❦ღ❦  

"You sonofabitch!" Thea growled out through grit teeth. 

Her brown eyes darkened as they would whenever she was going into Hunter Mode. Her fingers were quick to swipe up a knife from the table in front of us and extended her arm in front of her to point the silverware to the man smirking back at her.

Thea sneered, "Give her back!"

"Ahhhh..." Evan raised a brow, shaking his head slowly. "Patience, Thea... Patience."

Yeah. I don't think any of us, especially Thea had any more patience after having spent the past seven years believing not only Maddox but Langley was dead as well. 

Evan kept his attention on my more-than-pissed cousin while Maddox suddenly spoke out. He frowned, shaking his head, "You've been keeping a Werewolf in our house?"

"Under it, Son. Under the house."

Maddox's nose scrunched, scoffing, "What fucking difference does it make between saying 'in' or 'under'!? My point is that you've been keeping one all this time!"

The father and son were now looking at one another; one with a calm, passive gaze and the other more irritated... betrayed.

"I had my reasons for keeping such information from you, Maddox. It was important."

"Why!?"

"Well because of this moment, of course," Evan answered, grinning even though his son's frown creased into more confusion. "I had to be able to keep the greatest ploy in Societal history to myself until the moment that I was face-to-face with the ultimate Advanced Hunter known to Pritchet Ray."

Maddox swallowed hard, looking at us for a moment then looked at his father again. He shook his head again, mentioning that all his life he only knew his father to be a writer and researcher for Supernatural beings. 

"I'd never actually thought they existed! Any of it!"

Evan pursed his lips, nodding slowly. 

"Yes," he agreed. "You didn't. And I needed you to believe so to keep you from wandering  to places in the house that you shouldn't."

From the miffed look on Maddox, I'd say he wasn't sure what to do or say about being kept out of the loop "all his life" about what his father was hiding. Instead, Maddox questioned what then was it that his father had to keep so secret.

Maddox's attention fell to his father's hand on his shoulder who urged his son to relax and hear everything out before anything brash was done. He glanced with a head tilt at Thea as he cracked a grin.

"This goes for you too, Thea."

My cousin's eyes narrowed, lip twitching into a curl. I could see that her fist tightened around the knife she held up, her hand shaking with the strain of keeping control until she let out an annoyed breath and dropped her arm to her side. Thea lifted her chin slightly, jaw clenched.

Knowing he had us cornered, Evan nodded with approval. "Good."

He moved to sit back down, crossing his leg over the other's knee and let his back rest against the chair in a relaxed posture. 

"As you're all aware by now, my parents have been my informants for most things. Mostly anything related to Maddox."

Evan paused, leaning forward to take a sip of the lemonade again. He let out a satisfied sigh and nodded to himself with his eyes closed. Much to our irritation, he took his time taking another sip then sat back again.

Linking his fingers together as they rested against his stomach, Evan smirked a bit.

"Seven years prior, you lot had encountered a newly established group of Hunters who were only human. Aside from their Hunter leader, Ian," Evan raised a brow. "Am I correct so far?"

When none of us spoke, Evan nodded, "I am." then shrugged, "From what I know of this new group, they raided the Society. They took them all by surprise I'm sure... especially when seeing Pritchet Ray was alive after all this time."

Evan reiterated that his parents lived in the Society and worked in the lab with a few assistants. He added that after the take-over by Ian and the human Hunters, everyone in the Society was rounded up and taken prisoner---aside from those who decided to switch sides in order to survive.

He explained further that his parents were forced to assist Pritchet Ray with his newfound ability to change from a pure-blooded Advanced Hunter to a Werewolf Hybrid. Grinning, Evan told us that even though he was strong because of his capabilities as a Hunter, Pritchet would be nothing compared to the 'True Hybrid' born from a Hunter mother and a Werewolf father. 

Evan stared at the parents beside me as he chuckled, "I'm told he's adorable. Despite what runs through his veins, your son is the only of his kind. He was not created... but born what he was which makes him much more valuable... much more capable... and much more powerful than Pritchet could imagine. Which is why he was so determined to kill your son because with the boy alive... Pritchet would only be second best."

He glanced at my aunt and dad when he added with a smirk, "And we all know that Pritchet Ray didn't care for second best."

My aunt was the only one who replied to the comment, gritting her teeth while forcing out, "Get to your point."

Taking her hint to move on, Evan chuckled while facing the rest of us.

"I found it quite fascinating," he nodded with a smile. "To think that it was even possible for two very different species to procreate as you had, Thea." 

His eyes flicked to Dennison beside my cousin. "And to an alpha no less."

Evan chuckled, "Which brings me back to my story and the day that a Werewolf Alpha was taken Hostage and brought back to the Society where your grandfather had him taken to the Annex." 

"You... do... remember what happens there, don't you, Thea?" he asked, raising a brow in a teasing manner.

Thea narrowed her eyes, lip curling again. But she refrained from saying anything. 

"Course... there's no way to reverse a Werewolf from... well, being a Werewolf," he chuckled again. "So instead it was more focused to reverse the human side to a Werewolf."

Evan explained that a Werewolf was able to turn into a human, act like a human, speak, think, and anything else like a human. 

"But," he raised his pointer fingers in front of him with his brows raised. "If you remove the humanity from the Werewolf... it reverts back to what it truly is..."

His gaze focused on Dennison. 

"A monster."

Dennison's jaw tightened, eyes narrowing and I could see his nostrils flaring while his reddish-gold eyes started seeping through the gray irises. Evan chose to ignore this.

"It was reported that you," he raised his brows while nodding to Dennison, "took out quite a number of Hunters during your short captivity. The feral beast inside you took over. Your true-self had come to light during those hours, I must say. Having no remorse... no empathy... no mercy on those people you slaughtered."

Evan smirked, shaking his head. He claimed it was cruel of Pritchet to toy with the alpha in such a way.

