"Ethan?" I asked as I trotted down the stairs, the wood that would be cold under my toes but lucky for me I stole some of Ethan's socks along the way; which drove him crazy, part of the reason why I loved doing it.

He met me at the stairs with tired eyes and nodded to the front living room. "Jake's here."

"I need more coffee," I sighed.

"Are those my socks?" I bit back a smile as I walked to the coffee pot. Suddenly he was behind me, pulling me to the chest and nipping at my shoulder. "Baby, are those my socks?"

"They're comfier than mine," I whined.

He let out a tired breath against my shoulder before kissing it."Is Evan awake?"

I shook my head. "No, should we wake him."

"Ya, I'll do it," he grumbled before trotting past me up the stairs.

"Jake?" I called out. "You can come in here, Aaron's gone."

Aaron.

I had a sick feeling that he was experiencing his own kind of hell. A hell I knew well. A hell I wanted to cleanse this pack of. A hell that I could see haunting his eyes when he looked at me. Oh, I knew that hell well.

Jake walked in with eyes red and a beast that was pacing furiously in his mind. "Jake?"

He looked at me with wide eyes like he had seen a ghost. "Can I have some coffee?"

I gave him a soft smile and nodded while Evan trudged down the stairs with Lyanna and Ethan. "Are you ok?"

He let out a shaky breath and shook his head. "No, I don't know. It's all screwed up Char."

"Ok, it's ok," I replied back. I quickly poured him a cup of steamy brown liquid while Evan walked up to grab a cup of his own. "Cream or sugar?"

"Just cream," he replied, his voice far off as he slid onto a bar stool

Evan kissed my cheek. "Morning little sister."

"Morning Ev, you sleep alright?"

"Would have been better if you two could have kept it the hell down," he muttered.

My cheeks blushed while Ethan growled lowly to him. Sighing, I walked over the Ethan and slid up on a barstool. Lyanna came over and rubbed her cheek against mine before fetching some coffee for herself; she seemed calmer this morning, but still edgy.

We were all edgy these days.

"Alright Jake, let's hear it," Ethan said while I slid Jake his coffee.

He took a big sip then let out a shaky breath and looked back at us with eyes that kinda reminded me of Evan's when he caught Evangeline and Liam on his green couch.

"I slept with her–"

"What?!"

"You did what?"!

"Are you serious bro!?"

"No! God, let me finish!" Jake rushed out while we all watched him, horrified expressions painted our faces. "I like slept next to her, we didn't do it you, idiots!" Jake let out a hot breath and took another long sip of his coffee while Evan sat back on a stool and pulled Lyanna to him.

"Alright, just tell us, man. I mean, what the hell?" Evan said, his voice tired and irritated.

Jake nodded while Elliot trotted to us. He winked at me and moved to the coffee pot while Jake took a big gulp, like he was drinking liquid courage, before he flickered his eyes to Ethan.

"So at first, I was just trying to get her to talk. She wanted to go somewhere more private, and at first, I wasn't sure but then I thought that maybe I could get her to spill. She ended up taking me to her house, which I cannot believe I let her talk me into.

"We get up to her room and she goes to the bathroom while I am trying to figure out how to get the hell out of her room when she walks out just stark naked–"

"What?!" Lyanna gasped out.

"Ya, she was drunk off her ass and trying to take my clothes off. I wouldn't let her, God even with her it was just so wrong, I wouldn't do that to a female. It's so so fucked up and I—"

"Jake!" Evan bit out. "Christ man, just get on with it."

"Ev," Lyanna gently scolded. Evan relaxed, but only slightly, before Lyanna turned to Jake with a warm smile. "Go on Jake, sorry."

Jake nodded before he let out a stressed breath. "Anyways, I told her no. I gave her my shirt, but she just started crying and I didn't know what to do. I mean she was like hanging off me and balling her damn eyes out. And man I just wanted to help her I felt bad for her she seemed so upset. 

