In the morning Evangeline and I told Derek and Elliot about the tree over waffles. Both of them were pained for us, Elliot almost teared up. Right after Derek zipped into his room and dialed his maker Leo, while Elliot let Evangeline and I cuddle with him on the couch.

Eventually, though, Evangeline looked at me with determined eyes then out my living room window. "Let's go, we need to see my grandparents."

Elliot stood up. We could hear Derek still talking to Leo in his room, murmuring things quickly that we couldn't understand. "Go, if anyone comes by I'll cover for you."

I kissed his cheek then followed Evangeline. We both looked around outside to make sure we were not being watched before we stepped outside. Immediately when I stepped out though, I could smell him. Ethan.

He wasn't there, but he had been there. He had been all around this cabin. It made my heart twist and the pull pang.

Evangeline sighed next to me. "He must have come by last night."

"He did," I breathed out. "He linked me because he felt my pain from the tree and last night. I didn't know what to say to him, how do I even tell him what I saw?"

Evangeline shook her head and looked back at me sympathetically. "I don't know. Ethan never talks about that day at all or really about anything related to the attack."

I sighed and nodded. "I figured. He ended up laying under my window last night when I didn't answer."

She rubbed my arm which made my beast feel a little better, but only a little. She still wanted me to go to Ethan and check on him. She was frustrated that I let him sleep outside all last night. We could hear his whines, they pained us and only made the wound deeper. "You'll figure out what's right. I know you will."

"I hope so," I sighed out.

We reached a tree that we quickly stripped behind and stored our clothes before quickly shifting. The run wasn't bad, just long. Long because my mind felt like everything from our time here was chewing on it. I felt almost dizzy and heavy with a feeling of dread. Dread for some unknown thing that I knew was coming.

We passed most of the cabins and reached an area that more trees than anything else. It became difficult to run through them; we had to keep weaving, turning, and maneuvering ourselves around them which was annoying as hell to my wolf.

Eventually, there was a trail of wildflowers that started as the trees thinned out. They smelled sweet like summer and waved gently in the wind. It was as if they had no idea of the troubles that we faced; they just carelessly waved and danced in the sunlight.

There was cabin centered in the middle of them. A cabin with a small garden and a small stack of smoke coming out of the chimney. There was a fencepost painted yellow with the words 'Everett' painted on a wooden arrow nailed to it that pointed to the house.

Evangeline ran to a tree nearby and pulled out some soft shirts for us to shift in. They smelled a little like Ethan. Like his family. It settled my wolf a bit and calmed her down. I needed to figure out this shit with him face before it ate me up from the inside out.

"Come on," Evangeline said with a smile. She looked over at me as walked towards the house; she was biting her lip as her brain seemed to be mulling over something. "Don't tell them about the tree. Grandad was always super weird about it. Just, follow my lead, ok?"

I nodded. "Ok," I sighed out.

Right then a woman walked out. She had gray hair that was long and spun up into a bun on her head. She had the same green eyes Evangeline did which similar high cheekbones and a warm smile as she waved to us. "Well, I was wondering when you would come by."

"Hi gran, I brought Charlotte with me," Evangeline answered as she trotted up the stairs.

She looked me up and down as a small smile tugged at her lips. "So this is the Thorne that's our Ethan's mate?"

"Hello," I said politely as I pushed my hair back.

She walked to me with smiling green eyes that took me in again. There was a hint of knowingness in her smile. "Levi's pup?"

I nodded. She offered me her cheek which I took graciously. Her beast was old but she reached out to mine and gently touched us. I felt like you could smell the years of wisdom on her yet there was still an air of youthfulness about her.

She pulled away from me and took a step back towards Evangeline, who she nuzzled then hugged tightly. She leaned back and looked at me then nodded approvingly. "I like her, she's good for our Ethan."

I cocked my brow a bit as she turned and gestured for us to follow her into her house. "How can you tell?" I asked.

"Because," she replied over her shoulder. "You're no ordinary wolf are you girl?"

I shook my head. "No, I suppose not."

"Lucy, is Evangeline here?"

"Yes, dear! Stay off those brownies!" Lucy yelled back. She looked back to us and rolled her eyes. "Your grandad is still like a damn kid."

We both laughed as she led us into the kitchen. A silverback wolf was eyeing a plate of brownies like they were his next kill. He snapped his eyes up to us and flickered them to me before he turned to Evangeline and hugged her tightly. "I missed you kiddo."

