Two weeks went by.

They had fallen into an odd routine.

It by no means felt 'normal,' everything about their situation was so far from normal, but at least the older girls were eating regularly now.

Lyndis had yet to get them to leave the house though. She knew they had to shift.. none of them had since before that night. It was not good for pups to go days, let alone weeks, without shifting. Their wolves were immature. All pups needed that release, more than they would as an adult.

Currently, she was most worried about Iyana. Her eyes were almost constantly glazed now. Lyndis sat at the table, staring at Iyana with frustration as she slowly circled the spoon in her cup of tea. It was evening.

All the young ones were on the couch watching a Portuguese cartoon. In the darkness, Lyn could clearly see the night shine of Iyana's eyes. Lyndis herself was getting restless again. She had only gone out once to relieve her wolf while Gaius watched the girls. It deeply perturbed her to be followed everywhere.

Despite Gaius insisting it was for her 'protection,' she felt the hostility off them. She wasn't a fool. They were prison keepers, not protectors.

It disheartened her all the more when she tried to use the opportunity to find a potential escape route. With the pending threat of the Filho, they seemed to have enforcers stationed everywhere. It would be impossible to escape on foot, especially with the young ones. She would have to find another way...

"We really need to get them outside tomorrow," Gaius spoke quietly from beside her. Lyndis did not glance over at him. She kept her gaze on Iyana.

"If you would do as I asked... it would be easier," Lyndis said. Her tone was hostile. She couldn't help it.

Their relationship was definitely a far cry from what it used to be. Lyndis couldn't help the resentment, and it only seemed to make him try harder to make amends, which in turn, just made her resent him more.

They'd only had sex once in the last two weeks, and it had been aggressive and far from loving. Just another bout of meeting the needs their bond had pushed on them. But despite how she felt, she'd been sleeping in their bed. She found she didn't sleep well otherwise.

Gaius dragged a hand over his face. She knew he was done hearing it. They'd had this conversation about fifty times in the past few weeks.

"Lyn... I told you. If you give him something, he'll give you something... but you've done nothing he's asked." Gaius said.

Lyndis wanted to roll her eyes.

Sure enough, that following Sunday they had the fight she had been preparing for. She had no intention of leaving them. She had no intention of continuing her 'pack duties,' for this wasn't even her pack anymore. She outright refused everything.

Like hell she was going to sit in those fucking meetings anymore... or do anything Carina asked of her.

Gaius had stormed off after. He didn't even come home that night. She had said some pretty awful things to him, but she didn't apologize. She wouldn't let herself.

Everything she said had been justified.

She didn't know what Gaius ended up telling his parents, but for some reason, the issue hadn't been brought up again. Not that she was complaining, she was grateful for it. She didn't want anything to do with this pack.

But there was one thing that was frustrating her most of all. Despite all her pleading, he had yet to give her access to a phone.

"My parents could order them to," Lyndis said firmly. Not that she wanted her parents to know what kind of state the girls were in, but she didn't know what else to do at this point.

She also desperately just wanted to hear her mother's voice.

Her Alpha bonds were her only comfort to know her parents were still alive. She was anxious to know they got somewhere safe. Gaius was silent, and Lyndis didn't bother looking at him.

"It would help them to hear their voices..." Lyndis said and finally looked over at him. She could feel him through their bond; he wasn't outright denying her. She didn't even feel any irritation from him. Lyn studied his face. He seemed contemplative. She quickly jumped on his moment of weakness.

"Please... Vitor doesn't have to know." Lyndis begged and put all her hurt into her tone. She wasn't beneath using his sympathy against him. Gaius took a slow breath and glanced to the girls.

All three older girls were looking at him now.

Lyndis couldn't have planned it better. Their faces did him in; she felt his emotion through their bond. But he didn't react the way she had hoped. Gaius got up abruptly and pushed through the door. She listened to his hastily retreating footsteps. It wasn't until she didn't hear him anymore that she let out a frustrated sigh.

