The Secrets We Keep

Chapter 10

I woke up the next morning and realized in my fit of anger and frustration I had destroyed my room. Everything was thrown around and flipped over. Good thing it will be taken care of before I return tonight. I hopped up, went to shower, then headed to the hospital to check on Erika and Zeric.

"Look who finally made it." I heard from the entry door to the hospital. I knew exactly who it was.

"Geez Anthony, do you ever stop being so invasive?" I asked, annoyed at his presence.

"Invasive?" He chuckled, "I am so sorry, but I believe I knew Erika first. Every part of her, even the bit she probably hasn't told you about." I stopped before I walked inside and turned to him. "Oh yeah its a big one, ha, she is probably terrified of you finding out too..... oh and they're gone by the way."

"What do you mean they're gone?" I asked.

"The twins, your uncle, went to check on Zeric this morning and neither of them were in the room." He smirked at me like he had just won a battle. Without another word, he turned and walked away. I ran inside, to the room I left her in last night for bed, only to find it empty and cleaned up.

"James!" I linked him

"Nephew, what is wrong?"

"Dont act dumb James, where are they?"

"I don't know Mat. I went in to follow up this morning and they were gone." I ran back to the house and hopped in my car instead of my truck and took off toward the human part of our town. I pulled up to the house I knew they lived in, parked and ran to the door knocking frantically. It was answered by an older woman. She resembled Erika, but this woman had a slightly darker skin tone, flat brown hair and plain brown eyes. I shook my head to snap myself out of my thoughts.

"I'm sorry, is Erika here?" I asked her.

"Oh no, I'm sorry you just missed them. They all went out to the lake house we have up at Kingston Lake." She apologized sweetly. When I was guessing, a man who was Erika's dad appeared.

"What do you want with Erika?" He asked, his deep voice matching his look to a T.

"I'm her boyfriend. I was just worried about her since I hadn't heard from her today." I caught a scent from him. It was faint but it was there. I couldn't place it but I knew it, and it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"I should get going, sorry to bother you." I turned and got back into my car to take it back to the pack house. When I pulled up, my sister was standing waiting in the garage.

"Find her?" She asked me mockingly.

"Does it look like I found her?"

"I don't know what the parents say?" I looked at her partially annoyed. "A lake house in Kingston. I'm going to shift and head that way now to make sure they get there safe."

"Why do you think rogues are after them?" Another question, I swear my sister was the most nosey girl ever!

"I don't know! Thats what I plan on finding out though..... you coming?" I asked her and she nodded with a smile. I hadn't gone on a run with my sister since she shifted early, for her 17th birthday, so I'm sure this meant a lot more to her than she would ever admit.

-"Ready Maddox?" I asked him

-"Always." He said with a devilish grin.

-" Let's get it then, bud."

And just like that, Maddox took over and wolfed up. I turned to find my sister sitting waiting for my OK for us to run. I nodded to her and, with a low growl, we sped off. Kingston was a good day away, so we ran non stop to get there in record time. As we came up to the lake house, my sister looked at me.

-"want me to check the perimeter?" She linked me.

-"yeah you take the right, I got the left side." We separated and checked around the lake house to make sure there were no rogues.

-"clear", I heard my sister tell me.

-"same here."

We met back where we started. I didn't smell anything, no rogues, no Erika, and none of her siblings. As we crept closer, I heard her voice.

"Zeric, you and Bubba had better not be rough housing in there!" I looked into the gigantic lake house and saw them all there and safe. I felt a huge weight lift from my chest from the worry I had carried all morning. I turned to my sister and saw her watching me intensely.

"Well, lover boy, aren't you going to go say hi to your girl?" She linked to me.

"No," I said with my head hanging low, "I don't think she wanted me to know where she went." I turned around, my sister followed behind me.

"Last one home is runt of the liter!" She said playfully, as she passed me running at full speed. I couldn't help but accept her challenge. We've always been competitive with each other, ever since we were pups. As we were getting closer to the clearing the pack house was in, we were neck and neck, but that wouldn't do. I nipped at her front leg playfully, which led to her yelping, skipping a step, and her tumbling to what we considered a finish line. I shifted back laughing as she slowly came to a stop, even in her wolf form I knew when she was, mean mugging me.

