Time for Truth Ch. 13

Welcome,

Amari learns about Vince's past. Ares and Benny bring their mates home to meet the pack. Geraldo talks with pack members in the newly formed Cortez Pack. BJ and Jules make a decision.

All characters in this story are above the age of consent.

Happy reading. IR2R

Iyoka asked for a wheelchair and went to David's room. He was awake and smiled when she entered. He was not ashamed. Iyoka knew of his ailments and she did everything she could to help.

"Hey, you talked to the specialist this morning?" she asked.

"Yes, and Iyoka he has me scheduled for scans. He thinks he might be able to fix the damage they caused." David explained.

"Blaze should be locked up for what he did to you. Maybe Alpha Javon will leave him in the holding cells." Iyoka said out loud. She missed the pained look that crossed David's face at her words.

"They are dead. Blaze attacked the alpha and threatened his mate. Alpha Javon killed all of them. The alpha was magnificent, Iyoka. He snapped and ripped each and every wolf in that room apart. I knew he would kill me. But he stopped and let me live." David explained.

Iyoka was silent for a moment. The nurse walked in with a wheelchair and asked David if he wanted to go outside. He did and he and Iyoka wheeled themselves out to the pavilion in front of the medical center. ' He had not seen Amari today so he asked about her. Iyoka said she was spending time with Vince. He asked her to accompany him this morning on his rounds. Amari and Vince stopped by and saw her before going out. She smiled; the dark-haired wolf was so handsome, and so shy. They made such a cute couple.

David laughed, and then he spoke candidly. "That's good. I like it here. For once it seems as if things are going in our favor." He paused as he thought of home. "I'm glad they are gone Iyoka, Joe and the Alphas needed to be destroyed, and I'm just happy I lived to see it happen. Now, tell me about our new alpha. He is your new mate."

Iyoka sighed, "I don't know much about him. I've met his children, and they are nice. He didn't raise them because he just recently came back into their lives. I actually plan to meet with his oldest daughter, Marisol later today. I'm a bit nervous, but I've met her before so I'm sure it's fine."

David grinned, "You'll be fine. Now, let's move around a bit. This place is beautiful. I want to look around."

The two wheeled themselves over to the courtyard of the medical center. They were treated to a scenic view, and the sight of pack members milling about.

David and Iyoka sat outside and talked some more. As they talked, Iyoka paused. Amari sent a hug to her mother and Iyoka returned the embrace. She smiled and David said. "You were never her sister. You were always her Mom."

Iyoka laughed, "Well I guess that made you her Dad. How many times did you run interference?"

They laughed and David went silent. Iyoka would never know what it really cost him to try and protect the two of them. She hated the betas, everyone did. Not all of the betas were evil, only a few.

He thought of Blaze. He was torn, because Blaze was gone and he was not supposed to grieve for him. Blaze was a phony. He was not what he pretended to be. David closed his eyes as he recalled the last time he was alone with him before they came here.

"David," he paused. "Joe is sending out more scouts. I'm adding you to the team." Blaze stated. David trembled. He hated being alone with the males.

"OK, who else is going? Will Sander and Griff be with the team?" David asked timidly. Those two men hated him. They took great pleasure in tormenting him and Iyoka.

Blaze continued, "Yes, but they won't touch you. I promise you David. I won't allow it. I promised Momma I'd look out for you and I will. I may have fucked up in the past, but this time I'm getting you out of here. I'll never forgive myself. I wish I had turned the gun on him."

Blaze gave a dead stare as he relived the awful memory. "Joe demanded that I kill one of you. The pack before blood, he called it. Momma knew he would do that, so she told me to take care of you. He came over with several men." David saw his brother quiver. "Momma begged me to kill her. She had put you to bed and Joe stood there challenging me. I did what I had to do to survive, and shot her. They laughed as you screamed and ran into the room. I secured myself in his circle, and he left you alone. I tried to make sure you had what you needed because as an older brother I failed." He stopped.

"Blaze, I was there. You thought I was sleeping, but I heard everything you two talked about. She told you to do it. She told you to gain Joe's trust. I was five, but I knew she was sick. She understood Blaze and never blamed you." David explained.

"Tell no one that we are brothers. Does Iyoka know? Have you told her?" Blaze asked. David shook his head no. "Good." Blaze answered.

