Pack Secrets || WLW

Karma

"I won't." The words are choked by the lump in my throat. Wiping tears from my cheeks, I say, "Why is Angela in your basement, Dad?"

My dad has a strange expression on his face. Even though it's been years, I recognize it immediately. Hollow stare, his jaw twitching from the way he's chewing on the inside of his cheek. The same look he had when I was a kid. After he'd been stripped of his shifting abilities.

"You haven't put it together yet, kiddo?" His voice comes out like gravel. He must notice, because he clears his throat. "I bet you know," he says to June. "Did you put it together yet?"

June doesn't look at him, doesn't respond.

He jams the barrel of the gun into her head. "Huh, June?" he screams.

"We're the children of the people who stripped you of your shifting abilities," she answers, keeping her tone steady.

Everything clicks together like a puzzle.

A smile spreads across my dad's face. "Gray must have been catching on," he says. "That's why he had William stripped." He shrugs. "Thought he could save his life if William couldn't shift anymore." He lets out a little chuckle. "Worked out perfect for me because it threw you guys off my trail."

"You had Angela call me," I state, my voice quiet as I put the pieces together.

"I needed you to get out of town, kiddo." He rolls his eyes. "I was scared you were going to piece everything together."

"Dad." My voice comes out small, pathetic but I have to try to reason with him. "This is so messed up. Angela didn't—"

"Messed up?" he asks. "I think it's fair."

My mom appears behind him, her arms crossed over her chest. "I think so too." She leans against the handrail. "End their bloodlines for ending ours."

"Of course you're encouraging this," I snap.

"You watch your mouth!" My mom shouts from over my dad's shoulder.

My dad holds his free hand up to quiet her and redirects his attention to me. "Don't you get it, Sawyer?" His tone is pleading, his eyes watery. Just like when he used to apologize after a long night of drinking.

It wasn't me, he'd say. That's not your ole pa. You know that, right?

"This is about taking our lives back," he says. "This is about righting the wrongs this town has committed against our family and starting over. I couldn't move on knowing what they'd taken from me." He gestures to the front door. "Seeing everyone living their lives like they hadn't ruined mine... I couldn't handle it. I'm a different man now. You know that. You've seen the difference in me. Haven't you, Sawyer?"

A long moment passes before I can muster up the courage to nod.

My dad's shoulders go light with relief. "See, I knew you'd understand." He turns to my mom. "I told you she'd understand."

I'm half-expecting June to take his distraction to slam her head into his and take the gun but she doesn't. Maybe because she's too scared he'll fire it off before she can restrain him or maybe because her eyebrows are furrowed trying to read my body language.

I focus my eyes on the ground and hug my jacket tighter around my body. "What's the plan then?" I ask.

Everyone looks at me. I don't need to see their stares, I can feel them on my face.

"These are the last two," my dad explains, gesturing between June and Angela. "Besides William but..." He waves the thought off.

"We kill them and get out of town," my mom states. Her eyes bore into me, filled with skepticism and anger. "Unless you have a problem with that."