The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 18

REMY

\tl sat in the chair in my dad's office, waiting for him to return from some official business. Mason had left me in here to sulk and think about my actions, since he had patrol duty to attend to. I wasn't sulking, though. I didn't think it was a big deal to leave the pack grounds for a few minutes, and nothing bad happened. Well, I didn't think anything bad had happened, but others might see it differently if they knew the truth.

\tl wasn't sure if meeting a vampire was a bad thing or not yet. Blade didn't seem dangerous. He didn't try to attack me or hurt me, but he was watching me. His eyes were burned into my memory, and there was something about them that made me want to know more about him. I wanted to see him again, which was why I knew I wouldn't say a word to my father about Blade until I knew if he was a threat or not.

\tThe door to the office opened, and I knew it was my dad immediately. My body tensed, since I wasn't ready to be scolded again. I felt like I had been scolded and looked down on too much recently.

\tHe walked into his office, leaving the door open. When he sat at his desk, his entire body slumped, and he looked exhausted. He looked up at me and ran his fingers through his hair.

\tHe took a deep breath, as if buying himself more time before he spoke to me. "This is the second time you've gone off pack grounds without permission. What were you thinking?" He didn't sound angry. In fact, he sounded more concerned.

\t"I didn't mean to wander off that far. I got distracted." It wasn't a lie, but it also wasn't the full truth.

\t"Remy." His fatherly tone emerged, making me nervous. "After everything that happened, we can't have you running off on your own. It's dangerous right now."

\tDangerous for me, he meant to say. I was sure of it. "Have you figured out what happened at our party yet? What was that thing? What did it want?" No one had told me much about whatever that dark magic was that had attacked me. No one had even brought up the fact that I was the one being targeted, but I wasn't dumb. They all knew what I knew.

\t"No, we don't have much information yet, but we are working on it."

\tl studied his face, and he was telling the truth. He didn't know what it was exactly. "I can help you guys. It was magical, right? I know I can't do a lot, but maybe there is something I can do."

\t"No." His voice was firm and unwavering. "I know you want to help out, but we have got this under control. What I need you to do is make sure you stay safely in the pack, so if something happens, we can protect you. We can't have you running off by yourself now of all times."

\tMy chest felt tight as he spoke. I didn't understand why everyone was shutting me out when this thing spoke to me. It came after me. I knew that without a doubt. "I just want to help."

\tMy dad frowned. "I know, sweetie, but you don't have to worry about that. It's my responsibility to protect this pack, and I don't want you to get hurt in the process."

\tl knew he was being genuine, but it didn't make it less frustrating. I just wanted to feel useful in the pack for once. I wanted everyone to stop protecting me like I was weak. "Fine. Are you going to punish me or am I free to go?"

\tThe lines on his forehead seemed to grow with my attitude. "If you promise to not wander off on your own again, then I don't see a reason to punish you."

\t"I won't wander off again," I said, knowing that wasn't true, but it was time I started keeping my own secrets.

\t"Then you are free to go." He sounded exhausted and stressed, but I didn't care. I wasn't as weak and helpless as he and Mom made it seem. I could handle more than my entire family gave me credit for.

\t"Okay, thanks." I stood up and left his office, not taking a second look back at him. His concern was genuine, but his explanations were too vague. I hadn't gone that far out of bounds, and it was an accident. I didn't need to be reminded not to leave. I knew Caulder

had left the pack grounds with permission today for his date, but I had a feeling I wouldn't have gotten that same permission. They weren't treating Caulder like he couldn't protect himself, proving just how differently they saw the two of us.

\tl rushed down the stairs of the pack house, wanting to get some fresh air after that conversation. I had never felt so suffocated in my entire life, but it felt like the pack walls were closing in on me.

\tl pushed out the front doors of the pack house, unsure of where I wanted to go. The sun was starting to set, and if I couldn't leave the pack grounds without an escort, I was extremely limited in where I could go. As I walked down the steps of the house, Caulder's truck pulled up. He got out of the truck and immediately went over to open Harper's door. He grabbed her hand, and they started walking in together.

\t"Hey Remy. Where are you going?" Caulder asked.

