Chapter 14

**Derric Shadow's P.O.V.**

I stare at her as we all work through the paperwork once more after the Elder's had dropped that gigantic bombshell on her. All of a sudden, she throws one of the books at the wall, her eyes flashing black as she growls lowly. Immediately, Darian whimpers, flinching away from her. The Elder's watch her, sympathetically. Jinx gets up and storms out, slamming the office door behind her.

"Darian," I say "It's alright. She wasn't going to hurt you, she just got angry."

"I'm going to go talk to her," Elder Henry says "I can imagine she's got questions."

"Give her some space," Dad says "She seems like she needs it."

"Derric," Elder Martin says "You should go after her."

I get up from my desk, walking out of my office and following my mate's scent down the stairs and outside. I look around.

"Let me guess," Jinx's soft voice says from above "Elder Martin sent you after me?"

"You would be correct," I say, looking up in the tree "Mind if I come up?"

Jinx pats the tree limb beside her and I climb up the tree, swinging my leg over the branch to face her, leaning my back against the trunk of the tree.

"So," I say "You wanna talk about what's going on?"

"Not all that much," Jinx says "But I know I need to."

"How about this," I say "As long as you promise to talk to me about it when you're ready to, I won't push you."

Jinx stares at me before looking away.

"So," Jinx says "How much do you know about my background?"

"Honestly," I say "Not much. I know you accepted your ex-mate's rejection, I know the situation that was just told in my office, and that's really it."

"Well," Jinx says "My former pack, Red Moon, they were very abusive towards me. I was considered an omega, the lowest of the low. The night of my eighteenth birthday, I was dragged out of my makeshift bed, which was really just a bunch of old blankets and pillows, and then chained to this wooden post. My adopted father, the Alpha, he gave permission to every pack member to hit me eighteen times per pack member."

I clench my fists on my lap, growling lowly. Jinx reaches up, swiping a tear away.

"It sucked," Jinx whispers "On every pack member's birthday, I made the cakes and decorated the pack house for their parties. I catered their parties on my own. I watched as everyone got to celebrate their birthdays. I was jealous that they all had that; a loving family, birthday parties, Christmas presents. And they all just took advantage of it. I didn't have that but I begged the Moon Goddess every night before I went to sleep to send me a family, send me someone who would understand what it's like to want something that everyone else except for you has. I was...sixteen when I stopped asking for it every night. I stopped asking at all. I guess I had just given up...I was just so tired of asking for something that I wasn't getting it. But a few days before I turned eighteen...I made a wish to the Moon Goddess. I wished for her to give me a mate that would love me."

I look over at her, my wolf completely calming down and whimpering.

"Sad," Jinx says quietly, looking over at me as more tears pour down her cheeks "Huh? That's pathetic. I'm a Gaia, the only Gaia, and I don't even know how to love or even what being loved feels like. How pathetic is that?"

"Come with me," I say "I want to show you something."

I swing my leg over the branch, dropping myself down from my branch on the tree. Jinx slowly climbs down and I reach up, grabbing her waist and bringing her down to the ground. I take her hand, guiding her through the woods. When we reach the familiar cliff overlooking the waterfall, I release her hand.

"Wow," Jinx says softly "It's so..."

"Beautiful," I say, shoving my hands into my pockets as I stare at the waterfall "Peaceful?"

"Both," Jinx says softly "Why did you bring me here?"

"Three years ago," I say "After being rejected, this is the place I first heard your voice."

Jinx looks at me.

"What," Jinx says "But I would've been..."

"Fifteen," I say, looking down at her "You would've been fifteen the first time I heard your voice. And yet I did. When I found out that you had just shifted for the first time, I was so confused. It made no sense to me why I was the only lupus who could hear you apart from my mom, who has hellhound in her blood."

"That doesn't make sense," Jinx says "Why could you hear me then when I wasn't the Gaia and I wasn't old enough to even have a mate, let alone be rejected by mine?"

"That's what we haven't been able to figure out," I say "I don't regret it, though. I remember what you said as if it were yesterday. If it weren't for your voice, I would've killed every pack, coven and clan in this state...and probably would've killed humans, too."

"So," Jinx says softly "I kept you from it?"

"Every time," I say softly, nodding my head "Any time I got mad, your voice stopped me."

Jinx smiles a little, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Come on," I say, holding out my hand "I have to pay a visit to the pack orphanage to make sure they don't need anything and if they do, I can get a list and go get it. Would you like to join me?"

"Sure," Jinx says, taking my hand "How many pups are in the orphanage?"

"A lot," I say, smiling sadly "Vincenzo's mate, Lindsey, and a few of the mothering bloodhounds stay close to it because it soothes them."

"Mothering bloodhounds," Jinx says "Those are female bloodhounds who lost their pups, right?"

"Yes," I say "The fathering bloodhounds tend to stay away from the pack orphanage because they can't bear the thought of seeing other pups."

"So," Jinx says softly "How many mothering bloodhounds are there?"

"You'll see them," I say softly "They stay in the pups' sights."

Jinx nods. As we get closer, I hear a familiar giggle and I release Jinx's hand, looking up.

"Lilliana," I say, looking up at the playful lupus "Come down here."

Lilliana giggles, jumping out of the tree. I easily catch her, lifting her up and settling her on my hip.

"Alpha," Lilliana says softly "You'll get me chocolate ice cream with chocolate fudge and chocolate sprinkles when you go to the store?"

"Hmm," I say, pretending to think "Should I?"

I tickle Lilliana and she laughs, thrashing against my hip. I hear rustling and I put Lilliana down.

"Jeremy," I say "Come on down, buddy."

The young hellhound peers down at me, shyly.

"He's shyer than his sister," I say, looking over at Jinx "If you just go straight ahead, there's the orphanage. I'll be right behind you."

Jinx steps closer.

"Hi," Jinx says softly "Can I come up?"

Jeremy stares at her before nodding, hiding in the leaves again. Jinx grabs a small branch, bracing her foot against the tree and pulling herself up. She climbs onto the branch with Jeremy and holds the branch above her head.

"Hi," Jinx says softly "My name is Jinx. What's yours?"

"Jeremy," Jeremy says softly "Alpha normally catches us when we jump out of the tree when it comes but I get scared sometimes. Alpha usually climbs up to get me."

"Well," Jinx says softly "How about I take you down today?"

Jeremy nods, scooting closer to Jinx. Jinx guides his arms around her neck and pulls him close to her body. His legs wrap around her waist and she carefully climbs down the tree with Jeremy hanging onto her.