"What's up Bonnie?" I ask gently, tilting my head when she hesitates by biting her lip.

"Tristan's in your room."

...

All of the breath leaves my body and my mind stumbles, trying to get breath back into my lungs. Fear clutches me everywhere, and a fierce protectiveness comes over me for my younger sister. I let out a short, quick breath, thinking about what to do. 

"I'm sorry, are you mad? He asked if he could talk to you because he said he wanted to apologize, and he wouldn't go away. I let him in like mom tells me to, and he said he'd wait in your room. I know you don't like people in there, but I didn't know what to say! I'm sorry." She looks like she's about to cry, so I give her a tight squeeze.

"Oh no, Bonnie. I'm not mad at all, okay?" My voice is tight. I swallow, trying to ease the tension.  

"I do need you to go over to Rachel's for a while. I'll come get you when you can come back, but it has to be me. If anyone else tries to come and get you, you do not go with them. No matter what they say, okay?" I give her another hug and push her out the door, grateful that she has a best friend next door.

"Well that was heartwarming." His sarcastic voice croons behind me.

I spin, heart rushing in my ears. When he takes a step forward, I want to step back, but my wolf takes control and shifts. Clothes tear as my bones pop and crack into their new place. I'm not very big, but I'm more powerful now, letting my wolf run in the woods more often.
She stands firm, unyielding as Tristan get's closer. I didn't let her come out before with him, but I let her now, and she's angry. 

"Oh, how cute, you're letting your wolfie out. I can't wait to play with her again." He sounds just like a child with his favorite toy, but you can't be mistaken for what he wants from me. He looks my wolf up and down, biting his lip. Lust dilates his eyes and my wolf doesn't like it.

"This time I'm gonna make sure you take it all conscious. I want to see you squirm."

My wolf openly growls at him even though I can feel a permanent fear pulsating inside of us, remembering. 

She takes a predatory step, and he actually looks scared. After a proud moment, I realize it's not us that's scaring him. Behind me, Blake's wolf stands looking absolutely feral. 

I must not have heard him come through the garage.

Blake's wolf is three times bigger than mine with the midnight blue family fur color, fading to gray. His normally light blue eyes are an intense shade of black, white teeth contrasting sharply.

The growl that rips out of his throat is strong and not a warning. Tristan doesn't even try to fight him. Instead, he bows his head, jaw clenching. Blake shifts, his naked form toned and more muscular than Tristan's ever has been. 

"Don't you ever touch my sister! Either one of them. If you do, I'll personally rip out your throat and let the pack have at you." He snarls each word, striding to the entryway and opening the front door wide, still fully naked.

"Out." He commands. Tristan boulders to the door. As he passes me, he mutters what sounds like, slut. My wolf reacts too fast for him to do anything. Jumping on top of Tristan, she uses her body weight to take him down. He shouts, but she shuts him up by clawing at his face. She claws at every piece of skin visible. He screams in pain, but my wolf doesn't stop, remembering all of the times he left me worse.

'He deserves punishment. He deserves so much worse than this.' She roars.

I'm pushed to the back, my wolf taken full control. After a few minutes of non-stop clawing, Blake grabs my wolf my the nape of her neck. She tries to go back to getting her revenge on Tristan, but Blake holds her away until she let's me take control again. I shift, panting slightly, wanting to tear him to shreds.

Instead, Blake pulls a blanket off the family room's couch, draping it over me. I wrap it around my shoulders, still fuming, but holding control. Blake stalks towards the screaming Tristan. His chest, face, shoulders, and arms are nicely clawed and/or bitten. Blood slowly drips from the wounds, but nothing is too bad. He'll be healed by Tuesday.

At first as I watch Blake, I think he's going to help him out the door, but at the last second he shifts and deepens a scratch I previously made on the side of his jaw. That won't heal until Wednesday at least now. Pride and love fill my heart for my brother, even with his partying habit. Blake shifts human again, and throws Tristan out the door, slamming it closed. He pulls me tightly to his chest, and I can't hold in my sudden sobs. I know what would have happened again if Blake hadn't been here. I might be running more, but in wolf form, Tristan would still batter me.

When my tears dry, Blake let's go and wraps a blanket around his lower half. We aren't new to nudity, or each other's bodies, but it's not like we enjoy seeing it. We sit on the couch, our moods serious. He doesn't look at me anymore and I have a feeling his eyes are back to their usual crystal blue. 

"You didn't break up because he cheated, did you?" It isn't really a question, and my silence is answer enough.

"Dammit!" He yells, smashing a small vase. 

"I should have known! I should have smelled him on you!" I can tell he's trying hard not to shift, but Blake's wolf wins out.

"We'll talk later, go burn it off." I say softly, not ready to be on my own, but knowing that my brother isn't used to taking care of others.

He growls as if he can read my thoughts, but takes off towards the woods when I open the door. As I close the door, the numbness spreads throughout my body. The house chilly, even beneath my blanket, I sink down to the cold and hard tile biting into my butt. I feel so small. I feel so alone. 

When I can pick myself off the floor, I pick up the scraps of clothes from our shifts and throw them in the garbage, sweeping up the shattered vase's debris. 

Changing into a comfy pair of leggings and knit sweater, I wipe up the blood on the white tile flooring in the foyer, double checking that any trace of a fight is gone. 

I walk over to Rachel's and Bonnie runs to me, smelling my scent before I say anything. Her small arms wrap around my middle and I hug her so tightly, she wheezes a bit after I let her go. Small tears fall down her rosy cheeks.

