Watch The Dark

For the next few days, Declan wasn't so pushy and overbearing. They had talked for a while through the thunderstorm about little things, but somehow it felt like much more than that. Tana would be the first to admit that having a mate was stupid, but somehow her wolf had forced her to actually, maybe, sort of like Declan.

But she'd never tell anyone that.

She remembered how her mother used to gush about Tana, her only daughter's future. She filled her with stories and fantasies of having a mate and how wonderful it would be. How, when she met him, she would feel complete. But that was before Talon. Now, Tana wasn't so sure.

It was a hot, muggy day when Jade told her that a few wolves from the Cedarbrook pack would be visiting to discuss Talon. Apparently the alpha, alpha's son, beta, and a few higher ranking warriors were going to arrive later in the day. Declan hadn't told her of this so she assumed that she wouldn't need to interact with them very much.

"Hey! Tana!" A pair of cheerful voices yipped, nearly causing Tana to fall off of the large garden rock she was sitting on. She had been enjoying the sun, watching Sincere and Declan play in the meadow. Sincere may have been mature for her age but when she was around Declan she acted like a pup. It was nice to see.

Behind her, Jackson and Julien, Declan's brothers, were staring at her with beaming smiles on their faces.

"What?" Tana asked, quirking an eyebrow at the boys.

"We just wanted to talk to you. We heard a lot of stuff about how you used to fight really well and we were wondering if you could show us some moves," Jackson said, even though the two of them were sweaty messes, probably from earlier training.

"I don't really know if I'm allowed to do that," Tana said, cracking a small smile when the boys whined their disappointment.

"Come on, please? Just for a little bit? We'll take the fall if you get in trouble," Julien insisted.

She took one last look at Declan, who was still busy with Sincere, and let out a sigh.

"Fine."

***

The boys led her to an empty area in the meadow and faced each other, both in their fighting stances.

"Sloppy. Your knees should be slightly bent and your arms should always be closer to your face. In an attack, you protect you neck, chest, and face first," Tana instructed, using her foot to nudge Jackson's feet into the proper position.

"Now, Julien, try to swing at him. You should always aim for the neck and chest, just like Jackson should protect those areas. If your arms are closer it's easier to defend," Tana said, watching as Julien threw punch after punch at Jackson's throat and chest, missing almost every time until Jackson got fed up with being on the defensive and instead swung for his brother with an irritated growl.

"Control your wolf. If he takes control you're as good as dead," Tana said, but Jackson didn't seem to be able to hear her. Instead, he threw his brother to the ground and dug his fingers into his neck, causing Julien to sputter and gasp for air, clawing at Jackson's arm in a feeble attempt to get him off.

Tana let out a growl and grabbed Jackson by the back of his shirt, yanking him off of Julien and shoving him back. Anger flared in his eyes once again, but when he swung at Tana she ducked and jammed her elbow into his stomach. Once he reeled over, she grabbed his arm and twisted it around his back before pushing him to the ground, holding him in place.

"Push your wolf back, Jackson. He doesn't get to take control whenever he wants," Tana growled. Once Jackson stopped fighting and slumped down in her grasp, she stood up and stepped away from him to make sure Julien was ok.

"I'm sorry. Sometimes that happens but never that bad before," Jackson panted, rolling over onto his back just as Declan marched over with Sincere's hand in his. She tilted her head at Jackson and looked up at Declan briefly.

"What the hell happened?" Declan growled.

"We asked Tana to help us train but then Jackson lost control of his wolf and strangled me," Julien announced, throwing his brother an irritated glare.

"You two, go get cleaned up. Alpha Richard will be here soon and I don't want my brothers looking like they just rolled in a pile of dirt," Declan snapped. The two nodded quickly and dashed off, leaving Declan and Sincere alone with Tana.

"You don't need to be so harsh with them," Tana huffed, picking at her nails. Sincere waddled over to her and tugged at her shirt, reaching her arms up for Tana to pick her up when Tana turned to look at her. Sighing, Tana reached down and picked Sincere up, propping her up on her hip before returning her glare to Declan.

"They should know better," Declan mumbled, just as two black cars rolled up the dirt path near the packhouse. The young pups who had been out with the den mothers were ushered inside and the apprentices and warriors straightened up out of respect. Blake, from wherever he had been, moved to Declan's side with Markus right behind him.

An older man, around Lionel's age, stepped out of the first car. He was dressed casually but somehow still seemed to radiate authority that almost made Tana's wolf want to submit. She had seen Alpha Richard a few times, but not enough for him to remember her. His son, however, was painfully familiar. Tana had seen him far too many times with the Blood Wolves, which was an activity she knew he hadn't shared with his father. The Blood Wolves were his packs sworn enemy, after all. His black hair was slicked back, his hands jammed into the pockets of his jeans as he sauntered over to his father's side. The other wolves, who she assumed were his Beta and a few warriors stepped out after them.

"Declan, my boy! It's been too long. Oh, moon goddess, who is this little one? Don't tell me you had a pup and didn't tell me?" Richard called, chuckling as he walked over to them, eyeing Sincere and Tana before looking back to Declan. However, his son Liam's gaze lingered on Tana as though he were trying to put together a puzzle. When it finally clicked, his eyes widened and he tried to cover up the shock on his face.

