(Apologies for the long wait for this chapter, and for any spelling mistakes in it. It's 2am and I just HAD to finish it for you all! I know how long you've been waiting for this moment. So here you have it! I hope you enjoy, please let me know what you think!
P.s. more will be revealed further into the story...)
Seventeen.
Emma felt slightly disturbed. She could smell Blue and Killian, of course, but aside from Graham's scent that obviously dominated, she was sure she recognised that she wolf smell. Did that mean she was in there often? If she was that close to Graham, why would she have asked Emma to hide the fact it was she who had intervened the night before and saved Emma's life?
She didn't really understand what could be between those two.
Moreover, her relationship with Graham aside, Emma was still struggling to understand how the wolf had mind linked with her. That was her first time experiencing it, and it felt so natural, so clear. Emma wished she could hear her voice again. The she wolf said she would find Emma. How? She had sounded confident, but Emma was guarded non stop by either Killian, his brother, or Blue and Ruby. Was she okay contacting her while they were around? Would she?
While Emma was lost in her thoughts, the car finally stopped in front of a large, modern looking company building. Looked like they had arrived. For some reason, she was expecting something more secluded, like a warehouse or a cabin.
Killian opened the door and took her hand, guiding Emma into the building. There was even a middle aged doorman, who politely inclined when the brothers walked in. She couldn't tell if he was a werewolf or not.
The building looked pretty normal, against all her expectations. Once they were inside, they stood in a lobby where two ladies welcomed them from behind the reception desk. For some reason, she felt a bit intimidated. Wasn't it an office building? She was glad she dressed properly, wearing a white jumper and dark denim jeans, though she wished she'd worn heals instead of trainers. Although, Blue was wearing her denim overalls over a sports bra, so she guessed it was okay.
There was a lot of office workers despite the early hour, but nobody really payed attention to them. Killian led her towards the elevator, the people about to enter stepped aside as soon as they seen him to let them through. Why did everyone turn so silent as they noticed Killian? It's like he's some royalty; a lot of people turned around or politely saluted him wherever they went. Even as the elevator stopped several stops before theirs, some workers who were obviously waiting for it didn't dare to enter and ignored it as soon as they saw the brothers. It was a bit embarrassing, but Graham and Blue didn't say a thing, and Killian never let go of Emma's hand, caressing it with his thumb.
"Is this your office building?" Emma asked.
"One of them." Answered Graham, "Killian works at the headquarters, but this is just a secondary office. We have dozens like this across the city."
She didn't really grasp the difference between the two, but she got her answer. She should really start learning more about the Black brothers businesses. Emma hated feeling so clueless. When they reached the eighteenth floor, which seemed almost empty, Graham guided them through several corridors before finally stopping in front of a large meeting room.
As soon as they entered, Emma gasped. It reeked of blood. She covered her nose and mouth, instantly disgusted by the smell, but she had more things to be concerned about.
The room was empty bar from a few chairs. There was three people already present. A tall, muscular man, with olive like skin similar to Blues, was leaning against a wall with a nonchalant look, playing with a knife. His hair was completely shaved, and had a ring piercing on his eyebrow, dressed in an all black costume, almost looking like some sort of protagonist from a spy action movie. He saluted Killian as soon as they entered the room.
"Hello, boss."
Was that Alec? He did look a lot like Blue, just older. And Ruby was there too, in her wolf form as always, sitting in the far corner of the room, but didn't move when they entered. Alec walked up to them, saluting Graham and Killian, but Emma's attention was elsewhere.
All she could see was Neal, sat in a chair in the middle of the room, looking like he'd just escaped hell.
There was no exaggeration. He was covered head to toe in blood, and as she thought back at the mall, he was a lot thinner than when they were back in the Red Moon clan. His upper lip and right eyebrow had deep slices in them, still open and bleeding out, and a black eye. His shirt was ripped open, and his chest showed contusions and large lacerations. He was a total wreck. They'd even put a large plastic sheet under his chair to make sure no blood stained the carpet.
