Hank POV

"You should keep your hand higher," I say to Danny as he spars with me; well, he tries to throw punches into my open hands.

I don't even know why I teach him; maybe it was the way he was looking at me during all my exercising. It was actually surprising that he asked me to take him to my training today, especially since Kathy stayed with Celia in the packhouse. He was watching me timidly for almost two hours before I offered to teach him something.

I ignore the looks other warriors are giving me now. I presume the rumor has it that I have a child with a hunter's girl, but why should I waste my time teaching something to a hunter's stray as for sure they think Danny is?

I must say the kid is eager to learn and eager to please, he doesn't talk much, but I don't mind it, nor does James, Jason, Kathy, or Rosie. Other children don't engage with Danny unless the twins are with him. Kathy doesn't have that problem, and for that, I'm grateful to my pack members.

The funny thing is, since Marc moved into my quarters, our evenings are much less awkward. He tells lots of stories, and he is a very good storyteller. I've noticed that even Celia likes listening to him and talks with him quite often. When I stopped being so wary about him, it turned out I like him, and Mikkeli and I get along better when he is around.

"Kid, enough for today," I say. "Let's go back home."

"Thank you for teaching me," says Danny and smiles.

I suggest he go alone since one of the warriors wants to talk with me. We discuss the matter of changing the timetable for sending him to the second territory since his child is going to be born soon. That's another thing that changes for me. More wolves originally from Mikkeli's pack come to me to talk or to ask about things. In the beginning, they were more interested in keeping their distance. I understand that late Beta was important for them; there isn't even half of the year since he is gone.

That's what I think about as I slowly walk towards the packhouse, I pass the quarters of the unmated male warriors when I spot them, and fury explodes in my veins.

Danny is lying on the ground surrounded by at least seven of them when one of them kicks him in the stomach, and I see blood dripping from the kid's nose. I know them, they are all from my pack, who came a couple of days ago, but I also see others from Blackwood who just stare and do nothing.

I roar so loud that everyone immediately looks at me. But they have no time for any reaction as I run towards them and punch the one who intends to kick Danny again so hard that I feel his nose crack. I turn around and sink my claws in the next one, the rest tries to back away, but I punch another two and kick the one close to me in the jaw when he falls.

"Beta, please wait!" screams someone, but I don't listen as I shove one more into the wall and rapidly hit him in the face.

Silence, the dead silence surrounds me when all seven of them lie on the ground bleeding.

"Is this what you fucking are!" I shout loud, and all gathered bow their heads in submission. "What makes you think you have a right to do it? What makes you think that your hate is enough to justify something like that? He's the child, for Goddess's sake! The next time anyone touches him, I will rip you into pieces! No one touches my family, do you understand no one!

I don't care what they think; I hope they are scared. I turn towards Danny and gently take him in my arms. He sobs a little and holds one of his hands close to him.

"I've got you; it's alright," I whisper as I walk with him into the packhouse.

He trembles in my arms as he presses one side of his face into my shoulders, I'm sure the blood from his nose stains my shirt, but I don't care about it. I hold him; I hold him close as we move towards the packhouse.

I enter and take Danny directly in the direction of the infirmary. Gideon already awaits us since I mindlinked him. At first, I want to wait outside, but Danny grabs my arm, he doesn't say anything, but I know he wants me to stay.

So I stay when Gideon slowly takes care of him, wrapping bandages over his bruised ribs and putting his hand in a cast. I can feel my eyes shifting, feeling my anger still big, Danny is a child, and they were a bunch of grown-ups. Fucking bastards!

"Danny, has it happened before?" I ask slowly as he flinches hard when Gideon touches his knee to check if it's not broken. "Has anyone from my pack beaten you before?"

"No, here was the first time," he responds, but his lips tremble.

"And before here? Has it happened often?"

If it is possible, he huddles himself even more and doesn't look either at Gideon or at me.

"Does it matter?" he whispers, and I take a deep breath to calm myself more.

"You didn't scream for help, Danny," I say. "You should've screamed for help, for them to stop."

"When my dad was hitting me, it was better not to scream. If I didn't, he usually was punching me once or twice; if I did, he was doing it longer. He used to say that I'm irritating. And our leader also used to say that you always should be tough."

"Ok, but remember that nobody here is allowed to touch you; I will make sure it will never happen again, alright?"

He nods, we wait until the painkillers will start to work, and then I take him to my apartment.

Which is already crowded; Marc is here, obviously, and also David Nightingale. He lives now in one of the safe rooms and can move around the packhouse only under supervision. I know it was my idea, but still, whenever I see the guy, I have difficulty calming myself. I get even tenser as I see him holding my daughter, Celia sits next to them on the couch, and all three of them look at Danny and me as we enter the room.

"Danny, why are you hurt?" Kathy asks.

"I tripped," he says instantly.

"Danny..." I say, putting my hand on his shoulder. "We have a new set of warriors at the first territory, and some of them jumped him today when I wasn't around".

"Blackwood or Full Moon?" Marc asks, and I sigh heavily.