"Missed you too pop," Evangeline murmured into his chest.

He looked up at me and cocked his head before he flickered his eyes to Lucy who had moved to the kitchen. "So this is the Thorne?"

"Pop, this is Charlotte, Ethan's mate," Evangeline said as she walked over to her grandmother who was pulling some plates out of a cabinet.

Even at his age, he was still a strong ass wolf. I could feel it. He felt like Chris did from that memory and like Ethan did from time to time. His beast was stirring in the back of his mind. He flicked his eyes up to me and met my beast as I let her come forward a bit.

She eyed the male curiously the settled down and waited for him to make the next move. He held my gaze and the longer he did the longer my beast felt like she needed to put this male in his place. His wolf licked his lips which only made mine stand up and stretch out her limbs before she started pacing.

The male looked back at Lucy who was watching us amusingly then back at me. "I think she's going to be real good for our Ethan." I looked at Evangeline curiously. She just shrugged playfully as the male cautiously walked towards me. He opened his arms and I let him hug me, let his wolf smell me. He pulled away with a chuckle and shook her head. "Just call me 'pop' girl, all the other kids do."

I smiled and nodded. Lucy started to slice some brownies which made the male lick his lips. Evangeline chuckled as she started to pull some glasses out of a cabinet. "Want some milk?"

I nodded. "That would be great."

"I hope you like brownies," Lucy said as she started to plate some.

I felt my chest rumble in approval. "I like anything with chocolate in it."

"My kind of girl," the male said with a nod of approval. He patted the seat next to him which I happily took. My beast liked this male, he reminded her of Levi in a way.

"So," Lucy started as she put another brownie on a plate. "What brings you two out here?"

She handed me a plate then set one down for Evangeline. Evangeline handed me a glass of milk before handing one to her grandad. She sat down while Lucy passed out forks and looked at me a little nervously. I nodded. She was strong, and they were her grandparents. They loved her and had to be able to help in some way.

"Well, a lot has happened since you've been gone." Evangeline looked at the male who flickered his eyes to his mate then back to her. Lucy settled and looked over at Evangeline with hints of worry behind her eyes.

"Evangeline," the male gently ordered. "Tell me. Tell me now what's going on."

Evangeline let out a sharp breath then nodded. She explained everything from my arrival, to the rogues. She left out the tree. I knew she wasn't sure about telling them that, and I could understand why. It was her call, and I wasn't sure how the former alpha would handle hearing such things about a tree that he had to swear an oath on.

I quietly ate my brownie, which was amazing. So amazing that I swore to myself I would not tell Derek how good it was because it was insanely good. It melted in my mouth and practically made me purr in delight.

Her grandparents listened attentively while she spoke. They only stopped her to clarify things, but I could tell as she went on that they are disturbed. The male tensed up over time and Lucy seemed to as well. It was hard for a powerful female like that to hide her distaste.

Evangeline even told them about Ethan and me. Well, more like our issues which made me blush madly. The male of course, loved it and loved to pick on me because of it. I groaned inwardly while Evangeline continued with an apologetic shrug. The only good thing out of that topic was the extra brownie Lucy gave to me.

"And that's it," Evangeline finished. She took a large bite of her brownie and groaned. "Oh my god, gran these are so good."

"Yes, thank you," I replied before I chased a large bite down with a glass of milk.

Lucy smiled and nodded to me. "Course, and Char, just call me Lucy or gran. Either is fine by me."

I smiled warmly at her and nodded. My beast liked this female. She liked the wisdom flowing off of her and the graceful power she possessed. She was a fearsome creature that we were in awe of.

"We've felt it, felt something wrong. The minute we crossed the line we could feel, unease. It seems like things are starting to shake up," Lucy said.

The male sighed next to her and nodded. "I should talk to Ethan, I don't know what the hell is going on in his head."

I sighed. "I definitely agree."

"Gran," Evangeline said gently as she put her fork down. "Can you please, can you tell us about that day. Tell us what you remember?"

Lucy paled and shook her head. "Why do you want to know?"

"I just feel like there are so many pieces of a puzzle that we are missing. I feel like it's all connected. I don't know," Evangeline answered.

"Lucy," the male gently said to her. "It's alright, they're old enough to know." He sighed and leaned back in his chair while my wolf flickered her ears forward. "We had taken the kids minus Eli shopping that day. The Thornes were supposed to be there later that afternoon and both Chris and Eleanor still had a lot to do. We offered to take the kids off their hands for a little, not like we minded, we love our grandkids.

