After they cleaned up and the other caretakers arrived to start dinner, Lipha sent Lyndis to the laundry room in lieu of helping in the kitchen.

After the altercation, it was obvious she did it as a kindness or maybe she just didn't want to further tempt Lyndis to teach the mouthy little brat a lesson. Whatever her reasoning, Lyn was grateful for it.

She was starting to like Lipha more and more. The next hour went by quickly with washing and folding and before she knew it she was heading out onto the dirt path that would take her home.

She half expected Gaius to be waiting for her, but he wasn't. She started walking regardless since she knew full well she'd have an escort either way the moment she reached the jungle path. And it was just when she reached the junction of pathways that she caught his scent. Lyn paused and glanced back to wait for him.

"Hey..." He said as he fell into step with her. His expression was slightly confused. Lyn realized he came from the direction of Gita's.

"I'm not to go there anymore," Lyndis said. Gaius frowned at her but said nothing.

They walked home in silence.

Lyn made dinner and they went through the typical nighttime routine. But the whole time, Lyndis felt distracted. Ever since earlier, her thoughts were more focused than ever on an escape plan she couldn't seem to figure out. She already knew escape on foot was out of the question.

There had to be another way...

As she lay on her back beside Gaius, her thoughts continued, but it only frustrated her more. She knew the pack had vehicles, but the garages must be on the other side of the pack territory, likely somewhere around the main house. She'd never seen them. Maybe if she could steal one... but how would she get all the girls there without raising suspicion?

"What are you thinking about?" Gaius asked her quietly. Lyn looked over at him. It was dark in the room, not that it mattered with their night sight.

"Nothing..." Lyndis said and turned on her side away from him. Gaius gently rubbed her back. Lyn firmly pursed her lips into a thin line. That simple gesture made her feel guilty.

"It doesn't seem like nothing. You've been distracted all evening." Gaius replied. Lyndis said nothing. She wouldn't even let herself think of what would become of them if she did manage to escape. Gaius sighed.

"Talk to me." Gaius persisted. Lyndis lay there staring at the open window. She hated that she felt guilty. She shouldn't feel guilty at all.

Lyndis finally glanced back at him. He was studying her face with a look of concern. For the briefest of moments, Lyndis thought to ask him to help her. To help them. She was starting to realize how little hope she had getting out of there with five pups without help. She wanted to believe her mate would do that, if not for her... but because it was right.

But she knew he never would.

It hurt her heart.

"I nearly attacked one of your sisters today," Lyndis said. By the look on his face, she knew he wouldn't let up until she gave him something. Though it wasn't the main thing bothering her... it was definitely one of them. Gaius stared at her for a moment.

"Nori?" He asked. Lyndis gave him a strange look at how quickly he connected those dots. Gaius sighed and rolled onto his back. He ran a hand down his face as his expression turned annoyed.

"I'll talk to her..." Gaius said. Lyndis frowned at him.

"No, that will only make it worse," Lyndis said quickly. Gaius looked back at her.

"It won't. My mother said she's been especially horrible lately. The caretakers would never complain, but I know she's been a terror to them." Gaius said. Lyn frowned.

"Why does your mother let her behave that way?" Lyndis asked.

"Nori has always been... well... quite bluntly, kind of a bitch. My mother tried with her, she really did, but I don't know... I guess she's just born that way." Gaius said bluntly.

"And your father tolerates that?" Lyndis asked. It had creeped her out how well behaved all his siblings acted when she'd first met them. Since then, she'd seen their more care-free demeanors but in the view of others outside the packhouse, they were always perfect little children. Gaius just shook his head.

"He's never seen that side of her. She defies my mother plenty but to my father, she plays the docile perfect little female. He thinks the world of my sisters. Not one of them can do wrong in his eyes. And my mother would never tell him, she wouldn't want to see them punished." Gaius said. Lyn frowned.

She didn't miss the slight bitterness to his tone. On the outside, the Lua Crianca Alpha family seemed quite normal... at least as normal as an Alpha family can be, but Lyndis wondered what kind of darkness was going on behind those walls. The caretakers certainly seemed uneasy. And she certainly couldn't see Vitor a warm and affectionate father, not even to his daughters.

"I'll talk to her," Gaius repeated. Lyndis sighed.

"I said I don't want you to. It was a momentary lapse... I won't let it happen again." Lyndis said firmly. Gaius just shook his head.

"Enough is enough, she's been mouthing off to me too and I'm sick of it." Gaius said with a slight growl. Lyn frowned at him.

"About what?" She asked. Gaius glanced back at her with a strange look.

