A Wolf Among The Sheep

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Seeing Tate's reaction only made things harder, and worse, for Clarissa. She wanted nothing more than to accept the apology that lingered in his gaze, that was red-rimmed and watery. The most emotion she had ever seen from her mate, that much was for sure. However, a look wasn't enough. She needed words, she needed actions. She needed to know that he was going to accept her long-lost family, and therefore her. But instead he turned away from her, leaving Clarissa's heart to shatter.

Her whole body felt weak, and then numb, Meredith's voice a buzzing in her ear which took a few minutes to decipher once she realised she had been spoken to. Regardless, she knew it was time to leave, just as her mother suggested. She nodded, the action clumsily as she was too caught up in her own emotions and gaze still locked onto Tate's turned back.

Although Anders' won her attention as he moved forward, refusing to accept what was happening. As his eyes moved off her, however, she knew instantly whom he was looking to, but didn't dare follow his gaze so she didn't reveal anything.

Instead she stepped forward and took her friend gently by the shoulders, eyes welling up all over again. This time she was unable to stop the tears as they instantly brimmed over, it finally becoming too much. "You know that can't happen. Not right now, anyway." She murmured to him, studying him intently as she knew otherwise her eyes would be roaming back to Tate. "It'll be a few months, Anders. Just-- just enough to... to maybe let things settle."

She pulled her friend into a hug, a tight one, and she took in a deep breath of his familiar scent. Brotherly, warm, and familiar. "I'll keep an eye on him," she whispered directly into his ear as she held firmly onto him, knowing she didn't need to be specific, Anders would know who she was referring to, "I-- I'm not going to ask you to come with us... you don't need to make that decision if you don't want to. But just-- just know I'll look after him. I just... I just hope you'll both be able to be together soon too."

Clarissa pulled back, giving Anders' shoulders a final, soft squeeze, "You take care of yourself, alrigh'? And-- and Teddy."

Meanwhile Ronan looked on, his own emotional anguish raging just beneath the surface. The only hint to what was going on being the slight, furrowed brow on his expression. He wanted nothing more than to be in Clarissa's position, to be the one wrapping his arms around Anders and pulling his mate tight. But their secret was still that; a secret.

All he could do was offer a saddened smile as his pack members began to walk away around him, desperate to get a final look at his mate, drinking in all that he could, uncertain as to when he would ever see him again.
 
No amount of reassurances could have quashed the panic spreading like a wildfire within the younger werewolf in that moment.

He attempted to control it, appear less frantic than he very obviously was, but such an endeavour would end in disappointment because there was really no way he could fathom being without Clarissa. That alone was a dagger to the chest, his breathing quickening as the desperation he felt to keep her around no matter the cost started to rise. Appealingly, he peered across at Tate, ready to team up with his elder brother in the desire to keep hold of Clarissa; keep someone who had become a sister to him in her short time with the pack.

But Tate's back had already turned in recognition of the fact nothing he could say or do would change the inevitable. Clarissa had determined that leaving was the best shot they had to maintain their relationship and though he wanted to get on his knees and beg her to stay, he had ultimately concluded that such an effort would be futile and so not only turned his back but began to trudge upwards to his hut, resisting the urge to glance back at her in the knowledge he would only break down if he did.

Seeing the lack of fight within Tate was horrendous to witness because Anders wanted him to scream and shout and do whatever he could to keep his mate where she belonged - but he couldn't judge him because he was hardly living up to the expectations he placed on Tate. Though their situations were different, he was similarly letting his mate slip away for months on end because he wasn't speaking up to protect their relationship, which had yet had a chance to blossom and bloom. It was unfair and cruel to be parted from him... but it still wasn't enough to convince Anders that he needed to open up and let everyone know their bond existed.

He wanted to. He wanted to abandon his fear and rush to Ronan, promise him that they could have the future they always dreamt of. Instead, he fiercely wiped tears from his eyes and lowered his head to avoid even looking at the man, letting Clarissa's reassuring promises to look out for Ronan wash over him without reply.

He exhaled slowly, letting his eyes shut and fists tighten at his sides in an effort to keep himself together and avoid making a scene - even when his body visibly shook with that effort, he somehow managed to succeed and open his eyes again with a faint smile... however forced it was.

"Just come back soon 'cos I don't think I can manage without 'ya, Clar. An'-- And tell Ronan I.. I love him, aight?" He whispered under his breath, fearful of the wind perhaps carrying his words and allowing anyone else to overhear the confession. Just admitting it aloud made his stomach twist in panic and chest grow tight, so the prospect of him actually admitting it to his pack was just... impossible.

However shitty he felt for not being brave enough to stand up for Ronan and their relationship, their bond, he wasn't capable of letting that secret out, even if it meant watching him leave for an indeterminate number of months.

"Look after 'im, yeah? Cos he acts all fuckin' tough but he ain't, not really, like... he'll hate me sayin' it but he's soft an'... I know it's gonna hurt 'im having to be away from me, so... just look out for him-- a-and look after yourself 'cos you're the same, Clar. You're tough but... but you got that soft side of 'ya too. Just, just take time a... an' come back to us," he grinned, not particularly caring about appearances as Tate had done as he instead took a step forward and help Clarissa in a hug for several long seconds, almost refusing to let her go until he realised that he had to.

"...I'll see 'ya, then. I... I'll miss 'ya but... but I get it. We'll always be here whenever you decide you miss us too much~"
 
Clarissa didn't expect to be gone for long. A few months, maybe, as she had said. Six at the most. Just enough time for things to calm down, for her to spend time with the parents she had thought weren't real and for them to catch up on lost time with a daughter they believed to be dead. She had expected that time apart to help her and Tate to re-evaluate their relationship. At least that was what she did. Clarissa knew that when she returned, she would be more respectful of keeping their private lives just that - private. She could only hope that Tate had acknowledge what had pushed her to leave, and that he was willing to work on those things too.

However a part of her was scared, anxious even, that he wouldn't. That he would remain as stubborn as ever, and that they would never be considered equals in his eyes. Perhaps that was what pushed her to train under her parents. That and the constant self-doubt she had experienced in her short time as a werewolf, and then as an alpha.

The training regime she had asked her parents to put her under had been tough, exhausting, vomit-inducing at times. Her body ached and lungs cried out for her to stop every single day. She watched and listened careful to every situation her parents had to undergo as alphas, learning and then asking when she didn't understand. Even within the first few months, she had noticed a difference to her body. The baby fat she had entered Tate's pack with was slowly melting away. Her appearance becoming sharper, more defined, her body more toned and lean. She became known as Luana in the pack, and began to answer to it more frequently until Clarissa was no longer used.

Then the symptoms came.

Morning sickness. An aversion to some food. A craving for others. The need to pee became a laughable joke. The toned abdomen she had worked so hard on slowly became bloated, her breasts heavier. Then Meredith commented on her scent. It had changed, when she asked, she was told her scent had become... sweeter.

It was then that the pack healer told her she was pregnant.

Of course, the first thing Clarissa felt was immediate happiness. Her heart swelled with a love and warmth she had never experienced before, even with Tate. Then the dread hit, and the tears that were in her eyes turned into worried ones.

Tate.

How would he react to the news? He had made it abundantly clear that he didn't want children, and here she was, carrying his future son or daughter.

Meredith had tried to convince her to send word to him; to tell him of the fantastic news. That's when she broke down and unleashed everything, telling her mother - whom she had become so close to in the four months alone - just why things were so awful between them. Luana decided to keep things quiet, refusing to send word to her mate or even to anyone in the pack. As much as she wanted to share this news with Anders or Daisy... she knew they wouldn't be able to keep it from their brother.

So Luana continued on, as if it were her normal life in her parents pack. She continued to train, not wanting to lose her edge or fitness during the pregnancy and also because she knew her body and the baby could handle it. Werewolves were stronger than humans, therefore the pups were too.

Soon four months had turned into nine, and she was giving birth. A beautiful, healthy, pink baby girl. Luana hadn't realised she was crying until Meredith had moved to wipe away the tears that had trickled down her cheeks as the baby was placed in her arms. Never before had Luana experienced such an intense love for something. Tala, she had named her daughter, as close to the child's father's name as she dared to go.

As the months continued to drag by, Luana continued to make excuses on why she needed to stay longer. Her anxieties too strong to ignore, when it came to thinking of returning to her original pack. She knew it wasn't fair, on any of them - Tate, her, their child - for her to stay away any more. However, it wasn't until Tala said their first word that Clarissa realised she had to go back.

Dada.

Even with her being the only parent in their child's life, the first word was still Dada. Guilt and sadness filled her in that moment, leaving her to need some time to herself to release all the emotion she had been suppressing during the pregnancy and afterwards. Reflecting on all the things she and Tate should have been experiencing together, but hadn't been able to all because she had been too afraid - perhaps even cowardly - to go back. The prospect of rejection too powerful, and almost too real, for her to even consider facing.

