The Alpha Wants Everything Book 2 The Devil's Baker

“Leave” Adonis ordered as soon as breakfast was done. His pack scrambled away from the table, not wanting to be present for what was about to happen. Though they all held looks of slight concern for their Luna, what she was going to be told would upset her. Kane as well motioned for his men to do the same and they both waited in silence for the table to clear. Kenzi watched with confusion as the others left, she turned to face Adonis, her brow furrowed and he could see the question clear as day written across her face.

“Shhh sweetheart, someone has something they’d like to say to you about the day you ran out of the house” Adonis answered. Kenzi turned back to Kane and Dax, the question still on her face. Adonis wrapped his arms around her, securing her to his chest. He was going to need her as much as she was going to need him. She would get upset and in turn that would upset him and his demon. It would have been a better idea for him to not be present, but no one else would be able to help her and she would get overwhelmed. He also wanted to make sure the pit viper didn’t lie to her.

Kenzi tensed when Adonis wrapped his arms around her. Whatever she was going to be told was going to be upsetting. Why else would Adonis have cleared the room, why else would he be holding her the way he was. She moved her hands over his arms and held tightly to him as she felt her anxiety over the whole situation starting to rise and nothing had even been said yet. Kenzi looked at Kane and he offered her a reassuring smile, though she wasn’t sure if it was because of what she was about to be told, or because of how childish she looked wrapped in the warm cocoon of Adonis’s arms. Then she looked at Dax. The little white haired girl hadn’t looked at her the whole breakfast. And for the life of her she couldn’t figure out what she had done to make her so upset. Kenzi thought they were friends, but she hadn’t spoken more than a few words to her the last couple days, and she wouldn’t look at her directly when she did speak. Adonis stiffened behind her as more and more waves of sadness pooled around them. The thought that she did something to ruin the friendship with Dax, running through her mind. Maybe she said something that day she ran out? Maybe she did something that hurt her little friend? Maybe someone else said something and she didn’t do anything to stop it? She felt the deep breaths Adonis was taking behind her and she tried to copy them, but the questions swirling in her mind wouldn’t let up and hers were coming in short panicked pants.

“Dax has something she would like to say to you” Kane spoke low and soft, he could feel the sadness enveloping him and he didn’t want to upset the little pixie any more than she already was.

“Ok” Kenzi looked again at Dax, but she still wouldn’t meet her gaze. The silence was deafening as it drummed in her ears, growing more and more anxious by the minute. The thoughts swarming her were like hungry sharks that could smell blood in the water and were just biding their time before they could strike. Adonis was trying his best to keep his cool, but each silent minute that ticked by, each shallow breath his mate made, each ounce of sadness he felt from her and he was ready to snap and tell everything. Coward! Odin howled with anger in his head, he had been quiet up till then but not even he could take it anymore. ….grrrRrrrr…. The first growl slipped out and Adonis could only shake his head. ….grrrRrrrr…. Kane squeezed Dax’s hand after the second one came out, she needed to get a move on before shit hit the fan and hell broke loose.

“Kenzi I’m sorry” Dax blurted when she finally looked up, though she still couldn’t look at her. Kenzi furrowed her brow. “I’m the reason you ran out of the house that morning. I’m the reason you were kidnapped and I’m the reason you….that was done to you. Had I just kept my big mouth shut none of it would have happened. None of it. You would have been safe at the packhouse and not alone in the woods”

“What did you do?” Kenzi asked, her words laced with the hurt and sadness she was feeling.

“I draw the things that scare me. I have done it ever since I was little. It helps me process the fear I feel.” Dax explained about her childhood and her past, while Kenzi sat there quietly. She would fight back the sniffles, but the tears would escape. Adonis held her tighter to him when he felt the drops hit his arm. ….grrrrrrrRrrrRRRrrrRrrrrrrrr…. ….grrrrrrrRrrrRRRrrrRrrrrrrrr…. ….grrrrrrrRrrrRRRrrrRrrrrrrrr…. ….grrrrrrrRrrrRRRrrrRrrrrrrrr…. Low and quiet he released the ones to help her find her calm and her center. ….grrrrrrrRrrrRRRrrrRrrrrrrrr…. ….grrrrrrrRrrrRRRrrrRrrrrrrrr…. ….grrrrrrrRrrrRRRrrrRrrrrrrrr…. She leaned into him, into the sound, into the feel of the vibrations across his chest. ….grrrrrrrRrrrRRRrrrRrrrrrrrr…. ….grrrrrrrRrrrRRRrrrRrrrrrrrr…. ….grrrrrrrRrrrRRRrrrRrrrrrrrr…. She held onto the warmth and protection she felt in his embrace and copied his deep breaths. Who the fuck cares about her fucked up past? Our Lil Button had a past much like that and way worse and she doesn’t act like this bitch! Calm Odin! NO CALM ODIN, this bitch thinks what happened to her justifies her deplorable behaviour it doesn’t, it doesn’t justify what she says or what she does! I can’t help her with you going off! I DON’T WANT TO CALM! For Kenzi you need to! Lil Button!

