NICHOLAS (old version)

chapter eight: citizenship

When the lovebirds eventually realized the eyes on them and separated, it became rather clear what had to happen. The female always moves to the males pack, the only exception being when she holds rank, or is an heir.

That meant that I went to Nick's pack. Candy would go to Dante's pack. And, since Nick had no children, it made Natalie the technical heir, which meant Tyler would go to her pack.

In the span of twenty-four hours, our mother had lost all three of her children, the last of her family, to the pack she hated. She'd be left to either return home alone, with no family, only a few friends, or stay with the last of her kin. Watch us grow up, watch us get married and have children.

"Mom, please consider staying." I tried to reason with her, my tone gentle and my expression hopeful. I wanted her here with me, to tell me stories and give me motherly advice. I was eighteen, I wasn't ready to me without her. None of us were, not at eighteen, nineteen, or twenty.

Her gaze was dark as she glared at me, and I knew all too well that she wasn't human. Not now. The animal had taken over, and she wanted her pups in her care, her authority. She didn't want them swept away by another pack. I saw it, I saw that she'd become a cornered animal, and I began to press those closest to us, Nick, Natalie, back. She needed space.

"Darcy, they took Mila. They killed your father." Mom said quietly, her tone laced with hatred. I followed her gaze and found it directed at Nick, not me. I flinched at her words; I'd done my best not to think about my dad. About how Nick's dad killed him. His father's actions weren't his, I knew that, but an Alpha is always trained by the former Alpha, their parent. They're taught to lead just as the predecessor did.

I shook my head, balling my hands into fists. I was going to stand my ground on this. She wouldn't change my mind on Nick, not now, not ever. Nothing would. I'd find his heart of gold, or at least one of silver. He had to be good. "Mom, I will love him. I will. I'm trying to figure this all out, and I need you to let me. I need you to let me grow up and figure things out in my life. I've held your hand for eighteen years, and now... now I need to hold on to Nick. But I still need you here, with me. I still need you to catch me if I fall." I plead, feeling the tears begin to swell in my eyes. I was so confused, frustrated. I just wanted things to be easy, and nobody would let me. Nick just had to be complicated, my mother wouldn't trust me to be grown-up, Jasmine was... an issue on her own.

I saw her eyes fade back to a soft, honey brown, and she immediately moved forward, pulling me into a hug. She squeezed me so tightly, I wasn't sure if she was trying to calm me or herself. Either way, I didn't want her to let go. After another minute, though, she did.

Turning to Nick, she cleared her throat. "I want safe passage home for my men. And I want twenty-four hour access to my children."

His expression went sour, angry. She was giving him orders, and I'd come to understand that they didn't go over him very well. I reached out and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. His dark eyes turned on me, staring at me for a moment, before pulling his hand away. I flinched, not liking the hostility in the action, but his eyes turned on my mother.

"Your men leave now. You can have a room on the second floor. Tomorrow, you'll attest for your crimes, once we tally up the dead." He said, tone cool. It was silent for a moment as we all stood there, tense and unsure as to what to do. Then, he gave a flick of his hand and bodies began to flood the room, disarming our pack members and carting them out. Someone along the way took my mother, who stood there, face blank.

Within seconds, I was left alone in the room once more. My family gone, my friends gone, Nick gone.

I felt numb and cold as I stood there, in the silence, the dark, unsure of anything anymore.

Authors Note: Ahh! So the next chapter will have Darcy's mom's trial and (possible) punishment. There's also going to be some crazy stuff and a whole lot of arguing coming up!!

Also, I've had to make a really hard decision on updating. I go to school and work a lot, and Nicholas is my baby. I don't want any of my writing to be rushed or forced, and on day's that I have to work or do a lot of homework, it's hard to make it otherwise. I did my best on this chapter, and it's still half the usual word count.

So I've decided that updates will be every other day. They'll be better written and longer, closer to 2,000 words. I'll also be having a contest coming up, and it'll be super exciting! So keep your eye on Author's Note for it!

As always, I love you all a ton! If we can get five votes and five comments on this chapter, I'll post chapter nine tomorrow instead of Monday!