"Hey, hey," I cup her face, wiping the tears away, "Everything's fine, I'm right here. Tristan's gone."

She sniffles once and nods.
"You scared me. I got this funny feeling in my stomach and I felt like something wasn't right."

I smile sadly. 

"Yeah, you probably felt it through the family bond, you'll be shifting for the first time soon Bonbon. But I promise you, everything is good now." 

She nods again and I thank Rachel's mom for looking after her. We get back to the house and hear Blake in the kitchen. He's holding two pizza boxes, placing them on the granite counter tops. My bags are cleared off, probably put in my room, and the smell makes my stomach grumble as Bonnie raises her nose at the savory food. 

Blake opens the top. Triple, deep meat, our favorite. They dish up, and I use the excuse I ate already, watching them in envy. They each take six pieces, a few slices left over for mom and dad.

Turning on a movie in the living room, Blake and I sit on the couch while Bonnie lays out on the carpet. Her legs mindlessly swing back and forth, entranced by the movie. It's something like," Freezing," or ,"Frozen," but Bonnie loves it and sings along to the over-dramatic music. Blake taps my knee, speaking quietly, even with our enhanced hearing. I know what he's going to ask, dreading it like I have been everything lately.

"Jessa, how many times did it happen?" His eyes bare into mine, demanding an answer and I have to look away. My brothers have never been the protective older brother type that I always dreamed off, but now he was, when I didn't want him to be, but was grateful he stopped anything from happening today. Blake clears his throat, and I try to think back to what his question was. My stomach sinks.

"Six." I whisper, remembering each time vividly. My wolf whimpers at the traumatizing images. 

'Don't.' My wolf begs, cowering.  

Blake's jaw flexes, face oddly displaying how much he's hurt by my quiet reply. It takes a while before he asks another question.

"When?" Voice strained, it's my turn to take a while to answer as I build courage. No part of me wants to tell him this, but he already knows one of my two secrets.

"The first time? The week we broke up." I breathe the words, but he hears and turns his head, eyes glassy. My brother doesn't cry. He hasn't cried since he first shifted, and that was years ago. I gulp, pressure building behind my own eyes, throat slowly closing up.

To my surprise, Blake puts on a big brother smile and turns to Bonnie.

"Hey, Bonbon, how about you go get ready for bed?"

She whines, protesting that the movie isn't over, but Blake doesn't hear any of it.

"Go get ready for bed Yvonne." Firm and not open to objection, she pauses the movie, turning the t.v. off, and runs up the stairs. Once she's a safe distance away, he turns back to me.

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." Blake pulls me into a hug again, and I try my hardest not to cry, barely successful. When I move to pull away, he's reluctant to let go.

"It's okay." I reassure him. He looks offended at my words. 

"No, Jessa. It's not okay. Does anyone even know besides me?"

I'm silent again.

If they know, they'll put him on trial and I'll have to testify. A pack doctor will have to verify the information and everyone will know. They'll know that he... did that to me. Nothing would be the same. Mate would know too. It's not everyday that the daughter of an Alpha is taken advantage of. People gossip, word spreads. Mate would know and reject me. I'm not pure and I don't know if I can trust anyone as much as I could before

"You should at least tell mom and dad." Blake says, pulling me away from my thoughts. I'm put on edge by his words. Will he tell them if I don't?

'Blake won't do that, but he's right. Tristan needs to be punished.'

"Jessa." He snaps at my silence and I decide. 

"We should tell them. Tristan's parents will probably say something to dad anyways about his face." I chuckle darkly, and Blake joins in.

"You really went at him." He comments.

When we run out of humor, we just sit, thinking. I'm not used to this from him. Protective, kind, gentle. He reaches out and takes my hand.

"If you ever need me, I'll be there. No matter what." His eyes are filled with such sincerity, all I can do it whisper, "Okay."

I know that I'll never go to him, but appreciate his words all the same. Then, a question comes to mind.

"Hey, Blake? I thought you were staying at a friends tonight. And what about Tyler?"

"Bonnie mind-linked me when you told her to go over to Rachel's. She said that Tristan was in the house and that she thought you looked scared." I cursed myself inwardly, reminding myself to hide my emotions better in the future.

Blake continues. "I came as fast as I could. Tyler is still at a friend's. He said he'd come home after they finish their video game."  

"Thank you." I say. We briefly hug, already having hugged each other more today than we have in our entire lives. 

The sound of the garage door opening warns us that our parents are back from date night. They come inside the door, chuckling at something, looking only at each other. They don't notice us on the couch until Blake and I clear our throats loudly, startling them. We all smile and dad sniffs at the air. I freeze. 

I forgot to spray the odorless cleaner on the floor. When Dad's eyebrows furrow, my breath is caught in my chest. He opens the fridge and sees the triple- deep meat pizza slices, grinning. We all laugh quietly, Blake and I glancing at each other. Him silently urging me to tell them, me trying to tell him to shut it.

"What was that?" Dad asks, seeing our glance. I feign bewilderment.

"What was what?" I say, hopeful he'll forget it and I won't have to tell them anything. He doesn't believe me for a second as he takes a second sniff of the house. I know he smells the blood this time.

"What's going on, Jessamine?" He stands in front of the t.v, checking Blake and I for injuries. I inwardly sigh.

'Go on, tell them!' My wolf prods.

"Dad, mom," I look between them, not feeling ready to tell them, but pushing on," there's something you need to know about Tristan."