Family

LAKE

“For the last time,” I growl, “you need to stay here!” Derrick rolls his eyes and continues packing a bag for himself and me.

We’ve been arguing—more like I’ve been arguing—for the past hour about him leaving.

He’s this group’s alpha. I can’t be the one who rips that away from these people. Especially with a problem as big as this.

“Lucy agreed that she’d stay here.” Derrick pulls out a couple of shirts and shoves them into the old duffle bag in his hands. “I’m no longer alpha of this group. She is.”

“Do you really want to abandon your son like this?!” I question. “Why do you even want to come help me solve this anyway? It’s not your burden to bear!”

Before Derrick can reply, Lucy comes into the tent and hands a piece of paper to me. It’s a map from here to my old territory.

“How did you—”

“I have my sources,” Lucy states. “Make sure you take care of my baby brother. He gets too messy with his anger a lot of the time.”

“Why are you letting this happen so easily?” I rub my forehead. “This is too much of an impulse decision. These people need both of you. I’ll be fine on my own.”

Derrick sighs heavily and throws the duffel bag onto his cot. “Nothing is impulse to me when it comes to you, Firefly. Lucy’s got a handle on things.”

“A lot of members have been wanting me as their leader anyway,” Lucy jokes. Her smile is small and has a bit of pain hidden behind it. She’s going to miss Derrick.

“You’re always welcome in this group.” Lucy hugs Derrick and then me. “Including you, Lake. You’re family now.”

I hold back tears as Lucy retreats back through the thick vining that hides the camp from the world.

Derrick quickly shifts into his black wolf and gestures for me to jump on his back. I scoff and Lynne emerges happily.

My wolf and Derrick’s quickly sniff each other. Wolves do this at official first meetings in order to always remember the other’s scent.

Derrick’s wolf smells mostly of earth and wet pine. Very unusual scent, if you ask me.

Our wolves playfully chase each other as they make their way through the forest. The snow is bright and contrasts nicely against Derrick’s black wolf. His red eyes pop even more.

Lynne has never shown her playful side to anyone but me. I’m glad she’s able to relax so easily.

Our wolves make time go by very quickly as we get close to the place where I first met Derrick and his men.

The river has completely frozen over, and the gravel has a sheet of ice over the scattered rocks.

Lynne takes a moment to lick the ice over the river. Derrick’s wolf scans the area to make sure it’s secure and then joins her.

Lynne looks at the male wolf a few feet from her. She takes in his features and scent deeply. Through her eyes, I can see the beauty Derrick’s wolf holds, and I can’t help but admire him with my wolf.

If Lynne had human cheeks, they’d be red hot as Derrick’s wolf looks directly at her. That stoic, serious expression makes my wolf melt. There’s something different going on between them.

“Look away!” I throw a stick at Derrick when I shift back into my human form. Derrick chuckles and turns around.

I slip a black shirt of his over my head and put on a pair of Lucy’s jeans with a pair of black combat boots.

“Can I look now?” Derrick looks at me from a side angle. I glare at him as he hands me my winter coat. His black hair is wild from shifting back.

“Your wolf is beautiful, by the way,” he comments. “What’s her name?”

“Her name is Lynne.” I blush and pull up my hood to hide my face. “What’s your wolf’s name?”

“His name is Drax.” I can tell from the tone in his voice that Derrick is smiling at the fact that I actually asked him.

“Why does he have red eyes?” I ask as we start heading toward the southern border of my old pack’s territory.

“My mother had me out of wedlock, I guess you could say.” Derrick throws the duffel bag over his shoulder.

“The consequence was for the Fates to curse my wolf. If I don’t find my mate in this lifetime, Drax will no longer exist.”

“Is that why you’re a rogue?”

I see a glint of hurt behind Derrick’s eyes as I ask that question. He doesn’t want to answer, and I’m not going to goad one out of him.

“Get down.” Derrick pushes me behind a bush and puts his body over mine. Two warriors pass us without a second glance.

