RP:A Broken Home

Summary: Lanara leads Tiber back to their home for the second party of his birthday surprise. The Pack has planned a cookout and brought their instruments along for a jam session! They also give their Alpha some thoughtful gifts and it seems that the evening will end on a high note… That is until an owl from Sylvie unexpectedly drops in and delivers a warning. The Lowell’s have about five minutes to save their beloved pets and grab any mementos, as Franz has planned an aerial attack that will destroy their home. Tiber and Lana saved the animals and a few possessions, but their dream home is diminished to rubble and their hearts are broken.

Part of the Waxing Crescent, Wayward Course Arc

(Post 1 of 2) Lanara walks hand in hand with Tiber as she leads him back to Sage Forest so that part two of his birthday festivities can continue. Greyson walks ahead and carries the bulk of the gifts, save for the guitar, and Lana has the box of lingerie tucked in the crook of her arm. “I had so much fun! Were you really surprised? I can’t believe that Leo and Lora gave you a guitar!” Their gift had managed to outshine the Catalian Stallion brand of cologne and she’s feeling mildly insulted, because she was certain -that- would have been her husbands most treasured present. She keeps Tiber’s focus on the conversation as Greyson abruptly heads south, rather than east, as the Pack has set up in the backyard of the Lowell Estate. It’s more spacious and picturesque, plus the thick forest surrounds the home on all sides so it affords more privacy. Plus, she made sure to cast a bubble earlier that would hide everyone’s scent so that they cannot be detected as it would ruin the surprise aspect. As Lana tugs Tiber in the direction of their home she meets his gaze and smiles, “I need to stop home, first, to get out of these shoes! My feet are killing me! And then we can go check on Lunalesca and the Pack?” They arrive at their home and Lana races upstairs as soon as they step inside, so that she can peek down at the party from the balcony. She waves to the crew and admires their decorations before she slips back into the master bedroom and swaps her semi-formal attire for casual wear. Clad in a pair of denim short-shorts, a black tank top, and a pair of slip-on sneakers, she descends the stairs as she pulls her hair into a messy bun. “Oh! I need to check on Sansa before we head out! Why don’t you come with me? She was acting funny this morning and I hope she’s not getting sick…” She feels bad for fibbing, even if it’s for the element of surprise, and she lowers her gaze and feigns a pout until Tiber agrees to accompany her to the backyard.

(Post 2 of 2) As the couple turns the corner on the outside of their home they will be met with an obnoxious greeting of “SURPRISE!!!” Their backyard has been turned into a party zone as a volleyball net is to the rear of the yard, colorful spheres have been placed in the trees to provide ambience, and there are streamers and balloons everywhere! Greyson laughs and pulls the Catalian in for a tight hug, as if he didn’t just see him moments prior. The two are incredibly close and he’s so happy that they all get to be a party of their Alpha’s special day. Bjorn and Nick are next to give Tiber their well wishes, and naturally, Bjorn has to make a quip about Tiber’s birthday ‘night’ and how Lanara is looking sexy in those shorts. Tybalt hands Tiber a large card that he spent a lot of time designing; a howling wolf looking up at the moon is on the cover, and everyone signed their name inside. Violet, Celeste, and Corrine, all give brief hugs because they know that their Luna is a jealous psychopath and they don’t want any drama. The healer pulls Lana aside to give her an update on Lunalesca, “She’s still stable, but nothing to report. No signs of consciousness. I’m only going to stick around for an hour because I don’t want to leave her alone in case something changes.” Lana nods, “I don’t mind taking a shift if you want to stay a little longer. You need to enjoy yourself, too!” She knows that Celeste won’t accept the offer, but it’s there. Nick and Greyson are firing up a medieval version of a grill and toss some steaks, burgers, and hot dogs on to cook. Various side dishes rest on the patio table, a small bonfire is at the center of the backyard, an ice enchanted box is stuffed to the brim with alcoholic beverages, all the musically inclined lycans have brought their instruments, and a large strawberry shortcake is off to the side for dessert. Lanara winks at Tiber before she leaves his side to go grab them both a beer.

