Seven.

Eloise was frozen to her spot just inside the doorway, her eyes were welling up with so many emotions as she stared at her now not so little brother. He must be taller than she was now, and he looked so much like her father.

"Eloise? El?" She could hear her name being called by soft voice at her side, but those big dark eyes staring back at her had rooted everything about her into the floor.

She may as well have been a marble statue, solid and unyielding, for all the motor skills she had control of right now.

"Eesa?" Came the voice that finally broke the spell she was held under. "Are you okay?"

It was a bitter reminder of how young her brother was when she had left. He still called her by his mispronounciation of her name, and the sound was like a knife to her heart. Her tears spilled over as she lamented the years with him she had lost.

Henry was beside her before he could be stopped, holding her close and breathing her in as he attempted to comfort his mate in her moment of need. It was a knee jerk reaction, based solely on his instincts to care for her. However, Eloise didn't want Henry's comfort, and she thrashed within his arms instantaneously, her claws drawing blood through his sky blue shirt as she frantically tried to escape his hold.

"Do not touch me," she demanded of him, through her gritted teeth.

"Please, calm down." Henry spoke gently, his determination to help her over riding his common sense.

But his soft tone only enraged her further.

"You did this on purpose! You sick fucker! Get your hands off of me!" Eloise spat out, on the back of a growl.

Suddenly they were interrupted by Shane roaring. It was a sound that could have shaken the room. This was too much for him to take, the distress of a pregnant she wolf in his pack was not to be borne, and was certainly not something he would put up with under his own roof. Abigail instinctively moved back, taking Harvey from Alice as she moved her son out of the firing line. Daniel was at Shane's side, ready to follow his Alpha's instructions as Shane spoke with venom.

"Release my pack member now, Henry Gray." His voice was like fire, as his aura began to suffocate the room.

It was rare that Shane went full Alpha, he normally lived a peaceful life with his pack. But this was still his territory and mate bond or not, Henry was over stepping and he needed to remember his place.

"She is mine!" Henry snarled back, ignoring his mother's whimpering as she seen the blood beginning to drip down his arms.

"No, I am not!" Eloise snarled, her eyes flashing as she deliberated on shifting, and sending Henry the message with her teeth.

"That mark says otherwise," Henry retaliated, challenging her with his eyes.

"Wait," Carson's voice came through the crowd, "He's the mate who beyrayed you? The one Marilyn and Omar helped you escape?"

Henry's shock was evident as Shane and Daniel began to circle into position around him. His own pack members helped Eloise run from him. People he considered as family, and they thought he had betrayed Eloise?

"I betrayed you?" He asked offended, "You're the one who ran! You went rogue instead of..."

"Instead of what? Watching you marry some trophy wolf?" She spat back bitterly. "Some perfect high ranking, and well bred female, Daddy and Mummy picked out for you?" She scoffed at the absurdity of what Henry had tried to insinuate.

Eloise couldn't take it anymore, she needed out of Henry's grasp. Her wolf was warming to his touch and it was an occurrence she would not allow. Instead, she pulled her head back with a snarl, and rammed it forward again, smashing her forehead into Henry's nose with a loud and satisfying crunch. Henry staggered back, straight into Daniel's waiting grip. Shane quickly steadied Eloise, passing her off to Sammy before he had his hand wrapped around the other Alpha's neck, squeezing it enough to prevent Henry from regaining his composure..

Michelle growled, but knew she couldn't take on an Alpha in his prime. In stead she had to watch as Shane threatened to squeeze the life out of her son, knowing she herself was out numbered and vastly out matched to aid him. Her growl quickly became a pained whimper.

"Stop, please." Eloise's voice cut through the testosterone, as she calmed herself in Sammy's arms, with a protective Carson by her side. "He's not worth it. *Cottonelle,* remember?" she added with a deliberate smirk.

Abigail all but snorted with laughter as Shane's face contorted from one of rage to amusement. With a nod to Daniel, Henry was dropped to his knees looking confused, yet relieved that Eloise had stepped in for him. It gave him hope, which he knew was stupid, because there was evidently an insult in her words judging by the reactions of the others; yet still he had hope, because she didn't let them kill him.

"I think," Sammy began, "Henry ought to go get cleaned up, then we can have lunch as planned. He can ascertain my wellness and Eloise and Carson, was it?" The boy nodded in response, "can catch up. "

"You cannot just sweep aside such an act of aggression..." Michelle began, her anger bristling on behalf of her son.

"What a wonderful idea," Alice spoke up over her daughter in law.

"Alice," Michelle growled out.

"Don't you Alice me." Came the response, "An act of defending one's pack is more than excusable. Henry was out of line, and he was asked more than once to release the girl. Now, if the Blue Valley Pack are gracious enough to not press the issue of Henry's behaviour further, then we can damn well be gracious enough to move past it as well." Sammy's Gram's snapped at Michelle.

"You cannot be serious?" Michelle half yelled in exasperation. "You do remember that Henry is also your grandchild, your flesh and blood? I understand the shiny new appeal Sammy has to you, Alice, but please stop acting like she is the only family you have! You were there, you watched my boys grow up, how can you abandon any loyalty to them so easily?"

"My loyalty is with all my grandchildren and their children too, should we be blessed with them, Michelle. A fact that you would have noticed upon Eloise's arrival in the room, had your mind not be so consumed by trying to one up, *my granddaughter*. Eloise is pregnant also, and by her scent and *my grandson's* reaction to her distress, she is the mate he has spent the past eight years searching for. Though, I am starting to see why she has stayed away." Alice turned venomously on Michelle.

Michelle's eyes snapped to Eloise, as she focused on the woman's scent.

Alice was right, her scent was intermingled with Henry's own, and she was pregnant. She knew this should be a type of happy news. Yet, somehow she still felt anger as her eyes flitted to Sammy, so content by her mate's side as his hand splayed protectively upon her stomach. Michelle didn't want to dislike the girl, quite the opposite, she wanted to like her. But, there was just something so obstinate about her, and it never ceased to get under her skin. She sighed, watching as the group followed the Luna, Abigail, through to the conservatory. Henry had excused himself to clean up, without giving her so much as a backward glance. He hadn't had any time for her, not since he found out the truth two months ago.

He was enraged by her confession at the time, that she had known all along about Marty's affair. Of course she had known, she could smell the woman on him, and by extension, the child. Michelle knew she had been living in a deluded bubble; pretending there was nothing to worry about when Marty stopped leaving and the woman's scent faded. It was easy enough to convince herself the child could not have been his, to go on running their pack and raising their boys like nothing had ever happened. But, the guilt was there, knawing away at her, and she confessed the truth to her son one night, before he went on another scouting trip at Sebastian's behest.

Secretly she thought she deserved his treatment of her. Michelle chose her own comfort over the welfare of a child. It wasn't a forgivable act, and now she would have to live with the consequences.

But, she couldn't help but wonder why? Why did her son's missing mate have to turn up here, in Sammy's pack of all places.

*Author's Note: As always, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. B x*