"All of you... time for bed," Lyndis said firmly.

_

A gentle touch tracing her back slowly roused her from sleep. Lyndis opened her eyes and sleepily looked over her shoulder. Gaius was sitting on the edge of the bed. He had an odd look on his face.

Lyndis frowned at him and looked to the windows. It was still dark, but the sky was beginning to grey with morning light. Gaius glanced down at something he was fiddling with in his hand. Lyndis followed his eyes and immediately shoved up in bed when she realized what he held.

It was her cell phone.

"You have an hour," Gaius said. Lyndis snatched it from him and flipped it open. The impatience for it to turn on was tremendous. The moment it booted up, a flood of voicemails and texts came through. Lyndis felt tears brim her eyes. She quickly brought up her mother's number. It only rang twice.

"Lyn?" Her mother's sleepy voice broke what little restraint she had over her emotions. She began to outright sob.

"Mom..." Lyndis choked out. Her mother fared no better.

They cried together for a while. Despite Lyn hearing her father attempt to take the phone from her, Marion did not relent it.

"Are you okay? How are they treating you? How are the little ones?" Marion began asking questions in quick succession the moment she got a hold of herself. Lyndis could hear the others in the background. Lyndis glanced up at Gaius with teary eyes.

"I'm fine... the girls are okay," Lyndis said as she tried to keep her voice steady enough to talk. Gaius watched her with a pained expression.

"Are you somewhere safe?" Lyndis choked out. There was a brief pause before Marion answered.

"Yes. We aren't far. Two hours north of you. The Alpha here has granted us a brief stay." Marion said. Lyndis felt her heart start to pound. Thoughts raged in her head.

She had to get to them...

"Where? Which pack?" Lyndis asked. Gaius was watching her a bit harder now, but she ignored him.

"Lyn... don't." Her father's voice brought another round of tears from her. Lyndis took a slow breath.

"It's not right... it's not right what he did." Lyndis sobbed. Gaius stood from the bed and moved away from her. She ignored him as she tried to get control of her tears.

"I know... but it's the safest place for you all to be right now..." Geoffrey said. Lyndis grit her teeth in anger.

"I don't care. I want to be back with you. I don't want to stay here. I can't accept him as Alpha; I never can again." Lyndis said firmly. She didn't care that Gaius was listening to every word. She didn't care that she felt his hurt through the bond.

There was a brief silence.

"Lyn... you need to try. The young ones will look to you now." Geoffrey said. She got his meaning. Unless she declared her loyalty back to Vitor, she doubted her sisters would do so. Lyn pursed her lips; she was about to argue when he spoke again.

"Are they awake?" Geoffrey asked, and Lyndis could hear the emotion in his tone. Lyndis pushed the sheets off and quickly moved into the hallway.

She wasn't about to let them sleep through this.

Gaius did not follow her. Lyndis woke Iyana first and put the phone to her ear. She stood back and watched with a heavy heart as her sister cried uncontrollably. Iyana could barely get words out between her sobs to talk to their parents.

She heard Mathieu and Marius' voices too. Her crying had woke the other two, and they waited impatiently for their turns. Soon, they were all a sobbing mess again.

It hurt her heart.

Lyndis leaned against the wall as she listened to each of them. Finally, Aurelia reluctantly handed the phone back to Lyndis amidst her sniffling.

"How is Sophia?" Her uncle's voice was full of emotion. Lyndis tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

"She's doing fine. Do you want me to put her on the phone?" Lyndis asked uncertainly. The toddlers were too little to understand. She didn't know if it would just upset and confuse them more.

"No... just..." Aldrick fumbled with his words.

"I will give her your love," Lyndis said shakily. She heard the phone being handed over to someone else.

"Hey..." Marius said. Lyndis felt another bout of fresh hot tears wet her cheeks.

"Hey..." She repeated.

