A/N: NOT EDITED - enjoy everyone :)

Chapter 25 – Pat Lawson POV

‘Norine – I – I don’t understand, why are you insisting on a home birth? What if – what if something goes wrong? Or we need help?’ I asked her, desperately one last time, knowing that our daughter could be born at any time. ‘We will have the mid-wife here with us in case that happens, women have been giving birth this way for centuries Pat,’ she wrote me off once again, smiling, happy rubbing her swollen belly.



Nodding unconvinced but wanting to keep her calm and happy, ‘I just don’t want anything to happen to our little girl,’ the honest truth pouring out, I wanted to be her daddy, I wasn’t afraid of fatherhood, but I was afraid of something happening during the birth. Three days later Oakley Savanna Lawson was born, at home, healthy safe and loved. I held the picture of me, holding her for the first time in my hands, shaking uncontrollably; I could remember that day perfectly. I was younger – still in my twenties – but I knew the minute I held that little girl – my little girl – that I was born, lived, suffered and made mistakes, just so I could make it to that very moment.



I had vowed to protect Norine above all else and for ten years I had failed to do that, but when I held Oakley when she was born, I had made promises as her father, to protect her, keep her safe from as many dangers as I could. I couldn’t look myself in the mirror, I couldn’t fathom the truth at the father that I had become, the father she died knowing I was – one that didn’t care for her. I had stopped showing her the day I thought Norine left, after the fact, now I could see it from her perspective, and it tore away at me endlessly. To know she could remember things from age three at thirteen years old, I wondered if she compared the father I was to the one she had to grow up with? I gazed at the man I was before, wondering if I had become the father she needed to Amelia, and just how painful it must have been for her to watch me love someone else, when she didn’t think I loved her?



“Patrick,” my father knocked softly calling my name, his voice hoarse, another family member that I have to face, knowing they had all told me to put Oakley first. My father welcomed Norine, and when I brought Sarah, he welcomed her as well, but he told me I should put my children first, be their father.



“I still think you should come… this’ll help – I know what you’re going through, but attending today, maybe it’ll help you grieve,” he said in his gruff voice, sad with his own grief that I heard so much as a child, even now a man on my own, “Saying goodbye in this way… it’ll make things easier.”



“I don’t want it to help dad, I – I don’t deserve help or for things to be easier. You guys are all tiptoeing around my feelings but why don’t we all just face the truth? We should all be here, laughing enjoying ourselves dad, but I’m the reason we’re burying our children today, Grant is dead, gone because of me. It was all too late. They were supposed to me here, spending a happy thanksgiving with their family, we – everything was planned, I was going to ask Sarah to leave dad. To take Amelia and go stay with family while I dealt with Oakley, because I saw all my wrongs, I just didn’t want to hurt Sarah,” I laugh mechanically, my eyes well up, I stand waving my arms, the picture frame I head makes contact with the wall, shattering, glass tinkling as it falls on the wooden floor.



Our whole family around, the kitchen, the den, the living room, all dressed ready to go, listening but pretending they aren’t, “I didn’t put her first dad… do you know who I put first, Sarah and why? Because she’s pregnant,” I said with utter disdain, a child coming into this world but Oakley and Ben out of it. “She’s older, it’s a high risk pregnancy, but – but that’s why Oakley tried to kill herself, I knew – she saw the test. We were just waiting, not approaching her – giving her time. But the thought of me having a child with Sarah, everything – dad I did so much wrong and I can’t make it right-t-t-t,” I cried my heart aching.



“And all these years dad – Oakley has been suffering for years-s-s – li –listening to everyone bath mouth Norine, when she died in this very house and my baby – my baby heard it-it,” I sobbed, laughing darkly, “And you – you want me to feel ease? Oakley hasn’t been feeling ease dad. She’s been miserable, I brought two people into her life that made her feel so low about herself, I-I –I was supposed to protect-t-t her dad!” I shouted, my chest aching, beating hurriedly but I earned it.



I walked over to the kitchen, gazing at Sarah’s parents dressed as well as her, no one wanting to meet my eyes. I was wrong for some many things, but the words Oakley spoke before – they each had their wrongs, I had helped my mother and father plan funerals all happening today, “Why are you all dressed?” I asked them coldly, Sarah’s family glanced at her, her sad eyes swept from them to me, “We – your dad is right – we all need-” I loved Sarah, love her but, the fury inside me flamed red hot.



