cloud

As I follow Gray to his house where Layne and Quinn are, I can't help but notice the significantly lower amount of people staring or glaring at me. As we walk by, there are still a few who do, but it isn't as bad as it was before I left.

"I've been trying to weed out the bad ones," Gray says as if sensing my mind. "Quinn, Foster, Gaius, and I had a long meeting with the pack elders after you left. This place has and is going to continue to go through some big changes in the future."

"What happened to all the other people?" I ask him curiously.

"We held a meeting to talk about the changes, what is to be expected, and what won't be tolerated any longer. We gave the members the choice if they wanted to stay or not, but if they chose to then they had to abide by the new rules," he tells me. "Those two warriors you encountered earlier? They'll most likely be gone by the end of the week."

"You saw that?"

"I heard more than I saw, but that's the exact kind of behavior we're trying to get rid of. Of course, it does take time to get all the bad ones out and change, but we're committed to doing so."

My eyes linger on Gray. As a child, he couldn't have cared less about the ways others acted. Dad always taught us that power was the most important thing and never really focused on the rest of the pack while Mom tried to encourage us to make a difference that helped people rather than harmed them. I used to think Gray was just like Dad and that he'd only hurt people when he took over, but seeing him now proved just how much he grew.

"Mom would be happy to see how this place has changed for the better; how much you've changed," I tell Gray quietly.

There's a slight pause in his steps before he continues. Even though he doesn't say anything, I knew what he was thinking.

I hope so.

A few feet behind us, Raiden and Beta Reo are following. Raiden still looks down, but Beta Reo just looks bored. He's done his mission and now he's ready to go back home.

As I stare at Raiden, I can't help but feel bad. I didn't want him to think that any of this was his fault.

I slow my steps down until Raiden and the beta are beside me. Catching the memo, Beta Reo walks faster leaving Raiden and me.

"How long are you going to look so down?" I ask him.

Raiden only frowns. "Why didn't you tell me what he said to you before we left?"

I sigh. "Because I knew you'd just act like this, Raiden. I knew that you'd end up blaming yourself and I didn't want to see you go through that." Raiden doesn't reply and I stop walking and turn to him. "Look, since the first day I met you, all I've seen you do is go through hardship after hardship. I didn't want to burden you even more. None of this is your fault, Raiden."

"You not telling me makes it feel worse," he admits quietly. "It makes me feel like we're taking a step back rather than moving forward. Like you don't trust me enough to let me in."

Now it's my turn to frown at him. "I never thought of it like that," I tell him honestly. It wasn't that I didn't tell him because I didn't trust him, but because I didn't want to add more onto his already full plate. "I do trust you, Raiden and I'm sorry if it came off as I didn't."

There's a flash of doubt in his eyes, but it quickly disappears and he exhales. "Keep me in the loop next time, okay?"

"I will," I promise him. "Are we okay?" Raiden nods and I grip his hand. "Good, it's time to go meet Layne."

"Layne?"

"Gray's daughter," I fill him in.

I quicken my pace and walk toward the house, but I can still feel Raiden's eyes on me as we move. At times like this, I wish we did have a mate bond already, I wanted to know what was going on in his head.

When we reach the house, Gray and Beta Reo have already gone inside. I come to a stop and take a deep breath. This is going to be fine. Gray said she's been asking about me so that must mean that she doesn't hate or isn't scared of me. It's just a quick visit and then we can—

"Cloud," Raiden calls out to me. "Calm down, everything's going to be fine."

I glance over at him and release a breath. Everything is going to be alright.

So I walk up the stairs and the door is already unlocked. When I push it open, I'm met with the sight of Layne's big blue eyes staring at Beta Reo curiously behind Gray's leg. The sound of the door opening causes their heads to turn to me. I see Quinn break out into a big smile from her place on the couch and when I turn to Layne, she almost looks frozen.

"Hi, every—"

In a flash, tiny feet run from behind Gray and towards me. There's a big smile on Layne's face as she holds her hands out.

"Uncle Cloud!" She calls out to me.

When she reaches me, I lean down to pull her into an embrace. Gray stares at me with a slight smirk on his face as if he's saying, "I told you she missed you."

I roll my eyes before glancing back down at Layne who now has her hands on her hips in a scolding manner.

"Where'd you go?! Daddy said you got lost! I was scared that I'd never see you again!" The four-year-old exclaims.

"I'm sorry I was gone for so long," I tell her, and Layne huffs.

"As long as you don't do it again then I forgive you."

Her arms tighten around me and I smile down at her. She opens her mouth to say something else, but it quickly snaps shut. As if noticing Raiden for the first time, Layne scrambles away from me and returns to her spot back behind Gray's leg shyly.

I hold out a hand to her. "Layne, this is Raiden there's no need to be afraid. He's like a big puppy, he won't hurt you."

Her gaze remains hesitant so I lightly nudge Raiden with my foot. He crouches down to Layne's level and offers her a smile.

"Hi, Layne, like your uncle said, my name's Raiden but you can call me Rai if you'd like to."

"Rai's the one who helped me when I got lost," I tell her. "He helped me when I was sad and brought me back here so I could see you."

Layne's blue eyes light up slightly. "Really?"

I nod. "He makes me really happy and I really want you to meet him."

Though she still looks a little nervous, Layne emerges from behind Gray's leg and grips his hand instead. The two of them walk toward us and when they finally reach us, Layne waves at Raiden.

"Hi, Rai," she says quietly. "Thank you for helping Uncle Cloud."

"You're welcome, he's really nice isn't he?" Raiden says to her and Layne nods causing my face to heat up. Nice is not the word I'd use to describe the way I treated either of them in the past, but I want to do better for them both. "You seem really nice also, can we be friends too?"

Layne seems to think over his offer before looking back at Quinn who shoots her a grin. When she turns back around, her face is covered with a matching grin and she nods. "Yeah, Rai, we can be friends too!"

Layne lets go of Gray's hand and rush at Raiden. She begins to speak excitedly to him and I watch as his face lights up. My smile grows as I watch the two interact and for once, it feels good to be back.