The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 53

CAULDER

As Harper and I approached the pack territory, I could already feel that something was off. We shifted back into our human form. We started heading back to the pack house, and I could feel the energy of people rushing around. My first thought was that something had happened to Remy, so I picked up my pace and started running. When we reached the front of the pack house, I froze when my father burst through the door. He was fuming, and his entire body was tense. I hadn't seen him this angry in a long time, but I already knew this wasn't good. "Dad, what's-"

"Where the hell have you two been?" he demanded, stomping down the stairs of the front porch. "We've been looking for both of you for over an hour, and we couldn't replace you anywhere in the territory. We thought something had happened to you."

My stomach twisted as I tried to come up with a lie. No one ever came looking for me this late. We weren't supposed to be caught. Something must have happened. "We just went out to run our wolves and blow off steam. I couldn't take the pressure of everything that was happening." It wasn't a complete lie, and I was hoping it would make it more believable.

"So you decided to go out in the middle of the night unsupervised? On top of that, you left the territory when we've been under attack. What were you thinking?" His alpha tone was slipping into his voice, but it didn't affect me like it used to.

I felt the hair on the back of my neck raise in defense. Now that I had hit my peak for my wolf senses, my own alpha energy was flowing within me, so other alpha energy wasn't crushing like it used to be.

"It's not a big deal. We're fine. We just wanted some privacy. The pack house has been filled nonstop recently, and I felt like I couldn't breathe." Also, not a complete lie. With all of the extra security, everyone visiting Remy, and all of the extra training, there was rarely a moment to breathe for the past week.

My father stilled. "Harper, go inside. Your mother is beside herself, and she needs to know you're okay."

Harper looked at me, and she was quivering. She could still feel the full intensity of my father's anger, and it was quite literally shaking her to the core. I gave her a nod to encourage her to go, and Harper didn't hesitate to run into the house.

I looked back at my father, and my mind was racing. He had never looked at me with such disappointment before, but I wondered if that would have been different if he knew how often I had snuck out of the house to hook up with some random girl. That wasn't the behavior of a future alpha, and I knew it. I just didn't care.

"Caulder, you can't run off like a child anymore. You're an adult now, and you need to start acting like it. You are the future alpha, and you can't put Harper in danger by sneaking off like that. What would have happened if you two had come across a rogue pack of werewolves or worse? What if you came across a vampire?" My father's anger was still the most prominent emotion, but a hint of fear slipped through.

"We're fine. Nothing happened." I kept my voice firm and stood my ground. While I knew sneaking off was against the rules, I also knew I was doing it for the right reasons. The training against vampires could mean the life or death of my pack members, but I didn't know how to explain that.

"It doesn't matter that you're okay now. Something could have happened. You're the future alpha, and you need to start-"

"No," I interrupted. My father's face twisted with surprise. I had never talked back to him like that. I had taken all of his speeches about me having to do this or that because of all of the responsibilities falling onto my shoulders, but I didn't have the energy to listen to another one right now. "I'm tired of having to follow all of these rules because I'm supposed to be the stupid alpha. Have you ever once asked me if I even wanted to be alpha?"

My father crinkled his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

Years of pent-up emotions started to spill out, and I didn't know how to stop it. "I don't want to be the next alpha. I don't want to run the pack. All of these responsibilities are putting too much pressure onto me, and I feel like I'm going to break at any moment. I have to be perfect, because this pack's future relies on me. I have to protect Remy, because we have to keep all of these secrets from her. I can't do this anymore. Dad, I'm exhausted, and I don't even want to be the alpha.

"Remy would love to run this pack. Have you ever once thought that she would make a great leader? She works so hard-harder than me even-because she is so desperate to please you and prove that she is worthy. She cares more about this pack than me, but you all just treat her like a child who can't protect herself."

"Remy can't be the alpha." My father's voice was quiet now. He stared at me like he didn't even know me, and in some ways, he didn't know me. He only knew the version of me I showed him because of the expectations laid before me.

