Hunting Mate

Chapter Eleven

I had met up with Pandora the following day for milkshakes at my favorite diner, Duh-licious, I have loved this diner since before I moved here call me weird but that's why I started staying around here and then I had went out with an uneasy feeling one night and decided to be in my wolf form, that's how uneasy I felt, and that's when I bumped into Joe and Max. Max is the Beta of the pack, and they had picked up on that I was one of them so they made me a part of their pack and here I am.

Pandora smiles at me as she sips some of her milkshake "I love how they said 'hey Layton, the usual'?" she laughs "I've been coming here since my 16th birthday" I tell her she looks shocked "and here you are two days after your 22nd" I nod smiling at the thought of 6 years of home and love, after all the years, of all the bad in my life.

The waitress comes wandering over "hey Layton" I look up at her "hey Melaine" I say back to her she smiles "is this the Pandora, I've been hearing some much about?" she asks looking at Pandora, who looks at me smile then looks back at Melaine "yes I am, hi" she says and they shake hands then Melaine looks at me "a lad was in here before asking for you" I raise an eyebrow "did he leave a name or anything?" I ask and she looks at her pad "Lionel"

As soon as that name, I feel the blood leave my body as it fell cold "Layton, Layton you ok?" I hear Pandora's sweet voice, I shake my head getting back into reality "hmm" was all I could say, am I ok? Pandora grabs my hand "Layton?" she questions, she sounded so worried.

I look at Melanie  "was it you who saw him?" I ask her, I had to be sure she shakes her head "it was Halley that was on shift" she said I look at Halley, and get up and walk over to her "Halley?" I question she stops wiping the table and looks at me "did you see the guy that came in asking for me? Did you see Lionel?" I question he nods "how was he? How did he look? Was he ok?" I question fast, she looks taken back "Layton, who is he?" she question.

I see Pandora come next to me but I was focusing on Halley "just answer my questions I need to know" I demand "he was high and upset, he looks homeless too" she tells me, no that was just living at mothers house, I still can't believe he reached out to me "he had a baby with him" she adds, I thought mom would have had the baby taken off her.

I run out of the diner "Layton" Pandora screams chasing me, I get to Frankie's, letting myself in ignoring his questions as I take his car keys and head to his car as Pandora comes around the corner "Layton, what's going on?" she questions "that was my brother she was talking about" I tell her "you're going to your mothers?" she asks I nod, and she gets in the passenger seat of the car "Pandora out now, it's not safe, I want you safe" I tell her "and I want you safe and you aren't in the right frame of mind" she says not moving. I groan and start the car, I start moving as soon as she puts her seatbelt on

I speed to my mother's house, I need to get there, I've been a rubbish big brother and now my little brother was reaching out to me with a baby, whoever the baby is, I need to be there. I kill the engine around the corner "Pandora please stay here, I really don't want you in that place" I tell her, she looks at me "Layton, I have told you that I want you safe too, where you go I go" she says, she is such hard work "I will get in talk to my mother and brother and get out, I will be fine so stay here" I say.

I get out of the car and start heading to the house, I stop at the door and turn to look back and I see Pandora had stopped at the corner, she put her hands up telling me I have 10 minutes before she comes in, I smile at her and nod. I open the door; the door never had a lock it doesn't even close properly, never has since I could remember.

I walk into the oh-too-familiar house, you can tell a bunch of drug addicts live her, with the mouldy wallpaper that is hanging off everywhere, the carpet was near enough the same, the whole house stunk. I rub my now aching nose.

I walk into the front room and see loads of lads sat there, some passed out, the ones that are awake look at me "Layton?" I hear a man stand up and I recognise him instantly, though I don't know his name, he has been there since I can remember "where's my mother?" I question "upstairs, in your Leon's room" he says he managed to get Lionel's name wrong but he is high.

I head up the stairs and into my old bedroom, the room was just the same as the rest of the house "Layton" mom says and I see her lying on a bed next to two men, I look at the one that looks most like me and I recognise him instantly he's always looked like me "hi Lionel" I say he just stares at me fighting to keep his eyes open, they were bloodshot and his pupils were huge, I see the needles on the bed next to him.

I look around the room and see a cot with two children in. I walk over and see a little girl sitting up and there was a baby, who looks newborn, next to her. I turn to my mom again, she starts coming over to me "meet Laurel, and ummm Kaycee I think" she says pointing to them; Laurel was the older one that I'm guessing is my sister but who is 'Kaycee'?

I look at the man that is lying on the bed next to Lionel "who's he?" I ask mom not even wanting to know why he is on the bed with them two when I came in "that's Keith" she answers, I don't push for anymore questions "is he okay to talk?" I gesture to Lionel "yeah, he will be fine" mom says "I want to talk to him alone, and I want to meet my little sister so can you and Keith leave" I say Mom rolls her eyes and grabs Keith's hand and leads him out the room.

I sit on the bed next to Lionel "hey" I say to him, he blinks just staring at me "are you really here?" he questions I nod and grab his hand "Lionel, I'm here" I say to him as tears fill his eyes "Lionel, what have they done to you?" I ask "broke me" he answers "they kill Anna in front of me" he tells me "who?" I ask "my fiancée" he answers and cried; I hold him tightly.

He gets up and stumbled over to the crib and leans over it "is she yours?" I ask he nods "Jaycee-Mae, they found out that I was sneaking out and that I was planning on running away with Anna and that we were engaged and expecting our first child, then beat her up and dragged her here then they give her their version of a section and smashed a brick over her head" he tells me, my heart stops "they made me sit and watch and I was actually sober, I was getting off these things, now they just come in the room and inject me with the stuff" he says.

I look at him "I am going to get you out of here, one way or another" I whisper to him "you and them two" I say, looking at the little ones he laughs "they will kill you before you try" he says I shake my head "I have my ways" I say I grab him and make him face me "I have a pet" I say he raises an eyebrow "a wolf, I can handle that thing without even been seen" I tell him, he looks at me "yeah..look could you do me a favour?" I nod "get Jaycee out of here now and come back for Laurel" he says I nod "and you too" I add.

He rolls his eyes and goes to a wardrobe, he gets out a bottle and a cloth, after applying something from the bottle onto the cloth he places it on Jaycee's nose and closes his eyes, he pulled it away after a little bit and she was passed out. I take off my coat and wrap her in it making sure they wouldn't see her but that she can breathe.

As I promised him I will be back, I wander down the stairs just as I see the door open and I see Pandora peak in she looks at me and I widen my eyes at her so she closes the door a little, as mom comes out of the room "you off?" she asks I nod "yeah only wanted to check on him while I had the time off work" I lie she goes to hug me but I back off not wanting her to feel the baby or have her touch me at all.

I head out the door and wander over to where the car is Pandora smiles at me "I was starting to worry" she says I smile at her "told you I would be fine now get in the car and grab her" she gets in the car and looks at me confused I unwrap the coat from Jaycee's head, her eyes widen "it's my niece; Jaycee-Mae" I say as I hand her over.

"look, I will be back in a moment" I say closing the door, I run back to the house taking the back route carefully, I climb up the way that my sister and I had planned to escape so many years ago, I peak in the window and see no movement I grab a thin metal pole I had grabbed it off the floor a moment ago, I prise the window near the lock and it opens.

I climb in "Layton" Lionel whispers "I came for you and Laurel" I tell him, he hands me Laurel "quickly" I say as I jump down wrapping her arm around me so she doesn't get hurt, Lionel looks down, then I see him jump back then I hear him cry out in pain, I start running with Laurel in my arms, I would have to get him later, I get back to the car and put her in the back quickly and then get in the front and speed off.