Page 119 of Not Your Ordinary Shifter

“I know,” she whispered, “but he was so sickly. We didn’t know what to do and...”

“We panicked,” Summer added. “Together, we came up with a plan without thinking everything through.”

“We didn’t want him to die,” Alex said. “We just wanted him to be okay.”

“So, we made a deal,” Grayson grunted, staring at his father while never letting go of Willow’s hand. “If he didn’t wake in two days, we’d bring Danielle to the clubhouse so she could fix him.”

“Until then, we wanted the dog to feel comfortable, not realizing who he was,” Liam interjected.

“When he woke up,” Willow said. “He said he was lost, and he didn’t want to go home. We assumed a lot of things about Ilariy’s situation.”

“So, we brought him food and clothes. We told him he could stay at the clubhouse for as long as he wanted.” Alex’s shouldersslumped. “We knew we’d have to tell you eventually he was there. We just wanted to give him a little more time to heal.”

“Then we met his parents tonight,” Willow stated. Swallowing hard, she turned to where Ilariy’s parents stood with him. “We did not know. We’re so sorry. If we’d known the truth, or if we’d have asked the right questions, we would have brought him home, Mrs. Novikov. Mr. Novikov. Luka. I’m so sorry.”

“Nyet, child,” Mrs. Novikov said. “You protected my Ilariy. Fed him. Befriended him. You kept him safe. We are grateful. Ilariy shouldn’t have lied to you.”

“Mama,” Ilariy said. “I want to go to school. Be with kids. They’re nice. Friends. Please.”

“We will talk about dis later,” Mrs. Novikov said, a hint of anger burning across her words.

“Yes, Mama.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Novikov, if you’d like to take Ilariy home, you’re free to go. Nico will make sure you get there safely,” Kalkin said.

“Thank you, Alpha,” Mr. Novikov replied. “Thank you. All of you.”

Once the Novikov family exited the office, someone closed the door behind them, locking them in with Kalkin. Willow wasn’t worried. She already resigned herself to the fact to the punishment coming her way for her part in keeping the secret. She would take whatever Kalkin gave her.

“I’m proud of you six,” Kalkin said, “and so damn angry at you too. You all could have gotten seriously hurt. Ilariy could have died had he not woken up.”

“We had a?—”

Kalkin raised his hand, cutting off Grayson, “I understand son. But their family has been through way too much over the last six months. There was no way for you to know precisely how well or sick Ilariy was. All of them are malnourished. Theyhaven’t had a proper night’s rest since they left their home—maybe not even then. They’re in a new country. There are factors even I don’t know yet, either.”

“We should have come to you, Uncle Kalkin,” Willow murmured. “We’re sorry.”

“I know you are, little girl,” he said. “But now is the time for punishment.”

Right. She straightened her shoulders, sitting up in her chair, lifting her chin. “I understand.”

“You don’t, but you soon will.” Kalkin frowned. “For the next three weeks you will be responsible for catching Ilariy up on his sign language lessons. You will also show him around town. Since you’re able to drive now, you will also take him to the middle school on your way to the high school. You’ll also be picking him up. Understood?”

“Yes, Alpha,” she said. “I’ll make sure he completes his lessons and meets with Sam and Mark after school.”

“Perfect.” He glanced at Grayson. “For the next three weeks, you will help the Novikovs with any type of chore they give you. Whether it’s going to the store or introducing them to people in town, you’ll be with them until sunset, every day.”

“Yes, Father,” Grayson answered.

“As for you four.” He looked to Summer and Alex. “You two will befriend Ilariy outside of school. Like Grayson, you’ll help him acclimate to our town. You’ll take him to the diner, introduce him to the kids and the orphans.” He glanced at Liam and Riley, if Luka asks you for any help, you’ll assist him as well.”

“We understand, Alpha,” Summer said.

“You’ll also have punishment with us,” Rapier grumbled staring at his son and daughter. “We’ll discuss that when we get home.”

“Willow,” Kalkin whispered, “You did a good job protecting someone weaker than you. All of you did. Next time, don’t let his or her predicament override doing the right thing.”

She nodded, biting her bottom lip to hide the wobble. “Yes, sir.”

---