By the time she worked up the courage to finally set up plans to return, it had been two years. Two. Years.

She knew how awful that was, that she had promised to return much, much earlier. That perhaps she should have sent a reason with the communications she did send telling them she wouldn't be coming back soon. But after Tate's stubborn refusal and disagreement to having children, Luana feared the worse.

The journey back to her mate had been a tense affair. They had sent Ronan with her, to accompany her, and she was glad. She still hadn't figure out how she was going to introduce Tala to the pack, or to Tate for that matter. She was going to have to introduce child and father, practical strangers, when that should never have been the case.

The two adults travelled in wolf form, with a large cloth sack attached to Ronan's back which contained clothes for the three of them, while Tala was wrapped up warm and nestled into Clarissa's fur. The toddler had been taught from an early age how to ride on Luana's back, ready for this moment. Tala's little fingers tangled within her fur and legs clamped either side of her torso, face buried down into the warmth to avoid the biting autumnal breeze as they raced through forests and rocky landscapes.

A multitude of things raced through her mind by this point, and she was unable to focus on just the one.

How would Tate react upon seeing her again? She was not the same as she was before - she was quicker, faster, stronger, more lean and was now more than capable of holding her own in a fight. She was also more of an alpha now, having earned the respect of those in her parents' pack and also having lead a few hunts and winning enough fights to prove herself worthy.

Then there was the case of Tala. How would Tate respond to their presence? Would he even accept that child as his own? To Luana, she could see Tate every day in their child. In the frown they gave when being corrected, in the laughter when being chased or tickled. They had the colour of his eyes, and the strength of jaw he possessed.

Would Tate have found someone else? Could he have moved on, thinking she wasn't ever returning, and tried to set up a new life with someone new?

Before long, the journey had been completed, and Luana hesitated just a few a hundred meters away from the tree line that boarded the clearing of her old pack. Listening closely, she could hear the bustling of life as things started to settle into late afternoon.

"It'll be fine, Lu."

Her wolfen head turned to look to Ronan, who, without her realising, had shifted and changed into some of the clothes they had brought with them while she had been caught up in her inner turmoil. Her ears flickered back and head lowered briefly in a show of her discomfort, only for her ears to lift from the back of her head as a small hand patted her neck.

"Mumma okay. Mumma be okay." Tala spoke up and Luana wished she could cuddle her pup right there and then. Instead she settled for turning her head to lick the palm that stroked her, earning her a giggle in response.

Ronan moved finally to help the toddler from her back, and Luana shifted - now a seamless transition - to change into some clothes her new friend had already gotten out for her. Leaving her feet bare for now, she crouched down to kiss Tala's head, gently stroking the child's cheeks with her thumbs before the child took a few more steps to wrap her arms around her mother. Holding onto her daughter for a moment of reassurance, Luana took a deep breath and glanced back up to Ronan.

"If you both stay on the boundary edge with her... I'll head in first. I... I can't know for sure what the reaction is going to be, I... I might need to break this news slowly to him. To all of them. The last thing I want is for... for him to think she's yours. Especially when we both know, and Anders will know, that that is the furthest thing from the truth." She murmured, finally standing and stroking Tala's head as the child nuzzled into the side of her leg.

Nodding Ronan smiled faintly, but dryly, "Too bad we couldn't just tell him the truth..."

Luana reached a hand out to give his shoulder a squeeze, "It'll happen eventually. We'll make it happen. Admittedly, it's one of the reasons I wanted it to be you that came with me." She smiled quietly.

Ronan's smile faded and his eyes darted to the treeline, now his turn to hesitate, "Do you think... will... will he be happy? To see me again?" He glanced back to her, hand reaching to fiddle with the string strap of their cloth bag that laid over his shoulder, "Anders, I mean?"

"Of course he will. Him and Teddy both. Don't... don't you worry about that at all. Anders... knowing Anders he would have been thinkin' about you every day." Her smile softened and she patted his shoulder, "What he won't be happy about is that he won't be able to give you a big ol' hug when he sees ya."

Taking a deep breath, she glanced down to Tala, fingers lightly scratching the back of the girl's head, "Mumma's got to go meet some people now. You stay with Uncle Ronan for a few minutes okay? Be a good girl?"

Tala looked up, dark brown eyes resembling Tate's were round and large, "Where going?"

"To meet some very special people. People who'll... who are family too. Mumma'll be back real soon an' then you can meet them too, yes? You got to be really good with Uncle Ronan, and then be a brave girl when you come back out with mumma, okay?"

Tala nodded furiously, taking a step back and then reaching up to take hold of Ronan's hand. Luana looked up to him, inhaling deeply, "Just keep an eye out, I don't know where this is all goin' to go down. Knowin' our luck it'll be out in the clearin' but... not much we can do about that. Our main concern is protectin' her, okay?"

With a final look of confirmation from Ronan, Luana knelt back down to kiss Tala's forehead again and murmur a final declaration of love to the toddler before straightening and heading toward the treeline, soon exiting and stepping out into the clearing, where the sounds of laughter and cooking became louder and clearer with every step.
 
All Tate had wanted to do when Clarissa -or rather, Luana- made her decision to leave was beg her to stay, to abandon all his inhibitions and plead with her not to leave him. Despite his never-wavering determination to maintain certain characteristics in front of his pack, to be the alpha he knew he had to be, he had wanted desperately to abandon that feat just for a few minutes in order to convince his mate that she didn't need to leave... but doing so would have meant agreeing to ideas that he thought could place his pack in danger.

And as their alpha, a role he took more seriously and regarded with so much importance, he had to prioritise their security, even if it meant letting go of the person he loved.

So he hadn't turned around and begged her to stay. Instead, he had headed off into his hut to avoid the temptation of watching her leave into the dark foliage of the woods, where he stayed the night, doing his best not to break down over the events of that day. As hard as it was not to fall into the depths of some dark depression over the fact he had lost the supportive presence of the one person he could be open and vulnerable with, Tate managed to step out of his hut the following day after her departure to continue with the pack duties as though nothing had occurred. It wasn't easy to put on that brave expression and pretend as though he was fine, but it was something he wasn't willing to back down from.

In his head, his mate would only be away for a few months and though each day that progressed without her was more difficult than the last, the alpha was determined that he would -and could- see those months through. He would show his vulnerabilities alone in his hut at the end of a long day, curl up in bed and take in the last of her lingering scent on his bedsheets, but present among the pack, his expression remained neutral and fierce, seeing through his duties with the expected dedication without letting the absence of his mate hinder his ability to do so.

...But that was when he thought she would be back at his side within a few months, half a year at the most. He was only able of progressing through each day when he thought he was counting down to her eventual arrival in a handful of months' time. He was only capable of holding himself together and being the alpha his pack needed him to do when he believed that Luana would return in no time and their relationship, their bond, could get back on track after the difficulties it had undergone.

Months ticked by and the date he had planted in his head for her return came and went, and soon an entire year had passed without a hint of her return. The time frame between the expected return and the end of that year was a period in which Tate barely recalled, but from what his family said, he had lost his mind during it.

There were days where he would wander aimlessly amongst the trees in a futile attempt to find Luana's new settlement and bring her home, no matter how dark the skies grew or how fierce the wind blew, in the fear that she had attempted to return, got hurt, and was waiting for rescue somewhere in the vast woods.

There were days where he would storm angrily about the clearing in the pack, ranting irately about how disgusting Luana's behaviour was to leave them without any knowledge of her whereabouts, seething in an anger that was mostly borne from fear and hurt.

And then there were the days that had worried his family and his pack the most: the days where he would remain in his hut, abandoning all his treasured duties and sleeping endlessly without touching any food. He would remain in that state for days and days, cocooned in his grief, believing that Luana had no interest in returning and that he had messed up a chance at happiness - the only chance he really thought was ever destined for him. It was difficult during those days to imagine that he was ever destined to find happiness when his own mate, the person he was fated to be with, had left and seemingly had no intention on returning anytime soon.

Though cliched, time did heal wounds. As hard as it was to pull himself from his sadness and guilt, he took it one day at a time, and slowly, those days turned into weeks, and those weeks into months. Before long, he was able to conduct his duties with his usual professional determination, and even though the realisation that Luana had yet to make her promised return even as the two year mark since her last appearance came around, Tate had reached a point where he was able to think about her without reacting with explosive anger or falling into a crushing, all-consuming depression.

But nor did he think of her fondly, no longer wishing for her return for the reestablishment of their relationship. That ship had sailed the moment she departed for two whole years without a word, leaving resentment and disappointment to linger in him. That might have prohibited him from proceeding with his duties with his preferred efficiency if not for the support of his pack who rallied around him in that time; the support from his brothers and Daisy who shared in that disappointment and were able to support him because of it.

