A Long Walk Home Ch. 12

Caleb felt a huge rush of pride course through him as he watched the other man. He was in awe of just how much empathy Rafe had for wounded souls. Just like his sister. He hoped his assessment of Freya was right, that there was some hope for her, for everyone's sake. "She's pack," he finally agreed, trusting in Rafe to know the right thing to do and feeling relieved that he could hand her off to someone else.

He was just about to turn to the topic of the children and their abilities when the door to the house crashed open and a furious vampire suddenly appeared in the kitchen, red hair flowing wildly, lavender eyes burning with a fury he'd never seen before.

"Where is she?" Gard asked in a cold voice completely at odds with his wild appearance.

Rafe shifted instantly, the enormous brown wolf howling loudly as it sprang towards the interloper in the kitchen. Caleb had to move fast to get between the two of them as Gard automatically went defensive, talons at the ready to rip the wolf apart.

"Stop!"

The very feminine, very angry voice in the doorway had everyone freezing on the spot. Heads whipped around to stare at the woman standing there tensely. She was glaring at them with naked fury in her eyes.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Rhianna demanded, her gaze firmly locked on Gard giving him the full weight of her displeasure.

Caleb's lips twitched in a little smile. He couldn't help it despite the tension in the room. His Annie was taking a backseat at the moment and in her place was Anakatrine in all her glorious splendour. His queen didn't surface very often but when she did she called to him in a way he couldn't describe.

"And I don't know why you're grinning like an idiot," she rounded on Caleb, wiping the smile from his face. "We'll discuss the manner in which you just spoke to me later. Rafe, if you could please shift back and put some clothes on, I'd appreciate it. I'll wait for you three in the library."

"What the fuck..?" Rafe growled loudly as he reverted back to human form, staring at his sister's retreating back in astonishment. He was so shocked that he completely forgot for a moment that there was a strange, feral vampire in his kitchen, then his gaze hardened and he once more turned to the other vampire.

His entire body went rigid as he met a pair of lavender eyes that he knew so well but were in a face he'd never seen before. The shock of straight auburn hair was also a colour he recognised and he felt his heart crash hard in his chest as he stared at the man.

"I suggest we don't keep her waiting," Caleb interjected smoothly his eyes intent on Gard who was giving Rafe a decidedly unfriendly look. He could feel The Guardian's tension mixed in with jealously. Between that and Rafe's growing aggression as he realised something was very wrong about the man before him, he knew things could quickly escalate out of hand.

He was thankful his Annie was ceding control to her other half at the moment. The decision on how to explain Gard to Rafe had just been taken out of her hands and what was about to come would not be pleasant for her. Holding onto a queen's strength would be all that would get her through this in one piece.

"Rafe, I can vouch for Gard," he said quietly. "He is no threat to the pack. I think we should all go to the library now where we can discuss this in privacy."

*****

Rafe's thoughts were in turmoil as he crossed to the large hall cupboard and pulled out a set of sweats and a T-shirt and quickly pulled them on. He had adopted the custom of having spare clothes at the Alpha's home and the community centre from his time in the Hanlon pack. It came in handy for uncontrolled shifts, especially when his sister was around. He had no qualms about running around naked but it just felt wrong doing so in front of Annie.

Thinking of his sister brought a stab of fear deep within him. Once before he had looked at her and not recognised the woman he had brought up since the age of three. It had been five years ago, the night Lily had been born. He was chilled at seeing that same strange woman in his kitchen a few moments earlier. That had not been his Annie, his baby girl. And the strange vampire had her colouring, something that Rafe lacked.

A deep sense of foreboding ripped through him as he entered the library and closed the door quietly. Rhianna was standing with her back to the room, looking at the bookshelves as if she was hunting for something to read. Caleb was sitting on the edge of his desk, his gaze never leaving his mate. The stranger was sitting in one of the armchairs; his gaze also tracking the petite redhead's every movement.

"Annie?" It was more a question than saying her name. Rafe held himself still as she turned around slowly to look at him as he leaned against the door, afraid to come any further into the room.

