Chapter 38 – Line Drawn in the Sand (Kalenah POV)

As a kid, growing up, my dad always enforced to my sisters and I that we should put one another first. We would have troubles, but we shouldn't just give up on the family.

When looking for my mate, I wanted someone with deep family roots. Someone that understood that family was important. If you couldn't treat family well, how on earth would you treat a stranger?

Then I met Ansel.

Handsome and dedicated to his family. Open hearted and shared my views as well. But as the older sibling, Ansel did more than care for his siblings. In my young eyes, he carried the weight of his siblings on his shoulders. He wanted to help them in any way he could.

Ansel openly wanted his brothers and sisters to seek him out when they were in trouble. It didn't matter what they had done, he wanted them to come to him.

"They need to know I will help them without judgment. If they believe they don't have that, they'll never come to me, turn to me for anything." He told me once.

In all our years together, I don't think I've ever once witnessed Ansel put up road blocks between him and his siblings. He's never once looked at any of them with the fire in his eyes that he did right now as he gazed at his little brother Danny.

With my father-in-law next to me, the intense gaze Ansel has now doesn't frighten me. In truth, he doesn't have a problem with Danny outside of going to see Faith while she was in the hospital getting treatment for her wrist.

But I think what's going to be settled now is something Danny was hoping he'd never hear coming from Ansel.

"I didn't go after the girl-"

"The girl has a name Danny," Ansel says still in that eerily calm voice, "Her name is Faith. The same Faith, that Andy spent almost a whole year asking for. The same girl that you told him not to mention anymore because it hurt Cynthia-"

Danny squints his eyes, narrowing at Ansel.

"How do we know she is who we say she is?"

Ansel barked out a laugh, "Because I tested her blood against Cynthia's... you think I'd make decisions about the family without getting proof, Danny?"

"Fine, I went there," Danny shrugged, "I went there and made sure that the girl," Ansel took a menacing toward his brother, causing Jonah to hiss under his breath. "I went to see Faith, I wanted her to know how tricky this situation was. I'm moving my family here and..." Danny huffed looking down. "We need some-"

Ansel took a step back, waving his hand. "Don't ask me for help, because it's not going to happen Danny. I'm not letting you stay in the town apartment, or on the property. I'm not helping you and Cynthia-"

"We're family," Danny says confused, "We need help – we were barely making ends meet-"

"Yet you and Cynthia had Genesis," Ansel says monotone. My eyes widen, and a frown grows on my face. "Ansel," I whisper softly. "You and Cynthia must think I'm stupid," my husband continues, shaking his head.

"You ask for a loan months before you even claimed to be expecting Genesis, but I turn you down. Three months later, Cynthia's pregnant. You ask for another loan, and I give you that. You send Cynthia with Genesis down to Bend, and she asks for another loan, a few hundred dollars. Stupid me... I think, oh a new baby, they need the extra money. And now, you're moving to Bend? Living in a hotel in Portland?" Ansel shakes his head.

"Not another dime Danny. Whatever you're doing in Bend, you figure it out on your own. I'm not making life easy for Cynthia. She's never once held a job, you need money, but you're taking over the bakery here?"

I frown looking at Jonah, "Why Danny? What's with all the loans I've been giving you? Where is all that money going?"

Adding up the loans we've given out to different families I do my own math. True enough, Ansel had given Danny the most in the last two years.

"So this isn't about Cynthia and Faith? This is about money?" Danny questions haughtily.

"No Danny, this is about protecting my family, Faith is family. She's important to us. I'm not going to welcome you all with opened arms, I have to think of Faith-"

"We. Are. Family-"

"And I'm cleaning up the mess that Cynthia made," my Ansel countered angrily, "She left a child with Alpha Monet Danny... an innocent little girl."

"That has somehow come into your family," Danny says with a bit of spite.

"What are you trying to imply Danny?" Jonah finally speaks.

"She's poisoned you all against us-" eyes wide I go and stand next to my husband. "No," Jonah lifts his finger, waving it at Danny, "No, son."

"You don't get to turn this around on that poor girl. She hasn't turned anyone against anyone but at the same time," Jonah rubs his chin roughly. "She is the child in this situation. How she came to Bend, might be accidental, might not be. But what we do know is that someone went to a lot of trouble to protect Faith and now that she is in our care," I look away smiling.

Jonah said 'our' care, as though Faith was living with him, and not with Ansel and I.

"They are innocent as Faith. They have a father and mother... a woman that has raised them like she gave birth to them Danny. One that we all welcomed, approved of and treasured because we thought oh this lady has lost a child... yet she is opening her heart to love our three granddaughters." I look away frowning, my bottom lip trembling.

That is what made Cynthia's lie worse.

She played the part of grieving mother so well that Jonah was spot on. She lost a little girl and so many times over I thought, how brave and vigorous she was. She's lost a little girl and instead of getting a stone heart, she's taken on the role of 'mother' to three small girls.

Only to find out that the little girl in question? Cynthia left her vulnerable and alone in one of the worst packs in the world. Her actions made me question everything she said from the minute she ran into Danny. Then again, was that even accidental?

