Lyanna nodded politely. "I do."
She slapped her palm on top of Thomas', but nothing happened. Not a spark, not a light switch, nothing.
Nada.
My heart froze.
My beast stood up quickly with Ethan's while different options of damage control were floating through my mind.
Shit.
Evan's face paled while Lyanna looked like she was about to shatter from the fear freezing her body.
She let go of Thomas' hands with big eyes that looked like a deer in the headlights. Thomas eyed her a bit, he opened his mouth when Aaron started to laugh.
He laughed hard, causing Ethan, Evan, and I to look at him like he ate his own shit. He winked at Lyanna then rolled his eyes at his dad, this was cocky arrogant Aaron at his finest. "Come on Lyanna, it's not like we're marking you in front of the pack."
Lyanna let out a nervous laugh and nodded, playing into Aaron's lie that probably saved her damn life. Thomas eyed his son then shook his head, like his was over Aaron's bullshit. "Second time's a charm."
She smiled and nodded again. "I get performance anxiety I guess."
Thomas chuckled heartily while Evan's mouth almost hit the ground. I stepped on his foot, scowling at him and causing him to compose himself again.
She slapped her hand in Thomas' again, and this time, the bond took. She felt like a damn lightning bug, zipping through my mind and over the bond with an energy that was both beautiful yet graceful like a Sugar Plum Fairy.
Thomas let her hand go and winked at her. "Welcome to the pack girl."
A wave of relief washed off of me as Lyanna trotted down the steps towards Evan, who was already making his way towards her.
Aaron caught my eye for a brief moment. "You're welcome."
Ethan looked down at me then back at Aaron. "I think you may be right sunshine, there very well could be something there."
"What should we do? What do you think?"
"I don't know yet. We'll think of something, though."
Evan hugged Lyanna to him and walked her back to us. She ran to me and hugged me tightly. "I'm so sorry," she whispered to me.
"It's fine, it's ok. It all worked out," I replied back while she nuzzled my cheek.
"Alright! Next up we need to address some serious issues of a pack member harming not only another member but this pack in itself," Thomas called out. He sat back down next to Miranda as Aaron took his place next to his father.
Lyanna moved next to Evan as Ethan pulled me close to him. A few guards walked Larissa out. Her hair was braided back into a long french braid and her face was almost so tight with lividity that it could have cracked with the slightest poke, like a balloon with too much air.
The five guards stood around her as the pack snarled at her, growled, and hissed out names at the sight of her. Her eyes caught mine; hate and disgust consumed them.
I growled sharply too her, causing her eyes to widen before she flickered them elsewhere.
"Larissa, you have not only attacked a pack member, Charlotte Thorne, without reason and outside the sparring rings, but you endangered Charlotte and Andrea–almost got Andrea killed–" As Thomas said the words, Andrea and Ryder started to push their way to the back of the crowd. Andrea looked back at Larissa with blazing green eyes before nodding back to me as she disappeared around the back of the house. "You lied to not only myself but this pack about rogues infiltrating our borders and attacking our members, and because of such lie, you forced me to collar my own Beta."
Ethan rumbled a little as eyes turned to us. Thomas eyed Larissa, who was frozen with fear and fury, for a while then looked back over the pack. "The list of offenses are serious and long, but after much thought, Miranda and I both agreed that Charlotte and Ethan will get to decide what her punishment will be."
Thomas looked directly at us the nodded his chin back to Larissa. "So, what will it be you two?"
Ethan and I both eyed her, growing lowly while the pack turned to gaze at us. He let out a hot breath and kissed my hair, nuzzling it a bit while Larissa waited for us to speak. "You do the honors babe."
"Banish her," I called out.
Larissa let out what sounded like a gasp before horror filled her face. The wolves around us yipped and barked out in approval while Thomas nodded in agreement.
He turned to Larissa, who looked like she was begging him for help, pleading with her eyes; but he gave her no mercy. He couldn't now, not with the pack on our side.
"Men will run with you and see that you head out of this pack. If our patrols do not report back to me that you have crossed a border, then we will find you and treat you as a rogue."
"What?!" She cried out.
Wolves snarled at her and snapped her jaws while Ethan and I rumbled in approval. Thomas growled lowly to her, as did Miranda. "Get out."
With that, the guards pushed her back through the pack house and out the doors, where she took off running; her wolves howls filling the night with the rest of the packs howls of approval.
