Endania
Confidence

An hour later I deemed we were far enough so we made camp. Ian sat Lorna down and stayed with her while we gathered wood. Dominic built the fire and I made the dinner. Once we were done I looked at Lorna’s wounds and saw they were almost healed. “By tomorrow you will be healed and have your strength back,” I told her reassuringly.

She nodded. “Okay.”

I wrapped my right arm around her shoulders and he leaned into me. “I’ll keep you safe,” I promised her. She fell asleep a few minutes later.

“For someone who hates wolves she’s sure trusting you,” Ash said.

I glared. “She is a wolf.” How many times am I going to have to say that?

“Don’t start you two,” Dominic said. He turned to Ian. “What’s your last name?”

Ian looked at him. “Why do you want to know?”

“Why don’t you want to tell us?” Dominic countered.

I rolled my eyes. Boys. “Ian, it will help you gain our trust if you tell us,” I said. “So please, will you tell us your last name?”

His eyes met mine. “Since you asked, Alpha, yes. My last name is Hatch. Ian Hatch.”

My eyes widened. “What?” I whispered.

He gave me a small smile. “Griffin and Roland Hatch are my half siblings. I’m the old Dukes’ illegitimate kid but my mother wanted me to still have his last name. Her last name has been Summers.”

“Did His Grace know?” Dominic asked.

“Which one? Griffin or the old Duke?”

“Both.”

Ian shook his head. “No one knew. Not even Roland. Mom worried they’d take me away from her.” He smiled. “I could be your guy’s secret weapon.”

“No one even knew even though you have his last name?” Ash said ignoring that last sentence.

Ian shrugged. “There were a couple of people with the last name ‘Hatch’ in our town.”

“How many years younger are you?”

“Hmm.” He thought for a minute. “I’m eight years younger than Roland and nine years younger than Griffin. Which leaves me at twenty-five now.”

“So you’re seven years older than Sylvia,” Dominic stated.

“Apparently.”

“The old Duke died five years ago,” Ash muttered. “His Grace had only been the Alpha for four years before he died.”

“Yup. He might have been old but that old Duke could still sire kids,” Ian said. “I wish I had met Griffin though.”

“Why didn’t the old Duke or His Grace sense you when you were born like they did with Sylvia?” Dominic asked.

“How should I know? Maybe someone in Endania had a kid when I came into the world.” He picked a tuff of grass. “We’ll never know now.”

This is when they finally noticed I hadn’t said a word for the last thirty minutes. “Sylvia?” Ash said looking at me. I looked at him. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m just perfect,” I said sarcastically. “I mean it’s not like I just found out I had another family member or anything.”

Ash winced. “Sorry.”

“Sylvia, I didn’t know I had a niece until a week ago,” Ian said. “I thought my only family member that was alive was evil. I was making my way to Endania when I saw you guys.”

“Why didn’t you tell me who you were right away if you knew who I was?” I demanded.

“Two reasons. One, we needed to get out of there. Two, I wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was to see you.”

“Oh.” I thought for a minute. Lord Flame has no idea so he could kind of be our secret weapon. Hmm. Then something occurred to me. “They might not have let you into Endania since you don’t have an ID.”

“I do have one actually. My mom got it for me since she already had one.” He looked at Lorna. “She doesn’t though.”

“I know but I am the Alpha and if I say she can come through the gate, she does.” I eased Lorna down and laid her head in my lap. “We’ll get her an ID after we get her in.” I glanced at my guards when I said it. They made a face.

He studied me. “You were born to be a leader,” he observed.

I sighed. “People keep telling me that. But I’d like to know why you say it?”

“It’s in your eyes, your posture, and the way you don’t give up.”

“You just met her but you already know her quite well,” Ash said.

Ian looked at him. “Alton told me.”

“What!” Ash yelped.

I reached over and pinched him. “Shh,” I hissed looking at Lorna. She tensed then relaxed again. I looked at Ian. “You know Alton?”

He nodded. “He would come and visit me and my mom sometimes.” He paused. “He told me about you, Sylvia.”

“All of it?” I asked uneasily.

“Seventeen years of torture, you becoming the Alpha, your powers, the arrest of Kita and Jack Don, and how everyone respects you.” He nodded toward my arms. “Your scars also show you aren’t a quitter.”

“No, they just show I’ve been tortured,” I muttered.

“You waited for the perfect moment to escape and you never cowered behind anything. Most people would have just given up and died if they went through what you did. That’s what those scars show. That you won’t back down no matter what.”

He looked me in the eye. “And that’s exactly what Endania needs. You are what will get them through hard times and this war. You. No one else.”

“Now that’s what a family member should do,” Ash said.

“I think we all gained something from that speech,” Dominic added.

“Glad I could help,” Ian said but he was still looking at me.

My eyes dropped to my scars. Scars I got by going through hell for seventeen years. He was right. Most people would have given up and begged for death. I didn’t. Instead, I taught myself how to pick locks. I learned not to scream all the time when they hurt me. I did scream but not as much. I learned to ignore the pain and control my emotions. Sort of. My eyes fell closed. Seventeen years worth of torture and pain. From when I was one to when I was eighteen. Still am eighteen. Every time it was my birthday the Don’s would torture me longer than then usual. After the torture, they’d give me a stale blueberry muffin. I ate it because it was a treat and because I was starving. That’s how I kept track of how old I was. Well, I could also tell because Kita would through it in my face during the torture too.

Now I eat plenty, have friends, family members who care, and am stronger than I ever was. I opened my eyes and traced a scar that had been made by a silver dagger soaked in wolfsbane. Those seventeen years of my life made me who I am today. I shouldn’t let those memories make me scared. I should let them make me stronger.

I lifted my eyes and met Ian’s. “You’re right,” I said quietly. “I’m not a quitter and I never will be.” I looked at everyone. “As long as I have you guys by my side, I do do anything.” Maybe I could do it when they weren’t around but their support helps a lot.

“We’re with you all the way,” Ash said and Dominic nodded in agreement.

We made a watch schedule and Ian somehow managed to convince us to let him take the first watch. Then it would go Ash, Dominic, and then me. Much to my irritation. We all went to bed.