A Wolf Among The Sheep

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At Ander's approach, Luana barely even looked in his direction, or sensed Tate's usually comforting presence behind her. Her full attention was on Mirella, and she didn't dare look away in case the other tried her luck and made some sort of move while her back was turned. Not that she would get very far with Anders watching her back.

Each breath she expelled was husky and rough with an exhaled growl, a warning for the other to not continue trying her luck. She wanted to hold on to the anger and upset she felt, even if it was only for a few minutes, to get those who she was certain still underestimated her to understand that she wasn't to be messed with anymore. She had the support of her mate, and some of those she considered family, plus a pup that she would die to protect.

At the mention of that pup, Luana reluctantly turned her attention to Anders, watching him and mulling his words over in her head. She knew he was right, especially considering it probably seemed like all was going so well now with her and Tate.

The toddler had seen Luana bruised and hurt before, but at least back then she could explain to her daughter that it was only from play fighting and practicing. That she was learning how to defend herself and the pup in case something ever did happen. She didn't need Tala to suddenly become worried that there was something outside the safety of the hut that Luana wanted to defend her from.

Eventually, Luana forced herself to release a long and heavy breath, nodding to what Anders had just said. She knew he was right ultimately. Not only did she not want to worry Tala, but she didn't want to scar the other little ones that were watching from behind their parent's legs or from where they were balanced on hips.

"You're right. You're right." Luana mumbled, quiet enough for only herself and Anders to hear. Offering him a hasty smile, Luana reached out to squeeze his arm before lowering herself down slightly to be at Tate's level in his wolf form. "Let's wrap this up... I want us to go back to our daughter, spend the rest of the afternoon with her." She told him gently, threading fingers through his fur.
 
With the anger radiating from Luana in waves, Anders knew there wasn't many things that would have distracted her from the intense gaze on Mirella, nor disrupt her sudden plan to engage in a fight and prove herself once and for all. Yet, there wasn't really any other reason that mattered just as much as Tala and how she would react to the possible damage that Luana would have to sport for a day or two. Fortunately, that was the only reason she seemed to resonate with, and though Anders knew it would work, that she wouldn't just accept causing those feelings of concern in her daughter just for a fight with another she-wolf, he still breathed a sigh of relief at witnessing something other than anger within her eyes and hearing something other than a growl leaving her lips.

Wisely, he didn't even try to calm down Tate - there wasn't much he felt he could say to his brother to prevent him from acting out, with the alpha's mindset differing slightly from Luana's. She wouldn't want to cause any worry in their daughter by fighting, while Tate reasoned the attack as justifiable and felt that his daughter would need to be aware that there would be times where he would sport a bruise or a cut (hunting was a physical activity that brought on some injuries from time to time, after all). So, if he wanted to fight Cassian and put him in his place, he didn't truly see much of a downside to it - other than the distinct possibility that he would go too far and resort to murderous behaviours he wasn't keen on bringing to the forefront again.

It was only Luana that could really coax him out of doing something he would come to regret, and as she turned her attention to him, the heavy breaths after the expulsions of anger and fury seemed to calm all at once. They quietened in tone, coinciding with the defensive positioning, as though ready to spring into action, fading away into neutrality. Something akin to a sigh escaped him in agreement (however obvious the tinge of disappointment also was) as he set his eyes back onto Luana, the final spark of anger fading entirely as he pressed in close to reciprocate the affectionate touches. Rumbling growls (this time of affection and love) emanated from the back of his throat as he pressed his head close to hers, taking advantage of the moment for as long as he dared.

Only when he heard Jasper attempt to shuffle backwards away did he let his attention drift again, a grunt leaving him to emphasise his earlier points. He had no desire to utter another word to them - though his refusal to shift back was mostly because he wanted to spend some time with his daughter in the form she seemed to find glee and enjoyment in. Right now, the sound of her eager giggles was all he wanted.

"...You should really just get your stuff and go," murmured Anders to vocalise his brother's words, avoiding gazing at the group. They were responsible for the attack on Luana and Georgia, and it was nothing sort of a miracle that Anders had somehow managed to keep himself together rather than let out his own anger on the four of them (or three, if Uriel's protests of innocence regarding the attack on Georgia were to be believed). "Before everyone fuckin' forces 'ya all out. Don't... ignore the inevitable a second longer or it won't end pretty for you all, a'ight?"
 
Cassian had struggled to his feet after being released by Tate, moving tentatively to stand by his mate's side as Anders directed the four under scrutiny. He took a quick look around the pack that had been watching, observing the proceedings, in the hopes of seeing at least someone who seemed remotely sympathetic. However, he found none, which filled him with sickening dread. Mirella pressed close to her mate, also looking over her shoulder to where her mother, father and sister were stood, and while there were tears in the eyes of her mother and sister, there was no hint of willingness to defend the she-wolf and the group.

Holding on to her mate, Mirella allowed Cassian to lead them both to their hut, to do as they were ordered: pack their stuff and leave.

Luana, meanwhile, knelt before her mate in a more comfortable position. Her ears were alert to the sounds surrounding them, but she kept herself focused on Tate and the fur beneath her hands. She released a soft breath as the presence of the group that had been involved in the attack on her and Georgia dissipated, but the tension still remained in her shoulders and core, leaving her ready to spring into action if necessary despite their footsteps receding away.

The confrontation, while it had gone better than she had thought it would in the sense that no one came to defend the accused, still left them at the centre of attention. It made her skin crawl to be in the middle of the cluster that had formed, with people having come out of their huts to find out what the fuss was about. They may not have excused Cassian, Mirella, Jasper and Uriel's behaviour or actions, but that didn't mean that anyone in the pack liked her more or saw her differently, and such affectionate acts with Tate probably were not helping her favour any further.

"...I'm not comfortable here. Not after that," she whispered to Tate, pulling back to look at him with a soft scratch under his chin, "I can't stay here with them staring at us like this. Stay an' make sure they're happy with the buck, if you like, but I... I'm goin' to go back to Tala. Join us when you can, if you like. Or-or if you're busy, then later this evenin'. Whenever."

Everything felt awkward and disjointed, everyone, including Luana, uncertain how to go about the rest of the day after such a dramatic afternoon. Some of the crowd had started to disperse, but slowly and hesitantly, as if not wanting to go in case they missed something else or if something was going to be said by either of the mated pair at the centre of it all.

"I need to be with Tala after all this. I don't want-- just to make sure she's okay." She continued, breathing out a soft sigh. There was an irrational fear that one of group may search for Tala just for some sick revenge, not that she thought they would because they seemed scared into doing what they were told for now... but just that anxiety and dark thought that had entered her head made her desire to see her pup become heightened and desperate.