"Risky too," he added. "To have so boldly kidnapped an alpha of your stature and then altered you as he had. Making you this fearsome beast to parade in front of those you cared and loved so much... It was ballsy."

Evan looked at Thea. 

"I bet... Pritchet wasn't expecting you to pull an alpha out from what he was altered into. The alpha had," Evan grinned, shaking his head. "No recollection! None! Nothing he remembered or recognized of you or the others... and yet... Thea Saranto managed to pull the alpha back from the darkness."

He glanced at Dennison, "It's quite touching. Really."

The man leaned forward, sipping his lemonade again. Once he sat back, he continued.

"My parents were there that day of the fight that broke out between your group and Pritchet's army. They were the only ones who managed to escape when it was ordered for all those in the lab to be executed and the lab destroyed from any evidence of what was given to the alpha."

The corner of Evan's brow twitched upward. 

"They also witnessed the moment my son was killed."

I saw Maddox stiffen, brows furrowing as he stared down at his father. He obviously was just as confused as we'd been when hearing he'd been alive all this time.

Evan smirked, "Or thought... he was killed."

Apparently, Evan's parents saw the murder of Langley and Maddox. They had been hiding at a distance until the fight ended and then joined the crowd, blending themselves in the back. They'd kept themselves out of sight, planning, until after the funeral.

My skin crawled to hear that Evan's parents had deliberately waited until everyone was gone before returning at night to dig up Maddox's grave. I even noticed Maddox's eyes shutting tightly while the bottom of his palm pressed against his forehead.

Turning back to Evan, the man continued to explain the deceit from his parents.

"Before they escaped the Society when the order was given to execute all lab members, my parents took a few things. Just in case."

He raised his brows, grinning. 

"And that case happened to come into play during those days leading up to the funeral. They used what they'd taken from the lab and store-bought chemicals to create a mixture they'd been testing on flowers and weeds outside."

He shrugged that it wouldn't be exactly the same as testing on a human subject but that the plants sufficed the purpose of the experimentation anyway.

"Which is what they used once they'd dug up the coffin under my son's tombstone. They'd pried open the coffin and with a syringe, they'd injected my son. The serum they conjured took a while but eventually, it worked."

Evan raised his brows as he gestured to Maddox beside him and pointed out, "As you can see..."

 "With my son's Hunter blood, that itself had genetic altering that makes the possibility to revive someone more possible than if he would have been human. It was like taking the serum we all had as children to assist in our growth. Except for this one just made it appear that Maddox was in a coma-like state."

Maddox swallowed, frowning at his father. "What the hell are you talking about!? What is this!?"

While his son went off with numerous questions, the fright and worry in his tone just as clear as the emotions on his face, Evan calmly stared up at him. He didn't move at all. Just watched Maddox practically have a panic attack that he had at one point been dead before his grandparents brought him back to life.

And to think Maddox and I used to argue over the possibility that zombies were real. He'd insist that they weren't even if he did enjoy watching a few good zombie films. When I'd tell him that it might happen with the world being crazy as it was, Maddox rolled his eyes and firmly told me that I needed to learn the difference between movies and reality, adding that zombies were non-existent.

I think he no longer wins that argument. Just saying.

"Maddox..." Evan raised his brows. "I'm going to ask you to control your temper and any other emotions you are feeling until I am finished talking. There is still more vital information that our guests need to know."

He gave his son his look that they silently seemed to be understanding. Maddox's jaw clenched, the muscles in them contracting repeatedly. He let out an irritated huff before looking away. 

Seeing that his son was compliant with his request, Evan looked back to us.

"Now then... where was I? Oh yes..." Evan shifted himself to sit back into his relaxed posture. "My parents succeeded in bringing back my son to life. They planned on bringing him here to me but not before burying the coffin again and then deciding that they'd to the same to the grave beside Maddox's. Upon my orders, they brought along the she-wolf Maddox been so romantically attracted to."

I definitely caught the way Maddox tensed up. His eyes looking at his father under furrowed brows before blinking repeatedly as he stared down at the porch floor. 

Evan smirked, "She's very beautiful, I must say. Quite fierce when need be. She certainly panicked once she woke up with the serum and put up a good fight too. Of course, I needed to subdue the she-wolf so I might have..." 

He looked upward, shrugging carelessly, "Hit her over the head with a shovel or something."

What the fuck was Evan playing at!? He was messing with people's lives! People's sanity! 

All I knew was he had thirty seconds to get to his point before I win one over my cousin and beating the crap out of Evan.

"Anyway... after keeping her chained up and injecting her with a muscle relaxer, I tried to pry anything out of her. The she-wolf was a stubborn one though. She'd kept quiet, uncooperative to pass on any information about herself or the others she knew."

Evan grinned, "Luckily enough though... I found out the she-wolf's weakness. I had something she couldn't resist protecting."

The man could obviously see our startled looks and smiled to himself. 

"With a threat to kill her short-lived love again... the she-wolf broke. That's how I found out her name. She'd went on to tell me about each and every one of you. Anything I asked her about she told me. Keep in mind that she truly believed I'd harm my son which is why the she-wolf became so compliant."

He reminded us that he cared for his son. He'd never want to harm him in any way. That Evan wouldn't want to disappoint Veesta in harming their love child. 

Evan turned to see the lost look on Maddox's face, a slight smirk tugging at his lip. So much for not wanting to harm his son...

"I should add how... heartbroken... Langley seemed to be once I told her that my son had no recollection of who she was. To anyone but myself and his grandparents. When I explained that aside from the reviving serum given to Maddox, I ordered for him to be given the Elixir."

With a mocking glance at Thea, he scrunched his nose, "You know the one, right?"

Thea was practically growling as she told Evan that enough was enough and that she demanded him to hand over Langley and Maddox. I looked down to see that her fist was squeezing the handle of the knife she was holding a little tighter. 

"Yes, let's discuss that shall we?" Evan agreed, standing up and lifting his lemonade from the table.