"Maverick here, we're on here."
"Roger that, we have eyes on her," Andrea added. "She's going straight for Lusa already."
"Remi?" Ethan said.
"Ready and in place, when she's in custody we'll let you know. Jaxon is here with his men and Levi is on his way. She's not getting over this border without running into us."
"Good," Ethan replied. "Keep me updated."
"Roger that," Ryder replied before hopping off.
I felt my heart flutter a little, flutter at the thought that maybe, just maybe we would catch a break. Ethan took a sip of his beer while Drew said something next to him.
"We need to get into your dad's office," I said over our bond link.
Ethan looked around as wolves began to forget the meeting and enjoy the party; drinks were being poured, dancing was picking up, and laughter was starting to fill the backyard.
"Follow my lead." I nodded. He looked over at Evan, linking something to him quickly before Evan pulled Lyanna over to the bar while Ethan pulled me inside. "Hope you don't mind PDA sunshine."
"What?" I asked as we walked up the stairs.
He chuckled to himself and turned quickly, pushing me against the rail before he buried his face in my neck. Some wolves looked up at us curiously, but I was quickly distracted as Ethan kissed at my mark gently.
"What are you doing?!" I hissed out.
"Improvising baby," he replied.
"This is improvising?" I asked while he kissed alongside my jaw.
"Just go with it," he breathed out before kissing me.
He pulled away and I gave him a small scowl, drawing a chuckle from his lips as we walked into the pack house. He looked around until his eyesight landed on a leather chair. It was next to the fireplace where Drew and Nessa were snuggled up in an opposite Chair. Sam and Martin were chatting with them from their seats on the couch; apparently, someone said something funny, because Nessa almost spit her drink out as we walked up, she was laughing so damn hard.
"Nessa, seriously babe?"
"Piss off!" She slapped Drew's chest playfully. She flickered her eyes to mine and smiled. "Hey, Char! Hey, Ethan!"
Drew looked up at Ethan apologetically. "She's a lightweight."
"Am not!" Nessa pouted.
Ethan sat down in the chair and tugged me into his lap; nipping at my shoulder before he took a long sip of his beer.
"How bout Larissa?" Sam asked while Martin put his arm around her.
"Good riddance," Evan added as he and Lyanna walked up then took the seat on the couch next to Martin and Sam.
Ethan nodded in agreement before nipping at my earlobe. Teasing me.
Which apparently was the distraction. We waited and waited and waited until the party got to a point where people were drunk on wine and beer, dancing, and talking with faint slurs indicating that their buzz had set in.
Thomas and Miranda were making the rounds, they came by one time to say hello, but Ethan barely paid any mind to them. He was busy nipping at my mark, making me blush with the sexy little things he was whispering in my ears.
"Let's go upstairs," he murmured against my skin before he eyed the room.
I looked around and nodded, right now was as good a time as ever to break in. Evan looked up at us and slightly nodded before a sly smile tugged at his lips. "Where are you two going?"
"To dig your grave brother, care to join?" Ethan said with a wicked smile as he and I both stood up off the chair.
Evan growled lowly while Sam winked to us as Nessa giggled. Ethan smiled to himself before pulling me towards the stairs, satisfaction dripping off of him as we walked.
"Told you," he whispered back to me.
I rolled my eyes. He playfully smacked my ass as I climbed up the stairs, causing me to squeal and run faster; I turned before we got up to the landing and saw Thomas and Miranda chatting with a few wolves, while Aaron looked up at us curiously. He was the definition of the word curious.
We walked quickly down the hall towards a door I had seen many times but never entered. Suddenly, Ethan stopped. He looked behind him then pushed me hard against the wall.
"Ethan!" I hissed out, but my protests were cut short when his lips met mine.
I smelled it.
The pack wolf. There was a pack wolf, a lower beta, coming up the stairs. It all clicked in my brain in that moment, what it was that my mate was doing.
I kissed him back hard, letting myself melt into his lips while his hands trapped me against the wall. He was quick the move them to my hips, where he squeezed playfully before he hoisted me up so I could wrap my legs around him.
I let out a sigh into his lips as he pressed me into the wall, his chest crushing into mine while I temporarily forgot why we were even up there. My fingers tugged at his hair, drawing a growl from his lips as he moved down my neck to suck at the tender skin around my mark.
