Two

I woke up around seven, like normal, and grabbed some food from the kitchen before sitting on the patio rocking chair.

It was one of my favourite places, probably because grandpa and I used to rock in it for hours as he told me stories.

I slowly ate my fruit and took my hair down so the wind could blow through it and closed my eyes after I finished off my bowl.

Before I knew it I had fallen asleep.

I woke up at ten and remembered I was supposed to show Caden around in an hour.

That's not happening, I thought and slipped my runners on and my bathing suit under my clothes.

"Where are you going Blake?" I turned around to see Dana standing there.

"For a ride. Want to come?"

She shook her head and I noticed she just got up from bed, "I'm going to grab a bite to eat and I'm meeting friends in town."

"Have fun."

"Ditto."

I climbed on my bike and started riding to the path.

An hour and a half later I laid my clothes on the seat of my bike and parked it against a couple trees.

I took my elastic out and dove into the lake. I swam down the length of it, staying on our packs territory, and looped back until I reached the other end of our territory before doing it four more times.

Most of it I did underwater and when I reached where I had started, about the middle, I poked my head up.

Wrong move, should've stayed underwater, I thought as I heard my father scream my name at the top of his lungs through the pack link, "You're three hours late! I told you eleven o'clock sharp."

"And I went to the woods at ten thirty, thought I would show up early," I replied. I could shut the link off but decided he would only get more mad, which wouldn't help when I returned.

"So you're in the woods without Caden?"

I sighed and decided to keep swimming. I did two more laps, staying on our territory and slowly climbed out of the water. I picked up the towel I always hid in the bush beside my bike and dried off.

The air blew by and I wrapped it around myself, "What are you doing here?" I asked Caden as he walked up.

"Finding the water and trees, like some alphas can do." I held back my smile as he said the words I said to my father last night.

I didn't reply as I turned around. I felt naked in only my bathing suit and a towel.

"Well, you found them, hard huh?" I said, my last couple words dripping sarcasm.

He seemed awkward standing there in his jeans and navy shirt, is that all this guy wears? Although it looked sexy as hell on him.

I wanted to put my clothes back on but didn't want to move my towel. I realized my hair was down and pushed one side back behind my ear. It started becoming an awkward silence as neither of us said anything.

"Did Caden find you?" My father asked in my head and I rolled my eyes, crossing my legs at the ankle to keep some of my decency intact.

He looked at me questioningly, "Not you." I said to Caden before replying to my dad in my head, "Yeah. And guess what, he found trees and water on his own." I blocked the link before he could reply. I sighed and put my head back against the tree.

"Your dad?"

I clenched my jaw, he's never been my 'dad', "No, my alpha."

"Isn't he your dad?"

"No, he's my father. There's a difference."

"Sorry, yeah. So you were rolling your eyes at him?"

I nodded.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Excuse me?"

"I just meant that uh- that you do that a lot."

"I have my reasons."

"I'm sure."

"Whatever. I don't care what you think about me or my alpha."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Just stop okay? I don't care."

I hated being rude to people, I always have, but something about him just makes me want to make him angry so he leaves.

I decided I really didn't want to talk to this guy, as he slowly came closer, and I put my shirt and shorts on before letting the towel fall.

Ha, decency kept, I thought.

I wrung the little bit of water out of the towel before hanging it over a branch to dry.

I'll come back later, I thought and climbed on my bike.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm finishing my bike ride."

"You were supposed to show me around."

"This is the only water we have, and I'm sure if you look around you'll see the trees." I said like I was talking to a four year old before I started pedalling. I stuck to the path and when it forked I went left, away from the pack house. I didn't feel like seeing my father just yet.

"Hey, everything okay?" Dana asked me in the link when I opened it back up, "I've been trying to reach you forever."

"It's been like ten minutes."

"Eighteen, but why did you shut us out?"

"Alpha." I said as if it explained everything, which it pretty much did, "What did you need to speak to me about?" I asked and she sighed mentally before continuing.

"Carter called, they want to hang out some time this week."

"Okay, so go hang out with them."

"Leonard wants to see you again."

I bet he does, I thought. "I don't want to see him."

"I thought you two hit it off."

"No, but I wanted to hit him to make him buzz off."

