The next couple of days flew by in a blur of work and avoiding certain subjects a certain man named Cayton didn't want to discuss.

I hadn't been doing much myself, other than resting, healing, talking to Wolfette, and not talking to Cayton about certain subjects.

I only refer to them as such because the last time I mentioned the topic of concern, Warren, he broke a glass in his hand. Not intentionally, of course, but it was enough for me to drop the subject.

I had hoped giving him a few days would allow him to cool off, but it seems it's only making him angrier.

So I resolved to do something about it. I didn't know where to start, but fate gave me my starting point when I heard a soft knock at the front door.

Tami and I were just lounging around in our pajamas, watching TV, when the knocking started. It was soft at first, and we almost missed it, but luckily with my fancy new enhanced eardrums I caught it.

When I opened the door, I saw before me a wreck of a person. Lisa was standing there, disheveled and eyes red. I had to blink a couple times because she looked nothing like the Lisa I knew.

And when she looked at me, her eyes went wide and it wasn't long before she truly lost it.

I mean, she was on her knees, sobbing, on the front porch, clutching her chest like she was in pain. I wasn't sure if she was or not, but her shoulders shook with the intensity of her sobs.

I froze for a moment, unsure what to do before my brain finally got with the program and knelt down, trying to coax her to stand. As I kneeled, she grabbed me tightly and pulled me into a hug.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed.

"It's ok," I say awkwardly. "Sometimes you just have to let it out." I really had no idea what she was apologizing for.

"No, I'm just. So sorry. What happened. What...Warren let happen," she continued as realization dawned on me. I allowed her to ride it out, holding onto me and crying on my shoulder. I turned my head briefly to see Tami watching with confusion on her face.

Do I...tell Cayton? she asks through my mind.

I don't know. Let's get her inside first, I respond. Cayton is on a run right now, and I'm not sure if it should be interuppted or not. As she begins to calm down, Tami and I both usher her inside, shutting the door securely behind us. We lead her to the couch and sit her down, while Tami runs to the bathroom to retrieve tissues.

"You have nothing to apologize for," I finally say. She takes some tissue and dabs around her eyes, sniffling.

"I just wish I would have known. I could have talked some sense into him. I could have done something." She blows her nose. "And now, here you are and Warren is... he's..." She begins to sob again, and I move to sit next to her, wrapping my arms around her and comforting her to the best of my abilities.

"Where is he?" I ask.

When Lisa can't respond, I look to Tami.

"Likely, he's in the pack prison," she says, and I am baffled that yet again, those exist and aren't completely illegal. At least by human law.

"I didn't know we even had one of those," I say, shuddering at the memory of the Midnight Fire pack prison. It seems like only yesterday. "Where's it even at?"

"It's actually pretty close to here. Halfway between town and here. It's really hard to miss," Tami shrugs. "It smells like depression."

I give her a look at the insensitive comment, and she shrugs innocently. I turn my attention back to Lisa.

"Warren will likely be sentenced to death," Lisa finally gets out. My eyes go wide, and I look to Tami who skillfully avoids my gaze.

"He wouldn't be," I say, trying to reassure both her and myself. "Cayton wouldn't do that. It's his father. That's too extreme for anyone, especially your family." I look to both Tami and Lisa for confirmation, my anxiety rising as I see the grim look on both their faces.

"The penalty for treason is death," Lisa says, a shocking bit of apathy in her tone. "That's how it's been since the pack was founded."

I sit silent and still for a moment. This was something I had not heard, nor been told, especially not by Cayton. It was such a medieval concept to me, but I suppose werewolves run things differently.

In my mind though, that didn't make it any less barbaric. Moreover, I'm pissed Cayton didn't say a damn thing. He refused to talk about the whole thing, and now I know why. He had to have known I wouldn't be ok with this.

But, on the other hand, he hadn't done it. If the penalty is death, and it's been damn near a week since it all went down, he would have done it by now, right? Warren would already be dead?

Furthermore, I just. Couldn't picture Cayton saying or doing such a thing. Sure, he was an asshole sometimes and he took his Alpha duties very seriously, but he wouldn't go as far as killing his own father, right?

