0169
Damien
"Daddy?" Dottie had dropped her spoon in her cereal bowl and was staring at me with wide bright green eyes and a stuck out bottom lip.
"You should finish your breakfast. You have a big day today."
She screws up her nose. "I can't eat."
"And why is that?"
"You're sad." She mutters with a tiny frown "And if I go to school, I can't keep an eye on you."
"Is that right?"
"Uh huh!"
"Well, I have a lot to do today so you don't need to worry about me. I'm taking the oath later to officially be part of Black Shadow. And it's important that you start school." "Why?"
"Because you are a clever little girl. Besides, school is here in Black Shadow so I won't be far and you get to hang out with kids your own age."
"If I'm clever, I don't need to go to school. Neah didn't and she is an Alpha!" She pouts at me and hugs herself
I sigh, Dottie had an answer for everything these days.
"But I wish I had got to go to school." Neah mutters as she makes her way into the kitchen with her boys toddling along next to her. It's not as fun learning to read and write when you are an adult." Dottie hikes her shoulders up around her ears. "Fine, I will go!"
We had been making plans for this for about a week. A lot of the Lycans had brought young kids, pulling them from schools to be here. They were worried that their children would fall behind so Dane had agreed to set up a small school. And I think now, Dottie's nerves were settling in.
She turns to Neah, "Will you look after Daddy? He's sad."
Neah's blue eyes flash in my direction as she settles Logan into a high chair. "Sure."
I wish Dottie would stop telling everyone I was sad. Raven was dead, that was the end of it.
"Do you think my other Daddy will come with us and walk me to school?"
"I can ask, but you need to finish your breakfast. I know you Dottie. You will be hungry again in ten minutes."
She gives me a guilty smile and starts shovelling cereal into her mouth.
Dottie holds my hand with a tight grip as we walk across the grounds to the small building that had been turned into a school.
She was more jittery than usual.
Her eyes darted all over the place.
Probably because Brax hadn't turned up like he said he was going too. She isn't the only one who is hesitant.
Other kids are protesting too.
Ryken has his youngest boy trapped under his arm as he carries him towards the school with a look that suggested he had also had a rough morning convincing the boy to go to school.
"He's scared." Dottie whispers to me.
"He hasn't been here that long. Remember, you were scared when you first came here. Maybe he needs a friend."
"Like Auntie Mallory is your friend?"
"Exactly."
She nods and straigthens out her pink dress. Confidently, she strides away from me, stopping in front of a struggling Ryken. "My name is Dorothy. I can be your friend." She offers her hand to the boy but Ryken just stands there, staring at her like she had some kind of disease.
I hadn't considered that the Lycans wouldn't be happy that a daughter of a Hunter would be going to the school.
"She is just a kid!" I snarl as I get close.
"I know." Ryken mutters. "But do you think it's wise? The room will be full with young Lycans."
"I think you are worried about the wrong person."
Dotties hand slides back into mine. "It's okay Daddy, I can just go home."
I force a smile for her. "No, you have the right to be here just as much as anyone else." I turn my eyes to Ryken. "Doesn't she?!"
"Of course." He mutters, but there is no truth behind it. And if I can see that, she could too.
I make sure she is settled before I leave, though the way the parents are looking at her doesn't go unnoticed. I was starting to think it was a good idea Brax didn't turn up.
He would have shot every single person in this room and maybe he knew that.
Kissing dottie on the cheek, I promise to pick her up later and make my way to the teacher.
"Any problems, anything at all, give me a call immediately." I slide my number across the table to her.
The sooner I take this fucking oath, the better.
"Wait!" Ryken calls as I stride back towards the house.
"What?"
"I'm worried about my boys."
"You're their parent, you should be." I snap and carry on walking.
"You know that is not what I'm talking about! And you are one of her parents in that weird relationship you have going on."
I glare at him. "She is a little girl that has probably seen more horrors than all the kids in that classroom combined. But more importantly, she just wants to learn. Why do you have a problem with that?"
"Damien, you know exactly what I'm talking about. She's a Hunter of our kind. She is a threat."