I sighed out breathlessly when someone coughed. Ethan growled lowly to them before I snapped my head in the direction of two young betas, a male and a female, who looked like they had the same idea we did.
"Uh, we uh–" Ethan growled lowly to them. The female blushed hard before pulling the frozen male back with her. He opened his mouth then waved shyly. "Sorry Beta Everette!"
We waited until they were down the stairs before Ethan set me down, straightened out my dress, then grabbed my hand and started to tug me with him. "Come on sunshine."
My mouth was still a little open and my lips were still a little swollen. "So this was your plan then?"
"It's not a bad plan," he replied back, innocent in his tone while his lips tugging into a shit-eating grin said a different story.
"Mhmm," I hummed pensively.
We got to the door, the oak that we had seen in the tree. Seen Chris sitting behind.
Ethan let out a hot breath then reached for the handle and twisted it open, letting us into a place that seemed like it was frozen in time.
It still smelled like him. Like Chris.
Ethan blinked his eyes hard while I shut the door behind him. "Come on, let's get going."
He nodded the walked away from me, looking around once before he began to look through drawer in his dads' big oak desk.
"What should I look for?"
"Anything," he replied.
While Ethan went through the desk, I went straight for the bookshelf. Chris had lots of books, much like Ethan's office. There was everything from 'Huckleberry Fin' to 'Star Wars' lining his shelves.
I found myself gazing at them until I was squatting down to look at all the American classic novels on his bottom shelf. My eyes roamed the spines of the books, when they caught something.
I looked up at the shelf above, then down to the one below when I noticed something was not in place. One thing that was not like the other.
"Ethan, I think I found something."
He was quickly squatting next to me, eyeing the shelves before his eyes found what mine did.
The back.
On all the shelves, the grains of the wood ran vertical, whereas this panel on the bottom shelf ran horizontal and was closer to the front of the shelf than the over backs. It was easy to miss because of the tall books covering most of it and it was the bottom shelf. No ones was really going to notice it behind the tall books unless they were really looking. It was a clever spot, a spot that was purposeful.
Ethan wasted no time, he pulled all the books out before testing out the panel.
It was loose.
It was loose and eventually, Ethan wiggled it enough so he could get one end loose enough for him to pry open before he was able to pull it out.
A box.
A box surrounded by tons of black rocks. There were at least three brown small cardboard boxes back there; smaller than a shoebox, but still weighty when Ethan picked them up.
"Oh my God," I breathed out. Ethan sighed and smiled before looking at me, hope filled his eyes and spread over our bond.
"Ev, go wait for us out back. I've got some boxes that you need to carry home with Char."
"You found something?!"
"Not sure, but we'll see."
"Ok, on my way. I'll be out by those trees. Just link me, Lyanna's with me too."
"I can call Elliot to come meet me," I offered.
Ethan nodded. "Good idea sunshine," he breathed before he started to pushed the rocks then the panel back. "Line the books up again?"
I started to stack them while Ethan looked around the office some more. He picked up the three boxes, stacking them on top of the other before giving the room one last once over.
"Anything else?"
He shook his head. "I would stay longer, but I don't know how much time we have."
Right as he said it, we felt it. Another wolf coming. "Shit," I hissed.
"Go!" he whisper-yelled to me. "My office, down the hall!"
I rushed out the door with one box in my hand while Ethan followed closely behind, shutting his dad's door as quietly as he could before he hauled ass with me to his office; the door of which looking much further away than I remembered.
It was in the middle of my running that I totally regretted wearing these damn heels. I could feel them on the stairs, betas; inwardly I prayed that they were like the other two, young wolves looking for a spot to get frisky in.
Ethan tore open his door and rushed me inside then deposited his two boxes on the floor while shutting his door. He marched over to me and tossed my box to the ground then proceeded to pick me up and deposit me on top of his desk.
"Ethan, what are you–" His lips silenced mine while his hands worked their way under my dress and over my thighs. "What are you doing?" I breathed out as he moved to my neck.
"If they smell us," he whispered against my skin, nipping at it and sucking it. "If they smell arousal, then they won't suspect anything."
He bit down on my mark, lighting my body up and drawing a languished moan from my lips while his hands kneaded and molded my ass.
"Is this the only way you know how to improvise?" I breathed out while he pulled me closer to him, closer to the growing hardness in his pants.
