"This is for Avelyn. Nobody hurts my sister, and I will continue to seek vengeance on anyone who has or will try to harm her."

"Dude, Avelyn has a brother?" Cole's shocked voice rings out, breaking the silence that we immediately fell into after reading the message. His eyes are wide, and I'm sure mine are as well.

"It could be a sister," I mumble, still not sure what the hell is happening. He scoffs.

"This isn't the time to argue, Xavier. Aren't you supposed to be the calm one?" He grumbles.

"No, that's Ashton," I answer, and he nods in agreement. I'm the alpha. Ashton's the calm, badboy, moody one. "I'm gonna mindlink Ashton. Crimson feels a little wary right now. He doesn't trust that this person is actually related to Avelyn," I announce, and he mumbles an okay, searching around the small bunker for some clue of Ava's supposed sibling's identity.

I inform.

He asks. I roll my eyes. We came here to find someone, and he's confused when I tell him I've found that said someone.

I answer, trying to not show how irritated I am. It's been a very long day. At least I get to go home to Ava soon. That definitely makes me feel a lot better.

is my only response. I wouldn't kill her. Not without Ashton there, at least. I know he'd want some part in her punishment.

start, preparing myself to fill him in. Too much has happened in the last half hour that it's frightening, yet, a little comical. It's like we're in a book, or something. I mean, that's what it feels like. Like we're in a book of fantasy and myth. One with angels, vampires, and werewolves. But it's not. This is real life, and this is really happening to my princess.

he demands, and knowing him, I can tell he's probably nodding even though I can't see him.

I inform.

He asks slowly, sounding slightly hesitant.

After that, he fell silent and ended the link. I guess he needs time to process this information. I turned to Cole. He was still scavenging the small bunker, and I rolled my eyes. If he hasn't found anything yet with his great senses, he probably won't find anything at all.

"Come on, man," I called to him, holting his movements. He turned to me. "There isn't much we can do now, and my wolf is anxious, having been away from Ava for too long." He nods in understanding, as I'm sure he feels the same. But just as we turn to leave, the large, metal door opens, causing Cole and I to jerk back in surprise. In steps a man. He has deep, blue eyes and platinum blonde hair -- more silver than blonde. Almost as silver as-

Holy shit! I-Is this Avelyn's brother?! He sees my baffled expression and chuckles. I turn to Cole to see him just as stunned. He looks at us a little longer, face adorned with a smirk, before he opens his mouth to speak.

"So, you guys must be Avelyn's boyfriends," he starts, eyes shining with humor. His eyes look so much like my princess's, but they aren't quite as infinite as her ocean-filled irises. "Though, I'm pretty sure I specifically remember there being three of you." He taps his chin quizzically. "Where's the dark one?" He asks, and it doesn't even take me a second to realize he's talking about Ashton.

"With Avelyn," I answer, because I know we can trust him. He's clearly related to Ava, and he obviously cares about his sister. He wouldn't have ruthlessly murdered her captor if he wasn't. He nods at my answer and steps closer to us, a brow lifted in curiosity. Cole and I both stiffen up immediately, puffing out our chests intimidatingly--an instinct we've picked up as werewolves.

He chuckles at our act of dominance, having realized what we were doing. "Relax, I'm just trying to get a good look at the guys that have been taking care of my sister," he reassures, shaking his head with a smile, his hands up in surrender. Cole and I both ease up, coming to the conclusion that there isn't a threat here. He suddenly stops, and looks me dead in the eyes, his gaze shining with abrupt gratitude. "Thank you," he says. "For taking care of her when I couldn't. For showing her the love she was deprived of, the love she deserves."

I nod. "I would do it again, a hundred times if I had to," I confess. "I love her." His smile is small, and he seems a little uncomfortable at my admittance. I probably would be, too, if I had a sister, and some guy just admitted that he loved her. But his grateful eyes don't lose their shine. He clears his throat. "Good," he declares. "As long as you don't hurt her, we won't have a problem."