Evan raised a brow, tilting his head slightly as he kept admiring the transparent crystal glass of lemonade he was holding. His hand gently moved the glass in a circular motion so that the liquid inside swirled. He kept his head tilted but flicked his gaze back up over at us. Or more Thea.

The man's lips pursed, taking a deep breath as he straightened with his hands behind his back after setting down the glass on the table. He let his eyes roam from one end of our group to the other. He then settled on my cousin while directing to all of us that he could finally verbalize the intent of what he'd done all these years.

"I can see how... desperate... you are to have your friends back, Thea. With the years of... separation... from them, it only makes sense that you'd do anything... to get them back."

Evan's grinned widened, "Am I wrong...?"

Swallowing, I noticed the way Evan's eyes darkened. The man obviously had something up his sleeve and was using his own son and Langley at his own expense against Thea. Whatever he was trying to do was not looking good on our end. Especially since my cousin didn't have the best track record of 'thinking things through'. 

Thea seemed to be contemplating her words, possibly trying to see the number of ways this conversation could play out. I just hoped she knew what she was doing.

"What do you want exactly?"

Evan grinned a bit, let out a short breath through his nose as he stared into the lemonade. He continued to look at the drink while telling my cousin how much he admired her. That it was beyond comparison to what a Hunter was thought to believe. 

"You are the only of your kind, Thea. Half human, half Advanced Hunter. Yet you carry more in your blood than the rest of us because of your mother's altered genetics. This, of course, was passed on to that son of yours. And with your son comes another set of genetics from not just any Werewolf but an alpha."

He shrugged that titles were just that, titles. They made no difference except for the decision-making power that titled person had. 

"Your alpha, however, was not like the others. Oh no."

Evan looked at my Aunt Emeel, smirking that from what was told to him by Langley, his old companion sensed a darkness in Auric Dennison that would come to light as it had seven years prior. 

"Even as the monster Pritchet turned him into, Auric Dennison was able to revert back to his old self. Thanks to you, Thea. Your... true love... obviously was responsible. Which brings me to what I want."

Nodding at my cousin, Evan informed Thea that he needed something from her. What he needed would complete the new and improved Elixir he and his parents had been working on. It would not only paralyze the human side in Werewolves... but completely destroy it.

Holy fucking shit! Evan was fucking crazier than my grandfather! He wanted to turn all the Weres into what Dennison had become years ago! Not only that... but he wanted to make sure that the Weres had no possible way of coming out of their feral behavior!

 Thea narrowed her eyes, shaking her head as she questioned what exactly she would give him that could manage a psychotic idea as his.

"Your blood, Thea." 

Tensing, my eyes widened and I felt my cousin's body tense up just as I had. I didn't even have to turn to know it was Dennison whose snarling growl broke the silence. Evan looked amused though as he chuckled behind his lips.

"Yours is the only one with a boost in genetics that could complete the Elixir. It will be the only chance of it working due to what you are."

"Evan! You've gone mad!" My uncle cried, shaking his head as he told the man that he was living in the past still. That he was putting blame on the Werewolves when it was Pritchet who was responsible for everything.

Evan sneered, "It wasn't Pritchet who took my life away from me! It was that God damn she-wolf who stripped me of any opportunity to have the life I wanted with my link and our child! It was the Werewolves who were responsible for taking away any shred of happiness that I had to look forward to!"

He sniffed, lip curling. 

"That's why I intend to wipe out every... last... Werewolf I can get my hands on! I want to make sure that it is easy enough to do so too."

My aunt narrowed her eyes, shaking her head. "How? How do you suppose turning them feral that would increase strength and erratic behavior easy enough to rid them?"

Evan's eyes darkened, that smirk returning to his face. 

"By exposing the Werewolves, Emeel."

What... the shit?

"You... You can't do that!" my dad protested, telling Evan that no one would believe him that Werewolves even exist.

"Ah... but that's where you are wrong, my old friend." 

Evan tucked his hands into the pockets of his pants, grinning that all he needed was just one Werewolf locked in a cage to show the world that such Supernatural creatures do exist. 

"Once the world sees them... the Weres won't stand a chance. It's what all the movies and shows and books in the human world portrayed of Werewolves that will ignite that fear instilled in them. They were all practically brainwashed to believe that Weres can be nothing but a nightmare if they truly existed..."

Grinning, Evan raised a brow, "And I want to prove the nightmare is real."

"I'm not giving you my blood! You're insane if you think I'd allow myself to be a part of any harm that comes to the Werewolves!" Thea shouted. 

I could hear her breathing picking up. Which wasn't a good sign for Evan.

Evan shouted back, "Oh but you fucking will when I give you the ultimatum of giving me what I want or you watch your best friend's life taken in front of your eyes all over again!" 

Thea blinked, her shoulders going slack. Fuck. We were screwed either way now that I think about it. Unless one of us thinks of something really fucking good and quick to get Maddox and Langley out of here.

Evan held up his finger, raising a brow, "All I need is one drop of blood. That's the only thing I need. Then you can walk out of here with the she-wolf."

Thea narrowed her eyes, sneering, "Now I only get one? I don't believe your fucked up deal for one minute! And I don't even believe you have Langley!"

Evan grinned that it was true that he had Langley otherwise he wouldn't know about any of us as much as he did. When Thea countered that it was possible she could have but then Evan killed Langley, Evan nodded, "It is possible. But it's not the truth."

"I want proof of life," Thea sneered through grit teeth.

The man across the way raised a brow, that smirk of his lifting again.

"You really are something to behold, Thea. I should say again how impressed I am of you. And so..." he sighed, nodding in the direction of the house. "I'll give you the proof you want. But you will have to come inside because I refuse to release the she-wolf from the chains I have her in. She might be constantly sedated, but I don't know how quickly her body will let itself heal and don't need her lashing out at me again."

"You'd deserve it," I snapped, making Evan look at me. 