"It was weird, she was so confused why I didn't want her and I told her that I thought she was a nice girl but that she wasn't my mate which just made her cry harder and Oh, man..." Jake breathed out while shaking her head. "Well, she went on about how I shouldn't worry because she's had an alpha between her legs before and she'll have one again soon enough."

My mouth dropped and Ethan almost spat his coffee out. "The hell Jake?" Ethan said.

Jake shrugged. "I don't know man, after that she just cried and wouldn't let go of me. Fell asleep on me and I tried to pull away and leave but she would just claw me back so I figured I would let her sleep. It literally took me all night to get the hell out of there."

"That can't be it?" Ethan asked, his voice was sardonic and almost annoyed. I gave him a long look which just made him roll his eyes.

Jake clenched his fists a few times then flickered his eyes back up to us. "No, that's not. I heard them talking."

"Who?" Evan asked.

"Thomas and Miranda," he breathed out.

Elliot walked over with a cup of coffee and met my worried gaze. He looked back Jake with a soft prodding smile and nodded. "Go on Jake."

"Well, I don't know if you have been in their house, but the stairs dump out right around the kitchen. I was right out of Amber's room, which is next to the stairs when I heard them. I went back in her room and cracked the door, in case they came out. I figured if they thought I was in there with her that they wouldn't care."

"Nice move," Elliot added.

"Thanks," Jake replied into his coffee mug. "At first Miranda asked Thomas if he knew where Aaron was and Thomas said something like 'twat's probably passed out at the pack house, I'll get someone to scrape him up,'–" he paused while I growled a little. Thomas was the reason his son was plastered all over the ground. He was the reason we had to scrape him up and give him a safe place to sleep.

"Anyways, then Miranda asked about Amber and Thomas said, and I quote, 'I think Jake's up there with her. Who knows, someone's balls deep in her.' I know he was a little drunk but dude, that's his daughter!"

Ethan almost broke the coffee mug. We didn't care who it was, it was wrong to talk about your children remotely that way. Your pups.

"Does he even have a conscious?" Elliot asked, his eyes wide and sickened with Jake's words.

"I'm beginning to think not," Ethan bit out stiffly. He let out an angered breath then looked back at Jake. "Go on."

"Well Miranda was pissed at Thomas, but Thomas told her not to worry. Apparently, they are trying to push her off to Jaxon or another alpha."

Ethan let out a sharp laugh. "Well, that's up a creek." Jake raised a brow while Ethan took a sip of his coffee. "Andrea's Jaxon's mate. Found out last night."

"No shit?" Jake slightly gasped out. He shook his head while a whisper of a shudder combed over his skin. "Best of luck to Jaxon then," he muttered.

"What else?" Evan asked.

"Well, Miranda asked him about Larissa. She was worried about her, but Thomas told her not to be. He told her that, and I quote, 'She was a liability and let her feelings towards Thorne get in the way.' He said something like we would be doing them a favor if we killed her, that she was a loose end."

I sipped my coffee while cool anger pulsed off of me. Ethan's jaw clenched before he looked at Jake, he was having a hard time controlling himself–controlling his fire. "And?"

"Miranda asked if Thomas thought that we would kill her. He told her no, apparently your charade has been working. He told her that, like he couldn't believe she even thought it, that Char's still an insecure pup getting over her daddy issues and Ethan is a love sick puppy just following her around–" Jake was cut off with a vicious growl from Ethan. Evan stood and started to slowly walk to stand in front of the exit of the kitchen that led to the door.

"Ethan," I said while rubbing his back. "It's a good thing, this is a good thing."

"She's right Ethan," Elliot. "It means you two have done well playing your part."

Ethan snarled a little before he settled down. I walked in front of him and leaned my back against his chest while his strong legs caged me. Nodding to Jake with a smile, I said, "Go on Jake, sorry."

"It's ok," he replied with a half smile. "Anyways, I guess Thomas bought your 'distraction,' he said he could smell you two upstairs. He said everything was going according to plan and just to let you two be."