"What about Iyoka, Blaze? I can't leave Iyoka here. Madam Alpha is..." David whispered.

"I know. Iyoka will be safe. She's going with us." Blaze explained. He stood and walked to the side of the room where David was sitting. He kneeled beside his brother, noting that he seemed flushed. He'd never forgive himself for allowing the other males to use him the way they had. He should have done something to stop it. "How are you feeling? Any more pain?" he queried.

"No, not much, I'm fine. Blaze, what they did was not your fault. You couldn't control a whole group, but you helped me after. That counts." David answered trying to absolve his brother of his guilt.

"Just hold on. I know of a pack, if I can get you to them, maybe they can help you. I never intended for you to be hurt that badly, but Joe... Look, just hold on and we'll head out soon. I have to treat you like shit, but I need you to know it's to keep you from being hurt anymore." Blaze explained softly.

"Blaze, you can challenge him. If you beat Joe..." David suggested,

Blaze spoke solemnly. "Joe cheats. No one will beat him, not unless they can catch him off guard. He has too many loyalists, and he also controls the alphas. Besides, with the shit I've done. I can never lead. The pack fears me, but they don't respect me. Iyoka hates me. They love her, and her hatred alone seals my fate where the pack is concerned. That's a good thing. She will protect you and I don't mind the hate as long as I can get you out of here right now." Blaze explained.

Soon they heard voices, and Blaze had to go before they were seen together. He moved to David and held him close. "David," he whispered then he let go. He left leading the other betas away. David waited and then he went in search of Iyoka. She was worried and he needed to make sure she was OK.

The memory ended and Iyoka was waiting. "I'm glad the alpha killed them." Iyoka swore.

David looked hurt and Iyoka noticed. "David, were you and Blaze..." she cut the question.

"I don't want to talk about him. He was a Jael beta and he was evil, ok. Let's leave it at that." David stated finally.

"No, tell me. You have never kept a secret from me David. Through it all, you've been right with me. You never told me what they did to you. You don't have to, because I can guess. But what was the deal with Blaze? Why are you still protecting him? Was he your lover?" Iyoka demanded.

Iyoka felt strange. David was hiding something. Blaze was horrible to them, but his death affected David profoundly. He was his main tormentor. He often came for David and when they decided to punish him. Blaze insisted that only he would mete out his punishments. She also recalled some strange moments with the two men. Sometimes, Blaze would watch David and something in his eyes would be different.

David was silent and she had to ask again. "Was there something between you and Blaze?"

David cried, "Yes, he was my brother. He killed mother to protect me because Joe demanded that he show his loyalty to the pack." Iyoka gasped. She heard the stories, but never knew David was his brother. "He was my heart, and now he's gone. He protected me the best that he could. After the men, forced me... Blaze got me to one of the Omegas who cared for me until I healed. Sometimes, I get sick and it hurts. It's gotten worse and he wanted to find help for me. He planned to find me sanctuary here with you and Amari. He was going back to challenge Joe, but he challenged Javon instead. He did it for me. He did it to help the pack. Now I have to learn to live without him."

Iyoka hugged her friend. David kept a secret from her. She never expected anything like this. She hated Blaze. He was as bad as Joe, but it made sense. To survive you had to adapt. David cried and she whispered that she was so sorry and she wished she could take away his pain.

Soon he stopped and asked that she not say anything. "Blaze never wanted anyone to know. Not because he was ashamed, but because they preyed on weaknesses." Iyoka agreed, but she worried. Would David be OK? I thought Blaze was a monster. How many others lived a lie to protect their loved ones? How can I help my pack recover? How can I help my friend?

Amari was out for a walk with Vince. They spent so much time together, but never really talked. She knew so much about him. He was smart, and funny. In class when they had assignments. She always wanted Vince as her partner. The truth was that her wolf knew who he was the moment they walked into that class several months ago.

His father asked him to patrol the pack boundaries and he asked that Amari accompany him. His mother smiled and said of course. So here they were alone at last. Vince was nervous. He wasn't like Benny, Ares, Paul, or Kevin. They were tall, handsome, and girls flocked to them. Women saw him as Ares dumpy younger brother.