"I was so uneasy at the store. I remember getting short with Lucy. My beast was on edge and I didn't know why. I could see it in the boys too, especially Ethan. He didn't say anything but I know he felt it too.

"When we drove back it was like driving into a river of panic. There was smoke and fire everywhere–pain; the panic was so strong across the territory that it was hard to think straight. I linked my son, I knew. I knew we were under attack." The male sighed and looked at Lucy whose eyes were starting to get a little glassy. She nodded to him then looked at her plate while Evangeline took her hand. "He ordered me to take the kids somewhere safe. To one of the emergency shelters. If he wasn't such a strong ass alpha, I wouldn't have listened.

"We got them to the shelter. We're lucky we live further out than the rest of the pack, there were no rogues out this way. But there was fire and screams. The wind carried them and sent my beast into a frenzy.

"Ethan fought me the whole damn way. Evan tried but he was so young, only thirteen. It was easy to shove his ass in the shelter, but not Ethan. I think there were a few moments when he almost got away from me, he was such a strong ass wolf at that age, so much like his dad.

"Waiting in that shelter was hell. Absolute hell. We tried to call out to them over a family link but it did us no good. I thought Ethan was going to lose it. I kept having to hold him down; I think there are still claw marks in that shelter from him trying to get out.

"He did, though, he did and he found them. I made Lucy stay with Evangeline while I chased after Ethan and Evan. Ethan was so damn fast. I didn't know what to do when I saw them, it was all I could do to keep standing up."

He stopped while Lucy covered her mouth. I felt my heart twist hard in my chest. "I'm sorry," I whispered out amongst the heavy silence.

The male nodded. "Me too."

"Do you remember anything else? Anything at all?" I gently asked.

The male shook his head sadly and picked at his brownie. Lucy sighed and looked up at me. "I don't know. I remember Margaret feeling a little sick that day. She said she had a headache. It's one reason I thought we should take the kids, so she could try and get a small nap before everyone came.

"Chris seemed fine. I mean, he was a little stressed, but there was a lot going on so I didn't think anything of it."

"What about Thomas?" Evangeline asked.

The male looked at her and cocked his head. "What about Thomas?"

"What was he like with dad? I mean did they get along? Was there anything–"

"Suspicious?" I finished the sentence with the word that I knew we all were thinking but didn't want to say.

Lucy snapped her green eyes to me that seemed to flash with some recognition. She let out a long sigh and nodded before looking back to her mate. The male shrugged slightly. "Nothing that ever added up to anything."

"What does that mean?" Evangeline asked before she took a bite of her brownie.

"Well," Lucy said while she turned the fork around and rounder in her fingers. "Thomas and Chris grew up together. I mean they were best friends when they are younger. He was our only son, and it was a natural fit for Thomas to be his beta. He seemed thrilled, as did his family."

"What happened to them?"

"Dead. They also died during the attack," the male answered.

I sighed and nodded then looked back at Lucy who stared aimlessly into her glass. She seemed to snap out her trance then look back at us tiredly. "There was nothing ever wrong with him."

"But?" I asked. My wolf wanted me to push harder but we knew we had to be patient. These were not wolves for us to piss off, they are strong alphas with years of wisdom on us. We needed to be patient and learn as much as we could.

"There was nothing technically wrong," the male sighed out. "But as time went by, I don't know. He changed. He would push Chris more and more on things, tested him. It's not a bad thing, betas are supposed to keep their alphas in check, but this felt more like defiance than anything else.

"Chris was a little edgier the weeks before the attack. I always thought it was because maybe his beast felt something coming that he wasn't aware of, he was so damn in tune with this pack. I don't know. The more I think about it, the more off it feels.

"Thomas never really argued about anything important, just little things here and there that would blow over. They did get into it over the treaty with the vamps, and some border stuff, but it wasn't really anything."

"What about Miranda?" I saw Lucy still. Her fingers turned white as they gripped her fork before she let out a hot breath.

"That woman never liked Margaret. Was she a good beta female? Sure, but did she love my daughter-in-law? Hell no." I felt some odd satisfaction from that answer, like it confirmed something that made my wolf feel a little more justified in all of this. Lucy looked at me curiously. "She's not a fan of you either, is she?"

I shook my head. "I may have put her daughter and a friend of her's in the pack hospital for a week."

The male laughed and nudged my shoulder playfully while a proud smile tugged at Lucy's mouth. "I told you she's good for Ethan," he chuckled out.

