𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐊⠀ ⁽ ¹ ⁾

TRUST

"Brom wake up! Wake up, son!" Dad shouts, shaking me. I yawn, and lift my head from his chest. "Dad?" He lifts me off of him and places me on the rug while I rub my eyes. He runs over to the open door and I see Uncle Hagan on the ground, a red pool forming around him.

Dad drops to his side. "Hagan! Speak to me." Uncle Hagan raises his hand and dad holds it tightly. Hiding around the couch I see how scared dad looks. I've never seen him look like that. "Heinrich," Uncle Hagan coughs. "The hunters . . . they've found us . . ." His hand goes limp and I can hear the thumping sound in his chest suddenly go still.

Gripping the couch tightly I start to cry. Then I look over at the window and notice torches being waved around. "Dad?" He lowers his hand to Uncle Hagan's face, gently closing his eyes before looking outside. Dad runs over to me, scooping me up as I hug him around his neck. "Everything is going to be alright Brom." He says holding me in one arm, as he runs through the living room.

Racing up the stairs he puts me back down again. Grabbing me by the shoulders, his hand rubs the tears away from my cheeks. "You've got to listen to me now son." Dad says, his head looking back down the stairs, his long and messy hair swished back and forth. Scratching his beard thinking, he looks up to me still crying. "Hey," he grins and rubs them away again. "Alphas don't cry okay?" I sniffle back the tears and nod my head.

"Now I need you to be brave okay? I need you to go wake your mom, and your uncles and aunts, and then make sure all of your cousins get out safe. Can you do that?" I nod again, and he stands up, but not before kissing my head as he walks down the stairs. "Dad!" He turns back to me. "Where are you going? I'm scared." He smiles sadly at me. "I love you son remember that."

Watching him walk back down the stairs, look down at Uncle Hagan he steps out the front door, I start to run to all the doors, opening them and shouting. "Dad needs help! We got to help him!" I go to the next one screaming the same thing. "He said there's hunters!"

My uncles run out, carrying my aunts in their arms as I'm left in the hallway watching them. "Brom!" I turn around and mom comes down the stairs in her pajamas. "Mom!" She runs over and pulls me into a hug as I hug her back. Then she pulls away. "What's wrong? Where's your father?"

"Uncle Hagan ran inside saying there were hunters outside!" I tell her. "Dad ran outside." We hear firecrackers going off outside, lots and lots of firecrackers and howling. I sniffled back remembering he told me not to cry. Mom looks over to me and shakes her head. "Damn it Heinrich." She curses, then looks down at me.

Trying to smile as she brushes her hand through my hair. "I need you to stay focused Brom. Can you do that?" I nod my head but she keeps going. "You need to get your cousins to safety and then you have to run away as fast as you can. Under no circumstances do you come back. Just run and don't look back. Okay?" Mom says, placing her hands on my cheeks, and kissing my forehead. "I love you wolfie." Watching her run away, I'm left standing alone in the hallway, watching as she runs out the door as more firecrackers go off after her. "Mom?" I call out. "Mom!"

...

"Mom . . ." My eyes squint from the memory, some tears spilling out the corners of them. When I open them I look up and see a grey ceiling then a window right next to me as I groan at the light. But then my hands clench tightly as I tug at the fabric beneath me, it's soft and I feel the coils of springs propping against my back through the mattress. "What?" I ask myself confused, while trying to lift myself up, but I'm brought back down, when every bone in my body disagrees with me.

"I wouldn't move around too much if I were you." The voice says, as he comes over and sits on the edge of the bed. To my surprise it's Gates. He has a towel around his neck, his hair dripping and messy. "Gates?" I try to move again but still nothing I can't even turn over on my side. I'm in so much pain. "Relax pup. Not here to hurt you." He takes a cup and brings it over to me. "Drink up."