“Alpha Adonis scares me” Dax continued, she stole a glance at The Devil sitting behind the little pixie then looked away quickly. He was struggling to hold onto himself, and his eyes were engulfed in flames as his beast was inches from taking over.

“Why?” Kenzi asked. Dax told her about the conversation they had in the kitchen when she was sent for a bath. Adonis scared her, but it was for a good reason and Kane asked him too.

“Like you, I’m still learning the werewolf world and I didn’t know demon wolves existed until….the day I was hung by my throat. Everything about them takes everything I know about werewolves and turns it upside down. It’s not an excuse for what I did, but I hope it helps you understand a little” Dax took a deep breath to steady herself, then another and another.

“That morning….I was drawing a picture of a monster when you found me in the dining room. You asked me what I was doing and I told you. Except I didn’t know it was you until after I told you the monster I was drawing was Alpha Adonis. You got extremely upset and told me I didn’t know him and you’re right I don’t. I don’t know anything about demons. I had countless opportunities to get to know them and I never did. I needed to get to know you. You said he wasn’t a monster, but I….I doubled down and said he was a bad guy and you didn’t know what he was capable of. I had assumed you didn’t and I was wrong to think that.” Dax explained.

Kenzi hiccuped a soft cry and Adonis held tighter to her as she trembled in his arms. He fought to suppress every growl Odin wanted to let loose, that it took biting into his lip to stop them. A small trail of his dark blood could be seen trickling down from the left side of his bottom lip from the pressure he had to use.

“Why? Why did you need to get to know me?” Kenzi asked. Kane had cringed when that word exited Dax’s mouth. The little pixie seemed to understand the picture and Dax’s need to draw it. She understood that it helped her process her fear, she also understood why Alpha Adonis scared Dax. But the little pixie was clever and picked up on the word Dax used and the way she said it. It was written on her face, and Kane’s heart constricted when he saw the pain flash through her eyes. This was the part he was dreading. The little pixie was going to feel used and lied to and sadly that is exactly what happened.

“Kane needed to talk to Alpha Adonis, and I thought that if I spoke to you it would make it easier for Kane to talk to him” Dax replied. Adonis felt his little mate deflate. Her shoulders slumped, her body sagged and the grip she had on his arm loosened. She shrank in on herself. It became crystal clear to her in that moment what was going on. She was a complete and utter stupid little girl.

“I thou-ght we were friends” Kenzi whispered, it was so quiet that even with their wolf hearing they almost missed it.

“We are Kenzi, we are friends,” Dax said.

“You use-d me.” Kenzi’s accusation hit Dax hard, but she couldn’t disagree, she did use the little pixie. “Friends don’t use friends. You’re not pose to do that. You should has jus assked” Kenzi turned away from Dax at that moment, she couldn’t look at her anymore. Her little hands shook as she clutched onto Adonis’s shirt burying herself in his chest. All the conversations they had in the kitchen were nothing but lies. The little white haired girl didn’t want to get to know her, she didn’t want to be her friend, she just wanted to get to Adonis and used her to do it.

“Kenzi I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Dax pleaded with her, but the only reply she received was a head shake. Kenzi was done, she didn’t want to hear anymore.

“I….I….I wanna g-go b-ba-ack to my r-roo-oom now.” Her body was trembling, her shoulders shaking and her voice cracked at the end. She felt so stupid. If she was smarter she would have spotted the lies, but she was just a stupid naive little girl.

“Ok sweetheart.” Adonis gathered her into his arms hiding her face in the crook of his neck and without hesitation stood up and walked out of the dining room.

“Kenzi….Kenzi….Ken….” Dax started to get up as well.

