Charlie cleared his throat and looked at me when we were out of the dining room and in the hallway. "How are you?" he asked and looked at me with a raised eyebrow in question.

I frowned and slowly blinked while I raised an eyebrow in question and looked at him from the corner of my eye. "What do you mean?" I asked and cocked my head while I stared at him. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine?"

Charlie frowned and tucked his head closer to his chest while he stared at me, slowly blinking. He didn't say a word while he stared at me, silently urging me to tell him the truth, especially since he knew that something was up but did not know what.

I bit back a small sigh and tucked my head closer to my chest, closing my eyes ever so slightly. "Can we talk in your room?" I asked, deciding that it would be for the best that if I did talk to him about everything, then it would be somewhere where no one else could hear us or bother us.

I didn't want them to interrupt us while we talked and get a taste of Vengeance...

Charlie pressed his lips into a thin line and slowly nodded. He didn't say a word and glanced around before he looked at me again. He picked up his pace just a tad as if he wanted to get there quicker so that we could talk, and I couldn't help but sigh with relief while I followed him at the same pace.

Oh, thank Goddess...

Charlie bit back a small chuckle when he heard my sigh of relief but didn't say a word. He walked up the stairs and started to make his way to his room, and I followed him.

I placed my hands behind my back and pressed my lips into a thin line, biting the inside of my lip and starting to chew. I didn't say a word while I looked around, not knowing what was going on and what Charlie wanted to talk to me about.

My cousin chuckled amused. 'You know that he is my protector, right?' Cass asked and mentally raised an eyebrow in question. 'Of course, he is going to want to talk to you and see how you are actually doing.'

I glanced at Charlie and then looked forward, not saying a word to my cousin and pressing my lips into a thinner line.

My cousin bit back an annoyed sigh and held back an eye roll. 'You know that you can talk to him about anything and everything, right?" she asked and mentally raised an eyebrow in question. 'He'll keep anything you tell him private unless you tell him that he can talk to us about it.'

'But he has an earpiece as well,' I said. 'Are you saying that he will take it out if I ask him?'

'Absolutely,' she replied and mentally nodded. 'That way we don't have to hear anything that you two have to discuss...'

I hesitated and licked my lips, feeling how dry they were before I bit my lip again. 'Are you going to stay?' I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, and she bit back a small chuckle.

'If you want me to, then yes,' she said, and I breathed a small sigh of relief. 'If you don't want me, then you can always push me out. Just make sure to tell me so that I don't panic and pull down your block again.'

I bit back a small smile and tucked my head closer to my chest, relieved. 'Ok,' I said with a small chuckle in my voice. 'Thank you, Cass.'

'Of course,' she said before she cleared her throat and grew serious. 'I'd do anything for you, T. You have my word.'

***

We made it to the top level where Charlie's bedroom, the offices, a few other guest bedrooms, and then the bedrooms of the high ranking members of the pack were located and were making our way to Charlie's room when both the office and Xavier's door opened in unison, much to my and Charlie's amusement.

Cass and Xavier stepped out at the same time with Seraphina following Cass, looking very unamused and nervous. She looked toward her mate and grinned in amusement before she turned to look at us. "Hello, Charlie," she said and tucked her head closer to her chest.

"Cass," Charlie said and nodded in greeting. "Did you two plan that?" He raised an eyebrow in question while he smiled, amused.

Cass bit back a small laugh and shook her head, no. "No," she said out loud with a small laugh in her voice. "Xavier just finished taking a shower and was ready to go downstairs and get food," she said and gestured to her mate. "I also just finished conversing with Seraphina, and I am going down to eat, and Serpahia is going to do whatever she wants to do..." She looked at my mate when she said that before she looked at Charlie.

"Hmph." Charlie nodded. "I'm going to talk to TJ and then make sure that he eats."

Xavier frowned and looked me up and down to make sure that I was fine before he met my gaze again. "Are you ok?" he asked with a small hum in his voice while he raised an eyebrow in question and tucked his head closer to his chest. "What happened?"

I bit back a small sigh and shook my head, moving a hand through my hair and pursing my lips in annoyance. "I'm fine, Dad," I said, absentmindedly calling him my father, which happened on occasion.

Xavier frowned and slowly blinked, and it looked like he didn't believe me, even though he didn't say anything, especially because Cass silently told him not to. He looked at her before he looked at me, his dark blue eyes turning a little darker.

