Terry POV

I wake up with the aching of my wound, strong and very irritating. I didn't sleep well because many people I had hurt im my past screamed in my head last night. I look, and Kiana, Pearl's wolf, curled next to me on one side, Doggy on the other, and Danny is sleeping soundly on the other bed.

Fuck, I got rusty; some years ago, Dylan wouldn't be able to pull something like that and take me by surprise, not to mention that a werewolf brat had managed to turn off my phone and hide in my car, and I didn't notice.

I slowly get up and go to the bathroom to check my wound, it hurts like hell, but I'll be okay. I clean myself and go to wake up Danny and Pearl. We shouldn't stay here any longer than necessary. As they get ready, I take the dog out and call Aunty Mae and Ivory to tell them again that everything is alright and we will be back very soon.

We are already in the diner by the roadside for breakfast an hour later. Pearl isn't very talkative, so I presume she is still tired after everything recently. Danny looks sad, sadder than the last time I've seen him.

I take a sip of coffee and say:

"How are you feeling, don't say okay when I can see you are not. Danny, what's going on?"

He gulps and says everything is normal, and I just imagine things. He looks straight into my face, but I'm sure he is lying.

"Danny, I know that Brandon was cheating on you," I say, and he shifts uncomfortably. "But is that it? Has he only done that?"

"And that's not enough?" he hisses, then sighs heavily. "We have problems. I presume every newlywed couple has problems."

"No, Danny. Newlywed couples are happy, and they shouldn't have problems."

"What is happening in my relationship is not your business," he says in a defensive voice, but his hands are slightly shaking. "And Brandon is my true mate; he can't hurt me."

"Anthony was Mae's true mate, and you know what happened to her."

That's actually when his lips start trembling as well; he looks teary and ashamed but never less says:

"Brandon still loves Fiona, and he just needs more time. I also have some doubts, and we just need more time to figure it out."

"Danny," I reach and put my hand on his giving it a gentle squeeze, "I'm worried about you. Please remember that you can tell me everything. I'm on your side. And please remember that if Brandon hurt you, it wasn't your fault."

He averts his eyes. Clearly, he doesn't want to speak about it. Brandon is out of the pack for now, so I must hurry. If Alyssa is right, I need to know what is happening in their house before he comes back home. But Danny keeps ignoring my following questions, clearly unhappy that I ask them.

Well, first things first, I think. For now, we must make sure that we will come back home safely. Pearl is sleeping during our ride, and Danny and I stay quiet. I'm in pain, and he doesn't want to talk more, especially about himself and Brandon.

As we come closer to the town, Danny moves the car into the woods, where Aunty Mae will wait for us. He and Pearl help me step out of the car when she suddenly sniffs the air.

"Werewolves in the woods," she whispers, and then everything is happening so fast.

I pull Pearl towards myself as two wolves jump on us, pushing Pearl and me to one side and Danny to the other. They growl lowly but don't try to sink their teeth in us, I push Pearl more behind me, knowing well that I can't do anything, but thankfully Doggy jumps from the car and crashes into our attacker. 

From the corner of my eye, the black wolf who's pushed Danny into the ground has left him alone and is preparing now to kill my dog, but he can't do that because another wolf is coming from the woods, and I know it is Ivory. The black wolf turns around to face her, and fear sinks clutches in my heart.

"Julius, stop!!!" Danny screams as more wolves come from the woods, and I know I must hurry.

 I manage to stand despite the pain and sink my knife into the wolf that is fighting with my dog but not to kill him. However, Danny doesn't waste time as he manages to get my gun from the car and throws it at me. I shoot in the air and then point it in the direction of the wolf whom I've just wounded.

"One move, and I kill him!" I scream as loud as I can.

I know I have no chance; there are too many of them, but there is a chance that they will care about their comrade's life.

Julius snarls but doesn't step away from Ivory, whom he has already managed to push onto the ground. She's bleeding, fuck, he's touched my girl! The rest of the wolves, probably the patrol, stay still.

"Shift, but just you," I say to the wolf. I'm pointing my gun now, and he does. I recognize him as one of Brandon's friends; his name is Trevor, I think, and he listens. I yank him by his hair, forcing him to kneel in front of me as the rest of them watch.

