Chapter Three

Alison and Kallum were walking the perimeter line, trying to pick up on the scent that had riled Andreia up just that morning, however, both were having extreme difficulty in picking up on any scent other than what was normally surrounding them. "It's just so weird Kal, she was riled up, I could sense it radiating off of her," Alison mumbled, looking over at her best friend. He ran his fingers through his red hair and looked up at her.

"I don't know Ali, she didn't know what it smelled like and the others didn't seem as riled up as she was. I think she just imagined she smelled something and believed it to be there, but it just wasn't," he replied.

She let out an exasperated breath as she headed back through the tree line. "I'm not taking any chances Kallum, call a meeting for tomorrow morning, I want Meri there too and if she can't come then get Haven, I honestly don't care which one," she called over her shoulder as she made her way towards where Skylar was waiting. Haven was Aliyah's twin sister, she had been Alpha before Alison and so that's why she could be trusted.

"Tristan went out with Alex and Jason, into town. He said he'd be back around nine or ten," Skylar announced as soon as her sister came into view.

Alison froze in place as she slowly turned around to face her sister. "I'm sorry, he's where?" she asked in a dry voice. Skylar looked back at her confused, she had already picked up on the anxiety radiating off of the young Alpha.

"He's fine, it's Alex and Jason, Kallum trusts them enough to be Omega and Beta," she answered.

"No, I trust them, but he shouldn't be out there. We have a curfew, even if dad doesn't know you're here yet or not. Tristan is going to be very late home, but I might be able to sneak him inside. Shoot him a text and tell him to come to my bedroom window when he gets home and maybe we'll be able to do this without getting caught," Alison sighed as she yanked her fingers through her hair.

Skylar nodded as she quickly sent their brother a text message. "When's curfew?" she asked absentmindedly.

"Usually before night time, so around four," she answered, already heading towards the car. Skylar nodded as she pocketed her cell phone and then walked around towards the driver's side of her car and climbed inside. They drove the short distance back towards their house and Skylar parked on the side of the street, as close to the grass as she could get. As Alison got out, her ears perked up and she listened in to what was happening inside. It was getting closer to the full moon so all of their senses were heightened.

"Hey Ali," Skylar said as she climbed out of the car and walked towards her sister. Alison nodded for her to continue speaking, but kept her focus on the house as they got closer. "I was wondering if I could apply for a job up at that diner we passed on our way to the school?" she asked, stepping right beside the young girl.

"Um, well it depends on the hours because of the full moon. You can't work during the peak of the full moon, not unless you feel like turning in front of every human in the area. I'm sure Meri would just love that," she answered, taking a small step towards the front door.

"It's a diner, so I'm sure it'll close around five, maybe six," Skylar mumbled as she walked ahead of Alison and right inside of the house. Alison rushed forward, right behind her sister, just in time to see their father glaring back at them. The room was filled with the horrid smell of cigar smoke and cheap beer, making Alison realize that tonight was Jameston's poker night with his buddies. Her eyes widened as she grabbed onto Skylar's wrist and yanked her forward, into their bedroom. She did not want to be in the middle of a fight with their father when his buddies were over.

"What in the hell," Skylar snapped as she rounded on her sister.

"Shut up, keep your voice down," Alison snipped back in a quieter tone.

Skylar sighed as she fell back against the wall, glaring up at her twin sister. "Why are you so scared of him? And why do you keep insisting that we stay in here the whole time we're home? What is so bad about living here, because Ali the last time I checked, you chose this life," she growled lowly.

"There's a lot to unpack there, but right now is not the time. They're not gonna be done until midnight, so we need to rethink how to sneak Tristan in, maybe see if he can't just stay over with Alex for the night. At least he'll be safer there," Alison replied quietly while she tried thinking through a plan. Skylar huffed as she laid further down on the ground, her annoyance only growing as her sister started to pace around the room.

"I'll just tell him to stay over with Kallum, that work?" she mumbled a few minutes later. She was done watching her sister pace back and forth, it was starting to make her sick.

"Yeah, fine. It seems to be the only logical explanation right now anyway," Alison answered as she stopped in her tracks and turned to face her sister. Skylar nodded and pulled her phone out, already sending off a text to Tristan about the new plan. Hopefully, there wouldn't be too many repercussions for interrupting their father's poker game, but knowing him; there would be. Though when it would happen, she wasn't certain. She just had a feeling it would be huge and that it would most likely be cruel.

