Northwood

Those that lived within the Northwood pack were none the wiser as Tobias left the boundaries that bordered the agreed territory.

There were those that were content with what they had for their packs and those that wanted the world, unfortunately for Adline and her family they were blindsided by a ruthless family that wanted the world and more.

Kane slammed the door to the game room open and spied his mother and Adline watching Tobias’ vehicle speed down the drive way, “I don’t like him. Don’t invite him back,” challenged Myrna quickly. She’d never liked Tobias, something about him seemed off.

“Why is that mother?” He asked curiously. He rather liked Tobias but he sensed there was something wrong with him, as though he were hiding something.

“Apart from being a jackass and an arse kiss there is something I don’t trust about him and his family, I never have.” Myrna thought back to her first encounter with Tobias and his parents and it still sent shivers down her spine. They had wanted to form some kind of bizarre super pack but when Myrna has her husband reject the idea things got a little more interesting. Tobias was just a babe so she doubted very much that he remembered a thing but it definitely left a lasting impression on the aged woman.

“Oh mother stop it you are being dramatic again,” he warned as he growled at her, “besides he and his family will not set foot in this house again,” he muttered quickly as his eyes fell to a nervous looking Adline.

“They killed my family. He’s the reason I was running,” if Adline was expecting Kane to be surprised she was slightly disappointed.

Kane looked on her thoughtfully with sadness hidden beneath his grey eyes, a sea of emotion trying to force itself out but his stubbornness wouldn’t let anything out. “I’m sorry,” was all that fell from his lips as he remembered the day she fell upon his pack’s lands. “He and his family will not set foot here again, not if I can help it.”

As much as Adline wanted to believe that Kane and his pack could protect her from Tobias and his ruthless father she knew there was only one who could protect her and that was the Carriere pack. Though many stories of the Northwood’s packs ruthlessness circulated through communities around them Adline was yet to see that while she had been held captive in the Northwood mansion.

Myrna, she knew could be a piece of work when she wanted to but she didn’t seem heartless. Maybe just a little bit too honest and unfiltered. If someone had of told her that Kane was a heartless, ruthless man she would have believed them but the way he had been treating her lately made her completely question what everyone knew about the Northwood pack.

Was it all smoke and mirrors or were they hiding something from Adline?

“Would they challenge you?” Adline asked curiously, she didn’t know what else to say, what else could she say?

Kane turned towards her with a tinge more sadness in his eyes, “they would do anything to gain power. It isn’t so much Tobias I’m worried about.” He admitted freely, “It’s his father that’s the problem.”

Everyone knew Tobias was a brainless pawn in his father’s grab for power, he would step over everyone to get what he wanted.

“Come,” said Myrna as she broke the silence that had suddenly fallen among them, she didn’t like seeing Adline in a world of hurt and she hated talking about what could be. “Let us find something to drink and put this out of our minds.” Myrna had trouble letting things go when it affected people so much. Kane had not known it but she spent a lot of time drunk after her husband’s death. She didn’t know any other way to deal with her grief.

All Kane could do was shake his head and follow them to the kitchen. The wheels in his head turned as he thought of how to deter Tobias and his father from wanting to take another packs lands. He knew he could give excuses to them for why he would not allow them on to his property but that would only last for so long, he knew too that he could just lose his cool and order all his forces out to take care of them before they got too comfortable with their situation.

The three walked to the kitchen where Myrna instructed them to sit and wait. She disappeared off in to the pantry and returned with a decanter of whiskey, “you are the only one with secret hiding holes Kane,” she said with all the sarcasm she could muster as her son eyed her with cheek.

“I wasn’t going to say a thing,” he replied cheekily as a small hint of a smile danced at the corner of his lips.

“I know that know it all smarmy look well son, it is one of the few facials you do well.” Myrna revelled in teasing her son, she didn’t do it so much when he was younger but now at the age he was she found it built more character and made him think a little deeper when it came to certain things.

Adline sat there and stared between the both of them, if her mother spoke to her like that it would have left her in tears.

“You two are strange,” Adline blurted out freely as Myrna exchanged a strange look with Kane.

Placing the three glasses on to the island at the centre of the kitchen she pulled the cork from the bottle and poured liquid in to the three glasses then handed one each to Kane and Adline.

“We are.........a unique family, I won’t deny that.” Smiled Myrna as she wrapped her lips around the rim of her glass and took the entire contents in one mouthful before pouring herself another. “So what are you going to do about Tobias and that asshole father of his Kane?”

Silence again fell between them again as Kane stared down at his glass, he was suddenly unsure of himself and didn’t know how to tackle the situation. Upon hearing that they were responsible for the death of Adline’s family he didn’t know if he wanted to hunt them down and kill them or send them flowers as a thank you. If it weren’t for them he would have never known of Adline and would have walked the rest of his life with Victoria sometimes at his side.

“It’s a difficult situation that needs to be handled delicately and with tact,” he felt his brows knit together as he tried to think of possibilities. The less disruption to his pack the better.

“If you ask me,” Myrna began again, “it isn’t a difficult situation at all! You just don’t want to make a decision. Now this is my idea,” she smiled warmly before continuing. She lowered herself to Kane’s level so the pair could see eye to eye, “you need to grow a set of balls and handle it like a man,” with a hoarse laugh she stood again and shook her head.

Kane shook his head and emptied his glass just like his mother had. Turning his head to look at Adline she sipped the whiskey slowly, “not to your liking?” He asked curiously as she turned sharply to look at him almost embarrassed.

Her lips curled up in the corner as she shrugged her shoulders, “I didn’t want to say anything but it’s disgusting.” She laughed and pushed her glass towards him, “I think I’ll just stick with water.” Adline had never really been a fan of alcohol so starting on the harshest stuff was probably a bad idea.

“So innocent,” lamented Myrna as she shook her head lightly. She had never met anyone quite like Adline before, it was quite refreshing.

“What do you think we should do about this situation?” Asked Kane as he ignored his mother’s statement.

Looking up at Kane, Adline seemed to see him in a different light then, he wanted to know what she thought? He did seem rather serious about his question and hadn’t revoked it yet, perhaps he was seriously wanting her opinion?

“I don’t know,” she admitted easily as a flash of a memory ran quickly through her mind. It wasn’t particularly pleasant but it was one she didn’t want to remember. It seemed apparent to both Myrna and Kane that she shut down at the thought of it.

“Adline,” Kane turned to her completely and sat his glass down next to him. Scooting closer towards her he placed his hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, “we can get vengeance for your family and do to them what they did to you.” More than anything he wanted Adline to feel like she was safe with him, he wanted her to feel that she could trust him, that everything would be alright and that he would be the one to fix it.

“Vengeance only creates more vengeance and it will go around in a never ending cycle. I don’t want that,” all she wanted was her family. A hushed quietness fell among them all as Adline fought with her emotions, “but if you are going to do anything it is only Tobias and his father that need to pay,” she felt the rest were innocent. They were under their command and had to do what was ordered of them or face death, she had forgiven those that followed them but she would and could never forgive the people that led the attack.

“That’s what well do then.” Smiled Kane warmly as he gave her hand another squeeze before releasing it. He saw the look in Adline’s eyes and he hoped it led to more interactions with her. He found her rather pleasing when she wasn’t distraught and he wanted more than anything to get to know her but he knew that no matter what, for the time being, she would always be thinking of her family. The faster he could rectify that the faster they could move on to better things.