Mom and I chatted for a few more minutes before we heard the door open and close. Then my dad yelled out 'hello?' Obviously wondering where we were. My mom stood up and looked at me expectantly wanting me to follow her. The thought of telling my dad what happened makes my stomach drop and I shake my head.

"Can you tell him please?" I plead with her. "I can't say it again." I whisper and she nods and pats my cheek a little.

"Of course, baby. You just stay here." She says and makes her way out of my room.

I hear her pad down the stairs and the low rumble of their voices going back and forth for a few minutes before I hear my dad shout 'that fucker!' and a loud growl vibrate the house.

A moment later I hear the front door slam shut, and jump out of my bed to the window. I see my dad stomp over to the alpha house and pound on the front door until our alpha opens it. I open the window, but can't make out what they're saying. I see the alpha clench his fists and hear him scream 'that fucker' as they both take off down the dirt path towards the pack.

My mom opens my door quietly and slips in, slipping her arms around me and tugging me into a tight hug.

"Come on sweetie. Let's go cook some dinner. Sean is coming over too."

"Where'd they go?" I ask glancing at her. A wicked smirk appears on her face.

"Where do you think?" She laughs and I sigh, rolling my eyes.

We were finishing up cooking dinner when my dad and brother strolled into the kitchen my dad marched right up to me and pulled me into a hug.

"It's so good to see you, little one." He says quietly while patting my hair like he always does. I snuggle into his firm, safe embrace and bask in his scent. I never truly feel home until I see my dad.

"I'm sorry about that little prick." He says releasing me and showing me his bloody knuckles. "But don't worry. We taught him a lesson." He says with a glean in his eyes.

"Yep." Sean says showing off his equally destroyed hand and a smug smile on his face. "No one fucks with my little sister like that and gets away with it." He says darkly as he pulls me in for a hug.

"I missed you, you little shit." He says affectionately before pecking my cheek.

"Really?" I ask teasingly. "I thought the beta in training was too high and mighty for us mere mortals now." He scoffs and gives me a gentle nudge away from him.

"And now I remember why I was so happy when you left for school at the end of the summer." He says and I'm about to respond that he's stuck with me for good now when there's a harsh pounding on the front door. My dad and brother look at each other before my dad starts walking towards the door.

"He better not have followed us here like a mangy dog." I hear him mutter before he opens the door.

A visibly bruised and battered Jude stands on the other side and flicks his eyes furiously behind my dad until they catch mine. He breathes a sigh of relief before he tries to push past my dad. My dad pushes him back out onto the porch into the cold night and closes the door slightly so he can no longer see me.

"Please, just let me talk to her." I hear him beg my father.

"You wanna talk to this asshole, baby girl?" My dad shouts over his shoulder at me.

"Nope." I answer without hesitation and my dad chuckles.

"You heard her. Now get." He says trying to shut the door. Jude sticks his foot in between the door and the wall before it closes.

"Please." He begs again and my dad sighs.

"Maybe she'll feel differently after dinner." My dad says and Jude nods before he tries to push into the house again.

"That wasn't a fucking invitation, pup. You can wait on the porch like the dog you are and see what her answer is." My father growls at him and I can tell Jude wants to challenge him, but he lets it go and takes a step back allowing my father to slam the door in his face.

"Now, let's eat!" He yells loud enough that I know Jude heard him and motions us all into the dining room.

We make idle chit chat and my parents ask me about school and I listen to my brother drone on about his boring training, but I don't have much of an appetite and can't focus on anything other than Jude sitting on our snow covered porch.

"Well, what do you wanna do, little one?" My dad asks me gruffly as he finishes a slice of my mom's famous cherry pie.

"I don't know, dad. What do you think I should do?" I ask and wait while he contemplates his reply.

"I think we should go with Alpha's suggestion and cut his balls off." My brother interjects and we hear a choked coughing sound from the front porch, showing Jude is listening to our conversation. Dad points to his temple and switches the conversation over to our family mind link.

'You're gonna have to talk to him eventually.' My dad says with a heavy sigh.