The next morning both girls woke up to the sound of things flying around in the living room, followed by yelling that they couldn't make out. Alison jumped up, startled by the sudden hostility, Skylar was more confused than she was scared not having experienced what her sister had. "I thought you were supposed to clean this hell hole!" the voice of their father shouted before a loud bang filled their ears. Alison scurried out of her room and into the living room to see furniture thrown around everywhere. The couch was a complete wreck and had been collapsed in on itself, it was probably broken beyond repair but he'd make her fix it anyway.

The room smelt awful, a strong mix of cigars and alcohol filled the room, making her gag and instantly breathe through her mouth. The smell was more sensitive because of how close the full moon was. There was a week until school started up and the full moon was at its highest the night before they went back. Alison's eyes snapped up towards their father as she took a hesitant step back. Skylar came out of the room a second later and glanced around the area, eyes wide. "And what the hell is she doing here? Your mother know you're here Alison!" he snapped, glaring at the young blonde.

"Mom's dead, she died in a car wreck close to three months ago," she answered firmly. He just scoffed in response, which really set her off. "And my name's Skylar, not Alison," she added briskly.

"Don't get that tone with me," he snarled, rounding on her. Alison saw his hand raise far before Skylar did and she quickly stepped between them right as the back of his hand connected with the side of her face. The sound echoed through the room as she stumbled back and landed on the concrete floor with a loud thud. She refused to cry out in pain and instead, just glanced up at him. Her hair was covering her face and her lip was already starting to swell up from where he'd busted it open.

"Ali!" Skylar cried out as she rushed towards her sister's aid. Alison quickly shook her off as she jumped to her feet and rushed towards her room. Everyone was right behind her, trying to see what she was doing. She yanked out a small suitcase and yanked it open. "What are you doing?" Skylar asked, watching her carefully.

"Get you and Tristan's stuff into the car, we're not staying here," Alison replied, ignoring Skylar's question. The young girl did as instructed and got to work on doing as instructed. It was in her nature not to question her Alpha and to do as told, even though she wanted nothing more than to question her.

"You're not going anywhere," Jameston snapped as he marched forward and grabbed roughly onto Alison's wrist. She tried breaking free, but he had a firm grasp on her.

"Let go of me, we're not staying here," she said through clenched teeth.

"You and your freak siblings aren't going anywhere, now that your mother is dead you're all my problem now," he remarked, digging his grasp deeper into her wrist. It was starting to hurt her and she could feel the blood rushing up as he continued to put pressure on her wrist. If he didn't let up, it would most likely snap from the pressure. Not that it would matter, the second the full moon hit it would heal, but that still didn't mean she wanted it to break.

"Let go of her!" Skylar yelled as she ran forward, trying to get her sister free. She was met with a hand shoving her forcefully back and against the wall. That was what sent Alison into full-out protective mode. Without realizing what she was doing, she sent a small blast of ice right at her father's feet, sending him stumbling back in fear. It was enough for his grasp to fall from her wrist.

"You got your things Sky?" she asked, looking over at her sister. Skylar nodded as she grabbed onto her two bags as well as Tristan's duffel bag. The two hurried out of the house and right for Skylar's car, where they quickly tossed everything into the backseat, before hurrying off towards Kallum's house. The only place Alison knew for a hundred percent certain they'd be safe. The only place she'd ever felt safe since she'd moved in with Jameston.

The second they arrived in Kallum's driveway, he came running outside, all three dogs right behind him. Bomb was the first one down towards them, followed quickly by River and Justice. River was a Harley Quinn Great Dane with black and white spots. She was the youngest of Kallum's three dogs, so she was still pretty small for her breed. Justice was a long-haired sheltie who they'd gotten about two years ago, so she was also still pretty young. Bomb was the oldest at five years old. Alison had been there the day they'd gotten him and since then he was her dog, despite her not living there.

"Alison, Skylar, what's wrong?" Kallum asked as he hurried over towards the two sisters. Alison dropped her bag onto the ground before running forward and hugging him tightly. He held her close while looking back at Skylar, confused. "Ali, talk to me," he soothed after a second as he tried to pull her back so he could examine her. She refused to move, not wanting to show him her face.

"He...slapped her," Skylar's words came out quiet and as if she was still trying to believe them herself. The words coming out didn't sound like the truth, because how could a father hit his kids so easily? And how had Alison done anything to provoke him enough to deem being hit with such a force?

