Eric
I was waiting in the garage for Noel and Lilith like I did every day. Noel had mind linked me when they got within range that Lilith had seen Rob. He didn’t go into much detail. Saying Lilith should be the one to tell me everything and it was her story to tell. I expected her to be in high spirits. They way she had felt about Rob was apparent these days since he sided with Bowie, instead of my mate. I knew Kali would be happy, I assumed she had ripped into him. Violence seemed to soothe Lilith and Kali, so I expected high spirits.
Not only that but she knew the uniforms for those she was training had come in. She had been giddy leaving for school this morning, knowing when she got home that the pack would be wearing something she deemed better than their weird attire. But as they pulled in I saw that Noel had been driving not Lilith. This was my first clue something was wrong. Then there was the fact Noel got out but Lilith remained in the car. I looked at my little brother who looked serious.
“What happened?” I asked and he looked to Lilith who was looking down in her lap, not looking up. “I will tell the pack that training is cancelled today.” Noel said and walked off. Okay, weird I thought. I opened the passenger side door, and Lilith didn’t even look up. Her eyes remained transfixed on two pictures that had been bent. I bended down to look at what was so important, there were two photos. One was a man who looked a lot like my mate and the other was a massive black wolf, a Draco wolf. “Lilith” I said standing back up. She didn’t engage with me she just kept looking at the photos.
“Lilith let’s go into the packhouse we should talk about whatever is going on.” Still, she didn’t move. It was like she was stuck in her own head. “Axel reaches out to Kali, maybe she will listen to you and can get Lilith to realize she is here.” I said to my wolf hoping he could get through were I couldn’t. I waited a while and Axel told me. “That is her father, that is who made her. Kali is trying to get her out of her own trance right now.” I looked at Lilith who was twitching, she looked like she was in pain. I had seen this from her before. Kali was forcing a shift.
Lilith shook her head and yelled “No!” And then screamed as she fell out of the car onto the concrete floor. I heard some of her bones breaking as she started screaming. She was fighting the shift and both her and her wolf were powerful. I didn’t know what to do. I had never seen her fight the shift so hard and it was obvious it was painful. I didn’t like that Kali did this, but I wondered if this had been necessary. I mean if Lilith couldn’t get out of her own feelings maybe Kali, would help her if she could shift.
I watched as Lilith screamed her body shifting slowly like it was her first time or something. I got down on my hands and knees needing to comfort her. I began to rub her back trying to get her to let Kali take over. I had no idea what to even do. Noel must have ran back “What is happening?” I heard him speak. “I don’t fucking know. Kali is trying to shift, and Lilith won’t let her.” I screamed. I knew he was not going to leave, and I could feel him standing behind me. Marcus suddenly appeared crouched down beside her and I. Lilith continued to scream one of her arms shifted at a weird angle and had sprouted black fur. I heard a loud crack and looked and saw one of her legs bent.
Marcus yelled at her. “Lilith you better fucking let your wolf out.” She glared at him. Then he did the strangest thing. He hoisted her up, all the while Lilith struggling not to shift, screaming a mix of pain and anger. Marcus punched her suddenly in the face with his hand not holding her. “Fucking Bitch let your wolf out.” I lunged at him. This was wrong but Noel stepped in stopping me. “He has known her longer let him try this, Eric.” He said trying to get me back. Marcus hit her again. Her eyes darkened and a growl came out, but she was struggling. Marcus dropped her as her teeth elongated.
Once back on the garage floor she went back to trying to stop from shifting and screaming. Marcus looked serious and determined I could hardly hear him over Lilith's screaming. “I am so sorry, but you know it is the only way.” He then kicked her as hard as possible in the stomach and her broken leg. Noel was now restraining me. “Fucking bitch” He said at my mate, then she shifted. Kali growling at him. Her eyes full of hatred. “Alpha shift.” He said as Kali charged him. Noel jumped from me to Marcus knocking him down.