It was Daisy who was perhaps hardest hit by her brother's emotional state across those two years. She had spent her entire life protesting that she was as strong as her older brothers were, physically and emotionally, but there was no denying that she was the most affected by the sight of her eldest brother having spent so long in the throws of despair. She tried to be strong for him, but she was the youngest of the group - taking on the hefty responsibilities that Tate usually piled on himself was a monumental task, and one she couldn't feasibly do. All she could do was be a supportive pillar for her brother; help ease him out of his depression and realise that while Luana might not ever return, he still had a pack who had his back and looked to him for guidance; who needed him, even if Luana felt she no longer did.

It was Daisy who was sat near the fireplace in the clearing as Luana made her emergence from the woodland foliage around them, dutifully tending to a young child's bruised, scraped knee with a quiet smile. Two years hadn't collectively changed the pack too much but the same couldn't be said for some of the individuals within it - like Daisy. She had been a child when Luana left; a young teenager of just 16 whose youthful appearance and personality overshadowed her determined protestations that she was tough and capable. Only now, two years later after blossoming into a young woman, could she make an accurate claim to be as tough and as capable as she always believed she would be, the young woman not just the pack's healer but a vocal voice at each discussion, unafraid to air her opinion and defend it vociferously.

She was so focused on her duties that she barely acknowledged the hush that descended around her pack, only becoming aware of the silence that now lingered when the young child she was tending to turned their head to diagnose the cause of the hush. Her hazel eyes followed theirs, settling and freezing on the sight of Luana. For a moment, there was no reaction to be had as she let her eyes flicker with recognition but failed to say or do anything about it. Immediately, she was hit with all the hurt, rage and confusion that had plagued her since Luana failed to arrive back to them when she had indicated she would, the sudden wave of harsh emotion causing her expression to falter - though she didn't act on any of them. She didn't erupt into a rage nor breakdown in tears. Instead, she rushed to her feet and made the distance up between them to bring Luana into a hug.

As difficult as she found her absence to be, as angry as she was at her for remaining departed from them without a word, the happiness at seeing her again overrode all of that. The tears did glisten her eyes but in happiness and relief at seeing her safe, rather than out of anger and disgust, hence the wide smile that grew on her matured features soon after.

"You-- You came back, I-- I don't-- know what to say, I'm not good at-- at this," she laughed weakly under her breath as she pulled away, her hands remaining on Luana's shoulders as she let her eyes grace over her to ensure she was actually real and not some hallucination. "You look well, Clarissa; really well. I-I c-can't believe you-- you came back!"
 
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As Luana ventured closer, there was a worry in the back of her head that the pack would notice her changed scent. What if they smelled Tala on her before she had a chance to introduce the child? They would begin questioning before she had a chance to explain, and she was already concerned about overwhelming the child. Her eyes swept over the camp, instinctively seeking out the mate she had been without for so long. Anxious anticipation caused her fingers to twitch by her sides as she walked, otherwise appearing controlled and unnerved by the eyes that now focused on her, and the hush that fell over all who attended the firepit.

Soon she was on the edge of the group that surrounded the firepit, pausing and lingering there as she once more allowed her gaze to move across the faces before her. None of them belonged to the family she knew before she left. None of them belonged to Tate.

Unknowing to the behaviour that her departure, and lengthy absence had caused in her mate and their alpha, Luana kept her head high as the eyes continued to lock in on her. She still may not have had as much time as werewolf as everyone else in the clearing, but she had experienced some intense training and refused to let it all go to waste now.

That being said, it was a relief to turn her head in the direction of movement, only to see a familiar face. Daisy.

The young woman had certainly grown up, and Luana was shocked at how much two years could do. Even if she knew first hand the effects time could have. She did briefly stiffen, as Daisy approached, uncertain as to what reception she would get, only to blink and pause as she was pulled in for a hug.

Instantly her arms raised and she firmly squeezed the girl back, taking in a deep breath of the woman's scent and familiarising herself with it once more.

"I'm sorry I didn't return sooner... a lot has happened." Luana apologised immediately, hands moving to hold Daisy's elbows as the other young woman held her shoulders. She also took the time to look over the girl she considered a sister, shaking her head fondly, "Look at you-- you're all grown up, an' I missed it all." It wasn't long before Luana was pulling Daisy in for another hug, breathing out heavily as the weight on her shoulders began to melt away.

Pulling back, she glanced back around to the pack, nodding toward the group before looking back to Daisy, "I can't... imagine what you must have been through. All of you. An'-- an' I'm willin' to listen to every single thin' you might want to say an' have out with me. But I-- in my head... I had a good reason. I'll... I'd be willing to explain all of it, if we could... perhaps go somewhere more private? All of us, I mean. Where's Anders? An'--an'... and... Tate? Are they here?"
 
Though Luana's absence had been deeply upsetting for Daisy (as it was for all those in the pack), she had always believed that there had to have been a reason for it. She detested the fact that nobody had passed along a message about Luana's whereabouts and circumstances just so she, and her brothers, could stop torturing themselves with horrible scenarios that could have taken place to prevent her return, but she had nonetheless always been confident that something had prevented Luana from returning; that she hadn't just randomly decided to ignore that part of her life as though it never existed.

To hear that that was indeed the case came as a relief, and caused her to smile and nod in understanding now her beliefs had been confirmed. There was nothing more she needed and wanted to hear than Luana explaining why she had been gone for so long and come to truly understand just what it was that had kept her from them for so long, but that eagerness was halted at the mention of both Tate and Anders, her smile falling immediately and an unreadable expression settling on her face.

It appeared to be a mixture of nervousness and almost sympathy for Luana as she peered over her own shoulder to ensure neither of her brothers had appeared on the scene before she at least had a chance to warn her that their reactions might not exactly be the same as her own - they weren't going to run into her arms and be grateful for her return like Daisy had been.

"...I don't think that that's... I mean-- th-things have-- been tough, and they've gone through a lot-- you were gone for two entire years, Clar," she whispered under her breath, a frown settling on her face in the first show of that anger that had, until now, been overshadowed by the happiness at the reunion. She wasn't about to explode into a rage but she couldn't pretend she wasn't unhappy with her.

Unfortunately, she couldn't imagine her brothers would be capable of just frowning at her in a display of their anger. It would be far worse than that and she couldn't, in good conscience, allow Luana to believe that a happy reunion was to be had with either of them when it would be far from the case.

She wanted to inform her of more than that; have her quickly caught up to date with Tate's circumstances in particular though that chance was ripped away from her when the pack's alpha obliviously arrived onto the scene... hand-in-hand with a young woman who had just planted an affectionate kiss to Tate's cheek before any realisations had been made that Luana was stood nearby in their presence.

The silence over the pack became deafening as they awaited a reaction from Tate, who remained frozen in place in clear shock, his eyes never leaving Luana's as he struggled to come to terms with the fact she was back. He had finally gotten himself to a place where he was happy again. He had a pack who cared for him, a family who supported him and, in recent months, he had grown close to Leah. He had only ever considered her a friend, someone he had played with as a child and relied upon as one of the camp's cooks as she grew into adulthood, but her support to him over the two years as he recovered from Luana's absence had been invaluable... and eventually became something far more than a mere friendship.

It had blossomed into something he genuinely treasured and only in recent months had he allowed himself to accept his feelings and start to plan for a future for himself that didn't include Luana.

And after all that work, after dragging himself out of the depression that had swarmed him and the anger that had consumed him, Luana had chosen to step back into his life without warning.

"...Tate-- Tate, b-breathe, okay? It's... It's all okay," began Daisy gently, unsure whether she would have to coach her brother through the breathing exercises that had become vital to him during the aftermath of Luana's prolonged absence; when panic attacks would unwelcomingly greet him. Given the circumstances, that was a possibility as she approached in preparation to help him... though paused at the sight of the anger that instead marred his expression. "Don't-- Tate, don't r-react like this--"

"You have a fucking nerve showing back up like this," the man began slowly, though in no way was he calm - his fists clenched at his sides as a muscle jumped in his neck. He turned his head to the side to take a deep breath in and let it exhale slowly, a hand reaching up to run over the lower half of his face which now sported a beard, perhaps the greatest physical difference in him besides a slightly leaner physique.

"If-- If you don't fuckin' get outta my sight I'll have you forcibly removed for trespassing, Clarissa. You ain't fuckin' welcome 'round here anymore so f-fuck off before I-- before I do somethin' about it myself," he hissed fiercely, the slight glow of his eyes indicative of the transition that dared to make itself known. He was fighting off the urge, though the slight shaking of his body and the growl within his voice meant that he was currently fighting a losing battle. "Fuck off, Clarissa. I mean it. Go."
 
"I-- I know. I know it's been a real long time and I-- I really did plan to come back after six months, really. I promise. I swear. I just... like I said, a lot happened... something came up and... I just..." Luana trailed off, reaching for Daisy's hand and knowing how feeble her words sounded to those who didn't know, who wouldn't understand. Tala. Tala had happened, and while Luana knew that she couldn't use the child as an excuse forever, it was the reason she didn't return sooner. How would Tate have reacted if he saw her return with a pregnant belly? Not to mention, it would have hardly have been a safe journey to make, six months pregnant over rocky terrain.

