It was a fine yet busy evening at the Knights'. Elias's birthday brought so much effort and work into the house. The entire resident was been molded into a party venue. The birthday boy's older brothers along with Duncan and Zander were doing all the preparation which mostly included cleaning the house and clearing up the area.

The pack members were invited to the eve like any other year. The only difference this year was that the pack was a lot bigger than ever.

Ezra and Duncan move the large sofa set for the fifth time since morning on the order of their sweet angel, Elena. She was indeed the party planner.

"Now that looks good" Elena nods her head looking at the changed interior.

"You told the same thing last four times" Duncan complains falling on the set couch.

The little girl giggles, covering her mouth. "No this is the last place" she reassures.

"Oh thank you" the beta spreads himself comfortably.

The young alpha gazes at his mate and follows his suit falling onto the sofa.

"My sister-in-law is very choosy" the beta complains upon which Ezra chuckles out loud.

Ezra sighs, his body tightened up and sweaty from all the work. "Brother, we will be back in 10 min" he announces and drags his mate with him by his wrist.

"No nasty in the room!!" Easton's voice booms in the entire.

"You heard that, Ezra" Austin yells from the kitchen, where he was making dinner with Aurora.

"Oh, shut up you guys!!!" Ezra screams back with an eye roll, laughing sounds following from downstairs. And Duncan was calculating his poor and short life.

The couple reaches the young alpha's room and they hit the bed immediately. Ezra takes the wall and sits against it while Duncan lays his head in his mate's lap.

"Duncan?" Ezra combs his fingers through his mate's silky hair as the beta enjoyed with his eyes closed and head in the dream world.

"Hm?" the beta absentmindedly responded. He was too busy enjoying the itchy feeling in his scalp. It gave him shudders at times. It was just too good.

"Should we get married?" the alpha throws a question. The older one's eyes snap open as he jumps on the bed to his knees.

"Wh-what?"

WHAT DID HE JUST SAY, BITCH?

"I ASKED THE SAME THING, BITCH. SHUT UP"

A stain of red gushes on the alpha's cheeks but his eyes held the resolve. "I was thinking- you know-"

Duncan nods for him to continue. He needed an answer, no beating around the bush with "ya know-, I know".

"You know, we have mated and all but I always wanted to try and have a family with you" he gushes. "Where I can call you as my "husband" " his cheeks shade with deeper color as one word after the other passed.

The beta had his eyes flying out of the sockets and mouthing gaping like a fish. Embarrassment followed awkwardness in Ezra's eyes while he shot them down.

"We shouldn't have asked it"

Yeah...

"It-Its not we have to do, i-its completely fi-" his words get swallowed up in the kiss that took him by surprise. His cheeks were held tightly in between the two big palms of the beta.

The kiss was very sweet and passionate which gave so many answers to the alpha. His heart started thumping out louder than before when he popped the question.

Duncan pulled back with a smack of lips and held the brightest smile on his face. "FUCK YEAH!!!"

"Huh?" the alpha had a confusing look with his mind still numb from the kiss.

"OF COURSE, I WANT TO MARRY YOU. NOW! RIGHT HERE! I WILL NEVER THINK OF IT OTHERWISE, DUMBO!" the beta crushes his mate in a hug, while Ezra tried controlling his huge smile. Duncan was literally screaming.

"Not now, we will talk about it" Ezra buries his face in the crook of his mate's neck.

"FUCK YEAH!"

"That sounds definitely nasty *knock knock* cover yourselves, I am coming in" Easton closes his eyes and walks inside the room.

"We were doing nothing, Easton" Ezra confirms, and then the older alpha peeks out.

"Well, Duncan matters his life that is why" the older alpha jokes.

"Or I am just well-behaved" Duncan sarcastically replies. A non-movable grin on his face.

"Anyways, I am here to tell you that Blake is coming over in five minutes so you guys can relax for some more time" he ruffles his brother's hair, messing it up.

Ezra, who was used to this behavior where his elder brother treats him like a five-year-old. Ezra has always been very well-behaved, following in the footsteps of his brother. But, that day Aurora's words gave him enough courage to take his own decisions.

