Family (COMPLETED)- Eldred Series Bk 3

Chapter 18

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? To bring Evangeline here?" Cordelia asked Pierce when they got back home that night. Pierce shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think it's a good idea." Pierce said. Cordelia sighed. She wanted to help Evangeline. But to have another person who hurt Olivia in some way to live with them would probably send Olivia in a spiral downwards. Granted she forgave Luka but Evangeline is a different story.

"I think we should have one of the pack warriors take her in with them but one of us visits her while the kids are at school and help her. We don't have enough room here for her to begin with. We already have five kids and two of them aren't biologically ours. And to have another kid who had hurt Liv in some way wouldn't help Liv in any way." Cordelia said to Pierce. Pierce sighed again. "Okay. You're right. Let's just.. let's sleep on it. And talk about it in the morning."

Cordelia and Pierce started to walk to their bedroom but the girl's room's door opened and Olivia walked out of the room. "Hey, princess. Shouldn't you be in bed?" Pierce asked as she walked up to them and he picked her up gently. "I can't sleep." She mumbled into his neck. Pierce walked into his and Cordelia's bedroom and sat down on the bed. "Why not?" Cordelia asked and rubbed Olivia's back.

Olivia looked up at Cordelia. "I know she's here, mommy. The one who almost hurt Rosie." Olivia said. Cordelia looked up at Pierce who gave her an 'I don't know what to say' look. "Honey, it's okay. She won't be able to hurt you or Rosie or anyone. We won't allow it." Cordelia said. Olivia shook her head no. "Mommy.. where is she?" Olivia asked. "She's in a holding cell right now. She's going to stay there for awhile while mommy and I know for sure we know we can help her." Pierce told Olivia.

Olivia wiggled out of his arms and gently landed on the ground. "Liv? You in here?" Luka mumbled as he walked into their parents' room. Olivia walked up to him and he picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Mommy and daddy says they have the girl who hurt me and almost hurt Rosie." Olivia said to Luka.

Luka gulped and looked up at his parents. "Really? You got her?" Luka asked, trying to control his anger. He didn't the person who hurt his family within a 50 mile radius of them without him at least hurting them. Pierce nodded. "She's in one of the holding cells." Pierce said. Luka nodded. "Okay." He said. "You two should get to bed. Go. Night." Cordelia said.

Luka and Olivia mumbled a night as he carried her out and into her room before laying her down and she fell asleep almost instantly. But Luka couldn't fall asleep, no matter how hard he tried. He sat up and got up and quietly walked out of the girls' room and past his parents' room and out the door and to the holding cells. He had to see the person who almost killed his sisters.

He opened the door to the holding cells but was stopped by the warrior on guard. "Let me through." Luka hissed. "I need to see her." He growled, staring up at the warrior. "As much as you would, I can't let you. She could hurt you. Even through the bars." The warrior told him. Luka pushed past the warrior. "I am the alpha's son. Biological or not, I'll soon to be the next alpha when he's done. And don't get on my nerves, sir. It'll not end well. For you. So don't interrupt me while I talk to her."

Luka walked up to the cell where Evangeline was in and looked through the bars. She was still wide awake and didn't show any signs of sleeping any time soon. "So you're the one who hurt my sister. Who almost hurt my other sister." Luka growled lowly. Evangeline looked up at Luka and looked back down. "I didn't mean to.." She whispered. Luka slammed his fists against the bars and she jumped back. "I get you're starting puberty. I've been there before. But you couldn't control yourself long enough? Huh?" Luka almost yelled.

Evangeline just sat there, shaking. "Olivia's my sister! If I loose anyone from my family, I loose a part of myself. But especially with her!" Luka said, tears burning as they ran down his cheeks. "I'm sorry.. I didn't want to hurt her.. I already beat myself up. I don't need you or your parents to do the same." Evangeline spat.