"Sunshine," he murmured while his fingers dipped into my panties, exploring the wetness that was already pooling until they dove inside me; drawing a gasp from my lips that made me bite down on his shoulder while he growled in approval. "This is my favorite way to improvise with you."
He was right.
The smell of our arousal itself was like a drug; blanketing the office and seeping out into the hall. The smell itself clouded my brain, preventing me of thinking of anything but him.
He moved his finger inside me, teasing me, stroking me, and stretching me until another one joined. I let out a breathy moan that his lips silenced, his lips that were hungry; ravenously hungry as desperate need swept over us.
He let out a growl full of tense need into his kiss. "Damn baby," he rasped out against my lips while his fingers seemed to turn a faucet on inside me. I was dripping with need for him; need that made me forget what planet I even lived on.
Soon panties were being ripped off, while the buckle of jeans were being undone, and hands couldn't move quick enough with their work.
Ethan pulled me closer as he bit onto the soft pillow that was my bottom lips, and guided himself into me with a guttural groan of his own. I let out a growl as he began to move; kissing him and letting my lips suck on his tongue like it was making love to my mouth.
His thrusts were short and fast with a hunger that was heightened by the danger of the situation. I clawed at his back and wrapped my legs tighter around him, pulling him closer to me, deeper into me.
He bent down and sucked at my neck, my mark, and that in itself had me seeing stars. His pace picked up and soon, I was holding onto the desk while he drove into me until he bent down again and bit at my mark; almost drawing blood and ripping me into ribbons of pleasure as my need was satisfied and ecstasy rolled over me.
My release seemed to trigger his, because right when I felt myself subsuming to the tides of pleasure, I felt him thrust a few more times before he stiffened inside me; releasing himself until he fell on top of me breathlessly.
"Was that–" I paused as my labored breaths took the words away from me. "Part of the plan?"
Ethan let out a breathy laugh and shook his head against my shoulder. "Well," he breathed out. "not really."
"I think–" I paused again while my lungs struggled to find the air that had been taken from them. "It's safe for us to go."
Ethan laughed again and kissed my cheek. "I love you, baby."
I laughed too and wiped some sweat off my brow. "I love you too."
"Maverick checking in, we have the target."
I smiled as a breath of relief came out of my lips. Ethan pulled himself out of me and then looked around until he found a box of Kleenexes.
He reached across his desk and grabbed some then dipped down to kiss me again, slowly and lazily while he wiped the bits of him that were dripping down my thigh off.
"How is she?" Ethan asked. He chunked the Kleenexes in the trash then picked up my shredded panties.
"Trash them," I breathed out.
"Throwing a royal ass bitch fit. Almost clawed Caden to death. Jaxon and Levi got into her ass though."
"How's Andrea?" I asked as Ethan helped me off the desk.
"Ya, about that," Ryder said slowly.
My heartbeat picked up as I snapped my worried eyes to Ethan. "Ryder??"
"Easy Ghostrider, it's just that um, well–"
"Well what?!" I hissed.
"Ugh, this is such a cluster," he groaned. "Well, we got to the border no problems. Andrea had held her distance until Larissa figured out what was happening. She came after Andrea first, which was fine because shit, Andrea can handle herself, but then Jaxon showed up and–"
"And what?!" I rushed out.
"Well, turns out Jaxon's Andrea's mate."
"What?" My mouth felt like it hit the floor while Ethan almost dropped the boxes he was picking up.
"Ya, it was a real shit show. Besides the whole them being mates thing, Jaxon was livid that Larissa went after Andrea. Almost killed her, but Levi got a hold of him."
"But how's Andrea?"
"Pissed the hell off. She's not too keen on Jaxon right now, refusing to go to Lusa with him. So, uh, ya, Ethan? Kind of could use your help down here."
"Ethan let me go with you."
He sighed and shook his head. "Char I need you to make sure these boxes get home safe and you need to check on Elliot."
I blinked hard and reached out to my bond with Andrea, she was pissed. More than pissed, she felt murderous as hell.
"Ethan–"
"Baby, we need to get these boxes to a safe place. I only trust you and Evan and Lyanna with them right now. Take these and get them into our safe. We can open them together when I get back."
"Ok," I breathed out. "But do not make her go, you can't let him take her if she doesn't want to."