Smirking, he only nodded then faced the rest of us. "So what will it be? Taking a trip down to the basement for your proof or watch my son die before your eyes."

I glanced in Maddox's direction, seeing his brows furrowed so deeply while his jaw contracted. His fists were clenched at his sides and there was the start of tears in his eyes. 

I felt so bad for my friend. His life just got so messed up. To believe your father loved you one moment and then the next to hear he'd be willing to kill you was shitty. Even if Evan wouldn't kill Maddox, just to have even thought to mention such a thing was fucked up enough.

"Fine," Thea agreed. "Well go down to see if you really have Langley. Only then will I give you a response to your ultimatum."

"Fair enough... Come along then." Evan turned to Maddox, calling his name which made my friend hesitate before lifting his gaze to his father's. "You should probably stay out of the basement. It's for your protection so I suggest you return to the library until I call you down again."

Maddox stared back, that hard look in his eyes I remembered from whenever he was pissed about something. He just gave a brief nod before glancing in our direction and stormed into the house, slamming the door behind him. 

Evan chuckled, shrugging as he looked at us. "Even at his age he can revert to a teenager sometimes. Now then... let's head down."

He led the way to the closed door, opening it and gesturing for us to go in. We gave him a look that hinted we weren't trusting to let him walk in behind us so Evan nodded silently before walking in first. He waited in the hallway as we all entered the house. 

I looked around, frowning at the number of picture frames hanging on the wall. Most of them were of Maddox; through every age. There were baby photos and toddler ones. There were even some through his teenage years and the years leading up to his disappearance. 

The thought of the grandparents had taken these photos secretly for Evan came to mind. It was beyond creepy but it made sense to why Maddox truly thought he had lived here his whole life. 

Evan led us past the staircase, just after looking up and raising a brow at Maddox who was leaning on the balcony railing with his arms crossed. He reminded his son that he was to wait in the library as instructed. When Maddox remained where he was, Evan huffed a short breath and called for Hilda. 

A few seconds later, the older woman tumbled out of what looked to be the kitchen area and stared wide eyed at us before looking at her employer. 

"Y--Yes, Mr. Gallagher?"

"Take Maddox to the library. Ensure that he stays there until I say so. I have something to show our guests and I don't want my son to be exposed to things he shouldn't. Is that clear?"

Swallowing heavily, Hilda nodded frantically, scurrying around the stairs and up the steps until we saw her come back into view beside Maddox. She was mumbling to him while tugging on his sleeve. She kept glancing at us nervously as Maddox stared down in our direction with a scowl.

It wasn't until Maddox finally relented and stood up that Hilda was able to drag him out of sight. 

Evan turned to us, nodding in the direction we'd been heading before. 

"Come along then."

We were taken down a long hallway, all of us on edge in case Evan tried to pull something sooner than he was leading on. When we arrived at a door at the end with a padlock on it, Evan went to a short table stand beside the wall to pull open a drawer. I could hear the jingling of keys until they came into view and Evan thumbed through them.

He found the one needed and inserted it into the lock before removing the padlock from the door. He mentioned to us that he kept this on the door at all times because he didn't want for the she-wolf he was holding to escape. It was mentioned that his parents worked down in the basement as well but that they wanted the door locked anyway in case of any surprises.

The door creaked open and Evan took a step into the dim-lit space, calling to his parents that the Guest of Honor had arrived. He faced us, letting us know to mind our step before heading downstairs. 

I turned to look at Thorton who muttered that our chances of escape went way down low in percentage the further we walked into this house. I nodded in agreement, muttering back that he needed to keep his eyes open and to help me start thinking of escape routes. 

The Were nodded, facing forward. Once we got to the bottom of the staircase, the basement was a lot bigger than I was expecting.  In the dim lighting the walls looked darker than they might have been and my eyes widened at the long curved hooks hanging above us, swaying slightly.

My ears picked up on bubbling and clinking noises that made me turn to the right to see the numerous amounts of beakers, cylinders and other scientific equipment sitting in racks or on bunsen burners. Each one was filled with a liquid in a different neon color. Even if they were mesmerizing to look at, I knew that what they contained was inhuman. 

Evan called out to his parents, asking where they were. He looked over his shoulder at us to explain that the basement was created to be much larger than a basement should. 

"It's much bigger than the floors in my house," Evan laughed then turned to call to his parents again.

As we walked further into the basement, going around the corner of a tall stone pillar, we suddenly heard a faint noise that sounded... like a scream.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, my stomach turning as I was trying to deny the possibility of knowing who that screamed belonged to. Evan didn't look a smidge bothered by what we heard as he looked at us and casually pointed out that his parents must be in the back of the basement. 

He continued leading the way, bringing us to another door that was made of steel. It had a square frame at eye-level with a small circular knob. Evan walked over, taking the knob and sliding the frame to the side to open a small window. 

There was a flickering light coming from inside, lighting up the darkness inside for a few seconds with a fizzing sound. But it was the shrill scream coming out that brought chills down my spine. 

"Mother! Mother, it's me! Open the door!" Evan tried shouting over the noise inside. 

The flickering light stopped, returning the small window into darkness and silence. It was a few moments later that footsteps echoed towards the door and a pair of darkened goggles appeared at the small window. 

"Evan? What are you doing?" The female goggled-head turned slightly in our direction before facing Evan again. "Who are they?"

Evan smiled, tilting his head slightly. He explained to his 'mother' that he brought their 'Guest of Honor'. The person on the other side of the door let their brows shoot upward before they turned to stare in our direction. 

"One moment..." she said, shutting the sliding door and pushed open the door. 

I frowned at the odd outfit the woman was wearing. Unsure of what it actually was, the woman wore what looked to be a white jumpsuit that sounded close to plastic with the movements she made. The jumpsuit even had a hoodie that was strapped around with the goggles she was wearing. She had green protective gloves on that she was sliding off.

Tossing the gloves aside, the woman grinned, "Well I'll be damned!" then turned into the room she stepped out of and called, "Terrance! Terrance, come quick! Look who has come to visit!" 