A dark smile tugged at Ethan's lips. He nipped at my neck a little while Evan rolled his eyes. "Told you it would work sunshine."

I groaned inwardly then nodded to Jake. Jake took a sip of his coffee and set it down, letting his fingers toy with the rim as he looked back to us. "Miranda asked Thomas if he thinks that you two are onto them."

"And?" I asked, my heart fluttering in worry that maybe we had gone this far to be completely fooled by them.

Jake smiled proudly. "Thomas said that you are Char, but he also said you have nothing. He rambled off saying that it wouldn't be an issue much longer. Then Miranda asked about Ethan and, well, he said that Ethan was just a lovesick puppy, but he also said, and I'm sorry Ethan, but he said 'His dad and brother weren't too hard to take out, I can't imagine that he would be harder."

He looked up at Jake who eyed him a little cautiously. "Looks like you get to be our first witness Jake."

"Just say when Ethan," Jake replied.

I looked back to Jake who was sliding up on the barstool. "Ok, go on Jake."

Jake pulled his coffee mug closer to him then looked back at us. "Miranda is wary. She is feeling it more than Thomas. She asked him about Lyanna last night and Thomas brushed it off, he said–and I'm sorry Lyanna, but he said 'She's just a scared pup taken from her mother too soon.'"

Evan almost made a move for the door when Lyanna yanked him back. She bit back a growl then looked up at Jake before she let out a tense breath. "It's ok Jake, go on."

"She asked him about the challenge," Jake said. "she said she's heard rumors. Thomas told her that it won't be an issue, he just kind of blew it off. Miranda told him he's gotten too cocky and was putting them at risk. He growled at her, and I was like a mean ass growl, and told her to stop worrying. He said he was going to call some person named 'The Hawk' and have them distract you two this week so they had time to figure it all out."

"The Hawk?" I asked, testing the name on my tongue.

Jake nodded. "I have no idea, but that's what he said."

"What else?" Evan asked.

"Miranda was worried. She told Thomas that Amber thinks the warriors aren't with them anymore. I guess Amber is still leaning towards their side, I mean they are her family, but I figured since Aaron was coming around that she would too."

"Ya," I sighed. Maybe she was coming around but she was just stuck; stuck in a life and a system she felt like she couldn't get away from? Part of me wanted to believe that, I wanted to believe there was some good in her.

But I knew better.

"Anyways, Thomas disagreed with her. He used the example of when Ethan got collared. He said something like, 'did you not see how quickly they turned on Charlotte?'

"He said something like 'they have no proof and without it the warriors are just loyal solidiers,'" he said, biting out the last part while his beast began to growl. Our warriors were not mindless drones and Thomas was foolish to think and speak of them that way. "Miranda talked about dinner. Thomas told her to do it, he said that it only helped them last time.

"He kept telling her to calm down and that everything would be fine. He kept saying things like, 'worked too hard for too long for it not to.' He said that they had to be patient like last time."

Ethan and Evan both snarled; Ethan's his fingers gripping the handle of the mug broke it as his blood started to lash out like a whip while Evan held onto the table, like it was the only thing keeping him in that room. I set my coffee down and rubbed Ethan's legs then tugged hard again at the bond, letting my beast reach out to his to calm him down.

"How did you get out Jake?" Lyanna asked while she leaned into Evan who was frozen stiff with fury combing through his veins.

"Well, when I started to hear Miranda give Thomas what sounded like the most painful blowjob ever, for her, I decided to duck out of a window in Aaron's room. I didn't want them to catch me downstairs and the roof right outside his room isn't a high jump to the ground."

"Ew," Elliot said, scrunching his nose and shaking his head like he was trying to shake the image out.

"Could we challenge with this? Would this work?" Evan asked, his voice was hopeful as he looked Ethan with eyes that craved a fight.