Cole and I both nod. "So, I'm presuming she's your guys' mate. I've heard of stories about a werewolf having to share a mate, but I'm also aware that it's very rare." We nod once more, curious of where he got this information.

"I'm assuming you know our names considering all of the other information you know, but what about you? What's yours?" I ask the silver-haired man before me.

"Dominic," he answers shortly, but Cole is still curious. So he asks him another question.

"Are you a guardian, too? And why didn't you come for Avelyn before? Why now?" He quizzes, his head tilted to the side in genuine confusion. Dominic clears his throat, face paling a little.

"To answer both of your questions; no, I'm not a guardian angel. Not anymore, at least. I killed someone, and my wings were taken away." He clears his throat once more. Obviously, this is a difficult subject for him, so I cast him a small, reassuring smile to continue. I want answers just as much as Cole.

"As for your second question," he turns to Cole. "I didn't know where she was. She was taken from us when she was a baby, and I only found her about a month and a half ago. After, I also found out about what had happened to her. So I decided to avenge her. I couldn't handle the thought of that wretched, fanged beast getting away with her crimes against my sister. But when I'd found her, Avelyn, I saw her with you -- all three of you. And I could see the love you showed her. Even though I'd only found her shortly after she was taken, and she didn't seem in the right state of mind -- understandably so -- I could also see her feelings were reciprocated. She loves you, too. And I know that. So for her sake, I won't dispose of you."

I chuckled heartily in my head. He couldn't kill us even if he tried. Though, I keep my internal thoughts to myself. I appreciate him and his devotion to my princess.

"But, don't you want to see her? In person, I mean," Cole quizzes once more, and Dominic chuckles.

"You really are an inquisitive little dog, aren't you?" Cole glares, not liking the term "dog." But Dominic doesn't seem to notice. That, or he doesn't care. "But yes," he answers once he's finished his snickering. "I do plan on seeing her, but not right now. The time isn't right. I'm waiting until her birthday."

I furrow my brows. "Why?"

He turns to me, sighing at all the questions. "Because, Xavier," he starts, and I'm caught a little off guard by his sudden use of formalities. "She just went through hell, and I'm not trying to overwhelm her. She's strong, that's for damn sure. Stronger than I could ever be, but people can only take so much. And I want her to be happy. Even if that means waiting just a little longer to finally be reunited with her again. I can wait. Hell, I've been waiting for almost seventeen years to see her again. She's my sister, and I want what's best for her. And right now, what's best for her is being surrounded by a bunch of dogs. She still needs time to recover, and I'll give her that time," he finishes with a distant sigh and checks the time on his watch.

"Now, I must be going," he announces, pivoting on his heel to bound out the door. "I have business to attend to." With his back to us, marching out the door, I call out one last question.

"Wait! Are there any more if you? Of Avelyn's real family, I mean." He turns his head to glance back at me, but his body remains facing the opposite direction.

"No," he calls back, and his voice is suddenly laced with a tinge of sadness and despair. "It's just me." With that, he's out the door, and Cole and I turn to look at each other. But neither one of us know what to say. We're still dumbfounded at our newly obtained knowledge. I clear my throat, deciding I'd be the one to break the silence.

"We should head back home now," I suggest. "Don't want to keep our angel waiting." He nods, still not knowing exactly what to do or say yet.

Soon, we're on our way back home to see our brother and our angel, minds still clouded.

'What will Avelyn think when she hears she has a brother? One that actually cares about her? And what will it do to our relationship? Will she want to leave, or will she stay?'

I guess I'll find out soon enough.

____________________________________

Hey guys! Thanks for reading this chapter! And also, my new book is officially out! So if you're into smut and have a secret kinky side, you should really check it out. Or don't... that's cool too, I guess.

Anyway, as always...

Until next time...

Sincerely,

The Annoying Author Lady