Ella didn't know what to expect. Colten dealt with things civilly and based on Braxton's current mood, she didn't think he would be mimicking her uncle's ways.
It may have even been a hopeful wish to think Braxton would spare dismemberment for even a moment. The thought made her wince as she followed her uncles outside of Alpha House as an icy wind blew. She should have grabbed a coat and thought of going back to get one, maybe if she did, she'd miss Braxton ripping a traitor in two. Grayson and Colten's quiet conversation ahead of her caught her attention, and she abandoned her escape to get a jacket.
Quickening her step to hear, she stayed just behind them, trying to appear inconspicuous. They spoke of Braxton's competence, whether he had enough experience or if his impatience would cripple his ability to be alpha. Apart of her understood their need to analyze her mate, all their experiences with him thus far had been less than glorifying to his character. Some part of her wanted to follow the lead of her uncles, but another part of her told her their opinions didn't matter.
They came to a stop where a large group of others had formed a circle, their conversation ending rather abruptly with Colten in mid-sentence. Ella peered through the shoulders of her uncles to try and get a better view, but her height stunted her.
“Daniella.”
Ella turned to her right as Aaron stepped up next to her. He had startled her, but it was relieving in a way. “Where's Braxton?”
Aaron must have not been in the loop because he looked downright confused. “I came to ask you the same question.”
Ella didn't know how to tell him, so she said it straight. “They found a rogue. Braxton's going to kill him.”
“Who approved that?” Aaron had hushed voice as the crowd quieted around them.
Ella shrugged a shoulder. “Braxton.” When she looked back up to the Beta, he was shoving himself through the crowd as Braxton walked into the middle of the open circle with the rogue she remembered as Tanner. The boy she'd gotten drunk with, gotten a ride with, and told her entire life story.
Her mate sent him falling to the ice and snow on his knees. His hands were zap strapped behind his back like it was supposed to stop him from shifting, but they must have known better. The blood running down the side of his face was enough proof he'd already had a good beating. Maybe by her uncles but likely from Braxton.
She stepped in between Colten and Grayson as Braxton circled Tanner. “Do you think this is necessary?”
Grayson folded his arms across his chest. “Rogues are a problem. They have no pack, no rules, no moral. They're a menace to our race.”
“Grayson's right.”
Ella looked between her two uncles in defeat; they were okay with her mate ripping Tanner into pieces.
“Where is she!” Tanner shouted as Braxton pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it to the ground. Her mate raised his untied boot the back of the rogue and kicked him between the two shoulder blades. “He'll get her!” He said through the pain of Braxton's abrupt kick. “I hope killing me brings you enough satisfaction as he will have killing you.”
Braxton's frown and determined stare beat into the back of Tanner's scruffy head of hair. Ella's skin crawled, the way her mate look sent shivers down her spine. His presence put Colten and Grayson's earlier words aside; he wasn't one to mess with anymore.
“I think you're missing the point.” Braxton reached his long-fingered hand down and around Tanner's bloody neck.
“What's that?”
“You've lost and so will he.”
Tanner began to laugh wholeheartedly, making Braxton anger more than Ella could anticipate. Her alpha mate sent Tanner's face to the ice ground, from the sound of the snap it sounded like his nose had broke. “You're all so dumb--” He continued to laugh, rolling onto his back.
“Enough of this.” Braxton couldn't take it anymore and challenged him. “Shift!”
“Make me!” Tanner shouted, spitting blood into the frozen air. The way it dispersed around his face made Ella gag. She put a hand on her stomach to stop herself from throwing up and turned away from the scene to hear Azalea near.
“I can't watch this. I can't watch my son turn into Gale.”
She watched the woman leave Mike's side. The usually gung-ho beta wore his torn expression with obviousness, and as Azalea left the crowd, Mike turned and followed her – cementing her thoughts on them. “They have to be mates.” She spun back around to the familiar sound of bone and flesh tearing as Braxton shifted. To watch Braxton kill Tanner wouldn't bring her justice, her father wanted her, and he was still out there. Nothing Braxton was about to do would stop it.
