XXXII. The Drawback

Raven's POV

When B did not come home or answer her phone, I automatically knew something was wrong. Tucker and I had planned to take her out to dinner, but I got a call from Robin telling me that B wouldn't be coming home for the rest of the week, which was not our original agreement.

I should have gone back to the pack, but Tucker successfully calmed me by reminding me of all the work B had left for me to complete. I told myself that it could be part of her birthday surprise if I got it all done early. So, you can imagine my horror when after a week of trying to become a better assistant to my little sister, Robin calls to say that B is in the hospital.

Tensions are beyond high when I get to B's room and after seeing what was done to her back. I have to leave. I can tell that the flog used on her must have been tainted with something, because her skin is literally falling away.

I immediately confront Lark, but both he and Luke are behaving as if Baby B is not lying unconscious in the next room. They are talking about pack business matters, and when Luke suggests that she be placed on the pack payroll, I lose it.

I swing at the man, but my fist is caught, and Robin jumps into my face sending us into our own altercation. My sister and I have not physically fought since we were children, but right now, she isn't behaving like herself, and I hate that she is so calm.

Usually, Robin is the one who is overprotective of B. I used to think she was paranoid, but after all that's happened, I too have become a mother hen over our little sister. Nothing as bad as our parents, Lark, Robin, or Luke, but only because I don't want to overcrowd B and make her pull away from us again.

Lark uses his command on Robin and I, so we are compelled to stop fighting, which is good, because I cannot beat her, and as angry as I am, I don't want to become a burden by needing a hospital myself. It's clear that B needs our parents undivided attention, and out of self-preservation, I will allow it.

"You have attacked a higher-ranking member of your pack and I hereby sentence you to six months exile." I stare at Lark like he has three heads, but he adds an alpha command into his voice that forces me to leave.

I flee the hospital, hating my family and never wanting to go back to the pack, but I am confused. It's not until I start to notice all the men with council badges that I realize I may have come at the wrong time.

Telling myself that I misread my siblings, I leave and start arranging for B's schoolwork to be emailed to her.

Whatever is happening, I want to make sure she is okay first. My little sister has worked too hard to have everything stripped away from her, and as for myself, I have sniffed way too many vials of liquid sh*t to let it all go to waste.

Rhea's POV

I had to take yet another medical leave of absence from school, but since I am in more advanced classes, I am able to keep up with my lessons online. Fortunately for me, Raven was able to get the word to my professors early, so I didn't have much to do in terms of communication, just a scanned copy of a doctor's note.

My university has been extremely understanding toward my situation because they stand to make thirty percent of whatever profit I make from my experiments or hold an equal amount in equity in any business that comes from it. At the end of the day, fertilizer is not just a wolf thing; it's big business, especially in the organic world.

I have been in the hospital for two weeks because I had fluid in my lungs and could not be discharged until they were fully cleared. Sylvia also told me that the hospital is the safest place for us to recover our strength, especially since council members have been coming back and forth to interview me about what happened.

Even under alpha command, which has become easy for me to ignore, my story has not changed. I was punished for being disrespectful, I invoked the blood oath to 'appease' high Alpha Newt, and I was punished further for it. I am lying straight through my teeth, but I know my story matches everyone else's and as far as anyone is concerned, I am the victim.

It turned out that Alpha Newt was acting outside of his official purview as a high Alpha, but because I am such a sweet and forgiving girl, I have decided to let the whole thing go for the small sum of ten acres of land. I have no idea what I am going to use it for, but I'm thinking I can start my own farm when I am too old to live on pack grounds without being a member.

That was the only drawback to everything, High Alpha Newt was not a complete idiot, and he has been accusing me of acting, so to 'settle his mind,' I have agreed not to join my brother's pack. While that technically makes me a rogue, I have never belonged to a pack, so I will officially be listed as packless.

I go home today, and Raven has made all the arrangements to have me brought back to our apartment. She told me that she was busy working for our mutual benefit, which was why she did not visit, but I know from Lark that she swung at Luke, fought with Robin, and was exiled for six months as punishment.

That was something I did not foresee, but Raven must have some idea, just like the rest of my family, that I did everything for a reason because she hasn't done anything retaliatory, which is very unlike her.

After my last checkup with the physician, who is new, both of my sisters end up in the room with me. I can tell that Luke is put off about it, but Lark convinces him that we will be okay. When both men are gone, Raven immediately blurts out what bothers her the most. She has always been that way.

"You could have told me you know?"

"Luke asked me not to."

"Luke? I'm your twin Robin."

"And he is my mate."

"And apparently his d*ck is good enough to wipe away our bond."

"Just like Tucker's convinced you to leave your family." I cover my ears as my sisters go back and forth with a sexually explicit argument that never quite reaches the level of shouting.

"Please stop," I finally add.

I know both my sisters are sexually active, and I have some clues as to their preferences in bed, but as twins the girls share more with one another, and my ears cannot take the level of detail I am being exposed to.

They do not even hear me as they continue, and after bashing one another about who is more whipped by their partner, they start comparing stamina and size, which makes me check out completely.

My wolf is chuckling in my mind because she finds my sisters amusing, and because she knows they are not actually mad at one another. They are just too prideful to back down, but while Robin is physically strong, Raven is verbally undefeated.

"One thing's for sure. You are definitely happier than I am, and it shows in your weight." Robin gasps and looks at me as if to have me tell her that Raven is lying, but my sister is looking a little plump.

"Your breasts have gotten a little bigger," I say softly, and Robin cups herself excitedly, making Raven and I laugh.

Colton's POV

There is a lot of gossip surrounding the Claw pack and B, but none of it is proven. My father is obviously guilty of something, but he has done an excellent job of getting the former alpha to think that he had no idea he was being invited to a forced celebration. I don't know if the man has gone soft with age, or just doesn't give enough of a sh*t to call my father out, but from the sounds of things, he has bought the innocent act.

Carter and I have intensified our training on our own, because we have realized that taking over my father's pack is not going to be a peaceful transition. The man is power hungry and the fact that he was willing to sacrifice the life of a little girl means that he has pretty much lost his mind.

The only good thing to come from the situation is that my father has told me that I will no longer be pursuing Raven. Dolton has apparently made some indication that he will live wherever his mate chooses to live.

That causes a bit of an issue for me, but I'm not worried about it. My brother and I were never really the closest, but we have always agreed that the alpha title would go to the best fighter. It's simple, clean cut, and hassle free.

I start feeling heavy and I turn to see my beta moping. Our bond has gotten stronger, and I can now feel his emotional fluctuations, which does not happen often, but when it does it is almost always because of Mandy.

"What now?"

"She is going to B's welcome home party without me." I chuckle at my jealous friend.

"I tried to get an invite too," I add self-deprecatingly.

"Do you think she will be okay?" I nod, pouring both he and I a drink.

"B is a strong girl. Even if she isn't, we will never know." My beta gives me a strange look and I raise my brow at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I was talking about Mandy."