Last time on Blind Hope

"You told your daughter that she was nothing more than a burden! You know good and well that this pack loves her." Victoria and Drake growled at each other. Drake stormed out of the room, knowing nothing would good would result out of their fight.

~~~~~~~~~~

Viv had a tight hold on my arm as she lead me somewhere. I'm not sure where. Don't really care. An angry aura surrounded her in a cloud much thicker than I had ever felt before. There's no way she could have heard anything that happened in Mom... no, Victoria's office.

She clearly doesn't see me as her own. Why should I see her as mine?

"Viv? Are you okay?"

"Am I okay!? You're the one crying." Viv gently pushed me down on a bench. The wind whipped my hair, and I realized we were probably outside in the garden. I raised my head to the sky and took a deep breath. No one was around.

"Mo-Victoria thinks I'm a burden." Viv inhaled sharply. I feel my tears begin to fall again, but squeezed my eyes tightly to stop them. "She wants to push me off on my mate."

"Listen to me," Viv said quietly, taking my shoulders. She was trying to make me look at her - futile, but then again, Viv had never treated me differently from others. "You are not a burden. Not to me. Not to Mom and Dad."

"Isn't there just some small part of you that resents me? I mean, you've done everything for me since we were-"

"Stop!" Viv's voice cracked and I felt the intense urge to hug her. I never wanted to hurt her... "Eighteen years of friendship, and this is what you think of me? Hope, I'm honored to be your friend. I've had the pleasure of being the personal assistant and best friend of an Alpha, the nicest, most caring person I've ever met." She sat down beside me, pulling me into her. "Screw your mom," she whispered in my hair. I giggled and buried my nose into her neck, inhaling her scent. I'd always loved it. Roses. My favorite flower. "You know this is something that mates would do, right?"

"Sorry." I pulled away. "You're smell is my favorite."

"Aww." The warmth beside me faded, and I looked up. Vivian must have stood up. I heard voices coming down the path and refocused my "gaze" towards the noise.

"Who is it?"

"Your... dad?" I stood up abruptly and turned away to leave, but my foot caught on the bench. It was one of those stupid curved ones. I felt Vivian's hands grip my arms to steady me, and she helped me walk away. "What's going on? We mad at Mr. Bruce too?" We sped up, and I tumbled along beside her. "He saw us."

"Victoria said Dad agreed with her." Vivian took off at run, and I tried using Red to help me along, but she's blind too. I could hear them running now. "He's catching up." Her grip tightened. She didn't like where I was going with this. Her aura was frustrated. "Let's just see what happens, okay? You can punch Dad if he crosses a line." She laughed and stopped, turning to face the people running towards us. I could hear their feet pounding on the ground as I too turned. "Dad?"

"Baby," Dad puffed. "What happened with your Mom? She's so angry. Drake's angry. Everyone's angry." Viv scoffed. I wonder if she crossed her arms. That seems like a Viv thing to do.

"Victoria," I said crisply and could just feel the flinches, "believes I need to travel and find my mate." I turned toward Viv. We hadn't exactly talked about this, "With Vivian."

"Oh, yes, that." Dad sighed. "You should do that." There was a beat of silence. "And don't call your mom Victoria. It's disrespec-"

"You know what's disrespectful, Mr. Bruce!?" Viv cut in sharply. "Calling your child a burden."

"She is though, isn't she?"

It cut like a knife. Victoria and now Bruce. They both... they both don't want me anymore.

"If," I began in the quiet that followed, "you had a choice, father, would you still decide to keep me?" He didn't respond. I turned and walked away, letting my feet glide across the cobblestone to keep me on the path.

There was the resounding sound of skin on skin and a thunk. Red smirked and wanted me to turn around to show them the smirk. But I couldn't. I just couldn't. When I knew I was out of sight, I stopped and waited for Vivian to show up.

I'm not entirely certain how far I made it into the gardens. Or, um... really where I am... "What are you standing there for?" Ah, the voice that is just a speck of a notch too high. "The house is right here." Oh, I remember now. The gardens go to the guest house. "You're here to see Bruce, right? He went looking for you." Little feet come pattering towards me, and I kneel, letting Emily's children hug me.

"Hey, kiddos." I kiss the top of their heads. "Who have I got here?" It's been so long. It always takes a minute to readjust to their smells. Emily went and had a whole brood, and I'm pretty sure it was just to make sure Bruce knows that she too can have kids.

"It's Brian, Jacob, Charlie, Kennedy, and Lizzy." Emily says for me, and I commit their names to memory. I will do better with my stepsiblings. "Jordan, Karen, Larry, Bliss, and Callie are inside."

"I understand," I say standing up. Like I said - A LOT OF CHILDREN. The order of the children's age are as follows: Larry (16), Callie (14), Bliss (12), Jordan (12), Karen (8), Charlie (7), Kennedy (5), Lizzy (5), Jacob (5), and Brian (2). Yes, they did have twins AND triplets. "I've already met Bruce." Emily inhaled sharply.

"Maybe you should come inside. Lead her in, Charlie." A little hand took mine and I let myself be pulled inside and felt my legs hit a couch. I turned and sat down.

"HEY, GUYS!" A voice yelled behind me, and I immediately went to the floor, covering my ears. "Oh, dang. Sorry, Big Sis."

"Larry?" I sat back up, using my hands to guide my way back to the couch. "Hey. It's been awhile."

"Yeah, it has." I heard more feet rushing down what I can only imagine to be the stairs.

"Oi!" Bliss squealed quietly. "Big Sis!" I felt like I was drowning in hugs.

"Hey, little one." Bliss squeezed hard. She was always attached to me.

"Alright, alright!" Emily said, laughing silently. Had I ever heard her laugh before? "'Big Sis' and I need to talk. Woman to woman." There were grumbles, but I heard the brood leaving. "How are you doing, Hope?" Why does she even care?

"Good enough." I cocked my head at her. Her aura was concerned. Why?

"Are you sure? Because you called your father by his name."

"He and Victoria no longer want me." There was silence, so I kept going. "I asked if looking back, would he have done away with me from the beginning." Emily didn't say anything. "He didn't say no."

"Things are stressful right now at the pack and-"

"That doesn't mean that he and Victoria can dismiss me as their child. I get it. I'm a mistake, but I'm here and that won't change" Despite myself, I'm confiding in Emily. When did this even happen?

"We're not dismissing you as ours," Bruce said. WHEN DID HE ARRIVE!? "Your friend has quite the punch." I smiled, but I could sense that Bruce wasn't smiling. "But she'll learn."

"What do you mean?" I stood up quickly. His aura was deadly. He had better not hurt my Viv. "Where's Viv?"

John? Tammy? We may have a situation. I'm at the guest house.

Sweetie, what is it? Tammy answers me. Viv seems frantic. We can't get an answer out of her. She keeps muttering something about dern Alpha powers and won't move out of the kitchen.

"Bruce!" I shout. "Did you give Viv an Alpha command!?" Emily gasped.

We're on our way. Just hang in there. John. John is coming. I can make it.

"Don't shout at me." Bruce growled. "You're right. You were a mistake." I swallow to keep my emotions in check. "Now we need you out of our way. Our children are entering Alpha-in-training mode, and we can't have you as a liability." In other words, if the council finds out, Bruce and Victoria will be in serious trouble for my existence.

"I don't want the Alpha role. I want to be lov-"

"Well, that's a good thing because you aren't getting it." Emily aura is angry. Bruce is still deadly. I need to leave. "EVER." This isn't good. He never yells.

John! Tammy!

Almost there, baby. Please, stay safe.

I feel someone's hand on my shoulder. Bruce's scent is closest. "We would never hand the title to you." It's him. He's touching me. "You can't do anything for yourself."