Luana leaned forward to nuzzle her forehead against his and then press a kiss to the spot between his ears, "Thank you... for havin' my back. For bein' there." She then glanced behind her and up at Anders, smiling weakly, "You too... for makin' sure I didn't lose my shit completely."
 
After such a dramatic altercation, interspersed with moments of intense threatening and violence, Anders knew better than to interrupt the intimacy between his brother and Luana. After all they had been through (Luana especially given she was the victim of the group's intimidation and physicality), they clearly needed the moment to centre themselves; to calm down their no doubt raging emotions and focus on the fact that the trouble was over.

Granted, the looming threat of human intervention and the threat that that possessed was an ever-present trouble that needed their attention, but at least now it was the sole issue in their lives. Without the four troublemakers distracting them, all attention could go into protecting the camp and its community from death and destruction.

But for the rest of the day, considering everything that had occurred, it felt appropriate to spend the remainder of those hours relaxing; rebuilding some calm amongst loved ones in a community that -theoretically- now only consisted of those that could be trusted not to act so brutally to their own.

Keen on giving the two the time and space they needed, he blinked in surprise at the comment directed towards him. The awkwardness seeped in at the gratitude on display, an emotion shared by Tate whose pride wasn't subtle even in the form he was in, with Anders desperate not to make a big deal out of his actions. In his eyes, he only did what anyone would do... even if nobody else had attempted to intervene in the manner he had. He had a personal investment in the events that had played out, after all, with Luana being his best friend, Tate being his eldest brother and the perpetrators guilty of hurting a child he had taken responsibility of looking after for months.

He had every reason and justification for intervening, even if he preferred not to build up his part in it all.

"You don't need to go thankin' me, Lu. You'd 'ave done the same for me too, wouldn't you?" He grinned bashfully as he moved to rub the back of his neck; an attempt to look more casual than he felt with the lavishing of praise he felt he didn't really deserve. His eyes moved to scour the nearby scene, mostly dominated by the pack slowly returning to their duties; duties they had abandoned the moment the altercation began. The return of that normalcy was a welcome sight for someone like Anders who tended to dislike too much change and disruption, his smile widening as the adrenaline that ha coursed through him slowly began to ebb.

Admittedly, Daisy's approach -forceful and determined- only made that unease spike again.

"What the hell are you doing banishing Uriel? He can't go anywhere, he-- he has to stay here," she declared firmly, her hands resting on her hips to improve the authoritative stance. Her eyes blazed almost furiously at the decision her brother had come to, her disbelief having risen to such an extent that she felt no qualms in voicing her disagreement so openly.

When Tate merely grunted in dismissiveness and turned to make the journey to his hut to transition and change into something not shredded by the change, Daisy scowled and blocked off his exit - no matter how loud she had to become, she was determined to be heard.

"He didn't hurt Luana. He wasn't the ringleader. He's an asshole for bein' there and bein' a part of that, I don't like 'im for that, but like hell does he deserve the same punishment as the-- the bastards that really hurt her, Tate. You can't banish him, I-- I want him to stay. He's important to me," the younger sibling declared with a firm nod, even though a little nervousness crept in. She was smart enough to realise that the defence would cause suspicion about her real feelings for Uriel, but if the exposure of how she felt meant he could stay, she was willing to risk the scrutiny - and the protectiveness all of her brothers would inevitably display.

Particularly when Uriel wasn't exactly known for being a likeable character - even before the incident with Luana.

"I, uh-- we should-- probably talk about that in-- private, Dase. Think everyone's 'ad enough of us all shouting out 'ere," smiled Anders, the man having made note of Tate's disgusted scoff and, thus, was desperate to move things indoors to avoid another public disagreement. "Seriously, just, uh... get in Tate's hut, we can talk there, yeah? Best not to bring Uriel though..."
 
Luana was not in the mood for any further disruption to her day. The confrontation with the people that had caused her self-doubt was enough for one day, she didn't need to conflict with Daisy to antagonise it further. It made her feel even worse having had been one of the people, if not the only person, in her life to have encouraged her to build further relationships with members of the pack she wouldn't have otherwise mixed in with. This was Uriel that Daisy had grown attached to. Someone that Luana and Tate had come to the conclusion that didn't deserve to be in the pack.

She closed her eyes briefly at Daisy's voice, exhaling softly at the realisation of what was to come. She reluctantly pulled back from Tate, knowing he would probably want to shift back, but at Daisy's halting of his path, Luana decided to step forward and offer her mate the same sort of support that he had just provided her.

"Daisy... let's... let's do what Anders said, yeah? We should go into Tate's hut--let him get changed, shifted back, and explain... explain what he's thinkin'." She answered softly, watching the young girl carefully.

She had no idea what sort of relationship Daisy had been getting into with Uriel, or how long it had been going on. But what she was certain of was the fact she wanted the boy nowhere near the girl she considered her sister.

Uriel may not have gotten involved with Georgia, and perhaps didn't physically harm Luana, but he had still been a bystander to what happened to Luana. He was involved the moment he went with the group to watch what they were going to do and not say anything to get them to stop. Not to mention, he didn't seem overly shocked regarding the allegations about the attack on Georgia. That to Luana suggested he knew about what happened, but refused to speak up.

"We don't need to be havin' this discussion 'ere, Daisy. Everyone's'already heard all about some of our personal problems today, they don't need to always been an audience to our talks." Luana kept her voice even and rounded, no sharp tones or harsh words. The girl was clearly hurting, and snapping at her was not going to help.

Even if Luana was exhausted and just wanted to go and see her pup.

"Like-- come on, let's go to Tate's hut. Ain't no need to be standin' around here talkin' about it an' lettin' other people in any more of our private lives."
 
Daisy wasn't the sort of person who would deliberately or knowingly put someone she cared about through continued discomfort or unnecessity. However, she also wasn't the sort of person who was selfish: she was the opposite, always willing to go out of her way to aid those in the pack - the fact she was healer all but emphasised that caring, nurturing quality she was seemingly born with. She knew that Luana didn't just want to return to the hut she was temporarily staying in, but she needed to - after all she had been through, time with her pup, away from the encroaching, judging eyes of the community around her, was understandably calling to her.

But Daisy, for once, wasn't prepared to put her own needs and demands aside to benefit someone else. She wanted Luana to rest and unwind from the stress she had endured, but if that came as a result of Daisy being forced to bite her tongue and have someone she cared about (despite his behaviour) thrown from the pack because she wasn't able to come to his aid, then simply put, she wasn't prepared to allow it to happen. Not until she had had her say.

The selfishness wasn't something she was comfortable with, especially when she had to act almost combative, but Tate's dismissiveness told her all she needed to know - they weren't going to take her defence of Uriel seriously unless she made them listen to her.