Amari didn't see him that way. She saw something else. When she was frightened he was determined to be whatever she needed to be safe. When Geraldo left to face Jael, he was ready to go, but Elise asked him to stay. Amari needed him here, so he stayed. A part of him feared she might see him as a coward, but that wasn't so.

Vince and Amari walked in wolf form scouting. Everything seemed safe. They returned to the compound to report. Both took a moment and dressed and then went to the alpha office, Javon greeted then and smiled when they entered.

"Father, the perimeter is secure." Vince reported.

Javon nodded and thanked the two of them. Then he commanded them to go and spend the day together.

Vince thanked his father and he and Amari left. "So, are you returning to class in January?"

Amari humped her shoulders, "I don't know. I was learning a trade to find work, now that I'm not running anymore ..." she exhaled.

Vince spoke. "You're really good Amari. You should finish. We can graduate together and maybe we can start our own repair company."

Amari smiled. He was so soft-spoken. She didn't know much about him. He was the middle son, but he was so different forum his siblings. All five of them bore their father's coloring, maybe he took after his mother.

"I'm not really their son. I knew you were wondering why I look different." Vince said suddenly. He wasn't sure, but it was something in the way she looked at him.

They stopped and sat on a boulder by the lake. Amari listened. Vince told her about life with his parents and sister. They were not affiliated with any pack, and one day Johannes came. Amari trembled. He described his sister helping the vampire murder their parents. She was ready to kill him and she stabbed him when Johannes fed him his blood. The vampire bonded with him, and he inherited the vampire traits. For six months, Johannes trained him, and then one day he took him to a house where he left him with Gernick and his brothers. Gernick brought him here and Alpha Javon told him he was now his son.

Amari hugged him. How could she not. Vince Loess was her mate and he was a survivor as well. She froze. "You said you inherited traits from the vampire? Which traits?" She asked Vampire venom was lethal to Weres. If Vince produced venom, they could never truly mate.

Vince smiled, "I can do things a normal werewolf cannot. I can become invisible. I run faster than the average wolf. I heal faster from wounds than a regular were. There is a part of me that is even more deadly than my wolf and I have to fight to contain him. I can't have unprotected sex, so I abstain." He was about to continue.

"Wait, what will you change or something? Why can't you have sex?" Amari asked. Wolves were amorous creatures. They loved sex. She was not interested in it until meeting him, but she could not help but imagine it. He was short but thick. He was broad shoulders with thick muscular arms that she knew would hold her in place as he wreaked havoc on her body. He was powerful and she suspected he would be a powerhouse of a lover, but he was saying he could not have sex.

"Um," Vince blushed, "I can have sex, but I just that I have to be careful. Uncle Blaine explained it to us when we were younger. He has not talked to Theo yet, but we just have to be careful." He answered. Hoping she'd drop it. He was wrong.

"Us? Who is us?" she asked.

"Benny and me, he's part vampire too." He realized that he'd said a bit much. Amari digested what he said. However, she was wondering about the sex.

"Vince, why can't you have sex? What will happen?" she demanded to know.

Vince sighed. "I could get you pregnant."

"Wait, we have not mated. Only mated wolves can get pregnant." Amari explained.

Vince stood, "Not in our case. If I took you right now, you would probably be carrying my child before we came out of these woods. I can't risk it, so I don't have unprotected sex. And I most definitely don't have sex in wolf form." He smiled, "Well I did once, but we were lucky."

Amari shoved him. She had no desire to hear about his dalliances with other females. "Sorry, sorry. That was too much." Amari walked away. Vince ran after her, "Amari, wait." He pleaded. She stopped.

"Vince, I'm sorry. I don't know why I acted like that. I've never felt this way before. I don't like thinking of you with anyone else, so let's not talk about this again, OK." Amari asked and Vince nodded.

She whispered, "I'm not a virgin Vince. I've been with two men and it was because I was seeking comfort." Vince stiffened but she continued. "Both times were awkward. The first time the guy was a fast shooter. The second guy was older, but a lousy lay."

She laughed so hard she cried, "It was awful and painful and I never wanted to do it again. The sounds they made. I thought if someone came into the forest, they would think an animal was dying." Vince laughed and held her then.