"Cayton wouldn't do that," I decide. "It's not like him. He may beat the living hell out of Warren, but he wouldn't kill him. He wouldn't do that to his father, and he certainly wouldn't do that to you Lisa." I feel confident about this, but as I look between Lisa and Tami, I'm not so sure.

"It's the law," is all Lisa offers, before she begins sobbing quietly into a tissue. "I wish it weren't. I wish he..."

"Well, Cayton has never done it before," Tami says, and I feel hopeful. "But that's because it's never happened during his few years as the Alpha." She scratches her arm and looks away from me again. There's a long pause as she looks at me sadly, "I truly don't know what he would do, Macy."

My heart beats harder as I take their words into consideration. I just couldn't convince myself Cayton would do such a thing, though even Wolfette seemed to feel differently.

We're Werewolves, she says. We don't abide by human values.

I refuse to believe it, I refuse to even consider it. I know my mate. I know my Cayton.

But if it's 'law' and everyone expects him to do it, will he follow through anyways?

I felt as though Lisa wasn't the only one who needed comfort now, but I knew it would be hardest on her. So, pushing aside my thoughts for now, I pull her into a hug and let her cry.

*

Cayton walks through the door, immediately coming to me and kissing my forehead. I give him a half-smile.

"How was it?" I ask.

He takes his shirt, which he had slung over his shoulder, and wipes his face. He reeks of sweat and nature, but there's that delicious undertone that's uniquely Cayton. I take a deep breath, willing it to soothe me.

"It was good, it felt nice to just run patrol. Getting back into something normal," he says. My smile falters, and I play with an unused tissue left by Lisa. She left about three hours after she came, and though I don't think there's really anything I could have said or done to make things better, she at least didn't leave in tears.

Tami had left as soon as Trenton told her he and Cayton would be back, so I've been alone with my thoughts for about an hour.

Cayton picks up immediately on my somber mood, and I curse my face for being so readable, especially to him.

"Is everything ok?" he asks, taking the open spot next to me and slinging his arm on the back of the couch. I take another deep breathe, closing my eyes and allowing all the smells of the house to calm me.

Meeting his eyes, I muster up the best smile I can. "I'm ok, I'm just a bit exhausted." I hesitate to continue, wondering if I should tell him his mother came by.

He eyes me a bit longer. "Was it my mother?"

I pause, knowing I need to tread carefully. Did he read my mind? Did Tami tell him?

"I can smell her scent lingering. She was here today," he says. I relax the tiniest bit. At least Tami didn't say anything. I didn't want to have the discussion with Cayton just yet, there's something I needed to do first.

"Yeah, she was pretty torn up," I finally say, watching from the corner of my eye for his reaction. There's hardly one.

After a minute of thick silence--on my part, I'm sure Cayton isn't feeling it--he sighs, running a hand down his face. "I figured she would come eventually, though I thought she might have been looking for me."

I let the silence settle between us as I pull my legs up to my chest, laying my head on my knees.

"What did she say?" Cayton asks, and I catch the tiniest hint of hesitation in his tone. It further fuels my theory that he was purposefully avoiding talking to me.

"She just wanted to apologize," I say. "On behalf of Warren."

Cayton tenses just at the mention of his father's name. As I sit in silence, I feel him working his way into my head. Luckily Tami had taught me how to put up a wall like Cayton had so rudely done while I was in prison, but she warned me if he wanted to badly enough, he could break through the wall. I hoped he wouldn't.

"Please don't," I say, and I feel him physically and mentally stop. "I can't stand seeing her like that. She's a mess. And, you won't tell me what's going on. You won't talk to me about what you're doing, what's going to happen. No one will," I sigh, hoping it's enough to get him to stop. I maintain my mental wall just in case.

I turn my head to look him directly in the eyes. "I just want to forget about it for the rest of the night," I say. He looks at me with sympathetic eyes, before placing his hand on the top of my head and smoothing out my hair.

"Ok, then we'll drop it," he says, and I feel immensely grateful, though I'm sure he's relieved I'm not pressing him for answers. "Maybe some Mario Kart will get your mind off of things?" I perk up; I've only played with him once, and I had to practically beg him to do so.