'You're dad's right, baby. Might as well get it over with.' My mom adds.

'Nothing he says will justify what he did.' Sean says and my dad nods in agreement.

'I don't disagree with you, son. But regardless that conversation is going to happen and maybe it will help Natalie decide what she wants to do from here on out.' My dad says and I nod.

'You're right, dad. I might as well talk to him. The sooner I do the sooner I can send his ass home.' My dad chuckles and nods.

'We'll give you some privacy.' He says showing my mom and brother up the stairs.

I walk warily to the front door and open it slowly. Jude is in front of me the next second, his eyes flitting to every feature on my face like a man starved and it's the only food in sight.

"Come in." I say and move out of the way. He moves towards the living room and I growl lowly at him. He stops and looks at me surprised.

"You can stay right here and say what you have to say." I tell him coldly and he sighs.

"Can we please sit down, sunshine?" He implores and I shake my head.

"No. And don't call me that anymore." I say and he can tell I'm serious.

His eyes flit to my neck where his necklace usually is and I can see his shoulders drop. He sighs again and I take a moment to look over his face. He's sporting two black eyes and a nice bruise to his chin. He notices my gaze and points to that bruise.

"Eli did that one." He says before pointing to his right eye. "Your dad did that one." He points at his other eye. "My dad did that one." Then he lifts his shirt and shows me a nice sized bruise over the left side of his ribs. He winces a little at the motion. "And your brother did that one."

"You better watch your ass or I'll give you a matching one on the other side." Sean says as he comes down the stairs and walks towards the door.

"This one didn't get enough ass whoopings as a child apparently." My dad says from the bottom of the stairs and Sean chuckles.

"We can change that real quick, can't we dad?" Sean says with a cold smirk in Jude's direction and his jaw tweaks at the insinuation. My dad only chuckles before he responds.

"We sure can, son. Sure can."

Sean plants a kiss on my head before he opens the door.

"I'm headed out. I'll see you tomorrow, Nat." He says and I nod at him before he closes the door behind him.

"You heard what he said, pup. Watch your ass." My dad pins Jude with a firm glare before he heads back up the stairs. Jude sighs again and shakes his head.

"Wow I'm surprised your mom hasn't threatened me too." He says.

"Don't think I won't fuck you up, boy!" My mom screams from upstairs and I try to hide my smile.

"Let's go outside." I say quietly and grab my coat. I hear him follow me and I stand with my arms crossed, unable to meet his eyes.

"Natalie, I'm so sorry." He says before reaching out to me. I pull back reflexively before his skin meets mine. He doesn't get to feel the mate bond, I decide. He doesn't deserve it. His face falls and he looks out at the darkness before turning back to me.

"Will you at least hear me out?" He asks and I nod.

"That's what I'm doing right now so talk or I'm going back inside." I say harshly and he nods.

"Eli told you we've known for awhile, right?" He asks and I nod. He sighs heavily and runs his hand through his hair.

"I didn't have any trouble waiting, until you didn't come home for your birthday a few months ago. My wolf was going crazy, Nat. He wanted you so bad. Wants you. And so do I. I came so close to driving to that school, loading you up and bringing you home. But I knew you wouldn't like that. I knew how important school was to you so I didn't do it. But it was so hard, baby. Too hard."

"Eli didn't have a problem with it." I interject and he nods.

"I know. I know. But we both know that Eli is better than me. He's more patient, analytical, reasonable. I'm more reckless, impulsive. It's just the way I am and I wish it weren't true. My wolf's urges were becoming so great I couldn't focus on anything. It got to the point his constant badgering was so bad I couldn't sleep, could barely eat. All I could think about was you. I did the only thing I could think of to piss him off enough to make him shut the fuck up and leave me alone. To keep us away from you until you finished school. And I'm so sorry." He says his eyes pleading, wet with tears. I think about what he said, his reasoning and try to put myself in his shoes. I take a few deep breaths of the cleansing cold air before I look back at him. I meet his eyes with mine before I respond.

"That's not good enough."