Ethan side and shook his head. "Jake is our friend and everyone knows it. I think it would be best, as much as I hate it, if we had someone else and–or some evidence. Someone who's not as close to us would be good, an unbiased party. We could use them and Jake.

"I don't want to let any leads go either. This 'Hawk' guy? We need to find him and lock his ass down before I take Thomas out. I don't want someone like him to scatter out of our grasp after the challenge."

I nodded. "The good news is he is buying our shit. That is the good news. But he's working on something, we need to move faster Ethan."

"I know sunshine."

"What about the box? The one you saw in the tree?" Evan thought out loud.

"You went back to the tree?" Jake asked with high-raised brows.

"We saw Miranda touch a jewelry box in her vanity, I think there may be something in there," I added. "We could do dinner, Ethan. We could go get the box. Maybe Aaron would help?"

Ethan gave me a long wary look before letting out a tense breath. "Maybe, let's talk to Levi first. We can meet him at the cells today."

"Ok," I nodded.

"Ok let's meet at the cells today. Jake I want you to go straight there and talk to Levi. Tell him everything I told you, but don't do it unless Lander is there, got it?"

Jake nodded. "Roger that."

"I'll give my dad a heads up," Lyanna added.

Ethan nodded to her. "Good thinking, tell him he may want to bring David too."

"Lyanna and I are going to go home and shower off first then head up there," Evan said before he pulled Lyanna a little closer to him.

Ethan shook his head. "Stay here a minute."

Jake waved to us and walked out while Ethan went back to the safe. Evan looked at me then back at Ethan before the realization clicked in. "The boxes."

"I have a feeling about Tate," Lyanna thought out loud as Ethan carried the boxes back.

He put the three of them on top of the island before looking up at Lyanna and nodding. Evan chewed on his lip then flickered his eyes up to Ethan's. "We're running out of time Ethan."

Ethan nodded before looking at the table for what felt like the longest moments of my life before he looked up at all of us. "Billy's chasing down Tate with some of the guys. They're dragging him to a cell. You're right Ev, we don't have time to waste and that wolf knows something."

I pulled the lid off a box while Ethan and Evan tore the lid off another. It was like a weird Christmas morning; opening boxes with surprises inside that could hopefully change everything for us.

"Shit," Evan groaned out. "Forgot that dad was a packrat."

The boxes, though they were smaller than shoe boxes, were stuffed like sardine cans. Chris spared no space in them. There were papers, journals, black rocks, various pouches, and other little nick backs stuffed into every inch of the boxes.

"This is going to take a while," Lyanna said while her fingers started to carefully dig through one.

Ethan let out a heavy sigh and nodded. "Dammit Dad," he grumbled. "Ok, let's just scan them and then we can come back here and go through them after we go to the cells. We need to meet with Levi and grill Larissa and Tate."

"We can do dinner tonight here, Elliot would you mind helping?" I asked as Elliot eyed the contents a little warily.

"Well, I always did want to be Sherlock Holmes," he said with a coy smile.

"Very elementary of you," Lyanna replied back cheekily, making Elliot chuckle a little to himself before he nudged her shoulder with his.

We started digging through them and ended up sorting them into piles; letters in one pile while, journals, rocks, and other nick nacks were stacked in another. Ethan was scanning through some letters when Evan picked up a picture; his eyes turned a little glassy as a sad smile found its way on his lips.

"You remember this?" He asked, disrupting Ethan from his reading.

It was a picture of all of them in Chris' office. Chris was in his desk chair, beaming at whoever was taking the picture with Evangeline, who looked like she was only three, on his lap. Evan was making a silly face with his tongue out as his stood on a chair while Ethan and Eli were wrestling next to the bookcases.

Ethan smiled and nodded. "Mom was so pissed that Eli and I wouldn't stand still long enough for a picture."

"She was always pissed at you two, you couldn't hold still long enough without going at each other."

"What?" Ethan shrugged while he smiled a little to himself. "He always started it, I was just finishing it. "

"Right," Evan replied dryly.

