What is the next step?

What is the next step after your father made you face your failures like a bull facing a matador?

What do you do next when your father tells you, you've been living a lie for nearly a month?

My mother sat quietly on the love seat adjacent to me. From the look on her face, I could see the struggle in her eyes as she tried to spike a conversation with me but was too fearful of the raging wolves that sat silently glaring at one another.

Desmond sat next to me which eased only a small portion of my pounding heart after the fiasco that ensued outside. Osiris stood tall and imposing next to me. His stare never left my father who sat silently on the love seat next to my mom. Ivy sat between us all in a recliner, her eyes moving over each and every person, no doubt readying herself if something were to go south.

The room was filled with an awkward tension that left my hairs on the arm stand on end. I didn't want anyone to fight or argue especially over something so mundane. I had handled it and made up my mind, I wasn't leaving, I was staying.

What my father tried to convince me of left me with unanswered questions, none of which were new. I had already noticed that Desmond hadn't marked me or moved me into his room or spend long periods of time together.

He was polite and kind but he wasn't exactly treating me as his mate. If this was his way of treating his mate then this was the bare minimum.

It wasn't enough to make me stray, however, I intended to stay here. Here felt more like home and family than I ever felt back at Dark Titan.

"You aren't going to take her back to that hell hole." Osiris seethed.

"I would never make her do anything that she doesn't want." My father spat back. "I'll leave that choice up to her."

All heads turned to me. I audibly gulped as all eyes rested on me. The sudden attention made my head buzz with a thousand different processes. What had happened earlier still played out in my head as I replayed it over and over again desperate to understand what it was that happened. I didn't want to miss a single detail or a single word.

"Then why sit there and try and convince her of something you know nothing about?"

My mother faced my father with a troubled look while he opened his mouth to speak. He shut it though deciding it was better to keep quiet.

Osiris growled out in frustration from my father's silence.

I peered over my shoulder to get a better look at Osiris. His tone of voice told me more than enough that he was pissed but when I actually looked at him I could see just how much he was struggling to keep a leveled head.

His arms were stiff, crossed over his broad chest. The same broad chest that smells delectable minutes ago. Whatever cologne he was wearing was probably the best one I had ever smelled. I hoped he'd continue to wear it.

Peering up higher from his arms I watched his lips form a thin line as he glued his eyes on my father. A tight line drew into his forehead as he glared daggers toward my parents. There was a little peek of his elongated canines that poked beneath his upper lip. He was trying to hide them but with every rumbling growl, his lips twitched enough to see the white pointy tips.

Wanting to defuse the situation I shifted my weight so that my back was more towards Osiris. I now faced more towards my parents as I made everyone aware of my decision.

"I'm staying here." I started. "I won't go back to Dark Titan."

"Sera, did you not hear what I-"

I cut off my father before he could add fuel to the fire that was already roaring in the room. "I heard you loud and clearly and my decision is still the same."

His face fell at my answer. My mother rested her hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture that left him slumping his shoulders forward.

She lifted her head to look over at me. "Seraphina, if you've made this choice because of how Dark Titan treated you, your father and I can talk to alpha Philip and beta Henry again. We can straighten things out. We can try hard."

She tried to assure me but all I heard was the fact that they never tried their hardest to reprimand my treatment. They sat idly as they watched everyone else dish out degrading comments and names. They say there knowing that my busted lip and bruised arms weren't due to falls.

They knew.

"I'm not going anywhere that I don't belong. All anyone does is pick on me and berate me. No one in that pack actually wants me."

"I do." There was a new voice that interjected into the conversation. My head swiveled over to the staircase in the entryway and my mouth fell open when I recognized the person.

I couldn't stop myself as I flew to my feet and ran over giving the biggest huge I could give. Out clumsy human bodies nearly fell over when I threw us off balance.

A deep chuckle came from the person and when we regained our balance I gazed up with a wide smile. "Andy. I can't believe you came." To say I was stunned was an understatement.

Curled his arms around my waist. "I will always find a way to see you." He mumbled to the top of my head.