"Why? Because she's a girl? She's the first child of the alpha, just like me. She's a better wolf than me. My wolf won't even talk to me. Remy would make a better leader, and she would fight to lead this pack." I paused when I realized the words that had slipped out of my mouth. I hadn't told anyone--not even Remy-that I didn't have a wolf. I didn't want anyone to look at me the way my father was looking at me now. His face was filled with pity. I didn't want anyone's pity.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Remy is awake. You should go see her. We'll talk about this later when we are both calmer."

"Remy's awake?" I repeated. Suddenly, nothing else mattered.

I bolted past my father and ran straight to the medical wing of the pack house. I burst into the room, and Harper was already hugging Remy with tears in her eyes. I resisted the urge to rush forward, letting the crowd of people have their moment with her. Remy was smiling, and her eyes were open. That was enough to satisfy me for a moment. She was finally awake and here.

Despite the panic that had been filling my body just a moment ago, I smiled with relief. I would have my moment with her, but seeing her awake and moving was enough for me to start breathing again.

I pulled out my phone and looked around the room to make sure no one was close enough to look at my phone screen. I could feel Beta Rie's eyes burning into me, and I knew she was furious. I already knew she didn't like the idea of Harper and I dating. She likely had an idea of my dating history, since it wasn't exactly a secret among the pack. She didn't know we were mates yet, at least as far as I knew. Remy was the only person I actively told about Harper's and my dynamic. I was sure my father had figured it out, but I didn't think he had told anyone about it yet. He typically respected my personal business.

I looked down at my phone, trying to ignore the glare in my direction. I knew Beta Rie was protective of her daughter, but so was I. I would jump in front of danger to protect Harper, but after tonight, I knew it would be that much more difficult to get Beta Rie's approval until we were officially announced as mates.

I quickly sent a message to Blade, making sure no one was looking over my shoulder. He deserved to know Remy was awake and okay. I shoved my phone in my pocket before I got a response. I felt the buzz in my pocket, but I didn't check my phone again. I didn't want to risk anyone picking up on the conversation between the vampire and myself.

Despite it being the middle of the night, people lingered around, taking their time with Remy. I waited in the corner for my opportunity to say hi to her, and it wasn't until it was just Remy and my mother in the room that I approached the bed.

I stood at the end of the bed and waited for my mother to stop fussing over Remy. Remy made eye contact with me, begging me to help her, and I only chuckled and shook my head. I wasn't about to interrupt our mother, especially when I knew I was already in the hot seat for getting caught sneaking out.

"Okay, okay, you don't have to keep making that face. I get it," my mother said. She leaned in and kissed the top of Remy's head. "I'm so relieved that you are okay, honey."

"Me too," Remy said, but there was something else in her eyes. She didn't look happy or relieved. She looked scared.

My mother stood up, and when she looked at me, she pointed at me and gave me a stern look. "We will discuss your punishment tomorrow."

"Sure," I said, not wanting to get caught up in anything now. I just wanted to enjoy a few moments of peace with my sister.

My mother left, and the room quieted. I watched Remy, but I didn't move. Emotions suddenly filled me, and it took everything in me not to cry. I almost lost my sister, and I had been starting to worry that I would never see her eyes again.

"What are you doing, standing so far away?" Remy asked. She pointed to the ground next to her. "Get over here. Now."

My body moved on its own, listening to Remy's instructions. The moment I was close to her, she pulled me into a big hug, and my cheeks were suddenly wet.

"You almost died to protect me," I whispered into Remy's neck, holding her tightly. I didn't know what I would have done if I had lost my sister.

"I had to stop that creature from killing you," Remy said back. She was holding me just as tightly, and we sat there for a moment, not saying anything. I was just relieved that she was okay.

"Don't ever scare me like that again," I said. I was sure I would have lost it if I had lost her.