Though she was at least willing to put her point across somewhere less public. Even though the argument with Cassian and the others was probably best placed outside, where the entire pack could finally learn what members of their own community had been capable of, her desire to defend Uriel and what they potentially had with one another was a conversation that ought to take place behind closed doors, especially given it involved her personal life and airing that to all that could listen just wasn't favourable to her.

It was why she trudged after Tate without any discussion or persuasion on the matter, realising that compliance now might help the point she was desperate to make. Only once she was seated inside her brother's hut, perching herself upon a wooden chair in the corner, did she bit her lip in contemplation, not entirely used to holding the floor and having all eyes on her.

"...I want Uriel to stay," she began as confidently as she could, even though her eyes purposefully avoided Tate's. The alpha had re-entered the room just a few seconds before Daisy began, freshly dressed with arms folded sternly over his chest. Evidently, he wasn't keen on making it any easier for his sister, not when he already had his answer long before she even tried to change his mind. Despite what seemed to be the futility of her words, Daisy opted to charge forward with what she believed nonetheless.

"He has to stay," she continued, raising her head with a firm nod. "He and I are close an' he's-- you all think he's cold an' sarcastic, but he's real sweet and funny an'... I like him. He made a mistake an' got caught up in their bullshit, an' you're punishing him for that? For one mistake? He's not a bad person, you can't think that."

"...I think he's a fuckin' sociopath," replied Tate bluntly, choosing not to mince his words. He wasn't known for his tactfulness anyway, but if Daisy had the audacity to try and defend someone like Uriel, he felt he had the right to speak as freely as he desired. "He's always been a fucking weirdo, Dase. Ain't no way you're getting close to him, nah. 'Specially 'cos he won't be here for you to get close to."

"Y-You can't-- you don't know him like I do--"

"I've known the kid since he was born. He's always been odd. The fact he was there as Lu got hurt and found that shit funny tells me all I need to know. Now if you're done, I really wanna go an' see my daughter if that's alright with you," he concluded flatly, having wasted little to no energy in the conversation... because he barely cared enough about it; not when his answer was, in his mind, unchangeable. "You comin', Lu? Tala's gonna be wondering where we are if we don't get a shift on."
 
Luana was on edge to see Tala, and it showed when she sat down. Her hands wrung together in her lap and her one knee bounced, but not with impatience, but with an anxious energy to just lay eyes on her pup and make sure she was okay. She knew the four wouldn't dare do a thing after what had happened, but she couldn't help but dwell on that single ounce of paranoia that filled her mind.

She gave Daisy her focus, however, despite the anxious mannerisms that were on display. She knew how the young girl felt towards her brothers, that she wasn't heard or her opinions given enough consideration, and Luana wanted her to know that she was listening. Especially after how Daisy reacted to her not telling her about the attack. She didn't wish to lose Daisy in any sort of capacity, but was also so acutely aware of the series of events that had happened recently that may potentially put a rift in their relationship.

Before she could say anything, however, Tate was already responding. And harshly. Luana grimaced at his words, hands releasing each other to rub against the tops of her thighs. She barely got a word in as the two exchanged retorts, hands moving to grip her knees as she listened.

At Tate's blunt and short approach, Luana knew that wouldn't be enough for Daisy. It had her worried about what the young girl would do at the end of it, and didn't want her to do something she would come to regret or say something she couldn't take back. It was clear that Daisy had grown attached to Uriel, and that had Luana concerned. She didn't want someone she considered a sister to be with someone whom she had such bad experiences with.

"Daise... you know we have to do this. He may not have done anything, but he still joined the rest of them to watch and laugh. He didn't have to be there, but he was. He didn't have to watch, but he did. He did an' he... he laughed. Laughed when I got hit. Laughed when the towel was stolen away from me an' I was left naked. Naked. And vulnerable. In front of all of them." She swallowed thickly, "I had to shift an' I ran. From all of them. Not just Cassian an' Mirella an' Jasper. But from him too. He was still there. He still... he still played a part in all of it. Said things no one should ever listen to."

She stayed still in her seat, shuffling uncomfortably as she was forced to recall the experience and therefore all the insults that came with it.

"I can't sit here an'... an' agree to give him another chance. You gettin' close to him don't make a difference to me, if anythin', it just makes me want him out of our lives sooner. He ain't a good kid, Daise, an' if he can be involved in somethin' like that involvin' his alpha's mate... I can't 'ave him be here an' potentially do somethin' like that to you. If-if he did... I'd not hold back like we did today. Then you'd hate us even more." She breathed out heavily, licking her lips as she tried to compose herself at the mere thought of Daisy going through something like she did.

Luana reluctantly stood, but instead of following Tate, she took a step closer to Daisy. She crouched down a little, but still gave the girl her space, uncertain how she would react.

"I can't trust him after that. Not with me. Not with Tate. Not with Tala. And definitely not with you. I can't trust him. I'm sorry."
 
Daisy's brow had only furrowed at her brother's reaction. As unsurprising as his blunt take on the situation was, it was still hurtful, particularly when it felt like he was talking down to her. Treating her like some child who didn't know, nor understand, what she truly wanted. Their disapproving of Uriel evidenced that they didn't think she could make the right choices that were good and beneficial to her, and though she wasn't so blinded by her interest in Uriel that she thought he was all sweetness and light, she had her justifications for liking him.

And the fact that neither Tate nor Luana seemed to have any faith in her decision-making was more than just hurtful. It was infuriating.

Uriel was no angel. She had known him since they were babies, grown up right alongside him for eighteen years. She had witnessed the behaviour that others in the pack would characterise was 'weird' and 'strange', that Tate seemed to believe was nothing short of sociopathic, and not for one second did she approve of any of it. Yet, she had also seen far more than just glimpses of another side to the boy; a side that nobody else seemed to want to take the time to see. He was sweet, had a dorky sense of humour, had walked for hours within the forest just to find her the flowers she needed for her medicines, would ask with charming awkwardness whether it was alright to do something as simple as wrap an arm around her shoulders.

One mistake -despite the cruelty of it- wasn't enough to warrant his removal from the only home he had ever known; to be thrown out at just 18 and expected to live away from a mother who needed her son and Daisy, who was in no doubt that the man was her mate.

"...Don't patronise me, I am not a fucking child," she finally grunted in response, her eyes flaming as a dark intensity flooded her expression; a look that all her brothers also shared in their moments of anger and ire. She appreciated the difficulty Luana had with the discussion of Uriel, the painful memories attached to the name, but the positioning and gentler tones only made Daisy more furious than she already was. Conscious of it or not, or whether it was simply Daisy's take, the younger girl felt like a child being told off, guided by wise, experienced parents who knew what was -and what wasn't- good for her.