"Amber was too friendly and well, after Ethan and I had a talk he got his head straight then I got their hides straight." My wolf growled I approval of the memory. She licked her lips. She would be more than happy to do it again.

"That little shit probably needed it, she was always such a sour child. Miranda spoiled her rotten. Thomas wasn't as bad, but Miranda fawned over her like she was the damn princess of Mangata." Lucy scoffed a little and shook her head. "That and his son. Arrogant ass male."

"Agreed," the male added.

"How did Thomas survive?" I asked. I never really thought about it before, but considering how many people died it's amazing he made it.

Lucy flickered her eyes to the male then back to me. "We don't know, well, not really."

"What do you mean gran?" Evangeline set her glass down as her wolf perked up. She pressed forward, the humming of her veins was almost like a purr.

Lucy looked at her curiously before a small smile tugged at her lips. She nodded then looked back at me. "According to him, and some of the other warriors that apparently found him, he was fighting with Chris when one of the rogues stabbed him with silver. They beat him up pretty good and left him for dead. He does have a scar from the knife to prove it, but, I don't know.  When they found him he was half dead but he somehow made it over to pull Ethan off of Eli. All I have to say is he got very lucky that day."

"Do you think–" The male let out a low rumble that stopped me.

He looked over at me with eyes that held both understanding along with a warning. "That kind of talk is dangerous, girl. Don't throw it around unless you understand the consequences of it."

"That's why I'm asking you. It needs to be asked, it needs to be said. I'm tired of hearing excuses out of fear around here, it's not the way we should live our lives," I replied back sharply.

The male cocked his head at me as my wolf came closer. He nodded approvingly then looked back at Lucy. "I approve of this one Lucy."

"As do I," Lucy agreed before she took a bite of her brownie.

"The answer is I don't know," the male answered next to me. "We did a huge investigation after, I mean we searched and searched for over a year. There was nothing. Every lead went cold, there was no evidence of anything. Half of this place was burned down, so if there was evidence it very well could have burned up. I'm not saying there's no evidence of who is responsible, but I am saying that we almost drove ourselves insane looking. Eventually, we needed to move on and start rebuilding the pack before it crumbled."

"I understand," I replied. At some point, they had to quit. They had to stop and pick up the pieces of what was broken. The problem was it was still broken here, it was like the pieces were being held together by tape that was starting to lose its stickiness. "So what about Ethan?"

"Oh you're real good for him girl, you just keep doing what you're doing," Lucy said as her lips twitched into a knowing smile.

The male sighed and nodded in agreement. "It's long past time that he started to realize what he is and who he is. Who Chris raised him to be.

"Ethan has a heart like Chris', he cares more for everyone around him than he does himself. It's both a good thing and a bad thing. Sometimes he takes it too far, but it's usually because he thinks he's doing what's right. Chris used to be that way, used to drive me up the damn wall.

"Ethan is a strong wolf. He's strong like his dad. If what Evan has told me is true, it sounds like he's starting to get a little more like Chris every day."

"White hot," Lucy added with a nostalgic smile.

"Mhmm," the male murmured. "That boy used to burn like white-hot fire and Eli used to burn like a blue wildfire. They would walk into a room together and almost take your breath away. Both of them strong and good boys. They were always together, running after each other, fighting with each other.

"Oh Eli used to give a whopping to Ethan, but once Ethan started to mature, he could put a real beating on his brother. He was the only wolf around their age that could, other than Lucas."

"Hold on, what? Ethan bested Eli?" My wolf stirred a little. From how Ethan made Eli sound, I would have never pictured that.

The male chuckled and nodded. "Oh ya, like I said they went back and forth. The first time though, I will never forget that day. They were tearing hard into each other. As they got older they became more relentless with each other in the ring. Eventually, though something flickered on in Ethan's brain. He had Eli's ass in the ground hard before Eli knew what happened. Eli looked like he saw a damn pig fly, the look on his face was priceless.

"Chris was so proud that day. I mean, he was almost giddy. Ethan was a damn good fighter, even at a young age. I'll never forget how big Chris' eyes got when Ethan had Eli's neck in his teeth."

I am sure my mouth was big enough to catch flies as was Evangeline's. She looked at me then her grandparents and shook her head. "I had no idea."

"Well you were really young Evangeline, and besides, the boys knew not to take their issues from the ring into the house," Lucy answered softly.

