New Rogues In Town

Chapter 13: The Cat is out of the bag, literally.

Joya and I had been sitting on the couch watching Carter entertain and converse with his sister for a couple of hours when he finally decided it was time to leave. He motioned us towards the door and before exiting and ascending the staircase I ran back to Cassie and whispered my promise into her ear. I kissed her forehead and left swiftly so her and her parents could have their alone time. Running back to Carter I took his hand. Joya gave me a stifled smile.

"What J?"

"I've just never seen an intimate gesture like that from you. I am proud of you."

I just stuck my tongue out at her and pushed past them but gave a quick smirk over my shoulders. When I reached Carter's room, I was sure that I was ready to tell him the story. But, in order for me to help Cassie I had to keep my secret at bay. They may hate me for it later, but they will hopefully understand. I would just omit the fact that I knew what my father was after and I'd do what I could to make things right before all of it was over.

I entered his room like I owned the place. I managed my way into his office and Carter and Joya followed suit. I immediately sat behind his large mahogany desk and to twirled in his leather chair. Im truly a big kid at heart. They sat across from me on a leather love seat with brown suede cushions. On the third 360 spin I positioned my feet on his desk and leaned back with my hands tucked behind my head. Amused Carter moved away from Joya and came over to his chair.

"Okay doll, enough playing. Its time you tell me what happened." He said lifting me up and onto his lap as he settled into his chair.

I tried to sit there on top of him, I really did. But after a few moments of feeling incredibly awkward I ended up moving to sit beside Joya. I seen the disappointment in Carter's eyes but I ignored it the best I could. Laying my head in her lap, I closed my eyes and began to focus on the story.

"I was eleven, Joya was just newly ten. We hadn't even shifted yet. We were laying down sunning in our swim suits by the pond in a sunflower meadow. I remember the sweet smell of Cherokee Roses filtering through the air as we snacked on succulent peaches, our favorite. It was just barely spring and everything was budding. The sun beamed down on us and caused beads of sweat to drip down my face. The cause, the sweltering humidity of Georgia, was always one of the things I didn't miss. I remember humming along to the sound of sweet honey bees working in their near-by nest.

I heard a scream through the mind link and instantly recognized it to be Joya's mother, Eva. Before I could register what was happening Joya had bolted towards the pack house. I caught up with her almost immediately but not before catching the sight in the back yard at our house. Blood stained the ground everywhere. Several naked mangled bodies littered the area. I couldn't distinguish ours from the ones we were fighting. I didn't know why we were under attack and I was honestly scared. I still shielded Joya from the fight and held her head to my chest. I searched the crowd for someone familiar and was horrified at who I found. I watched as Joya's father, Kevin, took on six wolves at once. His wife, Joya's mother, already laid unmoving at his feet yet he still stood protectively in front of her. He took down the first three wolves swiftly and easily, running on pure hate and adrenaline. As the fourth one lunged, Kevin anticipated the other wolf's move and dodged it expertly. The wolf quickly jumped again and plowed into his rib cage. His howl of pain had Joya shuttering and crying violently in my arms. But the enemy wolf made a grave mistake and wasn't careful, was too relaxed. In infuriation, Her father shot forward with all his might and plunged his extended canines into the unexpected wolf's throat. Blood shot out covering Kevin's muzzle in crimson. The other two wolves immediately darted towards him. He turned looking directly at me and mouthed "tell Joya I love her," before taking his last breath. The anguish of the mate bond killed him before the wolves had a chance to tear into his flesh."