Violet

Anya passed the table of our now VERY pissed off guests and motioned towards a side room. I knew I was looking at a dressing down for my behaviour but I needed Anya separated from this bunch anyway if i was going to have any hope of telling her about what had happened before my little bitch fest a few moments ago. I exhaled and looked down before standing, playing indifference. I slowly stood from the table and watched as Anya entered the next room, just out of ear shot. When I turned around the 'siblings' were all watching me in silence. I looked at Tinkerbell and said 'His name was Beta Brian and his two children were lily and James. Just incase you forgot'. When I saw her eyes narrow and I slowly walked into the room adjacent to the dinning room and shut the door behind me feeling triumphant. Anya was standing there with her arms crossed in front of her, her eye brow lifted with a questioning look on her face.

'What just happened Vi? Can you please explain to me what that was all about and why you chose to question them in front of a 6 year old boy who had just lost his parents, dont you think it was a little insensitive of you'? Anya questioned.

I moved towards her and proceeded to uncross her arms and held her hands in mine.

'Anya, I know we have only known each other a short time. But have I ever lied to you?

Anya shook her head and she seemed to soften a little.

'I think their lying Anya, what happened this morning in the woods - somethings not right. How can 3 fully grown male werewolves go 2 weeks without eating properly or providing for their sister or the young boy. How can they all have travelled on foot with two male rogues tracking them and only just be gained on once they reach our pack? Dont you think it's a little odd?'

Anya nodded 'yes, it is... but they have been though so much Vi. We should give them the benefit of the doubt. They have been here less than 3 hours and you have already been their judge, jury and executioner... what's with that'?

'Its because I overheard two of them outside of my room earlier, a man and a woman discussing how they were going to get close to you and keep their eyes on someone.... when I left my room that asshole Matthew was waiting for me and he challenged me Anya.... he threatened me'.

'Anya closed her eyes and exhaled 'look Violet, I think your stressed right now and your not thinking clearly. Of course he would be on high alert, him and his brothers have been living on the run like wild animals for almost two weeks. They probably dont trust any of us and see all of us as a threat... you just need to stop and think a little, put yourself in their shoes'.

'Ok.. so what about Noah'? I asked

She smiled 'what about him'?

'Why is he terrified of all of them. Did you not notice how he shakes or looks to Tinker bell before he answers a question'?

'Tinkerbell'? queried anya.

'Yes, the blonde pixie who speaks for everyone'! I exclaimed.

Anya started laughing 'vi, you make me laugh sometimes'.

I rolled my eyes.

Anya turned serious when she responded with 'look, I know you have reservations and its duly noted but questioning them like that won't get us anywhere and I still think it's far too early. Let them settle in first and then Liam and I will speak to them individually to corroborate their stories'.

I scoffed 'might be a little hard considering the blonde has pretty much told us their all mute and considering she is the only VOCAl witness that might be a problem'.

Anya sighed.

'What do you want me to do Vi, turn them away'? She sounded upset at the prospect. She's far too kind for her own good.

'The boy, he needs a family. We could help him and all of them recover from the traumatic experience they went through. Will you at least try to get to know them.... for me'? Her eyes were pleading with me and I didn't have the heart to say no when I saw her pout.

'I know their lying Anya, but if you want be to be civil with them then I will'. She smiled but looked like she had more to say.

'Good, I'm pleased to hear it Vi. You're a really good friend to me and I trust your judgement but I need you to trust mine sometimes too. I know your a born Luna and I'm Luna by mating, but if you question my authority in public it makes me look weak. I know you have this packs best interest at heart so please let me take it from here. I know I've been busy with all of my Luna duties lately and you with your training this last month, how about we go out shopping together tomorrow, just the two of us? I've missed some girl time and maybe we can bring Miriam and Noah along too? Buy them some much needed supplies, I know when you needed my help i was there for you Vi. Maybe it's time you were able to do the same for others who have fallen on bad times too?.... you have so much good in you Violet and with what you confided in me about what happened in your last pack, I can understand why you dont trust them. But not everyone is your enemy'.

