Lyndis set the array of sandwiches on the table and glanced to Sylvie and Aurelia. Neither of them looked particularly keen to eat. Lyndis sighed.

"Please eat," Lyndis said with frustration. Aurelia slowly moved to grab one, but Sylvie just sat there. Lyndis ran a hand back through her hair in frustration and turned to the two littlest. They at least were stuffing their mouths. She looked to Sylvie again, who was looking down and fiddling with her hands in her lap. Lyndis sighed.

"What will you try eating? I'll make you anything." Lyndis said. Sylvie didn't look up, she just shrugged. Lyndis started to move back into the kitchen when the creak on the stairs gave her pause. Lyndis glanced back to see Iyana standing there. Lyn stared at her in shock for a moment.

"I'm thirsty," Iyana said. Her voice was hoarse. Lyndis hadn't heard her speak in days.

"Do you want some juice? Or water? There's that guava juice you like..." Lyndis quickly replied. Iyana shrugged.

"I'll get you something... come sit down. Please try to eat." Lyndis said as she moved over to pull out a chair for her ten-year-old sister. Iyana hesitated before she reluctantly trudged over to take a seat.

Lyndis quickly went to get her some juice. When she returned to the table, she was relieved to see at least Aurelia was eating.

"Sylvie, Iyana... please... just take a few bites. You haven't eaten in days." Lyndis pleaded. Iyana said nothing as she drank deeply from her glass. Lyn looked at Sylvie next. She averted her eyes. Lyndis frowned.

"I want to talk to papa," Sylvie said quietly. Her tone broke Lyndis' heart. She watched the little girl's face for a moment. She looked on the verge of tears.

"I'm trying to make that happen... but in the meantime, you must eat. You must keep up your strength." Lyndis said as she glanced to the enforcers. She had no idea if they understood French, but she couldn't take that chance. She lowered her voice to barely above a whisper.

"I need you all strong so when I figure out how to get us out of here... so you can keep up," Lyndis said firmly. All three little girl's eyes snapped to her face. Lyndis gave them a determined look.

"But-" Iyana began.

"Shh..." Lyndis said hastily as she glanced to the enforcers. Neither of them had moved from their spots. If they were suspicious, they weren't showing it.

The girls exchanged a glance. Lyndis watched them all for a moment and was immensely relieved when both Sylvie and Iyana grabbed a sandwich and started eating. She emitted a slow breath.

"I want all those sandwiches gone. And after... it's off to the shower. You all stink, mom would be appalled." Lyndis said with a forced light-hearted tone. Not that any of them appreciated her attempt at humor. They just continued to eat silently. Lyndis sat down at the table and cut up more pieces for the little ones before taking some for herself.

The room was unnervingly quiet.

Lyndis was about to speak when she heard the sound of feet plodding along the dirt path. They were lighter then Gaius, so she knew it wasn't him. It sounded like a female. A moment later, she caught her scent.

It was another Lua Crianca, and she smelled young. Lyndis frowned and looked to the wide front windows, waiting for her to come into view. All her pack sisters glanced back as well.

The female that appeared was around her age, a bit younger most likely. She had dark brown hair and eyes to match, and like the other Lua Crianca females, she was rather curvy and wasn't shy to show it with the clothes she wore.

Lyndis knew it was likely more to do with the heat, but it still irked her. The female paused briefly when she noticed all their eyes on her and offered a friendly smile. Lyndis did not return it. She didn't want company. She became even more aggravated at the greeting.

Why was she here?

The female didn't bother asking for permission. Lyndis had the front panels of the living room open since she wanted the girls to have fresh air. The scantily clad female walked right in.

"Hello." The female spoke in French. Lyndis was briefly surprised. Like Gaius, her accent was flawless.

"I hope I'm not imposing, but I thought I'd come say hello... My name is Yara. I will be the young one's caretaker and tutor." Yara spoke brightly as she glanced to the girls. Lyndis stared at her in shock for a moment, before she looked to them too.

Every one of their expressions turned solemn. Aside from the obvious of not wanting her there, Lyndis didn't know why but she instantly didn't like this female. Her wolf was bristled. Something about her was rubbing her wrong.

The familiarity of her scent struck her suddenly. She smelled like the female beta, Marcia.

Was this her daughter? Did she even have a daughter? Lyndis was confused. She didn't remember a Beta daughter ever being introduced to her in all the time she'd been there. From what she knew of the Beta family, they had all sons... quite a few of them. She hadn't ever seen her before... Not at her union ceremony... not anywhere.

"They don't need a caretaker," Lyndis said, unable to hide how bristled that announcement made her. She had no plans of leaving them alone.

"But they will need one when you continue your pack duties. Alpha expects you back at the pack house next Sunday." Yara said. Lyn grit her teeth in anger.

