Faith held a tiny bird in her hands, a gleaming grin plastered on her chubby, round face as she came running over to show me what she had found. Following closely behind another young pup did her best to keep up. I could see the red in her cheeks and quick contractions of her chest as she heaved for air. The woman next to me, Naomi, a female untouched by my brother, chuckled at the sight. Faith was turning out to be more her father then her mother, and a part of me deeply wished it was the latter.
"That little girl is going to give everyone a run for their money." Naomi snickered. She held out her arms right as her daughter crashed into her embrace.
"Look!" Faith was basically jumping out of her skin. She couldn't contain any of the excitement she got from finding the tiny creature settled in her tiny hands.
"Where did you get that?" I asked as she handed the bird over.
"It fell from the sky!" Faith threw her hands in the air and started spinning in circles. I laughed and pulled her into a hug with one hand.
"Did you catch it?" I asked secretly hoping that she did.
"Yes! I heard the little tweeting sound as it fell and ran to help!"
"I'm so proud of you!" And I was. It shocked me sometimes, watching as Faith grew up under the watchful eye of her uncle, yet she remained as pure as her mother had been. Maybe it was a family thing. Hannah had always been such a wonderful person. The only thing that ever made her mad was...well me. "Did Julie help you?" I asked as I made eye contact with her mother Naomi.
"She petted it's head. We named her Feathers!" Both girls were grinning like little monsters. Naomi and I couldn't stop ourselves. A heartfelt laughter filled the space around us as we pulled our little girls into the tightest embrace we could manage.
"You girls are angels. We are so proud of you two for rescuing this little bird." Naomi beamed as I handed her the bird. "Why don't we take this little lady to your dad and see if we can get her wings flapping again?" Both girls squealed at the happiness they felt. Naomi paused without them noticing, her pale green eyes asking for permission to take Faith with her.
"Well," I answered as I stood from my lawn chair, "I guess this means I have to get back to work." I grabbed Faith from the ground and kissed her on the cheek. "You have fun helping your new friend. I will see you later. I have a surprise for you after dinner." Faith didn't say anything; her smile and high pitched squeal were enough of an answer. Naomi grabbed both of their hands and led them to her car. I didn't move from my spot till her black dodge was out of my sight.
"Letting the little princess leave the mansion...?"
"I'm letting her have fun, Jasper. There's no issue with that." The Beta was looking like he usually did. Ripped jeans and a T-shirt that really did him no justice. Did anything really do him justice though? Standing at a solid 6'3, he was nothing but skin and bone. His black hair made his already pale skin look like he'd been sick for weeks, and his dark hazel eyes looked more like a pile of puke then anything else. Just being around him made my stomach shrivel.
"So you're okay with me informing the Alpha of this situation."
"Go ahead. Last I checked, Trent's letter shows me having sole guardianship of Faith, not him."
"That letter won't save you or her-" grabbing for his shirt, I latched my fingers around his collar and slammed him into the nearest solid object I could find.
"Threaten her again," I growled, my canines fully extended, "And I will rip your heart from your chest and feed it to the first nest I find! Neither you or Titan will ever touch her and if somehow you manage to even look in her direction, I will tear you, and every wolf that follows that piece of crap, to pieces. Do you understand that, Jasper!?"
The Beta kept his lips sealed. Smart choice on his end. We both knew that if I was given the opportunity, I'd rip those slimy lips off and toss them to the dogs. I hated him almost as much as I hated my brother, but unlike with Titan, I was actually more then willing to remove Jasper from this plane.
Letting him slip through my fingers, I waited till he was gone before I started addressing the man whose presence had just appeared moment ago around the corner of the house.
"She made it safely to Sam's?"
"Of course." Lucas was leaning against the pack house with his face covered by shadows. I was one of the lucky few who have actually seen his true face. His silver eyes drew unwelcome attention, which was funny considering the man loved the ladies.
"I assume you heard my conversation with Eloise last night?"
"Oh no...don't tell me you caught me ease dropping?" His question made me laugh. I had sensed him a mile away. Trying to sneak back onto the territory; it was just bad luck on his part that Eloise and I had been chatting at that moment. Not like it mattered either way, Lucas was the one wolf I tried my best to always keep track of. Always getting in trouble with Eric.
"When she gets here, I want you to follow them till they're are both off the territory. You have my permission to attack anyone who tries to stop them."