However, the chance to continue the weak attempts of explaining herself was lost as her mate's scent finally came on to the wind. She lifted her head, nervous energy bubbling up within as she fought back that anticipation at seeing her mate. She was scared, of course, at his reaction. Clearly things hadn't reached the pack as she had hoped and it seemed as though she had made a lot of enemies out of the friends she once had.

Things couldn't have gotten much worse when she saw her mate hand-in-hand with another, who at that moment, kissed his cheek. Showing him the affection she should have been.

Devastation was like a tsunami wave as the two alpha's made eye contact. Just as it had the day she had left, with him not even attempting to stop her, Clarissa's heart shattered. All while Luana's hardened.

She gently released Daisy's hand so the now-young woman could go to her brother. Luana, meanwhile, struggled with her own inward battles. Of hurt and devastation. But not of betrayal... perhaps deep down she had been expecting it, since she had taken his words too close to heart the last time they were together. When she told him to find someone who would say yes to him all the time: 'Maybe I will.' Because how was she to know this wasn't a result of her being away longer than he expected? How was she to know he searched the woods for her each night?

"It's hardly trespassing. I was under the impression I was welcome back at any time." Her gaze flickered to the woman at his side, hesitating there before returning back to him, "I'm not here to fight you, Tate... and I'd really prefer not to." She continued, staying still and keeping her composure, but there was no submission in gaze or voice this time.

Clarissa was gone, and in her place was Luana. And Luana didn't submit to anyone.

The only thing she was concerned about was Tala. Her daughter. Their daughter. Who would be watching from the treeline, and potentially have a first impression of Tate as being the one who injured her Mumma.

"I just... need to talk to you. This isn't a want. This is a need. All I need to do is speak to you. In private. And... and if what I have to say doesn't... change anything then... then I'll go. I promise. If not as a mate then... then as an alpha."
 
Even amongst the cloud of anger and disbelief that had descended upon him, Tate wasn't capable of overlooking the difference in the other. Physically, she was noticeably leaner and fitter, and he had no doubt that she was all the more stronger for it - but he wasn't oblivious to the fact that that strength was mental too. The look in her eyes, her body's stance, the way she spoke... it all indicated to an emotional growth that he hadn't witnessed in her when they had been a pair.

If anything, it only served to make him angrier. He had hoped that she would have spent their time apart bettering herself, as he had done in those first six months, so they could reunite a better, stronger couple than before, but he hadn't thought once about it after she failed to return, so consumed by fears that she had put an end to what they had. It was why he couldn't find any delight in seeing that she had put all their time apart to good use because all he could do was compare it to how he had spent the majority of their time apart.

Strolling the woods desperately at night in the hopes of finding her. Curled up in bed incapable of eating or talking. Breaking down publicly in front of his pack.

How could he welcome her in when, in his head, she had spent two years thriving while he had spent most of it wallowing in grief and despair? He had no idea if she had missed him, nor had any clue that it had been just as hard for her being away - all he could see was how she had bettered herself while having the knowledge of his own misery for much of that time.

"Anything you have to say will fall on deaf ears, I guarantee it. I don't give a shit about whatever excuse that's about to come spiralling from your vicious little mouth, Clarissa. I don't give a fuck. Nothin' you're gonna babble out is gonna change the fact you disappeared on us all without a fuckin' word! You didn't even have the fucking decency to send someone here to inform us that you weren't gonna come back - we thought you were fucking dead," he snapped suddenly, the growl within his voice reverberating in echoes around the pack as he ignored every effort Daisy was desperately making to calm him down, the younger sibling eventually getting the message and taking a seat back around the campfire with a wary grimace at the anger consuming her eldest brother.

As understandable and justifiable as it was, it wasn't easy to witness because she knew from experience that it was borne from hurt and a sense of betrayal... and the last thing she wanted was him to revert back into that place of withdrawal form them all after the progress he had made to pull himself out of it.

"...Anything you say can be said in front of my pack or not at all, you know that. So go on, what pathetic excuse are 'ya gonna give me, then? Say it and fuck off again 'cos I ain't interested in catching up with 'ya over a cuppa, Clar."
 
Her eyes closed at his snap, a small breath being inhaled as she allowed his anger to wash over her. Before she may have allowed it to effect her. Before she might have hung her head or lowered her gaze or done something equally as submissive without even realising it. Instead she stood strong, and allowed the emotion to weather against her.

If she had known all that he was going through due to her extended time at her parents' pack, Luana would have been back in an instant. She would have been back by his side, loving and supporting him as she had done. Knowing they had both been through the same turmoil. Except she had to stay strong and not slip into that spiral of despair, because of Tala.

"Because I was comin' back. I was always goin' to come back." She answered while opening her eyes again, "I'm sorry. I know that ain't goin' to mean anythin' to you now but I am. And I will say that until I die. I'm sorry I didn't send a message. But you... you didn't want anythin' to do with the other pack. Would you have seriously acknowledged any message they came with? Would you seriously've believed I was stayin' there of my own accord?" She questioned, keeping her voice soft but ensuring it didn't sound patronising or condescending for the fear it would only lead him to explode further.

At his decision, Luana struggled with what to do. Introducing Tala to this hostile environment wasn't going to bode well, and she didn't want her daughter, their daughter, to have a first impression of this pack that stank of negativity and chaos and hatred.

"It would do you well to not call my reasonin' for stayin' away a 'pathetic excuse'." It was the first time a rumble of a growl escaped Luana during their exchange, motherly instinct rearing it's head in preparation to protect her pup. "Just because you have moved on, doesn't mean I have." She added sharply, sending him and the woman beside him a final look before turning and heading back to the treeline.

She disappeared within the forest, only to soon reappear with Ronan trailing hesitantly a few feet behind. However, the bag of clothes had been left within a hollow trunk, since Luana didn't dare bring it for the fear of humiliation if they were still to be rejected.

Little hands clung to her shoulders, and knees clasped against her ribs as Tala got a piggyback ride from her mother. There was a slight glow to Luana's own eyes, indictive to the wolf within who was prepared to defend the little one on her back from anything - physical attacks or verbal insults. Her eyes swept over the pack group as they neared, and Tala's head peeped over Luana's shoulder to take a look at the group as they approached. The child's own auburn hair seeming to mix in with Luana's, as heavy-lashed and dark brown eyes surveyed the unfamiliar faces before her.

"Mumma... okay?" She whispered, going as far to pull strands of Luana's hair back from her ear as if they would hinder the question. Luana turned her head and nuzzled it into Tala's temple, "Mumma okay. Will you be brave now? Like we said?"

With a murmur of agreement, Tala's head ducked back down and Luana focused back onto Tate, gaze hardening.

Finally she stopped, a safe distance away from Tate and his new... friend, and gently helped Tala down to her feet. The two year old immediately latched onto Luana's leg, and she lowered a hand to gently cup the back of the child's head.

"Don't even think about insultin' me by darin' to ask if she's yours, Tate. The scent of your blood, her eyes, her stubbornness, her laugh... they all belong to you. Her-- her name is Tala... This... this is your daughter." Luana finally faltered, eyes darting all over the place as she tried to assess any dangers or threats as a new mother would. Eventually they returned to him, as if deciding he was the closest thing to a threat that one could get in that moment.

She didn't know how he would react to his unknown child. Luana knew he would never harm a child, but the most hurtful thing he could do would be reject her. Perhaps Tala wouldn't know at first, being too young, but that rejection would cause a pain with Luana unlike any other. And she wasn't sure if she would be able to keep her cool if that did happen.

Tala's eyes, large and dark, stared up at Tate with a roundness of awe and, naturally, a hint of fear. Yet she did as her mother told her, and tried to be brave, so kept her little chin tilted upwards. Her chubby cheeks pink from the autumnal breeze and little fingers tightly clenched, one wrapped in the material of Luana's trousers, and the other simply in a fist.
 
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If the atmosphere was awkward before, then there were no real words that could accurately describe just how much more awkward it had become when Luana made her emergence from the woodland with a young toddler in tow. Even before she indicated that the child was Tate's, the surrounding pack members were quick to put two and two together because there really was no denying that the child was their alpha's - it was abundantly clear and needed no explanation.

Tate felt how almost every pair of eyes settled immediately on him for his reaction. It was common knowledge amongst the pack that he had no desire for children and had argued with Luana fiercely over the issue, never once wavering from the long-held opinion. It was one he felt he would always hold without ever harbouring the inner urge to fulfil the role of a father - it had just never appealed to him and he never foresee an event in his future when it would.

He struggled to come to terms with the reality he was being presented with, his expression flicking from disbelief to downright panic. He would have hid the latter emotion to spare himself the vulnerable position he felt it placed him in but his mind was racing and he had no way of controlling the outward appearance he might have preferred to display. Everything hit him all at once, all the emotions and questions; thoughts and feelings. It was impossible to hide how each one passed by on his expression, rendering him speechless as his eyes fell on the young toddler staring up at him.

