fangs²[wyatt lykensen]

1.3

LICENSE TO KILL

"THEY'VE BEEN ALIVE this entire time and you two didn't think that telling me was important?"

After questioning Declan and deciding to not let him go yet, I left the forest and trudged through town until I came across my old house and began knocking on the front door. Although my parents were glad to see me, their confusion of my sudden question overpowered their expressions as they let me inside.

"It's nice to see you, too?" my father said in a questioning tone, unsure of what I was talking about.

I turned on my heel and crossed my arms over my chest, looking between the two of them as Dad closed the door behind me. I raised an eyebrow. "My biological parents are alive and you guys never told me."

My mother's face faltered and she sent a worried glance to my father. "How—how do you even know that?"

"Imagine my surprise when I found out the very leaders of the pack that showed up on my land are my birth parents," I replied a satirical tone. My brows furrowed and I threw my arms up in exasperation. "Don't you guys think a little heads up would've been nice? You couldn't have just said 'by the way, your parents aren't dead, just thought you might wanna know!'" My words had drifted from a tone of agitation and my voice had raised.

A soft breath escaped my lips and my gaze faltered. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to raise my voice." My jaw tightened and I looked to them again. "Why didn't you tell me?"

An uncomfortable silence filled the air as questionable looks were passed between the pair. A wordless debate was happening right in front of me and I had to force myself to be patient. Mom's brows were furrowed and I could almost smell the worry that was clearly present on her features. Dad was less visibly bothered, but a few small and outward gestures gave away his true state.

I cocked my head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "Why?" I asked again, my tone firmer this time.

"We did it to protect you, Coraline. Those people...they aren't good," my mother said defeatedly, her words becoming quieter towards the end of the sentence. A sliver of shame was lacing her voice and it confused me. Weren't they friends?

"What do you mean? Mom, you can't keep me in the dark about all of this anymore. I've got a pack I need to protect and I can't do that if I don't know what I'm up against."

The two shared another silent glance that I was left out of, only making the annoyance in my chest continue to simmer. They knew I had people to look out for now and futures I needed to safeguard, so why would they keep this from me? I had been the Great Alpha for a few years now and my parents knew how seriously I took the responsibility. The entire situation made a sense of uneasiness squirm in the bottom of my stomach.

"Cora, just...come sit down," she said, nodding to the living room. I swallowed thickly and obliged, moving and taking a seat on the couch next to her and my father.

"When we got you, we both decided to tell you when you got older so you'd be able to understand it all." She gently took my hand into hers and squeezed it softly. "Josh and Willow...we loved them. They were our best friends, but after we found out they made a new pack, everything that happened started to make sense." She looked to my father briefly, an unsureness residing in her eyes.

He gave her a soft nod, silently saying he'd continue the story. "When they were still in your old pack, they were in line to become alpha and luna if something ever happened to Alpha Carter and Luna Madison. And every time we talked to them, they seemed happy with their position in the pack." Dad clasped his hands together on top of his lap and took a breath. "But one night when we were visiting them, we heard all four of them arguing. Willow and Josh kept saying how they were more fit to lead the pack and that they could to it better. After that night, they asked us to leave. They claimed that it would be dangerous to keep humans around for too long." My father leaned closer to me, as if he was getting ready to tell a secret. "A week later, the hunters came and we took you in."

My brows furrowed as I released my mother's hand, my jaw slacking slightly. "Are—are you saying they're the reason the hunters came?"

"When we came to get you," Dad began in a low voice, "we saw the wolves and the hunters that didn't make it. There were wolves with claw marks and—and gashes that could only be caused by another wolf...not humans."

"We confronted them about it," Mom spoke up, her voice a bit shaky. "They said they made a deal with the hunters. Your parents would help wipe out the pack if they and a few others got to live." She visibly gulped. "We left with you before they could say anything else."

"No," I denied softly as my voice cracked. Confusion swarmed through my mind. Why would they turn against their own pack, their family? "No. That—that can't be right. They saved wolves, they made a new pack where they would all be safe." I could feel my eyes beginning to water, unshed tears clouding my vision and blurring their faces.

"And that's exactly what they wanted, Coraline," my father said in a low voice. His expression was taken over with a frown and a crease between his eyebrows. My mother's face held a similar sadness and that was all it took for me to know that they weren't lying. It was true.

Josh and Willow wanted control and power, and they were willing to kill to get it.