Warnings: Brutal Death/Child Violence

Damian's POV

It was quiet for a long moment after Yuki stated his thoughts. From what I could see in the large room we were in, everybody in my line of sight had risen their eyebrows. I felt shocked as well, even though I knew I shouldn't be, as Yuki doesn't really know anything about propriety.

There was a brief, almost hysterical giggle that resounded from the rafters, which I knew to be Charlie's. That seemed to break the momentary silence, because everybody started laughing, some muffling their laughter behind their hands. Yuki looked around, probably confused as to what made everybody laugh so hard. Galen huffed out a laugh beside me, and I could feel him shaking his head. I closed my eyes and looked up at the ceiling for a brief second. I brought my gaze back to Yuki's bright green eyes and calmly explained it to him the best I could.

"It's not really appropriate to... declare your desires for such a thing in public," I explained. Yuki adopted a confused look and scrunched up his nose. The laughter had died down, but a few chuckles could be heard.

"But I thought pack is family, so isn't public," he said slowly. I could hear awing from our audience, but I ignored it and smiled at Yuki.

"Yeah, I guess that's true. We can talk about it later. And when we're alone." I stopped talking and looked over at my dad, who was doing the creepy thing where he smiled indulgently at us. Gross. I brought my gaze to Galen, to give him the silent queue to talk. He smirked and nodded.

"Well, this has been a nice talk and everything, but you can go back to what you were doing. We just wanted to introduce Yuki", he declared, proudly. The pack huffed out a laugh and started proceeding out. Before the first person stepped out, He added, "Oh! And I shouldn't have to warn you not to tell people about this matter again, but I'm gonna' do it anyways. If you tell people about Yuki, being as 'rare' as he is, we'd have some powerful people coming after us for him. That includes hunters, the Council, other races, other packs, and so on. We don't want a war on our hands, so it'd be better for your well-being, as well as ours, for you not to mention this to anyone." He smiled brightly and finished on that note.

There were a few grumbles about 'over-protective wolves' and 'paranoids', but other than that, everything went well. Galen looked over at me and Yuki climbed over Galen to look over at our Dad curiously.

My Dad looked back and made a funny face, making Yuki giggle and duck to hide behind Galen's shoulder. I smiled and was going to comment on how we handled the meeting, but I was interrupted by a tug on my pants.

I looked behind me to see Naya , seven-year-old daughter of one of the nicest woman in the world. Maybe not the nicest. More like, the most badass woman in the world but was there for Galen and I after our Mom died. She's more a little sister than anyone else. She smiled up at me, missing tooth and all. I laughed and picked her up and held her on my hip. She gripped my shirt, black-painted nails scrunching up the fabric. Her bright, beautiful brown eyes sparkled. It is common knowledge that she has the cutest damn eyes around here, and she knows it.

"Damian! I thought you were gonna' be my mate! You promised!" She huffed indignantly. I laughed and heard the others behind me doing so as well. She stuck her tongue out at them and turned back to me, releasing her grip and crossing her arms. "It's not funny! You broke your pinky promise!" I heard a gasp from behind me, probably Yuki, as he knows the importance of a pinky promise, which I didn't break.

"No, I said I'd be your mate if you didn't find your mate, who you haven't been looking for!" I said in a haughty voice, looking away as if I've won the argument, which I haven't. She made a protesting noise and flipped her brown hair over her shoulder, which I could see from the corner of my eye.

"Nuh-uh! I have to! I looked through the forest and the playground!" She flailed her arms, indicating that she wanted to be let down. I acquiesced and released her so she slowly slid down. She kicked my leg, as if that'd hurt, and ran as fast as she could to the doorway. She ran out, but quickly popped back in, pointing at Yuki.

"You don't get to keep him! You can have Galen! He stinks!" She concluded her declaration of war with a tongue sticking out of her mouth. Galen made an offended noise and let out a drawled out 'heyyy!', but Naya just ignored him and left.

