Silver, Tonya's wolf above

Tonya POV

Silver is running through the woods; we are almost a blur as I try not to let both of us submit to our anger. But I'm on the hunt; I am an Alpha and hunting now.

My breath is even, the saliva drips from my muzzle, and the blood pumps faster in my veins as Silver and I come closer to our target. As Silver forces our way through the branches and long grass, we finally catch the scent, and our muscles work harder.

With a loud growl, I jump on the wolf before me. She whimpers and snarls simultaneously because of the impact that sends her to the ground. But she is quick to stand up, she is quick to fight back, and she is deadly dangerous, as always. 

But so am I.

Our wolves' bodies clash, and claws tear through our pelts, making our fur stained with blood. We scratch, we kick, and we sink teeth into each other. I feel the taste of her row flesh in my muzzle as she whimpers as I finally pin her to the ground. She tries to push me away, to free herself. She must be as furious as I am that she stood against me so openly and fiercely. After all, I'm her Alpha; we got connected even before I was born.

My intention wasn't to be so violent with her, but the moment I got close and could smell the blood of my mate on her, something in me and Silver snapped.

No one touches what is mine; no one touches him, no matter the circumstances. She dared to touch him, hurt him, made him bleed... The hold of my jaws on her increases; she whimpers, lowering her head. She is tired and exhausted.

She is my friend, my Beta, part of me. Just like him, I need her by my side. I am the Alpha; my task is protecting, listening, and understanding. Silver slowly backs away; she understands that the person under us isn't our enemy.

I step away from her and shift slowly, Silver's bloodthirst is gone, but she is still far away from being calm. Kathy shifts too, slower, more painfully. I've manhandled her a lot, not only I. Noah protected himself, and he is not a weak wolf, but still... Kathy lost control and was very close to harming him very seriously. Thankfully Rosie screamed for help, and the Trio was close enough to react. They have some wounds, too; after all, Kathy is Beta, a very strong Beta.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!" I yell at her as she curls, wrapping her arms around her knees pressed to her chest.

"They..." she starts, but my snarl makes her shut up.

"They said they hadn't done anything; twenty people who were close to the packhouse said they had done nothing! Your mother saw them from the kitchen and said the same, for Goddess's sake! What the hell are you doing, attacking my sister and my mate!" I yell louder, panting hard before I let myself sit and rest my back on the nearest tree, the wounds she has given me are healing fast, but the pain is still there.

"I don't know, Tonya, I don't know. But I was angry, and he... he attacked, and Brianna took control, but I let her. The only thing I had in my head was that they could, that she was touching him..."

I sigh as she lies curled on the ground; I want to understand, but...

"Brianna has been deep since I rejected Curtis. She closed herself from me," Kathy continues. "But since Rosie returned, she started to push to the front. I have had difficulties with reading her emotions. Fuck, I don't even understand my own emotions regarding your sister! I am sorry for Noah, he is still not part of the pack, and Brianna sees him as a rogue; he attacked first, and we responded like for a rogue and..."

"You grabbed my sister; for Goddess's sake, you dug your claws in her neck!" I interrupt her yelling, and Kathy flinches.

Fuck, I can't have this, not right now. Jake will come here tomorrow to see his brother. We still don't know who the enemy is, my mates are not honest with me, I have a bunch of the hunters on my land, and one of them is Pearl's mate; my father and uncles are in the north risking their lives, I can't have an unstable Beta endangering my sister's and my mate's life, I just can't!

I'm projecting all my thoughts to Kathy; she must know how I feel, she must take a grip, or I won't be able to do it. I need her if I'm to do it.

"I'm sorry, Tonya," she finally says after a long moment of silence. "I'm not trying to make any excuses; I don't know why I have reacted like that. I don't hate Rosie, I know that, but at the same time, I can't find any inner peace since she came, and I don't understand why. I.. I just... I want my father. I need my father."

She hides her head in her knees and starts quietly sobbing. I come closer and hug her, the same way she used to hug me when I was crying.

"Why Curtis had to do it? Why Sonya and I were not enough? He used to talk with my father every single day, and he still sent him to be butchered."

I have no words to make her feel better, what happened four years ago made us bruised, all of us, but my friend got the strongest blow.

Later, when I return to the packhouse, while Kathy stays in the forest after her breakdown, claiming she still needs some time alone, I walk straight to my bedroom. Noah is sleeping soundly on my bed, but his body still carries the marks of my best friend's claws and bites; thankfully, he seems to heal correctly.

"He usually heals very fast; you don't have to worry," Charlie says, coming closer as I sit on the edge of my bed.

I stretch my hands, encouraging him to sit on my lap. He hesitates but accepts my invitation. I put my nose in his neck, inhaling deeply. Seeing Noah wounded infuriates Silver again, but the proximity of Charlie gives us so needed relaxation.

"You seem to know things about him, and he says he knows nothing about you," I say.

"I'm an omega. My pack, and my Alpha weren't exactly fans of omegas, and Noah was a warrior, strong warrior, so I guess it's normal that he passed me every day the same way you pass objects."