"Blake, I can't see Carter again if you don't come."

"Tell him to try a real date, by himself." I know I was being rude, but I really don't want to, and after my father and Caden, I didn't really care.

"Blake," she pouted.

I sighed and kept on biking.

"Blake, Caden returned alone." My father said.

"Was he supposed to find a troll under a bridge to bring back with him?"

"You should've returned with him."

"You should've gone with him."

"Blake! I told you yesterday-"

I cut him off, "That I had to meet him. I showed up early, he didn't, so I left. We met up and talked. End of discussion." I blocked the link.

I didn't want to go home, but it was already three in the afternoon and I wanted to text Jess about going to the beach again this week. Me being me, I didn't bring my phone.

I turned around and headed down the path until I got home. I put my bike in the shed and went up to my room.

"Honey, your father wants to see you when he returns." My mother said. It sounded different today though.

"What if I don't want to see him?" I sighed as my mother stood at the door.

"Blake you should respect him, as an alpha and your father." Why did it sound like even she didn't believe her words?

My voice came out louder than I intended, "Why? He doesn't even talk to me unless he wants something. He controls me like I'm some robot without feelings. He acts like I don't exist unless he needs to-"

"Blake, you know that's not true," she interrupted me, but again she didn't sound like she actually believed what she was saying.

"Really? With the exception of yesterday, we hadn't talked in months, and we only talked yesterday because he wanted something. Every other alpha puts their first born as Alpha, or Luna, respectfully, but he gives it to his youngest because I'm his oldest. He doesn't trust me to run a pack, he doesn't even trust me to live my own life! And you know he hates me. You can't argue that, nobody can. He cares about everyone else in the pack before me! We both know its true, so don't even try to argue that."

"Blake-"

"No. I'm not going to sit here and listen to you take his side. I know he's your mate, but I'm his daughter, mom! His daughter."

"Blake, I understand. You two aren't close-"

"Understatement of the year."

"As I was saying, you aren't close, but he's still your alpha."

"Really?! How can anyone take him seriously as alpha? He's a control freak who doesn't know anyone in this pack except those he needs to know to stay alpha. When was the last time he sat with the pack at dinner? Lunch? Breakfast? When was the last time the pack did that?"

"He-"

"He's trying to ally two packs, yet this one has so many different parts and groups it has it's own packs within it! He can't run a pack! Even grandpa said that."

"Don't bring your grandfather into this."

"Why? Because we both know he would agree?"

"You don't know that."

"Really?! I think out of all of us, I do. He was the only alpha I know to run a pack like a large family. The way it should be. He treated grandma, his children, the neighbours children, even the neighbours dog, with more respect than he does his own daughter. Grandpa was a family man, who ran a pack like a family. And now we have an alpha who runs a pack the exact opposite."

"You're father is doing the best he can." She didn't even meet my eyes and she was rubbing her hands together, a tell that she's lying.

"That's the sad part! He's trying and this is the outcome! He destroyed this pack. How can you even run a pack when you can't even trust your own mate?"

"Don't bring me into this Blake."

I couldn't stop now, everything I kept bottled up was coming out, "Why? That's true too. Grandpa and grandma were true alpha and Luna. Grandpa relied on grandma, they supported each other, they leaned on each other, like a family."

"Your father trusts me." Lie.

"Does he? Is that why he ran DNA samples on his children?"

"How did you know-"

"See, you can't even deny it! If he can't trust you, his mate, his wife and his supposed love, to help him, or even stay with him, how can he expect us to?"

"Your father sees mates differently than you."

I laughed humourlessly, "Trust me, I know. I think you should actually love your mate."

"Your father-"

"When was the last time he said he loved you? When was the last time he showed it? When was the last time you believed it?"

I noticed her trembling and she sat on the end of my bed. I slowly sat beside her and calmed my voice, "If he can't love his own family, how are we supposed to love him?"