We were all left bewildered, but used to Naya's antics. Charlie jumped down from the rafters, smirking. "I've always liked that girl. She's a firecracker. Chip off the old block, I'd say." I just rolled my eyes and looked to Yuki, to see if he'd taken the threat seriously. To my surprise (and maybe not), his eyes were squinted as he continued to stare at the doorway, as if Naya would come back in to issue another threat. A laugh escaped me before I could stop it, causing Yuki's eyes to swivel to me with an accusing look in them.

Galen swung him up onto his shoulders to distract him, which worked, because Yuki let out a surprised squeal, laughing as he went up. He smiled in accomplishment and went back to talking to my Dad. Charlie, on the other hand, walked up beside me and stared at Galen and Yuki with a wistful look in his eyes.

If you were to ask Charlie if that wistful look in his eyes was a desire for a mate, he'd vehemently deny it. He'd question, "What look? Do I look like I need someone to make myself happy? Mm-mm, bitch, I am self-satisfied." Then, he'd walk away. I know it's just a deeply covered desire. He's probably been betrayed too many times to be able to trust anyone to even start a relationship. All I know is, that when he does find a mate, his mate is going to have a hell of a hard time winning Charlie's trust.

Charlie looked at me, making a questioning noise in his throat when he saw me looking back at him. I blinked and smiled an innocent smile. He squinted and pursed his lips, showing he saw through my façade.

"Mm. You better not be pitying me right now. You have that look. I hate that look. Pity me and I'll pity you because you wont have a penis to procreate with." He said with sass practically dripping from his mouth. He turned away from me, hips swaying and hair flowing behind him as if he was in a dramatic movie. I gotta' hand it to him; he does know how to make a dramatic exit.

I turned back to the stage and blinked in surprise. Galen, Yuki, and Dad weren't there anymore. They must've left when I was talking to Charlie. I walked to the exit and saw some pack members still loitering. As I walked by them, I got a few murmured 'congrats'. I nodded in acknowledgement and went about to look around.

I walked, not really searching, but just observing. It's nice to see people enjoying themselves, even if it's just a regular day. Luckily, today was a Saturday, so most pack members didn't have to do much.

Werewolves usually have day jobs doing things that require heavy-lifting. Construction work is the best thing for us, seeing as were built stronger than humans. In the supernatural world, there's probably more of us than any other species. It's a shame Hunters are so determined to kill us off just because we're 'uncivilized, savage beasts'.

I blinked. I forgot that we're going to have to catch Yuki up on the races and species of the supernatural world. I can tell that it's going to be a tiring ordeal, seeing as there are so many different kinds of people out there.

I realized just how far I've walked when a truck sped right passed me. I looked around in bewilderment. I must've walked to the main road and didn't notice because I was lost in thought. I closed my eyes and sighed. Such a Galen move. He's supposed to be the air-headed brother.

I looked down the road to see if there was anyone coming. I didn't really expect to see anyone, as the main road was the road that let you in and out of town, and our driveway ends just as the town's border starts. People rarely come here. It's a small town, after all.

However, there were about five or six heavy-duty jeeps progressing down the otherwise empty street, with a black, window-less van following.

I stiffened when I caught sight of the people inside. They all were wearing hunting gear, except that all the hunting gear was black and a bit more heavy than one would wear when hunting for the game found in these woods.

I stiffened as they drove passed. One of the woman smiled at me-and not a nice smile. As the vehicles made their way down the road and turned somewhere, I stood stock-still. My heart was beating almost impossibly fast and I'm sure my face was pale. My mind ran a thousand direction per second.

I immediately started running to the only person that would know everything about this town: Elizabeth.

My arms were pumping at my sides and breaths escaped my chest faster than I could count. I ran through the trees and toward the direction of where I dropped her off however long ago it was. I don't remember the exact house, but I'm sure I can scent her out.

I got to her street and immediately inhaled. Hundreds of scents crossed my nose but I only registered one of them and followed it. It led me to a yellow-ish house that I distantly remembered from back then. It was two-stories and the only light that was on was in an upstairs room on the left side of the house. A distant reminder in my head told me that it probably isn't appropriate to be climbing into a teenaged-girl's room at however late it was, but I ignored it.

