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Acacia/Ciarán - Age 9

"Acacia..." Dante's voice holds caution, and I continue to stare into reddish-orange eyes, the pupils a golden center...unlike any other wolf eyes I've ever seen. I can hear daddies approaching me, but I shake my head.

"Ciarán...I love you...you won't hurt me," I catch a spark in his eyes before I suddenly lift my arms and wrap them around the back of his neck. My fingers grasp onto his fur as a low rumble comes from the back of his throat, though his head lowers onto my shoulder, wondering how scared he might be feeling as I don't know what I would do if I suddenly turned into a wolf.

Very slowly, I hear and feel the shift around me and soon enough, my brother has his arms around me as he cries into my shoulder. His shoulders rise and fall, holding onto me tightly as he sobs, "I-I...I-Aca..."

Mama and daddies are quick to surround us both, holding us tightly while Dante eventually pulls Ciarán away from me and wraps him in a blanket. He picks him up and carries him to the car, daddy and mama searching me over before mama checks my arm.

Before she's about to heal me with her blood, daddy says, "Rose, no...your healing," she's reminded before she lowers her gaze and rises to her feet. While mama nods and heads toward the car to help Dante, daddy is quick to bite into his wrist and offer me his blood. Just watching his fangs sink into his flesh reminds me of how Mercury bit me and I take an involuntary step away.

Daddy furrows his brows and says, "It's alright Acacia, nothing you haven't had before."

Quietly nodding my head, I taste his blood, and the teeth marks from the wolf begin to heal and finally close. When I lift my lips away, daddy allows for this puncture marks to heal shut. He lifts me up, and I wrap my arms around his neck, resting my head against his shoulder, my forehead resting against the side of his neck.

His arms hold me close to him, walking me across the sand as he whispers, "You were very brave my little love, and I'm so proud of you."

A smile works its way onto my lips, and I whisper back, "Thank you, daddy...I love you and...is Ciarán going to be okay?"

"Yes...none of us could have predicted or been prepared for his first shift," daddy tells me as we make it to the car, Ciarán sitting in his seat in a new change of clothes while he holds the blanket around him, shivering slightly.

I get into the middle seat and buckle up, moving closer to my brother as I cuddle with him. His eyes look down at me as I glance up at him, smiling as he offers a weak smile back. Daddy gets in next to me while Dante and mama take the front seats, driving off and away from the beach as night falls.

The stars twinkle outside the car windows, staring up at the sky and the moment I see it fly across the darkness I exclaim to Ciarán, "A shooting star!"

Daddy's voice trails off as he states, "So it is..."

--💫--

Dante spent the next few months helping Ciarán learn how to control his shifting, making it easier, less painful and how to tap back into his mind to control the wolf within him. Mama and I made the shell necklace, purple and white shells now hang around my neck as I grin every time I think about the time we spent together. Daddy taught me a few more advanced moves through our matches, and he hasn't won since.

It feels like time has gone by so quickly because mama is going to have the baby today. When Ciarán and I would ask if we are going to have a little brother or sister, they said it's going to be a surprise for all of us, just like the two of us were.

We don't have to wait that much longer, Ciarán and I waiting in the room outside with Grandpa Keir. We talk a lot, Ciarán telling him about how he shifted and Grandpa Keir being so proud of him, stating that he's one of a kind.

Grandpa Keir asks me, "Acacia?"

"Yes, Grandpa?" I ask while I don't look up from the puzzle book that mama had gotten me a few weeks ago.

When I don't look up at him, he continues, "School at the castle will be over soon...did you want to spend the summer with my pack?"

Ciarán and I quickly glance at one another, and I quietly reply, "No...I think I'm going to stay here with the new baby."

"Alright, I see," Grandpa Keir nods, though when I look at him, I catch that golden glint reflecting off his irises and I don't know what he's thinking. In the next second, we all can hear crying coming from the other room, and I gasp.

Ciarán and I look at one another excitedly before Dante comes through those doors and smiles, "Come on in twins," he also regards Grandpa Keir before we are led into the room. Mama is lying on the recliner bed while she holds a baby in her arms, wrapped up in a blanket as daddy stands beside her.