"Terry!"

I see the car of Aunty Mae and her in person just around a hundred meters from where we are, and she has just come here.

"Let her go, or I blow his head off," I say to Julius, and he lets Ivory crawl from under him. "Pearl, go with Ivory to Aunty Mae and leave now."

She looks like she doesn't want to listen but follows my order alongside her sister. They jump into the car, and Aunty Mae nods to me and drives away instantly. I gulp; I know I need Danny's help now, but I can't force him to.

"I'll drive," he says, opening the back door to his car, so my dog can crawl inside there bleeding quite a lot, and next, I can come inside with my hostage, and we drive away.

"Don't do anything stupid, and you will live," I say to Trevor, who thanks God listens. I don't want to kill him; he has only protected his home and followed orders.

Danny's jaws are clenched, and I see tears in his eyes. Fuck, he has just betrayed his pack. He's betrayed Julius to save me.

"Danny, I'm so sorry," I say slowly, but he doesn't look at me as he says:

"Not your fault. I will be alright, I hope."

We arrive at the bar from the back. I don't think the neighbors should see me dragging a naked Trevor with my gun pressed to his head into the house. Aunty Mae is waiting for us, and we go with her to the bar. To my surprise, the main door is wide open, and Pearl and Ivory are standing in front of the house.

"I've already made sure that some people passing by the bar got to know that your daughters have come to visit us and spend some time with us." Aunty Mae says," I have to call Natasha."

But she doesn't get the chance to do it because her phone start vibrating.

"Natasha, good that you are calling," says Aunty Mae. "I don't try to be sarcastic, Trevor is fine, and Danny is fine. Come as quickly as you can, bring who you want. We will talk; I promise to answer all your questions."

Silence for a moment; there is dead silence as I push Trevor in the direction of the back door.

"Shift and go home, boy, but make sure not to be seen; it's a board daylight now."

He looks at me and next to Danny, a little confused, but quickly listens.

"Natasha didn't believe my story," Danny says. "Her patrols must've waited for me; what now?"

"I have a backup plan. Danny, Ivory knows where the car and other things are hidden. If I tell you to go, you will take girls and Aunty Mae to Black Moon as fast as you can."

"I'm not leaving you!" Ivory says, stepping into the bar alongside her sister, Pearl is crying.

"You will listen to me," I say in a stern voice, and her lips start trembling, yet she doesn't start crying.

I sigh and swallow the painkiller Aunty Mae gives me as Danny takes care of Doggy's wounds to the best of his abilities. The milk is spilled now. There is nothing we can do about it. We may have to run away, and I may have to kill again. I may have to say goodbye to my Jewels today, and I feel something heavy in my chest. Sadness? I don't want to be alone again...

Soon I see the car stopping in front of the bar, and I try to send girls upstairs, but Ivory openly disobeys me, saying this discussion will be about their lives too. I sigh. I chose to treat her as an adult; I can't stop now.

They enter inside: Natasha, Chen, Julius in his wheelchair, and his uncle Preston. Five more warriors are standing outside. Danny avoids looking them in the eyes, but the rest of us don't have the same problem. I see confusion and betrayal on their face, and I feel sad that I let them down. I lied to them from the beginning, but I've never wanted them to find out.

"Please close the door and sit; it will take some time," says Aunty Mae.

I see hate on Chen's and Julius's faces and feel sad. I really enjoyed their company, and now it's over. They will never look at me the same; if I'm lucky, they won't be the ones to slit my throat in my sleep.

"Speak," Natasha says in a cold voice, which makes me shiver uncomfortably. I used to forget how strong and frightening Alphas are.

"Terry is a son of a man who saved my life. As you know now, he was a hunter. I took him in 10 years ago after his clan's demise. He's been here for ten years and, till now, was no threat to your pack. You have the right to his blood according to the law, but I will not allow it. I will call a sheriff, and if I have to, I'll expose you all. The Werewolf Council will probably be able to sweep it under the carpet, but some damage will be done."

Silence, the dead silence, comes to all of us. Julius doesn't look at me but at Danny, who has no courage to look up at him. If Natasha attacks, I will have to take her head-on, it will kill me for sure, but maybe, just maybe, Danny and Jewels will manage to escape.

