Chapter Five

Emmaleigh

Peyton stays behind with me even though her mate, the pack Alpha I have come to learn, looks less than impressed. The man with the icy blue eyes and square jaw stares at me intently for the longest time before he follows everyone else out, even though he looks less than happy. I can feel the pull between us, the mate bond that fate has set into motion.

Yes, I would love to have a mate. Someone who can hold my hand as I wade through the darkness that has been my life for longer than I care to remember. I would love to fall into him and let him help me conquer my demons, but now isn’t the time for that.

First, I need to take care of myself and my own people. So I don’t say a word as he walks out, instead turning back to help my friend.

“It’s okay,” I murmur near his ear, gently scratching under his chin. “It’s just you, me, and my friend. You can shift back now.”

Thomas gazes at Peyton with a huff before bumping me with his nose.

“She is the pack Luna. Her name is Peyton,” I say by way of explanation. “Would you come closer?” I ask her.

Peyton, for all her credit, doesn’t blink at my request. She simply walks over and smiles.

“Hi,” she says with a little wave.

Thomas proceeds to smell her before the shift starts to fall over him. The air around him shimmers and you can feel the energy in the room change as the massive wolf disappears and in is replaced by a naked young man.

“I’m sorry,” he says immediately, tears clinging to his lashes. “I thought he wanted to hurt her and then I just couldn’t change back. And more and more strange men came in and I got scared.”

“Okay, breathe,” Peyton says as I hug him to my chest.

Thomas is a soft soul, contrary to what his wolf looks like. Humans and shifters alike instantly fear him. He is simply protective, especially of children. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that he didn’t have a childhood of his own.

“You did what felt natural,” I say. “And no one will get mad at you for trying to protect someone, least of all a little girl.”

“Besides,” Peyton says. “I think almost everyone found it funny.”

“Why?” Thomas asks curiously, peering at her from beneath his lashes.

“Oh, well, Godrick is a big tough guy and helps train our fighters. And you took him down quite easily,” she explains with a grin.

Thomas looks up at me for confirmation and I smile. “Why don’t you grab some clothes and we can have a talk with everyone about everything that’s going on. I think it would help us all feel more comfortable.”

He nods before making his way through the house.

“How long was I out?” I ask Peyton as we make our way outside to the others.

“Almost three days,” she says. “We didn’t think Thomas spoke at all. Rose mentioned that he had never spoken to her.”

“It was our secret,” I mumble. “If he didn’t talk to the Hunters they couldn’t try to get information from him,” I say just as we reach the group.

“What kind of information were they looking for?” the Alpha asks.

“Whatever they could get their hands on. They were always bringing in new people and trying new tactics,” I say. “They wanted to know where the other packs were, what their numbers were, how we became shifters, and if they could be changed.”

“Why is Thomas so big?” the man with the icy blue eyes asks as he watches Thomas approach.

He comes to a standstill beside me.

“I’m not sure how much of the story is true but I can tell you what I know.”

****

Nico

I watch the boy as he stands behind my mate. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe the skinny boy transformed into the largest wolf any of us had ever seen.

“Please,” Keela says, directing us all to the outdoor seating area on their porch.

Emmaleigh leads Thomas over to a chair but doesn’t take one herself, instead standing behind him with her hands placed on his shoulders. I watch the dynamic between them carefully. I’m not quite sure if she’s trying to offer him comfort or take some for herself.

Peyton takes a moment to introduce everyone to Emmaleigh since she has only met a few people while being here. She spent the past few days sleeping and resting in my Alpha’s home and Peyton hasn’t allowed any men near her, fearing her reaction after what she had been through. It doesn’t seem like she has an indiscriminate fear of all men, but only time will tell.

We wait patiently as my mate gathers her thoughts.

“Throughout the years, I’ve heard bits and pieces of Thomas’s history when the guards talk, and this is what I have pieced together,” she says at the start of her story. “Years ago the Hunters captured his mother on a raid while she was pregnant with him. Throughout her pregnancy she was experimented on and after his birth so was Thomas. I’ve heard talk of gene manipulation and even though I can’t confirm it, I’m sure you saw what their experiments did. He grew up being shuffled from compound to compound, I don’t know why. I’m also not sure how much of this is true.”

“That’s barbaric!” Peyton announces, jumping up and starting to pace. “What the hell is wrong with these people? How can they do that to a pregnant woman? A child? Neither of them ever did a damn thing to deserve that kind of treatment.”

“No idea, my Moon,” Caine says pulling her to sit on his lap. “But I fully intend to put an end to all of this.” His anger is a palpable, a tangible entity in our gathering.

Thomas watches their interaction closely, a deep frown furrowing his forehead. My heart hurts for him. He’s been mistreated his entire life and doesn’t understand the outrage Peyton feels on his behalf.

“What happened to Thomas’s mother?” Keela asks, drawing everyone’s attention.

“She died giving birth to me,” Thomas says softly. “They say I was too big, that I tore her apart. I killed my own mother.” Sadness clings to him like a cloak, dark and foreboding.

His words, his pain, break my heart clear in two as I watch my mate hug him from behind. I don’t feel a moment of jealousy this time, finally understanding they have a bond bourne of survival. Nothing more.

“I almost died giving birth to Joy,” Keela says softly. “She was born premature and so tiny but I developed a bleed and almost didn’t make it.” Thomas looks at her in shock. “You didn’t do anything. Sometimes it’s just the way nature goes.”

Thomas releases a breath and his shoulders relax before he nods, like her words have healed a long festering wound. The lies that have been fed to this young man have done so much more damage than any of us could even try to comprehend. It will take years and lots of attention to undo what has been done to him, and even then I don’t know if it will ever be enough.

“When I first got brought to the Hunters’ compound, they put us in the same cell as part of an experiment,” Emmaleigh explains. “They wanted the two of us to mate. They wanted to see if they could replicate their initial research with Thomas. But he was so young, around thirteen if I had to guess, and neither of us ever had an interest in each other that way. When they realized it wouldn’t work, they started trying other things.”

“Such as?” Godrick asks, leaning forward.

“Mostly, how long it took for us to heal from wounds. First with the shift and then without. And silver nitrate.”

“Fuck me,” Calum grumbles.

“I think that’s enough for today,” Caine cuts in. “I think we’ve all had more excitement than we are used to and Emmaleigh hasn’t shifted to heal yet.”

“Yes,” Godrick agrees. “But perhaps in a few days, you could visit again. We need all the information we can get if we are going to take these assholes down.”

Emmaleigh nods distractedly as she stares at the forest surrounding the compound. She looks forlorn and I want to hold her until she smiles again.

“I know some of the other compounds. Their locations and the number of men guarding the sites,” Thomas cuts in. “I want to help.”

“And you will.” Godrick smiles. “But first we need to feed your big-ass wolf.”

Everyone chuckles as they stand and disperse. Peyton smiles at me with a nod as she also takes her leave. Now it’s only me and my mate.