Alpha - Forever #1 (Complete)

Chapter 23 - Part 1

Scarlett

I was silent as I processed all I'd just heard. Kyle and Gary watched me with concern and Cade bent down on one knee beside me as he covered my hands with his.

Feeling fear starting to build up in me again, I couldn't sit still anymore. I stood up and Cade let go of me. I brushed my hair out of my face as I walked over to the window. The silence continued as I tried to fit all the pieces together.

"How did you know about their deaths?"

Even now, years later, it was still hard to say it without the grief surfacing. I hugged my arms around my waist as I waited for Kyle's answer.

"Dad stayed in touch with Uncle Nate. Dad didn't want him to know too much in case Victor found out, so he would only tell Nate which area. He usually only called from a payphone."

He paused for a moment. It was like stuff out of spy movies.

"Then one day the phone calls just stopped."

I closed my eyes to keep the emotion from escaping me and I swallowed.

"Nate knew something was very wrong."

Our parents were dead.

"He found out our parents were murdered. To us, there was no mystery. They had been murdered by another werewolf."

I turned to face him. It was like each revelation brought new questions I needed to ask.

"Did he know about me?" I asked as I dropped my arms to my sides.

Kyle looked uncomfortable with the answer. He couldn't look at me. His eyes dropped to the floor.

"Yes."

I don't know why I felt hurt at his answer, but I was. It felt like my family abandoned me when I'd needed them the most.

Cade was watching everything play out, but the twitch in his jaw was a telltale sign he was angry as his eyes remained on Kyle. It was like he was debating whether to hit him or not.

Don't. His eyes shot to mine.

It's not his fault.

He studied me for a minute before he answered me via the mind-link. Fine.

He unclenched his hands by his sides and I couldn't help loving his protectiveness over me. Kyle's eyes were on me. As hard as I tried to stay unaffected by what he'd said to me, he could read the hurt on my face.

"He didn't want to leave you. He saw that our parents had picked a good guardian for you and he decided that you were safer with him. You hadn't turned sixteen so another werewolf couldn't find you by your scent. It was for the best."

That explanation eased my hurt a little and I shot a weak smile to Gary. I couldn't dispute that Gary had been the best person to look after me.

"If he had brought you back, there was always a chance that Victor would find out who you were and then you would have been in danger. Our pack isn't big enough to go up against him."

He stood up and walked over to me under the watchful eye of Cade. He came to a stop in front of me.

"I know you don't know us that well," he began as he ran a hand through his hair. "But that doesn't make you any less our family and that doesn't mean we love you any less."

I bit my lip as he held my gaze.

"Everything we've done up to now has been to keep you safe," he finished as his eyes implored mine to believe his words.