He just smiles at the older alpha and sets his long hair straight. "What is it that you want? Why are you being so nice to me?" Duncan eyes his best friend suspiciously.

"This man deserves no mercy" the older alpha shakes his head. "Come, let's work then"

"Nope" Duncan lies back on his mate's lap, this time hugging the little waist of Ezra.

"Asshole" Easton curses.

"Dipshit" Duncan retorts.

"Duncan!" Easton uses his alpha voice.

"Yes, alpha?" the beta immediately bows down his head, standing straight. Easton laughs hysterically walking out of the door. "Damnit!!"

The young alpha just sits admiring his foolish mate.

What an idiotic man to spend a life with.

*sigh* "Tell me about it"

"Hey, we can hear you" the beta duo mind links.

*laughs*

---------------------

Blake watches as the old man picks up the fork, twists some pasta, and brings it to his mouth. He eyes the way, Samael chews on it and then gulps it down. His eyes narrow in anticipation and his fingers are crossed in hopes that this did not go wrong.

"How is it?" he avoids eye contact but opens up his ears.

"......" Samael looks up from the plate and settles the fork down. His lips twitch in a smile which was very odd for the man. Griffen triumphs yet silently scream on the inside, Samael thinks it was because the food was good.

Instead, it was because the hybrid warlock smiled. The straight expressionless face showed emotion. It was fifty percent of victory for the wolf and the credits go to Blake who wasn't even aware of what he was doing.

"Is it not good?" Blake perks up when no answer comes from the other side. He was almost into Samael's lap which terrified the other twin.

Samael bites his inner cheek from laughing at his brother's expression. He felt a familiar feeling near, maybe it was because they had the same face and Samael liked watching the different scales of emotions on his twin's face. He himself was not aware of the reason, but he was no one to stop the delight that flew through him.

He raises two of his hands and curls his fingers into a thumbs up with a little smile. "Yes!!" Blake jumps on his toes and engulfs his father in a tight hug. The action takes Samael by surprise, his heart beating a mile a minute instinctively.

He won't shatter away, Sam. He will be alright.

Griffen reassures. Samael's fingers twitch to touch his twin, but he reverts them.

Samael never had anyone touch him, he could hurt someone very badly just by a finger. This was dangerous, yet he felt a warmth inside. An emotion that made him feel secure, protected

"I knew it, Dad. I have learned from the best" he praises his mate who indeed has taught him the dish. Realizing that he was hugging his father, Blake withdraws from the hug, an awkward silence filling the room.

He steps back and settles on the chair at the dining table. He bites his lips in nervousness and then looks at his father. "Father, I know we- we haven't been great since then but now... Now I want us to be like any dad-son duo. Like how we used to be, all those years ago"

Samael keeps his ears open absorbing the information one by one. Blake sighs and stands up from his chair, walking nearer to the kitchen counter turning his back to the warlock.

"I and Brianna did not get to have an easy childhood. Mom-.... mom left us in a blink of an eye, you isolated yourself completely and we were abandoned. And I blamed you"

"I-I was so sure that she wasn't coming back because you weren't looking enough for her. That- that you didn't care enough about us and mom"

"Even when Brianna got married and it was only two of us left, I hated coming back h-home. I would stay late out, party for nights after nights never told you how I was, never asked you how you were. Nothing! I just wanted to run away, but I couldn't"

"I hated that I still couldn't hate you enough to leave you and run away. That I still expected something from you- that I still cared about you yet I- I was that arrogant asshole who wouldn't accept the fact that even though I lost my mom that day, you too have lost the most precious person of your life, your mate! The mate who was a gift from the Goddess. Someone just made for you"

The tension was rising in the room, Samael was glued to the chair observing the turn of events. "What was this?" he thought. All these years the only thing his mind haunted him with was how happy the father and son would be who abandoned him for his abilities. But, Blake was turning new pages for the warlock.

"I never realized it, father. Not until when I met Easton. After meeting Easton, I came to know what love is, and how important a mate is. That is how your breath hitches to see them suffer even for a second. That is how your whole life revolves around that one person. And that is when I also realized that I have been a fool, father" he finally turns to his father, his eyes full of water.

