The Secrets We Keep

Chapter 1

Iris

I reached the pups and Aaron. I wanted to wait for my cousin but the longer we waited, the more worried we became. Aaron finally stood and looked at me, "I'm sorry Gamma, we can't stay here any longer. We have to get these pups to safety and get them warm. Especially that one."

"Aaron, don't call me Gamma. Our pack was destroyed, our Alphas and Betas were murdered. And so was Carter." I sighed because I knew he was right. I looked down at the brand new pup in my arms and rocked him. We heard a twig snap and Aaron shifted. One of Demetrius' guards came out from the dark, putting his hands up to show he meant no harm.

"Ayanna sent me. She said we could help each other." He sounded honest and I relaxed.

"What help can you offer?" I questioned him.

"I can get us into hiding. Keep them safe. The siblings would stay together but we would have to separate them from the cousin." He looked at the newborn pup. "What of that one?"

"I'm not sure. The Luna gave him to me. But he needs protecting just the same." I looked at Aaron and he turned to the pups sleeping around the fire.

"I'll take the Beta's pup. She was close to her father, so I'm sure she'll have more comfort with a male figure. Alpha kids are used to a two-parent household. Would you be willing to stay with her and them?" The guard bowed in compliance. Once we had a plan established, we left and started out for a new life. Aaron took the newborn pup and Audrey, and headed toward the closest human town. I took Elias and Amarie, and followed this man I knew nothing about, heading in the direction of White Moon's territory.

14 years later

Erika

I woke up early so I had a chance to eat and get a good workout before school started. I made the cheer team, something I'd always been too shy to try before. I'm not sure why, but I had a sudden burst of confidence in this new town and I liked it. The last school I was at, I was quiet and reserved. I was only comfortable around my boyfriend, Anthony, at the time.I was such an i***t when it came to him and the decisions I made for him. I still text and call him like a lovesick puppy, but the most I'd get back were one-worded texts and "I'll call you back, I'm real busy right now." But it never happened.

After I was done with my early morning activities, I got showered and went downstairs to wait for my brothers and sister so we could get going. One by one they trailed in, obviously not excited about their first day of school, followed by my parents.

Zeric looked at me like I was a crazy person, "How the hell are you happy about the first day of school?" He asked with irritation in his voice.

"Ummm, maybe because for the first time ever in our lifetime I'm not going to be such a loser on our first day." I answered with just as much of a tone as him.

"Both of you stop! Its not even 9 am and you two are already at each other." We heard our father boom at us. He wasn't the most affectionate father, but he's the only one we had. I looked at Zeric and smirked, knowing, if he said anything else my father would rip into him with words of disappointment.

"Well, I'm loading up. If you losers aren't ready and in the car in 5, I'm leaving your ass here." My mother giggled and looked at my dad for his reaction to my words, but before he had the chance to say or look at me, I was out the door. I'm not usually so snippy with my brothers or sister, but Zeric had been so moody lately. I'm not sure what is going on with him but I was sure he would be fine in a day or two. School started at 8, it was 7:40, and I still had to drop Uriah off at junior high. The poor kid was the only one of us that wasn't a high school student this year. I was checking my phone, hoping Anthony would text or call, as Alana jumped into the front seat with a big smile on her face. She was always trying to beat Zeric to the car so that she could ride shotgun, but she rarely got to the car first. I was staring at her, as she looked out of the window, when she finally turned and noticed me trying not to laugh.

"What?" She questioned me.

"Oh nothing. I was just wondering what you were going to do when Zeric comes out and sees you?" I wondered.

"Lock the door duh!" She said hysterically. She was always laughing at something, out of all of us, she was always on a mission to be happy. She was always the ray of sunshine I needed on my gloomy days, but she was also painfully realistic. All of a sudden, we were startled by a loud bang and an even louder, irritated Zeric. I couldn't help but start laughing at how loudly Alana and I girl screamed because of it. The back door opened and Uriah slid in, trying his hardest not to laugh at our brother's moody tantrum he was throwing in the driveway. Zeric finally gave up and got in the back seat with a look that could kill muttering to himself, and red as a tomato. I looked at Alana, then at Uriah in the mirror, and suddenly the car was filled with hysterical laughter. To say my twin was anything but amused was an understatement. It was going to be a great year if this was how it started off.