Evangeline hugged her knees to her chest. "I'm new to all of this. I don't know what to do. I was never taught. My parents. All of my family, all of the people I knew, died. They died when I was two and I've lived the last ten years by myself. Alone. Hungry. Scared. How would you feel if that happened to you? To have people you loved and cared about died? I get you almost lost your sister. Because of me. I get that but to beat me up for something I wasn't able to be taught... I'm just a kid. I didn't mean to do what I did. But I still remember that day like it was yesterday."

Luka forced a laugh. "You have no idea what happened to me. About my past." Luka said. He pulled his tank top off and showed her his back. Evangeline gasped lightly. "My parents here aren't my birth parents. They took me in two and a half years ago when my pack burned and I watched my mother die." Luka started and put his tank top back on. "My father abused me ever since I was two. In ways that a child should never have to face. Sexually, physically, emotionally. He whipped me until those scars showed up. But even after, he still would. Every time I try moving, flexing, or anything, I feel those scars tighten and a reminder of his abuse come up. I still have nightmares. I wake up at night, screaming. So you think you had a bad childhood? Talk about bad childhoods. For eleven years, I bared it until the fire and I was able to get out. I thought he died in the fire but he didn't. He tried hurting Liv.. but I killed him."

The door opened and closed. "Luka Valentino Eldred! There you are." Cordelia snarled as she walked up to him. "I went to check on you and your siblings and you weren't anywhere to be found. What the hell are you doing in here?" Cordelia yelled at him. Luka looked down and shrugged. "That's not a good enough answer. It's midnight. Leave the poor girl alone." She told him and tried to pull him out of the building. "Poor girl?" He scoffed. "She isn't a poor girl." He said and stomped out.

Cordelia followed him. "Luka." She called. "Mom. She hurt Liv." Luka said, stopping in his tracks. She sighed. "So did you. Luka. If you think about it, in some ways, she's just like you. She didn't go through what you did. But her pack died in whatever they died in. And now she's going through puberty and doesn't know what to do. Yeah I'm not happy. How do you think I feel? I get Olivia isn't my biological child I took her in and cared for her. She's my first daughter and I love her just as much as you do."

Luka sighed. She was right, he thought. In ways she was just like him. But he was so angry. His heart broke when he found out Olivia got hurt. But Evangeline was just like him. In a way, they both hurt Olivia. He killed her parents and she physically hurt Olivia. Both of their packs got destroyed and were left to fend for themselves. Her longer than him but still. And both didn't really learn anything about puberty until it came and how to control their wolves. Luka realized he was more mad at himself than he really was at her. He wished he was the one to get hurt and not Olivia.

"I just don't want that girl around Olivia. If she looses her control." Luka said. Luka turned around. "I want to go see her again. To apologize." Luka said and started to head back for the holding cells. "It's late, babe. Why don't you do it in the morning?" Cordelia offered. But Luka shook his head no. "I don't want to leave it the way it did."

Luka walked back into the cells and up to Evangeline's. She looked up at him. "Back to yell at me more?" She asked. He shook his head no and looked back at the warrior who wasn't paying attention before slipping the key off the hook next to her cell and unlocked the cell and moved the bars.

He walked in and she scooted back. "What are you doing?" She asked. But Luka closed the cell bars behind him and sat down on the floor. She looked at him but kept her distance until she felt that familiar feeling that she felt when her inner wolf was trying to take control. She tried stopping it. "You might want to go." She groaned. He shook his head no. Her inner wolf took control and she changed.

Evangeline started to stumble around and had a confused look on her wolf face. Luka got up and lightly crawled to her. She growled and tried nipping at his hand when he reached to touch her face. He pet her head and she eventually calmed down and changed back. "It's mainly about being calm. Yes, technically, you are your wolf. But when you first are able to change, it's like your wolf is like another spirit and is just trying to protect you because you're not calm. As long as you can control you're stress levels then you'll be able to control your wolf." Luka told her.

He got up. "You have a lot to learn, kid." He smirked and walked out of the cell before closing the bars. "My name's not kid. It's Evangeline." She told him. He smirked more. "Whatever, kid." He said and walked out of the building.