"You shouldn't be ashamed of being omega," I say, holding him close. "But I understand what you are talking about. My grandfather was an evil son of the bitch, making many people suffer. He also disregarded omegas, not seeing how important they are for the proper function of the pack."

He smiles faintly to me:

"My parents didn't care that I was an omega. Although my father was a Beta, he loved me very much, but after his death, everything changed."

"How did he die?" I ask; it's the first time he tells me something about his past, I don't want to push him, but I need to take that chance and get something from him; anything will be good.

"When I was seven, the Alpha came to our quarters, my mother was away, and dad told me to go outside, but after some time, I heard them yelling at each other. I went back, but it was too late. They attacked each other, and my father was deadly wounded when I entered. It was later announced that he was a traitor who collaborated with hunters. My mother and I were thrown away from the packhouse. She was a regular wolf and a housewife her whole life, so it was tough, but she managed to keep us going."

"And the pack, were they abusive towards you because of that?" I ask, knowing perfectly well that he was hurt in that place. Maybe that was the reason?

"Most didn't pay any attention, Alpha commanded that nobody was allowed to beat us, but still, most of them hated us. It was tough, but I still don't believe that my father died because of being a traitor."

"Why?"

He gulps and presses himself more into me, sniffing me as well. The silence that's come in so long I doubt he will tell me, and yet he does:

"I heard their argument; I heard my father screaming that they both deserved to burn in hell, after what they both had done and..."

But he doesn't have a chance to tell me more because the door got burst open and my sister runs inside screaming:

"What have you done with her? You came back to the packhouse alone, and you stink of her blood. What the hell have you done to her!"

Noah sits up, hissing in pain, as I pull Charlie closer, sniffing him and growling lowly. And yet my sister doesn't seem to notice that she pushed me on the edge. I close my eyes and sniff my pregnant mate as Rosie keeps screaming what a monster I am, and that's when my blood starts boiling. I gently move Charlie aside and stand up.

"We will not talk here!" I snarl, take her by her arm, and drag her away as Noah looks at us, confused.

"What the hell is your problem?" I yell as I shove her into her room and onto her bed" Do you think that I could hurt her? She is my friend."

Rosie has the decency to lower her eyes; I focus mine on her neck, where the visible marks of Kathy's nails are still visible.

"She stayed in the woods; she said she needed more time alone," I whisper through my clenched teeth.

"If you hurt her..." Rosie starts, but I interrupt her instantly:

"I've never hurt her, unlike you!"

She bites her lips, and they start trembling. The distress that comes from her makes me take a step back. Her wolf really has a talent to affect others with her emotions, but I'm the Alpha. It's not enough to force me to do anything. I sigh and sit down next to her:

"Kathy is alright; she just needs some time alone. She is no longer in charge of your training. I think you two need to keep a longer distance. Don't even start," I cut her off when she opens her mouth. "Kathy said she didn't understand why she had behaved that way. But she hurt you, and I decide she will stay away from you."

"You don't understand.." she starts.

"So make me understand, make me understand what's going on with two of you! You don't talk with her at all. Whenever she is civil with you or screams at you, you bow your head and keep quiet."

But the way she once again looks on the floor makes it evident that she has no intention of answering me. My sister never lies but is a master at keeping silence and secrets. I sigh, standing up, knowing perfectly well that I'm wasting my time sitting here. I have other things to do.

She doesn't try to stop me as I leave her room.

In my study, Sam is waiting for me as he has mindlinked. He notices my foul mood and doesn't try to make any jokes this time. Plus, he was visiting the third territory with me, so I'm sure he is as affected by it as me.

"Jake confirmed he and his mother will come tomorrow to see the body. He told her."

I nod, I was the one to tell Jake, but he said he would speak with his mother.

"I will ask uncle Hayden to look one more time through all the reports and evidence gathered during the investigation on what your previous Alpha did. Maybe we have missed something." I say.

"You look tired; lots is going on; I hope you at least eat well and sleep well."

I smile at him; it's nice to have someone concerned about me because my mates will not give me any peace soon.

"It's about your mates, isn't it?" Sam asks unexpectedly, and I nod.

"It's been almost a month, Tonya. Do you think that you are going somewhere? Please don't be angry. I know you want your mates, but they have to want you too, and the fact they still keep their distance isn't good news."

I avert my eyes, Silver isn't happy, but I know what he is insinuating. They still don't intend to be honest; sometimes, it makes me feel used. Like I was an option for a good life for them. Charlie is pregnant and needs a safe place for the baby, so he decided to let me in. But I'm scared that he only did it to secure the future of the child he is carrying and Noah... Noah is always eager to touch and kiss me but surely not to talk with me. His story and reasoning seem so logical, he has a prepared answer for every question, yet...

"Can I hug you? Just a friendly bear hug. No disrespect, but you look like you need it a bit," Sam says quite shyly actually.

He is right; I may need it. So much has happened recently, and I know I have to manage, but at the same time, I feel tired. Tired and alone. So I nod, and he wraps his big arms around me; I place my head on his shoulder and let him pat my head. He was right; I needed it.

The study door opens, and I see Noah standing there.