"I'm sorry," I paused, trying to maintain my laughter, "I had to." I finished dressing as she shifted back, twigs stuck in her long brown hair.

"You are such a cheater Mat!" She yelled as she started dressing. "You have never been able to have a fair race!"

"Hey, I never agreed to a fair race!" I chuckled as she pushed me. "You're just a sore loser." We made it to the pack house and Alpha Raymond was waiting for me. I knew exactly why anger was rolling off him. I missed an important meeting about rogues.

"Alpha, let me explain."

"Save it! We needed your intel and instead you decided to let Maddox out for a run!" Not that he ever displayed any type of emotion other than that of anger. I swear i saw a tinge of disappointment.

"Alpha, I had to find the girl!" He paused before he retreated back into the pack house.

"What do you mean you had to find the girl? I gave my blessing for them to stay until the boy didn't need medical attention."

"I went to his room this morning but they weren't there anymore." I noticed his curiosity peak. "Oh and I ran into Alpha Anthony this morning. He was leaving the hospital building. I'm not sure if it's important or not, but he had known they were gone by the time I got there. I just figured you'd want to know that."

"Your friend, the girl, is a little too fearless for her own good. You might want to find her before the rogues do. I feel she may do something foolish and jeopardize her safety." I was shocked at his words.

"Alpha? I already found her at the lake house that sits on Kingston lake."

"We will send a couple of guards out there to keep an eye on them then. If rogues are after them, I want to find out why." At that point, my uncle Josiah was waiting for Alpha's command.

"You take 5 of your best men and you keep an eye on this lake house. Any rogues come near it you end all but one, and you bring it to me! Clear?"

"Yes sir Alpha, but why is this house needing our protection?" Josiah questioned.

"Ask your nephew. Maybe he will tell you, since he obviously lacks trust and respect for me." My uncle turned to me with a look of curiosity. Out of all my family, my uncle Josiah, always had my back, so I did share a lot with him. I just wasn't sure if all that I suspected about this would be safe to tell him.

"So what is at the lake house?"

"A girl and her family." I kept it short.

"Oh wow, this is going to be fun to try and get out of you. She your mate?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

"No," I said, my words full of hurt, "she's not. She is special to me but she can't be my mate."

"Why not kid?"

" She's human, sir." I said with little to no confidence. I looked over at my uncle, who took a deep breath.

"Look man, she doesn't have to be a wolf to be your mate." He threw his arm around my shoulders. "If the goddess of the moon decides who we end up with, why can't it be a human, if it's what she thinks we need?"

"No, Joe, I mean I know she's not."

"How do you know then?" I hung my head. "I don't feel sparks when I touch her, and honestly, uncle, I can't get a distinct scent from her that sends Maddox over the edge, I can't get any scent from her actually."

"Well, not everything is known about mates kid. Give it time." He smiled at me and gave me a push. "Now get ready to go."

"Wait, I'm going on guard with you?"

"Man, I can't think of anyone better to guard this girl than the guy who is obviously in love with her. Mate or not, you care enough to not let anything happen to her." I smiled and went to get ready.

Erika

I looked out the window of the lake house. It sat right off the lake, in the perfect spot to catch the sunset.

"Sissy," I turned to Alana, walking up with two mugs, one for her and one for me. "Hot chocolate?"

I smiled at her, "thank you." I told her as she handed me my favorite drink.

"Lana, do you think..... they noticed we were gone?"

"No," she scoffed, "they were too busy having a pissing contest." I laughed at her observation.

"pissing contest." We looked at each other and started laughing like we use to. Loud and uncontrollably.

"Do you think Anthony will tell anyone else?"

"Pfft. No he would never want his dirty little secret to come to light."

"Ricky! Don't call it that!"

"Why not? Thats how he sees it. Danny can't ever know and neither can his dad, or he won't ever live down the fact that he was with a..... whatever type of freak of nature I am." My love for him turned into a hate that I never thought was possible. That's when there was a knock.

"They're here!" Alana jumped with joy as she ran to the door. She pulled the door open with no hesitation, and there stood Anthony. Alana ushered him in and that was when our eyes met.

"You're late."