“Why are they so far out of the territory?” I whisper. “It’s still a mile away.”

“I’m not sure.” Derrick lifts his head and grabs my hand. “I don’t want to stick around long enough to find out. Let’s get to your parents’ house before we’re found.”

I agree with him, and we take a long loop around to the northern border, where my parents live.

“We’re here,” I say to Derrick. We’re hidden behind the thick tree line just outside my parents’ yard.

The old blue suburban looks the same as when I left. The window that was broken is now repaired.

The crushing memories of what happened that day come flooding back. I can smell the old scent of my twin’s blood in the soil. Lynne bleeds her grief into mine.

“Let’s go.” Derrick is still holding my hand as he looks from side to side frequently. His guard is up more than I’ve seen before as he makes sure I’m behind him.

“There’s a key under the mat,” I say as we walk onto the back porch. The screen door screeches open as Derrick swiftly lifts the mat and retrieves the key.

I unlock and open the old kitchen door. Waves of my family’s scent flood my senses. I blink a few times to catch my bearings.

“Are you okay?” Derrick asks me.

I nod. “Just a lot of nostalgia.”

Derrick and I make our way slowly throughout the house. No one is on the bottom floor, and we go upstairs into my old bedroom. I open the door to be greeted by everything being the same.

My blood-soaked sheets and ripped clothes are still in here. The window’s curtains aren’t there either.

“What happened here?” Derrick looks around with his eyes wide. The smell of my anger and sadness seems to drench every inch of this room. I was so wrapped up in myself then.

Derrick and I brace ourselves as the door leading into my parents’ room opens slightly. I put my finger to my mouth to tell Derrick to be quiet as I move to the doorway.

My mother is standing in the hallway in her bathrobe. She stares vacantly at the door to the room that was Landon and Riley’s. Her hair is a mess of tangles and looks like a rat’s nest.

My mother’s once youthful face now has wrinkles, and her eyes have multiple bags under them. Her beautiful skin is full of bruises and scratch marks.

Tears fill my eyes as she puts her hand and head on my brother’s door.

“Mom…,” I sob. My mother doesn’t respond. She just starts to knock her head on the door and still blankly stares at the white wooden door.

“Mom, it’s me.” I rush up to her and pull her into a hug. “It’s Lake!”

My mother stiffens as she pulls away to look at me. Her eyes that were once the brightest pale green are now foggy and dull, devoid of any life.

“You can’t be my Lake.” My mother’s words are empty. “My Lake died months ago with her brother. Yes… They both died…”

“What happened to you?” I look at her arms and hands. My heart breaks as my mother slowly walks back to her room and closes the door.

“Firefly…” Derrick pulls me into a tight hug. His arms wrap around me like a cocoon of comfort.

“What happened to her?” I sob.

A scent of deep decay and death comes to my nose. Horrified, I turn to my brother’s bedroom door. I wiggle out of Derrick’s hold and shakily open the door.

“Oh my Goddess!” I fall to the floor as the scent of death and decay multiplies.

Sitting in the far corner of my brother’s room is the skeletal body of Riley curled up beside my brother’s body. His head is completely detached from his body and is lying over his chest.

Riley’s mouth is filled with maggots. Her eyes lie open as flies swarm around her and occasionally land on them.

My best friend’s pale skin is corroded to her bones. I can see dried tears that once flowed down her cheeks.

My twin’s body is still in the same clothes as that day. His mouth is wide open, and his teeth are all rotted. His hair is soaked with dried blood. Landon’s eyes are completely in the back of his head.

My body chokes up vomit on the carpet beneath me. Tears are still going down my cheeks as I wail.

“Where’s my father?!” I exclaim. “What happened?!”

Derrick growls furiously, and I see him looking down the hallway. I weakly get to my feet and turn around the corner.

Through my tear-filled eyes and the scent of my brother’s room, I see my father at the top of the stairway.

Holding an axe.