Though her tone was warm, her words were sharp. She wasn't leaving them alone with this female; she wasn't leaving them alone with anyone. She fully expected to have that fight when the time came.

"Gaius said we wouldn't be bothered until then. So what do you want?" Lyndis snapped, unable to keep the annoyance from her tone. Yara just smiled brighter.

"I know... I was just so eager to meet them." Yara continued. Lyndis' wolf bristled.

"Aren't you a bit young?" Lyndis asked. She didn't care if she was being rude. Yara did not lose her smile.

"Well... yes, but I'm the only one who speaks French aside from Gita, and Alpha Carina seems to think that may be a bad idea to have her here... I have been training for a few years now to be a teacher, so I am no novice." Yara continued.

Everything she said just made her more irritated.

An awkward pause followed, and Lyndis felt like she was waiting for an invitation to join them. Lyndis made sure her expression showed she had no intention of doing so. Not that it deterred the female... much to her annoyance. Yara took it upon herself. She sat down beside Aurelia.

"Where is Gaius? He had no pack duties today. I expected he would have been here. Newly mated pairs are often inseparable, or so I hear. I am not yet mated." Yara said in a tone that really irked Lyndis.

The grating feeling increased ten-fold, but it was coupled with confusion. The female had to be around Lyn's age, seventeen at the very least. Lyndis was almost nineteen, and it was highly unusual to be mated so late in this region. Most females seemed to be mated on their first or second heat here.

This female hadn't Lyn's excuse of having no prior opportunity though. She had a pack, full of potential mates. Lyndis found it odd, but not odd enough to question. She wanted the female gone.

"I think you should leave," Lyndis said as she stood to take the youngest girls out of their high chairs. Her wolf was restless. She wanted her sisters away from her. Yara sighed.

"I know this is hard for you. I'm sorry if I'm coming off the wrong way... I thought maybe you could use a friend. Not all of us agree with the Alpha's decision." Yara said. Lyndis stared at her in shock for a moment, before she glanced briefly to the enforcers.

"They don't understand French," Yara said. Lyndia frowned and looked back at her, but before she could say anything else.

"What are you doing here?" Gaius asked harshly in Portuguese, and by his tone, Lyndis knew he was unsettled. Lyndis had been so preoccupied with the female; she didn't even notice his approach.

"Just thought I'd meet them is all," Yara responded. Lyndis furrowed her brow and struggled to follow. Her Portuguese was still not as strong. She set Sophie down and picked up Adalyn.

"Why?" Gaius asked harshly. Lyndis felt his restlessness through their bond. She frowned and watched their interaction as she set the other toddler down. She didn't know what to make of it. Gaius seemed deeply perturbed.

"Your mother assigned me to them. Gita will be teaching your mate at the packhouse." Yara continued. Her tone sharpened when she mentioned 'your mate.' It made Lyndis even more uneasy.

"Since when?" Gaius asked. Lyndis observed her mate. He was clearly agitated by the news, bordering on angry. Lyn furrowed her brow.

"Since now," Yara said sweetly. Gaius tensed his jaw. She could both see and feel him tense through their bond. Her eyes trailed down to his clenched fists. He looked on the verge of rage.

"Luana will look after them, and they will attend lessons with her pups. It's already been discussed. You need to leave." Gaius said firmly. Lyndis glanced back at Yara.

"Neither Luana or Kiana speak French." Yara continued in French. Lyndis looked at Gaius. He was staring at Yara with a look of contempt.

"I will speak to my mother. Leave, now." Gaius said firmly. Yara sighed and stood. She looked over at Lyndis with a smile.

"It was a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry for the circumstances... I will do my best to help you adjust." Yara said. Lyndis said nothing. Yara looked to the young ones.

"And I will see you all on Sunday." She said with a sweet smile. Even though there was nothing in her expression that should indicate it, Lyndis felt she was being ingenuine. Yara glanced to Gaius, and the expression on her face softened.

Lyndis definitely didn't like it.

"She is quite pretty. You are very lucky." Yara said. Gaius said nothing. Lyndis watched the female leave. An awkward silence followed as Lyndis looked to Gaius. He looked deeply bothered.

"I'm not leaving them alone with anyone," Lyndis growled furiously. Gaius looked over at her before he glanced to the front where Yara had just left.

"I will talk to my mother. They were supposed to be looked after by my brother's mate." Gaius said. Lyndis watched him with a hard look. Something about his demeanor was bothering her. The whole interaction with Yara bothered her...

"Luana?" Lyndis asked. She was trying to keep her tone neutral.

"Yes. Aldous, my eldest brother's mate. They have pups around their ages." Gaius said.