Niles smiles while cleaning up as we move further toward her. When Ciarán and I come closer, she shows us the baby as it has the same color hair has mama and Ciarán, but has daddy's green eyes. Dante comes and stands next to mama also while she says, "Acacia," she nods at daddy, and we then find out that it's daddy's baby and I smile widely while Ciarán is bouncing up and down to know what it is.

Mama announces with a smile on her face, "Twins meet your new baby brother...Marcus."

Daddy is the one to follow up with, "Marcus is a werewolf, your mom and dad can already feel his wolf's presence."

Grandpa Keir is proud to welcome another grandchild into our family, talking with mama and daddies as Ciarán and I spend time with them and our new baby brother Marcus. I'm delighted that he's going to be more like me until he grows up and his wolf comes out, ready to spend time with him as he grows up.

"Mama, did you choose Marcus for your werewolf mate Marc?" I ask her while the baby coos and waves his little arms.

Mama glances from daddies and then Grandpa Keir before she begins, "Acacia, Ciarán...I know you're both getting a little older and after what your grandpa said happened while you were away for the summer Acacia, I think it's time," she pauses a moment to shift Marcus into daddy's arms before she then continues, "you both know I had a werewolf mate, Marc..."

Ciarán and I nod at one another while mama then says, "What you don't know and from what your daddies and I only learned before you went aware for the summer...Marc's last name was Regan," mama sees the look lingering in my eyes at the realization of everything, but it hurts deeper when she says, "Marc died because of me...he was killed..." her voice trails off, and I see the pain lingering on all of their faces.

Grandpa Keir is the one to say, "That's the reason Alpha Chris treated you the way he did Acacia...he saw you as an extension of your mother, which he shouldn't have done as you can't judge children based off their parents. He believes that if Taron gets close to you, he'll end up hurt just like Marc did," he pauses as I exhale deeply, understanding the reasoning behind a lot of things, "though, that was a horrible thing for him to do, especially to an eight-year-old who knew nothing of his brother."

Mama nods and says, "Now you both know."

Ciarán turns to me and says, "You said Taron Regan gave you that rock when daddy asked about it a few months ago."

I nod; daddy already gave me the rock back before we went to the beach. Mama continues to say, "Apparently, he has an older brother, and that is the alpha you met over the summer Acacia, Chris Regan."

Ciarán gives me this weird face before he giggles, "Is that the new person you met? Why'd he give you a rock?"

I look away from all of them while Grandpa Keir decides to take the conversation in a different direction, "As I explained to you all before," he nods in the direction of mama and daddies, "Taron will be taking Sophia as a choice mate to bind the packs together, and our future is ensured for when I inevitably leave this world."

Grandpa Keir needs to live forever.

Ciarán is much more perceptive than I thought...he asks, "Is that why you don't want to go back in the summer?" He pauses a moment with his eyes wide open, "You have a crush on him? He has a crush on you?!"

I shield my face from everyone as I don't know what I feel and as Grandpa Keir has made it apparent...he's to be mated to Sophia.

"Acacia?" Grandpa Keir asks, and I don't look at him, continuing to look away.

It's odd though, because of both daddies...I can feel their demeanor shift as well as their strength while mama is the one to say, "Keir...there's nothing wrong with a little kid crush, now is there?"

"No...I suppose not, however," Grandpa Keir pauses a moment, and I feel his eyes on me, "this merger is significant because the Crusaders Pack brings renewed strength that my warriors don't have. My pack may not be the strongest, but Alpha Chris knows we are the wisest and that is strength in its own right."

Daddy notes very quickly, "Just like Acacia."

I freeze the moment he says that, wanting to disappear on the spot. Why is daddy standing up for me about a boy? It's not even like I'm going to be more than friends with him. I like being friends, and I know how much Sophia is becoming attached, and I don't want to lose my friend over something trivial and silly.

Grandpa Keir chuckles at his response, "Yes, you have an excellent point though, if Acacia truly does have a dormant werewolf gene and she finds her mate, then she already belongs to Dante and Rose's pack."

How silly of me...I thought I might get to go live with Grandpa Keir...as Dante and mama's pack don't necessarily live on the castle grounds. They remained at his old estate as that's the territory they are familiar with and now...they have two claimed territories with the castle grounds as well.

