I held him close, offering the comfort he needed. It was a relief to be there for him in this moment of pain and fear. As he slowly calmed down, he leaned back, his eyes meeting mine. He was still breathtaking even after the emotional release.

I blushed at the closeness, realizing I was sitting on his lap. Feeling self-conscious, I quickly wiped away a stray tear from his face, sparks flying between us. The tension of the moment was broken by Blaze's arrival.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell happened here?" Blaze's voice disrupted our peaceful interlude.

Assuming his new position as Beta, Blaze looked down at the unconscious Yvette. "You could have just taken out the trash fully. I would have done it myself if I had known she had gotten out," he muttered, dissatisfied.

I rolled my eyes at his remark. "Is that all you have to say? Get the pack doctor."

"He's already on the way. More importantly, Alpha, are you alright?" Blaze asked, concern in his voice.

Kayden, who had transformed from my 'chair' to a shy figure, nodded. I tried to divert my thoughts, realizing that the earlier awkward position on his lap had changed. Zadie's playful comment made me blush even more. The chaos seemed to settle, but our journey to recovery was just beginning.

Clearing my throat, I sat up, realizing Kayden seemed disappointed. I was puzzled; he had been shy just moments ago. What had changed? Shrugging off my confusion, I turned my attention to Blaze, who was waiting for an explanation.

"So, care to tell me what just happened?" he inquired, standing in front of us.

Frustration and sadness welled up within me as I recounted, "His mother happened. I put her fucking ass in place. That's what she gets for laying her hands on my mate," I gestured towards Yvette's unconscious body on the ground.

Blaze appeared lost in thought before turning to Kayden. "Shouldn't you tell her, Kayden? Your mother escaped because the guard wasn't doing his job properly. Fucker took some alcohol she offered and passed the hell out. I don't know how she bribed him, but he apparently just turned 16 years old and was excited to drink with a Luna. He snuck into the cabinets full of alcohol in the pack and gave it to her. It seemed like she promised him that she would make him alpha or something if he let her have some alcohol. Since he is a new guard, he must have grown greedy. He's that rogue we took in a week ago."

I frowned, connecting the dots. "And I'm assuming, since he knows she's the Luna, he thought he had a chance of being alpha if he mated with Yvette... and since she only requested for alcohol, he made another assumption that she was stupid and easy. Seeing that he had little chance to lose and was a rogue originally, he just went along with it. I mean, getting alcohol is easy, but obtaining the title of Alpha is difficult. Probably thought this was too good to be true but did it anyway."

"Exactly. I had to interrogate the hell out of him since he was the one in charge of watching her. You see, letting him into the pack was my fault, so I'll deal with him. I thought everyone deserved a second chance like how Wendy gave me, but it wasn't meant to be with him."

To clarify, Yvette was still the Luna because the ceremony for my becoming Luna hadn't taken place yet. In our werewolf tradition, when the offspring of an alpha finds their mate, the title shifts from the old couple to the new one, placing it on their offspring and their mate. This rogue thought he could become alpha if he helped Yvette get alcohol, assuming that aligning with her would give him a better chance at the alpha position.

Drifting out of my thoughts, I refocused on Kayden, who seemed lost. He only nodded at Blaze's and my words, granting Blaze permission to elaborate further. Just then, the pack doctor rushed in, a mix of shock and concern on his face.

He tended to our injuries and advised Kayden to rest for a day for the wounds to heal. Werewolves were blessed with fast healing abilities.

After helping Kayden to bed, I returned to my bedroom with Blaze following.

"Ready to hear about Kayden?" Blaze cautiously asked, taking a seat in my room.

Anxious, I nodded, signaling him to begin.

"You might want to sit down for this, Quincy," Blaze said, settling into the chair in my room.

"I rather stand. Don't worry about me and continue," I replied, my mind focused on the gravity of the situation.

Blaze blew out a steady breath. "I'm going to try to tell you as fast as possible. Given the situation, Kayden should be the one telling you all this. However, he's mute. The day he tells you is the day he should start writing books for a living."

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be frustrated with Blaze's humor at such a moment. My wolf, Zadie, expressed her own discontent, but I chose to let it pass. Blaze meant well, and he had his own unique way of coping with serious situations.

"Right, that's true. So cut to the chase," I urged, signaling for him to continue. There were more pressing matters at hand than Blaze's sense of humor.

"Around the time your parents passed away, you came back for their funeral. The pack house was burned down by rogues, and we lost many of our pack members. You grieved for months and right after the funeral, you went back to your other home in Florida since you didn't want to be reminded of the past," Blaze recounted, pausing briefly. "You wanted no contact from the pack, so we left you be. You rarely visited and only stayed on the outskirts of where the humans were. Just think, if you had actually come to the pack house, you might have found Kayden sooner."