Lyndis frowned. Gaius' eldest brother was to take Alpha sometime soon, in accordance with tradition. Most Alphas step down for their sons by the time they reach thirty-five. From what she remembered Gaius telling her about his family, Aldous was thirty-four.

The very thought of Vitor no longer being Alpha soothed a lot of her anguish, but it didn't mean she would feel any differently about her situation. She would still not declare her loyalty to anyone who would sanction their treatment. But the notion of Aldous allowing his mate to look after pups that weren't even pack didn't make sense to her... especially if they were to take Alpha soon.

Luana did seem kind in all the interaction she had with her, but Lyn still couldn't trust anyone.

"And why would she do that? Wouldn't that be beneath her?" Lyndis asked bitterly. She felt on edge and agitated. Yara had left her wolf feeling defensive. Gaius frowned at her.

"Because she wants to. Despite what you think, we aren't the enemy. My brother and Luana want to help you adjust. My father is supposed to step down for him soon. They don't want us to have bad blood. And they are more than just pack... they are family.

Luana, in particular, wants you to accept them. They want you to be happy here. I am close with all my siblings, but my three older brothers; Aldous, Diogo and Adriano and I have always been especially close. We have quite an age gap between the rest of us.

If things had happened differently... I had hoped to have done things together by now. Luana is eager to know you as a sister, she never had any siblings and since Adriano has not yet mated and my brother Diogo has left the pack to take Alpha in his mate Juliana's pack... you are the closest thing she has." Gaius said.

Lyndis looked away from him. She hated the hope in his tone. Her feelings hadn't changed. She wanted nothing to do with anyone in his pack.

"Who is she? Yara." Lyndis demanded.

She couldn't help it. The jealous wolf in her had sensed something strange between them. Gaius looked to the little ones. All of them were staring at him now. Lyndis followed his gaze and took his meaning.

"Shower... now. I'll be up in a moment." Lyndis said. None of them argued. Iyana, Aurelia and Sylvie headed upstairs. Lyndis glanced to the two toddlers who had made their way back to their toys in the living room. It went quiet between them for a while.. until they heard the sound of water running. Gaius sighed deeply.

"She's a complication I've been trying to sort out," Gaius said. Lyndis furrowed her brow.

"What does that mean?" She asked harshly. Her wolf was bristled. She didn't like where this was going...

"Before you came... she was to be my mate," Gaius said. Lyndis stared at him strangely. It took a moment for his words to sink in, and when they did, she felt like she'd been slapped.

"What do you mean?" Lyndis asked again in a quieter tone, uncertain if she heard him right.

"She was supposed to be my mate. It had been arranged since we were young. She is the Beta's only daughter." Gaius repeated. Lyndis stared at him for a time.

So she was Marcia's daughter...

The Beta female's hate for her suddenly made so much sense now.

How the hell was she supposed to feel about that?

And why hadn't she met her until now?

Confusion bubbled inside her.

"Why didn't you mate her before now? She is of age..." Lyndis asked one of the many questions in her head, despite the raging jealousy that brought up from her wolf. She was confused. This didn't make sense. Gaius looked contemplative for a moment. It was clear he was uncomfortable with this conversation.

"She has yet to have her first heat," Gaius said. Lyndis frowned and looked toward the jungle. That was... unusual for a female wolf to be such a late bloomer, but most packs followed the tradition of not mating until a female had their first heats.

"If you were already spoken for... then why did your father agree to our arrangement?" Lyndis asked shakily. She felt a bit sick.

"Because of your bloodline. He never cared for the arrangement in the first place. It was my mother who had put it in place. My father was more keen on mating all of us to other pack's to strengthen alliances and our bloodlines. He didn't want arrangements made for us within the pack.

So when you requested me, he asked me. He gave me a choice. He saw it as a better match. Even if your bloodline hadn't been a temptation, I honestly never had any regard for her. We were very different.

She's been following me around like a lovesick pup for years. I never really saw her as anything but an obligation. Then when I met you... I realized instantly what it felt like to truly want someone.

It was honestly more than want. I couldn't stop thinking about you... especially not after the way you looked at me when we first met. I'll never forget that look on your face. I knew you wanted me too. Even if you hadn't requested me, I would have asked for you anyway." Gaius said sincerely.

Lyndis stared at him. She felt strange. He moved toward her, and she backed away. Gaius stopped. She saw the flash of pain cross his face, but she didn't care. She didn't want his touch right now.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" She asked. Gaius let out an annoyed breath.

"Why would it have mattered? It changes nothing." Gaius said. His expression turned frustrated. Lyn frowned.

"It matters... I'm guessing she took French lessons with you too?" Lyndis asked. She was feeling hostile now. Gaius stared at her for a moment.

