49. The Bigger Kids
AURELIA
Of course, I knew Raiden wouldn't give up.
Knowing him, he would use the kids against me... he'd want to use them to tie me down in his pack but I wouldn't let him.
Alpha Tristan and I definitely have to talk about my past. I've to come clean to him before we can proceed with our wedding and mating ritual. It would be difficult but I'd choose that a thousand times over explaining myself to Raiden.
Kyle stirred beside me, throwing his hand over my stomach. Katie was snoring softly on the other side. She hasn't regained consciousness even though it's only an hour before daybreak. Kyle and I spent the night in Katie's hospital bed which happened to be bigger than usual thanks to Pheobe.
In two hours, I'd be leaving this pack and I'd never return-
"Mom." Her soft voice healed my soul even before I looked at her.
I smiled, "Baby."
Katie yawned and tried to sit up but her body was still weak. I left the bed to help Katie who looked confused as she asked, "Where are we, mom?" "We're in the hospital, baby," I said to her.
I fetched her a cup of water and she emptied the cup within seconds. With worry, I scanned Katie's body for any sign of discomfort.
Katie interrupted my search session when she asked, "Why are we at the hospital? Is Kyle sick again?" She curiously looked at her brother's sleeping form. "Your brother isn't sick, Katie," I answered, wanting nothing more than to roll my eyes. "You're the sick one and I'd like to know what happened, young lady."
Katie stared back at me, confusion glinting in her eyes. I pulled her in for a hug, muttering, "Are you feeling okay, Baby? Any form of pain?"
"There's no pain, Mom. I feel okay but I'm sad." Katie replied with a sad pout.
"Talk to me, Katie. What happened in the forest? Why were you there and how did you get injured?" Perhaps the questions were a lot for a little girl who just regained consciousness but I've been dying to get answers. Alpha Tristan and others had left the hospital to start preparing for our departure and hell was I ready to leave but I still needed answers.
"I left the hall because I had to pee but the bigger kids that teased Kyle the other day found me and dragged me to the forest. They kept picking on me and they didn't stop until a sharp-" Katie's voice broke as she began to wail. Katie's loud sobs disturbed Kyle's sleep and the first word he uttered was her name. "Katie?"
"K-kyle..." Katie muttered amidst tears.
Kyle reached for her and she detached from me, holding her brother as she sobbed. I didn't know what emotion to embrace first. Anger or sadness? Angry at the bullies that left my baby bleeding out or embrace how sad it was that my baby had to experience such brutality. She promised me she'd stay out of trouble a few days ago-
"You can't blame Katie for what happened. We should get going! This is no place to raise the twins. How could this happen?" Inara snapped into my mind.
The pack has gotten worse in my absence. There were more bullies and of different ages as well. What has Raiden been doing for the past six years? How could they have remained oblivious to the cankerworm that was eating the pack from its root?
My babies cried together and I
battled with my feelings and
on
эт
thoughts. Thankfully, Phoebe and a doctor entered the room to check Katie and decide if she could be discharged. Doctors and naturally born healers have been known to work hand in hand to sustain the health of werewolves which was why Katie was pronounced fully healed even though it hadn't been twenty-four hours since she nearly lost every pint of blood in her system.
"She still needs to rest to get back to full strength but she's good to travel back home." The doctor gave me a tight smile before he walked out of the room, leaving us with Pheobe. "Thank you for healing her." I appreciated Pheobe whose eyes were on the twins, particularly Kyle.
God, his mask has fallen off again.
However, Pheobe didn't comment on Kyle's face I assumed she didn't notice the striking resemblance but even if she did, she didn't make an issue out of it. Instead, Pheobez uttered, "It's my duty to heal without expecting rewards, Aurelia but I do have a request."
My brows furrowed, "What can I help you with?"
Pheobe hesitated before voicing, "Take me with you, please. This pack doesn't feel like home and-"
Before she could finish, Raiden stepped into the room, appearing rough. He was still in the same shirt I saw him wearing last night... with the blood stain as well. "Good morning, guys." Raiden chimed, forcing a smile.
Phoebe glanced at me briefly as she excused herself quickly. I wondered why she would want to go to Black Fur Pack with me. Her entire life was here in Dark Moon-
"You found and saved me!" Katie squealed as if she hadn't been crying some minutes ago. "Thank you, Raiden."Content © copyrighted by NôvelDrama.Org.
"You can't go around calling everyone by their name, Katie." I corrected her not because I cared if Riaden felt disrespected by her but because I didn't want her to build any form of relationship with him. While Kyle put his mask back on, Katie pouted, "But he saved me, Mom and you taught me to be grateful or have I done something wrong again?"
"No, baby." I smiled and picked her off the bed. I carried Kyle as well, bearing their weights pretty well and I stated without looking at Raiden, "It's time to go home, guys."
Katie was excited about the news but Kyle didn't react like I expected and I knew he was still struggling with what he heard last night. I better have a private talk with him- "Can you please stay?" To my surprise, Raiden begged.
The strong emotion in his voice had my legs freezing.
"Give me the chance to be their fa-"
I cut in before he could say
something that would trigger Katie's unrestrained curiosity. Kyle I could handle but Katie? Nah... she'd flip if she found out that Raiden was the dad she had always wanted to meet. "Why don't you focus on uprooting the bullies in your pack before you ask me to stay in it with my kids? I can't have a repeat of yesterday, Raiden so the answer is-" I looked into his eyes and concluded, "Never."
And just in time, Tristan arrived to pick me and the kids up. We went back to the apartment to freshen up and as we did, I sighed in relief because we were finally going home.