A/N: Not Edited.

Chapter 21 – Chris POV

Occurrences where the conversation is stilted and there isn’t a way to move on or goes back, or even wish you hadn’t asked a question to begin with, we would be having a lot of those.

With Rainy, it was sooner she had some type of trust with Logan and I, but the children. I knew the research; it could be years before anything even… before they could face what happened, while some may start talking about their time away immediately, but there was so much to look out for and worse it wasn’t just one child, it was eight of them.

I already knew that it was a tough road, and suddenly years of studying psychology 30 years ago, current studies and articles all flash through my mind, and I don’t know how Rainy and I are going to handle it all.

Knowing that no matter what, the only thing I could do would be to show them, tell them every day that they aren’t at fault, what happened wasn’t because they did a single thing wrong. But most importantly they wouldn’t have to recover alone; I would be, for anything, everything. Give them a safe place where they could experience what little bit of their childhood they could, happily, peacefully.

“You’re here Rainy, the babies are here and you’re all safe. I’m here, Logan is here,” I whispered when after telling Logan about ‘Jax,” she began to tremble. Like me Logan put his own anger aside, remaining calm for her, for the kids.

“Rainy, concentrate on Nicole’s heartbeat, deep breath… good, now let it go,” I coached softly. Cutting the ragged breath she took, Kayla began whimpering, her body shaking slightly next to Bailey, strangled keening noises you’d hear from an animal, not a child. Torn between holding Michelle in my arms and calming Kayla and unsure of how that would be received.

The machines she was connected to quicken, the beep getting faster as Kayla whimpered, I stand and place Michelle in the crook of Rainy’s other arm, walking around and heading to Kayla just as Nancy and another woman entered. Bailey, is there trying to calm her but his hands are shaking unaware of how to even give her comfort with all the injuries.

“Shhh – shhh,” he continues but that isn’t enough to actually bring her back, take here away from the nightmare. When I reach out to touch her, Bailey pushes my hand away, growling – then the little color he had gain in the short time being out drained from his face, his eyes fearful and the arm around Kayla tightens. She whimpers louder, but that isn’t enough to break the fearful teary eyed gaze he has. I sigh, “It’s okay Bailey, I – I need to help Kayla wake up, the machines the noise tells me to help her,” I explain, realizing I might have to do that for a long time to come. Explain first, move second.

To show him that there wasn’t a punishment coming, I looked to Kayla, and Nancy came taking Bailey from Kayla’s bed.

“Kayla, cucciola,” I place a hand gently on her shoulder, “cucciola, wake up,” I cooed, careful not to shake her I called her out, coaxing her from the nightmare in her head.

“Mhmmm,” she whimpered, her eyelashes fluttering over her hollow cheeks.

“Wake up, cucciola,” I said stronger, her eyes flying open and to my great distress she didn’t relax from her tense hold, but still shot up, still to pull herself away from me, but what I saw, tore away at me. She didn’t cry out, instead she bit on her lip to the point of breaking skin; panting and I knew that as she panted she was in more pain.

Reaching for her pain medication I gave her a dose, then everything changed for me, I slipped my hands underneath her careful of every injury, walking near Rainy, ignoring the whimpers, I situated her on my lap and held her to me, facing her towards Rainy, resting one hand against her head, “Kayla it’s okay to cry sweetheart, I know it hurts, you don’t have to hold it in,” I choked out eyes watery. “It’s okay baby, you’re safe now cucciola, you’re safe now.”

Anguish, and a ray of emotions ate away at me, Kayla lifted her hand resting it against my chest, and that one little thing shattered me, because despite placing her hand there she still didn’t relax in my arms, swallowing I began humming.  I would do all the grieving and mourning for her pain, away from here, deal with the helplessness I experienced.

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For good while Logan said nothing, I only heard sobs from next to me, but I wouldn’t make eye contact with anyone. I listened to Kaylas’ heart calm, but the tense, rigid hold she wore… it never melted. Sleep slept, and it remained, she was still on guard. My shirt wet from her tears, I took a deep breath, “You  - you were saying Logan?”

Face scrunched up in reluctance but I knew that whatever it was, had to have been important, so I nodded, “I’m not sure how or even what set the Elders off, but three Elders went to your pack-”

“Ex-pack,” I corrected.

Logan rolls his eyes, but continues, “They arrested or I should say have taken Adina into custody.” Blunt, no feeling except I see it. It’s quick to come and go; disappointment. If I hadn’t seen that I would, with complete certainly believe that Logan had just teleported in and picked her up, hiding her away in his dungeons.

“What?” Rainy whispered, shaking her head, and I hoped that it wasn’t because she thought Adina was innocent in all this as well.

