fangs²[wyatt lykensen]

1.1

FAMILY REUNIONS

"THAT IS YOUR father?" Wyatt's voice came out in an incredulous tone.

I shook my head softly to myself as I unintentionally ignored the boy. My brows furrowed as I looked over the man that stood before me. His hair was black and showed small spots of grey, he must've stood almost six feet tall, and he wore a plain t-shirt with jeans and dark brown boots. His eyes were a cold blue, a calculating nature lurked behind them that made a sliver of worry flow through my mind.

"You...I thought you were dead," I admitted confusedly. "The hunters wiped out the entire pack." I looked up at him, a sudden sadness coming over me. "You've been alive this whole time?" To say I was in disbelief would be an understatement.

"We can talk about this, Coraline." He snapped his fingers and I was quickly pulled to my feet and the restraints on my wrists were taken away. "I'll tell you everything, just come inside with me." The man attempted to grab my arm, but I snatched it away harshly.

"No, I just—I need a minute." My eyes flickered to Wyatt, seeing the boy watching me carefully. "Untie him," I said firmly, causing my father to give a nod to the wolves behind us, letting them untie the boy.

The sound of quick footsteps echoed out and drew our attention towards the crowd. "Coraline? Coraline!" The voice was female, making me turn on my heel to see a brunette woman running to me. Her hair was a light brown and swayed over her shoulders in waves. My eyes widened once her features became clear.

"Mom?" The word came out in a choked manner as she practically tackled me in a hug. I could feel her hand cupping the back of my head and pulling me into her as if I would float away.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" She pulled away, gently taking my face into her hands. "Oh, Coraline. Sweetheart, I missed you." Despite my confusion, I wrapped my arms around her as she did the same once more. "When we heard of an alpha in Seabrook with your name, I-I knew it was you!" Tears rimmed the woman's eyes. "God, we have a lot to catch up on."

☽

I sat beside Wyatt in the den that my parents and their pack had taken up residence in, trying to make sense of everything that had happened in the past hour.

"We thought it would've been better if you stayed with Sam and Cassidy, your godparents. With the hunters still around, it wasn't safe for you." Her words made sense, but at the same time confused me. They could've ran and came to live in Seabrook with me, but instead decided it was best to give me to my godparents? "We couldn't risk leading someone to you."

"I'm glad your alive, I really am, but you realize how bad this looks for you, right? I mean, you showed up on my territory, hurt one of my pack members, kidnapped my beta when he was trying to make a deal with you, and you sent someone to stalk me. That's not exactly top-tier parenting." I looked between the two, gauging their reactions.

I needed to be logical about this situation. My pack had been put in danger and Wynter had been attacked by one of their wolves. I wouldn't overlook that and pretend it didn't happen. As the alpha, it was my job to protect my pack, and I wouldn't be doing that if I allowed what was happening to continue.

"Speaking of, could you please release Declan? You know him. The boy is harmless," my mother claimed. I scoffed at her words, remembering the night we'd finally gotten the blond cornered in the woods.

"I beg to differ." I thought back over what she said for a moment. "Wait, I don't know him. Why would you say that?"

She chuckled at my question. "You two used to play together all the time when you were little. You don't remember? Gosh, I always used to think you two would wind up together."

Her comment made Wyatt's jaw visibly clench as he stopped himself from making a remark. I casually slipped my hand into his, giving a light squeeze to show that I was also against the idea.

I looked at my parents, still confused as to why after all this time they would decide to show up now. "Why are you here? Why now?"

"We want to be a part of your life, Coraline. I admit, it's been a long time and we should've tried to be around sooner...but at least we're here now." My mother's eyes searched mine, as if she could silently will me to agree to her words.

Of course I wanted them to be a part of my life, they were my parents. But it wasn't just about what I wanted anymore. I made a promise to always have my pack's best interest in mind, and allowing a new pack to integrate into our land without consulting them first would be beyond wrong, especially after the altercations we had with them previously.

My father must've noticed my silence and realized what it meant. "We understand if you need time to think about this. We know it's a lot."

"It's not just about me needing to think about it. Allowing you and your...pack to stay here would change everything." I was honestly debating whether the wolves that celebrated outside could be considered a pack. "That's not a decision I'll make alone. You have to understand, when you showed up my wolves took you as a threat, especially after you attacked one of our own. That will be taken into consideration when we discuss you being able to stay."

My parents stayed quiet after my explanation, only giving a few nods in response.

I gripped Wyatt's hand tighter. The boy rubbed the pad of his thumb across the back of my palm, silently telling me to relax. "If there's nothing else, I think it's time for us to go." He gently pulled me up and lead me to the exit of the den.

"We're sorry about how we handled you two," my mother spoke up as we left. "We didn't exactly know who you were at first and we didn't know if you were dangerous."

I stopped momentarily, not bothering to look over my shoulder to them. I let out a soft sigh. "Just make sure your pack keeps to themselves for the next few days. I'll let you know what we decide."