Lyanna and both rolled our eyes while we kept going through the contents, when I felt Ethan freeze next to me. I looked over to what was in his hand; it was a letter. A letter in a white envelope with a little coffee stain on it. It read, 'To my sons and daughter in case of my death.'

The breath left my lungs while the room seemed to still as we focused on the paper in Ethan's hands. He let out a shaky breath and handed it to me. "Read it babe. Outloud."

"Ok," I replied, my voice soft and a little unsure. I looked up to Elliot and nodded at him while I ripped the letter open. He moved to stand closer to the exit of the kitchen, in case we needed to stop Ethan again.

I unfolded it then looked between Evan and Ethan before my eyes found the familiar handwriting in blue ink on the white paper.

"My Children," I started. I took in a deep breath and tried to calm my rapidly beating heart. "I first want you all to know how much I love you, and how proud I am of all of you. If you're reading this, then you're doing so because you found the boxes as I have walked to the moon.

"Don't feel sad or let the sadness eat you up, I'm in a better place that hopefully has more damn coffee than we do back home," I said, my voice cracking a little as Evan let out a sad breathy laugh. "This pack is yours now and you need to look after it.

"You're probably wondering how I knew, or if I knew I would die. I didn't know, I don't know. I just have a feeling. There's a lot of things happening, a lot of things I haven't told you, some to your mother, but I've tried to shield you all from the ugliness that is life at times.

"But if you're reading this, it means you need to know. I could explain it all here, but that would be one long ass letter and I doubt Eli or Ethan will sit still long enough to read it without trying to take a swipe at each other," I read, flickering my eyes to Ethan who smiled to himself while his eyes churned with sadness.

"You'll find what I have so far in these boxes. As I write this, I still have a lot of unanswered questions, but maybe this can give you all a head start that I didn't have. Maybe you can see something I didn't. Look through them carefully and use the information to take care of the pack. There is something happening, something I feared could happen again.

"Stay close to each other and keep this information close. I haven't told a soul, only your mother, not even Levi; which I will soon. I needed to get a few things before I could lay it out for him, but this information is more than sensitive. I fear someone may be working against me, and thus if I am gone and you are left to protect the pack you need to keep your guard up. Keep your eyes open and your ears ready to hear.

"Lean on Levi. He'll watch over you if I'm gone. He may be an asshole, but he's your uncle and I know he would protect you all with his life," I read out, my lips trembling a bit while Evan sucked back a sob.

"Go on Char," Ethan breathed out to me in a breath of sadness.

I nodded and let out a sharp breath. "I love you all so much, so damn much and I know the pack will be in good hands.

"Evangeline I love you doll. Stay close to your brothers and don't let Evan pick on you, hit him in the nose a few good times.

"Evan, stop picking on your sister," I laughed out then wiped my eyes. "Listen to Ethan and Eli and help them look after everything. You're strong like us but you're like your mother, you're so much like your mother.

"Ethan, Eli needs you. He needs you to stand with him. I know you will and I know you're more than capable of keeping him in line. If something happens to Eli, you need to be the one that steps up. I know you have it in you, all of you do. Don't be afraid to do what you need to do son, I may be gone but I am always with you.

"Eli, look after them. You know what you need to do son, you're strong but you're not invincible. Lean on Ethan and listen to him and Evan. They love you and are your foundation now, you need to lean on them and work together.

"My sons I love you. I'm so proud of all of you. You're all so strong with good hearts. Look after your sister, the pack and your mother.

"Margaret, I love you," I choked out. "I'm so sorry I didn't wait for you, I promise to wait until we can walk together. You are my light, my love, and my soul. You have to be strong and take care of our children, see to it that they grow up and have good lives. You may need to beat the boys around, but I have no doubt that you can do it.

"I love you all. Be stay and stay together. Love, your father Chris Everette, alpha of the Mangata pack."