It's smart.

Maybe I can go live there?

Wait...if Ciarán now has his wolf...will that mean he'll spend more time away from me too and go there?

I don't want to lose my brother...

...one way or another, I don't have control over that.

The next few days pass quickly as I enjoy helping mama with my new baby brother. When we are all sitting in the living room, Dante's phone rings and he answers it. After a few short seconds he says, "Ciarán, it's Mercury for you."

Ciarán stands up from the floor as we were playing a game of cards. He takes the phone, and after a short conversation he asks our parents, "Can I spend the night over at Mercury's?"

After they all talk about it, daddy says, "I'll drive you, but Delaney needs to bring you back tomorrow," he pauses a moment while Ciarán tells Mercury he'll be coming over while daddy asks me, "did you want to come along for a car ride? We can go for ice-cream after on the way back."

Ciarán hangs up the phone and gives it to Dante as he asks me, "Please!? Car rides are boring with just daddy."

"Hey!" Daddy exclaims, and we both laugh.

Nodding I reply, "Okay, it'll be fun; we can play the memory game and see if you remember the tricks I taught you."

"Sounds like fun!" Ciarán is quick to get his overnight bag together, slinging it over his shoulder before we are all waiting at the entryway of the castle. Daddy and the both of us wave goodbye to mama and Dante, Marcus sound asleep in mama's arms.

Ciarán and I get into the back seat of the car, daddy waiting for us to buckle up before he begins to pull away from the castle. While we are driving on the freeway, Ciarán shows that he is learning and took my advice, matching a good amount of cards much easier this time around.

It's soothing having the jazz that daddy puts on in the background, Ciarán suddenly asking me, "I know you like seeing your friends at Grandpa Keir's...you're going to let this boy be the reason you're staying away?"

"I want to spend time with mama and our new baby brother," I'm quick and shield myself from the real reason that everyone is beginning to understand.

Daddy watches us in the rearview mirror while Ciarán then says, "You were there; first, he's just marching in-"

"Ciarán, that's enough," daddy cuts him off as he sees the mixed feelings lingering in my features. I want to go back, but I don't want to worry about ruining the friendships I already have something that I can't control.

"Dad, it's not fair...Acacia deserves to-"

"This is Keir and Alpha Chris' decision," daddy is again stopping Ciarán from talking, turning down toward one of the streets toward the Thornton estate grounds. He pauses a moment once he catches Ciarán's attention and their eyes lock into a death stare as he states, "If anything...your sister is putting their pack needs above her feelings. This is a very big merge for their two packs, and in this world, there are still dangers including competing packs for territories and rogues. Keir is doing what is necessary to ensure the safety and the future of his pack...regardless of the stance you take; it is not your final decision...end of discussion."

It's quiet for those few seconds, a dark growl coming from the back of Ciarán's throat and I see the golden glint reflecting off his reddish-orange eyes. Daddy stares at him once more before he says, "Learn to control your wolf before it controls you."

"You don't even have one," Ciarán's snarky remark sets me on edge while I watch the two of them silently, "you couldn't even help me..."

Daddy doesn't feed into whatever Ciarán is trying to prove or get at, knowing this is where mama and Dante have a much more in-depth affinity for understanding his true hybrid self. Instead, daddy turns his attention to me and captures my gaze through the rearview mirror before he notes, "You're a very clever girl little love, and so I shouldn't need to remind you that Taron Regan is already in an arranged marriage or mate bond to Sophia. If you do decide to go back for the summers, understand that I need you to not interfere with the process they are all going through," he pauses a moment when I breathe in a shaky breath and he states, "you're only nine, and there's a whole world waiting for you...this is a fleeting childhood crush that will become nothing more."

Why are you so cruel to me?

First, you stood up for me in front of Grandpa Keir, saying I'd be fit to be a part of his pack...now you say I shouldn't bother to entwine myself further into their lives?

Daddy...

Ciarán sees the way his words leave a sting, and my heart hurts as I have to understand that he's right...I'm not part of their world truly and I'll never...

