The stranger uttered Ma's name again.

I shifted on my feet. I felt a hint of discomfort but there was something else that I couldn't put my finger on.

Those dark eyes dropped to my boots instantly, perhaps sensing my unease. "I'm not going to attack you. There's no need to go into an offensive mode."

I kept my stance. I didn't trust him.

For a few seconds, he didn't make a move. It was almost impossible to tell if he was real or not. Now that the sun was bright on his face, I could see the sharp outlines of his face from his raven hair that was buzzed closely to his head and the dark ink that decorated the ring of his neck.

He stood clearly out of place in his tailored suit and silk, embroidered scarf.

There was something familiar with him that had me tracing his sharp, symmetrical features intently.

His thick brows furrowed as he watched me with confusion.

He made a move to draw closer, but I held my hand up, "Who are you?" I demanded.

His lips pinched but his gaze was intense as he studied me with intentional precision, I felt like he was scalding out my features with a hot knife.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." His words were hard now.

I crossed my arms, suddenly uncomfortable with this man. "You called me Allison. That's my mother's name. How do you know her?"

A thick silence followed my words.

He watched me with such quiet intensity, I almost looked away with disquiet. The way he stared at me changed. He was tall, the same height as Jude. He exuded an authoritative demeanour that begged for another glance as if to confirm if the man himself was living flesh.

The change in his expression was rapid- confusion, uncertainty, disbelief then cold stark fear. It was like watching a glitching slideshow. The colour left his face as he focused on my eyes for a long silent moment. It was strange seeing this stranger who was clearly so honed to be a weapon lose composure and grow so pale, he looked as if he'd collapse into himself.

"Fuck." The word left his lips in a pained hiss.

He hunched over; hands flat on his stomach like he was minutes away from losing whatever he ate last.

"Who are you? You don't smell like a Shadow Hunter." I scanned his body for any risk factors. I didn't see any weapons on his person, but then again, people usually kept their weapons hidden from plain sight.

"FUCK!" The man cursed again, louder. The shout made the trees nearby tremble, sending a flock of birds heaven-ward like a black cloud.

I jerked from the weight of pain in the single word.

Jude ran through the shrubs, spotting me and making a quick scan of the surroundings for danger. He recognised the stranger and immediately swept in front of me as if trying to block my image from the man.

"You shouldn't be out here Tatum." Jude spoke calmly but there was a stiff tension that lined his broad shoulders.

The man- Tatum- wasn't even paying heed to Jude. He was still staring at me haunted eyes. Jude picked up on it. He ordered Seamus to take me back to the Pack House. This snapped Tatum out of his funk as he shook his head, watching me like he was afraid I'd disappear any second.

"Tatum, I don't want to be rude-" Seamus held out his hands in a placating manner. "-but we are in the middle of training some-"

"What is your name?" This question was aimed at me. His eyes now had a sheen of water in them.

"Go with Seamus." Jude closed a hand on my hip, lightly manoeuvring me towards Seamus. "Listen to me this once Aella." his words pressed into the skin of my neck, I found myself moving to Seamus despite the questions weighing down on my tongue.

"No, stay." Tatum rushed forward but Jamison appeared beside him to block him.

"You're pushing your welcome here Tatum. Your visit to this Pack involved me only. Anyone else is strictly forbidden."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Tatum replied in a low voice.

"Tatum." Seamus warned.

The said man refused to heel.

"Aella, go to the Pack House."

"Aella? Your name is Aella?" There was an odd emotion in the man's voice that made me pause and really look at him. "I told Allison about an Amazon warrior who had been brave enough to fight against Heracles. Your name means 'whirlwind'. The Amazon warrior that bore your name was gifted with her double axe, people said she was like a whirlwind when she fought."

I was captivated by his soft words.

"Allison loved the story, thought Aella was a good name." He finished in a whisper, studying my reaction.

I paused, resisting Seamus' prompt to continue walking.

It took only one breath for the truth to unravel and for the world I knew to tilt sideways until I was left grappling at nothing.

"You're him." I couldn't hide the tremor in my voice, or the sudden blur to my vision.

He swallowed audibly, watching me the same way Ma always did when I did something that made her proud.

"You shouldn't be here Tatum, we specifically requested that you steer clear from this place until tomorrow morning." Jude told the stranger.

"I apologise." Tatum shook his head, "There was something here that I couldn't ignore." His gaze abruptly ping-ponged to the men that had appeared through the trees, surrounding him as if he were their prey. He didn't run. He did not bleed fear either. I couldn't help but notice how vulnerable he looked surrounded by half of the Elite Syndicate. "It's clear that I didn't obey this request but seeing as that person you're covering Jude is my daughter, I can't just leave now."

There it was.

The unspoken truth.

Still covering my body, Jude turned, seeking an answer. "Is that true?" He asked delicately, I could barely hear the words pressing into my ear.

"He's not lying."

Jude's expression faltered as unease settled for a split second across the sharp angles of his face. "I didn't realise that your father was The Eye." He said quietly.

"The Eye?"

Jude nodded, "The Eye is a very gifted assassin. He was sent here to kill me."