I set the letter down while my heart throbbed. Lyanna hugged Evan to her while Ethan pulled me to his side. I nuzzled against him while he let out a series of shaky breaths before he looked up at Evan. "Dad knew."

"He did," Evan replied while he stroked Lyanna's hair.

Ethan nodded. "Who? Who would have betrayed dad?"

Evan shook his head. "He had to have been pretty sure they were. Besides Thomas, do you think he knew there was a third?"

Ethan shrugged. "No clue brother."

"It had to be in this pack," I thought out loud. "He was going to tell Levi, which meant that he knew Levi would discuss it with Lander. Lander and Levi don't have many secrets, that's known to everyone. That means he felt ok telling Tikanni but not his own pack because the traitor was in his pack."

"Well, we know that. I mean Thomas was the traitor," Evan replied.

"Not unless your dad also suspected someone else," I added. "Thomas is smart but he's not that smart, everything up to this point that has happened has been too smart for him. Has he executed a lot of those plans and played a part? Obviously, but was all this his master plan? I have a feeling that says otherwise."

"I agree with Char," Ethan mused. He massaged my scalp mindlessly while his eyes scanned over his father's letter again. "I guess I don't understand the angle yet. Why make Thomas your partner or pawn? What's the gain? What's the angel?"

"Who was in the inner circle back then?" Lyanna asked.

"Well Thomas," Evan said. "Billy, pop, mom, gran, our old tracker Nick–Ryder's dad, but he died in the attack."

"Thomas we know about and obviously Nick and your mother are not possibilities at all, which leaves us with Billy, pop, and gran," Elliot thought out loud, his knowing eyes meeting mine for a fleeting second.

"I don't think it's Billy," Lyanna said while shaking her head.

"Andrea swore a blood oath to me, if they were betraying us, I would know," I added.

Ethan let out a low growl. "Our grandparents Char?"

"Char," Evan breathed out. "That's insane. You have no idea how torn up they were after. Pop almost went crazy looking for the guys that did it. Gran barely talks about it as it is and when she does she starts crying."

I let out a shaky breath as Elliot gave me a nod of encouragement. "Elliot and I have a feeling," I said while looking at Ethan, my eyes cautious and curious as I watched his reaction. "I am not saying they did it, or have a hand in it, but Elliot had a feeling about them when they were over here. I had a weird feeling too, ever since my spar with pop something has been itching."

"I felt it too Ethan," Lyanna added.

Evan snapped his wild gaze to her and opened his mouth before closing it a few times. Elliot sighed and looked at me apologetically before looking to Ethan. "I just had a feeling Ethan. I'm not saying they are traitors, but I will say that I was relieved when they left."

Ethan hissed before flickering his gaze to me. "I felt strongly about protecting this Ethan," I said while gesturing to the boxes. "I don't know if it's true, we don't know. Maybe they just know something? I just–I don't know babe, I don't want it to be true any more than you do."

Ethan let out a hot breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's just, well babe, my grandparents are a real long shot, insane."

"Ya Char," Evan breathed out. "That means that if you're right, they would have had a hand in killing half their old pack, their grandchildren, and children. That's just not a possibility."

"I know, I get it, but I just don't think we should tell anyone else besides who's in this room and Levi about the boxes. Ok?"

"We need to tell him soon then and go through it," Lyanna replied before she kissed Evan's cheek.

He calmed down a degree then nodded. Ethan sighed and kissed my crown; he was still pissed, but he couldn't argue with the Thorne itch. You didn't get it without a good reason.

"Ok, let's put these back in the safe. We go to the cells then come back tonight and comb through them. Dad said that it was everything he knew up until he died, so maybe there is something that can give us a leg up."

Evan nodded. "Sounds like a party then brother."

Elliot chuckled. "We should make it a themed party."

"Oh God," Lyanna groaned.

I laughed a little deviously. "Lyanna don't worry, they destroyed their jorts the other day."

Ethan rumbled before flickering his eyes to Evan who smiled knowingly at him. "We'll see about that babe."