CM Punk

As I sit at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, alone, I can't help but think about all the things that have just occurred. My pack is mad at me, Sasha challenged me to a Pack Master Duel, April is mad at me, I may have lost whatever opportunity I had to be a part of my unborn child's life, and, on top of all that, Corey's words are still ringing in my head, "now everyone sees you for the monster you really are."

Am I really a monster? Was I so wrong for wanting to keep this pack together? We've been through a lot: Bayley's death and revitalization, Eve's betrayal and death. Hell! Even Renee's death was a lot to take in. I didn't want everyone to have to go through something so difficult again, at least not so soon. I mean I know what Corey did was horrific, to say the least, but still. If I were to punish him, we'd only lose another member of this pack, and to be honest, I don't want to lose my brother.

I don't know why Corey is the way he is. He used to be a good kid. Granted, I was never the best big brother in world. He was born when I was six, but I did my best to avoid him. I was mad that my father could move on so easily from my mother, and I felt like he was trying to replace my mother and me with a new family. I ended up taking it out on, not only my father, but Corey too. I was really cruel to him growing up, but he took it all in stride and still looked up to me. He wanted to be like me in every way.

I remember when I got my tattoos done. When I came home and he saw them, he thought they were so cool that he got tattoos the very next day. I got mad at him and called him a copycat. I told him he'd never be like me no matter how hard he tried. I could tell that I really hurt his feelings, and Kofi reprimanded me for it, but I didn't care. Besides, Corey was back to his normal self, less than a week later. He just kept being a good kid, at least until our father abandoned us six years ago. The asshole just up and left without so much as a goodbye. Corey was never the same after that. He became a delinquent in every sense of the word. He caused so much trouble within the pack and among the humans. He used to bring home random human females without a heads up and he would start fights with me all the time. I didn't know what to do with him or how to control him. When the pack split up and Sasha was named Pack Master of the East, she volunteered to take Corey under her wing to straighten him out. I didn't want to let him go. Our father was already gone, I didn't want him to feel like he had lost a brother too, but Corey was so out of control and I was at a loss over what to do that I let Sasha take him.

Over the past five years, Sasha had told me that Corey's behavior had gotten a lot better, although his attitude still, her words, "sucked ass". It was great news, but I felt guilty. It should have been me to help Corey out. I wasn't the best big brother growing up, and I could have used the time with him to make up for it, but I gave up that chance. When everyone came back, I guess I saw this as yet another chance to get it right, but then he raped Renee. What was I supposed to do? Corey would have hated me even more if I punished him, and we would definitely lose one another. We're all that's left of our family. We need one another. I couldn't punish him, I just couldn't.

"Don't you look miserable?" A deep voice pulls me out of my thoughts. I turn my head in the direction of the voice to find Roman standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.

"You're actually talking to me?" It's big surprise to me. Ever since yesterday, everyone had pretty much ignored me, and Dean, Seth, Corey and Sasha haven't come back to the den yet.

"Well, I really don't have anything else to do. Yesterday's news left Bayley a little less than comfortable about the idea of sex." He walks over to the breakfast bar and sits across from me.

"So in addition to pissing you off, I destroyed your sex life, great." Roman smirks and shakes his head. There is a long uncomfortable pause, but eventually, Roman speaks again.

"What were you thinking, man?" I sigh.

"I don't know, Ro. I, I just didn't want to put everyone through another loss."

"How noble of you," Roman replies, his words dripping with skepticism. "Now what's the real reason you tried to cover it up?"

"You know you're too damn perceptive for your own damn good right?"

"That's what happens when you have to look out for two trouble making little brothers."

"I wish I were half the big brother you are. I've been a crappy brother since Corey was born."

"Ah," he says in understanding. "So that's what this is about? You want to make up for being so awful to Corey for all these years." I nod at him in confirmation.

"Punk, you're stuck in the past." I give him a quizzical look. "No matter what you do now, it's not going to erase what you have done, so you might as well stop. All you can do is be the best damn brother you can be right now."

"That's what I tried to do!"

"That's not true. You're not punishing him because you don't want to seem cruel, and you don't want Corey to hate you. Newsflash, Corey still hates you."

"Gee thanks."

"I'm trying to say that not being cruel now because you cruel back then obviously isn't making Corey hate you any less." I take a deep breath before responding.