~~~~~~~~~

Bruce goes behind Hope and places his hand on her shoulder. He leans down and whispers in her ear, "You can't do anything for yourself." He pushes her, causing Hope to tumble forward. Her knee collides with coffee table and she whimpers in pain. She tries to gain her balance, but she's thrown off, not knowing where she is anymore. She falls across the coffee table, the glass breaking and shattering everywhere. Hope cries out in pain, whimpering as she sits among the glass. She's bleeding from multiple cuts and glass is sticking out of her. Panicked, she tries to move away from the pain, but the glass surrounds her, making everything so much worse. Every time she moves, more glass finds it's way into her or makes more cuts. But this isn't registering with Hope. The more she struggles to find a way away from the pain, it only makes things worse. She cries and whimpers, floundering around in the glass, pain blinding reason.

"Stop moving, Hope." Emily says gently, going towards her slowly. Bruce grabs Emily and pulls her up and away from Hope.

"Don't. She can't always be dependent on people."

"YES, SHE CAN!" Emily screams. John and Tammy burst through the door and go straight for Hope.

"Hope, it's me, John. Hey, hey, calm down." Sobbing, Hope curls into John.

"Is Vivian okay?"

"There's no time for this!" Emily says. "Pack doctor, now!" John takes off running with Hope in his arms, and Tammy turns to face Bruce.

"What the heck, Bruce!? What happened!?"

"She fell." He said shortly. Tammy growled.

"And so you withheld your mate from helping!?" Tammy suddenly stood straight and smirked. "That black eye looks good on you. Vivian always could land a punch." Tammy turned and darted after John.

Bruce stood in the living room and looked at Tammy's retreating back angrily. "That whole family needs to be taught a lesson."

"No!" Emily growled, slapping Bruce. "You do! That was your kid you pushed into the glass!" Emily took a step away from Bruce. "Go for a run and clear your head. Don't you dare go near our children until you've realized the monster you've been." Bruce recoiled as if he'd been slapped, but obeyed. He shifted, and ran out of the door.