"I don't know." I was shocked. That's the only time I've ever seen her not defend him right away. "Before he became alpha we used to have so much fun. Silly fun. We would spend hours just looking at the stars. He used to compliment me, laugh with me, joke around with me. Blake, I fell in love with him. I really did. He stole my heart in the space of a few months. I tried to deny it but he eventually got me to admit it," she laughed at a memory, I think, "He told me he loved me for the next few months straight. He would randomly buy roses and take me on dates. We went everywhere, did everything, and laughed the whole time." I smiled a bit, I couldn't blame her for loving him, it sounded great. "Then he became alpha and changed, but I stuck by his side, I thought it would pass. I thought it was just the stress of it all, so when he asked to mate, I said yes."

"It wasn't though."

She shook her head and a tear escaped, "No, it wasn't. For the next year he would buy flowers, and we would go places, but not nearly as often, maybe once a month, if even. And even then he didn't hold my hand, we barely talked, and rarely a laugh happened." She shook her head, "I kept telling myself he would come back. The old him would come back, but it never did." She had tears spilling from her eyes as she fiddled with her hands in her lap.

"I'm sorry mom."

She wiped her face off and looked right at me, "The last time he said he loved me was the day you were born. He held you and his eyes shone with happiness, as did mine. He said, 'My two girls, I love you both so much, I always will.' Then he held me and kissed me. That was the end of that too."

"Why?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. When Dana was born he didn't even make it to the pack doctors room, he said he was stuck in a meeting, same with your brother. I actually think he went to a different pack when I had Benjamin. He didn't hold them, or even say he loved them, he just came back to our room that night and climbed in bed like normal."

"I'm so sorry mom." Was it my fault he stopped loving her? Us? All of us?

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let it get this far. I saw the change in him but didn't say anything, I just denied it. I refused to believe that both men were in the same body. I couldn't believe it. That would mean that I fell in love with someone who died," she remained quiet for a moment, "But I did anyway. The man I mated with isn't the man I'm mated to."

"Why didn't you tell me this before? I thought he just hated me. I know he changed, but I didn't know it was that drastically, that fast."

"I didn't want you to be disappointed in me. I let this happen."

"No, he did. He has a beautiful mate, and three children, yet he sits in his office and ignores us. He did this. He did it to us and he did it to the pack."

She gave a halfhearted laugh, "You're stubborn like grandpa."

"The best kind."

She nodded and we hugged before she pulled back.

"He just drove in. Can we keep this between the two of us?" I was going to say no, but decided she went through enough today already.

I nodded, "Thank you for telling me."

"No, thank you. You stuck by me even through it all."

"You're worth it."

"You are too. All three of you are. I love you three more than anything."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Quick, before he gets in the house."

"Do you love him still?"

"Honestly, it's been years. I tried for a while, but I grew tired of pretending."

I wanted to tell her I was proud of her for admitting it, but the front door opened.

"Thank you."

"No, thank you, it's nice to finally tell someone."

"Maybe now you can quit pretending for good," I whispered and she smiled, the realist smile I've seen in years.

"You're right, thank you." We both got up and left my bedroom. She put her arm around my shoulder and squeezed.

"I love you mom."

"I love you too Blake. I always have."

"I know." And it was true.

"Pancakes for dinner?" Dana asked as she walked in the kitchen. She just got home as we finished making them.

"Yep. Would you like some?" Mom said and I smiled. She hadn't made us pancakes in years.

"Wait, you two are different. What did I miss?"

I saw mom bite her lip so I responded, "We talked. It was long overdue, but we talked."

"Why when I'm not here?" She pouted.

"Don't worry, we'll catch you up. But first, pancakes?" Mom said. I was glad she was going to tell Dana, I wouldn't be able to keep this from her. I couldn't keep anything from her.

"Yes, I'm starved!" We both laughed as she grabbed another plate and sat beside me.

"Good thing I made extra," mom said and smiled.

Come to think of it, I haven't seen her smile this much for as long as I could remember. Dana seemed to notice too and smiled back.

We ate in silence, a comfortable silence, until my father got involved.

"What's going on?" He said as he walked in.

"I'm eating dinner with my daughters." Mom said casually.

He swallowed and clenched his jaw, "Why?"

"Because its been too long."

"Too long since what? Since you acted like children and ate pancakes for dinner?"

She looked at both of us and nodded, "Exactly. Way too long."

I saw him clench his jaw and fists, he sure didn't like that answer. Go mom! I thought and smiled.

"Blake, my office. Now."

"I'm eating."

"I said now."