Oh. God. That one hit a nerve. I teared up little bit.

'You're a good friend Anya, a genuine friend and someone I respect and admire. If you need this, my support that is, I'll do my best'.

She looked so happy and for a moment I was caught up in it all when she hugged me.

'I just don't want anything to happen to you'. I whispered into her hair.

She squeezed me tighter and said 'nothing will happen to me Vi because I know you'll always be there to protect me. We both know who is the stronger one here'. she giggled and I wiped the newly formed mucus from my nose and smiled back at her. I titled my head back to try and blink away the tears and Anya helped to wipe them away from my cheeks whilst laughing.

'Since you have been so open with me, it's time I was open with you too.... I have another reason for wanting to keep them here. See, before Liam was Alpha and a good few years before we both knew what we were to one another, there was a civil war in the pack.

She paused and took a deep breath... her eyes glazed over and I knew she was thinking about the attack from Evelyn. The one Alec told me about.

'I don't need to go into any details as it happened such a long time ago now. But when I was sparring with another shewolf I was injured. Cutting a long story short... she gulped and whatever it is she wanted to say seemed trapped in her throat. I touched her arm to offer her the support I felt she needed. Whatever it was must have been bad to make her this upset.

'My womb was damaged in the fight and I can't have any children'.

Neither of us said anything as i felt my raging heart beating painfully in my chest. It broke for her. So this is why she is so overtly maternal with everyone. She tries to compensate for not being able to be a mother herself. It all made sense now.....

'Noah...' I said quietly as if the lightbulb had finally lit.

She smiled but it didn't quiet reach her eyes.

'He's an orphan Vi. No family to speak of and I know if we turn them all away they will take Noah with them. I want to convince them that I can take care of him. They took him away when they fled so he wouldn't die, they aren't his family and I'm sure they would give him to me if I asked. Once they get to know me that is. I really need this chance Vi, I want to be a mother so badly. I feel empty inside, I know Liam loves me no matter what and he often blames himself for not acting sooner. But none of that, none of it matches the pain of feeling useless, and I am useless. What's my purpose in life Vi? How can i call myself a woman or even a Luna if i cannot provide my mate with an heir for his pack? Do you know how painful it is to see my pack members give birth, to oversee their happiness everytime they hear their new born pup cry for the first time? I need this Violet. I just knew it when i saw him today that he is my chance to be a mother. I can finally raise and give Liam a son'. She was desperate at this point and I had never seen someone so vulnerable.... she had so much hope in her eyes and I knew I couldn't be the one to break it.

'I need to feel like a woman again Vi'. Her voice broke on the words 'feel' and I wrapped my arms around her.

'Noah would be the luckiest boy in the world to have you as his mother Anya and after seeing you both together a few moments ago, I think he wants the same too'.

She sniffled and hugged me closely.

'Thank you Violet - for understanding'.

*******

Next day

After yesterday's debacle at the breakfast table and after having heard Anya's story and how much she trusted and confided in me, I decided it was probably for the best that I try to put aside my grievances with little miss bullshit pixie dust in exchange for Anya's happiness on this little shopping trip that she was so looking forward too. The pixie agreed to come with almost before Anya managed to get the words out of her mouth (needy much)? She seemed a little miffed at having to bring Noah along and looked downright hostile towards me when Anya mentioned it would be a girlie shopping spree that also included me. I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly when the pixie almost stamped her feet up the stairs to her room in order to get changed for today's trip, just down the hill might I add. She insisted on changing but into what, I couldn't fathom considering she had no other clothes to speak of and that's when I saw one of the brother's 'Will' i believe slunk up the stairs after her. Obviously plotting their strategy i see. Or discussing their attempt at removing me from the equation, of that I was sure of.

Anya had changed Noah into some play clothes gifted to her by another shewolf in the pack, all too pleased to provide their Luna with anything in order to make her happy. Just like me it would seem. I thought this whole charade was ridiculous. There's simply no way i would ever concede and agree to be Miriam's friend as Anya had called it.