"You said you wouldn't hurt him!" Emma yelled, furious. She wanted to run to Neal, check him, but Killian held her firmly. She gave him a harsh glare, but he wouldn't let go of her hand.
"No, he didn't." Said Graham.
She stopped and turned to face him. The second brother was smiling at her with a look she didn't like at all. He walked up in front, and he and Alec both raised a hand.
"We did it, Princess. You can be mad at us, but we didn't promise anything."
Who were they kidding?! They'd completely took advantage of her words. Emma glared at them both, furious, but they obviously didn't care. They were acting like it was some funny joke, but she was miles from amused.
"Stop laughing! I didn't want you to hurt him!"
Alec rolled his eyes at her.
"Oh please. We were already nice, considering what he did to you and how much he struggled. If it wasn't for you, this would be settled already."
She knew what he meant by 'settled', but she wasn't scared by them. She was far to mad. They were telling her they didn't kill Neal for her sake? How was that meant to be a proper explanation? But before she could say anything, a sickly laugh starts from behind them.
All eyes turned to Neal. Her bloodied ex was laughing like a mad man while looking at her.
"There she is, precious little Emma. What now, huh? You want to finish the job and kill me? You must've wished for this all these years..."
Was that really Neal? She looked at him, disgusted. He had a crazy look in his eyes, the way he stared at her made Emma feel extremely uncomfortable, but she couldn't step back. She was done being intimidated by him and his words.
"Enough, Neal. I never wished you dead."
He scoffed at her words, and suddenly stopped laughing.
"Too bad, because I wish you were dead."
Killian instantly started growling, loud and vicious, while heading towards him, looking raging. Emma tried to hold him back, but it was Alec who came to stand between Neal and him. They struggled for a moment, but with both Emma and Neal holding him back, he eased up a little. Blue was growling too, but quieter than Killian, and Graham was just staring at Neal like he was observing some science experiment project. Ruby stood up and began walking circles around Neal. She knew Ruby was ready to attack and kill him at any moment, though the she wolf didn't look agitated at all.
With nobody actually stopping him, Neal kept talking.
"Your mum should have let your dad kill you that damn day. Too bad he missed."
"Stop talking like this!"
"Why? You don't like it? But it's the truth, isn't it?"
"No! My dad was drunk and mum was sick. She-"
"YOU MADE THEM THAT WAY!" He suddenly yelled.
She didn't understand. What did she have to do with her mother's illness and her fathers drinking issue? Why was it always about her with Neal? Why was it always her fault? She was a child! She remembered all to vividly what happened, and she didn't have anything to do with it.
She remembered it second for second.
It was mid November, 14 years ago. Her mother had started acting strange a few months earlier. She was often depressed or anxious. From as young as Emma could remember, her mother was always a calm and caring woman. They didn't have many visitors, so her life around their father and them. She kept care of the house, watched Emma and her brother and never worked. Her father was always working, away for sometimes days at a time. She supposed it must've had something to do with the pack, though she was too young to know much. Her mother always seemed so unhappy when their father was away, but lit up like a lightbulb as soon as he returned. One day, he came home drunk. Her parents were arguing, and she could hear her name being mentioned from her bedroom. Then Emma remembered her father bursting into her bedroom, holding a knife, he was slashing and running at her, that's how she got her scar. She remembered not being able to see out of her eye, due to the blood but she could just saw see her mother's figure rushing over, but then she was gone again. Emma heard her mother call for an ambulance. She sat with Emma until she heard the sirens down the road, but that's when she suddenly disappeared again. That's when Emma heard it. She heard her mother stabbing him, and her fathers awful cries of pain. It was after, when Emma woke in the hospital that the police officer had told her that her parents and brother were tragically killed in accident. Emma's mother apparently left the stove on and it had caught a lite, sending their home up in flames.
