16. Father

A soft groan escaped Kieryn's mouth as he stirred around. His eyelids opened and the sunshine momentarily blinded him. He forces himself to open his eyes wider, looking up at the ceiling.

"Good morning."

A voice forces him to snap his head in its direction. He locks gazes with the Alpha, freshly clothed with a small smile resting on her lips. Kieryn immediately sits up and gapes at her, not expecting her to be there.

And suddenly, memories of last night hit him like a train. A blush makes its way onto his neck and he snaps his gaze to the covers. Gnawing on his bottom lip, he felt ashamed for what he did. How he reacted.

He could feel the knowing gaze from Adella, and it only made him even more flustered. His fingers wrapped around the soft covers and gripped them, as if they would protect him from the woman next to him.

"Breakfast will be ready soon, so clean up. You're filthy," she said with a light voice.

He knew exactly what type of filthy she meant.

He peeked under the covers to make sure that his pants were on, and he felt relieved that they were. Kieryn's feet left the covers, and the rest of his body followed. He stands to his full height but keeps his head down and his gaze everywhere else but Adella.

However, he caught her gaze once, and saw those deep green pits which threatened to swallow him.

Seemingly reacting, his body shivered. A small smirk stretches onto Adella's face, satisfied with the effect she had on him.

"If you don't start moving quicker, I'll be tempted to join you in the shower."

That made him jump at the threat, before rushing to the bathroom and slamming the door behind him.

Adella's chuckle echoed behind the door, the sound triggering his heart to beat faster.

Meanwhile,

The slick black car slows down before coming to a complete stop. The driver steps out before going to the backseat door, pulling it open and standing to the side.

Gamma Edevane exits the vehicle, nodding to the driver as thanks. He looks at the backseat once more and urges the two other passengers to follow him.

Two women, hand in hand, exit the car as well. One had a firm expression on her face, trying to hide how she was really feeling. The other, however, showed all her emotions on her face. Fear, sadness, and maybe even a hint of anger. Her body occasionally shook, causing the other to squeeze her hand in reassurance.

"Let's go," Christine whispered to her sister.

Haylee hesitated, before looking up into Liam's soft gaze. She gulped once and nodded.

The driver settles back inside the car as the three walk in front of the building; Harriston Correctional Facility. A medium-security jail that worked overtime.

They approach the security guard at the entrance. The man immediately recognizes Liam, which is almost impossible not to. With shaky hands, he opens the entrance for the group and allows them entry without even asking for verification.

Liam looks around the lobby, seeing a few officers slacking off and chatting amongst themselves. It was unfitting for a jail such as this, and Liam made his displeasure known.

The room went dead silent as the officers became ashamed at the presence of someone with a high position. One of them rushes towards the man to give him his best greetings.

"Gamma Edevane, I'm Chief-"

"Chief?" The man cuts him off along with a glare. "Lazing around while there are still more criminals out there – obviously you haven't read your job description."

The pudgy man flinches, watching as Liam walks away. He bites his bottom lip to hold his spiteful words before running up to his side.

"I-Is there something you're looking for?"

"James Hamton."

"Ah, yes. The one who has just finished his sentence. I'll bring you to the visitation room and you can wait for us there."

Haylee looks around the hallways, flinching at every loud noise and clutching onto Christine. The woman gives her another reassuring smile to calm her nerves as they are brought to another room, separated by a wall and glass so the prisoner and visitor can see and speak with each other.

The man leads them to the last seat in the row before leaving as another officer walks inside. The woman promptly bows her head to Gamma Edevane before taking her place at the corner of the room.

Christine sits Haylee down onto the seat and presses her hands on her shoulders.

'I wish this didn't have to happen,' she thought, a frown resting on her face.

Soon enough, the door at the other side of the room opened. Haylee started to shake once more, her hands becoming clammy as she looked down at the floor. Christine didn't have to look at her to see the fear in her eyes, and neither did Liam.

Haylee's breath quickened and her arm started to ache, causing her to grip it. Each footstep that approached the glass seemed like death coming for her.

The man on the other side, dark-skinned and with an unkempt beard on his chin making up for the lack of hair on his head, sat down slowly. He saw the large man that stood behind them, gulping before looking at the two women. Christine's sharp, hostile glare made the words he had left his mouth.

"I... It's been a while since we've seen each other," he slowly said. "You both have grown up fast."

Christine's eyes only narrowed and her nose flared up. Her grip on Haylee's tense shoulders tightened.

"I've been clean ever since I came here, and I'm, uh, I wanted to make amends-"

That's when Christine's anger overflowed, and her mouth opened to spite harsh words at him. "Amends? I think I'm about to die from laughter."

James flinched and Liam stood up straighter, knowing that this visit might turn out bad.

"It's not even about what you did to me but what you did to her," she said, referring to Haylee. "So you should make 'amends' with her."

James looked at Haylee and felt a pang of guilt hit him. After what he's done, how would Haylee ever forgive him?