"I said I'm eating. Why are we acting like we're deaf by repeating ourselves?" My mom choked on a piece of pancake and stifled the laugh with a cough. He didn't like that either.

"Blake, I'm not asking you again."

"You haven't asked once for it to be again."

He glanced at mom and sighed in anger, "Then I won't. Come to my office."

"Sure, when I'm done eating with my sister and mom."

I smeared a piece of pancake around in the syrup before eating it.

He stormed out of the room and mom broke out laughing, Dana looked at her shocked. I was shocked too, she used to choose his side. Now she was laughing at him, way to go mom!

"Must have been one heck of a talk Blake."

I nodded, "Indeed it was."

Mom agreed and smiled at me, "I'm just saying, he still is the alpha."

"I know, but thanks for being on my side."

"I always will be. Yours too Dana."

We smiled and finished eating.

"I didn't know it took half an hour to eat the rest of a pancake," my father said when I walked into his office, without knocking.

"I decided to help mom with the dishes. She's the only one I see work around here, so I thought I would give her a hand."

He growled and I held back my smirk. I thought I saw a smile cross Caden's face but like always, it's so quick I don't know if it was imagined.

"Anyway, you wanted to see me." I said bored, holding back my smile as he glared at me.

"Yes. Caden and I are allying the Bluelake pack and mine, the Blackthorn pack. In order to do that-"

"No! No. No. No." I knew what he was going to say. Why didn't I put it together earlier? I should've ran away! In order to ally packs, there had to be a mating.

"Blake-"

"No!" I ran out of the room up to mine and locked the door.

I ended up going through the kitchen and Mom and Dana asked me all kinds of questions through the link.

"Dad is allying packs. Caden is alpha and I have alpha blood. Get it?"

I blocked the link before I could hear anything else and sat against the door. Thank god I have alpha blood in me, I thought as I pushed myself against the door holding it closed as someone tried to open it. They left soon and I jumped out my window, shifting in midair as I landed softly. I covered my scent and took off running.

I didn't stop. I knew I couldn't outrun my alpha, but I also did not want to be with Caden.

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Caden's POV

"You said you told her." I didn't want to run after her and force her to come with me, it would end badly, I already knew that. But at the same time, it wasn't even about business anymore, I just wanted her.

She laughs and smiles easily. She has a great sense of humour and stands up for herself. She isn't some passive little girl you can push over, if her relationship with her father is anything to go by.

She doesn't argue, she just says her piece and walks away. I'm sure that's annoying, but I don't plan on arguing, I want a strong Luna by my side, and she seems like all that and more.

Who wouldn't want her? I made it part of the deal that she's single because I figured with her looks and personality she would definitely be with someone.

"I told her we were forming an alliance, I assumed she was smarter and would put it together."

"I think she is smart, I just don't think she thought you would stoop so low."

"Well, it doesn't matter now unless you go get her."

"That's funny, you mess up and I clean up your mistakes. A deal is a deal. You didn't come through, why should I?"

"I-"

"How could you, you arrogant! selfish jerk! No wonder you wouldn't tell me! You don't even know how disappointed I am in you right now!" His mate, I'm assuming, came in the room slapping at him and hitting him. I'm assuming he kept it from her too.

"How could you?! She ran away because of you!"

"Wait, she ran away?" I said but I doubt she heard me as she kept slapping at him and yelling at him. I figured she just ran upstairs, which made sense why her scent was already almost gone.

"She's my daughter too! I get that you're and ass to her and don't get along but I still want to see my child! You arrogant selfish ass!"

He grabbed her wrists and pinned her against the wall, "I didn't make her run away."

"Really?! Because she just said 'I love you two more than anything' and hugged us before jumping out of her bedroom window! You better hope shes okay! And she blocked the link. She said goodbye! And she couldn't even say it in person because of you!"

I heard someone run upstairs crying and assumed it was Blake's sister, Diane? Donna? Dana? I think Dana.

I suddenly regretted ever making this deal. What was I supposed to do now though? I didn't want to lose half my pack to rogues.

"Stop." He commanded.

"No! It's your fault! Let go of me!" She said struggling against him.

"No! Not until you calm down."

