"It's not that bad," Cole grumbled, starting the car again. 

"It's messy," Kaia pointed out. 

Cole shot a mischievous look Kaia's way, "Lion likes it." 

Kaia laughed, "Oh my god, I can't believe you said that." Kaia leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes for a second. It seemed like a miracle. Things were perfect with Kaleb. She'd finally told Cole the truth. Both of them were happy. Even if Cole didn't want to admit it, Kaia could see that he was at least a little bit in love. 

Things were good...for the first time in a long time, life felt a little bit effortless.

Now she had to face her dad.

Leave me a comment and a little star if you enjoyed. What do you think Kaia and her dad are going to talk about? (Secret about me: I legit make this up as I go, so I have no idea yet what's going to happen. We'll see.)