Unmarked Mates

Chapter 27: " A house divided cannot stand"

Danny POV

TRIGGER WARNING

I haven't gone outside too much for the last two weeks, mostly painting. I've read once in the book about famous artists that the more they suffered, the greater pictures they created. If that's true, I guess I have a great career waiting for me.

I don't sleep; I don't eat; I paint, I guess only because that's the best way to keep both my mind and my hand occupied.

And yet I leave the house from time to time, and some pack members actually talk with me, sometimes asking not very comfortable questions. Always tell the truth because the truth is unchangeable, no matter what my previous Alpha used to say. So I always answer their question truthfully.

That I wasn't trained and never took part in hunting. That sometimes I was very close to the hunting area, and that's it. That the leader of the clan was like the Alpha of the pack, and he had absolute power. That my father was a hunter and killed many, many during this time. That he was the one who put scars on my back after my mum's death. That Terry is my relative, and that's how I recognized him. That he killed many, but ten years ago saved my adoptive parents. And so on and so on and so on...

I really appreciate that those who ask questions don't behave resentfully; they are more like concern and just curious. Howl Pack is a good place to live, wolves here aren't cruel but reasonable, and they knew Terry before all of this as a nice person, so now they are just trying to make some sense of this situation.

But Julius... 

Julius hasn't spoken or even looked in my direction since our last talk. And it hurts like hell; my heart is broken; I want to scream and beg for him just to forgive me, to give me one more chance. To not leave me alone, to let me be close to him again.

"That picture is beautiful," I hear a sad voice from behind me. Trist is standing right there.

"Sorry, the door was open," he says, shifting a bit on his feet, seeming unsure if he is welcomed here.

"I've missed you too. Would you like hot chocolate?" I say, and he smiles brightly.

In the kitchen, I ask him how he is and how the training is going. After all, I haven't seen him for two weeks. It's obvious that he enjoys this casual chit-chat as much as I do.

"And how is your mother?" I ask, probably because I'm scared to ask about his father.

"She is in the packhouse. She has to wear the collar with the tracker when she moves around the pack and has like curfew that she must be back in her room at certain hours. Beta Chen is in charge of her, and dad agreed for us to spend time with each other but not alone, always under supervision."

"He is just worried about you," I say, and Trist smiles.

"I want her to stay here with me; I know that he doesn't like that she is here, but..."

"And I'm sure the two of them can make it work so you can see both of them, and they don't have to see each other. Don't worry too much; time helps in situations like that."

"Dad is not happy recently, he avoids me and doesn't want to talk with me, and he drinks more than before," he says in a small voice, and I sigh.

"That's probably my fault. Julius is furious with me, not with you. He took it hard that I lied to him, and probably you too..."

"I'm not angry with you," he interrupts me. "I did the same about my mum as you did with Terry. I also put the pack in danger because of stealing in the shop, I even convinced my friends to help me, so I think I did worse than you."