"We're here," daddy pulls me from my thoughts as he pulls up to the massive estate. I don't even let him open my door, getting out of the car and standing alongside it before Ciarán gets out and meets me. Daddy glances at the two of us before we follow quietly behind his long strides, coming to stand before the doors.

After the doors open, I see Delaney standing off to the side while it's Mercury who answers it. Mercury is quick to flash a smile and say, "Hey Mr. Arin," before he moves back into the entryway and allows him access.

"Mercury," daddy regards him while walking inside, Delaney offering him a warm smile while Ciarán and I follow him inside. Mercury's eyes first glance over Ciarán and then narrow when they land on me for a split second. In the living room, I see there are an array of different ages, Ciarán and Mercury's friends shooting pool and playing video games.

Daddy and Delaney begin to talk, and I quietly stand by the door. Mercury turns to Ciarán and says, "We're going to be having the sleepover in the ballroom, so..." his voice trails off as he glances to the living room and says, "...how about we join the others in the living room and perhaps your sister might be so kind enough to take your bag for you?"

Furrowing my brows I shake my head, folding my arms and sitting on the bench on the other side of the door and away from Mercury. When I say nothing in return, Ciarán doesn't quite understand why Mercury says this and replies, "I've got two legs, I can do it myself."

I smirk and watch the way Mercury's features alter at Ciarán's response, though he nods without another word, watching as he heads toward the ballroom down the hallway. Keeping my focus on daddy and Delaney, I try to avoid Mercury's lingering stare before I finally release a sigh and say, "Daddy...can we go?"

Daddy's interrupted with what he was saying to Delaney, and he turns to me for a moment. He says, "Acacia, please don't be rude."

"I'm not!" I cross my arms in front of my chest and glare at the wall in front of me.

"You wanted to come and keep Ciarán company," daddy reminds me, and I just grumble under my breath while he finishes, "if you want to go play for a bit, I'm sure that's fine."

Delaney nods and says, "I know how much you like to read," she motions toward the direction of a side hallway while she notes, "if you don't want to play, you're always welcome to the library."

Well...that sounds a bit better at least.

Delaney then says, "If you want to find it on your own it's down that hallway before turning down two more at the far end...otherwise Mercury can show you," she nods at him while a chill runs down my spine.

I choose life.

"No, I'm okay," I see something flash across Mercury's eyes before I say, "I'll wander around and find it."

Daddy smiles and says, "We shouldn't be more than a half hour. We'll get ice-cream on the way home as I promised."

"Okay, daddy!" I smile while hopping off the bench and scooting around Mercury and the adults. Ciarán catches sight of me, and before he's about to ask where I'm going, I say, "I'm going to go read until daddy is ready."

"Alright," he smiles before I glance over my shoulder and see his head into the living room. My attention moves back toward the hallways, keeping track of where Delaney had mentioned the library was. It's not that hard to figure out where it is as the bordering of the door is quite finely detailed with a small symbol of a book in the middle.

I'm right about to set my hand on the doorknob when his voice makes me stop, "How about I show you a room more suited for you?"

It's Mercury.

Slowly, I turn around and breathe out sharply when I see it isn't just Mercury, but his closet friend that I'd come to know as Cypher. He was the one who pushed me down that day and cut my arm on the rock.

"No thank you," I mumble out quietly...though he starts to walk toward me. My breathing is uneven, the fear I feel for being alone with him makes my skin crawl. Right as I part my lips, ready to call out for daddy, I see him shake his head with a smirk plastered on his lips.

"Let's not call for daddy," he narrows his eyes the second he's within a few feet of me, staring down into my frightened eyes as he towers over me, "Marcus is such a cute baby...wouldn't want anything to happen to him."

A small squeak passes my lips when he grabs the front of my shirt and draws me to him, my eyes wildly searching his. Cypher moves closer to my side, my heart beating fast when he chuckles, "She's just so weak."

"Humans tend to be, especially when they don't have a backbone," Mercury responds to him before he then tells me, "we'll save the room I want to show you for another day...let's move inside the library then."

He nods at the door before releasing his hold on my shirt, and I stand frozen. Cypher is the one to ask, "Aren't you going to be a good little girl and open the door for your superior?"

"Please...leave me alone," tears are in my eyes before Mercury suddenly outstretches