Chapter 166: Chapter 167

Book 2. His Found Lycan Luna. Chapter 42 Once there, I stopped, staring up at the building I once called home. The place should be condemned, yet the kids all stopped as I stepped over the little brick fence. Most recognized me and rushed over, trying to touch me and pull me to play with them.

“Ivy! lvy!” they called, trying to get my attention. Katrina, hearing the commotion, rushed out the front doors, looking somewhat frazzled. “Katrina!” | gasped before moving my way through the kids. I smack into the front of her as her arms wrap around me.

“Oh, sweet girl,” she gushes, hugging me tightly. Katrina was the only one that was nice to Abbie and me. She holds me at arm’s length, checking me over. Her fingertips trailed over my shoulder, which was a little exposed. The ends of the lash marks on my back poke out the top. She smiles sadly, tears brimming in her eyes, and she sniffles.

“How’s Abbie?” she asks.

“She is okay,” I tell her, and she nods and wipes her eyes.

“You look good, sweetie,” she says, hugging me again. One of the kid’s tugs on my shirt, and I pick him up.

“Hey, Jack,” | beamed at him. He played with my hair, tugging on it gently.

“Where is Abbie? She didn’t come to visit us?” He pouts. He was seven years old and was missing his two front teeth. His blonde hair is tied in a bun on his head.

“No, she couldn’t come,” I tell him, and he nods sadly. Katrina leads us inside and turns the kettle on.

“Kyson said you’re in charge now?” I tell her. She nods, and I look around the kitchen. It was the same. I started reaching for mugs and setting them out, and I could feel Kyson watching me. Katrina fussed, telling me not to help her, but I shoed her away, telling her to sit. She sighs and sits down heavily in a chair.

“Yep. But the Alpha cut back rations again. This place is falling apart, and Dad is sick, so I am back and forth,” she says.

“No one to help?” | ask.

“Margret comes over when I ask, but you know how she is. I swear I could run this pack better than that twat, he keeps saying he hasn’t got the money to put in this place, I checked his finances for him the other week again and he has gambled everything,” Katrina tells me, and I nod, passing her and Kyson a cup of tea. Margret was one of Mrs. Daley’s friends, and she hated children, even her own.

“What’s wrong with your father?” I ask her.

“Dementia. He needs a full-time carer now, but I can’t with this place, and mum is just as bad, so she is no help, and I haven’t got the funds to pay for one.” Katrina tells me.

“I don’t know how you girls kept up with all the chores here either,” she says, shaking her head.

“We didn’t have a choice,” I tell her, and she nods.

“I’m sorry, Ivy,”

“Azalea,” Kyson corrects her, Katrina could call me what she likes, but she nods her head. She was the only person here that was actually nice and tried to help us, but she couldn’t because Alpha Dean always had a soft spot for Mrs. Daley, despite Katrina actually having Beta blood.

“Don’t be, and it’s not your fault,”

“I could have done more.” I shake my head when one kid comes out and looks around. Tyson starts babbling. He had some disability that was never diagnosed because Mrs. Daley believed you could beat disobedience out of a child and saw speech impediment as disobedience.

He motions toward his mouth, trying to speak, but it comes out in grunts and growling. “I never know what he is trying to say,” Katrina says as he squeezes his fists, shaking as he becomes frustrated, grumbling loudly.

Treached into the fruit bowl, looking for an apple that wasn’t squishy. I clean it on my shirt and pass it to him. “Apple,” I tell her. Abbie and I learned distinct noises meant certain things to him. He babbles excitedly and takes it, rushing off.

“Apple,” she says with a sigh, and I sip my tea and nod.

“He likes the crunching noise they make, and he hates cornflakes, so don’t give him those. He has a meltdown; Tyson doesn’t like the texture,” I tell her, and she quickly jumps up and grabs a notepad from the fridge. She jots it down, and I tell her a few more noises he makes and what they mean.

“Man, I wish you and Abbie could stay here a while to show me,” she says. Kyson shakes his head instantly and I don’t think I could even if he lets me. Too many bad memories here and I knew this place would give me nightmares when I went home.

“I have to take dad for brain scans next week. I am hoping the Alpha will come over like he said. He said he would watch them for me,” she sighs.

“Brock, what did you have to give to do that?” I ask, and she blushes, not looking happy about that. I click my tongue, already knowing the answer.

“No one else?” I asked her, and I could only imagine what she had to do for her to get him over to watch all these kids.

“We can try to help find you some help?” Kyson offers, and she looks at him hopefully.

“Please. No one is willing to help, and I have my exams coming back up.”

“You’re back studying accounting?” I ask her.

“Trying when I get a chance,” she says. I smile sadly before I place my cup in the sink and nod, knowing we will have to leave soon.

“You mind if I look around?” I ask her, and she shakes her head.

“Of course not, but upstairs is a little messy,” she says. Walking back to the main hall and into the living room, I see the kids huddled around the tiny box TV in the corner.

“How many kids are here now?” I ask her.

“111,” Katrina answers. I sigh, looking around. The place is falling apart, and suddenly wish I could take them with me. Katrina couldn’t look after them by herself, and this place was falling apart. I swallow, taking the set of steps upstairs, while Katrina tries to settle the kids that were becoming rowdy with afternoon tea approaching.

I look in all the rooms to see they are dusty; the beds are not made, and clothes are piled on the floors.

“What are you doing?” Kyson asks me, following me around.

“You don’t have to follow,” I tell him. I don’t know why I came up here, yet I swallowed as I stopped at the stairs leading to the attic, dread filling me. That was mine and Abbie’s room. How often were we forced to crawl those stairs after our lashings or our chores? It felt like a lifetime ago, yet also yesterday, everything is still so fresh.

Kyson touches my arm, and I jump, stuck in my memories. “Are you alright?” he asks before turning to Liam and Trey. He nods toward the stairs and they go back down them. “I’m fine,” I tell him, blinking back tears. He looked like he wanted to say something, but I grip the broken banister and force myself to climb the steps. The door handle jiggles in my hand as I push it open,