"How would you know? You weren't there. You didn't see it, you didn't hear it! My father went nuts, my mother slaughtered him in the room right next to mine. I remember every second of pain I felt, every scream of agony I heard. She killed him before he could kill me, and then took her own life, along with my brothers!"
"Oh Moon goddess, Emma... You were just a kid..." muttered Blue. They were all looking at her with wide open, shocked eyes. She couldn't blame them. It was the first some had heard her story, and it was still awful for her to speak it out loud. Emma really didn't want to reminisce, but Neal needed to set straight.
Killian's hand was still firmly holding hers, and thank Moon Goddess it was because she was shaking from the memory. All the emotions were so overwhelming, even her wolf was whimpering inside her. Her patents death was like a black hole in her heart, there was no way to talk about it calmly.
But Neal was looking at her with eyes contempt, not moving in the slightest.
"Sorry, was I suppose to cry?"
"You can say what you want, Neal, but I did not kill my parents. Or yours."
"Really? You think that's it? You're so clueless, it's pathetic, Emma."
"What?"
She wanted to believe he was the one who was acting crazy and making no sense, but for a second, he looked so composed and sure of himself that Emma couldn't help but wonder. Was it possible? Could she be missing a part of that memory? But what could Neal know that would make it plausible? There was nothing she could think of, she saw it with her own eyes, heard it with her own ears. She thoughts she was 100% sure of that memory. Her mother stabbed her father, and there was nothing Emma could do to prevent it.
Was that it? Was it because she didn't stop it happening? Neal just laughed at her confused expression.
"Oh, you can stop thinking now, Emma. You have no idea, do you? You're fucking clueless, pathetic. You think you're the victim, that you done nothing wrong. But guess what... YOU were what was wrong."
He was making no sense. Why was she listening to his nonsense lies. She shuck her head.
"Enough, Neal."
"You were fucking born! That's what was wrong!" He suddenly yelled back at her. What? How was her birth wrong? More nonsense. While she was lost in his words, Blue instantaneously walked up to him and slapped Neal with all of her strength. She looked furious.
"I'm done with your stupid word games! Spill it now, or I swear I will finish you myself!"
"I said it! If she wasn't born, my family would have been perfectly fine!"
"What do you mean, your family?" Graham asked, clearly growing very impatient too. Neal spat out of mouth full of blood, that probably came from the force of Blues hit. She'd stepped back to let him talk, but still crossed her arms with a menacing look. Neal looked at Graham and Blue before turning his attention back to Killian and Emma, sending them a glare. He started talking again, in a low tone.
"Mary wasn't sick, she was just in love. She loved David for many years, since they were kids. They were in the same clan together, grew up together with the other children of the pack. Mary only ever loved David, but they weren't fated mates. But no matter how many times she tried, David always eluded her, believing one day he would find his mate."
Neal's eyes shifted to Killian's with a smirk, making him let out a growl, but Emma put a hand on his chest, silently telling him to hold it in. Neal was annoying her too, but she wanted to hear what he had to say. Killian's hand lifted to cover hers, his growl softening, though he still shot daggers from his eyes directly at Neal.
"But years passed, and it became clear that neither of them would find their fated mates, so eventually he agreed to date Mary. They got married not long after that, and she was so happy. David was a Hunter in the clan, and not a very good one at that, and the grounds weren't the best either. So he went further and further north every hunt to bring back prey. Every time he went away, Mary hated it, as you probably remember. Each time he was away, Mary began to wonder. What if he was searching for his fated mate?"
Insecurity? Was that what it was? But her father was never with another woman, was he? How did Neal know all of that, yet she had never heard a single part before?
"But David always came back, and Mary's worries were wiped away instantly each time. For three years, she was alright. She'd just miss him while he was away hunting. But no matter what, David always came home and eased her. That was until you came along... One night, while he was away with the hunters, Mary was awakened by a babies cries at her door. That's how you came into their lives, crying on their doorstep."