"I'm sorry, he wouldn't stop crying." He said, placing a car seat down on the couch.

"Did anyone see you?"

"No, but my father is going to notice he and his nanny are not there soon." That is when the boys came in.

"Zeric," Anthony said as he saw him.

"So..... how did you know we were here?" He questioned.

"Well, would you believe me if I said a bird told me?" he chuckled as he looked at me, "But to be fair, I think anyone would have given the circumstances."

"Why don't you go relax?" I asked my brother.

"So how is your little..... um anger problem?" He walked up to me and pulled me into a long caring hug. For a minute I forgot how mad at him I was. I looked over to see my brother walking up to the nephew he didn't know existed. He looked at me then to Anthony and back to the baby.

"Who is he?" He looked at Lana and Bubba. They both nodded and smiled at him.

"I didn't think you made it to full term...... then you..... how, when?" he didn't even finish his sentence as he looked at him and tears flowed.

"His name is Elijah, and that's what you were supposed to think." I said to him quietly.

"How did you hide this?"

"Well," Anthony finally spoke, "she was umm, around 6 months when she started showing."

"When you ran away for a while that last time..... this is why?" I nodded at my twin, who looked at me in disbelief.

"Why didn't you trust me?" He questioned.

"I did, I just didn't want you to..... hurt when we left him behind." I felt my brother's entire demeanor change, he was filled with a sudden rage, towards me. He turned towards my direction and started to make his way to me aggressively, but I didn't move. Anthony placed himself in front of me, to prevent my brother's wrath from reaching me.

"Move." Came from my brother's mouth, but Anthony didn't budge. "What do you think I'm gonna do hurt her?"

"I don't know what you'll do, Zeric. You have just as bad of a temper as Erika! You hurt people accidentally just like she does." I stepped out from behind Anthony's tall figure.

"I did what I had to for him," hopefully he would understand.

"Abandoning him? That's what you felt you had to do?"

"I left him with his father, and his family. A powerful family at that. He is in his home! You think us hauling him around the country would be the life he deserved?! I didn't think it was good enough for him! So, yes, I left him there. And do not think it was an easy choice because it wasn't." I yelled at him, hoping he could feel every bit of anger and hurt in my words. I felt his anger subside as he heard my baby start to cry from being woken up by all the noise. Alana pulled him from his car seat instantly, to calm him, and it worked. She looked up at Zeric and smiled, sitting up the chubby baby with bright green eyes identical to mine and Zeric's.

"Erika, I have to talk to you about something," Anthony's voice sounded serious. "Its important, and about something I should have talked to you about to begin with." I could hear him, but right now, Elijah was more important than Anthony, so I didn't bother to acknowledge his statement.

"Do you want to hold him?" I asked my brother when he sat next to Alana and looked at the baby boy she held.

"Can I?" He looked at me and asked. I nodded in approval. Alana stood up and placed Elijah in his arms, and Zeric's face flooded with love for the nephew he had just met. He touched his face and smiled. The look he had just admiring Elijah was interesting. I've never seen Zeric so breath taken by anything or anyone.

"He looks like you sissy." He said with a tear falling from his eye.

"And you. He has the same birthmark as yours brother." I pointed to the crescent-shaped mark behind his right ear.

Anthony decided to stay till about midnight so we had enough time to love on Elijah. Like all good things, this wonderful time had to come to an end. Bubba played peek-a-boo for over an hour because he just fell apart from the laughter it warranted. Zeric watched as all of us took turns having a wonderful time with this baby, he had no idea existed for half a year, quietly. I finally had him to myself for a bit, and I soaked it up as much as I could. I rocked him as I hummed a lullaby. I'm still not 100% sure where I knew it from but it made my heart fill with love. When he started to quiet down and slip into a comfortable sleep in my arms, I looked up and saw Anthony standing in the doorway watching me. I thought he was growing impatient and I was about to start to rush to get him ready to go.

Anthony was putting off leaving town so I could see Elijah before he had to take him back to his own life in a different town.

I looked at the beautiful face of the baby I let go of, and got one last smell of him before he was taken away from me once again. I cried with him in my arms as Anthony pulled out a spray bottle and spritzed him with it. I looked at him confused and he knew I was, but just like all the times when we were together, he came up with some odd reason for it.

