Chapter 2) family

"Riddler, don't forget that Justice is here tonight." My Mom calls out the door leading from the kitchen.

"Willa, he may as well move into the room beside Reign. Those two are glued together at the hip." Dad says, sounding serious. I tilt my head with a frown. Dad has been talking like this for a couple weeks now.

Justice is still up in Byron's room. I swear, that boy takes at least an hour in the shower.

"Willa, I'm serious." Dad suddenly pops his head into the door. "I want Justice to move in with us."

"Well... I think that we should ask Justice what he thinks about it first, honey. Don't you?" Mom ask, biting her lip. "And there'd have to be some rules too..."

"He should be coming down soon. We can talk to him over dinner."

All of this is said so fast that I barely have time to comprehend what is happening before Justice is bounding down the stairs, two at a time.

"Reign!" He calls, coming up behind me and yanking on my stool, spinning me away from the bar to face him.

"What?" I shake my head, sitting up straight.

"You didn't answer me when I linked you."

"I- um, I didn't hear you?"

"You were lost in your own mind, again, weren't you?" He shakes his head. "I asked if you wanted to watch Planet Terror or Warm Bodies?"

"Your fixation with zombie romance is outstanding. Non the less, I'd go Warm Bodies any day... too much gore in Planet Terror, Byron's hanging with us tonight."

"You baby the kid too much!" Justice cries, grabbing my shoulders. "He's gonna have to grow up one of these days,"

"I am grown up!" Byron suddenly charges into the room holding a huge plate of burgers. "Just because I hate that damn movie doesn't mean shit! It's so stupid-"

"I'm about to put a bar of soap in your mouth, young man." Mom suddenly says, sitting the big bowl of macaroni and cheese on the table.

Byron groans quietly, sitting the plate down at the other end of the table.

"So, Justice," my mom starts, sending a wave of panic up my spine... for reasons unknown. "What kind of movies do you like other that zombie romance?"

"I like old war movies. I think that is my favorite. Like the Memphis Bell."

"Those are some interesting choices... can you tell me why?"

I tense a little, because I know his answer is going to be important. I don't know what is going to mater, but I do know that it will put weight on the decision about him moving in with us.

I am very much invested in this. I know that it will make things easier on my best friend. He feels so alone. This will help. It has to happen.

"Honestly, I like combat movies. I like analyzing the way things move, and how they work. But mostly, I think that these movies are very well plotted." He shrugs at the last part, his eyes on my mother. My nails suddenly dig into something soft, and Justice whips his head to face me, letting out a hiss.

"What the hell, Reign?" He demands, looking down.

My eyes travel down, and I see that he is still holding my seat, so that I am facing him. And my nails are dug into the flesh of his arms.

I jerk back and release him.

"Sorry." I whisper.

My dad then comes into the room, and Justice stands up straight.

"Alpha Riddler." Justice says. Justice is always like this with my father. But, then again , Dad can be.. well, an Alpha. It is in his blood, just like it's in mine.

"Justice Ryes, what am I going to do with you? You're one of the most respecting members of my- well my daughters soon to be Pack."

"I owe it to you, sir. You are the Alpha of the pack that took me in. I owe you my life. My respect is the least I can present you with."

Justice is more serious than I have ever heard him. And I when I glance up to my dads eyes, he is looking at mom.

"Justice... you know the room beside Reigns... Well, it's a spare bed room. And you're going to be Reign's Beta..."

"What my husband is trying to say, Justice, is..."

"Oh, for fucks sake, Justice, my mom and dad want you to move in with us!" Byron suddenly shouts.

Everything freezes. Justice, already stiff, stiffens further, as if frozen.

"Are you being serious?" He breathes a few minutes later, the silence making his words ring in the room.

"Dead serious, Justice. What do you say? You wanna live with us?" My mom smiles at my frozen friend, breaking the tension with her warm eyes.

My friend looks over his shoulder at me. I nod encouragingly. "Justice. They have been talking about this for weeks." I whisper.

"Well, come on, man. You're gonna live with us, right? I mean, what else would you do? We want you here- hell! Give us a benefit over the females! Three to two! Fix those damn vote outs! We will own movie night!" Byron ways, laughing his ass off.

But Justice keeps his eyes on me.

"What do you say, Justice? You want to be house buddies?" I stand, bumping his shoulder.

"You guys... are being serious." He says quietly. I look up into his eyes, he looks like he is about to cry. My hand takes his shoulder and gives him a light shake.

"Man, we've dealt with you for five years. You practically live here anyways. Just say yea and make it official." I squeeze his shoulder.

"Okay," he says quietly. Then he looks back at my dad. "If you're sure, sir, I'd really like to."

"If you make one more blasted reference to how sure I am, I'll drowned you in the back yard." Dad jokes, smiling. "You're living here, and that's final."

"Thank you, sir." Justice says quietly, bowing his head in respect.

"It's Riddler, Justice. We're going to be living together."

"Okay, siRiddler." He starts, saving himself.

"Well! Let's eat, already! I'm starved." Byron says. Mom sighs in relief, thankful as we all are for Byron's rudeness crushing the awkwardness of the moment.

Everyone takes a seat at the table. Dad, of corse, is at the head of the table, mom to his left. And Byron setting next to mom. I'm on dad's  right, and Justice is setting next to me, across from Byron. And so starts dinner.

"Tomorrow, Byron and Reign are going to help you get all you stuff here, okay, Justice?" Mom says after dinner.

It's about nine thirty, and we were just about to head up the stairs, towing an already half asleep Byron with us.