"Nothing. I'll take care of it." Gaius said quickly. Lyn said nothing.

It seemed both of them were starting to make a habit of lying to each other...

_

The next morning came with the same routine. Gaius walked her to the pack house after they dropped the girls off. Lyn hadn't slept well the night before... so she knew it was going to be a long exhausting day. Instead of heading back down the path, Gaius continued into the house with her.

He gave her a small peck on the lips before he continued into the Alpha family quarters.

Lyn couldn't help but feel annoyed.

Come lunch Lyn was relieved when Lipha sent her away from the kitchen again. She didn't want to see Carina, that Alpha brat or any of her company for their lunch date. She spent a good portion of the day in the large laundry room alone aside from one other young caretaker who came and went to pick up the clean and folded laundry and drop off more dirty.

Lyn found she liked it there. It was in a quiet area of the house, she hadn't seen any of the Alpha family, everything was organized and she easily lost herself to the routine.

The hum of the machines drowned out the world around her.

There was even a small TV in the corner. To her, it was practically paradise. She wondered if she could just ask to work there permanently...

The door opened and Lyn was so lost in her thoughts it took a moment for her scent to register. The machines made it almost impossible to hear anyone approaching until they were already there.

Dammit... why did she jinx herself with her thoughts of this being nice and secluded?

Lyndis glanced back. Yara stood there with a smile.

"Hello, I've been looking everywhere for you," Yara said warmly in Portuguese. Lyndis just stared at her. She didn't bother to hide the unfriendliness of her expression.

"Nori said you were going to join us for lunch. My mother was very disappointed you weren't there. She wanted to ask you some questions about your pack sisters... since I'm sure you know by now, two will be joining our family soon. They haven't decided which of my brothers are to have them... she was curious about their personalities so she can figure out who they would best match with." Yara spoke calmly as she wandered the large room, still speaking Portuguese.

Lyndis felt the hard rush of anger. There was no way in hell she'd let any of her sisters be put into her family. They'd be gone long before then.

Lyn glanced to the door. She briefly considered just leaving. She didn't want to listen to her voice even a second longer. No one was around. She couldn't even hear any enforcers. Maybe this room wasn't a good choice for her after all. The seclusion suddenly made her uneasy.

"Nori and I have been friends since we were infants. I'm sorry if she was rude to you yesterday. I told her not to be. She's just being a protective friend. She knows how disappointed I was when I lost the chance with Gaius. We were so looking forward to being sisters." Yara continued.

Lyndis still said nothing. Why was she telling her this? Why was she speaking to her at all?

"Our Alpha is to pair me with a new mate the moment I'm ready. I'm hopeful for this Blood Moon." Yara continued. Lyndis was getting more annoyed. Especially at her 'our' Alpha comment. He was no Alpha to her... Lyndis just went back to folding and a brief silence followed, before Yara sighed.

"The real reason I came was that I wanted to say something... Everything is honestly in the past. I don't hold any ill will toward you. I just wanted you to know that." Yara said firmly.

Lyndis tried her best to ignore her lest the rage inside her keep boiling. Her voice just grated on Lyn. Nothing she said mattered at all.

"I know how you must feel. This must be hard for you... with your Alpha blood as strong as it is." Yara said, but her voice lowered. Lyndis furrowed her brow and cast a suspicion glance back at her.

Yara continued in French.

"Diplomacy has completely fallen apart. Our border issues are escalating. It looks like we are going to war after all. Has Gaius told you that? Pack wars are brutal, or so my dad says. And the Filhos are pretty savage, they're deep in that hostile jungle too. It's probably going to get ugly. The Alpha will probably post all enforcers along the border soon. We'll win, I have no doubt of that, but it will probably get pretty chaotic for a while... years even, my father said..." Yara said.

Lyndis stared at her, especially at her switch in language. What was she getting at?

"No one nearby speaks French. No one understands what we're talking about... I made sure of it. What I told you on the path... I meant it. You want out, I'll help you. This war will likely be your best shot to run. But you have to trust me..." Yara said in a hushed serious tone. Lyndis just stared at her.

Was she serious?

Something deep down was screaming at her not to trust this female. She made her wolf bristle... but, what if she was willing to help her? What if she was telling the truth? Lyndis knew she couldn't do this alone...

A tense silence followed.

"Just... think about it," Yara said quickly before she turned and started to leave.

"Wait," Lyndis said quickly. Yara paused and glanced back.

"Why would you help me?" Lyndis asked. Yara studied her face for a moment. Another tense silence followed. It made Lyndis uneasy.