I gripped the siding and jumped up, clinging to the window frame to peek in, desperately hoping that this was Elizabeth's room and not her family member's.

I looked through the curtains and saw a vibrant, pink bedroom with frilly princess curtains, a purple bed, and princess-themed furniture. Nobody was in the room. I cursed, thinking this was probably a little sister's room or something. I debated in my mind for a few moments whether I should risk it or not to go inside and try to find her before nodding. This is serious. I rattled the window for a second, trying to push it while hoping it's unlocked.

Surprisingly enough, it is. I smoothly slide the window up and slip into the room. Stumbling over some books, I quickly right myself and peer at a corkboard to search for pictures that might clue me in as to whose room this is.

I find a few pictures of Elizabeth with a girl that looks slightly older than her, probably only by a few years, but that's it. They had the same colored hair and eyes. So this is probably Elizabeth's room. Yikes.

I continue searching until a stuttered gasp echoes in the room. I spin around with what feels like lead in my stomach.

It's the girl in the pictures with Elizabeth.

She opens her mouth with a panicked look in her eyes, but I quickly jump over to her and slightly kick the door shut so it quietly closes and I put my hand on her mouth. Her eyes are opened as wide as they can go.

"Shh!" I hurriedly whisper into her ear. She freezes before starts mumbling nonsense into my hand. Then she starts to look angry. Then, she kicks me in the crotch.

A whine escapes me and I fall to the floor, cupping my crotch. She quickly runs to her dresser and feels around behind and it pulls out a bat. She shifts her stance into what looks like a professional batting stance and glares at me.

"Who the fuck are you and why are you sneaking into my room with your Edward Cullen-like hotness?! I've played baseball my entire high school career and I am not afraid to bat your head into the wall!" She hisses as me, not flinching when I shift on the floor to relieve the tension in my crotch. I pull my hands away and hold them up in a surrendering pose.

"I swear I'm not a robber or an Edward Cullen-quite the opposite, in fact-I'm just here to look for Elizabeth! I need her help," I say, desperately. The girl relaxes her stance for a split-second, before tensing again.

"What do you need with my baby"-baby?-"sister?" She hisses. Oh, great. An over-protective sister. The again, it's pretty rational to be protective over your sister when a guy sneaks into your house. I sit up and cross my legs in my lap and look into her eyes.

"She's my friend. I do not hold any romantic interest in her because I am a homosexual and I need her advice," I answer her as diplomatically as I can. She stares at me for a few more seconds, not moving a muscle. Then, she relaxes and swings the bat onto her shoulder, slouching in a way that Elizabeth does often. Her frown melts into an easy-going smile and she walks back into the bed, crossing her legs.

"Well, why didn't you say so earlier? Could've avoided a lot of confusion!" She smarts off. I take on a deadpan face.

"You kicked my crotch and threatened me with a bat."

"Well, you snuck into my bedroom and asked for my sister. And you're attractive as hell. That's suspicious."

I squint. "Touché," I reply. She laughs and leans on her bat from the bed. I stand up when I remember the purpose for coming here. "I seriously need her, do you know wher-"

The door slams open and Elizabeth stomps in. "What the hell is all the noise i- Oh! Hey, Damian! Didn't know you were fucking my sister, seeing as you're in her bedroom! Is that why you haven't talked to me since when you first came here?" She says with a smirk, but with a glint in her eyes that resembles hurt. I frown.

"Sorry, I've been really busy with my family's business. I know it's not really an excuse. but I've just focused on my studies when I was at school."

She scoffs. "Yeah, I could tell. Nevermind that. You'll just have to make it up to me. Now, why're you in my house, and in my sister's bedroom?" She asks while strutting over to her sister's-who I still don't know the name of-bed. I sit up.

"Yeah, I have a question. Has there always been a group of people with heavy-duty jeeps carrying hunting gear living here or are they new?" I ask. The sisters frown, contemplatively.