He was understandably furious that he wasn't made aware of the existence of his own child two years into her life, any grievances he already had with Luana now exacerbated to unbelievable heights. Even if he disliked the idea of having a child, he was still, ultimately, the father and deserved the right to know about any child of his. He might not have reacted favourably to news of the pregnancy, but that didn't diminish his right to know about it.

To be kept in the dark for two entire years horrified him, that marring his expression as he finally lifted his eyes back up to Luana's, swallowing hard to keep himself as together as he could.

"...You need to leave, all of you. I won't ask again. If you don't fuck off, I'm gonna have to force you an' I don't wanna have to resort to that. I-I genuinely think I'll end up killing 'ya if you don't fuck off r-right this minute, Clar. Y-You-- You are actually downright fucking evil, ain't 'ya? Or are you just that heartless that you thought this was a good idea? Hiding this for two fucking years and then strolling into my life again l-like I'd welcome you with open arms?! F-Fuck off, I-- I'm g-genuinely gonna lash out if you don't g-go--"

"You need to take a breath, seriously. Just... look at me; deep breaths," encouraged the brunette at his side suddenly, forcibly tilting her partner's face so he would look down at her and follow her instructions. Like Daisy, Leah had been instrumental in helping Tate out of his lower points and, again like Daisy, she couldn't help but fear a return of that the angrier he became. The thought of seeing him in that state again terrified her, as evident by the glistening of tears across her green eyes, though she managed to smile quietly in the attempt to hold herself together - and more importantly, keep Tate from losing it. "You aren't going t' hurt anyone, don't say shit like that. Just--"

"Just what? Welcome her in and pretend to give a shit about-- this situation? I don't care. I don't care, Clar," he snapped again, any effort he had made to remain calm disappearing the moment he glanced back across at his former partner, his eyes refusing to soften even as he peered markedly down at his apparent daughter. Any paternal rush of love that others might feel in his situation was (seemingly) lost on the alpha as he took one final look at the two before storming off, kicking Daisy's basket of medical supplies aside as he went.

The silence reigned in his absence though when it became insufferable, Daisy silently approached once more. She shared a quiet glance with Leah, and though no words were exchanged, the message was clear and the latter woman headed off after Tate quickly.

"...You... had a child," the girl whispered as she glanced down at her niece, offering a gentle smile in reassurance. "...That's why you... didn't come back? Clar, I... you should have told us. Y-You-- You kept it from-- from all of us, from me. Didn't you trust me to... to help you? To-- see my own niece?"
 
"You touch my daughter in the way you're referring an' I promise you that you won't be the one doin' the killin'." Luana immediately snarled, taking a step forward so she was now position in front of Tala. The pup didn't hesitate in adapting to the new positioning, loosely holding onto her mother's right leg as she peeked out from behind. She may not have understood the words that were being said or the meaning behind them just yet, but she recognised the tone of voice. And the danger it possessed. Both from the unknown man in front of her, and also from her Mumma.

"You think I'm evil? You think I'm heartless?" Luana could hear her voice begin to raise, in the anger that was beginning to bubble up within her. Not at the rejection he threw at her, since after their fight before she left, Luana had prepared herself for the worst possibilities, but at the rejection he was offering their daughter. Their sweet, innocent daughter who had nothing to do with the issues that were between mates. "Just take a step back an' think back to what you said before I left, Tate. Don't you dare fuckin' pin this on me. Not all of it, anyway. I knew you'd react like this. I fuckin' knew it! That's why I was so fuckin' terrified of coming back, because I knew you wouldn't want either of us!"

At this point Ronan had stepped forward to take hold of Luana's arm, gently holding her back. It went without her realising that she, now, was on the cusp of transitioning. Her eyes flaring and body trembling as her self-control held back the shift that longed to take over.

Each breath out resulted in a low growl, rumbling through the action before ending as she inhaled hard again. As little hands grabbed at her again, she realised that she had to maintain her composure... and stop with the swearing.

There was so much more she wanted to say. So many words she wanted to lash out at him as he had done with her. But as always, she was the one that was forced to keep her composure, to control the emotions that had raged within for two years now. She couldn't show exactly how she was feeling with Tala there, always having to keep a calm and happy facade for her daughter.

Another warning growl escaped her as his eyes turned down onto Tala, and instinctively Luana took another step forward, wrenching her arm out of Ronan's hold. Her eyes burned into her former partner, her mate, as if daring him to try and lay a single finger on their daughter.

Her protective instinct didn't waiver as he turned and left, the new woman he had seemingly occupied himself with racing after him. The innate part of her, the one that clung still to the mate bond, snarled at the sight of another touching what was hers. But she smothered it down. Trying to ignore all the images that her mind cruelly conjured up of the two of them being together... in every way possible. Swallowing back a whine, she glanced down to Tala and forced a small smile onto her lips as the toddler stared up at her, the beginnings of tears in her eyes.

"Up. Up." She demanded, fingers stretching out for her Mumma to do just as she asked.

Immediately, Luana scooped the child up into her arms and balanced her on her hip. She turned her body slightly so Tala was positioned furthest away to the movement she caught in the corner of her eye. However, upon assessing it and seeing it to be Daisy, she partially relaxed.

Swallowing hard at the question, she turned her head back to look at Tala, who's own head came to rest on her Mumma's shoulder, a small fist pressed against Luana's collarbone. But eyes focused on Daisy.

"Do you think he would have reacted any better if he knew you guys knew? I couldn't... I wasn't going to ask you to keep a secret from him." Luana murmured softly, free hand raising to stroke the back of Tala's head to mindlessly soothe the child. She looked back to Daisy, eyebrows knitted together, "That's what our fight was about before I left Dase... he doesn't want kids. Just... please try and imagine what it was like for me. Being in that pack, finding out I'm pregnant with a child my mate doesn't even want. I thought... I didn't know how to handle it. I wanted to tell you... I really-- really did."

Taking a deep breath, she shook her head and glanced in the direction her mate stormed off, muscles tightening, before looking back to the young woman, "I knew he wouldn't want to know and I-- I was right. Not that it matters, he's clearly fu-- he's clearly moved on." She glanced to Ronan, exhaling heavily, "We should go. We ain't goin' to stay where we ain't wanted."
 
"He moved on because he thought you had chosen to leave him, Clar. You didn't come back for-- for two years. And Leah was-- she didn't just jump into bed with him, it wasn't like that. She was-- there for him and you weren't here and... he's allowed to move on given we thought you had just ditched us. I thought you had. We all did," admitted Daisy as she awkwardly chose to peer up at the sky above them to avoid eye contact with Luana, knowing that if she did, she'd either end up breaking down into tears or go the other way and get all her anger off her chest in a few minutes - and unlike Tate, she wanted to spare the young child clinging to Luana experiencing that.

Though, just because she was furious with the other and far more hurt than she perhaps alluded to, she understood her decision to prolong her absence. She didn't like it, and she didn't understand why she couldn't have just sent along a message regardless of her fear of being disbelieved, but she understood it nevertheless, and it was the sympathy that she felt for Luana having to make the decisions she had that, once again, overrode her anger.

"You don't-- have to go, you can't just come back and then leave again, Clar, that ain't fair on-- on any of us," she blurted suddenly once Luana's intentions to leave were signalled, glancing back at her desperately. She had only just reunited with the woman she saw as a sister and had missed desperately for two whole years - the idea of just losing her again wasn't a nice one, especially when there was no guarantee she would return.

It was hard to trust Luana now. She could promise to return and keep in contact, but she had also promised to return to them in a few months the first time around and that hadn't happened. Daisy couldn't be sure she would keep in contact so letting her leave for possibly the final time seeing her made her chest tighten in anxiety.

That feeling was only exacerbated when Anders exited his hut, his sleep disturbed by the raucous yelling and causing him to grumpily trudge from his home to investigate the cause of it. Rubbing his eyes sleepily with a closed fist and yawning loudly, he barely acknowledged the fact Luana and Ronan were present until becoming acutely aware of the eyes peering at him from his pack. The anticipation of an angry reaction like that of Tate's wouldn't have ever crossed their minds had they not witnessed how Luana's (and Ronan's) absence had affected him. Anders was gentle and his love for Luana hadn't been at all subtle, so he would have reacted positively to her reappearance amongst them had he not been as damaged as he was by her unexplained prolonged disappearance.

Tate had gone through his troubles, but so had Anders - he had lost a best friend and a mate, neither of them passing along any message to explain why they had both chosen to keep away. Even if he was forced to believe that neither of them wanted to see him again, he couldn't even gain closure from that chapter of his life like Tate had - he couldn't just find someone else, and thus, he had to somehow try and come to terms with the fact he had lost the one shot of love he would ever have... without even knowing why it had come to an end the way it did.