"Sunshine," Ethan sighed out. He kissed me then kissed my forehead. "I wouldn't dream of that. Besides, it's not like making her would be easy anyways. I almost feel sorry for Jaxon, although she's going to good for his arrogant ass."
"You feel sorry for him?" I eyed him with a raised brow as he buckled his belt.
He picked up a box and shrugged. "There's nothing fun about taking like four cold shower everyday sunshine." I started to blush wildly which only made Ethan laugh. He kissed my cheek then nipped at my earlobe. "Come on, let's get these home safe."
He picked up the two boxes on the floor then pulled the door open carefully; sticking his head out and letting his beast come out a bit to search the area before he nodded to me.
It smelled like us up there, like sex. I groaned inwardly, it was a good distraction. Anyone walking up there would just assume that Ethan and I went up there for a quickie, which was more or less true.
"Elliot?"
"Hey little one," he replied while Ethan and I walked towards the emergency stairwell.
"I'm on my way back, are pop and Lucy still there?"
"Yes, they are."
"Are you ok?"
"It's fine Char, don't worry about me."
I felt uneasy. I eyed the boxes, our precious jewels that could contain what we needed to save this pack. I didn't want to say that I didn't trust Ethan's grandparents, but, my beast was uneasy at the thought of them being near these boxes.
"Ethan?"
"Mmm?"
I bit my lip. It wasn't something that I wanted to say; I didn't want to say it because saying it made it more real. I didn't want to tell him that I didn't trust his grandparents, but I knew I had to. I had to trust him. It wasn't fair for me to hide things from him, it would only hurt us.
"I don't want to say this, but I have a feeling about pop and Lucy–" he gave me a wary look before looking down at the boxes while he clenched his eyes shut.
"They're my grandparents Char."
"I know," I sighed out. "I just feel this need to protect these boxes. My wolf doesn't want them around someone who's not us or Evan and Lyanna. Elliot is fine but anyone else worries her. I'm not saying they are involved, I'm just asking that maybe we don't show them?"
"Are you sure about this feeling?"
I nodded. "Yes, I'd rather be safe than sorry."
Ethan let out a long breath then nodded. "Tell Elliot to tell them that we are coming home. Tell him to tell them that everything went well, that we drank too much and are going to go to the cells in the morning. We can talk about the rest when I get home, ok?"
"Ok," I breathed out as he kissed my forehead. I smiled at him while his eyes seemed to soften with some sort of relief. I felt good about telling him about Elliot now, the bond felt better.
"Elliot, Tell them Ethan and I are on our way home and that I pre-apologized for any drunken sex we may be having."
"They'll want to know why he didn't go to the border Char."
"Tell them I said it all went smoothly, which it did, and that he's going to go in the morning with me."
"Char, are you sure?"
"Yes, positive. Ethan is ok with it."
"Ok, I'll see you soon."
Ethan tugged me to the corner when we heard yelling and shouting from outside. He stilled a little and looked at me as something else was yelled out.
We ducked into Billy's office and moved quietly to the corner window where the yelling was the loudest.
Thomas.
Thomas was laying into a very drunk Arron, and this wasn't just a friendly Levi ass beating. This felt wrong. This felt so wrong.
Aaron yelled something at Thomas and drunkenly swung at him, but Thomas easily dodged him and hit him hard in the gut, twice.
"Ethan?" I felt myself wince as Thomas nailed Aaron hard on the cheek. "Ethan we can't just sit here."
He set the boxes down and pulled me to him then leaned us away from the window. His beast wanted out; mine wanted out. It may be Aaron, but this–what was happening, was wrong and we knew it.
"We can't sunshine, I'm sorry."
I heard Aaron let out a pained cry and winced a little more. "He helped us, Ethan."
"I know, just wait and we'll see what we can do, ok?"
"Ev you outside?"
"You mean am I watching Thomas pound away at Aaron? Yup."
"The hell?" Ethan asked. "What happened?"
"Aaron was just drunk and mouthing off. Next thing I knew, Thomas drug him out here and has been going at him like he's a damn punching bag. It's wrong man. Aaron's drunk and probably doesn't even realize what the hell is happening."
"Let us know when it's clear," Ethan replied.
It wasn't clear.
It wasn't clear for far too long for my liking.
I hated it.
I hated hearing Aaron take a beating he more than likely didn't deserve out there; he may have been a shit head in the past, but he helped us. He saved Lyanna. God only knows what would have happened if he hadn't smoothed out the initiation.