"Why? Afraid I'll do something drastic like Blake did? Or do you even care? I doubt it! You don't care about anyone except yourself. Now let. Me. Go!"

He slowly let her go and she smacked him across the face before turning around, "I will never forgive you. Ever."

He flipped, that really was a bad move on her part, but I couldn't blame her, I hated him too. He grabbed her arms and pinned her against the wall, "Why don't you blame the daughter you raised? Huh? She ran. The only responsibility you had was raising those kids and you couldn't even do that right! They're stubborn, and wish upon the stupidest things! I counted on you for one thing and you couldn't even do that right!"

"Those kids? They're our kids, as in half yours. And maybe if you had taken part in raising them they would've had a chance at coming out the way you wanted. But you know what? I'm happy you didn't, at least they didn't turn out like you!"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me! I can't even stand sleeping in the same room as you anymore!"

He was fuming. Actually that was an understatement, he was so enraged I couldn't even move. His wolf had backed down when she started with the last part, he was completely man now. It was like his wolf didn't even want his mate to see him that way, like it was hiding because it was ashamed.

"Then maybe you shouldn't."

"Really? You're not just a fucked up alpha, you're blind too! I haven't slept in that room in almost a year! God! You're so blind! You don't even realize that your own mate can't stand you!"

"Yet you're still here!"

"What? You want me to run away too? You know what, I don't blame Blake. The only thing I keep asking myself is, why didn't she go sooner? In fact, I should've helped them. I may be stuck here because of you, but I shouldn't have kept them here too! They deserve better than being in a pack with a self-centred alpha who doesn't even love his own family!" She had a tear running down her cheek and she was shaking uncontrollably. You could see in her face that she knew this was a pointless battle but that she just needed to get it out of her system.

"This pack is one of the best packs in North America!"

"No, it was one of the best. Now it's so far gone you have people going rogue right under your nose and you don't even notice! You don't even care!"

"I care." He growled.

"Yeah right!" Sadness and exhaustion swept over her face before she just looked disappointed, "You haven't even asked how Blake is. She's been gone for forty minutes and you haven't even talked to her. You haven't asked what she said, who she's talked to, nothing. All you cared about was making sure the alliance could go forward. That's sad. Really sad." She sighed and turned to leave, "Sometimes I regret my choices in life."

"What do you mean by that?" He asked turning her back around roughly.

She looked him dead in the eye, "I regret mating with you. I don't regret having kids, but I wish they had a father who cared, an alpha who cared and could tell their kids how awesome their grandfather was. I agreed to mate with the man I loved, but now I never would've said yes. I would've packed my bags and ran as far as I hope Blake is away."

"You don't mean that," his tone was almost daring her to keep going.

"Yes, I do. The man I mated with is not the man I'm mated to. I loved the man who died." She shook off his hands and left the room.

I heard a boys voice call out, "Mom? Is it true? Is she gone?"

Her voice cracked as she sighed sadly, "I'm afraid so Benjamin. You're father really fucked up this time."

"No, mom. No!" His voice choked as he sobbed.

I heard her catch him as he crumbled to the floor and closed my eyes and took deep breaths.

I don't even know what to say to him at this point. I wanted to scream at him, yell at him, physically hurt him. But I knew that if his own mate couldn't do that, nobody could. He was as good as gone.

Nobody should be able to see their mate in pain and let them go without even holding them. That should physically kill you, yet he didn't even flinch.

Angry? Disappointed? Shocked? Pity for Blake? For her pack? Hatred?

There's not even a word for the emotions I was feeling.

-----------------------------------

Blake's POV

I opened my link back up, "Ben, please take care of mom for me. You've always been strong and you'll make a great alpha one day. Grandpa always said, 'Treat the whole pack like family and they'll act like one.' Please, remember that. It's the best advice he ever gave me, and I want you to take it to heart when you're alpha. I know we weren't close lately, but I always loved you. I always will."

"Blake, don't do this. That was a goodbye, don't do this. Come back, please!"

"I will, eventually. Please, I need you to be strong, for mom and for Dana. Moms really fragile right now. And Dana will act strong but inside she'll be freaking out. Be there for them, please. I love you all so much."

I blocked the mind link and blinked rapidly so I wouldn't cry as I kept running through the woods.