"Again?" Kallum asked, finally managing to pull Alison forward. Her lip was busted open and swollen badly. A small trail of blood had managed to flow down the young girl's chin, dribbling a small blotch of the red substance on her top. Skylar snapped her head up at his question. This had happened before? He'd hit Alison like this before?

"Kal," Alison whispered, placing a calming hand on his chest. She could sense the anger boiling up inside of him. He wasn't normally hot-headed, but when it came to Alison he was. Especially during the week leading up towards the full moon. He looked back at her, a dark glint in his eyes. He was just barely harnessing his anger in. It was taking everything he had in him not to go down the street to Alison and Skylar's father's house and scream at him.

"He hit you, Alison!" he screamed, accidentally letting his anger spill out on her. He realized quickly how harsh his tone had been from the sight of his best friend's face. It's not that she wasn't used to being screamed at and thrown around, because she was. She wasn't, however, used to it coming from her best friend. She took a step back, feeling Bomb nudge right against her leg as she did. He could also sense something was wrong. "I'm sorry Ali, I didn't mean....you can't stay there with him he'll kill you," he added in a softer tone.

"He won't because we left, all our things are in Skylar's car. I'm gonna see if Haven or Meri will let us stay with them, just until the house is finished. Speaking of which, set up a meeting with Taylor, I need to see how far she's gotten," she replied, finding her composure. Kallum nodded and turned to head back to his house, Alison went to follow him but they both stopped when they saw Clarissa just a few feet away from them.

"Alison, my God your lip!" she exclaimed, rushing up towards the young girl. She tried to pull away, but once Clarissa had hold of her, there was no pulling free. "Did Jameston do this to you?" she demanded, tilting Alison's chin up so that she could examine it further.

"Yeah and he might have broken her wrist, he had a firm grip on it," Skylar answered, finding her voice finally. The shock from earlier was gone and replaced with anger and disgust towards their father.

Clarissa held her tongue so she didn't say anything bad about their father in front of them. Instead, she slowly led Alison up towards the house so she could thoroughly look the young girl over. "Kallum, call Meri and Haven, get them here quickly while I look over Alison," she called over her shoulder.

"Kal, don't forget to set up the meeting with Taylor," Alison added, trying to look back at him. She didn't turn her head very far before snapping it back towards the door. She was at an odd angle and didn't have much headspace. Clarissa sat her down on the couch next to Jonathan, Kallum's father. He was reading the newspaper and sipping on his morning coffee. Much like his only son, he was a Fire Elemental as well. Only his dark red hair had started graying a long time ago. Despite him and Clarissa only being two years older than Aliyah, they had gone grey prematurely.

Their eldest daughter, Claudette, had been born when both Clarissa and Jonathan were sixteen, the same year they'd imprinted. It was custom in the pack that when you imprinted you got married at sixteen or seventeen, it's just how it was. Imprintation was a bond between two Elementals, they were bounded for life once imprinted. Some imprinted younger than sixteen and some imprinted older than that. Alison and Skylar were almost eighteen and they hadn't found their imprints yet, it all just depended on when you met your mate.

Kallum didn't have just one sister though, he had seven. The youngest of his sisters were Maddison and Juliette. They were a year older than him and had both already found their mates, they were just waiting until Alison was fully Alpha. Even though she'd gone through the ceremony, she wouldn't fully become Alpha until she reached the legal age of eighteen, and then she'd be able to marry the other members of the pack as well as initiate the new members into the pack, though there weren't any new babies right now.

Juliette was actually one of the two rare Elementals. She was very chill and down to earth, nothing made her angry. She was one of Alison's favorites of his sisters, mostly just because they never butted heads. Claudette had moved out of the Moon household in the early two-thousands after marrying Anthony Wells. Alison kind of missed her because she'd been like an older sister, but she also didn't at the same time because they butted heads more than anything.

Clarissa came back into the room not too long later, carrying rubbing alcohol and a bandage. "Mrs. Moon," Alison went to complain. She honestly knew better than to argue with the older woman, because she'd been through this so many times, but that still didn't stop her.

"I don't want to hear it, Alison, this is happening," she replied, giving the girl a stern, yet loving, look. After Alison moved back in with Jameston, Clarissa had decided she'd take the young girl under her wing since her best friend wasn't around to protect her. And now that her best friend had died, she made sure to take extra care of the young girl. She always kicked herself when Alison showed up with a new bruise or scar and it took everything out of her not to go down to Jameston herself and give him a word or two.

