Chapter Seven

Roxy's Pov

My brother stands up and does his whole Alpha thing as he introduces Ivory to the pack, and I was watching her when I noticed as soon as he pulled his hand away and spoke in his Alpha tone, she changed. Her face became filled with fear. She didn't start to eat until Hunter had touched his plate first, and once he did, she only took maybe three to five tiny bites. What really got me was once Hunter had finished, she didn't say a word, just got up and grabbed his empty plate from in front of him and her still full plate and cleared them from the table, and she then returned moments later empty-handed and just sat down with her hands neatly folded in her lap and her head cast down as well. My brother said she was delicate and fragile, but how bad was it that a change in tone could turn someone so quickly.

"Hunter, is she okay? I'm worried it's like she is here but also not here simultaneously," I ask Hunter, genuinely concerned that she is not okay. "I'm not sure I was going to ask you if you would, by chance, be willing to do me a huge favor. Dad still wants to have a talk with me about today, so I can't leave yet." I tell my brother that I would do anything for him, and he asks me to take her back to her room and see if I can get her to talk to me for a bit until he gets there. But also gauge where her head is currently, too. I agree, and he ends the connection. The next thing I know, he has moved one of his hands to her, and she notices and looks at him. He introduced me to her and told her that I was willing to take her back to her room so she could relax because she looked nervous, and he was going to be a moment, so I said I would hang with her until he was done. I see a small yet soft smile, almost not even noticeable to anyone else. She nods her head, and we both leave the room and head back up. I hope to learn something about her and what she is going through.

We finally make it to the fourth floor and her room; we walk in and sit down in the living room area. I can see that she is nervous heck, even I am scared as hell like this might be my big brother's mate, his second shot at happiness and our next Luna like I'd hate to piss her off already. So I think for a second, and then I bite the bullet and ask the question I want to know right now, "So Ivory, can you tell me about your family and pack? How do you all interact?" I want to see if she will lie or tell me the truth. I know that she freezes for a moment and is thinking about what she will say to me right now. "Well, my father is the Alpha of the Opal Moon pack, and my mother passed away when I was eight years old. Like any other pack, my pack is a huge family; they are all very nice. I know that my father was here today visiting with your brother," she responds, and I feel like she is telling me the truth, but it's not the whole truth. "Oh, I'm sorry for your loss. I didn't know," I apologize for asking cause I can see when she talked about when her mother passed, there was sadness and pain that sadness reflected in her eyes. She does catch me off guard, though, a few times when we talked, like when she asked about shocking feelings with people and what it meant. "How old are you, Ivory?" I ask, thinking I know what she is going through, but she doesn't. "I'm seventeen, but I turn eighteen in about a few months." After she says that I know what is happening, she starts getting ready to find her mate and what she is experiencing right now is just the start of it. I know already that Hunter is the guy that she is speaking about. Hunter is twenty, almost twenty-one; he was mated at eighteen, but before he and his mate got a chance to spend their lives together, she fell ill and passed away. I thought I would lose my brother too after Liz's death. Hunter became so depressed. But he got lucky. The Goddess gave mercy to his broken heart and gave him a second chance, but it will be a mission for him with this one. I guess not all second tries are easy ones.

Hunter's pov

My father sits next to me while Shayne slides down a seat. We talked about today's event and about Ivory and what I have found with the information that Emery had gathered. "Evening, father. How are you today?" I make small talk before I nose dive into this talk that I would rather not have. I would rather be with Ivory and find out what is wrong. "Skip it, Junior; let's get down to business. I told you, don't beat around the bush. Just dive in and get down to it," my father says, lecturing me in front of my Beta and Gamma. I huff and then continue with the start of today's events, "At midnight, we had a breach in borders. Members had reported what was thought to be a rogue in human form that had come for the Northwest borders heading towards our cliffs that overlooked the waters. I quickly notified Shayne to take the rogue while Emery made our way there," I stated before my father interrupted me. "Was this rogue killed on the spot when you came upon it?" "No, this rogue had been described as a poor young girl running barefoot, and while I was on my way to Shayne's location, I noticed a sweet smell in the air. The great and merciful Moon Goddess had gifted me with a second mate. I believe so. When I got to where Shyane was located with this young girl, I noticed a sweet smell coming from her. She was injured due to orders that I had given to Shayne to keep her there, and she then was quickly transferred to the packed clinic where Doctor Lilian took great care of her." "Well then, why is she still here? Why haven't you sent her back home yet?" My father asked with a venom-like tone, making me angry listening to him speak.