"Like I said, you are worried about the wrong person!"
"So if she gets into trouble, then what, her father is going to come for us? You're going to come for us?"
"Yes. I will warn you once and only once. If you or any other Lycan tries anything stupid, it won't just be me or Brax that you have to worry about. Dottie is a part of Neah's family. How do you think Neah will feel after she invited you to stay here?"
"I fully support our Alpha, but I don't want the Hunter child hanging out with my kids."
"Why, worried they will turn out like Blair?" I walk away without waiting for his reaction.
Neah is standing with her hands on her hips as I walk through the front door. "You're threatening other Lycans now?"
"It wasn't a threat. But I'm glad to see they can link you when needed."
She sighs and sits on the bottom step. "Damien. I'm sorry, okay. I had to do it. I couldn't let you do it."
"Stop apologising Neah. I keep telling you that I understand. You don't need to keep apologising to me."
"But..."
"I don't blame you, Neah, not for anything. I blame her, she took the easy way out. She didn't even try to fight for what was hers. And honestly, I have more important things to worry about."
"If you need to talk, I..."
"I don't."
She puffs out her cheeks. "Are you going to tell me what happened with Ryken?"
"I'm sure he has already told you."
She rolls her eyes at me. "I prefer to listen to both sides."
I sit on the stairs next to her. "I won't let anything happen to Dottie."
"I know that. But we all need to make it work. We've got the original Wolves, we have Lycans, both bitten and pure bloods and then we have several Hunters. Though I'm not really sure if I can class Klaus in that category." She smiles at me.
"I will speak to Ryken." ""He's a prick, Neah. Don't fall for his shit. "
"It's my decision."
I nod "Where's Dane?"
"Down at the gate. Apparently there is another one."
"And you didn't go?"
"I was waiting for you to come back. Athena came and got the twins and I was going to go, but whoever is at the gate. isn't important. You do get that right? That you are not alone here. Just because she's gone, it doesn't mean you've stopped being family." "Good, because you are stuck with me!"
I walk down to the gates with her. There's a woman standing on the other side of the gates. Her arms folded against her chest in defence. And she is human. How the fuck had a human made it out here?
She has strange grey eyes. "You don't believe me do you?" I hear her mutter to Dane
"Why would there be a human here?" Neah whispers
"There's only one way to find out."
The woman's strange grey eyes move to Neah as we approach and her lips part a little. "Shit!"
I immediately pull Neah behind me. Her life was worthier than mine and I didn't need another prick trying to take her out.
"How did you find this place?" Dane demands
"I was shown it."
"By who?"
"Someone else like me.
"Another human?" I demand
"I'm not human. Or at least, I wasn't. It's complicated. I was a Lycan and then I had my abilities taken from me."
"You weren't bound. If you were bound, you would still have a scent. But the only thing you stink of, is human." Dane tells her.
"I don't know what he did to us. I just know that I was never the same again."
""Bullshit!" Dane snaps
"What if I told you the same thing has happened to Blair?" The woman announces.
"What are you talking about?" Neah pushes her way around me.
"Blair isn't a Lycan anymore."
"Not possible."
"She was the one who showed me where your pack is. I came here to warn you."
"Really, what is Blair threatening me with now?!" Neah demands
"It's not Blair. Blair didn't want me to come here, but we had no choice. The guy that did this to me and many others is probably on his way here, looking for her. She told him she was your half sister." The woman shakes her head at Neah.
"I'm not scared of one man!" Neah snaps back. "Whatever happened to Blair is nothing less of what she deserved."
The woman nods her head. "She did a lot of bad things, and instead of death, she had everything stripped from her. That's what he does."
Neah snorts.
"What's your name?" Dane asks.
"Samara, but no one calls me that. Sammie or Sam is fine." She shakes her head. "This man is dangerous."
"Is it a trick?" Neah whispers to me.
"She seems to know a lot."
"She isn't lying." Brax saunters up next to us. His hazel eyes linger on the woman. "But you are not exactly innocent either, are you Samara?"