"The rogues in your bar?" Natasha asks, looking at Pearl and Ivory. Ivory slightly bares her teeth, pushing Pearl behind herself.

"The girls have never been on your lands, so according to werewolf law, you have no right to hurt them." Aunty Mae responds.

"Why are they here?" Natasha asks calmly.

"I found them digging in my trash four months ago, Ivory was wounded, so I took them in. I didn't hurt your guards. I made myself known because the rogues attacked us. I'm not a threat and mean no harm," I say, and I should keep quiet because now they all look at me with hatred.

"Are we supposed to take the word of a killer as a guarantee!" Preston shouts, irritated.

"I've been here for ten years; you all drank with me regularly. Answer that question yourself, Preston," I say as Julius growls.

"You said Terry's father saved your life, explain it," says Natasha, and Aunty Mae stands.

She slowly takes off her clothes, staying only in her underwear, even I have to struggle not to turn away my eyes. Her whole body is one big pattern of scars. Claws, bites, whips, cuts I guess Anthony used on her every possible tool he had found. Good, that son of the bitch is dead.

"This was done by my mate, the late Anthony Howl, during the time I was his Luna. He murdered my husband, kidnapped, forced-marked, and abused me because I didn't love him. Your mate Thomas and his mother hired a hitman, Terry's father, to set me free. Anthony didn't die in a fire, and the fire was started to hide the real reason for his death."

If Natasha is shocked by what she has heard, she doesn't let it be seen. Preston is clearly agitated, and Chen and Julius... hard to say. Aunty Mae's face is empty as she puts her clothes on and speaks again.

"I've already informed some of my neighbors that girls will stay with us for some time. I told them that they were Terry's daughters. I want your permission to let them stay here unbothered by your pack. They will stay away from your lands, and we may live like for the last ten years."

Natasha looks at me and asks:

"Are you alone?"

"I haven't had contact with anybody from my clan or other hunters for the last ten years."

Then she looks at Ivory and Pearl and asks:

"How old are you two?"

"I'm 12, and Pearl is 13," says Ivory angrily.

"Your parents?"

"Dead"

Natasha thinks for some time, and I honestly understand her. I am a cold-blooded killer in her eyes, and leaving me with two werewolf kids certainly doesn't sit well with her.

"You have a strong wolf, but your sister is an Omega. Do you think it's wise to stay here?" Natasha asks, but Ivory has no chance to answer because Pearl whimpers:

"Daddy is safe, Daddy is wise, Daddy loves us. Pearl wants to stay here!"

I notice she wants to hug me, but Ivory holds her still.

"I ask you to let us be, and I promise never to cause you any trouble. But my father was a hitman. I have a notebook with all his transactions. You may believe me or not, but he was hired by werewolves very often. If I disappear without a trace, that notebook may appear somewhere and cause a lot of damage to your kind. I'm sure you don't want it."

Her eyes become almost slits; Alphas don't like being threatened.

"Danny, you are quiet. How have you ended up in this mess?" Chen suddenly decides to speak up.

"I will talk with you at home. I don't want to talk here," he says, but I'm sure he is scared.

"Anything else I should know?" Natasha asks.

For a moment, I want to say no. I want to hide from her the most crucial information. But I have no idea how significant the consequences of Dylan's killing will be, and I may need their help one day. So I want to stay here. I want to convince them that I can be trusted and maybe not seen as an ally but at least not as an enemy. I can't have secrets, not anymore. I want to earn their trust, so I must give them a reason to trust me again—proof of total honesty.

"My real name is Terry Nightingale, and I was a leader of the Nightingale clan ten years ago," I say, and Preston jumps from his chair; Chen growls, and Julius... if the look could kill.

Natasha doesn't move; she is cold and calm, void of any emotions. I guess I forgot not to underestimate her. She was, after all, one of the leaders of wolves who brought death to my clan and many others. I know her as calm, cautious, reasonable, open-minded, and ruthless if needed.

"I guess all of us have some things to think about," Natasha says, standing up. "Danny, we are coming back. For sure, we will talk soon."

"Alpha," I say, and she looks at me as I quickly glance in Danny's direction. "If you touch him, I will make sure your packhouse gets burned again."

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