Facing us again, the woman beamed as she reached up and pulled off the goggles to reveal a pair of blue eyes that were outlined from the goggles she'd been wearing. She lifted a hand to push off the tight-fitting hoodie and a bunch of blonde curls bounced into place around her face. 

The woman looked at our group, spotting my aunt and grinned, "So it is true after all... Was hard to believe that you were alive after all this time. Especially with such a brutal death, we heard you had."

My aunt narrowed her eyes, sneering, "We felt the same about your son, Lilith."

Evan's mother's grin faltered as her blue eyes narrowed. Displeased with the snippy comment, Lilith raised a brow while reminding my aunt that she and the rest of us were not exactly in a position to act like a smartass.

Evan gently placed a hand on his mother's arm and waited until she looked at him to smile that it was alright. That he didn't blame our hostility with everything that was explained back upstairs.

Lilith frowned, glancing at us as she muttered to her son if Maddox knew now too.

Nodding in confirmation to her question, Evan explained that it was about time his son knew the truth anyway. Lilith's frown deepened, shaking her head that she hoped Evan knew what he was doing. 

"I don't want to lose my grandson, Evan. Not again."

"And you won't," Evan assured. 

We all turned our attention to a deep voice coming from inside the room behind Lilith. Clearly, this was going to be Evan's father. 

"Why... Ms. Thea! Such a long time we last see you, no? Zee memories are still intact, yes?" the man chuckled as he was removing his goggles and the hoodie of his jumpsuit. 

The man had darkish gray hair that sprouted out at odd angles due to the hoodie he'd been wearing. Though it was gray, it was hinted that at a much younger age he had a similiar hair color that Evan and Maddox inherited. 

Evan's father looked at my aunt, uncle, and dad making his brows shoot up. He blinked a few times as he laughed lightly again.

"Why... if it isn't another blast from zee past! Three, in fact!" 

Terrance wrapped his arm around his wife, nodding that he was surprisingly happy to see so many familiar faces from the olden days. It was much expected probably on Terrance's part that the trio he addressed didn't feel the same about him. 

And they made it a point to tell him so. 

My uncle chided both Lilith and her husband for what they did during the time the Society was still running. He was upset that the couple could possibly put them all through such torment in thinking their loved ones were dead all this time and they had kept them captive all this time.

"My grandson isn't a captive, I assure you, Thatcher," Lilith snapped, crossing her arms. She raised a brow, sniffing, "And we had no reason to leave our grandson with you lot when you all associate with those despicable creatures!" 

She was eyeing the few Weres we had in our group as she'd said this.

My aunt snapped back at Lilith that she was stupid to think as they had back then. That everything was different now that there was peace between the Weres and those in the Society. 

Lilith laughed, throwing her head back while Terrance and Evan grinned. 

"You were never one to be so naive, Emeel. But thanks to your human lover and your association with the Werewolves, I can see that's taken its toll. You honestly believe that the Society would be okay with this lifestyle? That they'd succumb to downgrading to associate with the likes of them!" 

Her husband spoke up to take his turn in putting his two cents. 

Terrance raised a bushy brow, sniffing, "Your daughter might have taken down the Society... 'ere in America, Emeel. But you forget zee Society did not start 'ere. No... No, taking down zee American base ees absolutely nothing. Eet's like getting gum on zee bottom of your shoe. So irritating... but not as big a problem as stepping in zee drying cement!"

He elaborated in that awfully thick accent that we had forgotten completely about the European Society. A much larger, much more powerful base where the patriarchs reside. And that they were aware of what occurred here those years ago; both the first time when a seventeen-year-old teenage girl diffused the Society and then disbanded it completely five years after.

"So don't believe your little belief that there's peace amongst Hunters and Werewolves," Lilith sneered. She tightened her arms more, scoffing out, "Those remaining at the Society are useless! They have lost that drive! That motivation to keep our world free of creatures as the ones you choose to associate with." 

Lilith turned to her son, raising a brow and sniffed, "I'm assuming they're here to see the she-wolf?"

The tension was straining in the room again. I was trying to study the trio's facial expressions and body language. As a former Hunter, it was something we all were trained to pick up on to assist in figuring out if an attack was headed our way. 

"They are," Evan responded calmly. He looked at my cousin as grinned, "Thea wants 'proof of life' before any decisions are made."

"Hmph! Proof of life, huh? Fine! Follow us this way." 

Lilith turned on her heel, storming back into the darkness followed by her husband. Evan looked at us, raising a brow and gesturing for us to follow him. 

Again, we all were on edge since we didn't want to get locked out of the room. My dad pulled Thorton's arm, muttering for him to stay back with him while the rest of us went into the room. Thorton blinked a few times before my dad explained that it was 'just in case of anything'. 

Understanding, Thorton nodded then looked at me worriedly. I bit my lip, turning away to follow the others into the room. At the end of it, Terrance and Lilith stood near the wall. Lilith had her arms crossed since she was annoyed with us. 

She's lucky I haven't stuck a syringe in her eye.

There was a light coming from the generator beside Lilith. It was illuminating the space very eerily and left most of the room in a shadow. As we approached though, turning the corner of the stone wall, Thea sucked in a breath---almost choking out a cry. 

Against the other stone wall, Langley's wrists were bound in irons and she was sitting on the floor sluggishly. Her head drooped down towards her chest but her face was partially hidden by the unkempt long hair in its way. Her skin was dark with patches of purple, brown, and blue aside from the dirt-covered rags she was wearing. 

"Langley!" 

Thea broke off our group first, running over to kneel down in front of the other woman. My cousin tilted her head, frowning while swallowing out Langley name again. She reached over, trying to lift Langley's head and brush the hair off her face. 

My eyes widened at how swollen parts of Langley's face was. She was even bleeding from certain parts, body included. 

The she-wolf winced, whimpering as she slowly pried open her eyes to see my cousin in front of her. 