He was relieved to see it was his sister looking back at him, her expression distraught as she silently begged him for forgiveness. He had no idea what she needed to be forgiven for but her expression terrified him. He wanted to go to her but he stayed where he was, waiting for her to explain.

"I'm sorry, Rafe," she finally said quietly never breaking her gaze with him. "I should have told you this a long time ago but I was frightened. I didn't know how you would react and I didn't want to hurt you in any way. I was a coward and now it's come to this." She waved her hand at the armchair and Rafe broke her gaze to look at vampire who returned his with one of pure animosity.

"Who is he?" He heard himself asking. He didn't care which one of them answered. He just wanted to know what the fuck was going on and what danger it posed for his pack.

"To answer that you need to hear about the history of the Vampires," Rhianna answered moving over to Caleb and allowing him to gather her against his chest. His arms banded around her like protective steel and she appeared to draw strength from him.

"Vampires were not always ruled by a Council, Rafe. Thousands of years ago they had a matriarchal hierarchy and were ruled by a vampire queen called Anakatrine. She had a brother who became her Guardian, who protected her as she grew into her powers and became old enough to rule her people. She had a mate in her King, his name was Callain. They were a triumvirate, guiding the vampire nation together. It was a good time, a peaceful time when Weres and Vampires existed in harmony."

Rhianna swallowed hard and Caleb's arms tightened as he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss at the side of her neck.

He soothed his mate gently and took up the tale. "They ruled wisely for millennia," he said quietly. "In those days being Ancient was a given, not the rare commodity it is now. The peace appeared absolute so Anakatrine decided our people had evolved enough that there was no more need for a royal hierarchy. She formed the very first Vampire Council in a bid to retire from power, to allow our kind to rule themselves in wisdom. None of them had any idea of the rot that was hiding underneath the surface of our people. It was only when the first Vampire/Were mating occurred that it became obvious."

Gard stood up and paced to the desk coming to stand beside them and turning to meet the wolf's sceptical gaze. "Three thousand years ago the first hybrid child was born," he continued when Caleb stopped speaking. "She was viewed as an abomination by the vampire nation. The Council ordered the death of the child and her parents. Anakatrine tried to stop it but her voice was no longer being heard by the corrupt vampires. She managed to rescue the child but at great expense to her magical energy. She gave the child to The Guardian and entrusted him to hide her safely while she conjured a false image of the infant to fool our people."

Rafe couldn't help the loud snort that erupted out of him, shaking his head in disbelief. "Magic?" he interjected moving further into the room. "Kings and Queens? Guardians and magic? You really expect me to believe this shit?" He couldn't believe Caleb and Annie were doing this. He stared at them as if he'd never seen them before. Did the stranger hold them in his thrall somehow? Everything he was hearing was totally preposterous.

"The Guardian left his queen to do her bidding," Gard continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, his voice cold and lifeless. "He was connected to his sister and her mate by a bond only death could break. The Council rose up against them. Every single wound, every single cry of pain drove The Guardian to his knees. It became too much for him. He hid the child alone in the forest and raced back to protect them. He was too late. Anakatrine and Callain were destroyed at the hands of their own people. He had failed his queen, his beautiful sister. Grieving he returned to complete her last edict. The child was gone, her blood soaked gown the only thing that remained of her. He had failed her too."

Rhianna turned to him, slipping out of Caleb's grasp to wrap her arms around Gard as his pain crashed over her. She had always known that he blamed himself but this was the first time he had ever vocalised it. Despite her earlier anger at him for revealing his presence she couldn't let him hurt like this.

Rafe watched his sister embrace the other man and he couldn't help the jealousy that coursed through him. He could see the deep affection between them, their similar colouring sparking his fear again. He dragged his gaze from them and saw Caleb watching him intently. There was compassion in his eyes as if he knew what he was thinking and feeling at that moment.

"Even if this is all true, if I can suspend my disbelief, what does this have to do with anything today? This was millennia ago." Rafe's voice came out sounding raw as his fear ratcheted up as he took in the three people standing before him. Three...a triumvirate. The breath left his body in a painful gasp, denial ripping through him.

"No!" he ground out hoarsely. "Annie? Tell me you're not implying what I think you are. Please!"

