The next few days were difficult to say the least. Tim and I danced around each other as we tried to figure out how our relationship was going to work going forward. We needed to develop a new normal, which was even more difficult because neither of us new what that was going to look like because we still were not sure how everything was going to play out.

At one point we had called Tate and spoke to him about living arrangements for when we went out there. It was decided that Tim would take my childhood home, which had been renovated and brought back to code as part of the new pack improvements that Tate had spearheaded with Mark and Luke. Tate said that he had another house for me and the pups. It was about halfway between the pack house, where he was living and my childhood home.

Tate had also told us that there was no need to pack any furniture, just the necessities that we would need, that he was going to take care of the furnishings for both homes for us. I was rather impressed at how generous Tate was being, but I had a feeling that it was a bit selfish on his part to be offering so much. He wanted the pups and I near him again, so I knew he would be willing to do anything he needed to get us there.

As I was starting to pack the kids clothes and toys that I knew they just could not live without I was starting to get more and more frustrated with everything. The more time I had to think and gnaw on all of it, I was becoming irritated. Maybe I was not as independent as I thought I was. Maybe I did rely on people too much. Finally, in Georgia I took a stand and confronted everyone, but now here I was doing exactly what I was told, everyone else guiding me in the direction that they wanted me to go.

Having the pups, my hands were kind of tied. There was no way to just uproot them and take them with me on a whim, they needed structure, they needed their packs. Well, in this case packs because Tim said he would be transferring between packs by spending some vacations and summers here.

I was lost in my own thoughts as I continued packing when Tim startedled me, "The pack meeting is tonight."

"Spirit?" I replied, sounding as frustrated as I was. I refused to hide it; I was just too mentally frayed to even try.

"What's wrong, Nemo?" It kind of broke my heart to hear Tim call me Nemo. It was the name he had given to me the first day that we met and had become his term of endearment over the last few years. To me it all kind of felt fake now and I was not sure how to handle it.

Taking a deep breath, pushing down the raw emotions that were begging to be released I answered, "Everything. I feel like a failure, a pushover. Maybe what McKenna said was true, maybe I do need to be protected. It just seems like I rush from one thing to the next. I did that with you, I left Tate and ran right to you. Look at where it got us. " I put my hands in the air as if to tell him to look around, I had bags and boxes all over the room.

Tim came over and wrapped me in a hug, the first real connection we had had since returning from Georgia. The familiarity of his arms around me felt comforting, I had missed it. "Tim, everyone makes decisions for me. At least that is how it feels. Tate, Kimber, McKenna, even you. I know you're pushing for us to move to Tate's pack is the right thing, but I'm not sure I'm ready for it. Honestly, I do not even know if I want it. "

Tim just stood there holding me as I let everything out, just listening to me. Once I fell silent for a few minutes and he was sure I was finished he spoke. "You are right. I pushed it on you, but I am not going to apologize for it, and I will tell you why. I am pushing this issue because it is the right thing for our pups. It is the right thing for you. You may not see it now or feel it, but it is. No one is forcing you to be with Tate, take the time that you need to figure out who you are and what you want. There is no pressure. "

"What if I do not want a divorce, Tim? Have you thought about that? " I was angry about it, he told me that was what he wanted, but we never discussed if it is what I wanted.

"I did think about that Allison. I thought about it for days before I said anything. I sought out guidance from the Goddess herself. Please trust me when I say you and the pups were at the forefront of everything. " I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was telling me the truth, he had thought through every move, every decision more thoroughly than anyone else had. "I love you Allison, that is never going to change. You are always going to have a piece of my heart; you are the mother to my pups. But it is not going to change the fact that we need to get a divorce. "

Tim reached up to my face, wiping away the tear that had fallen down my cheek. "I think I know that too, but it does not mean that I like the idea or want to do it. I was quite happy with the little world that we created here. "

"I was too." Tim admitted to me, "But you know that eventually you would have grown restless, your wolf would have become unhappy. She calls to her mate, her true mate. " Tim was right, he always seemed to be. He always just had this uncanny ability to call things as they were.

Changing the subject, I said, "I know you did not come to talk about this, especially since you really have been avoiding me the last few days, so what is it that you wanted?"

"The pack meeting tonight, McKenna's going to give her confession and punishment will be handed down." I nodded, I did not want to go to that, but because it was an infraction against us, we were required to be there. "Linc asked if we could meet with him and McKenna first."

"No, I have no interest in speaking to her. I am done with her. "

"Okay, so maybe it was not an ask. Linc said we both needed to see them before the pack meeting. "

"Why?" I ground out between my teeth. The last thing I wanted was to see McKenna, I still felt like ripping her eyes out.

"Honestly, I am not entirely sure. But we also need to let them know that we are going to be leaving and that you are transferring packs with the pups. Of course, they will maintain a dual standing in both packs, but since they are pups nothing needs to be done with them for the time being. " Tim explained.