“Let them go baby.” Kane pulled her into his embrace, she fought at first, but ultimately collapsed into him and cried. “She needs to process. She feels betrayed and used and lied to.” Kane held his Queen, her sobs drumming in his ears as her tears wetted the collar of his shirt.

“She looked so broken, I did that to her. I broke the sweetest little thing ever.” Dax bawled.

“No, she’s stronger than she appears, you didn’t break her. I’m not gonna lie, your actions hurt her and it’s my fault, but you most certainly didn’t break her.” Kane cooed into her ear.

“How do you know?” Dax sniffled,

“Like you she has overcome one helluva past. Like you she’s fought every step of the way for everything. She has struggled with every obstacle imaginable and has come out standing on top. And if that’s still not proof enough then this should be, she’s the mate of the Devil, she has to be made of stronger stuff” Kane replied. “Just give her some time to get through this too” Dax didn’t say anything after that, she just held onto her mate tighter.

“I….I….I’m so s-s-stu-pid”

“No sweetheart, no. You’e not stupid” They were back in the medical ward and Adonis was doing everything he could to get his little mate to calm down, but his magic wolfie growls weren’t working this time.

“Y-y-yes I am. I-i-if I w-w-was sm-smar-smart-er I wou-would has kn-kno-know-ed it was a lie. I-it w-was all a….a….a lie” The more she thought about it the more she believed it was true. If she was smarter she would have seen through the lies. She would have known she was being used, she would have been able to stop it and the betrayal wouldn’t feel so bad.

“Shhh sweetheart shhh. You’re not stupid, you’re not….look at me. You’re not stupid, far from it, and I don’t ever want to hear you call yourself that again. You are smart, so beautifully smart, do you understand me?” Kenzi’s bottom lip quivered as her head shook back and forth, and the tears continued their endless streams down her delicate little cheeks.

“Sh-she u-us-ed me, an I….I….I l-let her” Adonis brought her back to his chest and held her tight against him.

“No sweetheart, no you didn’t. You trusted her, and she used that trust. But don’t let that change you, don’t let that be taken from you. It’s one of the things that makes you perfect to me, after everything you have gone through, you still have the ability to trust, to see the good in this world and that sweetheart is a pure gift.”

“I-I-I th-th-thou-ght sh-she was m-my fr-fri-end”

Adonis ran his fingers through her hair as his other hand travelled the curve of her back over and over again. He held her tight while she cried, he continued to rumble soft soothing growls while she got out everything she was feeling. Every emotion, all the pain and hurt she felt poured from her. Her breath shuddered as she began to slip into the abyss that was calling her home. The morning events had taken their toll and she couldn’t fight to keep her eyes open anymore. Oblivion was calling her home and she fell asleep in the tight embrace of the man that loved her.

“Lil Button, my beautiful Lil Button. So precious and small in a world full of big bad ugly things.” Odin whispered as he nuzzled into her. That bitch should be eaten! By a fucking bear! That can be arranged! We do know a few! One call and snow tresses gets gobbled! Plan B! Plan A to Z, if she comes near her again! Only someone stupid would come near her! She’s stupid she’ll try! Then I’ll flatten her! Thought we were going to leave it up to mate! Not when she spent thirty minutes calling herself stupid and wishing she was smarter!

It was a few hours later when a soft knock came to the door. Adonis stirred, but the little bundle in his arms didn’t make a move. Placing a gentle kiss on her head he slid her into the bed beside him. She stirred slightly and settled into her new position and didn’t move again. The gentle rapping came to the door again and Adonis moved to answer it before a) it got louder and b) woke her up. She didn’t need to wake up right now, she needed to sleep, she needed to heal, not just physically, but emotionally as well. What was on the other side of the door didn’t surprise him, though. His pack members all held the same concerned faces they had when they left the dining room earlier.

“Is Luna ok? Does she need anything? Coffee, chocolate? Chocolate always makes me feel better when I’m upset. Bo and I can run into town and grab her some….all of it. We can grab her all the chocolate” Brina blurted as soon as she saw her Alpha. Bo nodded his head as he held her in his arms, though he seemed to have talked himself out of his pants again.

“No Brina, she doesn’t need anything right now, just sleep. Thank you though,” Adonis replied as he stepped into the hallway and closed the door after he took one last look at his beautiful little mate sleeping her worries away in the bed.