Evangeline nodded. "I remember them wrestling all the time. Dad used to get pissed and would yank both of them out into the backyard." She chuckled to herself. "I remember one time Evan ran out after them and told mom that he didn't want to miss dad's 'gun show.'"

The male laughed and we all joined him. I could see little Evan in my mind running down the hall with that signature mischievous grin of his. It made me smile to myself. "Evan was always chasing after them," the male added. "Strong boy too. They all were, well, are. Still are whether some of them want to believe it or not."

"You mean grow a pair?" Evangeline grumbled.

Lucy gave her a playful scowl then shook her head. "Ethan will come around. He's a good man, he'll do the right thing."

"What about the rogues?" I asked warily.

The male rumbled a little. "The rogues need to be dealt with. Have you talked to Levi at all?"

"Yes and he's pretty pissed. I need to talk to him about yesterday, but I know he'll be livid. I just don't want him coming down here. I feel like it would stir up too much that we aren't ready for."

The female mused at me with a while. Her eyes flickered back and forth from her mate's then to mine. "I agree," she cooly added. "This is something we have to be smart about."

"I don't really give a shit about what Thomas says," the male said as calmly as he could while his chest vibrated. "Thorne's pup isn't a liar, anyone can see that."

"Thank you." I felt a burden drop off my shoulders as the male nodded to me.

He sighed and looked back at me with warm eyes. Eyes that had seen so much time, so much love and pain all in the same lifetime. "You need to keep pushing. If there are rogues here, it needs to be looked into, especially since Thomas sitting his ass on his high horse."

"Why do you think that is?" Evangeline sipped at her milk as her questioning eyes looked at her grandad.

"I don't know, but, I will say that it unsettles my beast."

"Mine too," Lucy added. "I don't know how to describe it, but it's like a creeping feeling."

I sighed and nodded. "I feel that way too. I just, I don't know, I have no idea how Ethan hasn't pulled his head out of his ass yet."

"And I have no idea how he's gone this long without slapping his mark on your neck," the male replied. I blushed a little as he chuckled.

Lucy just rolled her eyes then winked at me. "Good for you dear, make him work for it. It's about time someone pushed his buttons like you do."

"I don't try to," I replied softly.

"But you need to," the male added. He looked at me with eyes that started to harden a little. "Ethan was raised to be better than this, more than this. He's fighting with himself, anyone with eyes can see that. He just needs someone to keep pushing him. Keep helping him to come into who he's supposed to be."

"So do I tell him? I mean every time I bring up the rogues we argue. He's just so damn hard-headed."

The male chuckled and nodded. "I have a feeling you are as well little Thorne?"

I sighed and shrugged innocently. "I am Levi's pup after all."

He laughed a little louder while Lucy smiled at me. "That you are, smell just like a damn Thorne too," she replied playfully.

I rolled my eyes and took another bite of the brownie that melted in my mouth. I made a mental note that I would have to come visit Lucy and Pop more often, especially if Lucy was baking. My wolf agreed, she liked the two older wolves. She also loved all the food they were giving us.

"Talk to Ethan again. He's your mate, he cares for you, and he may be a little shit right now, but he needs you. Mates aren't just there to hold hands cuddle. You see each other through thick and thin. It's hard. You have good days and bad days, but at the end of the day you have each other." The male smiled at me as he finished.

I sighed and nodded. "I can do that, I can't guarantee that it will work, but I'm not quitting on him."

"Ethan's a tough wolf that's been through a lot of very bad shit. Seen things he should have never had to see. He's care of his brother, sister, and this pack. He just needs to take care of himself, push himself, and take care of you little Thorne." He paused and I smiled softly back. I could only pray that the day when this was all past us was closer rather than far away. "Ethan knows what he needs to do. I know he knows. He knows and it probably scares the hell out of him, probably because he never thought it would be possible or thought that he had it in him.

"He alway had it in him. Even when he was young, you could see it. Eli was a strong ass wolf, don't get me wrong. That boy was tough like the stone in these mountains, but Ethan was just as tough and he was just as good at laying a beating on his brother. They always complimented each other, never really one dominating the other.

"I know he was in line to be his brother's beta. I am pretty sure that is all he ever wanted, just him and Eli taking the pack like Chris wanted. It's what they wanted. but that's not the world we live in and he needs to step up and be what he's supposed to be."

I looked at Evangeline who seemed to still as the realization hit her. My wolf was pacing as the thought entered my brain, what I knew and knew I had known for a long time. 

"Oh."