The girl was lying theough her teeth and I needed to give it more time before approaching anyone with my findings again, and next time I would go straight to Liam. Anya was now emotionally involved, the young boy Noah turned out to be a minor conflict of interest where Anya was concerned. She would do anything to make sure he stayed with her and I got the impression that she didnt really listen to me yesterday like she should have. Like a Luna should. I couldnt blame her though, after hearing her story I could understand why. She needed that little boy and it appeared that his happiness depended on the siblings staying here.

I still remember the look of pure terror in his eyes when he woke up and realised he was in Miriam's arms and not in Anya's anymore. He never spoke without looking to Miriam for approval first and she often whispered to him when Anya wasnt looking. She was manipulative and sly I'll give her that, and this poor boy was being used to play with Anya's heart strings. I needed to buy my time and hold out. Get some more evidence before approaching Alpha liam. Alec assured me that he would tell liam about the voices I had heard behind my door yesterday, the voices I now assumed to be Miriam and Matty the Mute. Mute my ass.

When the pixie came back down the stairs she was dressed in a simple pale blue dress with white trainers. I looked to Anya and she shrugged. 'I let her borrow some of my clothes'. I looked back at Miriam and she grinned at me before following Anya and Noah outside. Suited me just fine as I'll just take the rear and keep my eyes on her at all times. This was the type of woman who defined the 'knife in your back' phrase just perfectly and I wanted to keep my eyes on those knives wherever possible.

Miriam's shoulders seemed tense as we continued our ascent into the town down the hill from the pack house. She realised after a few minutes that I was going to keep walking behind her and this seemed to make her nervous.... GOOD. I kept my eyes fixed to the back of her head and watched every move or gesture she made like a hawk. She started a conversation with Anya and asked her what her favourite movie was, where she had travelled, whether she enjoyed training and how well she thought she was at it. Odd! She slipped it in very casually and not in a way I could pull her up on it but she was quite obviously fishing for knowledge about Anya's fighting and skill set. I seemed to get lost in my own thoughts for a while and bumped straight into Anya, not noticing she had stopped walking to look inside of a shop window.

'Wow... steady there girl'! Anya joked.

'Sorry, got a little distracted I guess' I smiled at her and turned to look Tink up and down.

Anya then suggested going into the shop to buy Noah some clothes as it appeared to be a children's shop. I groaned internally. I like kids and all but i was still young and not really into the whole gushing over baby shoes and cute little jumpers. I could barely look after myself at this point. I internally cringed when I realised I actually had to follow them into the shop if I wanted to watch over Anya. Noah clung to her dress and would occasionally give me a small smile or two when I glanced down at him. I smiled back and he hid behind her skirt again only to jump out and roar. I laughed out loud and decided to join in with his game of peekaboo. I closed my hands over my eyes as he hid behind Anya's skirt and as soon as he would jump out I would open my hands and reveal the ugliest face I could pull which made him giggle all the more. I must have gotten lost in this bundle of cutneness' game because when I looked up for a moment I caught everyone in the shop smiling at my interaction with Noah. I giggled nervously and Anya pushed my shoulder playfully.....

'You're so good with him and I'm so pleased he seems to be having fun'. Anya' eyes were bright and happy. A sharp contrast to the green ones fixed on me behind her shoulder. Anya bent down between Miram and I and held up a cute pair of shorts up next to Noah to try and judge his size. Funny, Tinkerbell here and I could have sized each other up right away. I scoffed at her attempt to unnerve me and she visibly looked rattled by my indifference.

We must have spent well over two hours in that shop much to my dismay as Anya seemed to be spending all of Liam's money in this place on the cuteball that was Noah. A few other pack members who were customers approached the boy and introduced themselves, a few also remarked on how happy their Luna looked and how pleased they were for her that a little boy would be staying with her at the main house. It was evident now that I knew her story how many of the women in the pack felt towards her and their compassion for her situation. It was obviously a ship she couldnt frequent prior to Noah's arrival. They were pleased to see her so full of life and so was I.