I shifted and Axel took over. I needed to know what was going on and Axel let me in to watch. He growled at Kali. Kali turned to him snarling. Axel was the first to lunge and bite her in the neck and shook her. Kali was smaller than him and he used that to his advantage. Kali thrashed in Axel’s grip, and I mind linked Noel. “Go to the packhouse and take Marcus with you, I want to know what this is about.” Marcus's mind linked me as I let Axel keep hold of his mate. “Alpha, she has to run and not a little run, hours run Kali for hours until she can’t stand.”
I told my wolf, and he dragged a snapping Kali into the woods. He dragged her no matter the vicious attacks she was trying to inflict. Finally, he tossed her with his mouth, and she hit a tree. Kali was wobbly as she stood. I could see through Axel’s eyes she had shimmering liquid from her neck. It had to be blood, but it was not super visible with her dark fur. Axel told her to run. But Kali hesitated and Axel went to bite her again and she booked it. He ran and ran keeping on her tail. I knew he was pushing himself. Kali was faster than him.
He had gotten better the past few weeks pushing her, but this was harder for him. He was physically stronger than Kali, which kind of surprised me. Her wolf had made it known she was very strong, but when push came to shove, Axel could match her in strength. But he was pushing it. Kali continued to run, the sun had set long ago, and Kali was still running. The sun would be up soon enough. “Axel gets her back to the pack lands.” I told my wolf. He did his best to corral her back to the packhouse, finally Axel slowed, and I could see through his eyes.
Kali had laid down and I watched as she shifted to Lilith. Axel didn’t wait for me to tell him to shift, I was back in my body. Lilith was laying still on the forest floor. I went and scooped her up. She was passed out, her stomach covered in bruises, that was Marcus, her face had two black eyes and a broken nose. I felt dried blood on the back of her neck. That had been Axel. I mind linked the doctor, she needed one, at the very least to set her nose. “Alpha she will need x-rays for her ribs.” He minds linked me after I told him her injuries. I took her to the medical building; it was a small hospital. Lilith didn’t wake up.
At one point she did and was growing so Doc gave her a shot and she went back to being passed out. Several broken ribs, broken nose, and deep bites on her neck that had to be stitched. I took her home and laid her in bed. I was still gross from running and being Axel for so long. At the hospital I had gotten clothes. I wanted fucking answers what had happened to set her off. Why did Marcus have to beat the shit out of my mate? Why had it worked to get her to shift? And how did he know to do that to her.
“Where the hell are you?” I demanded over mind link to Noel. “Your office.” I marched there not caring about my appearance or the fact I was tired. I had at least wiped Kali’s blood from my mouth at the small clinic. “Is she okay?” Marcus blurted out. My eyes darkened and I stalked toward him. He had hurt her, but Noel got in my way holding his hands up. “Eric, you need to know why he did that. Marcus got her to shift,” I snarled at my brother. “Why were you there?” I yelled.
Noel answered. “I summoned him. I thought he would know what to do. He has known her since the Luna’s first shift. I thought he would know what to do.” Noel reiterated. “Calm down Eric, just hear him out.” I glared at Noel. “What the hell set her off. What happened.” Noel was silent and I screamed shaking the room. “What the fuck happened?” Noel sighed. “Rob showed up at the school, she called me, and I came running and he basically told her he had been grooming her this whole time, that she would be his wife in the end and that he made her and also dropped that he was kicked out of a pack.”
Noel continued. “Then he dangled information about her biological father in front of her. Saying he knew the information and she wouldn’t have to wait until graduation to know everything. Then he said that to prove he wasn’t lying put a folded folder on the car and it had two pictures of her father and his name on the back of them. Lilith looked at the pictures and she shut down. I drove home because I thought it was best. She said nothing on the way home, I could hardly hear that she was breathing. She just stared at those photos. Then we got home and well, you know the rest.” I bit my lip walking past my brother and Marcus plopping down on the couch in my office.