"You doing okay?" Marius asked. Lyndis took several deep breaths, trying desperately to reel in her emotions.

"No. No, I'm not..." Her voice cracked slightly. The line was silent for a moment.

"I... I'm sorry..." Marius' voice sounded strange. She'd never heard him use that tone before. Lyndis wiped her tears quickly.

"Don't do that," Lyndis said amidst her sniffles.

"This is not your fault..." Lyndis said quickly and took a slow breath.

She glanced to the girls on the bed. Steady tears were trailing down all their little cheeks as they watched her closely. Lyndis knew she had to be stronger than this. Lyn glanced to the window. The sun had already risen. It had to be close to the hour mark. She didn't have much time left.

"I need to talk to dad," Lyn said. There was a brief ruffling on the phone.

"You need to tell them to shift," Lyndis said the moment she heard him. Geoffrey was silent for a moment.

"They haven't been?" He asked. It was his Alpha tone. Lyndis looked to the girls. Their faces had scrunched to a slightly angry look now.

"No..." Lyndis said. She didn't want to elaborate. She didn't want to tell him about how miserable they'd been.

"I'm putting you on speaker," Lyndis said. Iyana glared hard at her.

"All of you. Outside. Shift, now." Geoffrey commanded. All three girls stared at her with a look of anger and betrayal, but they couldn't resist it.

Each of them reluctantly slipped out of bed and started out of the room. Lyndis emitted a slow breath. She'd rather have their anger than their misery. They would feel better after shifting.

"Thank you..." Lyndis said. She suddenly heard heated angry arguing in the background. Julian and Christophe being the loudest of them. She knew that news wouldn't go over well. Lyndis glanced over at the doorway. Gaius stood there. His expression was pained. She knew what he wanted.

"I have to go. I love you. Tell everyone I love them..." Lyndis said through a fresh wave of tears.

"I love you too. We all do." It was Marion who responded.

She could hear Geoffrey's angry voice mingled with the others now. Lyndis grit her teeth. She hated to hear them fighting. She never thought it would be so hard to click a button as it was to hang up.

Reluctantly, Lyndis handed the phone back to him. Without a word, she pushed passed him and headed outside where the three little wolves stood. Iyana growled at her. Lyndis sighed as she started pulling her clothes off and shifted. She didn't have to tell them to follow her. They darted after her into the jungle.

_

Lyndis kept them out for two hours. To her relief, they didn't fight it. It became clear how much they needed it. When they returned, Lyn made a late breakfast of which they all ate in earnest. Gaius hadn't spoken a word to her. He had got the youngest up, changed and fed them by the time she returned. After she got back, he left.

It was late afternoon when he returned, but he wasn't alone. Lyndis couldn't help the flare of annoyance. Both Aldous and Luana were with him. Lyn knew they lived nearby from what Gaius had told her the night of the union ceremony, but aside from the meetings she attended with Luana, she hadn't had any other interaction with them. She'd never even spoken to his brother. They'd only met briefly.

"Hello," Luana spoke in English the moment Gaius led her through the door. Lyndis observed her skeptically from her place in the kitchen fixing dinner. Lyndis looked to Aldous next. He was an imposing wolf. Large and domineering, just as you'd expect of a future Alpha.

He reminded her far too much of Vitor; he'd inherited his looks, only without the vicious scowl. The only difference was his hair was a lighter shade, and his eyes were light, like Carina's. And unlike his parents, he didn't have a hostile demeanor. Not that he came off as friendly.

"Hello." Lyndis returned the greeting as she looked to Gaius in question. He gave Lyn a hard look. It irked her.

"Gaius told us you understand English better than Portuguese," Aldous spoke. Even his voice was Alpha-like. Not that it affected her. Lyndis felt her own Alpha bristle a bit, as it always did in the presence of another that was not her Alpha.

"Yes," Lyndis answered in English. She'd never been embarrassed by her lack of language skills, but now being in their presence in this more intimate setting, for the first time she wished she spoke better.