"Oh, kicking your ass will definitely help keep my mind off it," I grin.

*

Lying in bed, I have nothing but time to think as I stare up at the ceiling. Cayton is fast asleep beside me, his arm slung across my stomach as he snores ever so quietly. Mario Kart worked for a bit, and we played well into the night, but now the distraction is gone. I can't get Lisa's tearful face out of my mind, and I can't stop the anxiety I feel in my chest about the unknown. Will Cayton kill his father? Will he let someone else do it? Will he stop it?

Does he deserve it? Wolfette offers, and I shudder at the thought. I don't want to weigh right and wrong like this. I've even been avoiding thinking about whether or not Roy is dead, because I don't think death is a suitable sentence for most crimes.

The thought crosses my mind that no matter what Cayton decides to do, I could change his mind if needed. I don't know how much he would listen, or how willing to compromise he would be, but it's worth a shot, right? After all, at the end of the day what Warren did was against me, and for the pack. I feel as though my opinion on the matter should have a heavy weight.

Moving Cayton's arm carefully off my stomach, I slip out of bed and head to the bathroom. He stirs slightly, before readjusting and laying flat on his stomach, pulling his pillow close to him. I smile lightly; I know my mate. Looking at him, I know he couldn't kill Warren.

I close the bathroom door and flip on the lights. Looking in the mirror, I study my new eyes, still dumbfounded at the almost glowing yellow color. I must say, I don't think it matches my aesthetic as much as my old brown eyes did, but I could make it work. Turning the water on, I splash it on my face, cursing at the cold.

Even though you got a wonderful friend out of it, Wolfette says, and I roll my eyes but smile knowing she means her, maybe Warren is going to get what he deserved. I'm sure he hasn't even apologized.

That's like, the least of my concerns. An apology isn't going to fix this crap.

If she was a fully personified wolf in my mind, she would shrug her wolfy shoulders. It would have been a start. He's probably not regretful though. Stubborn Alphas and all.

Maybe he is, I think. Looking in the mirror again, I furrow my brow and wonder if he's even been talked to, or at the very least interrogated.

We could always...find out, Wolfette suggests, and I have to raise my brows at the sudden rebelliousness. I haven't been able to run in like a week! I'm always stuck in this trainwreck you call a mind.

"Rude bitch," I mutter out loud. But as I think about it some more, I consider what she's saying. I mean, what's the worse that could happen? I get yelled at? Nothing new there.

You know what? Let's do it, I finally decide, looking at my own reflection with resolve. If anyone asks, I'll just blame you anyways.

You know what, that's fair, Wolfette responds.

I peek out the bathroom door, seeing Cayton still in the same position as before. I creep over to the closet to get some clothes, as I don't think anyone I might encounter at the prison will buy that I'm on official duty while I'm wearing pajama shorts and a tank top.

As I swipe a pair of leggings and a t-shirt, I hear Cayton grumble, and I freeze.

"Macy?" he says, voice husky with sleep.

I step over to the bed as his eyes search the room.

"I couldn't sleep," I say, kneeling next to the bed and putting my face directly by his. "I'm going to take a shower."

"It's so late," he mumbles, eyes starting to close. I smile and stroke his cheek.

"I'm sorry I woke you up. Go back to sleep and I'll be done in a few," I lie.

He doesn't question me, closing his eyes as I plant a kiss on his forehead.

Once I hear his breathing even out and deepen, I rise once again and shut the bathroom door behind me. Turning the shower on, I say a silent sorry to the water bill and look at the window, seeing the branches swaying in the breeze.

"Just like old times," I laugh quietly as I throw the window open and carefully, quietly, maneuver myself outside.

*

Shifting is significantly easier and hurts much less than last time. I feel a bit weird about having just stripped naked in the middle of the woods, but no one was around and I would have much less of a good time being naked in front of the however many people that are probably in the prison.

As soon as I've shifted, I pick my clothes up off the ground and hold them in my wolfy mouth.

Alright, Tami said the prison is halfway between here and town, I say, trying to orient myself in the right direction. I'm sure it will be hard to miss.