"You were nothing but a mark," I say with my brows scrunched together. "You're entire marriage-"

"Don't you dare try to dissect my marriage Kalenah!" not even slightly affronted, I remain silent, my opinion not changed at all.

"Bottom line Danny? Kalenah and I need to protect Faith, she's in a very emotional state right now and though she's making progress – it's too unstable to say that I'm going to welcome you all with open arms. I'm not going to do that. I cannot do that, so what I'm saying to you, is keep your family away from her." Ansel says rather kindly, though I hear the roughness in his voice.

This is not easy for him. The family came first with Ansel.

"As my brother-"

My husband shakes his head, sighing heavily. "No, not as your brother, but as Faith's father."

I look away from Ansel, Danny, and Jonah. My mind racing with the new possibilities that Cynthia living in Bend would cause.

"And," Danny swallows audibly, "and as an uncle?"

I sighed myself, knowing how difficult this was for Ansel. "Danny, we love the girls, but right now, your daughters are the little girls Cynthia raised while she left Faith. Your daughters have you, Faith has no one. Cynthia has made this situation. Ansel and I are just trying to help, Faith steer through it."

Swallowing Danny walks backward toward the bed in the center of the room. Stumbling back, he sits on the bed. Rubbing his face roughly.

"She looks like Andy," he says shaking his head. Lifting one hand to my chest I swallow, feeling my heart racing underneath my palm. "I didn't know Dad," Danny says to Jonah, head in his hands.

"Andy begged me to find his 'F-Fay,' that he needed her," Danny says rocking back and forth. "I've never lied to a child... my girls asked me to bring back their mother and-and I told them the truth then. I told them that s-she was gone," Danny chokes out, his body vibrating with emotion.

There is an ounce of shame coating Danny's words but it's unfounded. Ansel, our parents, siblings, and myself all have to accept the burden he is carrying.

It was nearly months of Andy asking for his 'Fay.' Gosh the looks of pity we gave him, reminding him over and over again. "He never, not once asked for Sophie," Danny whispers brokenly. I frown just taking in Danny's words.

Before I thought maybe there was nothing there. That Maybe Andy was too young to remember his sister – Sophie.

The truth was there was no Sophie.

Andy knew whom he was asking for.

Taking Ansel's hand in mind, I squeeze his hand tightly in my own. I loved Danny as my own siblings, watching him now was too much. Danny didn't need us to point out the problems in his life now. He knew them and all I could assume was that Danny was in a world of hurt, regret and had decisions to make that were not going to be easy.

"I just-" Danny shakes his head, blue irises identical to my Ansel. "Why didn't you guys tell me sooner? You've had Faith with you for nearly four months now? She saved Talia and-"

Danny seems to be thinking a mile a minute when suddenly he stops, head snapping up to face us all.

"You decided long before tonight whose side you were on," Danny states. Plugging in pieces. "Us staying away for the twins birthday, you did that because you didn't want us around Faith. It had nothing to do with the bullshit excuse you gave me," his tone accusatory.

He was speaking the truth, but to Danny I'm sure it was still a shock. "Get out!"

The roar startles me and Ansel and I, Jonah as well turn to leave. But Jonah doubles back, turning to face Danny.

"Danny," Jonah calls his son softly. His tone holds Ansel and I in our spot as well.

"From what we saw, whatever you and Cynthia decide... just remember that children take cues form their elders. You need to make it clear to your children that none of this is Faith's fault. She is the most innocent in all of this."

I only spare a glance at Danny before I return my eyes elsewhere.

"Danny you need to remember that their narrative of Cynthia is not-"

"Dad," Danny shakes his head, tsking. "Cynthia is my wife. She lied to me, yeah... but you guys," he frowns. "You guys want me to throw away everything good that she has done. Do you all remember what the girls were like before Cynthia came along? Empty and grieving! She loved my girls. We have three children together... she has stood by my side."

He stands and begins pacing back an forth.

"You all decided long before we came down. You kicked out your nieces and nephew from a house that they've always been welcomed in," Danny stops right in front of Ansel and I.

"Cynthia is the one that lied," he nods, blurry eyed. "But don't tell me that I should make my children understand that Faith isn't the one to blame. Because none of you can say that if she wasn't in the picture, that you'd react this way," my mouth drops open, eyes widening.

I glance up at my Ansel, his face mirroring my shock.

"It's true. If you had only learned that Cynthia lied but not because Faith was standing there, you wouldn't treat my children as though they did anything wrong in this."

"Faith is the most innocent?" Danny scoffs.

"All of my children are innocent as well-"

"And we are not saying that they aren't-"

"You kicked out my children Ansel-"

"Danny!" Jonah snaps when he takes a step towards Ansel. Brothers standing nose to nose, while I just hold my breath waiting for this to explode. "Daniel! What would you expect him to do? He is protecting everyone in this matter!" Jonah comes forward, glaring between his children.

Ansel takes a step backward and like a magnet, I do as well. 

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last count on where Taylor got the money from:

A. Actually stole it from the Conrads

B. Given the money by the Elders

C. She was using Devin's hack, and sold the information

D. All of the above

E. None of the Above