“You – you? Oakley hated you Sarah, she wanted nothing to do with you when she was alive, now that she’s,” I paused, I couldn’t say the words, “the least any of you could do, is give her the peace she wasn’t given when she was alive. That is what you should be thinking of, not dealing with your grief, do that somewhere else. She wouldn’t want you there, Sarah. She wouldn’t want your mother there, after all the bashing you’ve done, in her mothers house,” I looked to Sarah’s mother, and for once she had the sense to stay silent.



“Pat,” my dad came up behind me, his eyes full of pain, still trying to help me, “Don’t do this…” he whispered tiredly. I only blinked, everyone seemed to scatter from the kitchen leaving Sarah and I alone. All my feelings swirled together and I couldn’t hold on to one emotion or actual feeling for too long, but each one came with anger, “We won’t go,” she whispered sadly, her own eyes filled with tears, “but Ben was my son too, Pat and just because Oakley felt the way she did about me, doesn’t give you the right to speak to me this way. This isn’t our fault, mine or yours,” her bottom lip shaking as she tried and failed to contain her emotions.



“We’re a family Pat, if I could I would trade places with Oakley, Ben, Grant and Jul-”



“Then why didn’t you!” I shouted angrily, “Why – didn’t you leave earlier? How was I supposed to pick, sending you and Amelia away, you’re pregnant, you knew that Oakley knew Sarah. You said in the office that we didn’t want to separate, she wasn’t important enough then, so don’t say that you would trade places. You didn’t want to then, and you don’t want too now, I understand. I do, but don’t lie, we’ve been lying to ourselves for seven years…” I gazed back at her, the pain of my mistakes clouded with love and hate. Anger and coldness, a numbing feeling much like Novocain used by a dentist, on the outside, everything I am falling apart, shattered pieces.

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Grant Lawson POV

I watched with wide frightened eyes, each break Julia and I flinched, her eyes welling with tears she turned to hide from Ben as he screamed, my own body shivering when we heard crack after snap. “You’re doing very well,” a young girl, Justine, said smiling brightly at Ben and us. Trying to control my facial expressions, she came sitting next to Julia and I, “he really is doing well,” she whispered, “all the crying? That’s well?” Julia asked her momma bear voice coming out.



“I know it doesn’t seem that way, but it’s who he is, granted it normally doesn’t happen until you’re sixteen years old, dad thinks that based on lineage, as well as the wolf spirit you’re getting. Those things really impact each person; I didn’t shift until I was seventeen, two years ago,” she continued.



“Is it because of who Norine – Anya was?” I said stumbling over her name because I wasn’t sure if everyone knew what we did, but Justine nodded, “Yeah, her being an Elder and Royal, passing that onto her children, but it’s not a science either. Some things happening in their lives will change when they shift, I think the Luna shifted when she was twelve or thirteen?” she said guessing glancing over at Jack, but even from the short distance we could see that he wasn’t paying attention to what was going on around him.



“Is something wrong?” I voiced my concern, he shook his head, “No, but they found her trail but it’s pretty high up,” he said in disbelief but that didn’t surprise me.



“Oakley would continue to go, if she saw something that she hasn’t or was heading in a direction for a reason whether its only obvious to her, she would,” I nodded, “She likes camping, hiking, loves animals, researching, anything relating to biology…” I tried to explain, it wasn’t that Oakley had a short attention spam, she was too focused if anything. Just then another snapping sound echoed in the room, but right after it was bright encouragement from everyone here, just complimenting, and supporting Ben. Each person that had already experienced this event sharing their story with others, and the two children – twins – that Ben had ran home with Bradley and Dayton cheering him on. All I could think was how this moment would be different if Ben were home back in Middleburg.



Jack stood sharply, no worry on his face but with such authority my fear for Oakley increased when he gazed outside, Nonno and his brother Casey standing and leaving with him, distracted I left Julia, following them, “What’s wrong?” none of their faces changed, giving anything away, but their behavior that was another story. With pursed lips Jack waited for the other two to walk away from us, heading down the steps of a door he just opened, “I know something is wrong,” I said interrupting him, “Chelsea went with Gabriel, Violet, and two other men – men – that know this island like the backs of their hands, that’s what you all said. Now three more of you are going? Just tell-” I stopped when I saw Casey and Nonno coming up with supplies, portable stretcher and a large duffel bag, “oh god,” I stepped back away from them, my mind going to the worst possible situation.



I whipped my head to Julia and Ben, “is – is,” I swallowed my mouth dry, “Oakley?” I squeaked.