“They were contacted by family of a man I have… he helped in this whole fucked scenario. The family knew what he was involved in doing, knew that Adina helped S-” Logan stops not finishing the name. “Adina helped him and knew that I would make a play for her, which would only bring about trouble and attacks, until I gave her back. Or if I killed her, then it would surely lead to an attack, so they took her to avoid exposure.” Logan finishes robotically and I’d bet anything he wanted to handle Adina herself. I was furious with myself, my brothers and Adina, but Logan… it hurt deeply that The Elders stepped in now when he begged them to step in ten years ago.

They didn’t.

“So they just took her, with no proof?” I scoffed, even better why hadn’t Logan just taken her like he took me?

“If we… Rainy…”

“It’s up to me?” she said detached, instantly worried I wanted to reach out but kept my hands on Michelle instead.

“Yes… no… there are two Elders at Whitefire Pack, if there is no proof that Adina is involved then they just leave her be, but then I can’t handle her the way I would like, and really it’s not up to me Rainy, it’s you. If I show them what – eventually you have to come forward.”

Rainy looked up at the children, focusing mostly on Kayla, before looking down, her response surprising me, “I want them to keep her locked away, a year for each act of abuse I or my children suffered,” bile crept up my throat, I swallowed loudly, but no one looked my way. A year for each act of abuse against her plus eight children for ten years, Adina would be looked away for… for centuries I’m sure. Still wouldn’t be enough.

“Masen took all the files… there is proof…” Rainy said robotically and he nodded, looking at his sister fondly, and I knew then, she could ask him to kill Adina and he would do it. It would only be too easy and I knew because I wanted to do it.

“It might not be that easy Rainy, she will have people from her pack petitioning for her to be released…” the fuck she would, “the Elders were informed by a Fae, Rainy, unless-”

“I want you to take me back Logan, now,” no way in hell would there be a single member of that pack that would be going to petition she be released.

 “You’re going back?” Rainy asked sadness colored her tone.

“No, I’m going to set the record straight, deal with my family, get my things and come back to where I want to me, with the people I want to be with…” I said meaning every single word I said.

 “I – I would like to bring two people back however… if you’re okay with that Rainy?” she stared at me; “Grace and Caleb?” she murmured my parents name without a hint of anger, and then looked up at Logan whose face was blank.

“Do you want them here sissy?” he asked when he realized she wasn’t going to ask for anything, so far the only thing she had asked for was the truth about the children’s conditions. Nodding she smiled at Logan, and then looked down at Nicole and Michelle.

Standing carefully, I lift Kayla and place her back onto her bed, “I’ll be right back cucciola,” I whispered pressing my lips gently to her head.

 When I straighten up, I turn back to Rainy, “I’ll be right back, I’ll see if my parents want to come, they never stopped looking for you, but they just trusted the wrong people. They’d never find you, the person they entrusted was never on their side, never searching for you, just deflecting possible avenues my parents had found, making she they never got too close.” Somewhere in there, the words say; the only person that didn’t look for you Rainy was me, but please don’t push me away.

 She watches me, silently, nodding before turning her eyes to meet Logan’s and his mouth twitches, alerting me they are conversing over the link, “Bubba,” she says in a serious tone, mature.

 “Fine, fine,” he mutters turning to me, “Follow me Crissy!” he snaps and my head snaps over to Rainy who is most definitely not meeting my eyes. Hope flutters in my chest, giving me something to hold onto. I would be patient nonetheless but now, I had that inch of thread. It was something. I’d have to start back at one but no one in the world deserved it more than Rainy, when she left we were friends, and I’d settle for her friendship again. Earn her trust again. 

Lost in my thoughts I didn’t notice that we were back in Logan’s office, he grabbed his laptop, turning to me, serious face and eyes hard, “Don’t rush her!” he growled in my face, ignoring my wolf I nodded, “I won’t, you have my word.”

Logan snorted, “Right because that’s worth anything.”

 “Not yet, but it will be,” I said slowly, meaning it, but he let the subject drop and I did as well. “Let’s go, we aren’t driving the whole way I have a warehouse right outside your ex-pack land,” he left his office, walking outside  there are four men waiting, dressed similar, black shirts, biker boots and black jeans, their arms littered with tattoos, I observe them as they do me.

“Jared, Grant, Ben, Sean this is Chris,” Logan introduces us, each one giving me a sharp nod before entering the black Infiniti.

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We drove silently; until I finally ask what I need too, “Why didn’t you just take Adina like you took me Logan?” it can’t just be because of the Elders being involved.

“At first I was going to suggest she let me deal with it, but when she mentioned this Jax person, not being a person, I need my pack concentrating on that, not worrying about when your ex-pack will attack mine,” he answered, “Plus… it’s not my place… I’m furious with Adina, but I’m not the one she drugged and put in a car with a strange man that said he was her mate. I want you whole pack to know what a failure your brothers are, I want everyone with a child in that pack to know that your brothers let her be kidnapped and look at how I found her,” he gritted his teeth, the anger neither he nor I embraced back with Rainy, coming full throttle.

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