"Full Moon, but some from Blackwood were watching; I took care of it."

"Still, you and Mikkeli must take them under control as quickly as possible. Bullying on this land is forbidden, and there are no exceptions," Marc says angrily.

Celia and Kathy are already next to Danny, checking on him and hugging him. She looks at me, but I can't tell if she blames me or not.

"But Danny will be alright?" Kathy asks, and I nod.

I sit on the couch, and she jumps on my lap, demanding that I should read to her now; Danny also comes and sit close to me. And that is how it goes; I read they both stay close to me.

Marc, from time to time, says something to them, and so does Celia, and they laugh from time to time. It almost seems normal, as if Celia wasn't the mate I rejected and raped, as if Danny hasn't just been beaten, as if a man in my armchair wasn't my sworn enemy. As if I have a chance to find some peace in this life.

Celia POV

As I put Kathy and Danny to sleep, I think about today's evening.

When I saw what happened to Danny today one more time, I felt helpless. For a tiny moment, I hoped that maybe, just maybe, we could be safe here. But once again, I'm not so sure; once again, I feel trapped with no way out.

Both Marc and Hank seemed genuine concern and angry about what had happened but still...

I walk back to the main room; I'm about to open the door when I hear them:

"You want me to believe that you pose no threat towards my niece? After what happened today, it's clear that they are not safe here," my uncle says.

They are alone in the room since Marc went for a run when I was starting to prepare the kids to go to bed. I can see them from a place I stay, they are angry and hateful, and probably nothing ever can change that.

"Were they safe with you? Celia was almost beaten to death, and Danny was abused by his own father. Tell me, dear hunter, was it safe?" Hank growls.

I see my uncle averts his eyes, knowing very well that Hank is right.

"I don't know what your agenda is, but I don't believe you should be so close to Celia, mate or not mate. You are just a fucking rapist who raid our house and killed people!"

Hank smashes my uncle into the wall, and I flinch but stay in my place, covering my mouth to stop myself from screaming.

"You really want to go there, hunter," Hanks snarls" You want to list the crimes I committed... What about the crimes you committed? What about all you slaughtered in cold blood? Was it always justified? Was it always some reason to do it?"

"Your kind is..."

"My kind are people" Hank doesn't let my uncle finish" Parents, children. They have a normal life and normal dreams. And from time to time, you come to our lands to try and kill us, calling that cleansing. That's what you said when your clan butchered my parents."

He steps away from my uncle, but I know anything can still happen.

"I didn't see it, but I heard it and was four years old when that happened. I was raised to hate you like you were raised to hate us. But it was personal to me because of what you did with my parents. Seven years ago, when we attacked your settlement, we were in a state of open war. We were killing each other day by day, I watched corpses day by day, and that attack made us stop for some time. The first moment I laid my eyes on Celia, I knew she was mine, but at the same moment, I hated her for that. I hated the thought that I was bonded to a hunter, to the same people that killed my family in cold blood. I shouldn't have touched her, but at that very moment, I wanted to punish someone for my broken heart. And I punished Celia for it, but it was you, her own family who shunned her away, who tried to kill her; it was you...

Hank steps closer to David, and for a moment, I'm sure he will hurt him, but the door gets open, and Marc comes inside.

"Something wrong?" he asks, obviously ignoring the hostile atmosphere in the room.

"No, I think it's time to send Mr. Nightingale back into his room," Hank says in a cold voice.

Marc nods and takes my uncle away, and that's when Hank speaks:

"I know you are there, Celia."

I gulp and step into the room; as always, I don't know how I should react or how I should feel around him. He turns to look at me and steps closer; I don't move. For a long moment, we just look at each other.

"How much have you heard?" he asks.

"Everything, I know that I was or am your mate, the Alpha told me. He told me that you couldn't control yourself that time and..."

"That time, I was furious; I wanted to hurt you for being my mate, I guess. But I also have never lusted for anything so much in my entire life, and I felt like it was a betrayal. Betrayal of my parents, my wolves, my beliefs. But at the same time, you were the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. You still are."

He reaches his hand slowly towards my face, I get tense, but I don't move. His fingertips gently caress my cheek. Just like when he pressed me into the door, I am scared but not as much as before. Somehow I'm sure that he doesn't want to hurt me.

He takes his hand away slowly, and I see his eyes shifting, but soon are normal, chocolate again.

"Celia, I'm so sorry for what I did to you and for everything you had to go through because of my action. I know you may never forgive me, and you have every right to do so. But please try at least to trust me. Trust me when I promise that I will look after you, Kathy, and Danny. I promise to keep you safe."

He steps away from me and goes in the direction of the couch where he sleeps. I don't know why but before I have a chance to think about it longer, my lips just move:

"I'm sorry about your parents."

Once again, we look at each other before he smiles sadly and says:

"And I'm sorry about yours."

Some of you ask if Hank should be understood or excused for what he has done. 

The answer is no, he did wrong, and nothing can ever change that. 

But the question is, because he did wrong in the past, does it mean that he can't ever be trusted again and isn't capable of doing anything good in the future?