Elizabeth shakes her head. "No, I've never seen them. And people don't usually come in this area to hunt. What's this about? Did they look scary or something?" She tries to play it off as a joke but I can tell by the expression on her face that it spooks her. It feels like there's ice in my veins. I close my eyes and breathe in slowly.

Damn it. The Hunters found us again. Funny that werewolves fear a group of humans so much.

"No. It's nothing. Just forget I asked. Thanks for answer-" I'm cut off before I can finish.

"No! You are not doing that! You will tell me what's going on!" She stands up and stomps over to me. In her eyes, there are tears forming. "It is really disconcerting to see someone as well-put-together as you to be freaked out. I know I haven't really spoken to you that much but aside from Alex, you're one of my only friends in this damned town! You're pale and shaking and you look like you ran here! So, please, tell me what's going on. If this is about you being able to turn into a wolf, then I've already seen those people from your group do it!" Her voice rose during her speech and by the end of it, she was almost yelling.

Me? I was frozen. She angles her body away from me, looking at the ground as I stare at her in shock.

"What? I already told you I spend a lot of time in the forest. It isn't much of a surprise that I've seen people turning into wolves when there's always people like you there. So, what do you call yourselves? Werewolves? Or is that like, an insult?" She makes a sad attempt to smirk.

Her sister is still sitting on her bed, but she doesn't look as shocked as me after Elizabeth revealed that information. She laughs when she sees me looking over at her.

"What? Liz already told me. She tells me everything. I'm just surprised that she told you that she knew," she says with impressed expression.

I take a deep breath. "You can't tell anyone. Or let it be known to other werewolves that you know. We have a council. If the council finds out about it, they'll kill you or make you go missing." I look at her eyes, imploringly. She looks bewildered. "Please." She nods and looks back at her sister, who nods as well. I sigh in relief and walk back over to the window. It's really dark outside. I wonder how long I'd been wandering around before seeing those jeeps. A few hours, at least. I turn back to the girls, who are looking back at me.

"I gotta' back and tell the others. I never caught your name," I direct to the Elizabeth's sister. She blinks and smiles, the stress of the conversation receding from her body.

"I'm Naomi. You are?"

I huff out a laugh. "Damian. I'll come back sometime and tell you guys all about our world. It shouldn't hurt since you already know about werewolves." I slide back out the window at that.

I turn back toward the direction I came from and start running back to the pack house.

"Dad, we may have to call another pack meeting. There's hunters in town", I say into the pack link. He responds immediately.

"You're sure?", he asks. I try to run faster.

"Yeah. Seems like they followed us here or someone told them where to find Yuki", I respond.

Dad is silent for a moment. "Hurry up, son. We're not running anymore."

I slightly stumble. A mixture of dread and excitement builds in my stomach.

I arrive at the pack house and see pack members filtering in. All of them looked slightly confused, but they move quickly and efficiently. I push passed them and maneuver my way through the crowd to look for Galen and Yuki. I look around the entrance room and spot them just coming down the staircase, looking sleepy and confused. Warmth briefly spreads through me when I realize they must've been sleeping. I adopt a serious expression when I approach. Galen gets serious as soon as he sees my face, knowing something must be wrong. I gather him and Yuki in a fierce hug. They react and hug back, Galen with a serious expression and Yuki with a confused expression.

I sigh in relief when I have them in my arms and I pull back.

"What's going on?" Galen demands with a frown. Yuki, not knowing what to do, wraps his tail around my leg and leans against me. I put my hand on his head and scratch his ears, making him purr. Sadly, it doesn't comfort me as much as it usually does.

"Hunters are in town." I respond, not expatiating on the subject. Galen, not needing an explanation, nods and ushers us into the meeting room. We walk to the front of the room where Dad stands with a fierce expression on his face. Many pack members look scared, but the older ones who've seen my Dad this serious immediately know this is a serious matter, and probably, a Hunter matter.

When no more enter, Dad clears his throat to get the attention of the pack, which he immediately gets.

"A few minutes ago, Damian witnessed Hunters in town." At his statement, there was a collective inhale. People started growling at the threat and others tried to talk over each other. The noise grew to a dull roar before I stopped it.