"Your mate massacred an entire village of innocent people, Luana. Fathers, mothers, children. All dead 'cos of your mate's orders. An' your mate, Anders. He was pretty instrumental in your kidnapping, wasn't he? In puttin' the rest of us here through the nightmare of watching our loved ones being taken an' not knowing if you were all alive or not," she spat, her voice thick with the emotion bubbling within her - though the lacing of pure venom and disgust wasn't unsubtle beneath it, incapable of being overshadowed.

"All my mate fucking did was get peer-pressured into acting like a dick. I ain't excusin' the shit he did, Lu, it was horrible. Despicable. I don't like it. But your mate ain't no angel either, is he? Now, laughing at you an' saying cruel stuff is awful - but Uriel didn't kill anyone. He didn't kidnap anyone like Ronan did. But he's the one being thrown out, yeah? Not the murderer. Not the kidnapper. Some young 18-year-old kid who made a couple of stupid, ill-conceived jokes. Like it or not, he's my mate an' I ain't gonna see him be made an example out of when he's practically saint-like compared to your mates."

Anders, who had chosen to remain quiet throughout the proceeding remarks, was now silent for another reason entirely - he genuinely found himself speechless, anything he might want to say not quite formulating. If his head wasn't already swimming at the announcement that Daisy was apparently certain of the bond she had with Uriel, then he was horrified by the comparisons to Ronan; at the brutally blunt criticisms of his past actions.

And he had nothing to say to it when every word from his sister's mouth was the truth, as difficult as that truth was to hear.

"Yeah. That's what I thought. You're all a bunch of hypocrites," she concluded with a laugh, the sound full of bitterness and disbelief as she eased herself up from the chair, having no desire to stay any longer; not now she had got her point across and been heard, whether they liked what she had to say or not. "Now, I'm gonna patch Uriel up an' stay the night with him in the healing hut. 'Cos he ain't going anywhere."
 
It felt like cold water had been poured over her at Daisy's words, the reminder of what her mate had done to the village she had grown up in. It caused her to lower her head, eyes averting to the floor at her feet as she tried to find words that would be suitable to use in an argument against Daisy's counter. However, she knew it was impossible. She quietly lowered herself further down from her crouch until she was sat on the floor, unable to fight back against the barrage of words being spat out so venomously by Daisy.

She had never experienced such anger from the young woman, nor heard the disgust and bitterness in her voice. Or at least not being directed at her. Luana couldn't even bring herself to look at Tate or Anders, a shame filling her due to the points that had just been put forward.

And then there was the matter of Daisy claiming that Uriel was her mate. It added an extra layer of emotion to Luana's being; confused at why this was the first time she was hearing such a confession. She had thought that Daisy would come to her with anything, especially with them considering the other to be a sister. She would have thought that, if she didn't feel like she could discuss such matters with her brothers, Daisy would have at least come and said something to her.

When Daisy moved to stand, Luana looked up and then hastily pushed herself onto her feet.

"Your mate. Daisy, you ain't just leavin' after droppin' that bombshell on us." Luana disagreed, voice croaking momentarily as she got over her shock. There was also a horror, the idea that Daisy - such a sweet, loving and caring woman was settled with a mate that Luana had had a negative history with.

She kept her distance, however, not wanting to get into Daisy's personal space when the youngster was clearly feeling the way she did. "Daise... please, let's just talk about this. You wanted to, that's why we're here, ain't it? So-- so let's talk. 'Cause it weren't some ill-conceived jokes to me. Even if... even if we don't throw him out with the rest of them, he's goin'ta face some sort of punishment an' you gotta accept that." She warned, not daring to look in Tate's direction, "An'-an' mates? Where's this come from? You've not said a single thing before. How do you know?"
 
"How do I know? Why are you even askin' that? 'Cos I'm too young to know what it feels like to find my mate? I bet you didn't ask Anders how he knew Ronan was his mate, did 'ya? You just accepted it as fact; that he knew, innately, that he was meant to be with him. But I get treated differently - this is the same fuckin' bullshit my brothers pull, Lu. I thought you-- you knew not to treat me like a damn child who ain't got a clue about the world," she scathingly retorted, albeit with a note of genuine disbelief infecting the anger.

She had already felt patronised by Luana's tone and body language, but had, at the back of her mind, held a degree of doubt; believed that it was entirely possible that she was projecting and that Luana wasn't adopting any of the behaviours Daisy's brothers tended to display towards her. Yet, how could she harbour that slither of doubt when this, to her, felt like proof of the contrary' that Luana was, like Tate and his brothers, treating her like a child who had no access to the wisdom that they all possessed?

"She ain't... sayin' that, she's just making sure 'cos Uriel's-- you know, he's-- I find it hard to believe that fate's put you two together is all. You could be blinded by the excitement of a romance an' giving it a deeper meaning," began Tate, the fact the man who had just minutes prior spoken with such determined sternness was now stumbling over his words serving as evidence of how rattled he was by Daisy's words - both by her bombshell confession and the attack at his violent past.

The potential fact that he was a hypocrite, throwing out Uriel when his own crimes were, on the face of it, a hell of a lot worse did make him feel sick, his composure abandoning him despite his desperate attempt to keep control of it. But seeing his little sister so outraged and spitting out, bluntly, the facts of his -and Ronan's- past behaviours made it impossible to even maintain a semblance of that control.

"...I'm not blinded by anythin'. I see him for who he is. He can be a dickhead, he can overstep the mark an' he sure as hell finds things funny that nobody else does, but I also know he's my mate. I know it when he touches my hand an' I feel all these-- tingles run up my arms. I know it 'cos he makes my heart pound in my chest an' my head spin an'..." She paused to regain herself, able to compose herself in a way her oldest brother was finding impossible to do. "He's my mate an' I'll protect him from a punishment that's way too severe for the crime. Punish him, sure. But expelling him from his home, from me, ain't happening. If it does, Ronan can fuck off outta here too 'cos he planned the kidnapping of countless of our pack members. While you're at it, Gio can go too - he killed a ton of people from the village. An' your mate, Lu, he attacked your own mother, didn't he? Shouldn't he get expelled for that too? Or is it just my mate that's gettin' the vitriol thrown at him 'cos he's already down, so what's another kick at him, yeah?"
 
"I didn't get a chance to speak to Anders about all that an' you know that." Luana stressed, brow furrowing as she was forced to go onto the defensive again, "There was barely a time or a place I could speak to Anders about 'im an' Ronan. But you can guarantee that I talked to Ronan about it when we were away for those years, both for me to learn for sure about the mate bond an' for us both to be confident that he was what he thought he was."