“Do something.” Her sudden collision with Grayson's side didn't phase her uncle. He stood stone still, watching, waiting. She looked to Colten as he too intently focused on the scene in front of them. They weren't going to do anything, and she realized that. Braxton was going to kill the rogue for blood revenge on his father and for his disturbing needs, all which she would have to support. She had no more choice; she was his and that made her sick to her stomach.
Collapsing over her knees, she threw up all the stupid chicken that his mother had just made her ingest. Colten's hand on her back offered some weak form of comfort.
“Ella?”
She swung away from him, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. “Do something!”
“What do you want us to do? We can't stop him.”
“How can you let him do this, he's not a murderer!” Ella pointed to the scene beside them as Braxton placed one of his large paws on the back of Tanner and broke several of his ribs at the same time. She forced her tearing eyes to look away and shoved past Colten and Grayson. Leaving the scene, was the best decision. Maybe if she didn't see it happen, she could forget it ever had happened.
“Ella!” Colten called her.
She swung around to say one last final thing to him. Her mouth opening was far as she got because the sight of Braxton launching himself off Tanner and directly onto the back of Colten stopped her dead.
Her mate's weight and direct flight onto her uncle, sent them both sliding across the ice.
“Go! Go!” Aaron shouted to the crowd, using his no-nonsense voice. Something had gone horribly wrong, Braxton had flipped and Ella saw the blood pooling around her uncle as the result.
“Colten!”
Braxton stayed on top of him as Colten gripped his shoulder. Peter showed up, shifted and Grayson also shifted.
“Ella!” Aaron grabbed her around the waist out of nowhere, hauling her up and over his shoulder as he ran.
She screamed, slapping her hand on his back. “Let me go, Aaron!”
He held her tighter till he had her inside of Alpha House, and the door locked.
“Colten!” She cried, running for the door but Aaron grabbed her again.
“Stay inside.”
“What's going on?” The confusion she felt was overwhelming, her mate had attacked her uncle, her mate..
“What happened now!” Mike showed up in the foyer.
Aaron kept his death hold on her. “Someone shot at Colten.”
“With a gun?”
Aaron slid his hands up Ella's shoulders and let go of her, he nodded to Mike. “Tanner was a setup. They knew we'd make a show out of it, and now they've made a show out of us.”
Ella keeled again and emptied the remainder of her stomach all over the Turkish angora rug.
Aaron moved around her and took her shoulders gently. “Daniella?”
“It's too much for her.” Azalea's voice held more emotion and caring then Ella had thought possible for the woman. “I'll take her. You both go deal with this.”
Aaron handed her off to Azalea and Ella almost fell into her as she walked her towards the kitchen. In Passing Mike, the woman's step shortened. “Don't do anything dumb.”
Mike's weary smile wasn't enough to put confidence in either woman, and he left the house quickly after lingering a kiss on Azalea's cheek.
“They-they shot Colten.” Ella fell into the couch once they were near it. “I thought Braxton was attacking him.”
Azalea shook her head and walked away. “He shouldn't have been making a scene out that rogue. I hope for the sake of your uncle, it's not as bad as it sounds.”
Ella tried to sit up, determined suddenly to go make sure Colten was okay. She got as far as three steps from the couch when Azalea was there stopping her.
“Sit down, Daniella.”
“My uncle--”
The doors of Alpha house shot open, and the commotion that followed made Ella run towards it.
Braxton and Grayson had Colten around his midsection as he managed to walk himself between them down the hall.
“Colten!” Her uncle looked pale faced and drowsy, the way Braxton and Grayson helped him walk made Ella cry.
“Someone go get the doctor!” Azalea pushed Ella aside as she dove in with a towel to place around Colten's shoulder. He'd only been shot in the shoulder thanks to her mate's launch through the air.
“Ella.” His voice made her look to him, the wolf inside of her wanted to snuggle herself into his side. Her big alpha, that stupid hormonal little wolf inside loved everything he did but Ella, she had a few things to say still to him.
She shook her feelings for him away and sat next to Colten as they put him on a couch and propped his head up on a pillow.