“She feels betrayed, used and lied to” Adonis spoke before anyone else could ask about her.

“You think the others was jus usin us too?” Jackson asked after he shared a look with his brother.

“No, the friendships you formed with the others are genuine. They went out of their way to get to know us, Kenzi included, and they actually like us. Case in point….hello Marco” Adonis didn’t even have to look to know he was standing there.

“Piccola?” Marco asked as he looked towards the room. The others could hear the concern in his voice and knew their Alpha spoke the truth of the others.

“In time she’ll be ok.” Adonis answered.

“Kennedy ha trovato i pantaloni di qualcuno nel capannone, ha pensato che appartenessero a Bo (Kennedy found someone’s pants in the shed, thought they belonged to Bo)” Marco said as he held them up.

“Wendy….Darcy” Bo said when they all turned to look at him

“Which one?” Jackson asked,

“Both” Bo nodded “Wendy has a boyfriend though from another pack, which is a shame, I really liked her. I didn’t know, she told me after”

“The fuck Darcy?” Jackson looked at him.

“He’s the tall brunette with the scar on his chin,” Bo replied.

“Din’t you give him that scar?” Tyler asked as he looked at his brother.

“No, I gave Peter a scar las fight rin we has. No fuckin clue who Darcy is” Jackson nodded.

“He’s probably a member of Emory’s pack. Bo, put your pants back on, and try not to lose them anymore” Adonis said, he could only shake his head. Sirens are very, very friendly! Odin howled in his head. Maybe too friendly!

“Surprise, Carter’s not wit you” Jackson said as they turned back to Marco.

“Luna Queen Dax.” Marco nodded.

“Alpha Kane worry bout retaliation?” Jackson asked,

“No, Queeny is!” Adonis replied and Marco nodded beside him.

“Re Kane ha cercato di dirle che non aveva nulla di cui preoccuparsi (King Kane tried to tell her she had nothing to worry about)” Marco began to say

“But she’s pissed enough of us off that she’s not so sure” Adonis finished for him.

“Vai a farti fottere (Go fuck yourself)” Marco huffed. Tyler and Jackson broke out laughing, while the others dropped their jaws at the balls the little Beta had saying that to their Alpha.

“Crazy son bitch!” Jackson choked out,

“Not….crazy” Marco huffed at him.

“Not sane. You jus toll The Devil to go fuck hisself” Tyler replied still laughing. Marco stood there as that comment rolled over in his head, but nodded, he did, he did just tell The Devil to go fuck himself.

“Just-tice….irra….irra….”

“Irritating?” Elijah asked, not bothering to hide the smirk on his face.

“Sì, la sua cosa pazza con la mente è irritante (Yes, his crazy thing with the mind is irritating)” Marco agreed.

“And I think you mean justified,” Adonis added.

“Sì!” Marco nodded as he thought about that.

“The fuck the others?” Jackson asked,

“Non erano sicuri se li volevi in giro dopo che alla piccola è stato detto cosa era successo. Hanno pensato che fosse meglio mantenere le distanze. Si stanno chiedendo come sta lei. (They weren’t sure if you wanted them around after the little girl was told what happened. They thought it was best to keep their distance. They are wondering how she is doing.)” Marco replied.

“They thought we would blame them?” Adonis asked,

“Si!” Marco nodded,

“Yet you were brave enough to come here” Adonis arched his brow.

“I….crazy” Marco nodded.

“Thought you wasn’t crazy?” Jackson asked.

“Ho appena detto al diavolo di andare a farsi fottere, non credo di poter più fare quella affermazione. (I just told the devil to go fuck himself, I don’t think I can make that statement anymore)” Marco replied

“Fuck yeah you did.” Tyler started laughing again. “Says he can’t make that statement nomore after tellin Adon to go fuck hisself”

The sound of Adonis’s phone cut the laughter short. Retrieving it from his pocket he looked at the message. Kenzi was awake.

“She’s awake!” Adonis informed them.

“Come on Bo we need chocolate” Brina grabbed him by the arm and pulled him from the medical ward.

“So much for her not needin anythin right now,” Jackson remarked as he watched the two leave the ward.

“She might want chocolate,” Adonis nodded.

“Help Drea when her in a bad mood,” Jackson offered.

“She must be in a perpetual bad mood then” Elijah commented, earning a snort from both Tyler and Marco.