"Rafe." Rhianna flew across the room to him as he sat down dazed in the armchair Gard had recently vacated. "I'm so sorry. I know this is hard for you, that it all feels unbelievable. If someone had told me all this five years ago, I would have felt the same way. It was only when Caleb awoke Anakatrine within me that I found out the truth. I wanted to tell you so badly. I know I should have but I was scared you wouldn't want me in your life any more."

"It's not possible," he whispered his voice breaking as he stared down at her kneeling before him. She was his Annie, not some dead vampire queen. He was her brother, not this stranger in his home. He couldn't process it, couldn't believe the growing horror building up within him. "Annie, please don't say this is real. Tell me it's made up, that you're my baby sister. Don't take that away from me."

He saw the truth in her eyes, heard it in the tortured sob that ripped from her throat as she reached for him. "No!" He pushed her away, standing up abruptly. Everything he had believed in was being ripped away. His whole life before he became a Were had been a vicious lie. His need to flee the pain consuming him was overwhelming. With an anguished roar he ran from the room, the house, and flew into the forest to try and outrun the knife carving into his soul.

*****

Rhianna fell to the floor, loud wracking sobs ripping through her body as Rafe rejected her so vehemently. Caleb had her in his arms instantly, crushing her tightly as she wailed inconsolably.

Gard stared down at them, hatred filling his soul as his sister crumpled under the impact of the wolf's rejection. Rage roared through him, inflamed by his already erratic emotions caused by Rayne. He took off after the wolf, ignoring Caleb's frantic cry and the tall, blonde female who appeared at the library door.

"What's happening?" Lacey cried, her voice full of fear as she felt her mate's anguish and saw Rhianna disintegrating in Caleb's arms. Her brother-in-law met her gaze with a tortured one.

"Stay with Annie," he ground out, reluctantly releasing his own mate. "I need to protect Rafe." He was gone in an instant, leaving the bewildered woman reaching for Rhianna.

"Annie, tell me what's wrong," Lacey whispered shakily. "Tell me Rafe will be okay."

Gard caught up with the wolf easily. His instincts were to rip it to shreds but he knew Anakatrine would hate him for eternity if he did so. She cared about this wolf, her anguished sobs testament to that. So he controlled his instincts and concentrated on subduing the Alpha before he did anything to cause himself some harm. That would destroy his sister and he had failed her enough in the past. He wouldn't do so again.

He tackled the snarling animal, using his superior strength to pin it to the forest floor. He wasn't gentle with his methods but he didn't go out of his way to be brutal either.

"I should kill you right now, dog, but it would destroy her if I did. Stop fighting me before I have to use more force than I wish to." The barked command was cold and deadly. It had the desired effect. The wolf stilled instantly though stayed tense.

Gard didn't release his grip but he didn't tighten it either. For five years he had hated this man with a passion. Rafe Hanlon had had years of being with his sister, lost years when she had lived and Gard hadn't known about it. He had envied Rafe that time with her, hated him for having her laughter and her tears. Jealousy was a potent and often violent emotion. Gard had dreamed of the violence he could do to this wolf, all the while knowing he could never harm a hair on his head.

He struggled for control of his emotions, surprised to find it was easier to control them around the wolf than it was the man. He took deep breaths, slowly cooling his temper, fighting down the urge to kill and be the only man Anakatrine called brother. It was hard but he managed it, the sound of her sobs never leaving him. She hurt because she craved this wolf's love.

It was a shock to concede that the wolf hurt because he was losing something he held so dear to his heart. The woman called Rhianna Armand. Gard sat up, abruptly moving away from Rafe to lean his back against a thick tree trunk. He forced himself to think rationally, to subjugate his own feelings and see those around him.

He had protected this pack because his sister loved every member of it. They were her family, the big Alpha even more than most. What he had never stopped to consider was how the pack felt about Rhianna. He had just accepted that they loved her because he loved her. He'd never considered just how much they loved her, how precious she was to them.

In a long, slow heartbeat he suddenly understood the wealth of pain Rafe Hanlon must be feeling at having his sister suddenly wrenched away from him. He could relate to that because he had spent three thousand years feeling that same pain while he waited for Anakatrine to be reborn.