She pushed her hands slowly into her pockets as Tate spoke, watching Daisy carefully with even a level of anxiety for how the young woman was reacting. She had never seen the youngest Rivers sibling act in such a way, and it was definitely something new. Perhaps these sort of outbursts had occurred while she was away, but she hadn't yet before seen Daisy retort in such a sharp and crude manner.

Luana was grateful for Tate's defence of her words too, relieved that her mate also found it difficult to believe that Daisy, such a caring and attentive and genuine person had a mate such as Uriel. Of course, Luana did not know much about the male, only that he was involved in the intimidation that she experienced. But it seemed that Tate knew more about him, and there wasn't much good from those experiences.

It was becoming harder to even look at Daisy with all the things she kept throwing back in their faces. All the cruel acts that had occurred during the time in which Luana had been with the pack. Let alone anything that Daisy knew about prior to her existence.

At some point, she had closed her eyes and she took in a deep breath before opening them again to focus back on Daisy. "If he stays, Daise... he'll be closely watched, you get that, right? We won't be lettin' the others stay - their crimes against Georgia are too bad for them to be here anymore. But Uriel... he'll be earnin' back that trust, an' he'll be workin' on it for a while." Luana glanced over her shoulder briefly to Tate, uncertain as to how he would feel regarding going back on a decision that had already been made, "I ain't gettin' into all them other instances 'cause it'll take too long. But you can argue that Tate an' Ronan did get some sort of punishment for what they did-- now I ain't sayin' that they've earned forgiveness 'cause of that, but they still suffered the consequences of their actions. He might not be exiled... an' what he did might not've been that bad... but Daise, he was still there. He still was involved in that intimidation. What if Tala had been there, hm? What'd'ya have me do?"
 
"If you're gonna play hypotheticals, I ain't gonna entertain this conversation a second longer, Lu. Tala wasn't there; that's the fact of the matter, ain't it? If she was, I'd be much harsher and more critical of Uriel - but maybe he wouldn't 'ave acted the way he did if she was there. Maybe he ain't that kinda guy - the fact he wasn't involved in hurting that Georgia girl is proof that he draws the line at being an asshole to, and around, kids. If you're gonna by hypothetical, so can I," she reminded sharply, her lip curling in unsubtle discontentment at the continued conversation; one she was eager to just abandon in its entirety and spend her time instead with Uriel, reassuring him of his position in the pack he had a right to remain in.

However, it didn't seem like they were particularly happy about her trying to leave the hut - if it wasn't Luana stopping her from abandoning it, it was Tate, the alpha finally managing to find his words and a semblance of composure. Falsified it might be, but he had gathered enough perceived strength; enough to allow him to fold his arms and appear more in control than he actually felt.

He didn't necessarily appreciate Luana making decisions on Uriel's fate that directly contrasted the public statements he had made about it, but now wasn't the time to call her out and air his unhappiness on it. If nothing else, they had to remain on the same page; united in the face of Daisy's naivety - which is what he perceived every comment out of her mouth to be a result of.

She might not like it and only see that opinion as another example of his parent-like treatment of her, but that was all it was in his eyes. Naivety.

"I ain't ever gonna approve of you an' him being together. Sorry but I ain't gonna come around on the idea of Uriel being close to 'ya, so under no circumstances are you to ever be alone with him. You ain't gonna share a hut. You aren't going to date him, Daise. 'Cos he ain't your mate an' you can do much better. Dad and Ma ain't around to... tell you this stuff, to look out for 'ya, so I 'ave to. An' I'm doing my best - he ain't good for you. You aren't dating him, that's the bottom line."

The sternness of his tone, so contrasted to the stammered, anxious remarks just seconds prior, caught Daisy by surprise, and that brief flash of vulnerability (as difficult as it was for Tate to witness) was all he needed to really hammer in his point.

"If he stays, he's gonna go nowhere near you - the moment he tries to repair this pathetic romance you have going on, he's outta here. I think I've made my point clear. He can stay, he can work on rebuilding trust, but he ain't 'aving his way with you. I ain't giving him a chance to hurt 'ya, to upset 'ya. Nah, that ain't happening. He goes near you, touches you, tries to kiss 'ya? He's gone. Pass that message along to him an' that's the last thing you both say to one another. You understand? If not, I'll tell him myself an' I can't be certain I won't give 'im another black eye--"

"No-- No, I can tell him," the sister responded, her mouth having opened and shut several times during her brother's statements but eventually, she knew there was no point in trying to fight it. The authoritativeness on display wasn't that of a brother talking to his sister, but of an alpha laying down a command to one of his pack's members. Though being the alpha's sister often afforded Daisy the privilege of speaking far more openly and bluntly to Tate, there was still a line there; he was still the alpha, and when he emphasised that, she was expected to react like any other pack member and respect his leadership.

And though she wanted to scream and swear at him, to cry and sob and beg him not to be so cruel, doing so would be directly challenging his authority - and she wasn't willing to let Uriel suffer the consequences of her disrespectfulness.

"C-Can I... can I go now?"

"...Sure. I want to see you out by the fire for dinner though, not hiding away in that hut of yours. We can draw a line under this, Daise. We can move on, forget this.... confrontation ever happened. I'm sure Lu and Anders are happy to forget everythin' 'ya said if it means moving on an' getting back on the right track," he continued, his tone softer now his moment of having to put his foot down and adopting his peremptory tone had no real use. He managed a smile even as she darted out of the hut without a response, only then allowing a heavy breath to leave him as he collapsed back into the chair, hands reaching to rub his temples as though that would somehow make the argument disappear from his thoughts any sooner.

"Fuckin' hell, that was... something, huh?"
 
Luana remained standing as Daisy slipped past her to hurry out after the exchange with Tate. It had been a painful one to listen to, and she found herself caught totally off guard by it all. She simply hadn't expected Daisy to feel so passionately about Uriel... Or for the bombshell she dropped of him being her mate. She had thought the young girl told her everything, even that she was nervous to tell her brothers (namely Tate) about.

Luana thought she had Daisy's trust, but now that felt more unsure than ever. She told herself that it probably had something to do with the two year absence, and that Daisy was not obliged to tell her everything. But given that she had been such a support so far in her return, Luana had come to rely more on Daisy than she originally realised. It made her question if the relationship was, perhaps, one-sided, with her going to Daisy for a lot of that support and the young woman getting nothing in return.

She quietly moved to the couch in Tate's hut as the door shut behind Daisy, her hands pressing, on other side of her thighs, into the cushion beneath her as she chewed at her lower lip. All of Daisy's comments kept buzzing in her mind, like annoying little flies that she just couldn't wave off, biting irritably at her skin.