“That was a dick thin to say, the fuck Eli? Like you’s a real peach all the time, how much fuckin chocolate Kristi eat?” Jackson barked back. “Shut up you lil asshole….you too,” he added when he looked at his brother then heard Marco snickering behind him.

“I would like to do a quick checkup, then I will discharge her from the medical ward and she can go back to your room.” Elijah said instead of engaging in the glare Jackson was firing his way. Adonis nodded and he moved away from the door, but didn’t follow his Gamma into the room.

“The res of you get the fuck outta here” Jackson kicked the others out including his brother, he would be filled in later. The look on Adonis’s face told him a storm was brewing.

“How her doing?” Jackson asked,

“She’s….”

“Don’t fuckin fine me. Her not fuckin fine, could feel it all over the territory how fuckin not fine her is. How. Her. Doin?” Jackson repeated that was Luna, his little sister, he was her big brother and he had a right to know.

“She spent thirty minutes calling herself stupid and wishing she was smarter. Says people have lied to her her whole life, if she wasn’t so stupid she would have spotted them. If she was smarter she would have seen through all the lies. It wouldn’t shock me if right now she was begging Elijah to make her smarter ….grrrrrr….” Adonis confessed.

“If he come outta there piss the fuck off an in the need to kill somein, that exactly what her did,” Jackson told him.

“I knew it was going to be bad, I just….didn’t think it was going to be this bad. She feels ultimate betrayal. I never should have brought her here.” Adonis couldn’t help but feel he betrayed his mate as well. He had promised to protect her and not only had he failed to do that, he failed to do that on multiple occasions.

“Hey, the fuck you know? The fuck you know what gonna happen? Sure you freaky head thin, but you can’t see the future, you only know what people thinkin, not what they gonna be thinkin. You din’t know any this gonna happen. You din’t know some pint size mouthpiece was gonna use her. You din’t know, an if you did, you wouldn’t let it. You’da stop it before anythin happen.” Jackson grabbed a hold of his Alpha’s shoulders and forced him to look at him. “Shoulda, coulda, woulda ain’t make a lick of difference, after shit hit the fan. It how you pick up the pieces that matter. That lil girl is the strongest lil thin any us ever did see, but her hasing a moment an her need you to be strong….so be strong”

“You really are good at the brother talks” Adonis commented. Before anymore could be said Elijah walked out of Kenzi’s room. He was fighting to keep it together, as he looked at his Alpha then took off.

“Something’s going to die,” Adonis said.

“Violently!” Jackson agreed. “Go be wit Lil Kenzi Cakes. I got that” and he too walked off down the hall after Elijah.

“Hello sweetheart” Adonis spoke quietly as he walked back into the room. The saddest red rimmed silver eyes stared back at him. She had recently been crying the evidence of the tear streaks had yet to dry. Her bottom lip quivered and her eyes welled again and the tears began to fall. Adonis moved quickly to her side and gathered her into his chest. Her bag was already packed and he just had to get her to their room.

“I know sweetheart. I’m so sorry. This is not the vacation I had envisioned you would be having. This is not the vacation I wanted for you, and when this is all over I will take you somewhere else, anywhere you want to go all you have to do is say it.” He held her to him.

“H-h-home….I-I-I j-ju-jus want t-to g-go ho-me” she sputtered. Kenzi didn’t want to go anywhere but home. She wanted to curl up in the safety of her bed and hide from the world.

“Soon sweetheart, soon. I’ll take you home soon” Adonis replied, he kissed the top of her head and carried her out of the room.

“The fuck Jackass?” Tyler asked when he saw his brother.

“The fuck Marco?” Jackson replied before he said anything.

“Alpha Kane call ’em for somein” Tyler answered.

“Her not fuckin fine Tyler, her not even close to fine. Adon say her spent thirty minutes callin herself stupid an wishin her smarter, to spot the liars. Eli check her over an came back out piss. $50 say her ask him to make her smarter” Jackson answered his brother’s question.

“That explains this,” Tyler held up Elijah’s phone and wallet. “He come stormin out the house threw em at me an took off into woods shreddin his suit.”

“Eli shred his suit?” Jackson asked.

“Yeah!” Tyler nodded.

“Somein gonna die” Jackson remarked,

“Violently!” Tyler agreed.