Her blue eyes I recognized from her twin brother started to water and Langley's bottom lip and chin trembled as she whispered, "Th---Thea?" 

My cousin swallowed, a grim smile in place as she nodded and kept caressing Langley's hair out of her face. Her hand was trying not to touch her injuries.

"Oh, Langley... I'm so sorry..."

Langley weakly smiled, barely able to shake her head as she told Thea there was nothing to apologize for. That no one knew and that she was just happy to see my cousin again. 

Wincing, Langley squeezed her eyes shut and grunted out, "Ease... Easton? Where's... Where's Easton?"

My heart dropped at the sudden thought of that Moody Asshat. Forget that Langley was alive. Once Easton sees what was being done to his sister... he was going to fucking lose his shit. And we all were going to be in firing range.

"He's safe. He's waiting back at home, Langley."

"H---Home?" the she-wolf whimpered, her eyes watering again.

Thea nodded, trying to hold back her own emotions as she assured Langley that she was going to go home soon. That she'd make sure the twin was safe and sound in a warm bed soon and with her family again.

My cousin stopped all of a sudden, frowning as she turned to look at something metal lying beside Langley. Thea's eyes stared at the long metallic object with four golden prongs at the top with just enough space in the middle. 

Blinking once... twice... Thea stood up to stare at the object better then followed the black thin cord it was attached to. All the way to a squarish generator that had various knobs of colors and sizes along the edge of it. 

Thea swallowed, brows furrowing as she grit her teeth.

"You've been torturing her... With a taser."

Her eyes flicked over to the trio who didn't deny the accusation. As a matter of fact, Lilith proudly stuck up her chin that she tended to need to release stress and the she-wolf was the perfect outlet for that. 

The room was quiet. Every one in our group looked over at Thea who stared back at Lilith with this malicious gleam in her eyes.

Much to Lilith's misfortune.

The woman went on, giving my cousin this nasty stare as she gloated on that hearing Langley scream with so much anguish... cry with so much helplessness only urged Lilith to do it over and over again.

"She'd bewitched my grandson..." she scoffed. "The thought of her trying to wedge her way into being with someone of his caliber was something I had to take care of. I had to remind that filthy creature that she's stepped out of line! That she has no right to try and level with an Advanced Hunter!"

Lilith sneered, "Maddox deserves better than some bitch she-wolf getting him killed."

Raising a brow, I tore my attention to my cousin who I knew could feel me staring. I was just waiting. Waiting for her to give me the go ahead. It was a simple, small signal that she, Maddox and I practiced time and time again during training simulations.

My gaze studied my cousin for those seconds that time seemed to halt. I could see from the angle I was looking at her that her hand tightened around something and I flicked my eyes up to Thea's face just in time for her to click her tongue against her teeth.

Without further hesitation, I turned to grab the large headed hammer laid carelessly on the floor then jumped up to swing it against the light generator that smashed out the lighting completely. The Weres in our group used this to their advantage, snarling as they ran in the direction of the surprised shouts from Terrance, Lilith, and Evan.

Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I looked over my shoulder to try to hear where everyone else was. Breathing hard, I turned to where I felt my cousin was from her heavy breathing. 

"Hold the phone light over Langley! I'm going to break off the chains."

Thea took hold of the phone once I turned on the light on the back of it. She turned to look behind me and then urged me to hurry. Nodding, I bent down to look at the chains, noting that they were too thick for me to be able to smash the links with a hammer. 

I swallowed, turning around and cursed before telling Thea that I'd be right back and snatched the phone from her to see. The light from my phone shook from me moving it as I ran but I caught moments of the fight that broke out. Evan was in the middle of fighting off Dennison while Thatcher and Mr. Dennison were handling Terrance, and I ran past my aunt getting a punch to Lilith's face. 

Panting, I pushed myself to run back to the entrance where my dad and Thorton stared wide-eyed. 

"Kale! What's going on!?" Thorton briefly looked behind me before I gained his attention again. I told them that we needed their help. That Langley was severely injured and the locks around her wrist were unbreakable without a key. 

Thorton rushed over to the steel door, yanking out the key that Evan used to open it and started thumbing through the key ring. 

"Maybe it's one of these!" he swallowed, looking up at me. 

I nodded, agreeing and tried to focus to not lose my attention on finding the right key. The window of opportunity was limited so I was going to need to get the right one for Langley's sake. 

Thorton cried, "This one! This one! It has to be it!" 

It was the only key that was thick and made of iron. I can only hope he was right. 

"Great! Now grab that flashlight!" I pointed at the one hanging on the wall and urged them to help out with the others while I assisted Thea in getting Langley out of the chains.

Running back into the room with only my phone light and the flashlight, the grunts, cries, snarls and screams from the fighting got louder. I halted, Thorton running into me when Lilith jumed into the light in my way with blood running down her forehead. She let out this angry cry, ready to swing an ax she got a hold of but my Aunt Emeel tackled her out of sight.

Shaking my head, I pushed forward to turn the corner and rush back to Thea who was standing protectively in front of Langley. The she-wolf moaned, drifting in and out of consciousness.

Kneeling, I reached up to take hold of the thick irons strapped around one of her wrists. Langley arched, letting out a cry and I muttered an apology while sticking the key into the lock and twisting it. The woman's wrist became lighter, my ears hearing the clattering of the chains falling to the cement floor. 

I hurried to unlock the other then told Thea to start heading out of the basement, that we needed to get Langley out of here fast. She nodded, reaching for Langley but I shook my head, telling her that I would get the injured she-wolf. 

Thea nodded, turning to hold the light out in front of her so that she could help lead the way for me to follow her. Once I got Langley in a comfortable position that wouldn't hurt her as badly, I started forward, muttering to the woman to hold on. That her brother was waiting for her and couldn't wait to see her.

"Easton..." Langley whimpered, shutting her eyes as her face buried against my shirt. 

