The Luna's furious voice could be heard throughout the Pack house.
Nurses scattered like mice fleeing a house fire. In fact, a fire would have been less fearsome.
The head doctor scrambled to start the infusion, his hurried movements betraying his desire to leave.
As soon as he was done, he shot out of the door, not even pausing to give further instruction or advice.
Only Jack stood un-swayed. His face paler than I had ever seen it. The anger in his eyes was so strong, he almost felt Alpha himself.
"I knew I was right. All those years you insisted that you couldn't be so shameful to taint a professional relationship!" Luna snarled, eyes flashing in a display of emotion so unlike her, I lay transfixed.
She stalked toward her husband. Fists clenched into tiny white balls. "How could you?" she bared her teeth, a humourless bark of laughter escaping her lips. "So, you betray your mate. Then happily use the death of your lover to cover your sordid debauchery?"
The Alpha growled low in his throat. "We will talk about this later."
Scoffing, Luna tossed her head. "I think I have earnt the right to talk about it whenever I choose!" Her voice was shrill. "You hid this. All these years. Forsaking your daughter to an orphanage to save your pride? What kind of man are you?"
A low ache in my chest began as reality began to sink in. How could a father leave his child without a family or a home?
Her voice broke as she looked at me, a fat tear escaping to roll down her pretty white face. "You knew how devastated I was when we never bore a pup." Her sadness could be felt like a physical thing, bleeding into the hearts of everyone in the room. "I would have taken her in. Loved her as a mother. Put aside your infidelity to give her the family she needed..."
Jack moved to her side, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, before turning his gaze to the Alpha. "Why marry if it was Evie you wanted? You and the Luna were married long before Charlie was born." His voice was bitter, words causing another sob from the broken woman by his side.
Alpha growled. Looking at the ceiling as if to find answers there. "I always loved Evie." He murmured quietly. "When we found our mates, we swore we would stop seeing each other. For the good of the Pack."
"It happened just once after we were married. Not that it makes it ok, because it doesn't... Her human mate had been visiting family for a few weeks, at the time, so we knew the pup could only be mine."
He rubbed a hand across his face, looking tired. "Evie was the one who insisted that the Pack should never know. She didn't want my reputation tarnished, threatening Pack loyalty. The raids were getting particularly bad and we needed to stand together. United."
His eyes sought the Luna, looking almost as broken as she did. "I am sorry. I can't imagine how much I have hurt you. Or Charlie..." he threw a nervous glance at me, but I was too tired to respond.
"By the time Evie died, Charlie was already nine. Already knowing and loving another man as her father." He looked at his lap, voice cracking slightly. "After the heartbreak of losing her family... How could I tell a child it was all a lie?"
A lump began in my throat.
I was starting to feel better physically, but my emotions were still taking a beating.
As my strength returned, so too did my memory. Small chunks at a time, woven together with the words I was hearing.
As my mind healed, my mental pain grew.
Abandonment.
Entrapment.
A life of lies soaked in blood and misery.
I gritted my teeth as the room fell into silence, save for the Luna's sobs.
"What happened, is in the past. We can't change it." I bared my teeth, my eyes locked on the sad, silver gaze of my father. "But we can erase the bastards that did this to me."
Anger mixed with the potent blood of an Alpha spread a fire of energy through my veins. I looked at the Luna, our eyes sharing a broken understanding.
The past cannot change. But hurt can be healed, if tended to properly.
If the Alpha was telling the truth, all of our histories hinged on the True-Blood rouges persecution of human affiliation with wolves.
Drake's Pack.
Even the thought of his name made me shudder.
With a clear head, I could see I had been poisoned and abused.
It made me want revenge.
Jack stepped forward. "Charlie is right. We need to put an end to this tyranny. You two have to stand as one to lead this Pack, and our neighbouring allies to war against these animals... They are traitors to wolf-kind and need to be stopped before more lives are ruined."
The Luna shot a glare at my father. "Transgressions aside. I have never... and will never, love another man. I am your mate. The Luna of this Pack. I intend to stay as such." The bitterness of her words made the Alpha bow his head in shame.
"I will fetch the doctor. When you are ready, meet me in your office, Julian. We need to put this to bed to be affective as a team." The Luna let her gaze land again on me, a small smile finding its way to her lips. "It is good to see you looking better already, Charlie. I will send my thanks the Goddess for your recovery."
With that, she turned on her heel and left. Every bit as elegant as she had been before her world had been shattered only minutes before.
Moments later, the doctor appeared, wringing his hands nervously.
I managed to find a smile for the poor man. "Hi doc. Thank you for your help. I'm feeling much better."
Darting his eyes first to the Alpha, the doctor shuffled to my side, withdrawing the transfusion equipment quickly and efficiently.
"I'm glad to hear it, Miss Maxwe... er... Miss Charlie." He finished lamely. Cowering under the piercing silver gaze of the Alpha.
The loud snort behind him could only had come from one man and I hid a grin. "Charlie is fine."
As he moved to tidy some things away, I swung my legs out of bed, causing a commotion as all three men shot to surround me.
"Miss... Charlie... You must lay back down. I have many examinations yet to begin." His eyes traced the cuts and bruises that littered my body sadly. The shorts and t-shirt I wore doing little to hide them.
"I'm fine." I glared at the men surrounding me. "I just want to go home."
The growl beside me shook the room and my heart about stopped. The anger of an Alpha was a terrifying thing.
"I may have made mistakes. I may not have earnt the title of father. However, I am still your Alpha and you will listen when I say, you do not leave." His voice boomed around the small room with a deafening intensity.
I was about to swallow my fear and attempt to argue when Jack stepped in. "Jules... I think she's been through enough poking and prodding, don't you?"
The sad exchange between the two men made my heart pang painfully in their chest. If only they knew...
Grunting, the Alpha nodded reluctantly. "Fine. No more tests today. But will you at least agree to stay in the Pack house? I'm asking, not telling."
The gesture was more than I expected, and I found myself nodding. "I guess I could do with a few days to myself anyway."
With that settled. The Alpha rumbled a goodbye and left to continue his discussion with the Luna.
The doctor huffed, casting another wary glance at me before following suit.
Jack helped me to my feet, a small smirk on his face. "I know just the place for you." His eyes glittered, hiding the sadness beneath.
I couldn't help but snigger. "Really? I'm a bruised mess and you're wearing a dress and you are still trying to flirt with me?" I nodded at his hospital gown, laughter bubbling up my throat.
The grin on his lips widened as he joined in my laughter. "I can always take it off, if you'd like...?"