"It's clear guys, come on," Evan whispered to us.
I rushed down the stairwell with my box in my hands and Ethan behind me to find Aaron laying plastered to the ground, looking like pounded meat as Lyanna rushed to him.
"Shit," Ethan hissed out.
"What should we do?" Evan asked as he looked down at Aaron. He was whimpering and half conscious.
I kneeled down next to him and tried to wipe some blood off his face. "Aaron? Arron it's Char and Lyanna, you need to stay awake, ok?" He nodded slightly to us before I looked at Ethan. "I'm calling Elliot. Get Sam and Martin here, Sam can meet us at the house."
"Don't call the doctor, I don't need her," Aaron gritted out.
"Aaron," Evan said. "Bro, you need the doctor. Believe me, this isn't something I can just bandage up."
"Fine," he bit out.
Ethan looked up at me and nodded. "We'll wait with you for Elliot."
"I needed you to come to the pack house. East side, we need help. Aaron's hurt bad and we need you to carry him back."
"Aaron?"
"Yes, long story, I can explain at home."
"Ok Char, I'll be there soon."
"He's on his way," I said, looking up at Ethan who was watching Aaron as pain etched itself on his face.
Elliot zipped down quicker than I would have thought. He was able to pick Aaron up and zip back to our house, leaving Lyanna and I with the boxes and some of our warriors while Ethan and Evan went to the line.
Aaron refused to see Sam, though. He threw a bitch fit that rivaled some of my better ones.
Sam grew frustrated and eventually I decided to have her leave us some medical supplies, I figured that Lyanna and I may be able to get him to cooperate.
Justin and Murphy didn't like leaving us alone, though. Justin took a couch downstairs and Murphy got a few extra guards and stationed them outside while Lyanna and I were inside.
The boxes were tucked away in our safe under the stairs while Lyanna argued with Aaron, who was sitting on the island, in our kitchen.
"Aaron," I bit out. He snapped his furious amber eyes to me. "You are hurt. We saw the fight. We know you need help so you need to cooperate or so help me, I will tie your ass down and fix you up. Do you understand?!"
He let out a shaky breath and nodded slightly to me. "Fine."
"Lyanna, get him some water." I walked to him and picked up some scissors, eying his bloody shirt that would have to go. "I have to cut it off."
He didn't say anything while I cut it away. The fabric fell, leaving skin that was familiar to me. Scared. Scared much like mine.
There were old scars, nasty and deep, there were deep bruises colored purple like an eggplant on his torso, and there were nasty gashes that hadn't healed. Gashes that shouldn't look that bad considering that we were werewolves.
The wounds on him were not all battle wounds, that was evidence. Some of them, well, some of them reminded me of the ones Marcus gave to me.
"Charlotte, that's from silver. Those gashes. Can you smell it?"
Lyanna handed him some water and three Advil that he gulped down while I eyed the gashes some more.
Silver.
It smelled like burned skin, the aftermath of silver meeting it and slicing through it angrily.
Aaron caught my line of sight and growled out at me. "I see your eyes and I don't want that shit. It's not like you would get it."
I nodded a little and stepped back while Lyanna began to wipe some of the blood away. "Maybe so," I said while propping my leg up on the counter.
Aaron eyed me as I started to pull my dress up. "What are you doing?"
I turned and showed him the little lines on the back of my legs. I could feel him; feel him still behind me as his gazes reached them.
"My ex gave me those. Every time I disobeyed him I got one, sometimes more." I turned to him while he watched me as his eyes softened to a look I had seen before, the same look that found my eyes when Lyanna almost didn't make the pack bond. "One time he came home and he was angry at me. He was always angry at me. He was drunk off his ass and yelling for me.
"I used to think if I went to sleep, or pretended to be asleep that he would ignore me, but I was wrong. He didn't care. He never cared.
"He found me that night and he was angry that I forgot to turn a light out, so he told me that I wouldn't forget next time, that he was going to give me a reminder."
I titled my arm and showed him the little circle burns that were there. He sucked in a breath while Lyanna gave me a tiny smile. "Cigarettes. He put them out on me. He actually lit a new one so he could put it out on me. So I do know Aaron, I know well," I finished and looked at him as understanding set in.