“How’s Kenzi?” Johnny asked, when he and Damon finally caught up to Jackson in the woods. They had watched him speak to his brother, then watched as he disappeared into the woods. It was Damon that made the decision to follow him, the man looked to be upset and he might need to talk about it. Johnny had followed.

“Hurt!” Came his deep drawled reply. “Her feel lied to an betrayed, used an her was. Her was used, her was used fuckin big time” Jackson added as he continued his search of the woods.

“We’re sorry Jackson,” Damon said as he watched the bigger wolf closely. The man was on a mission to find something or someone.

“The fuck you do wron?” Jackson asked, stopping his movements and looking at both men.

“Nothing!” Johnny replied a little quicker than he wanted to. Jackson had an edge about him and they couldn’t figure out what was up, but it put both Damon and Johnny on alert. The look on Jackson’s face said Kenzi might not be the only one hurting from Dax’s actions.

“Y’all usin us? Lyin to us?” Jackson asked. He had a feeling they were good people and he didn’t think they were. Then again they didn’t think Luna Dax was using Kenzi either and look what happened there.

“No!” This time it was Damon that answered quickly, a flash of hurt hit his face for the briefest of seconds, but vanished he couldn’t blame the Black Shadow Beta for asking the question. If roles were reversed he would want to know as well.

“The fuck you gotta be sorry for then?” Jackson asked after he caught the look and went back to what he was doing. Johnny and Damon just looked at each other, he had a point, they didn’t do anything wrong.

“We ain’t blamin none of you. We know where the blame go an that where we puttin it, so fuckin relax” Jackson huffed.

“You’re telling us to relax, the fuck is up with you?” Damon fired back. ….grrrrrr….

“I gotta a pissed the fuck off Alpha cause his Luna callin herself stupid an wishin her smarter so her can play spot the liar. I got a upset lil sister cause her was used an lie to. Ten angry pack members, two of which are highly sensitive an two that love to play head games. A brother I has to keep an eye on cause his wolf can go from zero to holy fuck in seconds an we can’t sedate him, we already do that. An Eli storm out the fuckin house piss the fuck off an now he somewhere in the fuckin woods an I can’t fine his ass.” Jackson snapped “If I don’t, who the fuck know what Asmodeus is gonna fine to torture, maime and dismember. Las time he do this, he disembowell a moose.” Jackson vented.

“Elijah’s in these woods?” Damon asked, the colouring draining from his face as he took a look around.

“Somewhere” Jackson replied, “He fuckin somewhere an I can’t….Fuck me” Jackson pulled some brush to the side as he caught the first indication of where Elijah might have been.

“The fuck is that?” Damon asked as he too took in the grisly scene in front of him.

“Somein!” Jackson answered. It was indeed something, but Elijah and Asmodeus left it completely unidentifiable. Jackson shuddered at the sight, he had a feeling this was just the start of what they would uncover.

“You boys get back to the house,” Jackson said. He wasn’t leaving room for argument as he pushed them the other way. He took a few more steps and made a second discovery that made the first look like a whacked open pinata.

“House sounds good!” Johnny nodded as he took in the second body.

“House sounds really good,” Damon agreed.

“Maybe we don’t wanna fine Eli right now.” Jackson said when he made a third discovery. “Go, go, go-go-go-go” Jackson again pushed them as he too decided it would be a good idea not to be in the woods while Asmodeus was out. Keeping his eyes fixed on the woods behind them, he put his faith in Damon and Johnny to get them out.

“Tyler!” Marco called to the little Delta. He was standing in the middle of the backyard at White Stone Packhouse. He had watched his brother disappear into the woods thirty minutes ago and was in the process of talking to him when Marco called his name. He held up his hand to silence the other Beta while he spoke to his brother.

“Sorry Marco, Jackass was checkin in” Tyler replied when he finally turned to face him and to his surprise Carter.

“Queen Dax is in her room and she has no intention of leaving” Carter explained his presence there.

“We ain’t gonna pop her head off,” Tyler replied, though he did understand. The last time something happened to Kenzi, Bal was uncontrollable and they already sedated him once and couldn’t do it again.

“How’s Ms. Templeton?” Carter asked,

“Eli let her out the medical ward an her back in her room, was bout to check on her….wanna come?” Tyler asked. Marco and Carter shared a surprised look. They weren’t certain the demons would want any of them near the little pixie again. That upset some of them….all of them, but they understood.

