Alpha Lincoln sat in his chair across the table from me and brought his hands up to his face. He ran them down his face and sighed heavily, “Mat, how long have you been contacting them?”

“I haven't, I didn't even send the letter.” I said quickly.

He put the letter in the middle of the table, “This letter doesn't sound like a first letter. It's more like an update letter. Update for what?”

I scoffed, “Alpha Lincoln, I branded myself for the pack. I'm loyal to you all.”

He picked the letter up and skimmed through it, “'I want to see you both so badly.'” he read. He placed the letter down, “I believe you didn't tell them to come but what if the other letters made it seem like you wanted to come here.” I opened my mouth as if I was gonna speak but no words came out and I just sat there with my mouth hanging open. “This won't look good if the pack founds out it is your parents here.”

My eyes widen, “So wait, you're not sure it's even them?”

“No—“

“Then let me out of here!” I said quickly as I tugged at the cuffs around my wrist behind me. “You don't even have proof it's them so—“

“Two rogue are here and everyone in the pack knows your parents are rogue. Word will spread like wildfire and I’m sure many already guessing it's your parents. It's not hard to learn secrets in a small pack, Matilda. They'll know you've been contacting them.” he said. “And a few pack members saw you talking to Melinda before she went into the woods.”

“Like who?” I asked.

“Trenton, Marlene, and Nate.” he said and my anger flew at the mention of Nate. I could feel my eyes turn yellow because I had this feeling like a wave washing down on my head. “You have something against Nate Summers?” he asked

“Yes!” I coldly said. “The freak been 'watching' me lately with this weird cold look on his face.”

“Nate comes from a troubled family. His uncles ran away and they're no where to be seen. His parents were killed when he was nine and he's raised by his grandparents. His temper isn't very good either. It's why he's mostly quiet because he knows once his mouths opens when he's angry, it doesn't stop.” he said.

“But it might not be my parents. You took my brother and I because of secrets?” I asked. “I want to get out of here. You're making me seem like the bad guy and—"

“What did you say to Melinda?” he asked. “I know you two don't like each other. What did you say to make her even more upset?”

I stared at him disbelief as my eyes turned back to hazel before breathing out heavily, “I wasn't trying to start a fight with her. I thought since if I was in the pack now, I should stop whatever feud there was with us but she didn't want to. I tried telling her I understood why she was angry at me and Killian, but she still seemed pissed and ran into the woods.”

“Melinda is a very sensitive girl.” he said, sighing heavily. “We haven't told the pack but my wife is sick. The only disease that can a wolf is cancer and she has breast cancer. Melinda been taking it hard and she's close to her mom and she avoid things by causing drama. I know my daughter isn't the easiest girl in the world to deal with. The things she does, it's her way of dealing. She wanted to find a husband because she wants her mom to see her get married. My wife Alana has is doing chemotherapy but she isn't getting better right now.”

“Alpha Lincoln, how are you even sure she's missing? Maybe she's just at a friends house—“

“I've been calling every town and no one has seen her. No one can find her and Melinda always just comes home when she's upset.” he said. “She doesn't leave Oregon ever unless she needs to and she has never run away before. If you were a parent, you would understand.”

“I understand you're blaming me.” I said. “And I don't want you to blame Devin. He's getting married in three weeks, let him go home.”

“I can't do that. If you're here, he's here. The packs are wolves and if they feel like you both aren't safe right now, you have to be kept away from them.” he said.

“Are you trying to say this is your way of keeping me safe?” I sarcastically thought. “Why am I in cuffs than?”

“Precaution.” he said and I wanted to roll my eyes so badly.

“You say you believe me, Alpha Lincoln. But this doesn't feel very much like you believing me.” I said. I stared at him for a moment because this just doesn't feel right. “You don't believe me, do you?” I asked and he shook his head. “You were just trying to make me lower my guard?”

He pulled the letter closer towards me, “You're mother and you are very much alike. Clyde was my friend but I knew your mother was a very bad choice for him. I can't understand why he fell in love with her. She doesn't control her temper very well, she belongs being a rogue just like her whole damn family. It's why no one in that family is the Alpha of Texas anymore. Most of the Redblood family are rogues because they don't know how to control themselves.”

I didn't know that. I didn't know the reason the Redbloods weren't the highest family in Texas was because they were thrown out. I heard it's because the daughter of the last Redblood Alpha married a man in the Armstrong family. The Alpha died and the Armstrong family became in power and suddenly the wife got sick. Armstrong's took leadership of the pack.”