"I told you. Not all of us think what the Alpha did was right." Yara said. Lyndis couldn't help but feel there was a double meaning to her words, but what choice did she have? Even if she was helping her for selfish reasons, it would still get her out.

"Thank you," Lyndis said genuinely. Yara smiled.

"I'll come speak to you again soon," Yara said and left. Lyndis watched her go with a frown. She just stood there for a moment, letting the strange surge of adrenaline fade. Lyn's thoughts were racing.

Could she really help them escape? She didn't want to hope... but she couldn't help it. Even if it made her feel uneasy. Well... it should make her feel uneasy. She doubted Vitor would be merciful if he caught them trying to escape. Lyndis sighed and pushed it from her mind for now.

She had a lot to think on later...

She went back to work and it went silent for a while.

"You shouldn't trust her." A young female voice spoke in Portuguese. Lyn startled and dropped the dress she was folding. Her gaze snapped to the left. Balei and Rute stood just outside the open window. She could only see their green eyes and the tops of their dark-hair. Did they just go around skulking everywhere?

Wait... did they hear what she said?

A spike of fear suddenly coursed through her. She felt her heart start to pound.

"Whatever she told you was probably not true," Rute continued. Lyndis frowned. The phrasing she used made her calm a little... they must not of understand them.

"She's a nightmare, just like Nori. We don't like them." Balei said as she pulled herself up onto the windowsill. She tucked her arms over the ledge and laid her chin against her arms. Rute did the same. Lyndis frowned at them.

"We're glad Gaius mated you and not her. He didn't deserve to be stuck with her as a mate." Balei continued with a slightly bitter bite to her tone at the end. Lyn gave her a strange look. She glanced to Rute beside her and the girl nodded in agreement with her sister.

"He seems to really like you," Rute added.

"More than like. He loooooovveess you." Balei added a bit teasingly. Lyndis furrowed her brow at the two. It was the most they'd ever talked to her, and she certainly didn't expect the... friendliness? Lyndis didn't even know what to call this.

"He disappeared for weeks after he mated you. We didn't even know if he was alive. Adaulfo said it is possible to die from too much mating. He looked it up. We made bets." Rute said.

"Yeah I doubt he woulda done it so much with Yara," Balei said. Lyndis couldn't help but feel mildly horrified. She felt the burn of her face. These two were way too young to be talking about this!

"Are you allowed to be here?" Lyndis asked quickly to change the subject as she finally snapped out of her horror. The girls gave her a strange look.

"It's our house," Rute said.

"I meant... here here," Lyndis said.

"We're done with lessons for the day and the only restriction we have is dad's office," Balei said.

"And afternoon laundry is ours on Monday... so technically you're doing our work. Not that we mind." Rute said. Lyndis furrowed her brow in confusion.

"What? Didn't think we had chores? Mother insists on it. She doesn't want us to be skilless loafers, her words." Balei said.

Lyndis just stared at them oddly for a moment. But before she could even think of something to say to that, the girls suddenly disappeared beneath the window sill. Lyndis felt confused, at least until the laundry room door slammed open. Lyn glanced back in surprise.

"Hiding in here now?" Nori asked. Her face was slightly red and she was obviously fuming. Lyndis just stared at her.

"Had to go tattle to my brother? Bring my mother into this too? What kind of Alpha blood are you? Oh... wait, that's right, one without a fucking pack!" Nori continued. Lyndis glared. It took every ounce of will power to keep from letting the rage build. The animal inside her wanted this female's blood.

"What do you want?" Lyndis asked as calmly as she could.

"From you? Nothing. I don't understand why my father even let you live after what you did. Gaius would have been better-" Nori started. Lyndis was starting to tremble with rage.

"Leave her alone Nori," Balei growled. Nori paused and her eyes snapped to the twins back in their spots perched at the window. It was obvious she didn't know they were there. The look of rage on her face instantly dissipated.

"Or we give it to dad." Rute continued. Nori's face paled some. Lyndis looked between them in confusion. Nori grit her teeth and the three sisters engaged in an odd tense stare down. Lyndis' own anger dimmed in lieu of confusion.

Finally, Nori growled and left, but not before purposely shoving over a large pile of clean folded laundry and slamming the door behind her. Lyndis looked to the twins.

What the hell was that about?

Both girls giggled and hopped completely through the window. They moved over to pick up and start refolding the clothes she knocked over.

"I guess we should thank you. We have been trying to get something to hold over her head for years to show our dad she's not the perfect little angel he thinks she is. We knew she didn't like you... so we've just been waiting for her to do something. We filmed her last night. Honestly, I was kind of hoping you'd teach her stupid face a lesson, but that would just make Gaius get in trouble for you agai- OW!" Rute paused at the hard jab Balei gave her. Lyndis stared at the girl.