“Si!” Marco nodded immediately. He wanted to see her, he wanted to make sure she was ok.

“Are you sure Alpha Adonis won’t get mad?” Carter asked as he too agreed, he and Milo both wanted to make sure the little pixie was ok.

“He ain’t gonna get mad. He a good guy. We know where the blame belong and that where we puttin it. It be a different story if we din’t like any of you.” Tyler told them.

“Ci ucciderebbero tutti! (They would kill us all!)” Marco said to Carter who looked wide eyed back at Tyler.

“He not wron” Tyler nodded,

“Good thing you like us then” Carter replied.

“Elijah!” Kenneth had watched earlier as Elijah took off into the woods shifting into his shadow wolf. It was a few hours after everything had happened and he gave him some time to do what he needed to do before he went and found him. The warning Jackson also gave him, made the choice to back off easy. But his friend was hurting and he might need to speak about it.

“Kenneth, how did you know where to find me?” Elijah asked. He was standing waist deep in the lake cleaning the blood off himself.

“You made it pretty easy to track you, amico. I follow the carnage” Kenneth replied. “Figure you would need to clean up.” Elijah could only nod, he and Amodeus found several things in the woods and brutally butchered them all to the point he doubted anyone would be able to identify what they used to be.

“What happened amico?” Kenneth asked. The conversation he had earlier with Kenzi when he did her check up had been replaying over and over in his mind. It had fueled the anger he felt, and caused the savage butchery that was inflicted on the animals he and his wolf mercilessly killed in the woods. That same conversation was still replaying, the look on her face, the hatred and contemptment for herself he heard in her voice, sent gooseflesh over his skin.

Aside from Adonis, he had been the biggest advocate of her intelligence. She had accomplished so much in her life, with bare minimum education and here she was calling herself stupid for not being able to spot liars. She started and grew a business with no training, yet she was a naive stupid little burden. Put ingredients in front of her with no direction and she could come up with the most tantalizing dishes one could imagine, yet she wasn’t smart enough to be able to tell she was being used. Over and over she had repeated the words she had been told her whole entire life, how could she see her accomplishments when all she felt were her failures? Her shortcomings blindsided her as she felt the burn of betrayal. How can she think she is stupid, she learned how to write in a dead language? And speak Italian in one afternoon! She was stupid for being trusting, she was stupid because she let herself be used, she was stupid for not seeing all the lies. Luna is not stupid, that back biting bitch is stupid. She doesn’t deserve the title of queen, she doesn’t deserve the title of Luna! She’s a….a….stupid stupid head! Our Luna is the sweetest, kindest most caringest Luna in the whole fucking world and the bitch was lucky she got to even speak to her, she should have been whorshipping at her feet! We need to kill something else!

Elijah had let Asmodeus go on and on and on venting his anger over and over again while he finished cleaning himself up. How best was he going to explain to Kenneth what happened to cause the carnage in the woods? How best could he say what caused him to be so upset that he and his wolf brutally slaughtered many many animals? How could he help his friend understand the anger he felt raging inside of him? Pulling himself from the lake by the dock, he proceeded to get dressed in a pair of pants he found in the woods. He assumed they were Bo’s and figured he no longer needed them. Kenneth had stood patiently waiting for his friend to finish working out whatever was going through his head. Pushing him right now would end in something else violently dying and he really didn’t want to be that something should he lose control of his wolf.

“I did a check up on Kenzi this morning before I discharged her from the medical ward. Over and over I listened to her call herself stupid. I listened to her repeat what I am assuming were things that were said to her her whole life. I heard the hatred and contemptment she has for herself in her voice because she can’t spot the liars. Listened as she begged and begged me to make her smarter.” Elijah finally spoke. The anger he felt broke away to pain. He was fighting to control it but he could feel it rising.

“Kenzi is not stupid” Kenneth said.

“You know that, I know that. Anyone that takes one look at her accomplishments, knows that. Look at everything she has done with a bare minimum education and yet how can she see how smart she is when all she feels are her failures. Her shortcomings blindsided her and they’re not even her fault, she was robbed of her education. Had she been given a chance, even the smallest one, where would she be? How far could she have gone if she had the same advantages as everyone else? ….grrrrrr….” Elijah fumed, maybe his wolf was right, maybe a few more things needed to die. He clearly was not done being upset yet.