Swallowing, I nodded, "Yeah, Langley... Easton. He's going to be so happy to see you! Just hang on, okay?"

"Okay," she whispered. 

As we were heading out of the back room towards the stairs, a pained, growling cry made Thea halt, turning wide-eyed.

"Auric!" 

Thea looked panicked, unsure of what to do and I had to remind her that we had to get Langley as far away from here as possible. She looked torn between staying and going before she nodded and started heading towards the stairs from the basement. 

As we were running up the stairs, Thea halted again and I snapped at her to stop doing that because I almost dropped Langley!

When she didn't respond, I peered around her to see Maddox standing at the top of the stairs in the doorway. Thea and I froze, unsure of the blank stare he was giving us. His brows furrowed as he addressed Thea, "You know me..."

Thea glanced at me then nodded to Maddox, "I do. We all do."

Maddox swallowed, licking his lips. "And I know you...?"

Thea nodded again, pleading with Maddox to understand that she'd explain everything but right now she needed to get her friend some help. That she was severely hurt and that she needed to be taken back to her family. 

"She's a Werewolf..." Maddox reminded her, almost like he was still not understanding why we were catering to Langley.

"Yes! But she's my friend foremost! And now I told you, Maddie, that I need to help her! If you won't let me by then I will have no choice but to make you!"

The wide-eyed stare she got was temporary since Maddox's gaze fell to the she-wolf in my arms. Langley's eyes squeezed shut, arching again from the discomfort of her injuries.

"Thea..." Langley winced, her fingers clutching to my shirt tightly. Langley cried out again and that was enough for Maddox to scowl, waving for us to follow him. 

He told us to go out through the front door. We followed him down the long hallway to the front of the house and Maddox quickly opened it. He kept looking down the hall as he told us to hurry up and get the she-wolf out of the house. 

His eyes settled on Langley's scrunched face and let his gaze linger before squeezing his own eyes shut and informed us that he'd go back to help the rest of my group. Thea shook her head, grasping Maddox's sleeve and told him that she couldn't afford to see him hurt again. Ignoring the confusion on his face, Thea promised him that she'd explain everything if he would come with them.

Maddox frowned, blinking a few times and muttered, "But... my... Dad..."

"He's going to kill you, Maddox, if you stay here! Please!" 

The desperation in my cousin startled Maddox and he looked like he was ready to have a panic attack again. That is until Hilda appeared and took hold of Maddox's hand. He faced her as she tilted her head and weakly smiled, "Maddox... This is no place for you. You're a good boy... You need to go with them. They'll take care of you. And they speak the truth... they know you. You barely met your father a few years ago."

Maddox's shoulders sulked, shaking his head and told Hilda that he didn't want to go without her. That she was the one who took care of him the most. The woman smiled, lightly tapping her fingers on the side of Maddox's face. She reminded him that she was too old to run and that it was probably best for her to remain here as a distraction.

"No!" Maddox panicked, shaking his head that he'd stay with her. 

"Now, now... Maddox, there isn't much time. The others need help! Now you go get in that car and stay there until the others have come!"

"But Hilda..." 

"Oh, Maddox," Hilda smiled, tilting her head. "I love you dearly, my boy. And don't you forget it."

The tears Maddox let fall brightened those eyes of his and swallowed before he turned to Thea and myself. He frowned, "I'll go with you... But we take Hilda too."

Well, that was easy...

I nodded, "Great! Fantastic! Now here," I moved forward to hand off Langley to Maddox. "You three get to the cars and get her inside."

I told Maddox to just break the window since we didn't have the keys on us. 

"Wait until we get back!" I shouted as I was dragging Thea back into the house. 

We ran down the basement stairs, now seeing that the fighting was brought into the more well-lit area. I scanned the room for my dad who just took a hit to the back from the wooden-post Evan used. Seeing red, I ran forward to shove Evan out of the way. 

I walked over, snatching the post out of his grasp and swung it down into the side of his head, twice. Evan groaned, blocking further hits and used his legs to kick mine from under me. I cursed from hitting my elbow a little harder but looked up in time at Evan now trying to use my head as a baseball.

Pushing myself to the side, I rolled out of the way and into my dad who grunted as he was trying to sit up. 

"I'm getting too old for this shit..." he grumbled, holding his side. 

I cheekily grinned, "You've been old." that earned me a scowl from him.

The moment was short-lived as I pushed my dad out of the way and took the hard swing to my right forearm. 

"FUCK!" I leaned forward, hugging my arm to me as I hissed through the unbearable throbbing. 

I was hit again, making me fall to the side and rolled onto my stomach to protect my arm that was in so much fucking pain! I was expecting another hit but the snarling growl behind me hinted that someone came to my rescue. Wincing, I turned a bit to see Thorton claw Evan in the face. 

Evan screamed, stumbling backward with his hands to his face. He tumbled over some boxes that allowed Thorton to rush over and help me up. 

"How bad is it?" he asked, staring at my arm. 

I shook my head, muttering through pants that I wasn't sure. I added that I couldn't look at it right now either.

A shrill scream made Thorton and I turn to look across the way where Thea was in the middle of trying to hold up her husband. The reason behind her pained cry was the long, deep gash that was cut into the back of my cousin's shoulder. 

Thea's head tilted back, gritting her teeth while still trying to shield her husband. 

Lilith grinned as she admired the bloodied knife in her hand. She chuckled that injuring the alpha made this so much easier to get the blood sample from Thea that was needed. Except Lilith wasn't counting on the retaliation of a mother needing to protect her child.

My Aunt Emeel came out of nowhere. All I could see in a split second was the top of an ax wielding down and sliced through Lilith's wrist. The dismembered hand dropped to the floor with the knife that'd cut through Thea. 

The woman staring wide-eyed at her missing hand let her mouth drop open, no sound coming out before looking up at my aunt who sneered, "You fucked with the wrong mom, Lilith!" just before swinging the ax again to slice into Lilith's throat. 