"I'm glad Gaius found someone he is so fond of. We hear of nothing else. He is lucky to have you." Aldous spoke genuinely.

Lyndis offered him a small smile but continued her work at the stove. She felt awkward, not wanting to be rude but she was feeling far from friendly. Luana approached her and Lyndis didn't miss her obvious attempt to be non-threatening.

"Do you need some help? We don't mean to impose, but we've been wanting to come over for months. Gaius has been quite restrictive of your visitors." Luana said as she shot him a playful scowl.

Lyndis glanced at him too. Gaius had a neutral expression. Lyndis frowned as she struggled a bit to follow.

"Vhat you mean?" Lyndis asked in English. She was confused. Aldous glanced at his mate; his expression seemed to not like where the conversation was leading.

"He just wanted you to have time with your family before he added more obligations to you," Luana said. Lyndis felt like she'd been slapped. By her expression, Luana seemed to realize what she'd said the moment after she said it. The female looked a bit mortified.

An awkward silence followed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be insensitive. I really am sorry for your circumstances. I hope we will be able to move-" Luana added.

"Luana..." Aldous spoke firmly. His tone bristled her wolf. Lyndis wondered if he was angry that she brought it up, or that she apologized for it. Luana glanced over at him. Lyndis shook her head slightly, not wanting it to escalate.

"It's fine." She said to alleviate the awkwardness. She cast a sharp glance to the stairs when she noticed her sisters standing there. Luana glanced back as well.

"Hello," Luana said with a warm smile. Lyndis felt her wolf's protectiveness flare. Friendly or not, she didn't want her near them.

"Only speak French," Lyndis said. It wasn't a total lie. Aurelia and Sylvie did not speak anything else, but Iyana did. Iyana spoke better English than Lyn. Lyndis looked over at them.

"Go upstairs and don't come down until I say," Lyndis said firmly in French. Gaius looked at her with a frown of disapproval. Lyn ignored him. The three girls turned and made their way back up.

"Oh they don't have to leave... we just came by to say hello. I would have brought my pups, but I thought it might be too much for now. If you don't mind, I'd like to bring them by in a few days so they can all get acquainted. I'd very much like to see them start lessons.

I by no means am trying to come off as pushy... I know you need time. I just don't want them to get behind. Kiana is a wonderful teacher. She's been assigned exclusively to my five pups, so your sisters won't feel crowded." Luana said and glanced to Gaius as she continued.

"We thought this would be better than sending them to lessons with the pack pups," Luana said.

Lyndis got the gist of what she was saying and shot a glance at Gaius. He was staring at her hard now, almost challenging her to mouth off to them. This side of him was aggravating her wolf. Outside of the bedroom, he never tried to be dominant over her.

"Too soon." Lyndis managed out. She turned off the stove and started walking to the stairs.

"Excuse me..." She said with strained politeness as she made her way upstairs. She didn't want to be around them anymore. She felt Gaius' irritation through their bond, but she didn't care.

She heard them start talking quietly in Portuguese, but she didn't pay attention. Instead, she opened the door where the three older girls were sitting on the bed. Iyana frowned at her.

"I don't want to," Iyana said immediately. She obviously heard everything.

"Can't you just keep teaching us?" Aurelia asked. Lyndis looked to Sylvie. She looked on the verge of tears. Lyndis ran a hand back through her hair and glanced back to the hallway when she heard the front door close. She was relieved to hear their feet leaving the area. Gaius bound up the stairs a moment later.

"I need a word," Gaius said harshly. Lyndis glared.

"No... We don't need to talk about this. I told you no." Lyndis said firmly. Gaius glanced to the girls. A brief moment of silence passed before he sighed.

"Lyn... please," Gaius said more gently. Lyndis glanced to the girls' faces before she brushed past him and made her way back downstairs to continue cooking. Gaius closed the door behind him and followed her.

"You can't do that..." Gaius said. Lyndis shot him a glare.