"Well, that is because she IS my mate and is abused. When Shayne had knocked her unconscious, I saw the bruises and scars and cuts that littler her body with my own eyes. She is not taken care of; she is beaten, starved, and violated daily. I will not be sending her back to that pack." I responded with a bit more harshness in my tone than usual, hoping to drive my point across. "Alright, I see you have made up your mind on this then; we're done for today," my father said as he got up and walked away. Not long after he left, I headed straight upstairs to see Ivory and how she was doing.

I practically ran upstairs, and I could hear Emery and Shayne both keeping up with me. I got up to the top floor and stopped at her door. I was about to knock when Roxie opened the door. She looked sad. "How is she?" I am shaking so badly right now cause I can see the despair in Roxie's eyes. "She talked to me for a little bit. I couldn't tell if she was lying or just not telling me the whole truth, but she's shut down and won't talk to me anymore. Sorry, Hunter, I tried my best," Roxies says as she leaves, and I walk in so that I can see her. The boys tried to come in, but I turned around and shook my head; no, they just stayed outside the door as I closed it behind me.

I took a few more steps towards Ivory. I don't think she has noticed me yet, so I clear my throat a little bit, and she snaps her head in my direction. For a moment, I get thrilled to see her eyes. They are a beautiful violet color. But just as they looked at me, they quickly disappeared, staring down at her hands in her lap. "Hi Ivory, are you feeling okay?" I go and sit down next to Ivory taking her hand into mine. She doesn't move, but I can feel small tremors coming from her while I hold her hand. Ivory doesn't speak and sits there. It hurts my heart that she won't talk to me. We sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity, but finally, she spoke. "Your father doesn't want me here, I heard. Should I leave?" She said so softly as she asked me the one question that felt like she had shattered my heart. "No, you don't have to leave; I straightened things out with him already. You are welcome here as long as you like, or if it is okay with you, I'd like you to stay in our pack here," I tilted her head up to see her gorgeous eyes as I talked with her.

I watched her eyes grow when I asked her to stay with our pack, and I saw the shock and surprise in them looking back at me. It made my heart race and skip a few beats—God, I missed this feeling so much. The electricity between us grows the longer we touch. As we sit there for a moment in silence again, there is a knock on her door, so I get up and open it. Jasmine is standing there, and I see both Emery and Shayne standing to the side, frightened-looking at Jasmine. I laugh, "hey there, Jasmine, thank you for bringing this up. I guess you boys are still learning. You never stop Jasmine; she can be a bit scary." I thank her and close the door; I turn around and see that Ivory is looking at me, and she then turns her head away quickly.

I can't help but smile. I take my seat next to Ivory, put the covered plate down on the coffee table, and retake her hand. "Hey, um, I saw that you didn't eat much at dinner, so I asked Jasmine to put a plate together. Would you try to eat some more for me, please? It is important for your recovery," I ask her as I watch those gorgeous violet orbs. I see that they start to change in emotion. She looks nervous to answer and also confused at the same time. Like she doesn't know if she can trust me or not. She looks at me and opens her mouth slightly but stops before she says anything. "Ivory, it is safe here; remember, please, you can trust me I give you my word. Please talk to me and tell me what is wrong, what is going through your mind. You can be open with me." I tell her as she stares down at her lap.

"Thank you ...."