"Well you're right about that."

"Listen, part of being an older sibling is being a disciplinarian in the absence of your parents. Honestly, it's the part of being a big brother that I hate the most, but coddling your younger siblings isn't going to make them better. In fact, it'll hurt them in the long run." All I can do is sit there and take in everything he's saying. I know he's right. "If you really want to be there for Corey, and finally step up and be a good older brother, then you need to do the right thing and make him face the consequences of what he did to Renee."

"This sucks." I really don't want to, not because it's the right thing to do, but because I'm going to lose my little brother, the only family I have left.

"Yeah, well it sucks more for both Renee and Corey. The longer you put it off, the more you make them suffer." I nod and put my head down. Roman's right. I need to do this. I don't like it, and I'll end up alone at the end of it, but I have to do the right thing for Renee's and Corey's sake.

"Alright. Can you call a pack meeting, and make sure Renee is there?"

"AJ and Kaitlyn too?"

"It'd be nice if they came, but I'd understand if they didn't." He nods and gets up, walking out of the kitchen and leaving me in a black cloud of my own thoughts and inner torment.

Renee POV

I've been back in the Land of the Living for about a day now. Everything is so different. Natalya is dead, I can never go back to the Realm of Sirens and Seth and I are… together. Like actually together, he asked me to be his girlfriend when he came back from the den last night, and, of course, I said yes! When I had confessed that I loved him before I died, I had believed that I would never learn if he returned my feelings, but I died being okay with that fact. I remember feeling at peace right before I died because I knew that I had redeemed myself and did my part to make things right. I wasn't expecting to come back to life, and when I met my parents while on the Other Side, I knew that it was my time to go. That's probably the reason why the sorceress that visited me didn't mention that I would be brought back. I wasn't supposed to be brought back. I was supposed to die, and I wasn't supposed to come back, but someone brought me back. I don't know who, or how, but I am back now, and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do now.

"Hey," Seth brings me out of my thoughts, lying his hand on my shoulder. "You okay?" I turn to him and smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"Well, you've been washing the same dish for the past five minutes now." I look back down at the sink and realize that I'm still washing dishes. Didn't I start this like an hour ago? Shouldn't I be done by now? "Why don't you sit down, I'll do this."

"No, that's okay. I need to do this. I mean, I need to do something."

"What do you mean?" How can I explain this to him in a way that makes sense?

"Seth, when I went to the Other Side, I saw my parents, which only means that I was meant to die when I did, and I w never meant to come back."

"Aren't you glad you did though," Seth asks with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Of course," I try to reassure him. "I'm just wondering what I'm supposed to do now." He lets out a slight chuckle and hugs me from behind while resting his chin on my left shoulder. His beard tickles me and I let out a small laugh.

"Well I guess that depends on what you want to do with the rest of your life. Do you want to live it with me as an honorary wolf, or do you want to live it as a human?"

"Do I get to keep you if I choose to live my life as a human?"

"Of course, is that what you want to do?" I sigh in thought.

"I think living as a human would provide me with a little more freedom in the long run. I'm just not sure what I should do, you know?"

"Well, you can always go to school."

"What kind of school?"

"I mean like college. You can study a subject and get your degree in something that interests you. Not to mention that humans use their time in college to figure out what they want to do with their lives." That's really not a bad idea.

"Are humans usually teenagers when they start college?"

"You don't have to be a teenager to start college. Speaking of which I have no idea how old you are. I feel like I shouldn't ask, though." I can't help but laugh.

"Well in siren years, I'd be like a newborn, but in human years I'm twenty-five."

"I've got you by three years then." He places a kiss on my cheek before speaking again. "I know this witch that can help you out with acclimating to human society."

"Really?"

"Yeah, her name is Raquel Diaz. She's really cool, we go to her to make our tear proof clothes. She can help you out with whatever you need. Including documentation for citizenship and creating a past for you so that you can get into college." That sounds fantastic! I turn around in his arms and wraps my arms around his neck.

"That sounds perfect. Thank you for helping me." He leans in to kiss me, and hugs me closer to him. It starts off simple and sweet, but it escalates slowly. I feel him grab the flesh right below my butt and lifts me up to place me on the edge of the sink. We stop kissing for a second and just look at one another. I'm completely overcome with emotions, I love this wolf so much. I cup his face and bring him closer to me so that we can kiss again.

