‘I appreciate that and I’m sure he would too.‘

    I watch as Lilly and the girls step off the porch. The girls run joyfully to Damian, who’s been away for thest week with Jessa on a special project I assigned. He scoops Madilyn up and tosses her lightly in the air before doing the same with her sister. Kneeling on the ground he wraps both his arms around them showering them with the wee home all loved ones

    should have.

    When I look back towards the porch, Lucas hasn’t moved, if anything he’s even more stressed with his arms wrapped around his legs and his head lying down on them. Lily has stopped beside him, petting his hair gently. Her mouth moves and I can see his head nod but I’m too far away to hear the conversation.

    I sigh as I watch their interaction together. I’m concerned about my youngest son, I have been for quite some time. While I cannot continue to lie to myself and say the signs weren’t there, something about Cole’s presence here triggered a change as he’s never acted out the way he

    has during this run.

    For years he’s been the secretive one. I’m not even certain when things changed between us. I know and own up to the damage I did to my rtionship with Damian. It’s taken years to slowly repair the scars left from being so heavy handed and I don’t know if those repairs will ever beplete. Damian still shows a lot more fear towards me when he’s in trouble than I would like, especially when we discuss his wrong doing in my office.

    Lucas was raised differently, at least by me. While the same strictness I had with Damian remained, I wasn’t as liberal with the belt. The first time Lucas’s bare skin ever tasted the sting left by the pliable leather was when he attacked Cole the first time the first week of Cole’s arrival. I forgave the third spanking he rightly deserved when he attacked Cole the second time using sparring matches as a cover yet the change I’ve seen in him over thest six months remains unexined.

    I watch patiently for Lilly to walk away from him. He seems almost fearful to be here and his

    hesitation to move from the step concerns me. His fear of meeting with me alone in my office

    has grown exponentially.

    He forced me to stop the therapy I forced him into when he attacked Julie three months ago. Fortunately I was able to intervene before it got too bad but she still needed stitches and a week off so she could heal. I was surprised when shemanded me not to consult the council. Something about her im that he became apletely different person, that he was fighting himself as much as he was attacking her, that caused me to agree.

    I took a different approach towards his aggression and defiance, one that I’m not proud of but feel is necessary. Patrick has delivered six spankings over thest three months for various assaults, lies and straight refusal to give me the names of the preshifts that he’s had in bed with him.

    The idea was to force his wolf into submission through a show of power, by forcing his wolf to recognize that he is not the boss, that he’s just as vulnerable as those he’s attacking and he will be attacked every time he does. Unfortunately, that’s done nothing but bring Lucas to the edge of a breakdown and without knowing what caused him to change so many years ago I have no ability to prepare for what his breakdown is going to be.

    ‘Luke.‘

    I reach out to him as his mother moves away.

    ‘What’s going on? You have the desire to apologize but you seem terrified to do so?‘

    I pause waiting for his response.

    ‘I am.b‘ /b

    His whisper floors me. Not only his confession of fear but the deep sadness of his voice makes

    my heart drop into my stomach.

    ‘Come to me, son.‘

    I encourage using much the same voice I often use with Cole.

    ‘I don’t want to hurt him. He’s not the Alpha Redmen that I’m after.‘

    I can’t help but stare at him as he sits alone on the stairs.

    ‘Let me help you. If you came out to say goodbye and have a desire to apologize I’m certain that it’s weighing heavily on your mind. You don’t think he’ll return, do you?‘

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