Warning: mentions of abuse when Ronnie begins to speak with Adam. Just letting you know! 

NOT EDITED.

        I have a new scar, right on my back from being dragged across the boards.

I count them -- the scars, whether faint or prominent -- and end up with a total of five. The one on my stomach is most evident and the one on my back is jagged, running from my side to my shoulder blade. Liam smooths a finger across the puckered skin and I resist the urge to hiss. If I do, he will most likely beat himself up more. 

We'll reach Montana in a day. Adam has made sure we stick to a strict schedule to get there on time and avoid anymore interactions with the Purgatory. We don't risk staying at a motel, but rather we spend the night in the car. Liam curls up behind me and I sink into him, but I can't sleep no matter how hard I try.

I think of my dad, my mom, Anna, and everything that has occurred in the past days. My mind is on constant replay like a broken record so when it reaches 5 AM and the sun is starting to rise, I slip out. Liam doesn't protest, most likely because he's dreading getting up and driving for another eight hours. 

I venture from the car and take a seat on a boulder, watching cars pass from my perched spot. In a few hours, I will meet an aunt I don't remember nor I even know existed. As well as being the final link to my mom. At this point, she's the last of my family.

I wonder what she is like. If she looks like my mother or completely different, like Liam and Flora. I wonder if she has kids and a true mate. I don't know if she's aware we're coming, but Adam feels confident that she is willing to help us. 

She's also our last hope.

Speak of the devil, I think as I see movement out of the corner of my eye. Adam is awake, trudging towards me with ruffled hair and a shirt that is far too big on his frame. His lips are pursed and when he stops in front of me, I shuffle over to give him space to sit as well. 

We're silent and I almost wish he would let it stay that way, because I cannot bare another conversation about reflecting on what we used to be and what we're not. Who I'm not. At least, not anymore. 

But alas, when do I ever get what I want? 

"Is your back healing?" He asks, eyes sliding away from the cars to me. The bags under his eyes are deeper today. I nod slowly. "Good." He sends me a tight lipped smile and I return it.

I'm distracted momentarily from Belle who is supporting a head of lilac hair. Apparently, it was Rosalyn's idea in the first place and they did it while at the motel. She waves at me and then walks to Aflie, taking a seat on his lap. I'll miss her blue hair.

"Is Liam okay?" Adam asks and I furrow my brows at him.

"Of course. You know he heals fast," I answer. 

"No, I mean with you.. ugh, dying." Adam makes an awkward motion with his hand and a grim smile takes place on my face instead of the expression of bewilderment I wore before. 

"I still can't digest that, you know," I hum and pluck at the hem of my jeans. The rock is starting to get uncomfortable. "I was dead and I didn't even feel it. There was no out of body experience nor did I see any light." I tilt my head at him. "Do you think that's God's way of saying I'm going to hell?"

Adam smiles - a real one this time. "Maybe," He jests. "Maybe your soul just hadn't left your body because it knew it wasn't time."

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean that Liam was still alive and in our world, once you've mated, you are one." He explains. I snort.

"When you put it like that it sounds extremely corny." I remark and Adam rolls his eyes with a laugh. This time I give him a genuine smile. 

"It's true," Adam says. "It's physically impossible to live without one another. Better?"

I nod with a laugh and Adam beams at me, his eyes examining my face and that's when I stop. Only because I fear his analysis will bring up questions I don't want to answer. Adam has a habit of turning simple conversations into something much more serious. That's probably because we have never really spoken. 

"Seeing you push Paz was eye opening." I swallow the sigh in my throat and look away from him, tensing. "But I get what you said before. We don't know one another anymore."

I cock a brow at him, "You're just realizing that?"

Adam's laughter is bitter. "Gosh, Ron. Don't beat a dead horse," He says. "I know it was foolish. We've changed and I'm done dwelling on the past. When I saw you kill Paz, it resonated."

"That you like a murderer?" I guess I shouldn't mention that I killed Mandy too or he might go into shock. 

"No. You were brave and you did it to protect everyone," He corrects me with a stern look. "You died to get Liam out."

"I couldn't save Ruby."

"That wasn't your fault." He's right. I avenged her instead. "When you weren't breathing, Liam panicked. To be frank, I never thought he was capable of tears till you didn't show any signs of coming back. He wouldn't let anyone close," A frown touches his lips. "He shook you so hard and kept on screaming for you to wake up. I thought he lost it but then I realized he was losing his world." 