"What?" I spluttered.

"For fucks sake Jude, stop with the bullshit." Tatum scowled, looking unimpressed.

"Isn't it true?"

If Tatum was a man that rolled his eyes, this would be the moment he would be doing it. "You're playing with the details. I came here to warn you that someone was after you. You should be thanking me in fact. Without me, you'd probably be six feet under."

"As you can see, I'm faring well."

"Yes, I'm glad you noticed. I'm the reason for that."

"Don't flatter yourself assassin."

"Ok children, break it up." Emrys seemed to be the only one with some sense to interrupt the two. There was a laughing glint in his eye as he shook his head as if he too couldn't believe how the two were goading each other.

From the distance there were shouts of triumph. The preys had been found. The test was finished.

"Luka has ceased the test and congratulated the winning recruits."

"Good. We'll discuss the rest later."

"Huh." Seamus circled Tatum with open curiosity. "I knew she had to be your spawn."

"Excuse me?" Tatum moved so fast, his arm was a blur as he threw it out, wrapping a hand around the man's neck and slamming him unceremoniously into a nearby trunk. The tree quivered under the sudden weight.

Emerys and Alexei made a move to assist their Pack member, but Jude motioned them to stop. Instead, Jude approached the two men, "Release him, Tatum."

Seamus remained frozen under his tight grip, but he didn't bother prying the man's hand from his neck. He too must've realised his comment may have crossed the invisible line of decorum.

Tatum shoved at his throat before reluctantly releasing him. Seamus straightened out, fixing his askew suit jacket. He looked unbothered that he could've choked to death.

"We'll talk more in my office. Take care of the Recruits Jamison. I'll be back soon."

Jude turned to me, holding out a hand. "Come."

My gaze flew to Tatum who watched the exchange with something indecipherable flickering in his gaze. He didn't speak a word as I closed my fingers around Jude's larger hand. His hand felt warm and rough against mine. His grip tightened as he pulled me into his body, taking in his earthy scent that clung onto him like second skin. The stubble on his jaw tickled the soft skin of my temple as he shielded me from the assassin, "You didn't know?" His question was so softly spoken, it was a complete wonder he was so notoriously feared amongst changelings. No one seemed to hear his words as he held my hand, leading us to the Pack house while my limbs followed willingly. Everyone else had begun to move ahead, intentionally leaving space between us so that we were enclosed in our own little world.

The coarseness of his hands were still foreign against the skin of my fingers but if someone were to rip my hand away, I'd cut a bitch before that could happen. The thought was swift, but the truth remained behind. I liked that his hand enveloped mine in complete warmth. I liked that he would protect me from unknown threats, using his body to shield mine. I liked that he could be soft with me.

The thoughts lingered, swirling, and mingling together as something else set in.

Another truth that took firm residence was, I liked him.

And I missed him.

It didn't go unnoticed that the man himself was purposely taking shorter strides, making up for my legs that weren't as wide as his would be if he were walking at a normal pace. The metal chains rustled with each swing of his arm, a wicked song to a tune only he could hear when he wielded his weapon into a lethal dance.

The other E.S Enforcers left as we settled into the office. Tatum sat in one of the chairs facing the large desk where Jude imposingly sat with clasped fingers. Tatum didn't spare a single glance his way. I could feel his scrutiny since he kept his eyes on me as I pretended to read through a worn book tucked in the corner of the shelf.

"Start speaking Tatum." Jude broke the silence with a sigh.

"What relationship do you have with Aella?" Tatum demanded.

"You are not welcome to that sort of information."

"She's mine."

"I dare you to say that again." Jude growled, eliciting goosebumps along my neck. "Don't look at her. She's not the one talking to you." He slammed his fists against the glossy surface of his desk.

"I wish she would speak to me." He said wistfully.

I bit my lip, clutching the book tightly in my grip. There was so much I wanted to say to him, but it was too much, too soon. My thoughts went to Ma. Did she know that he was alive? Is that why she was always looking out the window with so much yearning, it broke anyone who saw her do it again and again?

Where the hell had he been this whole time?

Sudden anger had me twisting to face the man. Did he even care what he did to Ma? He wasn't the one who saw her day to day with sad eyes and a strained smile. He wasn't there when the Pack were assholes. He wasn't there to defend her...or us.

He wasn't there, full stop.

I slammed the book shut and glared at the man, not hiding the battle of emotions flashing across my face.

He visibly flinched, sucking in a sharp breath.

"Did you even think about her at least once when you were doing who knows what?" I asked quietly, struggling to keep my emotions from spilling into each letter.

"Aella..."

"Did you?!"

"Fuck." Tatum cursed, bringing his hands to his face.

"You know she always stands next to our bedroom window at night, just to look outside. I always used to ask her what she was looking for. She never did say what she was looking for because she just said she liked the glow of the moon. She did that every single day, for you." I accused.

Tatum didn't speak but his shoulders quivered with unspoken emotion. "That's not how it was supposed to be. She should've forgotten about me. She deserved more, always more." His words weren't directed at me, but the words tore from his lips with enough heart-break, my eyes stung.