To see Luana again enraged him, but Ronan's presence cut him far deeper and it was difficult to control the wave of deep-rooted fury that washed across him. He had always been capable of throwing a good punch and defending himself physically - despite his tender personality, he was still a trained werewolf. He just looked more of a threat after two years had passed, during which he had undergone a rather abrupt growth spurt and thrown himself into training alongside Gio, knowing that if any of his brothers could teach him a thing or two, it was him - and he had him to thank for the unsubtle increase of muscle mass.

He almost laughed in disbelief at their audacity to just turn up out of the blue, running both hands through his hair and visibly exhaling hard in the futile attempt to keep calm. It all but ended the moment he realised he was heading across to them, the last thing he was able to recollect being Daisy's desperate yells for him to stop. The few seconds after that were a blur, during which he realised he must have thrown a punch at Ronan's face given the explosion of pain across his knuckles and the blood that had spurted over his hand and shirt after the contact was made. He felt Daisy's arms wrapping around him to prevent him going in for another punch, the girl having to use every ounce of her strength to keep her brother at bay and when she realised that she was incapable of it, she began yelling out for Gio, knowing he was the only one in the pack capable of matching Anders' strength these days.

"G-Gio! Gio, h-help, I-- I need help-- j-jesus christ Anders! J-Just calm-- calm down, you coulda broken his f-fucking nose!"

"He's lucky I didn't snap his fuckin' neck," the older sibling grunted as he maintained eye contact with his mate, only glancing away to glare down at Luana with the same vehement snarl. "What-- did you expect from comin' back here? I-- I hate you. I fuckin' h-hate you-- I hate you, I--"
 
"I wasn't here because I was raising a child he didn't want. He doesn't want." Luana hissed back, unable to help the biting words but immediately softening her stance as a noise of discomfort sounded from the pup in question. Immediately a hand came to rest over Tala's head, gently covering the side of the toddler's face, easing her back into a comforting position. She looked back to Daisy, frown still settled over her expression, "I tried to send word. Countless times. But when nothing came back I just..." She shook her head, "When the messenger said they couldn't find you I had thought... you'd moved on. When I finally made the trek myself, heard you all here..."

She took a deep breath, hand lowering from Tala's head to her back to gently run her nails up and down in a soothing manner. Just as she used to like. "It ain't fair on Tala to be in this environment. If it were just me, I'd suck it up and stick it out. I know I deserve what I'm gettin' but... but she don't. She's just a baby, Dase. An' I ain't about to subject her to this... this hostility."

It was true. If Luana had returned by herself, she would have taken everything they had to say to her and more. Hell, she would have welcomed Tate's physical attack and let him rain down all his anger and upset and hurt onto her. Not that she didn't have her own, but she wasn't in a position to get into that in that moment. But she had Ronan and Tala to look out for now. Not just as a friend and a mother, but also as an alpha. She wasn't about to force them to stay in a setting that seethed with hatred and anger. She also didn't want them to take the brunt of it. It was for her to weather, and for her alone. And Luana was beginning to wonder if she should have come alone, to see out the brunt of the negativity before trying to introduce Tala to it all.

"Tate's made it perfectly clear, regardless of if this Leah jumped into his bed immediately or not. Regardless of what I've done. He... He can't take that out on his daughter. And if-- If he's going to, then I ain't stickin' around to watch it happen. He's made it clear. He don't wanna know. I had known that from the start but I'd-- I'd just hoped... I'd just hoped things might've changed." She exhaled heavily, quietly helping Tala move as the pup clambered like a monkey until she was perched on her mother's back, "I never, ever had a thought of ditchin' you, any of you. I j-just... I just thought I was doing what was best for Tala."

So occupied as she was about what the pup in question was doing, that she didn't even realise Anders had emerged from his hut. The brutality that came from nowhere shocked her, and she took a few steps back just in surprise as Ronan fell instantly to the floor, a hand immediately rising to his bloodied nose while the other arm reached out to soften his fall.

A high-pitched scream ruptured Luana's left ear, and she heard her pup whimper on her back, a small forehead being pressed into the space between Luana's shoulder blades. Knowing the toddler was fine, Luana was quick to focus on Anders, as he turned his attention onto her.

"That's enough!" She yelled, finally at her limits. Teeth were bared and eyes were glowing once more as she came to step between Anders and Ronan. The latter groaning as he sat up, blood dripping down and staining his shirt. The male's eyes stared up at his mate as he peered around his alpha to see him, hurt glistening within the orbs.

If it weren't for Tala on her back, Luana would have tried to take control of Anders herself. She was stronger than before, and while he looked like he had been doing some serious training, so had she.

"You better lower your voice right now, Anders. My pup has been through enough as it is today and I'm fed up of her having to be the victim to the mistakes I've made. The mistakes I've made. Not Ronan. Not her. Now back. The fuck. Up." She snarled, understanding now that her actions, her decisions, had left her with no one in this pack to turn to. While Daisy seemed fine with her, she couldn't imagine the girl not harbouring her own fury.
 
Seeing his mate in pain and peering up at him from the ground, bloodied and hurt, ought to have caused the feelings within Anders to re-emerge once again. After all, this was his mate. They were fated to be with one another, their bond unarguably sacred. As furious as he was with him for leaving without offering any explanation for his prolonged absence, they were mates and he always thought that when Ronan returned, if he ever did, he would be far too delighted in his presence to remain angry at him.

But those had been in the early months when he still clung to the hope that he would return; when he would dream about being back at his side silently dwell on their future together with a quiet smile on his face.

When he would tell Teddy that one day, she would get to see and properly connect with her other Papa. He had spent those early months talking wistfully about the man to her, even when she was at a stage where she couldn't even understand him. By the time she started to talk and listen, it was impossible to discuss the topic with her without hurting her - how could he excite her with tales of a father who might not ever return to her life? Because it wasn't just Anders that Ronan had left behind, after all - it was Teddy too. They might not have discussed it too much but it was more than obvious that Anders would take the girl in and raise her as his own and, as his mate, the expectation had been for Ronan to fulfil a parenting role too.

The fact he hadn't fought to return in two entire years hurt, but the anger was only intensified when he considered Teddy and how all those early promises he had made her of a happy life that included Ronan had gradually crumbled into dust; a long-forgotten dream that he had had no choice but to abandon the more the months ticked on by.

And so no such feelings came to the surface at the sight of his mate on the ground beneath him. If anything, the fact he was still conscious annoyed Anders, and he pushed forward like an animal in an attempt to get back at his mate, a fist already raised in preparation to hammer it down on him - though Daisy's desperate pulls at him and Luana stepping inbetween to prevent him access to Ronan ultimately put a stop to those violent desires.

His eyes drifted to the pup clinging to her in eventual recognition of her presence - though it wasn't necessarily enough to quash the rage in him, his chest heaving and jaw clenched as he evidently struggled to get a hold of himself.

"Y'know, if you didn't want her bein' victim to your fucking mistakes, you shouldn't have brought her," piped up Lyle from the family hut, having exited after Anders and watched from afar with his arms folded across his chest. He had made no effort to intervene because, as far as he was concerned, Anders had every right to attack. Granted, he didn't know why most of his anger had been unleashed on Ronan, unaware of the bond between the two, but Ronan was a part of the pack that Luana had been faithful to for two years - he assumed that it didn't matter who was there; they would be a target regardless.

"...Seriously, what sort of mother are 'ya?" Another voice in amongst the pack muttered out in agreement with Lyle's remark, an audible tut sounding out in judgement. "Dragging your kid along like some fuckin' prop, knowing we'd hate you being here. Yeah, great parenting, Clarissa; real solid mother, ain't 'ya?"

"You-- shouldn't say shit like that, it's not fair. It's her daughter, you don't-- say that stuff--"

"Oh, shut up, Dase. She doesn't deserve you stickin' up for 'er. D'ya think she cares about 'ya, really?" Lyle snorted from his position against the hut, shaking his head in disbelief at what he perceived to be his sister's naivety. "She fucked off for two years, she doesn't give a shit about you-- you've had your fun, you've reopened old wounds, Clar. You've set Tate right back after months of progress an' you and your buddy there have royally screwed up Anders, so-- anythin' else you fancy doin' before you fuck off? Anyone else you wanna hurt? Sasha's in her hut right now, I could call her out so you could twist the knife in her back before 'ya go; really make sure you hurt us all, yeah?"
 
Luana's eyes darted from Anders to where Lyle stood in front of the family hut, narrowing in on him as the muscles in her body tightened. They hummed with energy, an electricity that suggested she was more prepared to fight than flee the situation. She quietly stepped back, crouching down slowly to reach out for Ronan and help him to his feet.