I grimace, only because hearing it come from Adam's mouth is odd. We've never spoken in much depth about Liam and I and I wonder where's he going with this all. "He loves you infinitely and gives you everything I couldn't if we had become true mates," Adam's fingers twitch from their place on his thigh. He reaches for my hand hesitantly as if seeing if I will pull away but I remain still under his advance. "You killed Paz because you thought he did something to Liam. You mourned your mother for years and I watched you suffer while in a matter of months Liam arrived, he took you away and made you happy. I should have told you everything a long time ago."

"You were afraid," I voice finally. To some, it might sound like a question but I know it's a fact. 

"Yes," He answers blandly. "I watched a mother die and for a moment, I thought I was going to watch her daughter die too. My dad hit me the night I screamed at him for it. That he ruined our friendship; I screamed I would tell everyone and he hit me so hard that night. I remember tasting blood," With his free hand he touches his finger to his lips. "He hit me harder the next day. Then he fractured my rib by pushing me into the dining room table. He would force me to shift and he'd clamp down on my neck till I couldn't breathe. The worst part was when my mom saw him hit me and she did nothing." He spits harshly, "She let him hit me and when I objected, he shoved me. Right down the stairs and beat me till I begged him to stop. I was twelve, Ronnie. I was scared."

My throat feels tight and I'm unsure of what he wants me to say; what he wants me to do. His eyes are watery, "But I-" His words choke. "But he-" I take the chance to embrace him, clutch him to me tightly because I don't give a fuck about our differences at the moment. I don't care about our past because I cannot imagine a human being having to endure years of torment from someone who is supposed to love and protect them. 

"Stop," I utter. It's soft and nearly inaudible. "You don't have to reason anymore. It wasn't right what he did Adam. You didn't deserve that. I don't care who you are or what you've done, you will never deserve that."

I feel him nod and over his shoulder, I see Liam in the distance. We make eye contact. 

Nothing more is said between Adam and I, but when he pulls away and walks back to the van, Liam simply stands there. Hands tucked into his sweats and his hair sticking up in all directions. When I near, he embraces me and we stand there for several minutes. My nose buried against his neck and breathing in his scent. 

All of us have been through too much. We're far too young We're supposed to be at the age where we're going to parties and sneaking out, not fighting a war. Adam, Stella, Belle, Jeremy. I'm tired of everyone hurting. I'm tired of running and fearing for our lives. 

"I don't want to wait for Beckett to come for us," I drawl slowly. "I want to go him."

        For the rest of the ride, everyone is chattering.

We share English muffins from the gas station and smother cheap butter on them. Stella has a stack of beef jerky tucked into her hoodie and passes them around when we request. 

"You're sharing!" Jeremy cheers. "Good job," He pats her head over the seat and Stella attempts to bite his fingers. He yelps and clings to Rosalyn and we laugh. 

Though the day had started meek, I'm glad everyone has moved past the somber attitude. Cliff is surprisngly civil and Adam is laughing with everyone as if we didn't have such a serious conversation this morning. 

Belle keeps her arm looped with mine when we stop at a pit stop and Adam and Liam work to map out the final coordinates. "Are you nervous to meet your aunt?" 

"No," I answer truthfully. Because I'm not. I only worry on how she'll react to seeing me. "I just hope she's okay with us being there."

Belle waves me off, "Adam told me she was trying to get in contact with you, that's why your dad told us to come here."

I figured, I think sardonically but I merely nod. I get coffee while Belle stocks up on energy drinks. I'm sure our insides are just shriveling up due to the salty junk we've been living on this week. At this point, I'm just trying to keep my eyes open. 

Stella switches with Liam for driving so I get to lounge on him. He's like my personal pillow as I slide onto his lap and rest my head in the crook of his neck. He strokes my back till I'm asleep and I'm only awakened when we pull off from the road and onto rocky gravel that makes the car jostle. 

The rocks crunch under the wheels loudly and I stare out the window, passing trees and the stray deer that had been hiding in the dense foliage. My heart thumps loudly in my chest and I curl my fingers around Liam's jacket. 