"I- I am sorry" he breaks. "I am sorry that I was not there when you cried after your wolf died, when- when you succumbing on the inside after losing your other half. I AM SO SORRY" he falls to the ground, all the strength in his legs giving out.

"I am so sorry that I never was a good son" he weeps, his heart wrenching with every fact he digs out of the grave. "You didn't deserve any of this, father. I wish you had a better so-"

"Shhh....." Samael scoops his brother into his arms and holds him close to his chest. "Never ever say that again" Many things unfolded before the warlock now. Was this the life he was jealous of? Was this the pain he was envious of? Were these the miserable people he was covetous of?

Was he the actual one that was abandoned?

Nonsense.

They weren't the ones he thought they would be. They were just two hurt people who were just finding ways to leave and ignore each other. Gaining more and more pain with each passing day.

Blake was no good than him. Just like Samael, he loved his father too but Blake chose not to tell and Samael could never tell.

"No one could be better than you, Blake" he pats his brother on the head, while the young boy bawls his eyes out. "You are the perfect son. No other person could be you" he reassures.

Samael wasn't aware of this feeling but maybe this is what you called "family". And this is what it was to be a part of that feeling.

-------------------

"Christopher?" the woman in the cell calls.

".........."

"Chris?"

"You better the fuck not talk to me, Cora. I fucking warn you" the former alpha was controlling the rage in his nerves. Being in the same place as the woman brought him a lot of hateful memories he did not want to think of.

"I know what I did was wrong-"

"Wrong? Do you still think what you did was just "wrong"? Goddess bless your mind, my lady because there is a difference between being wrong and a sin. And what you did is worse than a sin" Blake's life was at stake that day, he never wanted to hurt his children at any point in time in his life, but he happens to encounter that too all thanks to this witch.

"I-I just wanted to p-protect"

"Protect? You still make the ugliest jokes ever, Cora. Protect who? Your self? From Christian? Who has already have taken you as his bitch? Wow!" Christopher was spitting fire and there was no regret in his voice.

This was a life and death matter for his kids, if anything could happen to him today he would at least die with an empty heart.

"Stop!" a whimper pass through the cellar to Christopher's right.

"Why? Does it hurt to hear the truth? But, didn't it hurt you when you gave away your own blood to that psychopath? Blake is your child too, Cora. How could you?" The former alpha slams the concrete wall to his left which led a few chunks of cement to fall to the ground.

The whole basement was practically empty. The prisoner was dragged out to be used in one way or the other the war that was coming up. It was Christian and the army against the werewolves. At least that is what Christian thought.

"I l-love Blake, Chri-" the witch tries her best to form a sentence but the angered alpha gave her no mercy.

"Stop it!! Don't take mine or my child's name out of your filthy mouth. You stink, Cora. Just to get your way through me, just to get revenge against how I reacted to our other son, you planned all this? Disgusting"

"Hell, I didn't even think of giving him up. I would've loved him the same as Blake, Cora. He was our child. How could I be that soulless" Every word that passed through those lips hurt the woman like acid on a burnt area?

Christopher had no censor on his words and Cora knew that she deserved those. Yet, her heart wrenched when all her doings passed before her eyes. It was too much.

"I-"

"......"

"I- I was told that you k-killed our child that night"

"What?!?"

"Tha-that you- you killed him because he was different"

"What the hell?!?" Christopher was standing on his feet, which hurt a lot from all the beating his normal human self got. "Who- who told you this? And you believed them? Why could you?"

"I am sorry" the woman cries at her regrets while Christopher sits there listening to each one of them.

-------------------

*ding dong*

"Oh they are here" Easton opens the door with a big smile and hugs his mate immediately. He missed his little alpha who was away from him for the whole day.

"Ahem" Samael clears his throat which makes the younger alpha laugh and the older one scowl. Wasn't he allowed to hug his mate after a long day?

Easton takes both of them inside and drags Blake to a corner. Samael eyes the couple with a protective intention in his mind. It was not like Easton could hurt Blake, but what a brother has to do is what he has to do.