The male, meanwhile, took a grateful hold of his alpha's arm, pulling himself to his feet while the other hand raised the hem of his shirt to his nose to attempt to stem the flow of blood quicker. Anders was stronger than before, and despite it all, Ronan couldn't help but notice how well his mate looked. He looked tougher, and was definitely more built than before. However he couldn't comment on it, how could he? He'd probably end up with a split lip to match his bloodied nose.

He wanted nothing more than to explain himself to Anders. To tell him why he hadn't returned for so long. Because how could he? Tate had made it perfectly clear just how he felt about the other pack; it was the reason Clarissa had left in the first place. He couldn't just turn up one day, announced or not. He wasn't welcome, and he had to wait for his opportunity. The opportunity being when Luana decided to return. At least then he had an excuse for coming back to this pack. He had a reason to cover the reunion between him and his mate.

But Luana had clearly taken too long. Left it too late.

"You have-- have no right to talk to me like this, Lyle." She retorted, lowering Tala to the ground and ushering her behind Ronan for extra measure. "None of you have any idea just what these two years have been like for me. All you know is Tate and--and his misery. None of you even know the full story behind why I fuckin' left. An' why I left it so long to come back."

She surveyed the crowd, eyeing up each and every face she could, lingering longest on Lyle and Anders, and then Chester and Gio who had finally emerged. She paused on Daisy, gaze softening slightly.

Then it hardened, and she squared back up to the brothers, the ones she considered her own family before this unfortunate reunion. "I know I made mistakes, but you dare talk for me. An' don't dare fuckin' pretend that your brother was a fuckin' saint. He said shit that hurt, h-he made it clear what he didn't want. An' I w-was left to deal with the consequences of it. Alone. Knowin' he'd not want a part of it. These-- these two years ain't been fuckin' easy for me neither, you've-- you've no fuckin' clue. So-- so y'know what... fuck you. All of you." She growled, flinging a hand flippantly in the air, "We're goin'."

Luana turned, facing Ronan and Tala with a nod for him to toddler onto his back so they could leave. The male knelt so the two-year old could clamber onto his back, nose now starting to heal but still red with the force and the blood. He peered over Luana's shoulder at the group, but his gaze mostly lingered on Anders. He was still in shock, reeling from the greeting he had received from his mate. All this time he had been imagining their reunion, and not once had he settled on something like this.

"We-- we can't just leave. Y-you've come all this way--" Ronan started, frowning at Luana who paused, facing him, back to those she used to call family. "Yeah, I've come all this way and they don't want to know. My mate's moved on, my family hates me, and the pack think I'm a raging bitch who uses her daughter as a pawn. Forget it. We're goin' back." She snipped back, battling the hurt and the upset and the rage that battled within her.

"T-they just don't know. They didn't know what'd gone on before. They didn't see what we saw back at the pack--" Luana growled softly, a noise of warning which caused the male to halt in his speech. "They know enough. That's enough for them. Now let's go, before they decide words aren't enough."
 
"...Clar, p-please don't-- please don't go. I-- I know you won't come back if you leave again, so don't go; you can't go. I won't let you," attempted Daisy as sternly as the younger girl could manage. Despite maturing both physically and emotionally over those two years, she felt like she was just a child again, pleading desperately despite knowing that each attempt at convincing the other would fall on deaf ears. She had fought hard in those two years to be taken seriously by her brothers, to be seen as a valuable member of their pack who could do a lot more than the duties she oversaw as healer.

She wanted them to realise that she was strong and tough in every aspect, and yet she already knew that the brothers watching her emotional display right now would judge her for it. She ought to hate Luana for her absence, despise her as much as they all did, but she couldn't allow that emotion to distract her from the fact that this was Luana. The person she saw as a big sister, who had comforted her when she was down and praised her when she succeeded.

Who had always believed in her even when her own brothers had cast doubts on her abilities.

As angry as she was, she could never just turn her back on her, especially not when her reason for having kept away for so long was understandable. Not easy to accept when Daisy felt they all deserved to know about Tala's existence, but understandable.

Her attempts at being strong failed the moment she recognised the determinedness in Luana's tone and body language, her shoulders dropping and hardened expression breaking away in the immediate, stinging disappointment and hurt that she was hit with.

"I... I don't even get a chance to-- to be an auntie? That ain't fair on me, Clar. I-- I don't hate you; I love 'ya," she grimaced as she wrapped her arms around herself, her hatred at the situation gradually transferring towards her older brothers though her glares back at them either went unnoticed or were merely scoffed at, as though she was somehow still too young to properly understand the situation. As though she had to hate Luana because everyone else seemed to.

As though she wasn't capable of reaching her own opinion on the matter.

"Will you just fuckin' let her go already?" Lyle muttered sharply, the usually light-hearted brother turning bitter at the sight of his sister on the verge of breaking her heart - and in his eyes, Luana wasn't someone she should shed tears over anymore. She had hurt them and here she was, still hurting them. It outraged him to see his youngest sibling suddenly back in that emotional state again after they had all worked past the hurt, his eyes narrowed as he peered to Anders expectantly. "Will you just grab 'er and take her to the hut before she has a breakdown?"

"....C'mon Dase, ain't no point wastin' time on 'em, okay? And don't cry. Teddy ain't gonna want to see you all upset," began Anders with the usual gentleness he was known for, though the expression hardened the moment he turned his head to take in the others in irritation that they hadn't taken their exit already. "...Fuck off an' don't come back, Ronan; I fuckin' hate 'ya."
 
Luana's eyes closed at Daisy's pleads, resolve softening at the words that were practically being begged. She could handle the insults and the name-calling and hell, even a few beatings if they decided to dish them out... but Daisy almost crying, that was something she couldn't weather. Her shoulders drew inwards, and Ronan even looked between the two young women as if trying to figure out what would happen next. He knew he had to focus on what was happening, rather than continuously looking at his mate. It would only lead to more pain. Possibly literally in a physical sense. Although he hoped he knew Anders well enough to believe he wouldn't attack him with Tala on his back.

Meanwhile, Luana had turned to reface the group, but instead of addressing anyone else she approached Daisy. She pulled the young woman into a tight hug, a shuddering breath in the only proof that the situation was getting more difficult than she let on.

"Maybe you should hate me, Dase. It might be easier for you." She said quietly, pulling back and holding the girl at an arm's length by the shoulders. She offered a small smile, "You can come visit, you know--"

She was cut off by Lyle's comments and instantly her patience was gone. She looked over her shoulder to the werewolf, the smile vanishing, "You ought to give your sister more credit. She's stronger than you. Than all of you, put together." She snapped, eyes sweeping over the brothers who seemed have now stood together in their attempts to see her and Ronan off. "Don't you dare touch her. She's a grown woman and can make up her own mind."

Her attention then turned to Anders, and she took a few steps away from Daisy to square up to the younger wolf, "You have a real fuckin' nerve tellin' him that," she addressed him, fury bubbling, "Him bein' away for so long ain't his fault. S'mine. He's been helpin' me, and keepin' me and your niece safe for the past two years 'cause he thought it was somethin' you'd want." She then paused, allowing her words to linger in the air before leaning so her face was close to his, voice dropping to a whisper:

"Besides, maybe if you had admitted somethin' out loud to yourself and confessed that to everyone else, he wouldn't have had to fuckin' stay away in the first place, hm? Y'know, the thing about him being your mate. I'm guessing no one else knows but if you wanna keep playing pretend and keep it a secret, I'd try to stop singlin' him out with your hatred."
 
Contrary to how he was currently acting, Anders didn't want to react with violence. He never had been a proponent of resolving issues with fists but apparently, even he had his limits with that philosophy and could find himself tipped over the edge of it under certain circumstances... like the current one he was involved in. But that didn't mean he was fond of having to resort to such measures when he was a father and wanted to set the best example he possibly could for his impressionable daughter, and he found the fact he had to react in such a way to Ronan all the more reason to resent him.

It reiterated to him just how badly hurt he had been, having two years of that pain brought abruptly to the surface. The fact he had to lash out violently was merely indicative of just how hurt he was... so rather than feel regretful over his course of actions, he merely found it gave him more of a motive to dislike Ronan and the decisions he had made.

He had managed to calm down from the worst of that searing anger as he turned his head back to inspect his family gathering nearby, though his eyes were scanning for Teddy to ensure she hadn't climbed from her bed and had witnessed the acrimonious exchange of words. Ultimately, she was his first priority and the last thing he wanted was for her to repeat any of the words that had left his mouth, nor start worrying about who the people he was shouting at were.

Hell, he didn't even want her seeing Ronan. She might not remember the promises Anders had once made her, about meeting her other Papa one day, but he still didn't want her anywhere near the man he resented so much - in his eyes, Ronan didn't deserve a chance to see the girl; a child he should have come back and fought to see at some point in those two years. If he had, Anders would have backed him up, revealed to his pack that this was his mate and defended their bond as strongly as anyone else would.

To have Luana even approach the topic of their bond made him pale instantly, his eyes wide in the genuine fear that she would expose the secret out of spite. He would never have assumed her to be that heartless in the past but he couldn't say he trusted her to keep his secret now; not after her promises held no weight for him.

