Thirty minutes later, we are back out on the street after the Alpha signed a bunch of paperwork and promised Mr. Evans that he will put the check in the mail as soon as he gets home.

"Where to now?" Lance asks.

"I have one more stop to make."

The Alpha turns on his heel toward the parked truck, the keys dangling from his hand. Ever since Mr. Evans brought up the money, he has been reticent. Strolling down the busy street in pressing silence, I taste trouble in the air. No doubt the conversation with the lawyer didn't go as expected and this lawsuit is becoming a big headache.

"Dante, why don't you ride with Raelyn in the back? There are some things I need to discuss with Lance in private."

Dante's brows rise, but he bites his tongue. With a killer expression and without offering me a hand, he pulls himself onto the bed of the truck and plops down on the bench. This ride won't be pleasant, wherever we go. Except for the humming of the engine, choking silence keeps a barrier between us until the truck reaches the town limits.

Then he goes off. "Was that the bastard who took your innocence?"

"So what if it's him?"

"Come on, Raelyn. I could sense you're still hung up on him."

"Wrong. Eric and I broke up a good six months before you claimed me."

"But you saw him over Christmas?"

"Nothing happened." Except for an incredible kiss. "We're only friends."

"That hug was anything but friendly. He wants into your pants."

"Well, it's a moot point. For him, we're married. He will respect that."

"But that doesn't mean you will respect it." In the blink of an eye, he is on top of me, his heavy body squeezing the wind out of my lungs. I can't move. His breath is heavy as his lips hover over my mouth. "How many nights will you lie in bed next to me thinking about him? Wishing it was him who makes love to you?"

When his claws dig deep into my wrists, I cry out. As I try to wiggle free, a low growl from my wolf warns him that he should better get off me.

His teeth descend. Teasingly, he scrapes them over my vein of life. "I could tear your throat out and no one would even care."

"If that were true, why didn't you do it already? Our bonding mark would be gone and you and Lara could be together."

"An appealing thought."

"And you just gave the answer to your own question. How often will I think about Eric? Just as often as you'll think about Lara."

The bite to my cheek is quick and judging from the red-hot pain and amount of blood that runs down the side of my face, he took out a good chunk.

"Are you insane?" The pain sinks into my skull and a few burning tears escape.

"I won't allow you to shift, so this will leave a nice, big scar. Your human boyfriend will not want to look at you again."

"Your parents won't let you."

His smile is smug. "Trust me, my parents will side with me when it comes to a human boy. Their only concern is the pack."

"They've been warning you to treat me better."

The most vicious laugh escapes his throat. "Is that what you think? Ridiculous. My affair with Lara caused disruptions within the pack. . . and that's what I've been warned about. Oh, and of course keeping peace with my dickhead brother. My mom hates when we fight, but since Jos has been sent away, this won't be an issue anymore. It's just gonna be you and me, and a whole bunch of pretending."

He licks some of the blood off my cheek before returning to his seat on the bench. When I try to sit up, my wolf whimpers; the throbbing has spread from my skull into my neck and shoulder. The pain is paralyzing. My nature stirs, ready to shift, but I keep her contained. For now. The Alpha has to see what his son did to me; it's my only way to validate if Dante's claim that his father only cares about the pack is true.

I finally manage to heave myself back onto the bench. Shortly thereafter, the truck makes a sharp left turn off the main road. I blink a few times to ensure my eyes aren't playing tricks on me. This is the long driveway leading to my old packhouse; we just entered my father's territory. What does the Alpha want from him?

When we stop in front of my childhood home, my heart soars. Chloe comes running out of the house, but her welcoming smile fades as her eyes scan my face.

"My god, Raelyn, what happened?"

I press my rolled up jacket against the bite to hide the damage, not wanting to spoil our reunion. "It's nothing." I stretch out my free arm for a hug. "Come here."

She tosses her arms around me and squeezes so hard that I'm almost choking. "I missed you so much."

"Me too." Tears blur my vision and I have to blink a few times to keep them at bay. "Where's mom?"

"Inside with dad. Alpha McNamara called ahead to announce your visit and she is fixing a snack."

With the jacket still pressed to my cheek, I grab her hand and walk with her inside the house. Memories crash down on me as soon as I cross the threshold. The familiar smell of my mom's apple pie mixed with the rose incense she always burns in the spring. The pastel blue curtains that replace the winter's gray. And the crackling late afternoon fire that takes the sting out of the imminent nightfall. This is home.

My mom pulls me into a hug. "I'm so glad Alpha McNamara decided to visit. Now sit down and have a piece of pie. Dante, you want one as well?"

His stare is fixed on our fathers and Lance who close the door to the study behind them. Apparently, he's once again left out. "Yes, thank you. A piece of pie would be lovely."

My mom pours the tea and Chloe adds a generous amount of whip cream to the plates she places in front of us. When we sit down at the table, the biggest smile is on my mom's lips, though her gaze keeps wandering to my face.

"Did you get hurt?"