"Hey... Haylee," he said, trying to put on a smile. "How's everything been? You taking good care of yourself?"

Haylee didn't answer. It was more like she couldn't. The man of her repeated nightmares was finally in front of her, and she wanted nothing more than to escape into a hole and hide there for the rest of the visit.

"See? Not even your own daughter wants to speak to you." The emphasis on the word daughter, something he didn't want to admit before, caused another pang of guilt to hit him.

"I-I thought that she cheated-"

"Mom only had eyes for you! If you truly did love her, why would you ever think that she slept with another man?" She shouted, pouring out years worth of anger onto him. "And she was mixed, so there was a chance that her twins could be a different race. Either way, she's still my sister and still both of your daughter."

James couldn't look the woman in the eye, the same person who he hurt a long time ago. She was no longer the quiet child, instead a fully grown and confident woman.

"I didn't know at that time," he whispered.

"Yeah, it was the alcohol," she scoffed. "It basically ran your world and destroyed ours. Mom was sick and tired of it all and I wished she would take us with her. She's probably dead somewhere and it's all your fault!"

"And I'm begging you to forgive me-"

"I won't even bat an eye or shed a tear if you were to grovel on the ground right in front of me," Christine seethed.

Her eyes held such a rage that James felt them burning into him. It was as if all the secrets he had hid revealed themselves in front of her, leaving nowhere for him to cower. It reminded him of a certain woman.

"Everything you've done to me and Mom, everything you've done to Haylee, that alone should have gotten you a lifetime in prison. I should have begged the Alpha to lock you away somewhere in the darkest pits of prison. It would be one of only a few requests I had for her."

The room was silent, mostly because James had no words to say.

"She was only six," Christine's voice cracked. "How could any parent lay a hand on their child? Did you feel satisfied watching her cry? Did it make you feel superior that a small child couldn't even protect herself because you were physically stronger than her?"

Memories of those dreadful years appeared in Haylee's mind. The screaming, the bleeding, the tears. Everything caused a wave of nausea to wash over her. It made her so sick to her stomach that she wanted to vomit out everything inside her.

She remembered the time a doctor met with her a few weeks after she was settled into the Pack House.

[Flashback - ? years ago, Sablecrest Pack House]

"There is a certain method our PTSD patients use to help them overcome their trauma."

Haylee's grip on Christine's arm tightened, and she looked at the male doctor with suspicion. Christine patted her hand as reassurance, but mostly because she was cutting off her blood flow.

Neither of them trusted the doctor, but it was Adella's suggestion. Who were they to refuse the one woman who has taken care of them?

"It is called age regression therapy."

"What is that?" Christine asked with furrowed eyebrows, worried that it would be some kind of weird surgery.

"It is a process that encourages our patients to relive your memories by returning to the state of mind and age associated with those memories."

Haylee was baffled, and so was Christine. She thought that they would help her forget her past memories, not relive them.

And suddenly, all her trust for Adella was gone at that moment.

She wanted to stand up and storm out that room along with Christine. And they would have done that, if it wasn't for the fact that Gamma Edevane stood outside the door. He was stationed there to make sure that nothing went wrong, but mostly to keep an eye on the two.

He didn't easily trust newcomers, especially since there were so many spies running around. That went for the two women as well.

He couldn't have refused Adella's orders anyways, but something in Haylee seemed to light up something within him. Something almost protective.

The man had a soft spot for people in distress, but couldn't help, for he thought that his hands would only cause destruction.

However, something about Haylee changed that. And he was willing to use his bloody hands to shed the blood of anyone who caused her any more pain.

[Present]

Liam had to stop himself from stepping into the conversation and spitting out some words of his own. This was Christine and Haylee's fight, not his.

In the midst of Haylee's thoughts, she found some reassurance in Christine's protection. She was glad that she went through therapy, even though she was reluctant at first. She found consolace in the comfort of her friends who were like her family.

Years of trauma may have hit her hard, but years of age regression therapy prepared her for this moment.

With her newfound confidence, small as it was, she lifted her head to look at James.

Her lips quivered, but she wouldn't back down now. After all, this would be the last time she would have an encounter with her birth father.

"I-I can't forgive you, and I don't ever plan to. You've already done enough to us, and you still expect us to forgive you? I still have the scars from then, and they still haunt me. And I already have the father figure I need. If your guilt is as bad as my pain, then please don't come see us again."

She didn't have the high-pitched voice she usually imitated when she regressed. Her eyes weren't wide with innocence anymore. They were mature, just like her. She's changed from then, and James realized it.

Finally, Haylee stood up and walked to the door as a gaping Christine stared at her.

Haylee turns back to James. "All of my friends are enough for me. Just Christine is enough for me. All I have left to say to you is to never again touch drugs or alcohol. Whoever you meet in the future doesn't deserve what happened to me."

She opened the door and left, leaving Christine to run after her. Liam gives one last hateful glance to the teary-eyed man, before following after the two women.