“I think it was only a matter of time before you became one.” he said and my mouth dropped.

“Alpha Lincoln! I joined the pack because it would be a better life and—“

“Oh come on, Matilda.” he said, rolling his eyes. “You're father wanted you to join the pack and I can only why now.”

I stared at him in disbelief, “They're aren't planning anything if that's what you're thinking—“

“I don't want traitors in my pack.” he said. He got up and came over towards me, leaning down close to me with a cold look, “You know, Matilda. You've been nothing but trouble since you came here. Devin wasn't as hard as you are. You ran away before already and you went to them.”

“I was confused, I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving.” I said. I scoffed, “Even, did you want to take in the lone wolf siblings because of the kindness of your heart or so the pack will have the light on them? The Oregon Pack is very small and does need attention.” He breathed heavily out his nose and his eyes turned gold, but I didn't back down even though this pulling feeling told me, “You want to drag Devin and I to that party in Washington next weekend so you could put us on display. You want to prove your some stronger Alpha by willing to let two wolves who were abandon by their rogue parents in. It was never about taking us in for us but your own selfish needs.”

He stared down at me with those golden eyes, teeth bared, and I knew I was pulling his tail roughly because I'm sure he wanted to make me pay for embarrassing him like that. He stood up straight then as he looked down at me, “You have real balls to talk to me like that.”

“It's the truth, that's all.” I said coldly up to him. “This whole pack thing is fake. We all try to act perfectly but we're not! We're wolves and acting human by being in packs isn't who were are.”

He quickly put his hand behind my chair, lifted it back a little, and looked amused as my eyes widen, “Says you. You were dreading this a few days ago and now you sound all proud?”

I glared at him, “Yes because I know who I am now and I am proud but I won't let you make me feel so little about myself and who my family is. My dad was suppose to be your best friends. Best friends don't kick other friends out because they're scared of their reputation.”

“Your mother committed a crime, I was following the rules.” he said. “And if she could kill one of her own kind, she's clearly a rogue.”

“She didn't mean to!” I coldly said, my eyes turn yellow. I couldn't believe I was defending the woman who I always claimed to hate but I was because I understood the reason better now. Two wolves glaring at each other. The Alpha and Omega in some glaring match and I knew he could feel how angry I was but it didn't effect him as much as the anger vibes he was giving off. “What do I have a feeling there's a a different reason why you really don't like her?”

He narrowed his eyes on me for a moment before he sat the chair down roughly right when the door opened and we both looked at him.

“We found the two rogue wolves.” he said.

Oh no, I thought since even though I didn't think it could be Clyde and Sophia, there is a good chance it could be.

*

When we walked into the forest and saw two wolves on their knees it wasn't our parents. I looked up at Devin looked like he was relieved. It was two male wolves who sunk and looked real rough. The wolf on the right looked at me and grinned. Devin put his hand around my arm and pulled me closer to him, glaring down at the scum.

“Coming from how they smell, I'm guessing they're New Yorkers rogues.” Marco said. “Not from California.”

“Screw you, pretty boy/” the left wolf said.

Will brought his foot up and knocked him on his back, “Where's Melinda?”

“Who?” the wolf asked coldly.

Marco grabbed the other wolf, “My sister, where is she?”

The rogue licked his dry lips and looked around, “Hmm, I’m not sure really. I saw a pretty young wolf running around. She smelt very clean and was a beautiful she-wolf.”

Alpha Lincoln grabbed the wolf from Marco by his hair and forced him up as he continued to hold him by his hair, “You better not have touched her or I swear—“

The wolf on the ground scoffed, “Look, we were just passing by and—“

“Oregon has no territories for rogues, you should have gone another direction.” Will said coldly. “Now I know you saw her, so where is she?”

“Who is she to you?” he asked, snorting. “Oh wait! Is she your wife or something?” He started laughing, “You pack wolves, I swears. Marriage so young? You know the Alpha's only do that so all you couples can make allot of kids and then they'll be in the pack. It's just about breeding and make the pack bigger—ah!” he hissed in pain when Marco kicked him in the face as his eyes turned yellow.

“Shut up!” he said in frustration. “I wanna know where my sister is!”

“Well she took a liking to Aydin, so you should talk to him.” the wolf in Alpha Lincoln grasp said.

“Aydin?” Alpha Lincoln questioned. “Where is he?”