Seth POV

Everything is progressing well as Renee and I continue to make out. While kissing on her neck, I am able to sneak a hand under her shirt and up to her average sized breasts. At first, she jumps at the unexpected feeling, but she relaxes and I begin kneading at the soft flesh.

"Seth," she whispers. I love hearing my name on her lips. It just sounds so natural.

I'm glad she decided to wear a skirt today, it makes things easier. I kiss back up to her lips and engage her in a slow passionate kiss while I bring my hand from her breast down her side and in between her legs. She shakes nervously and I disconnect my lips from hers for a moment.

"Don't be nervous," I whisper to her before kissing her again. I start rubbing her pussy through her panties. She feels so soft, and I can feel the evidence of arousal through her underwear, but something's wrong. She hasn't stopped trembling, and she has stopped kissing me. I look her in her eyes and see nothing but fear. She's scared? "What's wrong?"

"I-I don't know," she whimpers. I take my hands off her and place them on the edge of the sink.

"Tell me what's going through your mind."

"I know I shouldn't, but… I keep thinking about him." I'm a little hurt. Can't she tell the difference between him and me? "I mean, I don't remember, but I can't help but wonder if he touched me the same way."

"I really doubt it," I tell her. "He did it out of hate, I'm doing this out of love."

"But still,"

"Renee," I interrupt her. I don't want to be rude, but I can't let her go on thinking the way she does. "I would never, ever, do that to you." I cup her cheek and massage her skin with my thumb gently. "If you're not ready, just tell me. I'll stop." She looks down to avert her eyes.

"I don't want to disappoint you."

"Disappoint me? Baby, you could never disappoint me." I lift up her head so that she can look at me. "You both deserve and need someone to be patient with you, especially when it comes to intimacy and what you've been through. I can be patient, babe, and I will be patient. You set the pace in this relationship, okay?" She nods her head.

"I'm not ready for this, Seth," she whispers.

"Okay," I tell her and place a small kiss on her forehead. She shows me a small smile as she lifts her head. "Did I tell you how much I love it when you smile?" She laughs at my comment. Good. I want to see her happy all the time.

Suddenly, I hear a knock at the door. Who could that possibly be? I help Renee to the floor and we walk over to the front door. I don't bother looking through the peephole before opening the door, I recognize the scent of the person even through the door.

"Hey Sami," I greet him.

"Hey Seth. Renee," he greets us with a smile and nod.

"Hi, Sami. Would you like to come in," Renee offers.

"No it's okay. I'm actually here to pick the two of you up."

"For what," I ask.

"Punk called a Pack Meeting. He says it's important."

"Why does Renee need to be there?"

"Not sure. Roman told me that it has something to do with Corey though." I feel Renee wrap her arms around my right arm at the mention of Corey.

"Even more of a reason for Renee not to come."

"I really think she should. From what I figure, Corey's finally going to get what's coming to him." I take a deep breath and look down at Renee.

"Do you want to go? I might be worth it."

"I guess. The sooner I come to grips with this the better off I'll be." I nod in agreement.

"You guys ready to go then," Sami asks us.

"Yeah, let's go."

Dean POV

I really didn't want to come back to the den. I wanted to stay in bed with Kaitlyn until I had to go on guard duty, but Barrett said that it was important, so I got my ass up and dragged it to the den. Kaitlyn didn't want to come to the pack meeting, and I wasn't about to force her, especially since she has work tomorrow, so I just came by myself.

When I arrive, everyone is in the den, waiting for Punk to arrive so we can start the damn pack meeting. I notice that no one's sitting next to Corey, with good reason. I'm sure everyone wants to kick his ass. I know I do. I take a seat between my brothers and wait, but I don't have to wait long. Punk comes out from the kitchen a few seconds later.

"First of all, I want to thank all of you for coming to this pack meeting," Punk starts. "I know that things are very tense right now, and a lot of you are… furious with me,"

"Stop pussyfooting around and tell us what the hell you want," Sasha interrupts him.

"Fair enough. I called this meeting for two reasons. The first is to apologize, and the second is to set things right."

"Set things right how," I ask him, growing impatient. Punk eyes fall on Corey and everything goes silent for a few seconds.