“Breathe amico, breathe. I don’t feel like being the next thing you rip apart.” Kenneth cautioned, as he took a step back.

“She was lied to and used and feels the burn of betrayal,” Elijah snapped. “One of Kenzi’s most admirable qualities is still being able to trust people. Even after everything that she has gone through. Everything they have done to her. This is going to rob her of that and she’s already lost enough in her life. It will not be fair if she loses this too.….grrrrrr….” Kenneth took another couple steps back as he watched Elijah closely. He didn’t blame his friend for being upset, he didn’t blame any of them, no one could. Especially when word got around that all Dax had to do was ask Kenzi and she would have more than happily asked Alpha Adonis to talk to Alpha Kane.

“Bo’s pants?” Kenneth asked, changing the subject.

“He clearly can’t seem to keep them on” Elijah replied, when it registered what Kenneth said and he looked down at himself,

“Where is your suit?” Kenneth asked,

“I have no more, I shredded my last one” Elijah huffed. He lost every suit on this trip.

“You have no more clothes here?” Kenneth asked, trying to hide the smirk on his face.

“That is a bit twisted Kenneth” Elijah remarked. He could see the humour in the situation and he had to give his friend credit for what he was trying to accomplish.

“Mi dispiace, amico! But it is rather amusing,” Kenneth said as he motioned towards his friend’s pants. Elijah again looked down at the pants he was wearing. The same pants that have been left and found all over the pack house because the owner consistently talked himself out of them and couldn’t remember to put them back on and he started laughing. The more he thought about his current situation and the attire he was wearing the more he laughed.

“Thank you, Kenneth,” Elijah said when he finally had control of himself.

“Prego! Just make sure you don’t talk yourself out of them” Kenneth replied, and fell in step beside him as they moved back towards the packhouse.

“Happens to everyone,” Elijah countered.

Adonis was sitting on the back deck of White Stone Packhouse, a glass of whisky sitting in front of him, though he had no desire to drink it.

“Are you just going to stand there and watch me? Because that’s a little creepy,” He said.

“Wasn’t watching you, was wondering why you are not with Kenzi” Kane replied when he joined him at the table.

“I needed a minute,” he replied.

“Understandable!” Kane said

“She’s being entertained by a deranged puppet show and being fed copious amounts of chocolate,” Adonis replied to the unasked question. “She is their Luna, when she hurts, they hurt”

“I’m sorry Alpha Adonis this was….”

“Not how you saw any of this playing out,” Adonis finished for him.

“No, it’s not,” Kane nodded. Adonis handed him a glass and the bottle.

“We’re not going to pop her head off,” Adonis said.

“I know, but….”

“Has her doubts, knowing she has given us more than enough reason to,” again Adonis finished for him.

“I’m going to hurt you if you keep that up,” Kane warned.

“Promises, promises honey!” Adonis fired back.

They fell into a silence as they watched the comings and goings of White Stone Pack. Kids ran around the field and mothers spoke and laughed amongst themselves as they kept watch over them.

“Kenzi made a comment this morning,” Kane spoke as he watched a little boy pick a flower and give it to a little girl. His smile was big and toothy when he received a reward of a kiss on the cheek.

“Yes I would have” Adonis answered the question, before it was asked. “If Kenzi would have asked me, I would have sat down with you. She asked me to be nice to you in my father’s kitchen and I didn’t hit you though I wanted to and saved your ass from being eaten by a bear”

“There isn’t anything you wouldn’t do for her” Kane stated with a nod and a small smile, he kind of figured that would have been his response.

“I’ll get the matches,” came Adonis’s reply.

“What?” Kane looked at him.

“If she asked to set me on fire, I would get the matches. Wouldn’t you?” Adonis looked at Kane sitting next to him.

“I might at least think about it first” Kane replied,

“That’s where we’re different, I wouldn’t,” Adonis said.

“You would just get the matches.” Again Kane nodded as he thought that over then cracked a grin. “Hey sweet cheeks, can I set you on fire? Sure thing sweetheart wait here I’ll get the matches.”

“Minus the sweet cheeks and throw in a I’ll do it so you don’t get hurt and that’s pretty much how the conversation would play out,” Adonis too cracked a grin.

“Bit over the top?” Kane asked,

“Just a bit, Kenzi’s not the sweet cheeks type” Adonis replied, before both men broke out laughing.