It seemed that daddy dearest had no idea what his son got up to when he wasn't around.

"It's nice to see you, Richard. This is my mate, Tana, and my...adopted daughter, Sincere. Don't worry, you'd be the first one to know when I have a pup of my own," Declan said, giving Richard a friendly shake of the hand before Richard turned to Tana. He didn't seem to recognize her, fortunately for Tana, and held his hand out for her to shake. When she did, he shot her a dazzling smile.

"Nice to meet the both of you. I'm Richard and this here is my son, Liam," Richard said, patting a still very shell-shocked Liam on the back. Tana just smirked knowingly at him, which turned his face red.

"My father insisted I invite you two to dinner tonight. He's excited to see you again, even though he'd never admit it," Declan said, earning a loud laugh from Richard.

"Of course, of course. I'd love to. It would give me time to get to know the female who has finally captured your heart," Richard stated, earning a snort from Tana.

"Hey, uh, Tana, I seem to have forgotten where the bathroom is. Can you show me?" Liam gritted out suddenly, earning a confused look from his father and an irritated glare from Declan.

"It looks to me like you've already pissed yourself," Tana retorted, which got Declan to glare at her.

"They're our guests, Tana. Be nice," Declan hissed. Sincere giggled at Liam.

"I'm just pointing something out. You look nervous, Liam. Don't tell me you think I'll cut your throat. I'm sure daddy dearest will do that for you once he finds out," Tana taunted, resulting in Liam balling his fists up at his sides and gritting his teeth.

"You don't know what you're talking about, you whore. You only think you know," Liam spat, earning a gasp from Richard.

"Aurora, what the hell has gotten into you, Liam? Do you two know each other? Answer me!" Richard demanded, his once kind and gentle eyes blazing with anger now. Declan took Sincere from Tana's arms and urged her to go with Markus, who offered to play with her in the packhouse.

"Of course he knows me. He kicked the shit out of my brother. Twice, actually. Tell me, do you abuse your omegas back home, too? Or just the ones from...what did you call it again? 'Packs sent to do hell's work'?" Tana huffed, which turned out to be a very bad idea as Liam lunged for her with his nails lengthening into claws and tore his nails down her stomach, causing her to screech in pain.

"You should have kept your mouth shut, bitch," Liam snarled, keeping his claws rooted in the flaps of skin that were now limply hanging from Tana's stomach while blood poured from the wounds. She let out a snarl and lifted one of her arms, throwing as forceful a punch as she could muster.

With a loud growl, Declan instantly tore Liam away and threw him to the ground. His claws were dangerous close to Liam's throat as he threw hit after hit at the other boy's head. Richard quickly intervened, pulling Declan away and yanking his son up with his arms pulled painfully tight behind his back. Had it not been for Richard restraining his son, Declan would have killed him.

"I don't know what the fuck you did, boy, but you'll be lucky if you get out of here alive. And when I find out what it is, I just might kill you myself," Richard snarled into his son's ear. Blake sprung up immediately, offering to lead Richard to the cells.

"Fucking hell. Markus, get the medic. Now!" Declan growled out loud through his mind link, trying to stop Tana when she began to sit up with a groan. She could fee the warm blood against her shirt and the rest of her stomach.

"Should have seen that one coming. Still hurts like a bitch, though," she rasped, pressing her hand over the still-bleeding wound and hissing in pain.

"Stop moving. You'll make it worse. Moon goddess, Tana. Why do you have to piss everyone off?" Declan said, the panic very clear in his eyes as he scooted closer to her.

"I love to play with fire," she joked weakly, patting his cheek with the hand that wasn't bloody in an attempt to comfort him.

"Oh, dear. We'll get her fixed up, Alpha. No worries," an older woman, who seemed a bit wary as she laid eyes on Tana, said as she jogged over with Markus and another medic behind her.

"Alpha, if you wouldn't mind, please pick her up and carry her after us. Make sure not to jostle her too much or else she'll lose more blood than she already has," the woman instructed. Declan nodded and quickly and very, very carefully lifted Tana into his arms. She let out a low whine as pain shot from her stomach and released a slow, shaky breath from her lips.

Once they got to the medics wing and placed Tana in a bed, they got to work preparing various needles and stitches for what was to come.

"Oh, please no. No stitches. I hate stitches. On second thought, let me bleed out. Please," Tana groaned, trying to sit up only to be gently pushed back down by Declan.

"I'll be here with you, if you'll let me. I can get Tuk if you want," Declan offered, but when he began to move, her hand shot out and gripped his arm with brutal force.

"Tuk is going to pass out when he sees the blood. Stay," she whispered, clenching her jaw when the medic walked over with the needle and the stitch.

"We're going to apply a numbing cream, but it's not perfect. It'll still hurt but not as much," the woman told her. Tana just shook her head and closed her eyes.

"I've had worse. Just get it over with," she muttered, just as Declan slipped her hand into his. It made her relax and it coaxed her wolf forward to help her with the pain.

It felt right, and for once, Tana liked that.