"And if it's Titan?"
"I'll be keeping my brother at bay. No need to worry about him."
"What ever you say, Alpha. I'll be catching you later then?"
"She'll be here around dinner time. I expect you to be present."
"For you, I'll even be there on time." I didn't wait for him to leave, what ever he did in his free time was his own business. I learned the hard way that following him wasn't the best idea. Instead, I headed back inside and up to the guest room that I'd been staying in for the past week. Looking around, my laugh crawled to the surface. It was a funny situation really, seeing as the guest room was actually my old room. Still the same too.
The tall walls were still covered in the intricate design of branches and birds that my older sister had painted for my the day I moved in. My twin sized bed had been replaced with a much larger bed that took up a large chunk of the room. Two doors were side by side in the center of the left hand wall. Without opening them, I knew there was a small walk in closet with plenty of storage space, including a small door that led to a hidden passage way. If someone was to follow the passage way they would end up in a child's room.
Across from those doors was another. The door was hiding a full bath. The tub had been my favorite place. I would soak till my skin was all wrinkly, my fingers shrinking like prunes laid out in the sun. The only person who could ever get my out of the porcelain tub was Faith's father, and even he had issues with getting me out most of the time. All the promises he made me; any child would be happy with Trent as their brother.
It's hard sometimes. Walking through the Mansion, memories flooding my head of how simple the times use to be. Trent use to hide around the corners, sticking close to the flowers to hide his scent. I'd run past him without the slightest clue that he was so close. He'd wait in silence, patiently watching for the perfect moment to strike. I'd be stumped and then he'd jump out of no where, chasing me around the place until I'd feel his arms wrap around my body. I'd go flying into the air, my squeals filling the large home.
"God I miss you so much..."
"Don't we all." My wolf practically jumped from my skin. Twisting on my feet, a low growl rumbled in my throat. Isadonna was leaning against the door frame. Her dark brown hair pulled into the messiest bun imaginable on the top of her head. I tried to say something but my attention was immediately drawn to the bulging stomach being protected by her hand. I would have continued to stare but her middle finger gave me all the warning I needed.
"Why are you here?" I had wanted to do this with the distraction of a family dinner. Seeing Isadonna standing in my doorway so early in the afternoon was leaving a foul taste on my tongue. If Titan suspected a single thing, my plan would fall through the cracks, and everything would quickly turn south.
"Of course he didn't say anything," she growled as her smile dropped.
"Anything about what?
"They moved the date of the Summit up. Bad things have been happening these past few days, bad enough to have all of the Alpha's worried. I tried to talk to Eric about it, but he's been closed up in his office trying to get things around. In fact, orgincally the Summit was going to be moved to our territory, but of course Titan pushed for it on yours, and then I got your message, and knowing how our brother is with telling you things, I decided to come early and make sure you knew about everything.
"What time does it start?"
"You have about an hour."
"Thank you for the heads up." I growled as I started for my closest.
"Cara..."
"What?"
"There's one more thing...another reason why I chose to come early."
Grabbing a nice sundress, I give my sister a look that tells her to continue as I strip down and change. She starts rubbing her stomach, a different kind of look settling in her soft gaze, "They've reached out to me as a last resort. Apparently they have reached out to you multiple times with no response. With Trent gone, and Titan disconnected, the responsibility has fallen onto you. Please tell me, he isn't the reason you've kept quiet?"
"Of course not," I sigh, "I'm just not ready yet. We don't really see eye to eye, and on top of that, there's the whole civil war thing I'm kind of dealing with at the moment."
"You can't ignore this forever, Cara. I really wish there was a way for you to do so, but even I am willing to admit that you have no way out. Not to mention, bringing him into this all..."
"Trust me...I know..."
Will Cara kill Jasper?
Who is Isadonna talking about at the end?
Just what kind of secrets are Cara and Isadonna keeping?
Keep reading and find out!
Please remember to comment and vote!
A/N: Before you ask. I know Cara said she that Lucas was the one wolf she kept an eye and then later mentioned she minds her own business. That's probably confusing. SO let me explain. Cara usually (90% of the time (Lucas can be very sneaky)) knows where Lucas is, as in the general area. She does NOT know what he is doing there tho. Like she said she learned the hard way to keep to her self. So once again: general area, not the reason why.