"What time?" As this was not a request, but an Alpha order there was no way I was going to get out of this. I was going to have to confront McKenna prior to the pack meeting, something I had been successfully doing until this very moment.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

An hour before the pack meeting was about to start Allison and I were sitting in Linc's office at his conference table. McKenna and Linc sitting at one end, while we were parked at the other. Typically, we would have sat closer, but Allison was still feeling aggressive toward McKenna, so we did not want to tempt the fates.

Allison sat quietly glaring at McKenna, if looks could kill let's just say McKenna would no longer be amongst the living. I looked to my brother, in the last week he looked like he had aged years. He too was dealing with McKenna's betrayal, yet unlike us he did not have the option to just ignore her. He was the one that was going to have stand in front of the pack and yet again tell them how their leadership has failed them. I knew that this was weighing heavily on him.

"Thank you for coming." Linc started. Allison nodded her head toward him, "McKenna asked for this meeting before the pack meeting, because she wanted to be able to privately say a few things."

"No offense to you Linc, but I have no interest in what she has to say. There is nothing that can make this right. "

McKenna looked up from the table, her eyes connecting with Allison's creating even more tension between the two of them, "Please Jolly. We have been friends, our whole lives. Please hear me out. "

Allison sucked in a breath, like she was steadying her nerves, but never replied. Giving McKenna the chance to speak. "I am truly sorry for everything that I did. None of it was done with the intention of hurting you. Of hurting Tim or the pups. I love you all so much. "

Allison's hands slammed down onto the table, all of us jumped not expecting the outburst from her, "Stop it! Do you know what you did? Do you really know, McKenna? Do you realize what you have done here? No, I do not think you do. You never do, you never think before you do something it is always on impulse. " Allison was on a roll now.

"You kept a father from his pups. You put Tim and I in a horrifying position, you made decisions that you NOT yours to make. You betrayed your pack; you got your mother to commit treason. TREASON! Wolves can be killed for that, at the very least she faces being marked as a traitor and thrown out as a rogue. No pack will take her after that. "

"Do not act like you are innocent in all of this Allison! What about what you did! You were going to let Elias be the Alpha here. " McKenna tried to defend herself by throwing it back on Allison, but Allison was not going to have it.

"No, we had plans on telling Tate about the twins. You know that. What Tim and I did was not wrong, so do not try to make it out that it was. We were only going to allow Elias to take over as Alpha here if Tate and Kimber had pups. I did not know until Georgia that they were not together, but something tells me that you did. Afterall look at what your mother did. You knew! You are despicable.

"I know that I am not innocent in things. There are a lot of things that I could have done differently, but I never, never betrayed anyone. I never did anything to purposely hurt someone, but you did. You purposely set out to hurt Tate, it just blew back in your face to hurt me, Tim and the pups. But let me point out one more big thing McKenna. The entire point of Elias being Alpha of Haven Woods when he was older became a moot point after Edison was born. Edison IS the blood heir to the title. " There was a tone in Allison's voice that let you know she was not going to be railroaded or take blame that did not belong to her.

Linc decided to step in now, "I do not think this is a very productive conversation. McKenna told me she really just wanted you to know that she is truly sorry about everything. Isn't that right, McKenna? " He was now prompting her.

"Yes, I can never tell you enough how sorry I am." She whispered out, dropping her eyes. It all seemed a bit rehearsed to me, that it was all for show. I do not think that McKenna was really sorry about what she had done, she was only sorry that she had been caught. I know that if she had the chance to do it again, she would have. She may have had good intentions but the road to hell was paved with good intentions, so you see where those can lead.

"Was that all, Brother?" I asked Linc, he nodded his head. "Okay, well then I have a few things that I am going to say. I know you are not going to like them, but everything is already in motion and we are not going to be changing our minds. So, when I'm done please do not even try to talk us out of it. "

Linc again nodded his head, McKenna's curiosity now peaked as she looked at me, any sign of her false regret now washed from her face. "Allison and I will be moving on Saturday, we are going to be going to Tate's pack where I have a house waiting for me, as does she." I paused for a second to let it sink in, I could tell that this was not a surprise to Linc, I wonder if him and Tate had talked, it would not be out of the ordinary if they had. "Once we are there, Allison and I will be getting a divorce."

"What? Are you both nuts !? " McKenna snapped. "That is the stupidest thing that I have heard. You're going to go back to him, Allison? "

Allison did not get a chance to speak, because I jumped right in, "I do not think you have a place to tell anyone what you think about their choices McKenna, especially not after what you have done. This is a decision that we have all come to as the best choice for our family. Not that you need the explanation nor deserve it, Linc does. " I turned my head to face my brother, "I will be maintaining residence at both packs, the pups and I will come here summers and vacations, especially for Eddie to maintain his connection and have a relationship with you. He is going to need that. And the twins will be here too, this is going to build the relationship between the two packs and solidify us as allies well into the future. "

Linc nodded, "You were always going to be a better Alpha than I have made, Tim. Sometimes I think she made a mistake taking your wolf and not mine. " I did not need Linc to say anything to know that he understood and appreciated the decisions that had been made. He may not agree with them, but he would support them.