\tl wasn't in the mood to talk, so I stormed by him, not even bothering to look in his direction. It wasn't long before I heard footsteps crunching after me. Caulder grabbed my arm to stop me.

\t"Hey what's going on?" His eyebrows were twisted.

\tl looked back at Harper who was still by the truck, watching the two of us. "I don't want to talk about it. I just want to be alone."

\tCaulder refused to let go of my arm. "That's not like you. Talk to me, Remy. Did something happen?"

\tl was tired of talking, because it seemed like no one was listening to me, but that wasn't fair to Caulder. He had been the only one trying. "I know something is going on, but nobody is talking to me about it. That thing called out to me but Mom and Dad keep telling me not to worry about it and to let them handle it, but I'm tired of it. I'm tired of the secrets. I'm tired of them treating me like a child. I'm not a child. I can take care of myself."

\tCaulder's grip loosened, and his arm fell to the side. "Maybe I can talk to them about it?"

\tl let out a sharp sigh. "I don't think it will help. Have they talked to you about what that thing was?"

\tCaulder looked at the ground. "No, they haven't. I know it's frustrating, but they are just trying to protect you. They've been doing this longer than we have."

\t"I don't care. If something is after me, I deserve to know. I shouldn't be kept in the dark like this." I knew my parents knew more than they were letting on, and I couldn't stand being treated like a child anymore. Whether they told me or not, I was going to replace out the truth.

\t"You're right," Caulder agreed. "They shouldn't keep you in the dark. Why don't you come inside with Harper and me? We can replace something to eat and then watch a movie or something, and I'll talk to them later to make them try to see reason."

\tl looked back at Harper, who was waiting for Caulder to finish up with me. They had gone on a date, and I was sure they were planning on spending the evening alone. "Nah, it's okay. You guys do your thing. I'm going to go for a walk to clear my head." \tCaulder shifted back and forth, and I could tell he wasn't a big fan of me going off alone. "Okay, just don't wander off too far on your own. That thing might still be after you."

\tHis words made me feel a little queasy. I knew our mother fought that thing off, but Caulder was right. That thing could still be out there, and it could come back at any moment. I needed to be prepared. \t"Yeah, sure."

It-

\tCAULDER

\tl watched Remy walk away, and I had a bad feeling about everything that was going on. She knew something was up. I understood why my mother wanted to keep everything a secret from her, but at this point it felt like it was doing more damage to Remy than good. I lied to her face, and it felt wrong. It made me hate my mother just a little for making me keep the secret from Remy in the first place.

\tl knew I couldn't keep this up. I had to convince my mother to tell Remy the truth soon, or I would end up breaking my promise and telling Remy myself. I hated seeing my sister so down about everything, and I couldn't blame her. There was this huge secret bubbling beneath the surface of everything, and it was directly related to her, yet no one was saying a word to her. She wasn't stupid. She knew something was up, and she would end up replaceing out the truth one way or another. It would be better if she heard it from

us.

\t"Where's Remy going?" Harper asked as she grabbed my arm.

\t"She said she wanted some space to clear her head," I said. I could still see her walking down the road to the inner part of the city, but she was just a small figure at this point.

\t"Are you really going to let her go by herself? That thing was after her. She shouldn't be left alone. What if it attacks again?" Harper was clearly frustrated by the way she spoke, like I was being a fool for letting Remy go off by herself.

\tMy jaw clenched as I thought about it. I didn't like it in the slightest, but I wasn't her dad. I couldn't treat her like it either. "I don't like her by herself, but she feels like no one thinks she's strong enough to protect herself. If I follow her and she sees me, she's just going to think I don't trust her either."

\tHarper squeezed my arm. "Yeah, but isn't her safety more important?"

\tl closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to prove to Remy that I trusted her, but I also knew she was in very real danger. If I left her alone and she got hurt, I would never forgive myself, but if I followed her, and she caught me, she would be furious and shut me out.

\t"You're right. I probably should follow her, but won't she be mad if she sees me?" I felt stuck, and I couldn't decide what to do.

\tHarper grabbed my hand and started pulling me along. "Then we just won't get caught."