Wolfette is enjoying the wind through our fur, and I stretch our legs out, trying to rid the last of the tiny aches from shifting.

She also said it smells like depression, but I'm not sure if she's serious or not, I say, genuinely wondering if emotions have smells too.

What would depression even smell like? Wolfette says, her tone implying I did indeed sound stupid.

I don't know, rotten milk?

Let me know if that works out for you, Wolfette says. Rolling my eyes, I begin in the direction I'm pretty sure town is--I'm used to traveling by road, not four legs. It isn't long before I'm having fun as well, enjoying the feeling of running. My paws hit the forest floor with syncronized thuds, and I take deep lungfuls of the air. The whole area smells distinctly different from Midnight Fire territory, crisper and sweeter.

The waning crescent moon shines above my head, and I think for a second that maybe I should howl at it. I don't know, maybe it's a sign of respect to a moon goddess or something?

I wish I didn't have to hear your every thought, Wolfette whines. I growl in response, repeating my words from earlier.

As I run, I start to catch a whiff of something. It smells a lot like garbage, but different types of garbage, and some pleasant smells as well.

That must be the prison! Wolfette says. Members of other packs don't have a pleasant smell, while members of our own pack do.

I yip and redirect my running to follow the smell. It isn't too long before a large building comes into view. From the outside, it looks like a normal brick warehouse, though some windows on the bottom of the walls indicate there's more than the top level. The smells grow stronger as I approach, and I stop in the tree line to shift back and put my clothes on.

Wolfette whines as I shove her back into my mind. Clearly, she didn't get her fill, but I assure her we will take the long way home.

If someone doesn't kill us first, she mutters.

Aw, where's that rebellious spirit from earlier?

Finally dressed, I try to make it look like I'm confident and I'm supposed to be here. I see two men guarding the front door, and I suspect there are a couple more around the outside, though they didn't see me coming.

As I approach, one of the men hits the other, who looked half-asleep. He jolts awake, looks up at me approaching, and both bow their head respectfully.

"Luna," they both greet, and I feel Wolfette sitting in her little imaginary throne. I enjoy it a bit myself, though I keep my expression neutral. One of the boys has dark, curly brown hair while the other is a strawberry blonde.

"Gentlemen," I say, recognizing their faces from the party so long ago, but can't recall their names. "I'm here to speak with Warren."

They both look up at me, before sharing a look with each other. They seem to be speaking to each other, and I raise a brow.

"Sorry, Luna," one says. "We're under direct orders from Alpha Setters--"

"I know," I say, ready to lie through my teeth. "But I'm telling you I am here to speak to him."

I know I must be the least intimidating thing, as both of them tower over me and have more muscle in their arms than I do my entire body. But I stand my ground, firmly looking them in the eyes with a look that I hope screams "Challenge me, I dare you!"

"I'll ask Alpha Setters if we can--"

"You will not," I say, suddenly feeling a rush of power. It's similar to the feeling I had when the fighting was going on in Joshua's pack, and I yelled at everyone to stop. Both men's eyes go wide, and they bow their heads once more. "You will let me in, you will keep it quiet, and you will not call the Alpha."

There's a moment of tense silence, and for a second I'm worried they're getting Cayton on the brain phone. But, finally, they both step aside and the curly-haired boy opens the door, beckoning me to follow. I nod at the other before following him in.

We zig-zag through some hallways, passing a few people who bow respectfully but look on with curiosity. I simply keep my eyes forward, trying to convince myself I'm supposed to be here, I'm on a mission. I'm happy to discover the conditions here are significantly better than in Joshua's pack. I almost wish I had ended up here instead.

We walk for a minute before he stops in front of a metal door. Pulling keys out of his pocket, he sticks one in and turns the lock, holding the door for me. Looking inside, I squint my eyes as they adjust to the dark.

In the room is a cell, iron bars separating me from the sleeping figure inside. I step in as Curly closes the door behind me, letting me know to just knock when I want to be let out. As the door shuts and the light from outside diminishes, only a bit streaming in from the small window in the door, I pause. I made it this far, but frankly, I didn't think past this point. Besides, Warren appears to be asleep anyways--