I pulled up to the junior high and looked at my little brother in the back seat. And I realized he didn't look like a cute little boy anymore, he was starting to stretch and thin out. He looked down into his hands with worry written all over his face, and his hazel eyes glistened as if fighting back tears that threatened to fall.

"What if...... what if it happens again?" He asked us quietly.

We all looked at him.

"Why would that be the first thing that comes to your mind, Riah?" Zeric's words spewed out like venom into my little brother's heart.

"Because man! I have a seriously hard time keeping my anger under control! All of you get by so easily and I...... cant." He said in a defeated tone. I turned around so I could look at him in the face.

"Its not easy." I told him, smiling at him. "Its really, really, hard. I've had to sit and hide in a janitor's closet before."

"I literally ran..... like sprinting. Fast. As far as I could. And then I broke down and cried because of how hard it was for me to face the fact that I had gotten so angry before." Alana told him.

He looked at Zeric, hoping the brother he admired so much would have something to say so he didn't feel so alone.

"This isn't story time! And we have no reason to allow other people to make us angry to the point we almost kill them, you idiots!"

Zeric had no sympathy for the anger, the rest of us had a hard time reigning in. He didn't get made fun of like we did in new places though.

"We aren't savages! We aren't weak minded and we damn sure shouldn't let anyone make us feel inferior to them either! So you pick your head up and you ignore all of the dumb ass losers that think they are better than you." Zeric's face never faltered from the usual confidence that was always plastered on it. I was about to rip into him for him being an ass to Uriah, when all of a sudden my little brother threw himself at my jerk of a twin, with tears in his eyes but the biggest smile from ear to ear. Zeric froze and looked at me just as shocked as I was.

"Thank you!" Uriah said to him quietly. For once, Zeric's, better than you, attitude was used to inspire our gentle giant of a baby brother. Uriah grabbed his bag, gave me and Alana a kiss on the cheek, hopped out of the car with a little more pep in his step and a sudden bit of confidence in his walk. Alana, of course, couldn't leave it at that.

"You know, he didn't get that you were being a jerk, but I know I caught it and so did Erika. You could have been a little more understanding of what he is going through." She said to him, the smile that normally lit up a room, was replaced with a hard look of disappointment and irritation. The rest of the way to school we sat in silence. We pulled up to the student parking lot of our new high school. The excitement was apparent on Alana's face, she did a quick make-up check in the mirror, turned to me with a smile.

"You ready?" She asked with a squeal.

"Umm maybe not as ready as you?" I laughed.

"Oh come on! You were so ready for this this morning!" Her excitement faded a little. "Fine! Be a chicken!"

"I'm not being a chicken!" I gestured my head to Zeric.

"Oh! Umm... bye!" I don't think I've ever seen her run so fast. I grabbed my bag and got out of the car. I glared at my brother as he was staring at me, waiting for the lecture he thought was coming his way.

"What?!" I yelled at him.

"Come on, let's hear what you have to say now. Alana made her opinion clear!" He retorted.

"First off, I am not Alana! Second, what has been your problem lately?! You're moody, irritable and over the top dramatic lately!" My irritation at this point was apparent.

"Maybe it's none of your business!"

"None of my business? Zeric, you're my brother! I'm worried about you! I'm not trying to meddle in your life, I'm trying to understand what you're feeling!" I was shocked by my brother's words, even a little hurt. We didn't always get along, but Zeric and I told each other everything. He was my best friend if I was being completely honest, and for him to actually tell me he was none of my business threw me for a loop. We stood staring at each other for a minute, waiting for the other to come up with some type of words to fuel the fire.

"Fine! Don't tell me!" I finally managed to say to my twin brother. "You don't want me to know, so I dont care. You obviously don't trust me with whatever it is! So you can kiss my ass."

"Ugh!" I heard a loud bang and looked back only to see him pulling his fist back from the punch he threw at my car. I slightly smirked because the last time he punched my car, he ended up grounded for a month. He turned around, frustrated with himself and walked to the building, rushing passed me. I couldn't help the amused feeling as I watched him walking with his head down for the first time ever.