He was quiet while Lyanna rubbed some cream on him until finally he shook his head and looked back up at me. "Why are you doing this?"
"People shouldn't be taken advantage of that way. Even people I am still not sure if I even like."
Water.
His eyes grew watery. Lyanna paused and tilted her head to look at him. "Aaron, how did you get those bruises?"
He let out a teary half-drunken laugh and wiped his eyes as soberness started to overcome him. "Don't act so concerned Lyanna, it's fine. I've had worse."
"Like when?" she asked, gentle yet firm as she prodded.
"Like when Ethan beat the shit out of me," he bit back. He snapped his eyes to me as they swirled with a painful memory. "He told me it was either Ethan or him. Pick a fight with Ethan or have one with him. I would always rather have a beating from Ethan than my dad, at least Ethan is a fair fight."
I covered my mouth as my eyes widened. Suddenly I felt so dirty and guilty. I couldn't believe that I didn't see it before, it was so obvious now.
"Ethan?"
Lyanna's eyes started to glass over. Aaron sighed and nudged her cheek playfully. "Cheer up Lyanna, it's not like anyone cares anyway. I know what they think of me. I see their faces."
"Sunshine?"
I let out a shaky breath and looked at my feet before looking back at Aaron. "Wake me up when you get home, promise me you will?"
"Are you ok?"
"Yes, yes, just promise me you'll wake me up."
"Is this about Aaron?"
"Yes, he'll be ok, I think. I just need to talk to you, I don't want to worry you now, but please wake me up?"
"Should I be worried?"
"No, well, not about me. It's Aaron, like I said it can wait until you get home. Just be safe."
"Ok sunshine."
"We care, Aaron," Lyanna breathed out.
"Well you would be the first in a long ass time," he laughed out before he winced when Lyanna dabbed some antiseptic on a cut right below his cheek.
He looked at me and gave me a shrug. "The only ones who were before, were them. I miss them too you know?"
"Miss who?" I breathed out.
"Eli, and Chris, and Margaret," he replied softly. Lyanna bit her bottom lip but kept going while Aaron got weepy eyed again. "Eli was like an older brother to me. He always gave me piggy back rides with Evangeline, I used to think that next to alpha Chris that he was the strongest wolf in the world.
"And luna Margaret was always really nice. She used to bake a lot. Their house always smelled like Christmas because she baked year round. She always brought Amber and I treats if we were in the pack house with her.
"They were always kind to us, like another family. Chris used to chase us around the pack house. My dad would get so mad at us, but Chris never cared. He always loved kids, loved having us around."
Elliot leaned against the hall wall and gave me a half smile. I couldn't believe any of this. His pain, well, we never saw it and it was always there.
He was just in pain.
He was a kid in a house with a dad who was obviously beating the shit out of him and he was probably just trying to do the best he could.
I growled inwardly while Lyanna finished patching him up. Lyanna packed everything away then looked at me with a sad smile. "I'm going to take an extra room upstairs."
I nodded. "Let me know if you need anything."
She left quickly, leaving Aaron and I to each other while Justin snored loudly from the front living room.
"Why did you help Lyanna?"
Aaron shook his head and listed out a string of curses. "If I didn't, we both knew what would have happened."
"And what's that?"
"You think I don't see it or feel it? My dad may have his head up his ass but if I wouldn't have helped Lyanna then my dad would have known, it could have turned that party into a shit show."
I let out a hot breath and nodded. "Stay here tonight, with us. Ethan won't care. There's extra room and I can have Sam and Martin cover for you so your dad won't ask questions."
"Why? Just send my ass home."
"I won't do that Aaron. You're very hurt, still a little drunk, and emotional. You need to sleep."
He let out a sharp breath and nodded. "Fine."
"Elliot can help you up the stairs?"
"I got it," He said before sliding off the counter with a wince. He eyed me a little before nodding then headed to the stairs, past Elliot who gave him a respectful nod as he passed him.
Elliot zipped to me and waited until we could both hear Aaron walk into a room and close the door. Elliot flickered his green eyes to me. "What the hell Char?"
I shrugged. "You heard him, Elliot."
"Think it's a setup?"
"I have a sick feeling that it's not." I sighed and leaned against the counter. "You think Pop and Lucy could be a fluke? Maybe we're just hyped up from everything else?"
Elliot let out a hot breath and shook his head. "I have a sick feeling about that too."