"Grey, you came home."
The words bounced around in my head on a constant loop. It was all too much. The sound of her voice brought back immediate memories from the dream I had. The scar running down the side of the woman's face hiding the beauty beneath it much like the dark shadow in my dream.
Shaking my head, I pushed myself farther away from the three people at the door and the alpha behind the desk. I wanted to scream, but my mouth wouldn't open. All the words I wanted to say were caught in my throat.
"I'm not Grey," I managed to sputter out. Her face went blank and her eyes narrowed on me.
"Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you," she said taking a step closer to me. Immediately, my eyes narrowed on her. I snarled at her, baring my teeth as I did so. She immediately tensed up giving me a glare that could kill. She bared her teeth at me and took a step forward.
I thought she was going to come at me and rip my intestines out based on how terrifying she looked in that moment until the older man grabbed her.
"Alex, calm down," he bellowed pulling her back against him. The woman, who I suppose was Alex, seemed to calm down on the spot. The boy standing next to the couple watched them with intense eyes.
His gaze moved to me. His blue eyes weren't full of worry anymore. They were more confused and puzzled. They seemed betrayed.
He looked as if he wanted to say something, but didn't.
"I'm okay, Greyson," Alex, the woman, said to the man holding her. I gulped as he nodded and let her go. She seemed heavily concentrated on me as she took long strides toward me. I watched hesitantly and decided it was in my best interest to just cooperate. She seemed like a sweet woman, but something about after the whole scene that just happened, she kind of reminded me more of Marilyn than some quiet, little lady.
She slowly sat down in front of me on the floor. She sat criss-cross on the floor, not caring if her jeans got dirty. A small smile graced her face making her seem not as terrifying.
The man who she called Greyson watched her nervously. Almost like he didn't trust what she was doing.
Or he didn't trust me.
"Can I see the code on you?" She asked softly. Something about the way she said it seemed off. It seemed very pushed like she never spoke that way, but at the same time it seemed like it should be so natural for her.
I nodded and pulled the collar of my shirt down hesitantly revealing the five numbers and two letters that I had since infancy. Her eyes stared at the tattoo displayed across my collarbone. I could tell everyone else in the room was staring too. Almost instantly, her face lit up as if someone had just told her the best news in the world. She kind of looked as if she wanted to cry, but something told me that this woman rarely ever cries.
She gulped and turned to look at the men behind her.
"Give us a minute," she said. The smallest of the three along with the alpha left. The older man, Greyson, looked a bit hesitant about the idea. "Greyson, just trust me for once," Alex pleaded. He looked defeated and then without another word, he left the room.
Alex turned back to me and sighed. I hadn't said a word. There were so many things that I wanted to say, but I just couldn't bring myself to say any of them.
Why'd you capture us?
Why'd you capture them? Him?
"Let's chat," She said offering a smile. I gulped but agreed.
"Okay," I replied. She watched my unchanging expression for a moment as if my face would tell her exactly what to say.
"When I was your age, I didn't have a real family, either. Actually, I was a bit younger, and it was because of different circumstances," she began.
"I never had a family," I snapped, "not until now," my tone was harsh and I knew it, "now they're all in cellars. Your cellars." My anger was coming off in waves at the thought that my mate was stuck down there.
Her face went almost stone like. She clenched her jaw as if she were holding herself back. It kind of slipped my mind in that moment that I was in handcuffs and she was perfectly capable of ripping my head off.
"Hear me out, please," she asked but it wasn't in a pleading tone. It was in a tone almost like 'if you don't listen I might beat you with a lamp'. I gulped and nodded my head not looking directly at her.
"You're name is Grey; Grey Hayes. You were named after your father. Being his only little girl, he didn't want you growing up feeling less than the boys, so he wanted you to be named after him. He wanted to give you a sense of strength, I suppose."
"You know my father?" I asked wide-eyed. She looked deeply into my grey eyes with her blue ones.
"I'm mated to him," she said leaving my mouth gaping. Well, I guess I should have seen that one coming. It all made sense. The man she came in with named Greyson. His grey eyes that seemed to match mine. The way the alpha practically had a conniption when I told him about being taken from my family, it wasn't just some coincidence.