Glancing behind me, he nodded toward the front of the house, pulling me there as I lost the ability to function, Oakley had to be okay, outside in the hard rain, “From what Chelsea is telling me, and the snap shots she’s sending, Oakley climbed up the mountain side… it began drizzling and she was coming home. She tripped and fell,” I gasped.



“Can’t – Chelsea can heal her,” I said eying the supplies they were bringing with them, “right?”



“There is a boulder trapping her leg, that means her bones are more than likely crushed, Chelsea can do work but we need to be prepared for anything,” my eyes still eyeing the large black duffel, “that has sedatives so she isn’t in unnecessary pain, just worry about Ben, keep him calm, Grant,” Jack said with a sharp nod, full authority, turning around the three men took off running.



I took a step back, watching long after the guys were gone, just hoping Oakley would be okay, running my hands over my face, trying to wipe away the worry. Knowing I had to face Ben and Julia, but I had to also believe that Chelsea would take care of Oakley, she would.

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Chelsea POV

Hurt, Kieran thought, and I observed in horror as Lux and Marlon alongside Jack and Casey worked to get Oakley onto the stretcher, my leg shaking and stomach rolling when I took in her battered ankle, clear bone protruding from crushed bruised skin. Fix Oakley, Kieran thought leaping from the opposite side of the drop right above Gabriel and I, landing lightly a soft thud barely noticeable over the rain. She’s going to need surgery Chelsea, you can’t heal the bone it’s not even a clean break. Her bone is crushed, Jack said as they lifted Oakley from the spot they were in, coming up, gathering near Gabriel and I, all of us teleporting back to the house, to the medical supply room, changing into dry clothes, washing our hands Jack, Nonno, Greta, Lux and I began working on Oakley.



Gabriel how’s Ben?I asked waiting for instructions from Jack, he finished shifting, but he ran off Chelsea, I stiffened, oddly I hadn’t considered what Ben would do if we hadn’t found Oakley before he completed his shift.



Sitting next to the gurney Oakley was on, I closed my eyes, sifting once again, take mine – not working – oh god what did she do? – Found Oakley safely – she’s stronger than I had anticipated – Chelsea has to help me – help me get revenge – find Oakley – vanilla and blueberries – save her – I stopped searching when I found who I believed to be Ben, Ben?



Hey – oh – oh who – hello?



Ben, it’s me, it’s Chelsea, we found Oakley, we’re back at the house, she was really hurt, but we’re working on her, but you have to come back before you get hurt yourself, okay?



Oakley… Bee’s hurt? …. Badly? The fear in his mind stopped me short, I didn’t want to lie to him, but at the same time, not knowing his exact location and not wanting him to get injury himself, I sighed before answering him, just come back to the house Ben, Grant, Julia and I are worried about you, Oakley wouldn’t like you to be out there alone, so come back home, I said giving my tone more authority towards the end, an order than his wolf wouldn’t be able to – “Chelsea, we’re pushing fluids to fight off the rush of toxins in her body, we’re going to start using pins to put her bones back together, even if we let you heal, it’s so swollen that it’d drain you and she’d lose too much blood, we’ll have to fix it humanly, and daily you’ll heal it quicker,” Jack said interjecting my thoughts.



Expressionlessly I nodded, silently watching as they worked on Oakley, the minutes turning into hours, “I wonder what she was doing all the way up there,” Lux finally spoke, I just snorted, now that I had found her it seemed pretty obvious to me. “Well are you going to share with the class Luna?” Lux probed, “I think Kieran is her mate, he seems possessive over her, or maybe he just knows the area and didn’t want her to injure herself,” I shrugged not seeing anything wrong.



“She – He – Kieran – I don’t…” Lux refused to look at me, his posture tense, poor girl, “Wait what? What am I missing?”



“I’m half surprised that Kieran didn’t attack Oakley… I mean Chelsea did you notice no other scents near his?” I nodded, Greta grimaced like she knew something, I had stopped listening to everyone, especially now that I was concentrating on the people here on the island first and foremost.



“Okay so no other scents, what does that matter?”



“Kieran… he prefers to be alone, he has a horrible temper, he’s even attacked his own sister – that whole family – he’s more feral than human,” Lux said slowly as I rested back in shock, worrying about what this could mean for Oakley. What it meant period? “You think it’s possible he might have pushed Oakley?” I asked pausing between my words, trying to word things fittingly. “I mean you’re making it seem like you’re all afraid of him?” I snorted.