"Yes, ma'am." Justice says quietly and Dad laughs a little before shooing us up the stairs and to our rooms.

"Sorry sis. Rain check?" Byron says quietly, slurring a little.

"Okay, Byron." I say, smirking, and leading him to his room before pushing him onto his bed, after wading through fifteen years of dirt.

"Night, Byron." I say, pressing my hand against his forehead, giving a light shove.

"Love you, Reign." He whispers suddenly. I can't help but smile at the words.

"Dido, lil bro," I mumble before slowly starting to back out of his doom and into the hallway where Justice is waiting for me.

He and I walk to my room and I head straight for my bed. "I think Byron's little rain check thing was genius," I mumble, Justice hot on my tail.

"Yeah, its been some day, hasn't it?" Justice says, sitting on the end of my bed, beside if me.

"Yeah." I sigh, looking up at the millions of little glow light stars that eliminate my bed room. Enough to give everything a faint outlining, but not enough to keep one from sleeping peacefully.

"Hey, umm, did you know what your parents were gonna to do that today?" Justice ask quietly, sounding insecure about something.

"No, Justice, of course I didn't.... I mean, they have been talking about it for a while, but I didn't know that they were going to get into it all today." I say quietly, before falling back wards onto my bed, my legs dangling off of the edge of the bed. Suddenly, I'm bounced in the air as a second weight settles in beside of me.

I roll onto my side and face Justice.

"Did it upset you?" I ask, curling my hand under my head.

"No, it just surprised me is all. I love your parents. They are so... parenty. And your brother... well, you know I always saw him as my own. He surly irritates me like he is my own blood. And you... you have just always been there. Ever sense I came here." He sighs, looking over at me.

He rolls over to face me, his hand resting on my cheek. I relish in the warmth of his touch, my eyes closing as I relax.

"I love you, Reign." He whispers, and my eyes snap open.

He leans in and presses his lips to my cheek. I stay frozen.

"Reign." He whispers. "You are gong to turn eighteen in a couple of months. And when you do, I really hope that you turn out to be mine... my mate. My everything. Because I really do love you."

"I don't know what to say, Justice." I whisper. "I -I mean-"

"Reign, nothing has to change. I have loved you for quiet sometime now. I just felt like I needed to tell you."

"Justice." I murmur.

"Let's just go to sleep. Okay?" He says, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me into his chest. I cuddle into him. Just like every other night we have slept together.

"Night, Justice." I mummer.

"Night Reign." He counters.

Sleep over comes me, and I relish in the fact that for the first time this week, I fall into a peaceful, restful sleep.

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"Reign... Reign. Wake up, " Justice's voice calls out to me, but his voice sounds different. Scared, worried.

"What is't, Justice?" I mumble, rolling away from him.

"Your dad wants me to wake you up. We're under attack." He says, sounding slightly panicked.

I instantly sit up. "What do you mean, were under attack?!" I thunder.

"Just that, Reign, a bordering pack just attack our eastern border. Word was taken. We need to get up. Now."

I stand up quickly and go to my closet, grabbing my boots and pulling them on.

"Shit." I mumble, then rush towards the door to my room, going for Byron.

"We have to get out of here, Byron! Get up!" I yell at him, slamming his door open. He jump up and looks at me.

"Why is it?" He mumbles, sounding confused.

"Attack on the Eastern boarder. We need to go. Get down stairs to mom! Now! Move it!" I yell at him, and he jumps up, following me and Justice to the stairs and rushing down them. Mom is at the door, waiting for us.

"Where is dad?" I demand, looking all around.

"He went to the front to help stop the oncoming fleet." Mom sounds like she is about to cry.

I feel the blood drain from my face.

"I have to go to him." I say, panic raising in me. "He's my dad! I have to help!"

"No, Reign, you can't!" She grabs my arm tightly, trying to keep me from going out the door, holding me down with all her might, but I still can push passed her, I just don't want to hurt her.

"Mom, I can and I will, that's my dad our there! I can't just set her and do nothing! I am not a coward!"

"Reign, honey, you don't understand. It's the Red Star pack that is attacking us!"

"I don't give a fuck if it's hell hounds bread from the depths of hell! I am going to help dad!"

"You can't! Reign! The Red Star-"

"Mom, I love you. But I can't just

sit here and do nothing while my pack is out there fighting those damn Red Stars!"

"You have to!"

"Mom-"

"The Red Star Alpha will kill you if he finds you there, Reign. Please, just listen to me!" She says harshly, desperately. As if she knows something I don't. Something that is deadly and dangerous. I try to reach out to dad through the link, but it's all white noise. I become irritated.

"Why!? I'm just a warrior right no-"

"Because you killed his Wife! Your the child that killed his wife December thirty first at midnight seventeen years ago!" The entire room goes still.

Then, that moment, my world falls apart. But midnight on December thirty first... that was five hours before I was born. This doesn't make any sense.

My wolf comes rushing towards he surface, taking over. As she always does when my emotions are high. When I don't know how to feel or what to do with those feelings.

We look at the woman before us.

"What do you mean?" We ask, my wolf trying to push me back from the situations, as if she knows something is about to happen that will change everything. It is all silent, my mother looking at me like she is about to rip my heart out of my chest.

"You're Alpha Xavier and Luna Bethany's child. And Xavier wants you dead because he blames you for Bethany's death...." she looks at me, tears in her eyes.

"What do you mean? I'm no-" we're cut off then.

"You're not our biological child, Reign."