"...You don't know shit about that, Clar, don't go there. You don't 'ave any fucking idea what you're chatting about. You can't relate to it so shut your damn mouth a-and don't you dare suggest that-- that it's my fault for him leaving, 'cos I didn't tell anyone 'bout us. It ain't my fault he went and it sure as hell ain't my fault he didn't come back. If he would have, I'd have defended him; I'd have told the world about us. But he didn't, did he? He fucked off and didn't come back and I was left to raise my daughter without him. I promised her her Papa would be comin' back for her an' he didn't so-- so-- s-so shut the fuck up," he blurted abruptly (and as quietly as he could) without being able to maintain a sense of intimidation or even his composure.

Both the former and the latter abandoned him when emotion got the better of him, his voice wobbling and eyes growing wet at having to relive the pain of the past two years; remark on the promises he had made to his own daughter that she was fortunately too young at the time to remember and be upset about now.

He only paused from the ranting at the faint whines from his hut; the calls from Teddy as she stirred from her nap and realised her Pa wasn't at her side. The idea of letting her see him in such a state terrified him, as evidenced by him hurriedly wiping his eyes free of tears and shaking his arms free of any residual tension.

"Y-You really gotta go now, you-- you ain't welcome, I dunno what else to say to get that fact across, alright? I ain't shouting, I ain't threatening so just-- just please go already, we don't w-want you here."
 
"So I don't have a clue what I'm chattin' about, but you do? I can't relate to you, so don't fuckin' dare to think you can relate to what I've been through. I told you, I trusted you, with what Tate had said. I told you everything. About me wanting to be a mum, about Tate not wanting kids and making that fuckin' clear. Yet you still... hate me for not coming back with our daughter. You still hate me for staying away because I knew he wouldn't accept her. And you're hating on your mate for something you also could've prevented. Just like Tate." Luana scoffed, finally leaning back after ensuring to keep her response between them. She wouldn't expose Anders in the way he feared, while a dark part of her wanted to, he was still someone she loved and cared for, regardless of if he wanted it or not. "Fuckin' hypocrite. That's what you are."

She took a step back, refusing to take her eyes off of Anders. She didn't enjoy seeing him with tears in his eyes, but a harsher side to her was glad to see him taken down a few pegs.

"Lu... that's enough." Ronan eventually spoke up quietly, glancing between his mate and his alpha, "You've made your point. Let's... let's just go." Worry riddled his expression as he allowed his gaze to settle on Anders, not enjoying seeing his mate in a state of turmoil. He yearned to step forward and comfort Anders, to bring him into his arms the way he imagined for the past two years. But he knew better, even if it meant taking a step back after realising he had began to move forward in a mindless attempt to get closer to his mate.

The bloody nose was testament to where they stood with each other.

Nonetheless, Ronan's head snapped up toward the hut where the whines came from, instantly hit with the memories of Anders cradling little Teddy around the firepit the same day he had been rescued, and he had been captured. A weak flicker of a smile appeared, but was instantly wiped away, his head lowering again before anyone could see.

Luana, meanwhile, laughed without humour, hands resting on her hips, "Ain't threatening? You just punched-- you just punched Ronan in the face, Anders. That's pretty threatenin' to me." She lazily moved her gaze from him and onto Gio, who stepped forward in a rather threatening manner himself.

However instead of cowering away or lowering her head as she might have done, she instead sized him up, analysing him like she might not have done before.

"I think everyone's made it pretty fuckin' clear, Clar. We want you gone, so get. You may not have been sure before, but now you can be - you ain't wanted here." Gio grumbled, arms folding tightly across his chest, arm muscles bulging with the effort.

Raising an eyebrow, she partially turned her body to face the taller, broader male. Her hands remained on her hips, eyes continuing to assess before eventually meeting his gaze again. It resulted in a warning growl from Gio, which she easily matched with one even louder than his. "That ain't my name anymore. But what does it matter, none of you care. So we'll go." She lifted her hands in a mock surrender, taking a step back from the second eldest brother and returning to Ronan.

"Dase, you're more than welcome to see Tala whenever you wish. I'll sort somethin' out for that. The rest of you... good luck with the rest of your fuckin' lives." She snorted, reaching out for Tala whose hands immediately went out for her Mumma, "And tell Tate I wish him a happy life. I'll be sure his daughter doesn't know a thing about him, which I'm sure he'd be fuckin' delighted about." There was a crack to the final sentence regarding her mate, the first hint toward the hurt and emotion that was being smothered down deep.

Clearing her throat and sharply looking away, she faced Ronan and jerked her head towards the treeline, "Let's go. I ain't about to beg them to hear me out. It's clear they've got their one side of the story. I ain't botherin' tryin' to plead with them to hear mine."

Ronan hesitated again, a glance thrown in Anders' direction, clearly not wanting to be separated again from his mate. He reluctantly looked back to Luana, "But ain't that what you've been taught? Get both sides-" Luana took a step closer, body trembling as Tala buried her face into the side of Luana's neck, "They don't wanna know both sides. They're loyal to their alpha, and I ain't that anymore. Let's go, Ronan. Stop-- stop makin' this harder than it needs to be." She added, voice rough as she decided to take the plunge and walk past him herself, biting hard on the inside of her cheek to contain the tears.
 
The longer Luana persisted in arguing her side and the longer she remained in the camp as a result of it, the more difficult it was becoming to keep tensions from boiling over the surface. Right now, Anders had managed to restrain himself enough to not lose his shit completely, the fact he remained in his human form evidence of that control, but for as long as the two remained present in the pack, he couldn't be entirely sure he could manage to keep that urge at bay. His brothers -and other members in the pack- were managing; Tate had managed.

He didn't want to be the one to spiral things irreparably out of control by transitioning and committing actions that couldn't be taken back. As furious as he was, he didn't want to be the perpetrator of something extreme - he was content in punching Ronan and would do it again if he had to, but anything more than that was unnecessary and didn't represent the sort of person he wanted to be.

Which was another reason he wanted them gone. He hated the person he felt he was being right now, so consumed by anger and outrage. He didn't want to feel those emotions rage within him when he had priorities in his life that didn't benefit from seeing him in such a state. His daughter needed him at his best; not an angry, emotional wreck of a man who would undoubtedly concern and upset her. He needed to shake himself of it and put on a brave face... and he could only really do that once they hightailed it out of the pack's sight.

Refusing to share any look with Ronan to avoid it being misconstrued as a look of love or longing when he didn't feel anything of the sort, he turned his back and headed towards his hut to check on his daughter - though mostly to ensure she didn't wander out and spot the people who were all but strangers to her.

Daisy watched conflictingly as her brother wandered off. She hurt when she saw her brothers hurt - seeing Tate's explosion of anger and Anders' tears wasn't easy, but nor was the sight of her other brothers rallying around intimidatingly without caring to hear Luana's side. Luana had made mistakes but she deserved the right to admit to them and explain her side, and apparently, nobody was prepared to offer that to her other than Daisy.

And though she had thought that her opinion in the pack had finally started to be valued, that she was a member who was strong enough to be taken seriously, here she was once again being talked down and her opinions ignored as though she was in the wrong and it wasn't up for debate. She knew that she was the odd one out in this situation; the lone voice amongst a chorus who stood against her, but what was the point in backing down even if it appeared to be a lost cause? She would defend her opinions with her entire chest - especially when they concerned the love and care she had for Luana and the desperation she felt to protect it.

Yet, she had no other option other than to watch Luana head for the edge of the woods and disappear over its boundary, her eyes remaining fixed on the leaves even after Luana had gone. Fiercely wiping her cheeks free of the tears that had dropped onto them, she shot a glare behind her at the brothers that remained present, most noticeably at Lyle for his remarks - though Gio wasn't safe from the ferocity of her stare either.

"...You j-just sent away o-our fucking niece, a-are you happy with yourselves? Acting like assholes in front of a fucking two year old? Y-You terrified her, actin' like pricks--"

"She shouldn't have brought her. It ain't our fault she didn't think about her kid, Dase," shrugged Lyle casually as he settled back around the fire, a cautious glance offered towards the hut he shared with Anders, and another then drifting in the direction Tate had stormed off in. "...Sorry, but I'm gonna stick with our big brother and protect 'im. I don't give a shit about Clarissa or whatever name she's goin' by. Tate-- needs us to rally 'round him an' I'm gonna be there for him. Clarissa ain't a part of our lives; let's leave it at that, yeah?"

"...You can't... you don't seriously believe that? Gio? I-It-- It's Clarissa; we can't just shut her out," whispered Daisy as she peered up at the second eldest sibling in hopes of getting someone on her side. Even after his threatening display to Clarissa, she still thought he -and Sasha- were her best hope of support right now. "...Sasha w-will agree with me; she'll-- she won't be as f-fucking pig-headed as you all are."
 
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