Defect.

I held the ice pack to my face praying that the swelling would go down before any of the pack members saw me. Hell was about to break loose and I do not want to be around it. I should have known that going to the hospital was going to bring about prying eyes.

“Luna?” a deep voice whispered. Lowering the ice pack I turned to look at the hulking man who called me. I had to crane my neck upwards to see him.

“Me?” I whispered.

He noticed that I was straining to make eye contact, so he knelt down on the floor. His eyes flashed at Robin and Mayra who were off in their own worlds before looking at the ice pack in my hands, “are you alright?”

I blinked profusely at him. He was not from my pack. “Yes, I am. Thank you for asking…” I prompted at his name.

“Oh! Bjornson. From Pavone.” It was his last name. I recalled hearing about the Norwegian, or Swedish family searching heavily when our Luna was kidnapped. Although their tracking skills were mediocre, the mere act was monumental. Bjornson’s were known for being great fighters, the best warriors, with the physique of bears. They were not known for the stealth of trackers.

“Ah. Thank you Bjornson, you are very kind.” I said quietly, giving him a small smile.

“Is there anything, you need?” He continued to whisper, not once making direct eye contact with me, but rather he kept glancing from the ice pack to the girls beside me. They sat a few chairs over.

“I am safe.” I whispered quietly. It was meant to tell him that the distressed Rhodes sisters behind me were of no threat. They were harmless, at least to me.

He gave a swift nod.

“My mate, she is nurse here.” He gestured at the small woman behind him, decked in a light green scrub and orthopedic shoes. She gave a worried smile. I recognized her, she was a Thunder Bird but must’ve transferred packs when she found Bjornson. “If you need her, she will come to you. As will I.” he closed his fist and placed it over his chest.

It was an old gesture that showed I had his word.

The Bjornson’s were such kind people.

His mans kindness was making my heart swell.

I gently placed an open hand over my chest, showing that I accepted his kindness. “Your pack should be proud of you.” I whispered very quietly.

“I was sent by the Alpha, it was an honor.” He smiled before gently bowing and standing back up to go back to his wife, who then walked forward a cup of water. She gave it to me with down casted eyes and a small smile.

I smiled gratefully as I watched them walk away. Their kindness was in my heart, but their words rang in my head. I sighed and took a sip of the water, the Pavones are now assuming I am the Luna… I did nothing to stop them from believing that. And if the Alpha sent him, then that means Henry knows I’m here—who else would send the bear of Bjornson to come check up on me?

“Venus!”

I closed my eyes upon hearing the thundering voice calling my name.

I could hear the footsteps slapping across the tile floors. I opened my eyes to see Alpha Henry shoot a narrowed look at Bjornson before locking his gaze on me. Zak, Brady, Nick and someone other people from the pack were right behind him. I recognized the old Beta.

I realized that it was not Henry who sent Bjornson; he wasn’t the Alpha he was talking about. It was Bjornson’s Alpha, Alpha Daniels.

Tristan’s dad.

Well, fuck.

Alpha Henry kneeled down before me, gathering my face up in both his hands. “Venus, Venus, are you alright?”

“Yeah.” I whispered. I could hear Zak giving the same amount of attention to Robin. I glanced to her, she wasn’t crying but she had her head buried deep into Zak’s neck. He just rubbed her back and whispered soft words to her.

Mayra was watching their exchange silently, almost apprehensively.

Alpha Henry gathered me up into a big hug. It was meant to be comforting, like Zaks hug was comforting to Robins.

But the rushing emotions inside me didn’t quell.

I looked past Alpha Henrys shoulder to see Brady. He was pale. His stick thin body was drowning in the grey sweatpants and big blue hoodie he had on.

He gave me a sad smile.

I had no clue what time it was when I finally collapsed into my bed. Alpha Henry had demanded me to stay in his room, but I was feeling so emotionally tired and didn’t want to deal with an Alpha. Also, he was currently downstairs finishing up some paperwork he had to set down when one of the pack wolves sent him an alert that a Rhodes had been admitted into the hospital.

Sitting in the hospitals waiting room chairs for hours was not comfortable at all. They told us that we wouldn’t be receiving any information on Ms. Rhodes tonight, and visiting hours were over. Only Mayra was allowed to stay seeing as how she was oldest and knew all of the medical information needed.

Neither Robin nor I felt comfortable going back to her home, so we all just crammed into Alpha Henry’s car.

My blinks were becoming longer and longer. I was slowly slipping into unconsciousness. I heard my bedroom door softly open.

“Venus?” Robins voice called me softly, “you still awake?”

I grunted softly.

I heard her footsteps as she walked into my room and closed the door behind her. She crawled into my bed, and pulled the covers over us. “Venus?”

I turned to look at her. “Yeah?”

“I-I…” Robin sighed, “I’m kinda scared.”

I looked at her before pulling her into a hug. She didn’t need to finish her sentence for me to know what she meant.

She was scared to lose her mom.

She had already lost her dad.

We didn’t let go of each other as we both fell asleep.

**
Braydens POV:

“Brother.” I said standing at the door to Henry’s office. He was sitting behind his desk, piles of paper scattered all around. He looked up at me once he heard my voice.

“Brady. What’s up?” he asked, but continued to riffle through his papers.

I walked into the room, “what are you doing?” I asked.

“Paperwork.”

“No shit.” His eyes shot up to me the moment I let the swear word drop, “I mean what are you doing, with Venus.” I said stopping right in front of his desk.