"You're-um-my mother," I said slowly. The evidence was all there, but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to believe it. Just a week ago I would have done anything to even see a picture of my family, but now that I see my mother face-to-face, I just can't seem to bring myself to believe it.
"You were born August 10th, 2027; 8/10/27," she spoke as if reading the numbers directly from my tattoo.
"GH-Grey Hayes. It was my birthday and name," I said feeling like an idiot for not realizing sooner. I rubbed my collarbone feeling like, for once, I had an identity.
"Where have you been all this time? Where'd they send you?" Alex, my mother, asked.
"I was in hell," I stated looking her dead in the eye.
"Hell?"
"I lived in an orphanage until I was thirteen. They thought I was psychotic. I grew up thinking I had abusive parents who liked putting tattoo art on their infant child. I could hear my wolf talking to me in my head; I could feel her. I was stronger than everyone. I was bigger than everyone. I was different. I seemed to hurt more people than I helped. I got sent away to a mental hospital after I almost killed a few people. I got out of their about three years later, and I met them. They helped me. They took me in. They saved me, and now they're down there locked in cells," I said feeling myself and the wolf inside of me getting angrier and angrier. "So yeah, hell."
We sat in silence for a good while. I didn't look at her. I glared at the floor, but I could tell her eyes where glued to me.
"I get that you care for them, but I have no control of that. I'm not the Luna anymore, Grey," she said softly.
"My name is Arden," I muttered.
"What?"
"My name is Arden," I said looking directly at her. "Arden walked in here four days ago, and she'll be leaving here, too, with him."
"Him?" Alex asked.
"Yeah," I snapped, "my mate." Her eyes widened, and she quickly stood up.
"Your mate? Which one?" She asked as her body towered over me.
"Kieran. You didn't know?" I asked generally shocked. I thought she'd know since Kieran and I were in the same cell together.
"I haven't had the chance to...meet any of them. Jale wasn't to fond of the idea of Stiletta and I being near any of them."
"Jale? He's the alpha?" I asked putting pieces of the puzzle together. She nodded.
"Yes, he's your brother. He was passed down the alpha title seven years ago on his eighteenth birthday along with his mate, Stiletta," she explained. "You have another brother as well. Elijah, but we call him Eli for short. He's four years older than you."
"He was the boy beside that man," I said knowing instantly knowing who he was talking about.
"Greyson-your father," she corrected me.
"Right." I wasn't quite sure what else to say. Sure, if we were under different circumstances I'd probably run into their arms and cry tears of joy, but this isn't some fairytale ending. No, I was dragged in here to probably be beaten just like Marilyn, Bolton, and Kieran. Before they knew who I was, I was just one of them. I was a shredder, and apparently no one likes a shredder.
"Are we done here?" I asked not really wanting anything to do with my family.
"What? Why?" She asked looking down at me with confusion spread across her face.
"Your men have my mate sedated and chained in a cellar. My friends are down there in pain. That's why," I snapped feeling anger rise at the thought of Kieran being chained to that wall.
Alex chuckled at me and then smiled with a smile that scared me. I had a feeling my mother wasn't the kindest woman around. Honestly, the way she smiled made me want to pee myself. I must have gotten my psychotic looks from my mother because she has mastered is perfectly.
"Oh Grey, you're never going back down there. You're not a shredder like them," Alex practically spat, "you're an Alpha's daughter."
___________
This is short. I know this is short. I'm so sorry..
Bright side is I updated and let me tell you I had the worst time making Alex's character. Holy crap, bringing her back was like hell. I couldn't make her act the way I envisioned her but this is pretty damn close. Thats what took this update so long.
So yea sorry but what are you gonna do?
But I am excited bc my plan for this book is a lot different from other books. So the plot twists will be so like bam.
Omg guys I'm such a vote whore but could we maybe all like ban together and really vote the crap outta this? Lol yea thx HA
Oh and pic is totally Eli bc yas. Bae goals
Stay awesome Gotham 2/7/16