"Claudette called," Jonathan said from his spot next to the two girls. He was currently flipping through the paper. Alison tried looking over at him, but Clarissa forced her head straight so she could get a good look at the scar.

"Are she and Anthony stopping by?" she asked under her breath.

"Hmm? Oh, no they just wanted to let us know that there's going to be a new addition to the family in the new year," he answered, looking down at the young girl and smiling softly.

"Really?" Clarissa asked, snapping her head over at her husband. Right as he announced that, both Maddison and Juliette came into the room all dressed up for work.

"Claudette? A mom?" Maddison almost scoffed. Juliette elbowed her in the side and gave her a look telling her to be nice. Claudette might have been the eldest, but she wasn't the first to have children. That had been Rosalie, the second eldest daughter. She had two small boys with her mate, Joseph Swift. However, she was the second of their daughters to have kids of her own.

"Maddie, be nice," Julie lectured in a gentle and soft voice. Maddie made a face at her before continuing on her way outside. "Send Claudette our love, we can't wait to meet our little niece or nephew," she added before following after her twin. Alison finally pulled out of Clarissa's grasp and hurried into Kallum's bedroom down the hall.

As soon as she entered, she was met with a pile of clothes that she almost fell over as she stumbled into the room. "I swear to God, I tell you every time I'm over to clean this place," she muttered, looking up at him. He just sent her an annoyed look from his spot at his desk. Skylar was sitting on his bed with a small kitten curled up in her lap. "Aw, who's this?" she cooed, rushing over and kneeling in front of her sister.

"That's Fish, we just got her the other day," Kallum answered softly. She smiled lightly and scooped the kitten into her arms so she could hold her close to her chest. She mewed softly and nuzzled against Alison with her head.

"Every time I come over, you have a new animal of some sort," she said, looking over at him.

He chuckled softly before clearing his throat and running his fingers through his hair. "Taylor's on her way over as well as Meri. Haven was busy with Elder work," he announced.

"Alright, sounds good. Skylar, can you go pick up Tristan? I'll have Kal text you Jason's address," Alison asked, looking over at her sister. Skylar nodded as she stood up and hurried out of the room, going to do as asked. Kallum passed Alison his small blackberry and she pressed her sister's number into the phone before sending her Jason's address, as promised.

"Come on, we can meet everyone out in the dining room," Kallum said as he pulled her up and out of the room. Fish jumped from the young girl's embrace and scurried into Maddie's open bedroom door. Alison had always loved Kallum's house, mostly because it was full of life and it looked lived in. There was never a dull moment in this house, there was always something exciting happening around the area. She loved it, she loved the atmosphere, and she especially loved everyone in Kallum's family. It was her calm in the storm.

As soon as she stepped foot in the dining room, she saw Taylor sitting at the table waiting for them. "Hey Taylor, sorry to pull you from building, I just needed a quick update," Alison announced, sitting down at the end of the table, opposite the young girl.

"It's going smoothly, though I don't see us being done for a few more months. None of my crew has school this year so that should help, but a lot is going into your house. You asked for a four-bedroom with an office, plus the normal stuff that goes into the house it's going to be two stories, so that's what's going to take the extra time. Not that we're not prepared to build it," Taylor explained, looking up at her Alpha.

Alison nodded as she took in the new information. "Alright, thank you, Taylor. You should get back down there before Ryan does something stupid, as usual," she replied.

Taylor chuckled softly as she stood up and headed for the door. She stopped just shy of opening it and looked back at the two Alphas. "I'll try and put a rush into it Ali, I know you really need your own space," she said in a soft tone.

"Thank you, Taylor," Kallum replied, nodding at her. She nodded back before leaving the house. "Okay, so your house is going to be a while, so if Meri can't keep you at her house then maybe we can keep you here and see if Andreia and Roze can keep Skylar with them," he offered, looking over at Alison.

"What about Tristan? Where would he say?" she mumbled, looking back at him. He could see just how exhausted she was, being Alpha so young was really starting to take its toll on her. She'd done the ceremony when she turned fifteen and she was about to be eighteen. She hadn't got to be a teenager for very long and she hadn't stopped working since she started. He hated seeing her like this.

"I'm sure Jason or even Alex could take him in for a short time," he answered, sitting down next to his best friend. She looked up at him and smiled weakly, but didn't say anything, instead, she stood up and headed outside, she needed some fresh air. She had started to feel really suffocated inside the house. She sat down on the edge of the porch and pulled herself forward, so her feet were dangling over the edge. She leaned her head against the railing and just sat there like that, thinking things through.