"If...if what she says is true, Tate... We can't deny her the opportunity to be with her mate. All of us in this room knows how...how painful that can be. I can't... sit here in the knowledge that he might be her mate and we're denying her the chance to be with him and be happy." She spoke up quietly, lifting her head to look at Tate finally.

Her brows were furrowed, knitted together as she tried to figure out what they next needed to do with the information they had gathered.

"She's right in the sense she ain't a child. We have to allow her... that freedom. The opportunity to make her own choices, to learn from her mistakes. We can protect her as much as we can but... but to some degree she has to learn her own way. Like we all did. Like we still are now." She glanced to Anders and then back to her mate, hesitating before continuing, "If we keep treating her like this... it's only going to push her away more. She'll end up hating you. Hating us."

Luana exhaled heavily, dropping her head forward to place in her hands, rubbing at her face in exasperation. Reluctantly, she lifted her head again to face the two men in the room, hands clasping together to twist and wring. "I-- I don't know if I can... go about pretending all's well when we know it ain't. I won't be able to look at Daisy an' pretend she's happy when she won't be 'cause she can't be with her mate. An' it'll be even worse for her than what we had-- seein' her mate every day, knowin' she can't talk to him, see him, be with him? Nah, I-- I don't think I can live with that hanging over my head."

She rubbed at her cheek, blowing out a harsh breath, "We-- we can easily change this decision, Tate. Make it look like you're... like you're givin' the kid some mercy. It ain't too late..."
 
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"But that's the thing, Lu. I don't believe he is her mate. There ain't no goddamn way fate's brought those two together, they ain't compatible. He's a psycho and she's... the sweetest person in this fuckin' pack. You really gonna sit there and tell me to back off and let 'em be together when it's laughable that they think they're meant to be? It's bullshit, Lu. She's gonna get burned by him, hurt by him, an' then I'll just have myself for blame for giving 'em the freedom to-- to have this sham of a romance." Tate muttered, starting as calmly as he could, but there was a certain inevitability about him concluding his statements with the same raw anger that had been present in earlier discussions.

It wasn't possible for him to discuss something as important to him as Daisy's safety -and the inherent belief he had that she would suffer if he was to let her explore her interest in Uriel- without becoming riled up, the fear that she was making a terrible mistake only growing stronger with every passing second.

He didn't want that anger and annoyance at the situation, and the helplessness he felt surrounding it, to be taken out on either Luana or Anders, that distinct possibility causing him to mutter a few apologies under his breath as he sunk, once again, back down onto the chair, his head resting pitifully in one of his hands.

"Sorry, I... I just... Lu, I can't let 'er be with him, you gotta know that. He ain't good news. I can change my decision, sure. I can let 'em be together and act like I'm being real kind in giving him a chance, but that's gonna end in disaster. He'll hurt her an' I'll only have myself to blame for letting him even have the chance. They ain't mates, Lu. She's young and naive; he's taking advantage of that. It ain't a goddamn coincidence that he's gone after Daise. He-- He's smart, Lu. He knew he was there when you got hurt, and he's-- he's gone after Daise to ensure that... that he has a justification to stay here. That's what he does, he's... smart like that."

"I think that's a stretch. He's smart, sure, but he ain't gonna plan this all in advance, is he? That's just... you're overthinking it." Anders interjected quietly, feeling awkward at piping up when he was more content in remaining quiet and playing no part in the conversation at all, but he couldn't stay back as Tate began to conjure up beliefs that, to him, made no real sense. Was it possible that this was all a game Uriel was playing, using Daisy to his advantage to avoid a greater punishment? Sure it was... but it wasn't all that likely. "I think they're genuinely mates, Tate. Daise ain't stupid. She knows how she feels an' I ain't prepared to see her hurt 'cos she can't be with her mate, that's just... cruel. It feels like shit. You and I both know that--"

"Dad would never allow her to date him." Tate retorted before his brother had a chance to finish his sentence, his gaze hardening. "You never met my Dad, Lu, an' he was a good man, but he was intensely protective. He'd never 'ave let her go anywhere near Uriel. In his absence, I... I have that right to protect my little sister, don't I? I gotta do my Dad proud, an'-- an' letting her... get close to Uriel? I dunno if I can do that, darlin'."
 
"She ain't as young and naive as you think, Tate. She's a grown woman, only a few years younger than me when we first met. Yet you trusted me to know when we were mates. She's had her whole life in this world, she's heard all the stories, been told all the feelin's. I... I agree with Anders. She ain't stupid." Luana argued, but kept her tone neutral, not wanting Tate to think she was trying to start a fight.

She glanced to the younger Rivers brother, looking for that support that he had just voiced a moment ago, before glancing to her mate again, "You have that right, of course you do... but at the end of the day, Tate... you can't stop them from bein' together. It's... it's too harsh. You know personally what it's like, being split apart from your mate... would you really wanna put Daisy through that? We both know it's the worst feelin' in the world..." She took a deep breath, "Look, if... if I can move past what he's done... then you should be able to too. I'm willin' to... I'm willin' to, for Daisy. If I can, please... please move past it with me."

Luana stood and moved across to where he sat in the chair, from there she quietly moved his hand away from his head and perched hesitantly on his lap. Her hand reached up to cup his cheek, gently scratching at the stubble that he had kept there after her teasing remark earlier on.

"We all know that... mates are there to compliment each other. They bring out the best in each other, don't they? I've seen that in... in so many of the pairings our two packs. Maybe they've been put together because Daisy is that person to encourage Uriel out of his... iffy qualities. I'm sure some people looked at us when we first found out an' wondered what the fuck." She smiled lightly, attempting to ease the atmosphere in the hut. If not for her sake, then at least for Anders.

Her other arm moved to lay over the back of his shoulders, her hand rubbing the spot at the top of his spine to try and alleviate some of the tension within his body. "We gotta let her do this Tate. Whether it's for better or for worse, she's gotta be let to do this. Otherwise she's goin'ta hate you for the rest of her life an' you're both goin'ta be miserable with one another. If it's a mistake, an' he does hurt her, then it's at least a mistake she's made by herself an' she's going to've learned from it. But if it ain't, an' he really is her mate... just think of how happy she's goin'ta be. Like Gio. Like Anders. Like us."

She didn't take her eyes off him, remaining still on his lap as she tried to convince him, "Please, Tate. None of us want her miserable. Just... see how things go. If you're right, it'll fizzle out by itself an' she'll eventually move on an' you can tell me you told me so."
 
If he was completely honest, in spite of Luana's well-made and thought-out remarks and her position in his lap (which he wasn't going to pretend he didn't enjoy), Tate wasn't completely convinced by the argument to just allow Daisy to do as she wished - or what she believed to be the path set out for her. Perhaps he was babying her, perhaps he was treating her like she was still a child in reluctance to see her as the young woman she had become, but no matter his attitude, his strive to protect her from harm was -and always would be- evident.