Pulling away I noticed all eyes once again on me. Desmond and Ivy exchanged a skittish look before they looked at the back of Osiris.

In the midst of the embrace that Andy and I exchanged Osiris had turned completely to face us. His arms were still folded over his chest but this time I noticed how his hands fist beneath his arms.

I thought nothing of blaming his actions solely on the fact that someone had interrupted a conversation he was deeply invested in.

Clearing my throat, I introduced Andy "Desmond, Ivy, Osiris, this is Andy. He's one of my best friends back at Dark Titan."

There was a snicker. "It's very nice to meet you, Andy." Ivy greeted with a wide grin.

Desmond coughed fidgeting in his seat. "Nice to meet you too Andy." His eyes darted to his brother. If I didn't know any better he looked skittish.

Andy waved at everyone as I grabbed Andy's hand and guided him into the living room. No one said a word as I made Desmond slide over and make room for Andy to sit next to me.

"So, how's it been, Andy? I'm sure I have to catch up on a lot since I've been gone." The room felt heavy with all the steady stares but I choose to ignore it using Andy as a distraction from the earlier argument.

"Not much. The town council has been on edge however after the mating gathering. Most likely my father pissed off that Philip nearly broke my windpipe." Andy rubbed his throat at the memory.

I recalled the moment like it was yesterday. Philip had picked up Andy like he was a flimsy piece of paper. Looking at Andy now told me that he wasn't exactly a small man, but Philip had bullied him like he was a kid. I knew Philip was going to cause tensions between the humans in the town and the pack after attacking Andy.

I pulled Andy's hand from his throat to get a better look. Humans don't heal fast and it came to no surprise that when I moved his hand I saw the yellow bruises that lined his neck. They were spaced out in the exact placement at Philips handprint.

"Does it still hurt?" I wondered with a frown.

"Ehh, for the first few days it did. Now," He said grabbing my hand and resting both in my lap.

"I'm practically good as new." He grinned leaning back against the sofa.

He took his free arm and rested behind my neck as I moved to rest against the sofa too. Andy rubbed circles into the back of the hand he still held as he gazed around the room.

"Desmond Wraith." Andy hummed to himself craning his head to peer over at my mate. "You are Sera's mate correct?"

Desmond gave my best friend a hesitant look before replying. "Correct." Someone shifted their weight behind me. I wasn't the only one that noticed as Desmond's eyes dashed to the towering man that stood. behind Andy and I. Training his eyes back to us he closed them for a second longer than necessary before opening them again.

"How did y'all meet? I didn't see you at the mate gathering?"

I eyed Desmond as he forged for a reply. He struggled for a while which only made me confused. I didn't think the question was a hard one to answer and if I remember correctly Andy was there when Desmond first saw me along with Osiris.

Growing impatient I took it upon myself to answer. "You might not remember because Philip was assaulting you Andy but Desmond and Osiris were the ones that distracted Philip when he attacked you. I think that's when we first met. Don't you agree Desmond?" I asked looking to Desmond for confirmation.

Desmond nodded his head swallowing.

This wasn't like him at all. I couldn't remember a time that Desmond looked so out of place. The way that Ivy smirked from her seated position in the recliner added to my wonder. Was there something that I was missing? I had to be.

"Why don't I show the Lotuses and Andy around the pack grounds," Ivy interjected.

She stood up and started for the door looking to Osiris for approval. He nodded his head only grunting in recognition as she passed him.

"Follow me." She waved us over.

No one moved until she opened the door. My mother and I stood up together while Andy and my father trailed behind lingering a moment longer than us. There was an equal amount of hesitation when it came to them physically moving toward the door.

My mother followed close behind Ivy as she exited followed by Andy and then my father. I trailed behind them watching them closely as they left. I didn't know what kind of fuming angry Osiris still might have brewing in his blood but I was intent on making sure he kept that to himself and no one else.

As Andy passed by Osiris turned his nose up, it was a quick action that I didn't miss. As my father passed him by he kept a steady glare.

I went from my whole pack hating me to my family hating each other.

http://www.patreon.com/MarinaWritings