Roseanne, Rob's twin sister, above

Rob POV

My father keeps rumbling about the unfairness of the situation. Roseanne and I pretend that we listen, but the stare she sends at me makes it obvious that, just like me, she tries very hard not to roll her eyes.

For many days my sister and I have been very busy, and still, there is no end to that. Every day we spend half of it in the woods. Alpha Mikkeli and Dalton organized a very tight schedule. We are searching; the trackers are divided into small three-person units, accompanied by one warrior and one person from Full Moon, searching through the territory, looking, not sure for what.

The underground storage, which was found at the edge of now Black Moon Pack, is our starting point, but since it has rained a lot recently, getting any traces or moving around the woods is difficult. We keep getting stuck in mud or slipping on rocks. Moving around mountains is also dangerous during this part of the year. The winter is coming; the first snow should come any time soon.

And after a hard day of work, my sister and I go back home only to be welcomed by our father's complaining and my mother's silence.

Alpha is bad... Alpha is ridiculous... it was better when Ryan ruled... he keeps repeating it over and over again, and honestly, I start losing my patience. I wonder what Renan would say if he were still around?

Roseanne seems to be less bothered by it than I am; she is happy with her new role as the pack's warrior and finally with the possibility of making something with her life.

When Dickson enters our house to talk with my father, I walk out to sit on the porch. I was never a big fan of Dickson; I've never actually understood the friendship my father has had with him.

"You all right?" Roseanne asks, sitting next to me. "Don't give me that look; I know you. I know when something bothers you. Plus, you got thinner, and you are tense and angry almost all the time. Seriously Rob, what's wrong?"

"I found my mate," I say slowly, but before she has a chance to congratulate me, I add: "It's Kyle, the younger brother of the Alpha, the one who got Renan killed."

She inhales sharply and gets pale instantly.

"What have you done with it?" She asks.

"I wanted to reject him, but he got into labor; yes, he was pregnant, so I was scared it would kill him, and after that, I just, I just don't know. Whenever I'm about to do it finally, Blake is pushing so strongly against it that I just can't. I know I should reject him and move on, but..."

"You said he had been pregnant?"

"Apparently, it's from the night our brother was killed, but I don't know for sure; being the whore he is, Kyle could sleep around much more," I say, feeling my anger rising.

Roseanne looks at me for a while before she asks:

"What about our Alpha? You seem to respect him very much, and he was the one who killed Renan."

I snarl in response, feeling irritated:

"That's different. If anyone touched you that way, I would also sink my claws in him without any hesitation. Alpha Mikkeli did only what he had thought was right. If Kyle hadn't lied, none of this wouldn't have happened."

"Have you asked him?"

"Excuse me?"

"Have you asked your mate what really had happened that night?"

The dead silence comes between us.

"I don't have to ask; I know that Renan didn't do it," I say slowly, but the look she gives me makes me almost flinch.

"Renan was my brother too, and I loved him very much, but I know who he was, and you know that too. He was spoiled, he could be cruel, and he believed the whole world should've bent toward his expectations. Remember all these times he got himself in trouble, never caring if someone else could get hurt."

"What are you implying?" I clench my fists. I don't like what she is saying; I want her to shut up.

"You didn't ask your mate what had happened, not because you were sure Renan was innocent. You didn't ask because you were afraid that your mate might be the one telling the truth. And you are still afraid to ask."

I pant hard, feeling the fury in my veins, but her look is stern. It makes me turn around and leave.

I walk fast in the direction of the packhouse; I walk fast, trying not to think about what has just been said. I will never accept it. Renan wasn't one to be blamed.

As I stand in front of the packhouse, I see a family leaving, the family I know very well; their only son died alongside my brother, accused of the same crime. Four persons, the wife seems to be in pain as her husband helps her walk, and their two daughters walk beside them.

"What's wrong?" I ask as they come closer to me.

The father looks at me, and I see tears in his eyes; he encourages his two daughters to take his wife and go. When they are far enough not to hear us, he says:

"I just, I just didn't want to face it."