"I can't describe to you how precious she is to me, Rafe," he finally said in a low voice not looking at the wolf. "To feel her die was an agony I've never fully recovered from. To find her again, a miracle I prayed for nightly. I know the pain of losing her and I know the joy of finding her again."

He turned to the wolf and found the man looking back at him, his expression full of pain and distrust but he was at least listening. "I understand your pain. You love her as fiercely as I do. You feel you have lost her because she is more than your Annie now, something different. She will always be your Annie and she will always love you."

"She isn't Annie any more," Rafe ground out hoarsely. "I don't recognise the woman she's becoming." His denial was absolute and Gard growled loudly.

"Anakatrine has been awake for five years now," he countered in a hard tone. "Has your sister been missing those five years? You will only lose her if you choose to walk away from her. She is still Annie."

*****

Rafe fought against the agony he was feeling. He forced himself to think back on the last five years, all the times spent with his sister, her demeanour, their laughter, their runs together in the forest. There hasn't been a hint of Anakatrine in those moments, just his Annie. He groaned loudly and lowered his head into his hands, weeping silently.

The vampire was right and it ripped him apart to admit it to himself. Rhianna had never changed towards him and the pack. She had always been there for him. Yes, she had kept a secret of life changing importance to herself but from his reaction to finding out about it, she had good cause to. She had feared his rejection and he hadn't disappointed her. He'd run from her, broken her heart because he didn't want to face up to something so monumental it would take him years to wrap his head around it.

His sister carried the soul of a reincarnated vampire queen. Caleb was undoubtedly Callain and Gard....he had as much claim to call Rhianna his sister as he did. It was so overwhelming the weight of it crushed down on top of him. He didn't know how the vampires would react to finding this out. He didn't know what it meant for his pack. At the moment all he knew was his Annie thought he didn't want anything more to do with her and that would be breaking her heart.

"Everything okay?" Caleb's quiet words drew both their eyes. He stood tensely, ready to intervene if required but his expression clearly said he'd prefer not to.

"Who's with Annie?" Rafe asked standing up and drying his eyes quickly. He straightened his spine and pushed down his conflicted emotions. He was Alpha to a pack. He couldn't go to pieces because he'd heard something he didn't like.

"Lacey is with her." Caleb's gaze was intent, searching his face keenly. "If you can't deal with this yet, say so, Rafe. I can't have her hurting any more than she already is. We can meet again when you've had some time to digest the news and reach some accord with it."

"You think I want her hurting any more than you do?" Anger flashed in Rafe's eyes but it was mainly directed towards himself. "I can handle this, Caleb. It just came as a shock. Surely all three of you can understand that? It's not every day you find out your sister is someone other than the woman you've loved her entire life."

Caleb relaxed and his lips twitched slightly at the aggressive tone in Rafe's voice. It was a good sign that he could cope with the news. Now he had to work on ensuring that their secret remained hidden.

"You need to keep this to yourself for now. It's not something we wish to become common knowledge. Lacey must know of course and Jared and Millie can be informed but the packs don't need to know anything at this time."

Rafe strode past his brother-in-law, heading back to the house. "As long as it presents no danger to the pack then I'll agree to this. For Annie's sake. But if this impacts on Weres in anyway I will not keep quiet, Caleb." His tone brooked no argument and Caleb let it go at that, following behind with Gard at his side.

Rafe pulled on a new pair of sweats and turned to the library. Lacey's eyes sought his desperately as she cradled Rhianna against her. His sister was still crying but it was silently now, her eyes red, her cheeks stained with her tears.

"Rafe? Honey, are you okay?" Lacey's worried voice soothed down his emotions a bit more.

He knelt on the floor beside them. "I'm fine, baby. Let me fix this." He was pulling Rhianna into his lap, dropping soft kisses on her wet cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Annie," he whispered gently. "It was just such a shock. I didn't mean to turn away from you."

"Rafe," she sobbed clinging onto him so tightly he knew she would mark him but his healing abilities would take care of that. "I don't want to lose you. I can't ever lose you again."