"Corey, you and I both know that what you did was… horrific, on so many levels. When I put you in charge of Renee I didn't expect you to do something like that." Corey remains silent. I can't get a read what he's thinking. "I should have done this when I first found about it, but I didn't, so I'm doing it now. I hereby banish you from this pack." I didn't see that coming. I keep my eyes on Corey. I'm expecting him to flip his shit and throw a massive hissy fit, but instead he just sits there, not showing the least bit of emotion. "You have until tonight to get out of Hew Hampshire, and never come back."

Corey nods and gets up from his seat. Before walking out the door, he stops in front of Paige. "I guess you got your wish for me to stay far away from you." He doesn't stick around to hear Paige's response. He just keeps moving and walks out the front door, closing it silently behind him. I hear the door click and I know that he's gone… forever. It's funny. I was expecting this moment to be a little more jovial, but instead I feel sick. On the one hand, Corey deserves his. Actually, it's the least he deserves, but on the other hand, we lost another pack member. It's left a bittersweet taste in my mouth to be honest. I look around and it seems as though everyone feels the same way. Not even Renee is smiling. She looks… sad. Out of everyone, I expected her to be the happiest about this, but no. In fact, it looks like she's about to cry. Paige too, and Paige hated Corey with everything in her. And yet, here she is with very watery eyes. I see a tear escape her eyes, followed by another and then another, but she wipes them away quickly and takes a deep breath, I guess to calm herself and keep her emotions in check.

"Renee," Punk's voice cuts through the tension in the room, and Renee lifts her head to face him. "I'm sorry for the part I played in your rape, and I'm sorry that I tried to hide it, and I'm sorry that it took me so long to do right by you. Please forgive me?" Renee doesn't bother with a verbal response and merely nods her head. "Seth, I want to apologize to you to. You were absolutely right at every step we took that led us here, and I completely disregarded you. It wasn't right and I'm sorry."

"Well I'm not going to say that it's okay because it's not, but I forgive you," Seth replies.

"Dean," I perk up my head at the mention of my name. "I would apologize to Kaitlyn as well if she were here."

"I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to see you, but I'll let her know." He nods and addresses the room.

"Everyone, I'm really sorry about this mess that I've created, and I hope in time you'll come to forgive me."

"It's not about forgiveness anymore, Punk," Sasha speaks up. "I think it's safe to say that we all forgive you, but it doesn't change the fact that you've made some awful choices. Nor does it erase the fact that it shouldn't have gotten as far as it did. My challenge still stands, Punk. Eleven nights, that's all you have." Punk looks down and takes a deep breath before speaking.

"I understand that, and I'll be ready." The two of them exchange stares in respect. At least they won't be fighting to hurt one another now that they have an understanding.

"Those of you who don't know your guard duty assignments and partners, come see me," Sasha tells us. "For now, you're all dismissed." Sasha then walks to the dining room, followed by Paige, Bayley, Layla, Barret and Charlotte. I was about to follow them when Roman stops me and tells me that I'm on duty with him tonight on the West side. He then goes upstairs to check on Jojo.

"Come on, Renee," Seth says. "I'll take you home before I go on guard duty." The two of them say their goodbyes and leave.

"I guess I'll just go up to my room before my shift starts, then," I say aloud.

"Wait, Dean," Punk calls out to me. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Why not," I reply apathetically.

"How is April?"

"Well, it's only been a day, but she's okay. She got her job back and she and Kaitlyn are moving to single family house for rent. The both of them have cars so they'll be able to travel more easily."

"Will April need help moving in?"

"Of course she will." I know that AJ is mad at him, but it's obvious that Punk is sorry and that he really cares about her. It wouldn't hurt to give him a hint or two about her right? "I think AJ could use someone to go to doctor with her as well, especially when Kaitlyn can't take her."

"Do you think AJ will ever forgive me?" I really don't know the answer to that question, but she is pregnant with his child, and it's easier to raise a kid with two parents as opposed to one.

"We did. I don't see why she wouldn't. Just give it some time, or you could just… show up with some flowers and convince her."

And there is Chapter 34 Part 2! And I got it out at the time I said I would yay!

Next chapter should be up by Friday night.

Leave Reviews because I love reading them! Thank you to all my viewers, you are guys are beautiful and the best!

Love,

-J.