"Face what?" I ask slowly.

"I was just keeping turning a blind eye. He was my only son; I wanted him to be perfect, and I believed him to be perfect. I kept convincing myself that picking on smaller kids from time to time when he was younger wasn't such a big deal, coming home drunk, and picking on weaker wolves when he was older wasn't also big. I talked with Kyle, and he agreed to talk with me and... I just hoped, I really hoped, that my son hadn't done it. I'm responsible for this because I allowed my son to turn the way he was. Now he's gone, and it's my fault because I failed as a father".

He looks at me with so much pain before he walks away.

I feel anger and hate run throughout me. Kyle did it again, he convinced the broken father with his lies, and he made an innocent family suffer more.

I finally accept what must be done. It's finally time to make this fucking lying bitch pay for everything he has done.

Hank POV

I certainly haven't expected children to have so much energy, even werewolves' children. When Rosie, Kathy, Danny, and the twins finally left the jumping area, Hayden and I were half-dead. But at the same time, I was one of the happiest people on this planet.

Celia hasn't seemed tired at all, maybe because she was mostly sitting; because of her limping, she couldn't run around after the children, so Marc cheerfully suggested that Hayden and I should've done the honor.

The twins were both dead set on making us suffer, and Kathy quickly joined their game. I was jumping on trampolines and crawling through small tunnels made for children; I was going down on sliders and spent a considerable amount of time in a pool full of colorful balls with Kathy and Rosie almost jumping on my stomach.

When we finally dragged them all out of the jumping area, they were so cheerful and happy. Both Kathy and Danny run to Celia, who was sitting with Marc beside the playing area, and started talking both at once about how great it had been to play.

Then we took them all shopping, and it was really fun to pick clothes for Kathy. She seemed to be all over the moon with all this dressing and fussing about her.

Danny seemed surprised when I helped him pick some jeans and shirts and send him toward the changing rooms.

"I can take them to a food court to eat," Hayden finally says. "You and Celia can go now to pick something for her."

Marc agrees and says that he will take most of the bags to the car since all of our hands are full.

Twins and Rosie are hungry and keep repeating they want cheeseburgers, and so do Danny and Kathy. Celia hesitates a little but agrees to let the kids go alone.

It is awkward when they have gone, she isn't happy when I take her to one of the expensive shops, and she protests when I suggest she pick whatever she likes.

"You don't have to," she says shyly, which makes me sad. She is so reluctant to accept anything from me.

"I know, but you need clothes, just try and pick something".

It takes me almost half an hour to convince her to try on something. I stay beside the changing rooms and wait for her to finish. She seemed happy when I was playing with our daughter, but as soon as I get to be alone with her, she instantly hides behind her walls.

I know I just have to try harder if I ever going to be fully accepted in her life, at least as a man who fathered her child. I want her to trust me; I want her to look at me one day without fear. But at the same time, I also want her in my arms. I want to touch her, have time to roam my hands and fingers on her skin, and have a chance to get familiar with every inch of her body. Greyson doesn't push me too much, but I can feel how horny he gets every time Celia is close.  Well, it doesn't matter what I want because I want something I will never get. Maybe it's time just to accept it. 

My thoughts are interrupted by a mindlink from Hayden. He informs me that he spotted someone following them and that the twins saw a man talking with Kathy when they were in the bathroom. I react immediately and walk towards Celia. I pull the curtain in her changing room, saying:

"Celia, we have to go now!"

But my voice gets lost in my throat as my eyes widen in horror. When I pulled the curtain over, Celia instinctively managed to cover her breasts with a piece of clothing; she hasn't screamed but looked at me frightened.

The mirror behind her gives me a perfect view of her exposed back, and my throat clenches painfully. The scars on her arms and back are evident, big and small, but what makes me horrified is the sentence. There is something graven upon her lower back, big letters made probably with a  knife make two words: "Wolf's Whore".