Wait... what?

"What do you mean by that?" Lyndis demanded. Both girls went silent. Lyndis felt her heart start to pound. She immediately thought of the days Gaius didn't come home.

"Nothing." Rute quickly said. Both girls looked suddenly sheepish. Lyndis swallowed slightly.

"Please tell me," Lyndis said, and though she asked nicely, she made her tone firm. The girls exchanged a glance.

"We can't," Balei said. Lyndis furrowed her brow.

"Why no-" Lyndis began.

"We just can't!" Rute growled. Lyndis couldn't help that anger started to surface again.

"What did Yara say to you?" Balei demanded suddenly. Lyndis frowned and looked at her. She knew full well it was a diversion tactic.

"Nothing," Lyndis said in the same tone of voice Rute used. Both girls narrowed their eyes.

"I'm telling you, do not trust her. She and Nori are up to something." Balei said firmly. Lyndis turned back to the laundry. It was clear Nori wanted her gone, so who cares if they were rotten little beings. If it helped her and her pack sisters get out... so be it.

Lyndis was grateful when the girls took her silence for what it was, that she wouldn't be talking further. It went quiet for a time as they all started working on the laundry.

"Do you really hate it here?" Rute asked. Lyndis didn't reply right away.

"That's not the issue," Lyndis said firmly. She really didn't want to get into this. These girls wouldn't understand anyway.

"Mom was quite angry with dad after that night, you know," Balei said. Lyndis cast a cautious glance at the window. Rute just giggled.

"With the machines, you can't hear anything in here. It's why we like it in here... we can bitch all we want." Rute said. Lyndis studied them. Carina wasn't happy about what happened? That was news to her. Lyndis just assumed...

"She thought our dad asked your dad permission," Rute said. Lyndis paused in her folding. Not that it changed anything, but her curiosity was instantly snared.

"She didn't even want you working here when he told her he was making you a caretaker. Mom insisted we have too many already... which we kinda do. But dad insisted you learn some humility. He said you are too proud." Rute continued. Lyndis said nothing and just continued working.

"...is it just dad? Or us too?" Balei continued. Lyndis blinked and glanced over at her. She hadn't expected that...

"Why you hate it here... and why you would rather live like a rogue." Rute continued. Annoyance flared inside her. How could she explain it to them? They'd lived a charmed life.

"Your family doesn't seem too fond of me." Lyndis pushed it back on them. She didn't want to talk about this. The girls exchanged a glance.

"Well... it's kind of hard not to be irked at you for what you're putting our brother through. And you've made our dad in a horrible mood. He's been furious and almost impossible to live with these last few months. We all just avoid him... but, to be honest, it's kind of impressive you defied him and are still alive. I feel like most of our siblings are amazed at that the most." Rute said.

Lyndis felt instantly bothered. Her defiance had affected him that much? How prideful was he? But she didn't dwell on that, their comment about Gaius worried her.

"What do you mean by what I'm putting him through?" Lyndis pushed. Rute sighed in annoyance.

"Ask him." Rute practically growled. It was obvious they weren't going to say.

It went quiet for a while as they worked, but Lyndis couldn't help but feel bothered... about so many things.

"So... your mother defended us? After what happened?" Lyndis asked to break the tense silence. The curiosity of that was burning. Carina really hasn't been part of it?

"Huh?" Balei said.

"You said she was angry." Lyndis continued. Both girls exchanged a glance.

"Oh... well yes, but she'd never say a word to him. No one ever talks back to father, and I mean ever. We all know better. She just uses grievances with him as lessons for us, at least... those of my sisters whose mate's will be Alphas. We have lessons with her to prepare us for Alphahood. Nori wasn't chosen to be a mate by any Alphas, so she's not in our lessons. I'm sure it's part of the reason she is such an angry wolf. Not that our father knows what our mother tells us, she just doesn't want us to repeat his mistakes or hers. Rute and I are to be mated to Alphas in two Northern packs." Balei said.

Lyn immediately felt odd. Several things bothered her. They never questioned him? Not even his own family? She thought of his words to her, and she couldn't help but feel even more sickened by Vitor.

He had his own family... his own mate, afraid of him.

What kind of Alpha was he? Yes, an Alpha's word was absolute... but that didn't mean his subordinates didn't have the right to question his decisions.

Lyndis glanced to the window and thought of all the times Gaius defended his mother. Maybe Lyn had misjudged her...

It went quiet again as they continued their work. Lyn felt strange...

It was going to be a long rest of the day.