"Do what?" Lyn snapped as she moved around the kitchen.

"Defy me in front of others. And you can't just storm off every time something upsets you..." Gaius said. Lyndis glared.

"How did I defy you? I said nothing." Lyndis snapped. She was suddenly feeling defensive. Gaius gave her a hard look.

"Don't play dumb," Gaius growled back. She could feel him edging toward anger through the bond. Lyndis stopped what she was doing and turned to observe him.

Was he really getting angry?

She hadn't been outright disrespectful. She could have been far worse. They deserved far worse for everything their pack had done to her.

It was then that a strange notion struck her.

Her love for him had blinded her to the fact that he had Vitor's vile genes in him. Was he truly so different? What would he do to her if she really pushed him?

It was a frightening notion.

Would he be violent? His pack certainly was. She thought of Vince and Cedric's concerns. Lyndis suddenly felt somewhat sick. She knew her father would never hurt her mother; he wouldn't have it in him, despite what she did or said to him. She had seen Marion push him beyond his limits on more than one occasion. Geoffrey would shift and run off in those times. He never took his anger out on her.

Lyndis frowned. What would Gaius do? She hated that she felt uncertain now... Uncertain if he would hurt her or not. Weeks ago before all this started, she would have found that thought absurd, laughable even, but now... she wasn't so sure. He'd already betrayed her. What else was he capable of?

Who was she really mated to?

"What?" Gaius asked, his demeanor softening. Lyndis didn't know what kind of emotions he was feeling from her to elicit the change in him. Lyndis glanced away from him. She hated how she suddenly felt disgusted by him right now.

"Nothing," Lyndis said. It went quiet between them for a moment, before Gaius sighed.

"Tomorrow you will go to the packhouse, and they will go to my brother's. His house is not far from here. They are good wolves; they will look after them. They will be perfectly safe." Gaius said.

Lyndis' rage spiked hard; she felt the wolf glaze take over her eyes. She dropped what she was doing and growled at him.

"Like hell-" Lyndis snarled. Gaius was in front of her before she could finish. He shoved her violently against the cabinet and snarled in her face. His eyes were fully glazed. It was clear he was on edge. She could fully feel his wolf. He was angry at being challenged.

"You got time. I have been bending all kinds of rules for you. I've had enough. You will go to the packhouse every other day if I have to drag you there myself, you will do whatever tasks your Alpha assigns you, and Gita will teach you there. The pups will attend lessons every day for a few hours. It's not asking much. You do this, and you get your phone for an hour a day. I don't care if you don't want to, you don't get a choice anymore." Gaius snarled, his canines clearly visible.

Lyndis stared at her mate as if she'd never seen him before. The grip he had on her arms hurt. The mixture of emotions inside her was staggering, but the first and foremost was fear.

A tense moment passed between them.

Gauis' hold on her let up, and his expression instantly softened to concern. Lyndis didn't know what her expression must have been to elicit the response in him, but she quickly hardened it and glared. Her anger had returned.

"Let go." Lyndis snarled and tried to shove him away, but he suddenly yanked her forward against him.

She could do nothing against his strength. It was a frightening reminder of just how much stronger he was. The spike of fear increased as she realized just how helpless she was to him. He buried his face in her neck. It felt like he was trying to soothe her, but Lyndis would have none of it. She growled and fought.

"Get away from me." Lyndis snarled. The Alpha wolf in her was growing more and more furious. The urge to bite him was overwhelming. He pulled her closer, and she felt his fury melt. But hers... it was only getting worse.

"Don't touch me!" Lyndis snarled. She was getting desperate; she was practically hyperventilating. She didn't want him near her. Finally, he relented and released her. Lyndis turned away from him. She didn't even want to see his face.

"Get out," Lyndis said in quiet seething. He didn't argue. He just left.

Lyndis felt the hot tears streaming down her cheeks. Her arms ached furiously.

She had her answer...