Realization settled in my heart. This was probably the last time I'd be permitted to see him. I pulled a blanket from a blue bag that was written on. His initials were embroidered onto the border E.M.M. I wrapped my sleeping baby in it and took him back to the family room where Anthony was waiting. I loaded him into his car seat gently so he wouldn't wake up and let Anthony finish buckling him up.

"Tell me I'm doing the right thing." I begged Anthony to help ease my guilt, and he turned to me with a sad expression of his own. He picked up the car seat and set it on the couch next to Alana. He paused for a second then pulled me into the kitchen so we could have a private conversation.

"My Moon, I...... you......," he sighed in an almost defeated manner, "so I found a couple of things out..... about what's going on with you."

"What's.... what's wrong with me?"

"Well, I mean not that something is wrong with you, but the magic incidents we dealt with. They weren't just incidents." He answered in a way that was worrisome. "My Moon magic is real, and I'm pretty sure you Zeric and Alana all have it."

"Anthony, what are you talking about?" I was filled with confusion and I needed him to explain what he was thinking.

"Okay Erika, you know how when you get angry things...... happen?" My confusion deepened. "Sweetheart, when bad things happen it's not just accidental, it's..... well it's you."

"Anthony, there's no such thing as magic, and I'm pretty sure i would know if I was magic or a witch or whatever!" I couldn't help the anger I felt build.

"Erika, I'm not trying to make you feel weird or different, but do you remember before you ran away, you and your dad got into a fight?"

"That was an accident! Magic didn't cause that!"

"Okay fine, how did that accident happen?"

"I.... well the fireplace! There were candles on! I don't know take your pick! That's why they are called accidents Anthony!" I was hurt, he brought that up, and I was getting frustrated, so instead of continuing on with him I started to walk back to the living room.

"Okay then what about when Elijah was born?" He yelled before I got very far.

"What are you talking about?"

"The glow! You didn't imagine it, Erika!" I thought back to the day my little boy came into this world. Before I was ready for him and before I could care for him. I went to Anthony for help. I had just found out my parents were moving us here and I wanted to stay. I thought running away would answer my problems, but I was wrong. I remember the week after I ran I started to feel sick, tired and an emotional mess. I assumed I had a flu or something, but it was Elijah. Anthony had a family friend who was a doctor come out to see me and after the first appointment he said I only had a few months to go. I wasn't ready, but I had no choice. I started showing immediately after that and 3 short months later, Elijah was ready to meet us.

I went into labor and Anthony had the hardest time getting his doctor out to us. When it was almost time, I started to feel like something was going wrong and the room was glowing, or at least I thought it was. The doctor got there and as soon as he walked in I was slipping in and out of consciousness. I woke up and was told to push, so I did and three pushes later I heard him cry and the glow disappeared and it looked like he took it, but before I could ask, I was out.

"You told me there wasn't a glow! You said it was a trick my mind played on me because I lost a lot of blood!"

"I know but it was for a reason!" He yelled back, matching my level of frustration.

"Why would you lie to me about that?"

"Because....... there's a lot you don't know about."

"I think it's time you left Anthony." I made my way to the living room once again and my siblings could feel the tension. All of them seemed uncomfortably quiet as Anthony grabbed the baby and made his way out of the house. I wasn't mad at him, but I was confused.

"Thank you, Anthony, for letting me see him."

"Erika, you are his mother, and he will know how much he means to you, and how much you had to love him to give him a better life." He kissed my forehead and with my child secure in his carrier, and out he walked. I watched for the second time in less than a year......I watched as my world left my reach because I couldn't keep him safe. I felt the hurt in my heart grow just as it did the first time I watched him leave me.

"AGH!!!" I cried and fell, rain fell as if on queue with my tears. I felt my weight only being caught by my brother. I didn't even know he was behind me.

"I got you sissy," he whispered to me, "I'm here." I hated the way this felt, the pain. I never knew something could hurt so much. I watched as the car's tail lights disappeared into the night. After a few seconds of crying, I felt more than just my brother's arms. I felt my other two siblings comforting arms holding me, and I didn't know what I did to deserve them.