sorry for the short chapter but the next one is going to be a long one, and this kinda an introduction into some flashback scenes. things are getting crazy up in here kiddos.

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thea's pov

Sebastian, his parents, and I all gathered into his office after breakfast. Sebastian still seemed on edge, so I made sure to stay close to him. We just sat in his chair together, him placing his face in the crook of my neck, and I was leaning back into him. His parents sat in the two chairs in front of Seb's desk, Kade looking stoic as ever.

As much as I knew it was going to be difficult to talk about my parents and what happened, I knew it was necessary. Until Acacia is able to tell what happened to her, I'm the only concrete link to whatever's going on here. It can't be a coincidence that two runt children of Alphas were kidnapped and held captive. Of course, there are differences in both Acacia and I's life, but it all seems fishy. I can feel it in my bones. Somethings up, and we are all woefully in the dark about it. How long has this been going on? Whatever that may be. How have they gotten away with it? Why do these rogues give a flying crap about Alpha's children? They didn't use us for leverage or power... so what was the point?

"Thea. I don't know how much you remember of that night, but it was brutal. I'm sure you know that. It rocked the entire world. All of the Alphas came together after it happened. Wracking our brains, trying to figure out what happened, why, and how. You're Father was a powerful man, but he was a good man too. He didn't have enemies, there were no found threats to your pack at the time, at least not any we could find, and with no witnesses, we were hopeless to find the culprits. And, to add to the confusion of it all, you were never found among the..." Kade coughed, turning away from us. He looked pained as he tried to get a hold of himself, "We couldn't find any sign of you. No one saw the attack coming, and no one could tell what happened. It was a massacre with no trail to follow. The only conclusion we could come to was that it was rogues. But it never made sense, how a group of rogues could slaughter the pack of one of the most powerful Alphas in the world. It just didn't make sense. It... It still haunts me..." He paused, "Excuse me."

Kade walked out of the room brisquely, Bethany following behind him. I was numb. Hearing about the attack left me numb. I didn't know how to process anything, I never really had the chance to. I knew that it was unlikely anyone survived but hearing it still stunned me all the same. Sebastian's grip on my waist had tightened at his Father's words, and the rumble he was letting of was becoming more of a growl.

"Sebastian? Are you OK?" I asked.

"Love, I- I just hate knowing that you spent so many years alone, and hurting."

"I know. I don't like thinking about it either, but Sebastian you, and I both know it needs to happen. We need to understand, I need to understand what happened that night. Not only so I can find some sense of closure, but so we can make sure no one else is being hurt by those men. There are too many questions and not enough answers Sebastian." My head hurt, thinking about what had happened to my pack, but I had to. Too many things were at stake.

"You're alright Little One. I know you are. That is why you are my other half, you are far stronger than I could ever be. Maybe not in the physical sense, but you are able to put others above yourself. And, I'll always be there to make sure you don't neglect your own health and happiness. Always." He kissed my knuckle and returned his face into the crook of my neck.

*

Not too long after Kade left, he and Bethany returned. After apologizing for his departure we picked up where we left off.

"Do you have any clues as to what happened? Did they ever say anything you can think of that might explain this?" Bethany spoke simply, but still wary of her words.

"I-I I'm not s-sure. T-the things they s-said t-to me..." I shivered, and Sebastian kissed the crook of my neck, "The things they said, d-didn't pertain to what happened. T-they r-rarely acknowledged the fact that they k-kidnapped m-m-me. They just b-beat me, k-kic-cked me, and l-left." The memories started to swirl in my head, and my head started to spin. Thinking about the past seven years of my life brought nothing but stress. I didn't want the memories. I didn't want the thoughts swirling in my head. It was like a carousel ride that wouldn't stop, the thoughts racing around in my mind leaving me drained. On good days, when Sebastian succeeds at keeping me distracted, helping me adjust to life again, it's easier to control the onslaught of memories. But when I give myself time to think... When I let myself remember... It's never good. I hate thinking about those men, and what they did. I don't like remembering all the insults they hurled at me, and all the cruel things they made me think. They had warped my thoughts so much, I didn't even believe my mate when I met him. I couldn't imagine why he would keep me, I didn't see a future other than rejection. I still fear that sometimes, on days when the fear creeps in and I can't seem to force it out. I'm lucky enough to have Sebastian now. Being near him soothes me. His scent surrounds me, his crooning calms my mind even if just a little, but now, thinking about then... I felt like the walls were closing in, and I couldn't catch my breath if I tried.

"Baby, you've got to breathe, OK? Breathe. You're safe now, OK? You're safe. They can't hurt you anymore." Sebastian continued to coo in my ear, doing anything he could to soothe me, but I just couldn't breathe. I was mad at myself for not being able to remember any details about the attack. I was mad that I didn't pay closer attention to my surroundings, and the captors that held me.

"I don't know. I don't know. I don't know." I just kept repeating myself, again and again. I sounded like a broken record. I tried to focus on my surroundings, focus on Sebastian and his touch, but I couldn't seem to get control.

"S-S-Seb I c-can't breathe. I c-can't breathe." He rubbed my arms soothingly,

"I know, baby. I know. But, you're OK. I've got you. Just focus on your breathing. Focus. I've got you." I tried and failed to control my breathing, it felt like the room was spinning, and I felt sick.

"I--I c-can't." My breathing became even worse, and I could feel my consciousness going in and out.

"Little One, what do you need? What's going on, baby?" Sebastian's voice seemed frantic, and I could only imagine what I looked like at that moment.

I took a few deep breaths, in vain, and I stuttered out a few words, that sounded like absolute gibberish. Before I could even think about it,  I was out.

omg get ready for the feels next chapter, again sorry for the delay and the not so long chapter, with a little bit of writers block and a chapter work around i thought i'd give you a taste of whats to come, and work on a killer chapter for next week that will make up for it all! thank you all so much for reading, and again i apologize for the delay and short chapter!

thanks everyone,

-ej