His eyebrows furrowed. He looked confused. “Taking care of her?”

“Bullshit.” I whispered.

His eyebrows furrowed more, but this time it wasn’t in confusion. It was in anger. “I don’t understand what you’re insinuating Brayden.”

“I think you do.” I glanced down at my hands to find that they were curled up into fists. “Why are you going to mark her?” I looked him in the eyes this time.

He sighed, anger leaving his face, he rubbed his chin, “ I thought this was about something else, you know why. I need a Luna.”

“She needs her mate.”

“I am her mate.” I could hear the anger returning to his voice. His eyes were ablaze.

“No. Whether we know if her wolfs here or not, she was born a wolf and she has a pre-destined mate for her out there. And that mate isn’t you!” My voice went from being calm to shouting.

“She doesn’t have one.” Henry growled, but he was keeping his wolf under control.

“Just because you don’t anymore, doesn’t mean the same for her.” I quickly spat out.

With one motion, Henry knocked all the papers on his desk onto the floor. “What do you want me to do? Give up my happiness? Give up my pack for some one that maybe doesn’t even exist?!”

I gritted my teeth, “you are sacrificing her happiness for yours.” Henry shot up from his seat but it didn’t stop me, “that’s really fucked up of you!”

“When I mark her, because believe me I will, she will be my Luna.” His pupils were dilating; his hold on his wolf was slipping.

“If you mark her and when she finds her mate—because believe my pasty white ass when I say she will, and when I say that you will DIE.”

Henry began to stalk around the table, walking towards me, “she won’t! I won’t allow that to happen!”

“You can’t sacrifice her happiness! Her true mate will—”

“I’ll lock her up if I have to!”

“She wants to leave, don’t you fucking get it! She wants to go to college and fucking study weird ass squiggles and literature and math and science. She wants to be normal!”

“She is to be my Luna. And she is never leaving.”

“Why are you doing this to her.” I could feel my fangs protruding my gums.

Henry was breathing as if he had just run a marathon but I knew he was trying to restrain his wolf, “because I love her, and she belongs by my side. She will never be normal Brady. At least here I can protect her.”

“No!” I growled. Henry crouched and prepared himself to attack, “I will send her off down the river if I have to.”

“Why would you jeopardize this pack!”

“Because she’s my best friend and I love her. I want her happiness”

“What about mine?” Henry said looking hurt and angry and betrayed.

And just about every other damaging emotion you can think up.

“I care about you, but I won’t let you take someone else’s future. She is going to be miserable here, I’m going to help her leave to—”

I wasn’t able to finish my sentence before Henry had leaped at my throat. We tumbled to the floor, knocking over a lot of things. He wasn’t actually hitting me; he wanted to show that he was in power. That it was him in control and he would be the one calling the shots.

I however, was trying to beat the living shit out of a selfish Alpha.

Suddenly I found myself ripped away and only to feel Zak holding me back, “YOU ARE RUINING HER LIFE! RUINING HER!” I yelled.

“Brady stop!” Zak was hissing in my ear, trying to get me to subdue to his hold.

I stopped struggling and shook myself away from Zak. I turned to look him right in the face. “How would you feel if someone else marked Robin before you got the chance to.” I hissed.

In seconds Zak had me up against the wall, his hands encircling around my throat and squeezing. “Don’t you dare threaten me, pup!”

Coughing I tried to remove his hands but it was no use when I could clearly see his wolf through his eyes.

“Zak, release him!”

Zak stiffened at Henrys command but was still growling at me when he let me fall to the ground. I was rubbing at my throat. I felt like he had crushed all my windpipes. “I have my own mate, asshole” I let out with a very dry voice.

This seemed to ease up Zaks anger. He seemingly had forgotten that I was not interested in women, and I only had eyes for my mate. For Criss.

“Sorry.” He said helping me up. I nodded and began walking to the door, knowing that if I continued the talk today, blood would be spilled.

“Brayden.” I was half way out the door but I turned to look at him Henry was straightening out his clothes. I could see the pain in his eyes, as if what he was going to say was hurting him, “I didn’t want to do this, but… if you help Venus leave. I will tell her how her Uncle really died.” My eyes went wide.

My blood ran cold.

My mouth was suddenly dry and all the fucking anger I had roared up was gone.

“Do you really think she’d still want to be around you once she knows?”

Venus was my first, true friend. She had accepted me for who I was. She helped me find happiness. I imagined her smiling face. I told myself I would be fine even if the only way to see her smile was through Skype, I’d be happy.

But to lose her friendship?

I ran up to my room. Not looking back, not even glancing at Venus’ room as I slammed the door to my bedroom shut. I fell to the floor, pounding my fists on my bed. I never meant to kill her uncle. I repeatedly ran my hands through my hair before I just stopped and began yanking at it. The tears were already streaking my cheeks.

It was an accident.

It was an accident.

It was an accident.

It was an accident.

It was an accident.

I’m not a killer! I let out a sob, tugging on my hair harder.

It was an accident.

I was fighting back the memories. The memories that gave me nightmares for weeks straight, I began dreading to sleep. It was the morning of one of those nightmares, when I woke up ridiculously early; I thought the crisp morning air would help me and decided to go for a walk at the local park.

It was that morning when I saw Venus alone on the swings.

She made me forget about the memories, about all the nightmares.

I don’t want to lose my best friend.

It was an accident, I swear it.