Her lip was absolutely killing her, especially when she talked. She knew it was going to leave a scar, but at this point, she didn't really care. All that mattered to her was that her pack, and most importantly her siblings, were safe. And she couldn't keep them safe if she was at her father's, so leaving was the only logical thing. She sighed slowly and looked up, right as two cars pulled into the driveway. One she recognized as Skylar's vehicle, but the other she didn't recognize at all. She jumped to her feet and hurried down the steps right as Skylar and Tristan were climbing out of the vehicle.

They both hugged their sister tightly before letting go and turning towards the other vehicle that pulled up behind Skylar. The door opened and they all found themselves holding their breaths, waiting to see who would get out. Alison was the first to let out a breath of relief when she saw it was only Meri. It took Skylar and Tristan a while to recognize the woman standing in front of them. Her hair was a dark grey, and her fierce, blue, eyes held Alison's gaze as she walked forward.

"Why have I been called here today Alison?" she asked, stopping a few inches from her niece.

Alison opened her mouth to answer when the front door slammed shut. They all turned around to see Clarissa, making her way towards them. "Meri, thank you for coming. We have some things to discuss," she announced, stopping right behind Alison, placing a soothing hand on her shoulder.

"Clarissa, we haven't seen you in the past few meetings. I hope everything's alright," Meri replied, looking the woman over. Alison looked between the two of them. She knew that Clarissa had become an Elder a few months ago when she stopped being able to shift, but she didn't know that she hadn't been going to the meetings.

"I've been busy Meri, looking after your nieces and nephew," Clarissa said, trying to keep her voice steady and level. She was quickly losing her temper.

Meri turned back towards Alison and her eyes instantly landed on her lip. "What happened there?" she demanded, pointing towards the large gash on her lip. Clarissa had been able to clean the blood up a little bit, but the gash was still horrendous.

"Jameston did that to her, almost broke her wrist too, according to Skylar," Clarissa answered for the young Alpha. Meri nodded and motioned for them all to follow her inside of the house. Alison was the first one to step forward, followed quickly by everyone else. They all headed into the dining room, it was now the unofficial meeting room for the two Alphas, and sat down at the table. Both adults sat at either end of the table, while the kids sat opposite each other.

"Alright, how long has this been going on Alison?" Meri asked, looking over at her niece. Alison sighed as she leaned back in her chair, trying to think about when all of the abuse had started. For her, it started the day after she'd moved in, but for her mom...she didn't know. Maybe the whole marriage, but that didn't seem right because why else would Aliyah have imprinted on him? She didn't have an answer for Meri, at least not right now.

"I don't know," she finally settled on her answer, looking up at the Head Elder. Meri did not look pleased with her answer. She clasped her hands together and gave the young girl a stern look. She might have loved her niece greatly and wanted only what was best to keep her safe, but she didn't have time to pull information out of her right now. There was so much she had to do.

"Alison, I do not have time to pry information out of you right now, so please get on with whatever it is you have to tell me," she almost snapped.

"For me, it started like, the day after moving in, but I don't know how long it's been going on as a whole," Alison growled, glaring up at her aunt. This close to the full moon was not the time to anger the young she-wolf. She was already hotheaded enough without the extra anger coursing through her.

Meri nodded and looked back at Clarissa. "When does school start? I can never remember, it's been almost fifty years since I was last in school," she asked calmly.

"It starts Monday morning, the full moon is on Saturday," Clarissa answered, looking at the four teenagers in front of her. They all nodded in agreement before turning their gaze to Meri.

"Alright, the three of you can stay with me until the Alpha house is finished. However, there will be rules. No bothering me when I'm in a meeting, which is mostly every day. Do your schoolwork and pass your classes, especially you two girls. And lastly, I still expect you to keep up Alpha work and the monthly meetings at the sacred rocks before shifting," she announced, looking at the three of them firmly.

"Yes ma'am," they replied at different times to each other. Meri nodded before standing up and heading outside. Skylar and Tristan were right behind her, but Alison lingered for a second, looking back at Kallum. He smiled softly and pulled her into a tight hug.

"You'll be fine Ali, now get out there before they leave you behind," he whispered, pulling back. She rolled her eyes playfully before turning and leaving the house. She climbed into the backseat of her sister's car and laid down in the back, looking up at the roof of the car rather than outside at the passing scenery. She was just happy to be going somewhere safe and away from their father.