Apparently, he was just encouraged to take a backseat and allow Daisy to make those mistakes; to learn and grow from actions she chose in her life as an adult. He knew it wasn't feasible to hold her hand her entire life and that there would have to come a time where he allowed her to live without him making decisions for her and nudging her in a direction he approved of.

He just didn't think -or didn't care to think- that that time would come... so soon.

Especially regarding the topic of her mate. It was probably hypocrisy on his part to doubt Daisy's belief when Anders had discovered his own mate at the same age, just two mere years prior, but Daisy was the youngest and his only sister - Tate had always found it difficult to except that she was growing up and would fall in love. Granted, he hoped that when that day came along, she would find someone he actually liked; not a cold, calculated figure like Uriel who genuinely unnerved him.

But letting her make the mistake herself was all he could do. He didn't want to risk pushing her away and causing her anger with him to become deep-rooted and any cracks to irreparably grow.

As uncomfortable as he was, Luana wasn't saying anything that was untrue... and rather than stubbornly fight against her, he exhaled slowly and nodded, weakly, in agreement.

"I guess-- to avoid pushin' her away, I could... take a step back, yeah. I don't wanna, uh... I don't want 'er hating us. Hating me. I... couldn't... cope with tha'."

"She ain't ever gonna hate 'ya. She'll be thankful that you're letting her be a grown up an' make her own choices, Tate. If it ends in disaster, she's not childish; she'll accept the fact it was her decision, yeah? We can't run her life for 'er." Anders contributed after a moment or two had passed, his own exhale arriving, albeit in relief rather than resignation. "...I gotta say, Tala's really gonna struggle to do the whole datin' thing when she's older, ain't she? Poor kid won't even be able to smile at a guy without you going into protective Dad mode."

"Yeah, like you won't be the same with Teddy--"

"I won't, actually. I'm the cool Dad. Ronan can be the stern one. I give in too easily; he's better at, like, setting rules an' stuff. Holdin' his nerve. All that," the younger brother smirked, the expression widening in triumph at the sight of Tate replicating the expression. He wasn't sure how he was going to ease Tate's tension, though a mixture of his teasing and Luana's close proximity obviously helped achieve it quicker than first presumed.

"I, uh... know this ain't the best time to ask when everything's been real shit today and you're stressed an' all that, but could you maybe look after Teddy tonight? I wanna bring Georgia back here an'... I don't want her gettin' overwhelmed if Teddy starts askin' her questions, you know what Teddy can be like, she's real inquisitive, so, uh... maybe she and Tala could have a sleepover or somethin'? I would ask Daisy but she's probably not gonna want to, and Sasha's got sleep to catch up on..." Anders trailed off as he bit his bottom lip awkwardly, guilt settling in at having to ask when he figured they preferred not to have another toddler to keep an eye on.

"It ain't a problem if you can't, I just... wanna make sure Georgia's settled in. I was gonna bring her to my hut - the twins are gonna crash somewhere else and Daisy's in the healer's hut tonight so... I just thought it was best to not have Teddy pesterin' her is all."
 
Luana released a breath as Tate eventually agreed with her and she bowed her head to press her forehead against the top of his in that relief. However, she also smiled, her hand continuing to rub at his upper back as she came to terms with the fact that he didn't fight with her on this. He had, at least on this occasion, not been stubborn to keep his own decision and had listened to her (and of course Anders) to change his mind.

"She won't hate you. Like Anders said, she'll know it was her decision, one that she made." She murmured, kissing the top of his head before sitting up again. She remained on his lap, however, enjoying the proximity with her mate after such a tense day.

Her chin came to rest upon the top of his head as the two brothers exchanged retorts and quips, smiling faintly at just the normality of it again. She hadn't expected to ever be back in that position, not after Tate's first initial reaction to her arrival and the hatred and vitriol that had been shown as a result afterwards. Despite the events of the day, she would happily go through it all again if it meant being in that same place again at the end of it.

"Of course we can take Teddy." Luana answered softly, the smile remaining on her features as she focused on Anders' request, "I know I said I'd come an' see her with you after the hunt today but that... that just obviously didn't happen." She apologised, tucking some hair behind her ear as she did so, "Whenever you feel like she's ready... I'll happily see her. It might help, y'know, with me comin' into this from a human village an' stuff too."

She then paused, shifting slightly in Tate's lap, "Did you want Ronan there with you to help out? Or have you already told him you're helpin' her an' he knows he can't see you tonight?" She asked, "Just... cause, y'know, then I know to bribe Teddy with either time with her other dad or with adventure story time." Luana chuckled.

Her hand reached out to entwine with one of Tate's free ones, "Then you can tell Daisy about your changed mind... maybe before she tells the kid that they can't see each other anymore." She then told her mate, peering down at him, "Better to do it sooner rather than later so they don't have mixed messages... an' so things aren't... awkward between you both, y'know? It'll be better coming from you too."
 
"I'd better take Ronan along with me. We, uh... don't get much time to ourselves here, and we won't until everyone knows about us, but-- y'know, it ain't the right time to go blurting all that out, not right now. So I think-- yeah, he should come an' nobody's gonna bat an eyelid, right? They'll just think he's lending a hand, that he's staying in my hut 'cos I need his help as a friend, and that's all they need to know. It ain't... entirely untruthful, is it?" Andres continued quietly, the thought of having to lie -or, at least, conceal the truth- of what Ronan meant to him making his already existent uneasiness grow more noticeable - but what choice did he currently have?

He could blurt the news out to everyone before heading off to collect Georgia and bring her into the pack (now her attackers were forced out, he felt it was safe to do that) but everyone had already gone through so much - from learning that members of their community who they loved and trusted were capable of acting so ruthlessly unruly to the knowledge that there were human hunters out in the vastness of the woods, potentially getting closer each and every day to discovering them.

Hell, them discovering Daisy had found her mate in someone who had been a part of the group to intimidate and taunt Luana, of being capable of that cruelty, would just be yet another thing they had to somehow comprehend.

The last thing Anders felt they all needed was another shock to the system. Even if it was something as important as his relationship, he didn't want to add more unsettlement to the mix.

"Nah, I'll take him along an' he can stay in the hut with me an' Georgia, nobody's gonna find that... weird, right? I'll make him sleep on the bottom bunk, just in case someone comes peeking in an' sees us-- I dunno, cuddling or whatever."