“Colten?”
His half-open eyes moved to his niece. “Are you okay, Ella?”
In between her sobbing she managed a nod. Her uncle's conscientious traits poured over her and made her feel worse for him. “I'm fine.”
“Here we go.” Azalea came over him, pressing a home-made dressing to his bloody shoulder. The pressure of her hand made him produce a noise of discomfort that made Ella cringe.
He opened his eyes as mush as he could, though it appeared he was struggling to do so. In all her life, she never imagined she'd witness Colten hurt and fighting through pain. Her uncle's life was on the line now because of her and it made her want to throw up again.
“Keep him talking.” Azalea said as she walked away to the kitchen, Ella losing her path there after.
“Colten?”
His reply came in a mumble and it scared her.
She grabbed his uninjured arm and squeezed. “Colten, what did you name the baby? I-I never asked you..” The selfishness she felt made her sentence end with an apology he likely did not hear.
A weak smile graced her uncle's pained face. “Mason.”
“Mason?” She wanted to make sure she'd heard it correct.
“Yeah.” He grimaced, “Mason Wyatt. You.. don't think that's too much?”
“No.” Shaking her head through her tears, she thought it was perfect and was about to say it when he spoke.
“Alright, good--” He seemed to have more of a sentence to get out but the pain in shoulder made him stop talking.
She ducked her head to his chest, hoping he'd comfort her like he had her whole life, but all he did was groan. It broke her heart and she could feel the same despair she knew her aunt would feel when she learned about what had happened to Colten.
Braxton startled her as he took her weight off Colten. “He's hurt, Daniella.”
“Call Abigail.”
Ella's eyes darted to her uncle's; he was talking to her. She shook her head; she wasn't capable of doing much right then, and it didn't include calling her aunt to tell her this.
“Please, Ella. It-it needs to be you.”
Braxton put his hand in hers and lifted her to her feet. “She'll call.”
The doctor rushed in, guarded by the follow of Mike and Peter, but they were ordered back out of the house as soon as they'd come in by Grayson. Whatever was going on, she felt she didn't know the half of it. Braxton didn't let her attend Colten's examination and he had to pull her down the hall to do it. Whipping a phone from a near base, he handed it to her.
“No.” Ella shook her head.
“Oh god, Daniella, you have to call her.”
“I can't do it.” There weren't words to tell Abigail Colten was shot.
“Fine, I will.” Braxton looked down to the phone and paused. “What's the number, babe?”
Ella ground her teeth at him. “Don't call me that!” She dashed for the stairs, if she couldn't be sitting with Colten, then she didn't want to be near anyone.
Braxton trailed her step, making up impressive ground between them and surprising her in the hall at the top of the stairs. “Daniella?” When she didn't stop, he stopped her by crushing her against the wall.
She threw a fist into his chest. “You did this!”
“What--” He looked perplexed, and it ticked her off.
“Why would you want to kill someone in front of all those pack members! Are you totally unmoral, are you really that twisted and messed up, Braxton! That out for blood!”
“Yes!” He agreed rather ridiculously.
“You're such a dog.”
“Oh stop. We need to call Abigail--”
“Shut up!” She was sure their screaming was heard throughout the house, but Braxton had about as little shame as she did at that moment and shouted right back.
“Who cares if I'm a total idiot! Your uncle could be dying, Daniella! ”
She threw both her hands to his chest, and he caught them, shoving her wrists against the wall above her head and pinning her in place. His impossible grip wouldn't let her fight him, and so she gave up after trying only once.
On his exhale, he dropped his nose against hers and said, “I'm sorry.” It wasn't a glorious apology, but it had been sincere enough for her. His fingers unwrapped from each of her wrists and ran tenderly down her arms, so he could bring her in close to him. “I think he'll be okay, it was his shoulder that was hit.”
Her cheek melded to his bare chest, and she cried. “I'll call her.” His hand running over her shoulders brought her comfort and made her feel safe. He coaxed her forward, taking her hand and leading her down the hall as she searched for the words she would say to Abigail.