As I was walking to the school building, I laughed at the fact that on the front of the school was a wolf paw print, painted in bright red, with blue and black. And in big bold block letters the word Timberwolves. I walked straight into the back of my brother, standing there like a brick wall. I was about to yell at him when a scent caught my attention. I looked past my brother, when my eyes were met with a pair of the most beautiful teal eyes I've ever seen. Zeric looked at me and then in the direction I was looking.

"Hahaha we just got into this school and you are already making gaga eyes at some guy. What about Anthony?" Apparently he thought the situation with Anthony was a joke. It was infuriating and annoying, so I pushed past him. I went to my homeroom and was hoping sitting in the back of the class would keep me from being noticed. I was on my phone when a guy came and sat next to me. I glanced at him and then went back to minding my business. The bell rang as the class filled with other student and I again stayed to myself. The room was loud and filled with a wide variety of kids.

"So who is the new kid from that town down south? Umm what's the place called?" The kid next to me asked his couple of friends sitting around him.

" It's called Vanadium, and that would be me, my brother and my sister." I looked at him like he was an i***t.

"Oh s**t, my bad." He laughed "Welcome to Round Mountain." I rolled my eyes and went back to my business and his friends started to make fun of him for making himself look like an ass. The homeroom teacher started to call roll as two girls walked in. Both seemed full of themselves and you could tell by how they were.

"Ah nice of you to join us, Danae and Sylvie. Is this a one-time thing or will this be the habit again this year?" Mrs. K asked and everyone giggled at her question.

"You know what they say, Mrs. K they die hard." One of them answered. She was a brunette and had a tan to match, her eyes were a plain brown, but she was in all honesty a beautiful girl.

"Yeah Mrs. K is that even a question?" The blonde one spoke with just as much of a tone as the first. She was blonde and almost just as tan as the first one. Her hair was long and in soft curls, and brown-eyed as well. The boys sitting next to me spent all homeroom. Talking about the two girls. How hot the brunette, Danae, was, and how easy Sylvie was. You could tell they were jocks by the way they carried themselves and their confidence. They were all very attractive in this way or that, and really big in height and build. They would be scary if my brother wasn't just as big.

I made it through the rest of my day and on to my first practice. The two girls from homeroom were on the team as well, when I saw them dread set into my stomach for some reason. I tried to stay under the radar but the coach happily boasted about how amazing my tumbling abilities were.

"Ha the new walk on is an amazing tumbler? This I gotta see." Danae said in a smart tone.

"Danny, shut it or you won't be doing anything but running during practice for a week." The coach looked at me and nodded. I didn't want to show off, but I didn't want be a let down either. I decided to do a standing full. It was complicated but, with enough practice, anyone could do it. I just so happened to be a natural at it. I landed and was praised for my small performance by the coach. After practice, I decided to try and leave before I was home too late to start dinner, but I was stopped by Danae and Sylvie.

They introduced themselves and apologized for being rude. They asked where I was from, which started to make me uncomfortable. I hated questions. So I did what I did best and summed myself up in a quick, brief introduction. We moved around a lot. I wasn't sure where we were from originally. We have a cousin, but that's all I really have. Once, as I was done with a quick catch up on my family and sad story of our lives, I saw my brothers and sister waiting for me so we could go home. As I grabbed my bags and I took off I could hear them, whispering, or what they thought was whispering.

"What do you think, Sylvie?"

"Shes.... odd and I'm not sure if I really trust her, I guess?" Sylvie scoffed "anyway, why does it even matter?"

"I don't know. There's something about her that is off." I paused for a second and then continued to my siblings. When I got to them, Uriah and Alana both turned to follow me out of the gym but Zeric didn't move and stood glaring at them.

"Let's go!" I pulled him and he finally turned to follow us out. We walked to my car and Zeric got into the driver's side. I guess they said it louder than I thought because he was furious. The whole drive home was quiet. Only Zeric's breathing broke the silence.

"Zeric, what is wrong?"

"Dont tell me you didn't hear what those two twits said about you? They didn't seem like they were trying to hide what they thought about you." He was annoyed and I could tell. We always seemed to know how the other felt. It was weird but we were twins, so I guess that had a lot to do with it.

"Of course I heard them, Zeric, but what is losing my temper going to do?" I looked back at my sister, who was just as confused as I was. My brother didn't get mad like we did, so it worried me. The rest of the way home was without any more issues. The only thing we had to deal with was my brother's anger rolling off of him.