I frowned, nose scrunching to see my aunt's Hunter Mode was still intact but Thorton swallowed hard beside me. I let out a long breath, nodding for Thorton to follow me to help my cousin and Dennison. 

While I pushed aside my own injury, I took Dennison from Thea. She winced out a curse, pressing her hand behind her shoulder then looked at it to scowl, "Fuck... Another damn scar."

She looked at me and the worry returned to her face. 

"I found him in the back room. He's not responding to me!" 

I licked my lips, looking down at Dennison who seemed to have been given something because for all the years I've known him, Dennison wouldn't let a lousy ass hit to knock him out cold. Leaning closer, I squinted to the spot in the side of his neck where it looked irritated with the tiny puncture wound. 

"He was sedated." I looked up at Thea, "I think it was planned out to slow you down to get that blood sample that was needed. With or without your consent."

Thea growled, "Those fuckers..." then huffed that she just wanted to get out of this place. 

We nodded, moving towards the stairs. I looked over at Terrance being tied down to a chair with the chains used on Langley. My dad's pissed-off look never leaving his face as he tightened the chain around Terrance's neck. The man in the chair had been gagged so his pained cry was muffled by the rags shoved into his mouth. 

My dad pointed to the taser generator and order Mr. Dennison to bring it over. Uncle Thatcher was already bringing over a rusty tin bucket and I could see water sloshing around in it. 

I forget that my dad and Thatcher are trained killers. I forget that they have been trained all their life to improvise when it came to a kill---for Werewolves anyway. But seeing how they had no problem with strapping down Terrance with those chains and gagging him, pouring the water bucket over him so he was completely drenched and had was slightly choking really brought into perspective that I wasn't as normal as I'd been living these past years.

Mr. Dennison stepped back as my dad and uncle finished off their work in progress. Thatcher took hold of the taser contraption and forced it into Terrance's side. The man leaned his head back, the muffled scream doing nothing. 

My dad was the one flipping on the generator and turning all the dials to full power. He just stood there, watching the beginning of Terrance's body convulsing with the electrical currents running through it. The muffled cries only added to the torture and yet... a small... very small... part of me didn't like what I was watching. 

"Kale..." 

I blinked, looking at my dad who shook his head for me to not look anymore.

"He's not worth it. Now let's go." 

He bent to take Dennison from me with the help of Thatcher and they carried him up the stairs. I held my arm to my stomach, sighing as I was beginning to follow them but then remembered about Evan.

I frowned, looking over to where he'd been knocked out after stumbling backward. Glancing up at the empty stairway, I decided to move back into the basement. I ignored Terrance as the light from the generator flickered as it had when I first walked in here. 

Staring down at Evan, I bit my lip. With years of not having to take a life, I felt out of place at this moment. I felt like I didn't have it in me anymore. I knew I could still fight... but killing? I think I knew I'd have a harder time forcing myself to do so. Kind of like Thea does. 

But then... as I was staring down at Evan and thinking of his trick to making us believe Maddox and Langley were really dead... and then what he and his parents were doing to Langley all this time... 

The tips of my fingers tingled, slowly creeping up my arms and I found my gaze looking over at the heavy-headed hammer lying on the side. Narrowing my eyes at it, I felt myself coming to a decision a lot quicker than I anticipated. 

I stepped over to grab onto it with my good hand, testing out the weight before glancing at Evan's unconscious body. Sneering, I stalked over and used as much strength I could gather to swing the hammer down onto Evan's head. I heard the crack of the skull but it wasn't good enough! I slammed it down, over and over, until I couldn't even feel a skull anymore. 

The hammer was just hitting the concrete underneath it now. I swallowed, stepping back and dropped the hammer with a loud clatter. Breathing hard, I scowled at what remained of Evan. Shaking my head, I turned away but then stopped to look at the make-shift lab the trio had in the basement. 

My gaze fell to the knife with Thea's blood on it and I just knew that with our family's track record... that blood would find its way into completing that Elixir. Somehow. 

I briefly looked over at Terrance still screaming then headed over to where the knife was. Scooping it up, I walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet. I winced while trying to use my injured hand to scrub off Thea's blood, even making sure to wipe it off the sink for good measure. 

Facing the tables with all the neon colored liquids, I huffed out a short breath before strutting over and grunted as I flipped the tables over. They fell heavily on their side, the glass equipment shattering and its containments spilling down the drain in the floor. 

Sighing, I stood there, watching the stream headed into the drain. Hearing it trickle away.

"Kale! Son!" 

I looked up, seeing my dad rushing down the steps and then halted halfway. He peered over the railing, breathing out in relief at seeing me standing there. My dad looked at the mess I made and then back to me. 

"You alright?"

I nodded, silently looking over at Evan so that he knew what else I did. My dad swallowed, brows furrowed as he walked over to stare down at the headless body. He turned to stare at me, watching me carefully before making his way over as my lip and chin trembled. My dad held me to him, tightening his embrace when I let out a sob.

"Easy, Kale... Easy..." he muttered, sighing in between. 

I felt him kiss the top of my head, resting his head against it afterward. 

"The Hunter Mode doesn't define you, Kale. It's all a part of who we are and unfortunately we have to live with that. But sometimes it's okay to think maybe we react as we do because we are protecting those we love and care for. Just as you'd done to Evan for what he'd done to Maddox... and Langley."

I nodded, wrapping my good arm around him tightly. 

My dad held me a bit longer before suggesting that we leave now. Reminding me about Langley needing medical attention from Aunt Penny.

We walked back upstairs, my arm still held against me and I just nodded when my dad asked if I was okay.

"You're sure?" he asked once more.

"Yeah... I'm sure."

To be honest... I was actually not okay. I wasn't even thinking about the pain I was in with my arm.

I just felt so sick to my stomach. I felt so anxious to return back to Blood Moon Falls where Langley's brother was waiting for us. And he didn't even know about his sister.

I was utterly terrified that Easton was going to hate me.