"Are you honestly jealous?" Gaius asked. His tone was strange. Lyndis looked away from him. She hated how she was feeling right now.

"No... Yes... I don't know. I just don't like it. How did she take the rejection?" Lyndis asked. Gaius looked taken aback by the question. He was silent for a moment before he reluctantly answered.

"Not well. She's harmless, but I don't want her around you." Gaius said. Lyndis glared.

"What aren't you telling me?" Lyndis snapped. A short pause followed before Gaius reluctantly continued.

"A day before our union. She got desperate... she came to me and tried everything to get me to mate her. She kind of... lost it. I called her parents to get her, and they sent her to her aunt's pack to stay for a few months. I honestly hadn't seen her since. I assumed she got over it." Gaius said.

Lyndis stared at him for a time. That's why she never met her... she was sent away from the pack.

It went silent between them as Lyn tried to process everything he told her.

She felt... odd.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about this," Lyndis said.

"I didn't think it would ever be an issue. I assumed she'd let it go and move on. No one even told me she was back." Gaius said. Lyndis said nothing in reply for a time. She looked over at the toddlers as they fiddled with their toys, oblivious to their conversation.

"I don't want her around my sisters," Lyndis said firmly. Gaius nodded.

"That won't happen. I don't know what my mother was thinking." Gaius said. Lyndis met his eyes, but before she could say anything.

"Don't... don't think this had some hidden intent involved. My mother may be many things, but she is not malicious. She likely thought as I did, that she was over it... and she does speak French and was being trained to be a teacher. I assume she just thought it would be a good fit." Gaius said.

Lyndis looked away from him. He always defended his family. She shouldn't have been surprised by it.

"Your food is on the counter. Please watch them." Lyndis said as she glanced to the toddlers. Gaius said nothing as Lyndis headed upstairs to tend to the older girls.

Her thoughts now felt heavy.

_

Lyn closed the door quietly to the room where the girls slept. She'd managed to get them into another room with clean bedding and got them into some clean pajamas. Tomorrow she planned to do some laundry.

Gaius had come home before dinner with some hand-me-down clothes for the girls. He told her at dinner he and Adriano were going into town to buy them some new clothes in the morning. He said he hadn't been able to leave pack grounds until now due to the escalating issues with the Filhos.

And that was another thing that weighed on her mind...

Lyndis walked down the hallway where she heard Gaius in the youngest one's room. She stopped in the nursery doorway to see both toddlers asleep on their beds. Gaius glanced over at her as he replaced the mosquito netting around them. He had offered to tuck them in as she tended to the older girls. Lyndis glanced to each girl's sleeping face. She hadn't expected he'd actually get them to sleep.

After their conversation at lunch, they hadn't spoken much aside from necessity talk. He interacted mostly with her sisters, and though Lyn was still perturbed by everything, she was grateful he was so good with them. He had managed to bring them back to themselves, despite their grief.

She knew it shouldn't bother her that they responded so much better to him than her, but it did, as petty as it was. She'd done everything she could in the past few days to get them out of their slump. Her mate spends one day with them and did more than she could have done in weeks. He even managed to make them laugh and not just a little.

Their giggles warmed her heart all afternoon. Gaius was special that way. She knew her mate's good nature was catching. He was so warm and calm. He had everything she lacked in that sense. Despite all that had happened, she knew she was lucky to have him.

"Thank you for today," Lyndis said, and she truly meant it. She couldn't express in words how grateful she was.

Even in her pettiness, she was just overjoyed he'd brought them back to her. Lyndis felt tears brim her eyes despite herself, but she quickly wiped them away. Gaius stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. His eyes never left her face.

"They are my family now too. My pups. I don't need thanks." Gaius said warmly as he reached out to cup her face. Lyndis didn't push away from him as he leaned in to nuzzle her. She took a deep breath of his scent and let it calm her restless wolf. She still felt on edge about everything from earlier.

"Come to bed. Stay with me. I want you with me." Gaius spoke softly as he pulled her into his arms. Lyndis took a slow breath. She hadn't intended to return to their bed tonight, but now, she felt torn.

"Please," Gaius added as he pressed his lips to her temple. Lyndis took another slow breath. She hated how much she couldn't resist him. She didn't protest or resist as he took her hand and led her to their room.

As she changed, she knew his eyes were on her all the while. Lyndis pushed back the sheets and climbed into bed. She turned from him as he climbed in beside her, but it didn't stop him from pulling her into his arms.

Lyndis said nothing and did not return the embrace. Gaius nuzzled her from behind, and she could clearly feel the frustration from him by her lack of responsiveness, but it didn't deter him.

He held her anyway.

They lay in silence for a while, and though she felt he wanted to talk to her, Lyndis said nothing to encourage him.

She was done talking today, and she was asleep soon after.