"It's just a cut."

"I could get the healer to take a look, if you'd like."

"That won't be necessary. I'll shift overnight and the wound will heal. Just waiting to let Alpha McNamara know."

An odd smirk plays on Dante's lips; the vicious glint in his eyes says fat chance that this will happen.

"Well, it'll likely be too late for you to drive back, so you could show Dante your old running grounds."

"Oh, Raelyn, that would be such a treat."

The sarcasm is lost on my mom and she fondly smiles at Dante. "And how are you two getting along?"

"We are just wonderful, Luna." He pulls my palm to his lips. "Aren't we so much in love, Raelyn?"

"Totally."

Again, my mom misses the sarcastic undertone in the words. "We heard from Harla that you didn't conceive. I'm so sorry."

"Naw, we're still young and there's always next year." Dante's moving lips prickle against my skin. I try to pull my hand out of his grip, but his hold is like iron.

"I agree. You two still have your whole life ahead of you." My mom smiles. "More tea?"

I had just as much pretend as I could muster; this whole farce will have to stop. "Mom, could I talk to you for a second out on the porch?"

Bewilderment is edged on her face. "Sure."

Managing to tear from Dante's grip, I rise to my feet. Don't, his eyes warn, but I ignore him. Out on the porch, I drop into our old canopy swing and lower my arm with the jacket.

"It has been hell, Mom. Look, what Dante did to me today."

She turns her back on me. "He is your mate, Raelyn."

"But shouldn't he honor and respect me and not hurt me all the time?"

The door creaks and my father steps out on the porch. "I thought I heard your voices out here. Is everything okay?"

The floodgates open before I can help it. "I'm being abused, Dad. You have to help me. I don't want to go back."

Without a word, he pulls me into a hug, his hand stroking my back as I sob against his shoulder. The tears burn the wound, but my father's tight embrace makes ten times up for it.

"As far as I know, you haven't been the easiest to get along with either."

I freeze by the coldness in his voice. Gazing up at him through teary eyelashes, I flinch when his eyes are just as cold. "But look at my face. That's what Dante did to me today."

"And did he have a reason?"

"Well, we did run into Eric and Dante could sense that we had history together, so I guess his wolf got jealous."

"Then I don't really see the problem."

I stare at him, then at my mom. "But there's so much more. They made me—"

"We know what has been happening, Raelyn. Luna Harla has called us every other weekend with updates. One thing is clear—you haven't embraced their way of life the way you should. As a member of their pack, you are bound by their rules."

"And did she also tell you that Dante has been cheating on me?"

My mom turns around, her eyes finding mine. Though they are not as cold as my father's, they have lost their fondness. "As far as we know, this has stopped."

In utter disbelief, I stare at them. "So you're not going to help me?"

"I don't see how we could. You're no longer a member of this pack."

"But I'm your daughter."

The last statement is ignored as my father smiles at my mother. "Alpha McNamara has agreed to station a fighter troop on our territory. I'll let the elders know tonight, so there's no more need to worry."

"And what is he asking for in return?"

"He needed money for this court case his pack is involved in. A fair trade with no one being indebted to one another."

"But Dad, don't you see, this is the perfect opportunity to get me back home." Eager eyes focus on my father's face. I just have to make him realize how unhappy I am. "This court case is really important to him and you can ask for anything you want if he needs the money so badly."

My father encloses my hands. "You need to stop this nonsense."

"Are you telling me that fighter troops are more important than your own daughter who has been mistreated in any way possible?"

"Kendrick Raynes has been pushing more and more into the Northern parts of the country to extend his Canadian territories. Once he reaches our lands, we can only prevail if all of the Maine packs stand united."

"But Dad—"

"The Scopan Lake pack is your home now. There's no more space for you here."

Through fresh tears, I gaze from my father to my mom, but her face is just as unyielding as his. Their rejection tears to shreds the little bit of hope I managed to hold onto.

Pain. Confusion. Anger.

My wolf rears up and I can't keep her down. She breaks through my skins.

Growling. Snapping. Scratching.

One leap, and I'm off the porch and into the woods. I will never set foot into my parents' home again.

Numb and shivering, I roll into a ball by the river, not too far from the clearing where I first encountered Jos. Though warmth of the setting sun strokes my fur, I'm frozen to the bone as I grieve the loss of my family. Only the red and orange streaks, painted across the darkening sky at nightfall, lull my mind from the pain. A gentle nudge of a wolf snout finally tears me out of my oblivion.

Just as he did the other day, the Alpha sniffs me, prods me, licks away the blood that has dried on my cheek. Taking up a protective stance on top of the rocks that give him warning of any approaching danger, he points his nose toward the sky. A howl escapes his throat, a caution to any enemy that an Alpha is protecting a weaker member of his pack. I'm his son's mate, the future Luna, the wolf who will carry the heir of the Scopan Lake pack—and if he has to, he will defend me with his life. And with my parents' rejections, it's the only thing I have left.

~~~~

© Sally Mason 2018

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