“Kieran – those facilities where they had him, they broken him in there, doing tests, research, the worst of the worst Luna… all in the name of research. So no we aren’t afraid of one wolf, but the island is large for less than 2000 people, as you see we didn’t make a path up there, so that’s where he stays. We normally make him sacks, he has them the food lasting him nearly a week sometimes two, he comes down when he wants but he never really stays-”



Shaking my head, “No… I think – I don’t think he’ll be a danger to Oakley, I mean he called out for me…”my words spacey as I analyzed, “I don’t think he will verbally reject her, I’m not sure he even understands what’s going on with him. All he thought was that he didn’t protect Oakley that he tried to cut her off but she just sidestepped him. She encroached in his personal space and he didn’t attack her…”



Lux pondered my words before speaking, “I have nothing against Kieran Luna, but where Oakley is concerned I think that they need to be watched, she is in a vulnerable place and Kieran needs…” so much, more than he can find in just a mate, he thought not finishing his words out loud but I understood.



But as he mentioned the facilities, “Liam, I met with him earlier, he was in one of those Facilities?” I questioned curiously.



Lux nodded as he answered, “Yes,” the words growled, “Honestly I don’t think we even knew the real truth about what was occurring Chelsea, I mean until we finally got our hands on Kieran and Liam, the other few escapees we hadn’t understood just what we were dealing with here. I think when you’re dad learned of the true core problems here, he really wasn’t sure if even you were capable of fixing the corruption and heinous activities that were being conducted,” he spat, the ends of his lips turned down in a frown.



“This is so much more than just about the Elders Luna, the Elders went in with the government using our kind for research. Warm-blooded vertebrates have more protection in the U.S. than our kind, we don’t fall under human research and we don’t full fall under animal research – no protection. Not that they’d be following those laws anyways, especially not the people that find ways to do things under the radar. The Elders have been giving our kind to them, there are many of people just like you and I Luna that they’ve warped into believing that they are doing the right thing for our kind. It’s not just humans treating shifters inhumanely its other shifters as well.”



I thought his words over, so even if I took down the Elders I’d have problems, “What was dad planning?” I asked curiously, surely he had a plan going.



“Can we discuss this later Luna?” Lux asked seriously eyeing the door then the ceiling, “Yes,” I answered in a clipped tone. He had been bringing people that were in danger here; he had no real way sometimes figuring out just why they were being targeted even with our research.



Like Mr. Hellmann? He stole money from the Elders, I wondered how many Mr. Hellmanns this island was harboring?



Most people here have different gifts Luna, we have to take down the Elders, but we need to be ready because then you have their followers… dealing with them – many will want to take the place of the Elders, they won’t be pleased that you’re going to take a spot that many want for their own, Lux finished. Basically even disarming the Elders, I’d have to deal with the blow back, the people that have wanted power and will see me removing the Elders as an easier target.



As the surgery continued I sat thinking, plotting. We had the violins. As of late I had already decided that Gabriel, Nonno, Casey, Jamie, Jack, Mikael, Nona, Greta, Angel, Oakley and Ben would be the ones for sure that I chose when I released their energy to help in the absorption.



I tuned out only checking in when Jack called me, thinking over the others, Lux, Marlon and Walter, the three from the island that I wanted to add as well, but there was a larger part of me that was hoping that Grant and Julia would ask to be changed. I’m not sure how Pat Lawson and Grant Lawson could be so vastly different but I had never been in Pat’s shoes, I didn’t know what led to him being this type of man – weak in my eyes. They would do great with power, my third wolf chimed in, knowing that after all the searching that we had in their minds at different times they sought out the good. They are able to reproduce now, but they are thinking of Oakley and Ben first, Aria thought adding that slightly shocking piece of information. I thought back to the Richards, how quick they were to give me back when they learned that they had conceived a biological child of their own.



“Chelsea this is the last suture,” Jack informed me, standing I left the room, tripping over Grant, Julia and a shirtless Ben, who seemed to have hit a small growth spurt. His blonde hair longer, and was a good two solid inches taller than before he shifted, “How is she?” he barked his eyes slightly darkened, “What’s a suture?” I wanted to smile but I didn’t think that would help him right now.



“Jack just meant that he’s closing up her leg, we fixed her bones with pins, I’ll help once the swelling goes down so instead of taking weeks to fix everything should be healed correctly faster than average,” I tried explaining, but Ben just bounced on the balls of his feet, his eyes focused behind me. Moving aside, I went straight to Gabriel, “That black wolf, Kieran, he’s outside… pacing,” there was a bit of rage in his words, I squinted my eyes trying to figure it out.