Easton immediately scoops Blake's face in between his hands and holds it tight. "Why did you cry?" he questions it right away. There was no denying or hiding from the older alpha. He knew when and how does his mate look.

"I- it was just an emotional moment" Blake justifies.

"Yeah, like the one in the morning?" the older alpha jokes.

"Stop it" Blake hits his man on the shoulder with a stupid smile on his face.

On the other hand, Samael watching all this was happy to see his brother smile. But that didn't mean he approved of Easton yet.

"Blake, come help us out" Ezra yells from the other end of the room and Blake runs to the young alpha for help.

-------------------

"The deal is clear," Tib says. "I help you out with the vampire trafficking thing and you help me out with this. But, once we get all this solved, I am never seeing you again" the half-vampire had made his resolve.

Cassius was standing there, towering Tib was giving this a thought. All he had to do is go back to his castle and sleep until another few decades. Which made not seeing Tib easier.

"Deal" Cassius offers his hand, which Tiberius shakes.

"G-great" he wouldn't admit it but his heart was shattered yet again. Though he was the one who came up with a plan. He hated it.

More than a century has passed since he saw Cassius and now he was making a deal to never see him again. Maybe he was dumb and maybe he was going to stay like this for the rest of his eternal life.

"We have a party tonight at the Knights' Easton invited you too. So get dressed" Tib informs.

"Easton who? Your boyfriend?"

"That is none of your business. Get dressed" the fun-loving Tib was now grounded.

"Okay," Cassius walks to his room and slams the door.

"This bitch doesn't own this house, he better pays me the damages" he mumbles under his breath.

-------------------

"You ready?" Bellamy peaks into the house from the window his face glued to the glass with a very weird smile.

"Holy shit! Don't give me a heart attack, Bell" Tib clutches his chest, his breathing heaving.

"You will be needing a working heart for that" the warlocks says.

"Ah. Point" Tib nods. "And yeah, I am ready. We will have to wait for Cassius though, he is tagging along"

"Why though?" Bell whines. One thing was clear, Bellamy didn't actually enjoy the vampire's company. He had seen many events involving the pale man and that grew his distaste more and more.

"I don't know, Easton invited him" Tib shrugs off.

"Ugh. And your red pants are matching with my red t-shirt" Bell winks at the half-vampire. Both of them were dressed very casually as the party was for a thirteen-year-old.

"Hell yeah, baby" Tib winks back.

"I am ready" a voice comes from the back.

"Okay, now let's go-" his breath hitch leaving his mouth half-opened and eyes falling out of the sockets.

The vampire stood before the duo wearing a blue velvet suit with a white shirt and black trousers. Diamonds were engraved as buttons and the material shined under the lights, glowing ten times more. He had his hair slicked back with gel giving him a proper royal look.

"Wha-" Tib whips his head in the other direction and checks the corner of his mouth for any drool. "Let's go" he sprints taking long steps while Bell follows him to the car.

---------------------

"Okay!! All set" Austin places the last dish he made on the huge dining table, while Aurora sets the glasses for every guest that is going to arrive. Blake and Easton help Aurora while Duncan along with Ezra gives final touch-ups to the party decorations.

"This party is going to fire" Duncan comments looking at the final outcome of their hard labor.

"It better be" Ezra tiringly says.

"Who is getting Elias?" Austin questions 'cause both of the kid's brothers were right here.

"Ah, Zander is going to pick him up on his way back" Blake adds in quickly.

"Great then" Austin pats the boy on the shoulder and walks away to his wife.

"And here the king arrives" the door opens and walks in Tib with Cassius, Bellamy, and the rest of the warlocks.

"Peasant is the word" Easton comments immediately to which everyone in the room laughs, the loudest being Duncan.

"Oh shut up, Easton" Tib hits the man, and Cassius eyes the alpha. "And Duncan baby, come here" Tib rushes to the beta who runs away to hide behind his mate.

Everyone in the room shakes their head at the idiotic behavior but then again it was Tib.

The warlocks from the convent ease themselves in the huge backyard while the family members stay in. Samael makes sure Blake was near to him, to avoid any danger. After all, Blake was the family he was going to accept.