"Hank... what...what's wrong?" she stutters.

I gulp and compose myself; there is no time for this right now.

"We have to go right now; we will meet with Hayden, Marc, and the kids near the car."

I step away to give her a chance to get dressed. I feel Greyson's and my fury mixing, so I keep focusing on my breathing. We are in a human town; I can't lose it here, especially when we are under threat.

When Celia and I leave the shop, I look around, trying to spot maybe someone who might follow us. She still seems frightened, but she doesn't ask any questions and just follows me; I guess she is eager to get back to Kathy as soon as possible.

As go into the parking lot, I see Hayden, Marc, and the kids.

"What happened?" I ask.

"I think we lost him, but I'm not sure," Hayden says.

I don't get to say anything because of a stern voice.

"Celia..."

We all look in the direction of a tall, muscular man standing maybe twenty meters away from us. His dark eyes glare at us all. Casually dressed, he doesn't look like a threat, and yet the vibes I get from him make me stay on high alert.

"That mister told me I was pretty," Kathy says  with an innocent voice; she seems confused with all that's going on now.

I slowly step slightly in front of them, with both Marc and Hayden standing ready by both my sides. The children are in the middle; I notice that James is holding Rosie in his arms, with Jason shielding them. They are the Alpha's nephews; they know the drill and security protocols in case of attack, especially by hunters. I'm not sure about Danny and Celia, but they both seem to be in shock, staring at the man in front of them as if they've just seen the ghost.

"You cannot shift here, and I cannot shoot you. It definitely too many security cameras around," the man says slowly and holds his hand towards us. "They can't stop you, Celia; just come to me, please, and we will leave. "

Celia gulps and tightens her grip on Kathy, and for a brief moment, I fear that she will listen to him. But instead, she steps more behind me as if I was a shield that could protect her from whoever he is. Something flashes in his eyes when she does it. Hurt? Anger? I'm not sure, but his face stays stone-cold when he withdraws his hand.

"Just let them come to me; I promise I will leave," he says slowly, looking me straight in the eyes.

I feel Celia trembling hands clench around my arm on this statement, and I can't stop a growl.

"You will never touch her again. She is mine," I respond, and once again, I see something dark in his eyes.

He doesn't say anything when three more men come from the direction of the mall. One of them I'm familiar with: tall, well-built, with terrible scars. Jordan Nightingale, the second leader of the Nightingale Clan. I was so sure he perished in the fire almost half of a year ago when, under Mikkeli Blackwood's command, packs from this region finally got rid of the organized hunter's alliance.

I wish I could finish the job and rip his head off, but I know I can't, we are too exposed, plus I have my family behind my back, and I can't be reckless right now.

"Tell Blackwood we haven't done yet; we are to strike again, and we will avenge every single one of our companions you mutts killed," Jordan says with hate.

But he is not their leader, at least not anymore.

"Till more proper circumstances, but we will meet soon," the first one we have encountered speaks.

They all obey when he motions to go, and they all just turn around and go away.

"Marc, go and bring the car. We are leaving," I say.

Celia finally lets go of my arm and doesn't protest when I wrap mine around her.

"Was it Terry?" I ask her gently, and she nods; she has tears in her eyes.

"Beta..." Jason gets my attention, and I follow his eyes, and my heart sinks.

Danny is standing motionless; he's so pale I wonder why he hasn't fainted yet, he trembles hard, and I smell and see the small pond near his legs. Piss, he peed himself.

"Danny," I say, slowly coming a little closer; he flinches as if I've just hit him, looking at me with eyes full of pure fear as he jumps into my direction and wraps his arms so strong around my waist that for a moment I have problems with taking my breath.

"Please, don't send me back; I don't want to go back!" he sobs in my chest.

"Shhh, you are not going back, I promise you that," I say,  hugging him.

Hayden and I look at Celia, but she seems as confused as both of us seeing Danny's behavior. 

 I already know what they did to her, but what the hell did they do to this kid?

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