Chelsea, his mate is in surgery but the pain, he’s feeling it, but his thoughts… worry me, it’s like he isn’t letting his self admit he’s in pain, Gabriel tried to explain obviously someone told him about Kieran’s past.

X – x – x – x – x – X – 0 – X – x – x – x – x – X

I sat next to Ben, drawing pencils in hand, my sketchbook on my lap as I drew, the picture slowly forming the hardness of Oakley’s jaw, lips thin, hair pulled up, messy, dirt on her cheek, but it as her eyes, that I seemed to have wanted to draw first, the place where there was the most detail and focus. I held my pencil still, hovering, the image Kieran thought of for the past week while we waited for Oakley to be in less pain before waking her from her induced coma. Kieran didn’t linger, coming once a day, standing out in the forests, just where the clearing began, waiting for word.



“She looks pretty,” he murmured quietly, “It looks like her but, it’s still…” he twisted his lip searching for the word, “she looks like her,” he stressed and I knew what he meant. Even as I drew, the picture forming wasn’t something I had seen in Oakley before in the short time I’d known her; there was heaviness but her eyes, fine, small and so delicate. They were normally guarded, furrowed despite her young age, but here, the girl I was drawing – she looked innocent, not quite baby faced but fresh-faced, child like.



“She isn’t in pain right?” Ben questioned again, the same thing he asked everyday, but I had become accustomed, “No she isn’t in pain, she’s just in a deep sleep, this way she won’t be uncomfortable as I heal her.”



A peaceful lull despite our location and this situation was always here, when I sat with Ben, we didn’t need to speak but more or less we spoke when he had something to say, but after a week of being a wolf I wanted to know, “How are you feeling?” I asked him. “I’m fine, it’s Oakley I’m worried about. We’ve never gone this long without speaking to each other you know? Even if she was real busy with school and projects, we’d speak,” his voice small.



“You’re a good brother,” I blurted out, I had been noted that, but it needed to be said, he needed to know how wonderful he was, Ben was balanced, logical. Things were very black and white in his world, “I’m happy you’ve made friends here…”



“Oakley’s’ made friends too,” the words uttered happily, she’s never had friends before, he thought to himself. The concern Kiley, Tera and even Justine have shown for Oakley was pleasing him, more than his own friendship with Marlon’s children, Farrah, Sage, Dayton and Bradley.



“I’m okay being here, I’m happy, but this move was good… I liked our home but things are good here with you,” he said shyly, “You know the recording?”



I nodded, giving him my full attention, “Our mom she said ‘girls’ and then she said Jay Colt and Gabriel,” I knew immediately where this was going, “We have another sister and Jay is your dad, but you haven’t really mentioned them…” he shrugged almost as though he didn’t care if I answered but the curiosity in his tone was loud and clear.



“Well… I didn’t grow up with Jay or Gabriel like our mom thought, I know I told you about the guy that hurt me, I was with him before my dad adopted me. The man that had me, he knew my biological dad…” I paused not sure he even understood, “when I finally found them though, I – I had other brothers and sisters. Half siblings like you and Oakley but I didn’t want anything to do with them…” his young mind already questioning the difference between them, Oakley and him self.



“A lot of people want to hurt me, and those around me, like Jack they help protect me. You know how Farrah and Sage are identical twins,” I jumped to use them as an example. Ben nodded, “Well your other half sister, Audrey is my twin. While I was with the bad man, she lived with Jay – our biological dad.”



“Why weren’t you both with him?” again his black and white logic, he was with Oakley, she is his sister. Audrey is my sister; of course we’d be together.



It was a good question but I didn’t have a definitive answer to give him, so I went with, “I was lost and they didn’t know that,” I paused letting that settle, starting again after he’d process what he could, “When I finally met them, Audrey attacked me, hurt me and one of the people guarding me she hurt them badly, and in the process of protecting me, he was injured. You know how I’m fixing Oakley?” he nodded his blue eyes focused, “Audrey needed help, but I decided not to help her because…”



“Because she tried to hurt you, and you didn’t want too?” he asked his head tilted to the side, I shook my head, “if she would have gotten hurt the way Oakley had, for the reasons Oakley had I would have healed her. However I couldn’t heal her when she hurt the person guarding me, and she would try again,” I said hoping it all made sense to him.



“You didn’t want to fix her so she could hurt you again,” like dad always hurt Oakley, he finished privately. It would be different, Pat never physically harmed Oakley, but he left scars on her that you just couldn’t see on the outside, but just because you couldn’t see them, didn’t mean they weren’t as important.

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