"That's fuckin' sad - but eh, you know what you're doing, right? If you guys wanna spend the next few months -or years- 'aving to sneak around an' stealing nothing more than a few kisses in secret, do that. If I gotta stay out of Daisy's lil' relationship, then I ain't gonna start pushin' my views on you and Ronan either. I ain't wanting to start a war with every one of my siblings by interfering in their lives," shrugged Tate after a moment, having to bite on his lip to stop himself saying anything too critical - he had already come to blows with one sibling; he didn't want to provoke the same anger in Anders by criticising the way he was handling his love life.

He had a lot he wanted to say, out of a place of brotherly love and care, but taking a step back and letting Anders make his own mistakes (as he was prepared to do with Daisy) seemed to be the best option to keep the peace amongst them all.

Even though the thought of Anders having to continually push his love life aside for the sake of pack harmony was, in his eyes, ridiculous.

"...I'll sort it out with Daise, don't worry. I'll put on my biggest smile an' act like I'm okay with her pursuing a fucking psychopath, Lu, yeah," he grunted with a roll of his eyes, though had already made the decision to follow through on his mate's recommendations. It wasn't ideal, but letting Daisy make her own choices (and in his opinion, her own mistakes) seemed to be the only way to avoid the complete breakdown in their brother-sister relationship.

His arm wrapped tighter around Luana's waist, pulling her up closer to him. Her physical presence was always a calming one to him, but another part of him also wanted to keep her close as a reminder that he actually had her back; that this wasn't some elaborate hallucination designed to torment him. After two years of absence and all the hurt that had accompanied it, just doing something as simple as holding his mate close as she sat contently in his lap was everything to him.

It made him even more bewildered by Anders' selflessness in keeping quiet, knowing his brother had been in the exact same situation of longing for a mate that was absent from his life, but he continued to bite his lip and keep his opinions on the matter to himself.

"So you'll take Teddy then? That's-- yeah, that's great. An' then maybe tomorrow morning you can come an' see Georgia, Lu? Give her the night to settle in an' get used to the new environment first, obviously."
 
"...You're kiddin', right?" Luana raised an eyebrow, lifting her head from her mate's head after having rested it on top of his again. She had released his hand when he pulled her tighter to him, only to rest a hand around the front of his waist and hold onto his side, her other hand moved to lay over the back of his shoulders, allowing that closer embrace. "...You both... walked into Sasha's hut this mornin', holdin' hands. Some people would've seen that an've already started assumin' their own shit, Anders."

She didn't mean to make his coming out sound so casual, but she hoped that talking about it as easily as that would settle his nerves. He was clearly overthinking a lot of stuff, and she didn't want him to do that. She had told him, repeatedly and intensely, that he ought to make that leap of letting everyone know. But it was something he had to do by himself... just like Daisy with all her choices.

"...I just think you're overthinkin' it a bit, Anders. Even if people did see 'im goin' in with you, I doubt they'll be wantin' to peek in on you though the windows-- which, by the way, there's this marvelous new thin'... curtains. Remember?" She teased, cracking a grin to try and elevate his clear anxiety.

That grin then melted into a reassuring smile, "Honestly, Anders... it'll be fine. No one's goin'ta bat an eyelid anyway 'cause there's nothin' to bat an eyelid at. You're mates. If anyone's got an issue with that, they can fuckin' get over themselves. But I'm tellin' you... there ain't goin'ta be an issue. It'll all be fine. Just... just take him to the hut with you an' Georgia. Maybe just get somethin' to cover the girl's scent, yeah? We don't want the pack getting wind of it an' startin' to poke their noses where they don't belong just yet."

She wanted to give the girl as much time to settle and become relatively comfortable as they could give her. From her own experiences (which had been intense over the few months she had been with the pack), it wasn't easy. And Luana hadn't even known werewolves existed. This poor girl did, and had heard nightmares and villainous tales about them. She would be expecting the worst, and possible thinking she was a monster for being one now too. Then there was the shift... Luana wouldn't want anyone to go through the pain of their first shift, especially when they were older like she had been.

"I'd love to come an' meet her in the mornin'... but maybe let's see how she's feelin'. She'll be meetin' Ronan tonight, let's not overwhelm the poor thing. See what she wants to do. I ain't going anywhere."

On the last comment, she kissed the top of Tate's head, hoping to make sure he heard what she had said.

"But yeah, we'll take Teddy, no problem. You just focus on Georgia for now-- make sure you get her dinner an' stuff, yeah? I can get her some spare clothes, if she needs 'em... not like I got many myself right now, but we can figure that out later. It's important for the pup to feel safe, yeah?"
 
If the conversation about his love life was already awkward enough to have to take on, then doing so while his brother and Luana were all over one another in their affectionate embrace only made that awkwardness intensify tenfold. It didn't help that he was made to witness the incredulity on display from Luana and the clear disbelief flashed across Tate's expression, both making him grimace to himself as he tried to find a way to best deal with the slight irksomeness he experienced as a result of them.

"...Holding hands don't mean nothin', friends do that all the time. They weren't gonna know that he's my mate jsut from us fuckin' holding hands, Lu. I'm allowed to-- to overthink. To be cautious. I ain't got the luxury of shacking up with the pack's alpha. If Ronan was in that position, I'd feel a hell of a lot more confident 'cos there's really nothing people could say. But he ain't. So I'm gonna stay being cautious, if that's alright," he retorted, making sure to keep his tone as neutral as possible... even if something as important to him as defending his actions regarding his relationship was always bound to get him a little heated.

He completely understood their point of view, with his ability to overthink having already proven to lead to him growing flustered and anxious, as had happened countless times in his past - but he wasn't going to throw caution to the wind just to satisfy their beliefs on how he should be acting. In an ideal world, he wouldn't care about the way everyone would react - but he did, especially now he was a parent to Teddy and the only person that Georgia relied upon and trusted to look out for her.

He wasn't going to risk their comfort within the pack just so he could openly be able to express his love for Ronan. He would do so eventually, but it wasn't the priority; not right now.

"If they've figured it out, then cool, that's a weight off my mind. But now Georgia's in the picture, now she's comin' here, I ain't gonna tell them anything yet. It ain't as important as lookin' after a pup who got her whole life torn apart, is it?" He shrugged in an effort to convince himself... even though the thought of being able to be in his own home with Ronan, to be able to mark him and cement their love, was appealing.

It just wasn't as necessary as it had been. A day ago, it was easily the most important thing on his mind - but that was before Georgia's existence was brought to his family's attention; before he even contemplated bringing her into the pack.

"So you can sit in Tate's lap and have your arms all around him, Lu, but I got other stuff on my mind that means I ain't even thinkin' about doing that with Ronan anytime soon - not publicly anyway. It'll take time away from Georgia an' her care, her comfort, is a priority for me, that's-- that's what I gotta do. So critique me all you want, I... I reckon I'm doing the right thing."
 
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