'Tink' and I managed to ignore oneanother and not exchange more than a few words for best part of the day which suited me just fine. She looked annoyed however whenever Noah would interrupt her discussion with Anya. When we finally left the store and Anya suggested getting some clothes for the pixie I decided to be a little sneaky..... bad I know. But I doubted that Miriam would harm Anya in the heavily populated town we were in. So therefore, I could put my plan in motion.

'Why don't you guys go shopping together and I'll take Noah to get some ice cream as he's starting to look a little hungry now'. Anya visibly looked upset that she hadn't noticed it before and reminded Noah that anytime he was hungry he could let her know. She tried to say she would come with but that would foil my plans so I insisted that I could take him on my own. The pixie caught on very early and tried to protest looking a little surprised and nervous.

'That's okay, I don't really need much anyway. We could go back to the pack house and cook for him there and maybe all sit down and watch a film together'? Her eyes pleaded with Anya and Anya pouted.

'But you don't have many clothes to wear as it is and I think we should at least pick up the basic necessities for you'? Anya said.

I jumped in.

'Ofcourse take your time, don't worry Miriam I promise to take good care of Noah and after all everyone knows that ICE CREAM is wayyyy better than any home cooked meal'. I emphasised ice cream to make it sounds really exciting and Noah bought it. He jumped up and down and clapped his hands. He let go of Anya's hand and took mine.

'Pleaassee??' He whined.

Anya gave in like the soft cookie i knew she was and promised to meet Noah and I in 30 minutes at the ice cream shop. Insisting that Miriam needed clothes. Anya began to pull Miriam away towards the shop and I waved enthusiastically at her like the good little shit stirer that I was. Sometimes, having that wooden spoon made times like this worth it.

Miriam shot me a glare which if I couldnt possibly mistake for being anything other than a threat and tried to make eye contact with Noah but I turned him away from her quickly and when they were finally out of ear shot I said 'kid, I like you already'.... he grinned.

'Ice cweaam' he shouted.

I laughed as we walked into the wide shop. His eyes popped as he looked around at all the flavours and after around 20 mins of his internal deliberation he finally came to the conclusion that chocolate chip was the best bet. As we sat down on the table for him to eat I decided to put my plan in motion.

'So Noah, do you like Miriam? Is she good to you'?

He stopped eating and paused with the small spoon in his mouth. He was staring at his icecream which had just started to melt.

'It's okay you know, if you tell me how you really feel. I'm your friend and if you ever feel afraid or scared you can always tell your friends'.

His eyes darted up to mine and he looked like he was about to cry.... oh no.

'Heyyy it's ok. No need to get upset. It's just that I thought you and I could be friends and I would also like to be Miriam's friend too but I just wanted to know whether you thought I should be friends with her'.

He shook his head 'no'.

I stopped. Okayyyy i think I'm getting somewhere.

'No? Why not?'

'She isnt very nice'.

Okay... my heart started to race and I got angry.... I knew there was something she was doing to him but I had to word things in a way that his little brain would understand and i also didn't want to cause him any emotional pain.

'Why isnt she very nice Noah? You know you can tell me and I would keep it a secret'. I put my finger to my mouth implying I would zip my lips and throw away the key and he giggled before stopping abruptly.

'She's a bad person and I don't know her'.

'Okay, but that's not what Miriam told me. She told me that she saved your life. So when you were running away from your pack a few weeks ago can you remember if Miriam said was correct, was it she who saved you'?

'My mommy told me to run....'

I stopped... okay this was getting a little dark and I felt awful at this point, I was manipulating the subject to get as much info as I could. I knew it was wrong but I wanted to get him away from her and protect this pack so I had to push.

'From who or what Noah? Who were you running from?'

'From Mi Mi....' I caught onto the fact he was talking about Miriam as he couldnt say her full name but I reiterated to make sure.

'From Miriam'? I asked and he nodded.