"She did not get it wrong Linc, she never does." I assured him and we both got up, and I gave him a hug. "Mom and Dad would have been very proud of you. You have done well for our pack, never doubt that. "

Allison stood up, "Linc, thank you for everything. I appreciate all that you have done for me, I can never express the gratitude that I have for you enough. " And she gave him a hug as well, once again Linc not needing to supply any words for Allison to know what he felt.

We went to walk towards the door, but were stopped by McKenna's voice, "Allison do you think you will ever be able to forgive me?"

Allison thought for a minute, never turning around to look at McKenna and then spoke, "If I thought you were truly sorry and repentant for what you had done, maybe. But I know you too well and I know that you are not sorry, McKenna. " She paused again, a sniffle coming from her once best friend, "Maybe sometime in the future I will be ready to forgive you, but that is not right now."

We walked out of the office, closing the door behind us. It was a symbolic gesture for Allison more than something that was necessary. We only had one thing left to do and that was attend the pack meeting, where Linc would confront the pack with McKenna's betrayals and issue her punishment. This was especially difficult because she was the Luna, no mate wants to see their other half punished, but it would be even harder for Linc because he was the one that was going to have to do the punishing.

Allison and I made our way out to the pack meeting area, finding Missy and Patrick along the way. We had already told them our plans and then the fact that we were leaving. "Hey Allison," Missy called to her.

Allison gave Missy a smile and stopped to give her a hug, "Hey you!" They grabbed hands and started walking ahead of us, Patrick falling in step with me as we followed them. Allison and Missy chatted for a bit, it was nice to see Allison being so carefree about things, even if it was only for a few moments. Everything had been so heavy lately that she really needed it.

Walking into the field, the four of us made our way close to the stage. We stood talking for a few minutes before Linc and McKenna made their way to the stage, effectively stopping our carefree banter as Missy and Allison were both shooting daggers at McKenna.

There was no fanfare, Linc decided just to get right to the point, "Good Evening Everyone!" He called out, pack members instantly stopping their conversations bringing their attention to the stage. "There are only a couple of things that I am bringing to you tonight and I do so with a heavy heart. First, this weekend Tim and Allison are going to be leaving us, to join another pack. " Gasps could be heard throughout the crowd.

"Tim will be splitting his time between here and Allison's previous pack. I think you all know the reason, Elias and Emmerson need to be able to know their biological father, the Alpha of that pack. Also, Allison and Tim have decided that they are going to divorce. " More murmurs could be heard, "Now, please do not speculate about it, I know that if you ask them, they will tell you the truth for the reasons. As you know our pack does not typically keep secrets, instead preferring to be open and honest. Which brings me to my next topic, one that completely devastates me. " The distress and heartbreak poured from Linc as continued to dive into details about McKenna's wrong doings, her betrayal to pack, to family, and abuse of her authority. I will give him credit, he did not graze over any of it, he was making sure that the full gamut was told. McKenna would not hide from this. Many of the pack members were angry, even more were shocked and in disbelief, none of them trying to hide it as they eyed their Luna.

"As an Alpha I detest having to dole out punishment. As a mate, I would hope I would never have to. But I am the Alpha, so I need to do what is right and just. No pack member, no matter their station is above our pack laws. Everyone must be held accountable for their actions, even our Luna. " He paused and looked to McKenna. "Do you have anything you would like to say before punishment is rendered, McKenna?"

She shook her head. Linc looked a little heartbroken at this point and this is probably the hardest thing that he was ever going to have to do. "McKenna, Luna of Haven Woods Pack, for your betrayals to your people, your family, and the abuse of your authority you are here by issued to serve the following punishment..." He paused again, trying to keep the emotion from his voice, "You will receive Fifteen lashes on your back," This was one of our packs harsher punishments, not something that is typically given. A whip dipped in silver would burn and tear at the flesh of a wolf and this was also done publicly, so the entire pack witnessed it.

McKenna looked at Linc, shaking her head she pleaded with him, "Please, do not do this Linc. I know I did wrong, but whipping? I did not do anything to deserve that. "

He looked to her and dropped his voice, so only those closest to the stage could hear, "The punishment fits the crime, McKenna. How can you not see it was treasonous and that your actions could have led us to war with an allied pack? Your punishment is based on pack law. I can not wave it just because you are my mate but know that I wish I could. " He held her gaze for a few moments, you could see the love and hurt in his eyes at having to do this, but for the fact that he was it spoke to how he was a fair and just Alpha.

He turned back to the crowd and continued issuing his decree, "You will then serve six months of confinement in the pack jails. After you return from your confinement you will be Luna in title only, until such a time that it is deemed that you have earned your title and place in our pack. "

Linc quickly turned around, the emotion and weight of the punishment he doled out, weighing heavily on him. He was usually so composed but was not able to contain himself anymore. I knew he would not be able to do the public whipping, as he was supposed to. It was too deeply engrained to not harm your mate.