"Take a right," Adam commands softly from the back seat. Stella obliges quietly and we turn, emerging from the gravel road onto dirt. In the distance, I can see black tendrils of smoke rising into the sky. I swallow roughly.

Liam pries my fingers from my jacket and to intertwine with his. By then, I've moved myself from his lap and situated myself between him and the door. I wait anxiously as we venture deeper into we've come to a circle of houses.

It reminds me of the houses in Beckett's pack. Small, wooden cabins - instead these are made out of brick - with a bigger house in the center, most likely the Alpha's.

Just like the small houses, the bigger house is made out of brick with white columns lining the front porch. There's lavender planted in the front with numerous rose bushes litering the path way leading to the door. There's plenty of fire wood stacked next to the houses as well and a big bonfire in the heart of the houses.

I watch as some of the members assemble outside, on the front porch. They don't approach and they don't seem threatened by our presence, if anything, they are simply waiting for us to get out of the car. No weapons as far as I can detect and no one is shifting.

I squeeze Liam's finger tighter.

Are one of these woman my aunt? I wonder as I roam the faces of the woman in the crowd. Some are blonde, some have brunette hair, but none have my eyes. But maybe she doesn't have the same color. Maybe she has brown or hazel or green. 

I'm stalling, that's evident when the car shuts off and everyone motions me to go first. "What? No," I state with a shake of my head. Stella rolls her eyes at me and opens the door first. The group on the steps watch anxiously as Stella comes to stand in front of the jeep.

Adams follows, then Jeremy, and Rosalyn naturally follows. Everyone piles out until it's just Liam and I. I think I lied to Belle. I think I'm nervous.

"It's going to be okay," Liam murmurs to me. He tugs me forward and I obey by letting him practically drag me out and force me on my feet. I rake a hand through my hair nervously and we all move mechanically towards the group. About five steps in, a voice rings out.

"Stop." At once we do. "Who are you?"

Stella, who is at the front of the pack, looks over her shoulder at me. 

I brace my shoulders and walk with my head held high, standing in front of the group and meeting the eyes of the man who had spoken before. He's tall, with a head of shortly cropped brown hair and brown eyes. His nose is long and pointed, lips thin and tightened as he keeps his eyes trained on me now. 

"Ronnie Mars." I state simply and I motion towards the group standing behind me. "This is my pack."

"Oh, Elizabeth," another voice cries. My eyes trail from the man to the woman who has appeared from the door, hands clasped over her mouth. Elizabeth. Hearing my mothers name is foreign. "Alden, this is her!"

The woman charges down the steps, brown hair flying and I notice that we share similar eyes. It seems to be a common trait amongst the woman in our family. 

Without warning, she embraces me. I can hear Liam move closer but we all know who is the moment she got close enough to see me. 

I pat her back awkwardly in return. I think she's sobbing into my hair. I hope I don't smell like shit. 

She reels to look at me, her hand touching my cheek with watery eyes. "You look just like your mother," She says and clutches me again. I hiss and Liam breaks the family reunion apart, tugging me from the waist. The woman before me watches the interactions with wide eyes and darts to gaze at me neck. "Oh," she breathes.

Too bad she didn't meet virgin Ronnie.

Great, now my aunt knows I've done the dirty. 

I fidget and resist the urge to roll my eyes at myself. It's perfectly natural. At least that's what everyone says but I suppose that doesn't-

"Liam Farley," Liam grunts and his arm around me tightens, drawing me into his chest. Immediatly, chatter breaks from the group on the steps but my aunt silences it with a pointed look over her shoulder. 

She turns, flashing a smile at him. "It's pleasure to meet you."

Liam nods wairly while the man from before - Alden - says, "Is your mate safe?" The question is directed at me. Stella snorts, drawing the focus to her. 

"We're alive, aren't we?" Stella jabs her index finger at the others who seem amused as well. Jeremy nods vigorously.

"Yeah, just don't stare at Ronnie's boobs and he won't murder you."

I whip around to give him a look. He returns with it with a shrug and Rosalyn chortles beside him, her face turning red. 

Alden doesn't think it's funny, though. At least, I don't think so. His face remains impassive but he simply nods, straying from the subject. Bless the holy spirit. "Come, then. We'll have breakfast."

Jeremy fist pumps at the mention of food and shoves through everyone to get first. Stella is on his tail, dragging him from the arm and pushing him into the steps to get up them first. She laughs evily when Jeremy hollers at her.