I chuckled bitterly, reflecting on the past. "Yeah, well, life can be one hell of a ride. Even so, I met him, and now we're mates. I regret not coming here sooner, and even though I'm here, I still feel the pain of their deaths. I miss them, but I've learned to cope with my parents not being here. When I saw the pack, I felt a slight sting, but it wasn't as bad. I don't know what I was so scared of."

"Change, perhaps? We never want to step out of our comfort zone. Maybe if you had come to the pack house, it would have meant acknowledging their passing and that time has moved on with or without you. We never like to get out of our comfort zones, but once we do, we feel a little more fearless," Blaze mused, crossing his legs.

His words hit the mark, resonating deeply with my thoughts. I approved of his insight, and I was glad he was Wendy's mate. They had both gone through struggles and had come out stronger.

Bringing us back to the present, I asked, "Now, what does that have to do with Kayden?"

"Quincy, you didn't want any contact from the pack since you needed time to grieve for your parents. Because of that, Wendy stayed by your side for a long time. Although she visited me, she never went to the pack house. Honestly, she doesn't even know what happened to Kayden. It's a secret that he's mute to most of the other packs. I'm his representative and use the excuse that he's busy. We left you in the dark regarding Kayden," Blaze explained.

Taking in the information, I nodded, appreciating the straightforwardness and urgency of the situation. It was time to focus on what lay ahead and support Kayden in every possible way.

Blaze's expression turned cold and sad as he continued, recounting Kayden's past. My anger flared, echoing Zadie's fury at the abuse inflicted on Kayden by his own mother.

"He was abused, as you saw today. When the rogues burned down the pack house and kidnapped Kayden, Ouranos went after them. He was outnumbered and ended up slipping into a coma. With Kayden being so young, he couldn't be the alpha just yet. Yvette had to rule the pack herself but decided to use alcohol as a way to cope," Blaze explained. "Her mate was in a coma-like state, and one day, she just snapped. She slapped Kayden when she was drunk but apologized. Soon after, it became a daily thing. Once it became a habit, she stopped apologizing and didn't see anything wrong with it. Now, she sees it as a benefiting punishment for Kayden and blames him for Ouranos's undoing."

My anger surged, my eyes swirling black, but I forced myself to stay calm, knowing we needed to be rational and focus on helping Kayden recover.

"Why would she blame Kayden? That wasn't his fault. He was a kid who got kidnapped. You don't see him waving a flag around saying he wants to be taken away, do you?" I seethed.

Blaze shook his head, explaining the twisted logic behind Yvette's actions. I was sickened by her unfounded blame on an innocent child.

"Also, you're telling me that you left me in the dark because I wouldn't be able to take that Kayden was getting abused by his mother and Ouranos is currently in a coma?" I asked, my disbelief evident.

Blaze nodded.

I sighed heavily, finally taking a seat. "I know you were thinking of my well-being, but I could have stepped in to help Kayden. You know I would have!"

He defended their actions, emphasizing how difficult it was to intervene in such a hostile environment within the pack.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so harsh. It's just... even I couldn't help him. I was ordered to ignore Kayden's suffering. My wolf had to obey her, and to this day, I wish I did more," Blaze admitted, a hint of remorse in his eyes.

Frustration and helplessness overwhelmed me. "No, you're right. What you said made sense. How can I help Kayden when Yvette could have just ordered me to do the unspeakable thing to him?"

He smiled, relieved that I understood the complexity of the situation. As our conversation neared its end, I asked, "Was this all you needed to tell me?"

"Yes. If I remember anything else, I'll let you know."

Waving him goodbye, I expressed my gratitude. "Thank you." It was time to focus on helping Kayden heal and reclaim his life from the trauma of his past.

...

Hearing what had happened, I couldn't comprehend the depths of cruelty exhibited by Luna Yvette towards her own son and the tragedy that had befallen Ouranos. It was difficult to reconcile the image of the once strong and admirable Luna Yvette with the abusive person she had become. Witnessing what she had done to Kayden only fueled my hatred towards her.

I needed to see Kayden.

'Then see our mate. No one is stopping us,' Zadie urged, echoing my own desire.

Soon, I found myself in Kayden's room. Quietly sitting on the edge of his bed, I watched him as he slept, his chest rising and falling in a peaceful rhythm. His innocent snores brought a small smile to my face. Examining his arms, I noticed the bruises were fading, and the minor cuts were healing rapidly. However, he seemed to be struggling in his sleep, plagued by a nightmare.

I reached out, running my fingers gently through his short hair, attempting to soothe his troubled dreams. He tensed momentarily but soon relaxed as the sparks between us provided comfort.

As I tenderly caressed his cheek, a resolve formed within me. I vowed to hold accountable everyone who had inflicted pain on him. Witnessing his current state only solidified my determination.

I would protect Kayden and stand by his side, helping him recover and regain his strength.

No matter the cost.