Wait, what? She couldn't be. They told her... she was sure she was her mother's daughter! She had her fathers features! Oh. She suddenly understood. No, no, no...
Seeing the expression on Emma's face made Neal smirk again.
"Understand now? Mary took you in. After all, you were a newborn out in the cold, and your parents were no where to be found. When David came home, he agreed to keep you straight away! Funny, huh? Mary had no idea back then, loving you as her own, watching you grow day by day. Not knowing what your bastard father had done."
Emma shuck her head. She didn't want to hear it. Her father would have never done that to her Mother! They loved each other! Neal let out a sigh, smiling ear to ear.
"So, years passed! Mary was fine letting you believe she was your mother. But as you grew, and your features came in, she noticed more and more how much you looked like David. Slowly, she started to doubt, worrying more and more each day. You looked just like your dad! What were the odds? It was when little Oliver was born when things really hit her. He was a spitting image of his mother, born by her, created by Mary and David. That's when she knew, and David realised she knew. He hated what he'd done, hated you, his awful creation. She got worse and worse, not wanting to hate you, though deep down she couldn't love you like she did when she first found you. Oliver was hers, but you were just a filthy creation of her husbands affair. Can you imagine what that would do to you? If you found out the love of your life wasn't faithful, and had you raise his disgrace of a affair child without even telling you. Letting you find out yourself what he'd done, what he'd let into your home. But she never spoke about it. She kept silent and just continued being your mother."
Tears were silently running down her face. She wished he was lying. That it was just some made up story, something twisted that Neal had Invented to hurt her. Though why did it feel like the truth? The last scary part of the puzzle...
"Years and years, Emma. She never dared to ask. If she was wrong, David might of got mad and left her. That thought kept her silent for six fucking years. Imagine what her mind was going through! All those years of raising your husbands child, yet knowing it was not yours. But she loved him. Oh Moon Goddess, she loved him so much, enough to keep her silence for so long. Until that day."
That fateful day. She knew the exact say he was speaking of. She had no idea her mother -if she could still call her that- had kept that worry bottled up for so long. How much she have felt every time she looked at Emma? Did she despise her deep inside? She never showed it if so, she was always so loving towards Emma.
Neal closed his eyes, and Emma suddenly saw a tear among the blood on his face.
"One day, she finally asked him. I was next door, I heard everything. She asked him straight up if you were his actual daughter, if he was your biological father. He went mad, smashed and clashing, screaming at her. Until he finally admitted it. He finally told the truth, and said he would deal with it. That's when he went to kill you, to remove the problem first hand. But Mary wouldn't have it, she tried to stop him but he was adamant. When he slashed you, she was furious, she didn't see him as the man she fell in love with. He was just a crazy drunk full of hate. She knew, if she didn't stop him, he would slaughter you right in front of her. That's when she stabbed him. At first, she didn't mean to, but then she did. For a split second she hated him. And in that split second he was dead. She couldn't believe what she'd done. She'd killed the love of her life to save a kid that wasn't even hers. She killed the love of her life for you. Now, imagine that pain. I was there, with my father, I saw every ounce of pain inside her eyes. But by the time we got there, she'd already gone to far. She slit her own wrists, bleeding out in front of us, next to her dead husband. Oliver was with us, and he saw everything. That's when my father had to think of a plan. The pack couldn't see what had happened. So when the ambulance took you away, he turned on the stove, letting the gas fill the house before it set a lite, burning the house to the ground and the scenes that had played inside it moments ago down with it. He didn't think you'd live, you were drenched in blood, he thought you had more injuries than just your face. He was your parents best friend, the best man at their wedding. He kept your fathers secret for years, kept the secret of how they died for years, the fact you lived and were an orphan, and it was the guilt of all of that that brought him to take his own life! You, Emma. You killed your father, your mother, even my father. It was YOU."