The wolf chuckled and shrugged, “I don't know. He charmed talk her and they went somewhere 'privet'. Such a naive little she-wolf she is—“

“I'm not playing this game, scum. Where are they—“

The wolf snorted, “Oh what are you going to do? Pack wolves don't kill their own kind, not even the rogues. That's what makes you all weak.

“Jimmy, shut up.” The wolf on the ground said coldly.

“Before in the old days, we were all one until the wolves like you wanted to tame us all and—“

“Dad no—“ Marco tried to stop his angry father before he could sink his sharpen teeth into the wolf neck and rip it out, killing him. I took in a sharp breath, eyes widen since he actually killed the wolf in front of me. Devin put his hand behind my head and pulled me close into his chest so I wouldn't watch anymore.

“Jimmy? Jimmy!” the wolf on the ground screamed. “That's my brother, no! Jimmy, oh fuck! Jimmy!”

“I want my daughter back.” Alpha Lincoln coldly said. “Bring her back, I won't kill you and you can have your brother body back.”

“Dad, what are you—“

“Shut up, Marco.” Alpha Lincoln said.

I peeked out a little to look at Alpha looking holding the dead wolf and blood all over his mouth and chest. I felt sick in my stomach and couldn't believe he did that. I never had anyone die in front of me before. Not even from being sick. I pulled away and glared at him, “It wasn't my parents.” I said before turning around and ran away since I didn't want to be there anymore with him still holding that guy body in his arm. Alpha Lincoln didn't look like himself anymore. He looked just like a monster.

I was running for awhile and I was so scared I hadn't been alert. I ran into another wolf and he seemed startled. He threw me back by using his head and I fell back on back. I hit my head on something hard and I groaned in pain as I lifted my head, rubbing the spot.

The dark brown wolf looked at me and I arched my eyebrow. The wolf shifted back into a human and Nate stared back at me. He was the last person I wanted to see and I lunged at him. I knocked him on his back, glaring down at him, “You told Alpha Lincoln I was fighting with Melinda?” I coldly said, my teeth baring. “What the hell is the matter with you, Nate? Why do you hate me?”

He bared his teeth back and grabbed my shirt, tossing me around on my back and he was on top, “I don't hate you, I'm watching out for you.”

“Watching out?” I questioned, putting my hand on his on chest and pushed him off me. We both got up and glared at each other, “What the hell are you talking about?”

He breathed out heavily and looked around. He stepped towards me and I stepped back, “Look Matilda, the pack is a real hard place to survive when you have a situation like ours.”

“What?” I questioned. “I don't know what you mean.”

“We're second cousins, Mat.” he said, taking me off guard because I hadn't expected that. “Our moms were cousins and my mom married a Summers wolf. We're both had Redblood's.”

I shook my head, “Oh no, no, no. You're lying.” I stared at him for a moment and I didn't really resemble him really but I do mostly look like my father side. I thought back to what Alpha Lincoln said earlier about his uncles were missing. We circled each other, staring at each other.

“Our moms were close and when your mom moved here my mom came along. My mom was paired with a man here and when your mom had to leave they never saw each other again.” he said. “I never knew that, I never heard of Sofia Redblood before until you came out into the light. I moved to my mother parents home when they both died until I was seventeen and I moved back here. I could never get you alone to talk to about this.”

“Why me? You could have told Devin.” I said.

“You're brother is very tamed. He's tough, but he's very loyal to the pack.” he said.

I raised my eyebrow, “And not you?”

“Not this pack.” he said as he stopped moving and so did I. “I'm apart of the Redblood pack.”

“Redblood's don't control Texas anymore—“

“I know,” he said. “Our family isn't very well liked in the pack world but Texas belongs to us.”

“So?” I questioned. “What you saying?”

“I'm saying you shouldn't get to close to this pack.” he said, stepping towards me and looked down at me. “I'm watching out for you because everyone is hoping for you to fail, Mat. As if being a Redblood isn't bad but now your parents reputation isn't doing you very well. A pack always has it secrets and I don't like whatever secrets are running around here. Be careful who you trust, even Blue.”

“Blue?” I questioned and he nodded. I scoffed, “I'll choose Blue over you any day.”

He opened his mouth to speak but decided against it and closed his mouth. He huffed deeply, “Blue is Marco true mate and she'll always pick his side over yours. When you most need her, she won't be there.” he said as he took a step back. “Just know, I'm hoping to bring back our family.”

“Nate, don't do anything stupid without thinking about it first.” I said.

He grinned, “Isn't that our specialty? We always act before thinking.” he said before he shifted back into a wolf and ran away.