Amari became serious, "I have a strange request. Can we wait until we mate? At school the human girls talk about a wedding night. It's special. The bride and the groom make love as a couple for the first time. I'm not coming to you a virgin, but I want our joining to be special." Vince held her then.

He nodded, and whispered, "Baby, I can wait." Vince held Amari close. Soon they needed to move. They talked about school and their plans for the next term. Amari had to finish under the pseudo name Diane, but at least they would be together. Vince told her stories about the things he, Ares and Benny got into. Amari laughed so hard.

She asked had he ever been in a fight. Vince frowned. Once a guy made comments about Aria and he called him out. The junior beta thought he could take him. After all he was not a real alpha son. Just because he was shorter than them they all thought they could beat him.

At first they were even, but then the taller one got in a lucky punch. Ares and Benny wanted to intervene but Vince asked them to stay back. Vince knocked the guy down, and he grabbed a hand full of dirt. Vince picked up his momentum and was greeted with eyes full of sand. It was then that he went feral. Something snapped. He heard a scream and he remember his father, brother, and cousin holding him down as the healers came to treat his challenger. Dad ordered him to his office.

"Vince, what happened?" Javon asked. Vince looked down and did not answer. He was contrite.

"Dad is he OK?" he asked.

"He'll be alright. But Vince, you lost control. No one has ever seen anything like that." Javon stated. Nina knocked and she and BJ entered.

"Alpha, can we talk to him?" Nina asked.

Vince faced his aunt and cousin. "Aunt Nina, he challenged me and threw the dirt. I could not control it. I never meant to..."

Javon sat down next to his son. "Vince, it's fine. He is fine and he asked for you. Go over to the medical center and check on him."

Vince left and the adults talked. Javon was concerned and BJ explained that they did possess vampire DNA. Vampires are more volatile when provoked. They were sure Vince would be fine.

Amari was dumbfounded. She had seen traces of the monster. When they learned the truth about their pack, Vince was so close, but for her he stayed calm. She knew he wanted to go fight, but was relieved that he stayed here. Vince concluded his story.

"Kale came and talked to me. He taught me some techniques to keep it under control, and I use them often." Vince finished.

Amari was awed. Vince fascinated her. She smiled. She was safe now. She was also home. Loess Falls would be her new pack. She wasn't sure how she knew this, but here with Vince, she felt at home. Soon they returned to the compound as the first set of vehicles drove in. Vince and Amari rushed in and welcomed there pack mates home. Other pack members joined them. His Uncles had not returned but Gernick called and told them no one was killed. They had a few scrapes, but everyone was coming home.

In California, Zoe had spoken with Madam Alpha Brandy and she asked Alpha Michael if she could travel back to Loess. Michael agreed. Then he asked about Saphirra. He gave permission for her to travel back also. Clarence drove home for an overnight stay with the boys and the five of them would head back to the newly formed Cortez Territory to meet the rest of the pack before returning to Texas.

Clarence was holding MJ when Ares walked in. Ares smiled, and had to mess with his sister's mate. "Practicing, old man?" he teased. "Now how long before I get a nephew to spoil. I am requesting a nephew first."

Clarence laughed, "Well, it may be a while. But I'll see what I can do." Zoe came in and joined her mate.

The Alphas wanted to talk to them before they went home. Alpha Michael was going to let Zoe accompany Ares. He suspected that Benny might want Saphirra to go back with him. They had not come to the dining hall yet, so Michael and Brandy called for them.

Saphirra awoke to her mother knocking on her bedroom door. She was securely held in Benny's arms. "We're coming, Mom" She answered.

"Benson, wake up. We have to go to breakfast." She whispered.

Benny woke up immediately. He loved holding his mate. They talked most of the night but decided to wait before becoming intimate. Saphirra actually wanted to meet the rest of his family. He knew hers. So he asked her if she wanted to go back with him. He would ask her father and the Alphas. If they agreed, she'd spend the next two weeks at home with him.

Benson dressed and the two joined the rest of the family. Saphirra's father smiled. His daughter was happy and this young man clearly loved her. As Saphirra joined her mother, Benny stopped to speak with her Dad. He asked permission to take Saphirra home to meet his family. It was only for two weeks and then they'd be back because he was still taking classes.

He agreed, but they needed to talk with the Alphas. He sent his daughter a shaft f love which she promptly returned.