""Dad?"" Seraphina asked with a small scoff in her voice. She folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes while she pursed her lips in annoyance, and I couldn't help but frown while I looked at her. "And why did you call him "dad?" He is not your father."

"Because he has been a major father figure in my life after my real father had died," I said and scowled, narrowing my eyes while I looked at her. "He has also been like a father figure to me ever since Clara and I were placed in his pack when I was seven, and she is five."

"And did you know that he killed someone?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in question. She folded her arms across her chest and scowled, narrowing her eyes.

Cass snorted and rolled her eyes, interrupting me from answering. "Well, so have I," she said and raised her hand. "I have killed more people than him." She gestured to her mate, who had set his jaw and narrowed his eyes while he looked at her.

"Yes, but you are a Guardsman, so that is different," Seraphina said and rolled her eyes. "There was no need for whatever Xavier had done."

"You seriously do not know what happened and why he had done what he had done, Seraphina," Cass said with a small warning in her voice. "Unfortunately, I am not able to say a lot because that is Xavier's story to tell and not mine, but what I can tell you is that you do not have to worry about angering him for whatever you say, but you will have to worry about me." Her eyes flashed gold, and she bared her teeth in warning while she took a threatening step toward my mate.

"Cass," Xavier said, and there was a small bit of warning in his voice, even though I did not do anything yet. He walked over to her and pulled her towards him, and Cass let him do so while Seraphina watched them with wide eyes and face turning pale.

Cass turned toward Xavier and hugged him, growling a small bit, and her whole body shook with that growl. She gritted her teeth and growled again, and I could see a bit of the Vengeance wanting to burst through, and it made me feel antsy and excited for some reason. "Charlie," she said with a small growl in her voice.

Charlie bit back a small chuckle and slowly nodded. "Ok," he said. "We can do it after you and Xavier eat and I finish with TJ and ensure that he has eaten, too. Would that be ok with you?"

"Yes," she said and nodded in confirmation. She growled again, and her whole body shook with that powerful growl. "Thank you, Charlie."

"Of course," Charlie said and bowed his head. He cleared his throat and grew serious while he shifted on his feet. "Do you need me to have someone collect Seraphina so th-"

"It's already done," someone said from behind us, and we turned that way to see Parker walking over to us with a tight smile on his face. "Cass contacted me to make sure that Seraphina was safely out of the house and back into hers."

"I can take care of myself," Seraphina said and scowled, narrowing her eyes while she folded her arms across her chest. She looked at Parker before she looked at my cousin. "I do not know why you think it was a good idea for me to have someone with me, Cass."

"Just take it, Seraphina, please," I said with a shake of my head. "We haven't done a meeting yet, and yes, you are an Alpha and here as a guest, but you are still new, and I don't want something bad to happen to you."

Seraphina scoffed a laugh and rolled her eyes, scowling. "The only person that will do something to me has his arms around s-"

"I am going to stop you right there because it is not Xavier that you have to worry about," I said, feeling a bit of anger and the start of Vengeance wanting to take over but made sure to keep it at bay, even though it was hard. "It is those that are hiding a different secret than the rest, and it is a secret that holds a dark past and a darker present."

Seraphina scoffed another laugh and rolled her eyes, scowling. "And are you talking about yourself?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and I hesitated before I slowly nodded in confirmation, pressing my lips into a thin line.

"And me," Cass said while she turned around until she was looking at Seraphina with gold eyes filled with annoyance. She bared her teeth in warning, and her eyes flashed a darker gold, and I couldn't help but bite back a small growl of warning, the vengeance changing toward her. "Especially since I am still feral, and anger does not suit me well, Young Alpha."

Serphina's face grew pale, and she took a step back while she looked at Cass, moving closer to Parker. "I... think I am going to go with Parker and go back to my pack... I'm sorry. Excuse me." She looked at Parker. "Let's go."

And with that, both him and Seraphina left, leaving two children of vengeance pissed and wanting blood, her blood to be exact, even though we both knew that we weren't able to get it.

Oh, Goddess help her before it's too late...

Please, because I had no idea what I would do if I accidentally hurt her or worse through the actions of her stupidity and without thinking what could get wrong...

Please, I couldn't lose her, too...