Lord, please give Jeremy and Stella a sense of maturity. Dear lord, oh lord, please refrain from Jeremy talking about my boobs and Stella chiming about my sex life. God, oh great God, give Jeremy a brain and an ounce of common sense-

"You can call me Meredith, if you want." My aunt Meredith breaks me out of my thoughts. She smiles and Liam leads me up the steps, into the house. 

Immediately, we are greeted with high ceilings and marble floors, a sparkling white that will surely be dirtied the minute many of us walk through the door. 

There's a large mantle in the corner, where the fire place is lit. In front of it is a mahogany coffee table a along with creme color couches and sheer curtains hung over huge bay windows. I get a peek of the outside, only to discover more dense forest and small children running around in the yard. 

Liam detaches me when my aunt asks if it's okay she take me outside; he agrees reluctantly and presses a kiss to my cheekbone. I watch as he makes his way to stand beside Adam, who is having his pick of food from the table. 

Stella and Jeremy are huddled over the bacon, Cliff already talking to a girl from Meredith's pack, Belle and Alfie have taken a seat on the couch - she clings onto him with dear life - and Rosalyn is chatting with another woman about her earrings. Tristan is by her side, feverishly agreeing. Sometimes I forget he's around. Probably because he's always hanging out with Rosalyn's friends. 

"I want you to meet your cousin," Meredith loops her arm through mine, cradling my hand in the nook of her arm. 

"Cousin?" I squeak. Knowing my luck, they'll turn out to be Satan's spawns. 

Meredith nods and we stroll through the sliding doors, till we're in front of the giggling children who are blowing bubbles into each other's faces. "Ambrose!" Meredith calls and a girl with fair golden hair spins around, flashing  a crooked smile at us.  "Come meet your cousin Ronnie."

The little girls run overs, donned in a jean shorts and a baseball tee. She stops to examine me. "Hi," she breathes. "You look like us," she giggles like it's the funniest thing in the world and I awkwardly laugh a long with her. 

"Yeah, we do." 

"That's because she's auntie Elizabeth's daughter," Meredith smooths a hand down my hair and I tense at the motherly gesture. "She'll be staying with us for a while."

"Really?" The little girl shrieks. I think I've gone deaf. "Cool! You can play with Mia and Jacob  and me. Their are cousins too," Ambrose gushes and I nod stiffly.

"Of course. That'd be great," I grimace as she shrieks again and runs off. Meredith watches her daughter with a glint in her eyes.

"I'm so happy you're here," She says. I wonder if she knows why we're here. As much as I hate to disappoint her, this isn't exactly a reunion. I fidget.

"You do know why we're here, yes?" I ask hesitantly. Meredith doesn't miss a beat she nods and her eyes soften, resting her hand over mine.

"We're aware. Your father warned me and I agreed to help. Most of us will stay for the duration, while the kids will be taken to another home we have for safe keeping." Meredith smiles and touches my hair once again, "we're family and we take care of our own."

"Thank you," is all I manage to croak as she draws me into her embrace. She's clearly the hugging type.

Guilt skins into the pit of my stomach as I glance around at the laughing faces and what will come in further weeks.

I've just met these people and yet I cannot imagine making them fight a battle I caused. Nor dying midst it. Knowing that these people share my blood is daunting.

And knowing that Meredith is willing to fight for someone she just met is crazy.

This is wrong. This is wrong. We can't break these people up. 

As the day goes on, I analyze Ambrose and how she reacts with her mother and realize we've made the wrong decision.

I am unwilling to uproot these people. Partly because they're my family and another because they're happy.

I never want anyone to experience what Jeremy, Stella, Liam, Belle, and all of us have gone through. It's not right. We have our reasons why we're doing this while Meredith is doing this because of the sole fact I'm her family.

I won't let any of them die for this. So when night falls, I plot.

-----------------------------

What will happen? Who knows?!

Oh wait.. I do. :)

I think Ronnie realizes that even though she doesn't really know these people - her family, practically - she's not willing to risk their lives when they have perfectly good one's. What do you think her next move will be? Leave comments!

The next chapter will be filled with reminiscing between Meredith and Ronnie plus decisions. We have a few more till the finale. :) 

Until next time, 

- CeCe.