My mother opened the door to a house and walked inside, and I hesitated before I followed her, growing tense because I was away from Jerecho's namesake.

Oh Gods, keep me safe...

"Joel?" she asked and lifted her head just a tad before she cleared her throat and licked her lips. She looked at me and smiled before she looked toward the way that she wanted to go, starting to make her way to her mate, my father without him responding to her. "Joel? Are you here?"

"Kitchen," another voice called out that didn't sound like my father but sounded very familiar to me, and I couldn't help but grow still while my heart skipped a beat before it started to pound hard and fast in my chest. "We are in the kitchen."

Oh, no...

Oh Goddess, please no...

Not him.

"Ok," Mom said and started to walk that way, and I couldn't help but hesitate before I started to follow her with my growing dry. "I am on my way to you all. Who else is over there?" She hesitated and turned to look at me. "That's Noah," she said, her voice barely above a whisper while she tucked her head closer to her chest and offered me a hesitant smile as if she knew what I was thinking. "It won't be Nathaniel."

The hair on the back of my neck stood at attention, but I didn't say a word and bit the inside of my lip. A small shiver went down my spine, and my mouth started to grow dry while my whole body grew tenser.

Oh, Goddess, please, let what she said be true and that it wouldn't be Nathaniel but his brother instead, please...

"Me!" a female exclaimed. "Sonny! Why?"

Mom hesitated and looked at me before she looked at the way that we were going, without saying a word. Her whole body was tense, and I could tell that she was nervous about answering her question, especially since we were still out in the open.

"Go, Joel," Sonny said as if she knew that something happened, which was why my mother hadn't said anything after she asked her question. "Go ahead and see what has happened with your mate," she added with a small hum in her voice, and I had a feeling that she tucked her head closer to her chest. "Something happened, which is why she isn't saying anything. I will watch your food."

"If you are sure. I mean she c-"

"Go, Joel," Sonny said, interrupting my father before he could say another word in. "I will smack you if you do not listen to me and go see your mate and find out whatever has happened to her."

"Now, now, now," the other person, Noah, said with a small chuckle in his voice. "There is no need to get violent with the Beta, Son."

"But the Beta's mate needs him even if she wasn't going to say that she does," Sonny replied with a small scowl in her voice. "Isn't that right, Kathy?" she asked, calling out to my mother.

My mother chuckled softly and tucked her head closer to her chest, and a small smile appeared on her face. "I won't," she said and shook her head, "but Dear, come here for a second, please. I need you." She looked at me to make sure that I was still following her before she looked away and continued her way down the hall and toward the kitchen where my father was located.

I hesitated but continued to follow her toward the kitchen, and my heart continued to pound it's way harder and faster in my chest, trying but failing to escape and leaving me without a heart.

Oh Goddess, please let him come out of the kitchen and not stay in there while we made our way toward him.

Please...

My father sighed sarcastically but did what he was told to do. He clattered something into the sink before he made his way to the doors, grumbling something under his breath, and I couldn't help but flinch and take a step back toward the front door where I had entered from and run away from this situation before it got too out of hand.

Oh, no...

My heart pounded harder and faster in my chest, and it took all of my self-control not to bolt in the other direction and toward the safety of my pack and new house.

What if he was mad at me..?

"Joel!" my mother exclaimed and stopped, not going any further toward the kitchen for some reason, and I stopped before I ran into her with my heart growing dry. She looked at me with a panicked expression on her face, and I could tell that she was worried I had already left because of it.

My mother breathed a small sigh of relief when she saw that I was there but knew that I was on the verge of running away from them. She folded her arms across her chest and turned her attention back to the kitchen doors, scowling and narrowing her eyes. "What did I tell you about throwing dishes around and into the sink?" she asked sharply.

"Not to do it," my father grumbled under his breath while he continued to walk to the kitchen door. "But what are you doing? Why aren't you coming into the kitchen? You know that we were in h-" He stopped talking when he opened the door and looked over my mother's shoulder to see me.

His face grew pale, and he looked at me before he looked at my mother with his eyes turning a darker color and became filled with pain and sadness while he turned to look at me a second time.

Oh Goddess me...

Again, he looked at my mother and took a hesitant step toward us, and my mother bit back a small smile and slowly nodded, answering his unasked question.

She moved out of my father's way so that I was in full view of my father's gaze, and my heart skipped a beat before it slowly started to pound hard and fast in my chest. She didn't say a word and slowly nodded when my father turned to look at her again, silently asking if it was me and not someone else.

"Katie?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper while he looked at me and took a step toward me, and I hesitated before I slowly nodded while I bit the inside of my lip. "My little Katie?"

I didn't say a word, and my hands started to shake while he started to walk all the way over me. Tears slowly started to stream down my face, but my father didn't seem to mind while he continued to make his way to me, hesitating ever so slightly as if I was some sort of mirage that he had never expected to see again.

"Katie?" he asked again, his voice barely above a whisper, and I slowly nodded in response. Tears pricked the corner of his eyes while he stared at me, studying me ever so slightly as if he was trying to make sure that I was real. "My little Katie? Is it really you?"

"Yes, Sir," I said, my voice barely above a whisper and cracked ever so slightly. I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, and my cheeks turned a little red while I blushed. "It's really me. I am here. I'm alive."

My father covered his mouth to hold back a sob, and tears started to stream down his face while he slowly started to sink to his knees. "Oh, Goddess, forgive me," he said, his voice muffled by his hand. "Please, forgive me." He held out his hand toward me, and it continued to shake. "I'm so, so sorry that I have not been able to protect you from him."

I shook my head and took a step toward him. My heart continued to pound hard and fast in my chest, and my whole body started to shake, and a look of concern flashed through my father's eyes.

"What?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper and was filled with pain and sadness, and there was a small trace of fear in his voice. "What do you mean t-"

"There's nothing to forgive, Dad," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, and my voice cracked before I cleared my throat and licked my lips. "I've already forgiven you because I know that it wasn't your fault."

My father slowly nodded, and tears continued to stream down his face. He didn't say a word and continued to hold his hands out toward me, silently begging me to go over to him and to close this distance that was still placed between us.

And I did what I was told to do and rushed over to him, the need to have my father's arms wrapped around my body and to be pulled into a hug that only he was able to give me growing strong.

My father grunted and fell the rest of the way to the ground, and he hugged me tightly while I sobbed into my father's shoulder. "I'm here," he said and rubbed my back while he placed a kiss to the side of my head, holding my head with one hand and back with the other. "I'm here, and I'm never going to let you down ever again."

I promise...