Outside the room, Christine presses a hand on Haylee's shoulder. She was about to say words of praise for her confidence, but then Haylee turned around and wrapped her arms around her. Her shoulders shook as sobs left her mouth, ones she's held in since arriving here.

Christine accepted the hug, holding her just as tightly and resting her chin on her head. She wanted to cry just like Haylee, but decided that she would be the stronger one for the both of them. She would comfort her sister, because her pain was greater than hers.

Liam approached them before wrapping his arms around them both. His body was stiff, as if it was strange for him to attempt to comfort them. Christine chuckled and relaxed in his warm embrace.

Her eyes became blurry as tears collected at the bottom of her eyes. She didn't want to be vulnerable, but those painful years affected her too. She couldn't stop herself from the tears to freely fall, eliciting a worried look from Liam, who didn't expect her to suddenly cry.

Now the man had two women to take care of.

But in all honesty, he didn't mind it. They deserved all the love, comfort, and happiness one person could give them.

He didn't know what exactly they went through, but just seeing them break down was enough for him to hold them tighter.

At the Pack House,

The door to Adella's office opens, revealing Sandra in a belted wool Gucci jumpsuit. She looked around the room, but there was no Adella. Instead, Beta Madden was sitting at the desk typing away at a laptop.

"Hey," Sandra drawled out with a small smirk on her face. She walks in front of him, but Beta Madden only gives her a glance before looking back at his laptop.

The woman frowned. "God, you basically live in here."

"What is it?"

Sandra's frown deepen as she crossed her arms. "You can't even look at your wife when she's right in front of you."

An inaudible sigh leaves Beta Madden's mouth as he looks up at her again. "Yes, Sandra?"

"So," the woman started, a smile widened on her face. "You know that car that you got me for my birthday-"

"If it broke down, it's your problem," he said with a hiss.

"Oh come on. I really liked it."

"Is that it?"

Sandra scoffs. "It's not that it broke down, I just-"

"I'm not getting you another red Bugatti."

"I don't want a red Bugatti," Sandra said with narrowed eyes.

Bate Madden sharply raises an eyebrow.

"I want a pink one."

"Sandra!"

"Okay, okay!" The woman said, laughing. "I actually want to ask about Kieryn."

"What about him?" Beta Madden settled into his chair, finally giving his full attention.

"I'm just... kind of worried for him, you know? Like, I'm not saying that Adella can't take care of him, it's just that... you know what will happen if Adella has another rut. She probably marked him by now, so it'll be worse from here."

"So, you're afraid that Adella will hurt Kieryn?"

Sandra pauses before slowly nodding. "I know how she feels. She's trying to avoid him but the mate bond brings her back to him. She and I both know that she'll become possessive, and even dangerous."

"I know what you mean," Beta Madden says with a sigh. "There would be a risk of her killing him in her possessiveness. But I know she can control herself. She wouldn't be the Alpha if she couldn't."

A small smile rests on Sandra's face, which quickly turns sly as she walks over to his side. Bringing her face down to his, her smile turns into a grin. Beta Madden frowns, wondering what she was planning now.

"If you're not going to buy me something, make it up with a kiss."

"I'm working Sandra," he says, his eyes narrowed into slits.

Sandra's lips trail the shell of his ear, one of his sensitive spots, causing him to tense up. With a breathy voice, she whispers, "Then I'll just entertain myself at the nearby bar."

Sandra swiftly turns around, not needing to see the fuming expression on her husband's face. She knew exactly how to get under his skin.

The chair makes a noise as it is pushed back and Sandra feels two strong arms wrapped around her shoulders. A giggle leaves her mouth as a growl comes out of Beta Madden's.

"Don't tease me," he seethes.

"But you're so teaseable," she laughs, reaching her hand up to pinch his cheek.

"Sit the fuck down and wait for me, or I'll tie you on a chair."

"Ooh, kinky."

Sandra yelps as he picks her up and places her down on the leather armchair, trapping her in with his arms. Slowly running her tongue over her bottom lip, she watches his grip on each arm rest tightened. Her grin only widened at the satisfying reaction from him.

"I got to you, didn't I?"

"I hate you," he says, voice low and guttural.

His face lowers to claim her lips with his, a soft chuckle escaping her. Sandra wraps her arms around his neck before pulling away, lips only a breath away.

"Only I can annoy you this much and that's why you love me," she whispers.

Beta Madden tsks, pulling off his glasses with one hand before kissing her again. As Sandra pulled him closer, he held onto the top of the chair with his free hand. Sandra's body was flush against his, feeling his body heat. A smile stretched onto her face.

To her, there was no better person to taunt. She knew he couldn't keep his hands off her, and that made her heart swell.

And to him, she was the most annoying woman on earth. But, she took him out of his comfort zone, which he may or may not be grateful for.

The Moon Goddess paired an unlikely couple that ended up surprisingly well.