(Post 1 of 2) Tiber cannot wipe the smile off of his face, as he feels like a kid all over again. The guitar is wrapped around Tiber’s torso. The Catalian Stallion is also buzzed, as he left the destrier with a whiskey stomach, although they ate Gordon Whamsey’s finest food. Lanara stops him to make a pitstop home. “What? I can’t carry you?” He smirked, but he was not going to resist. What was a quick stop in? He could change into something a little more relaxed to meet the rest of the Pack. The Kelvarian is racing up the stairs like lightning, and he is slowly loosening his tie. “Jeeze, babe, I’m not in any rush to get there.” He takes off his tie and loosens a few buttons until Lanara is begging him to check on Sansa. “Why me? She’s not the biggest fan of–” that pouty mouth rests on her face, and he leans in. “Fine.” He briefly kisses her and moves outside rather than changing. The guitar still strung on his back until he notices the group of surprises again. “Holy hell,” he jumps. What a deja vu. Not really. Different scenery. Different friends. “Oh my gosh, guys, thank you. I was wondering why y’all weren’t in Xalious.” He grinned.

(Post 2 of 2) Tiber is pulled into a drunken embrace with Greyson. The Catalian moves on to give a few back pats to Bjorn and Nick while thanking them all the while. Bjorn, however, earns a nice thump at the back of his head for commenting on his wife so sexually. “Dude, boundaries,” amber eyes then slip over to check out his own little Kelvarian wife. Those shorts were flattering. “Maybe she’ll play Cinnamon if I’m lucky…” The derriere, however, is blocked by a child-drawn card. “Thanks, li’l dude.” He ruffles Tybalt’s hair before opening to see the card and looking out at his… family. “Thank you all, again. This is awesome.” Tiberius offers the side-hugs in return for the girls before overhearing Celeste. He side-eyes the conversation and a faint glimmer of sorrow is there before he is back to the festivities. “At least eat, Celeste, before you go back.” Tiber slips off the guitar and places it next to a table. Maybe he would play it later around the bonfire with everyone. He then looks at Lanara. “You have given me the best birthday in my life,” he knows he cannot remember when he ever had a birthday party. He leans in to kiss the Kelvarian again before he lets her go. “Greyson, give me that birthday tee from The Blue Demon.” Tiber loosens the buttons on his shirt before pulling it off to change into the loose cotton Tru-Blue Fan Tee.

Lanara rolls her eyes and giggles at Tiber’s gratitude, “I don’t take -any- credit for this part of the day! This was all Greyson’s idea! Corrine did all the shopping for the food, Nick handled the instruments, Bjorn and Tybalt tended to the decorations, Celeste made the cake, Greyson rounded up some board games and the volleyball net, and Violet made all the side dishes.” She gives credit where it’s due and smiles, “We all love you so much, and I cannot wait until it’s just -us- tonight…” She leans in to that kiss and lingers there for a moment, before she is off to get them something to drink. Later, Lana returns with an ale for each of them and she shakes her head as she sees that Tiber has changed his shirt. Typical. He’s grinning like a kid on Christmas morning and the boyishness warms her heart. She’s so happy that they decided to do this because after all the craziness of the past month, they all deserve a day to unwind. “Here, Babe.” She hands him the ale and turns when Greyson yells for everyone to grab a plate as it’s time to eat. Lana’s not the least bit hungry but she will eat a bite of each of the side dishes so no one is offended. As everyone gathers around the table and shovels food on their plates and dives in, it’s mostly quiet, save for all the chewing. Bjorn waggles his brows, “I call dibs on Lana being on my team.” He’s eyeing the net and then his Luna, which will likely earn him another bop on the head from Tiber. The witch laughs, “I may sit that one out. I don’t think I should be smacking stuff with my forearms, considering the one is still healing.” Nick pipes in, “I was hoping we could all have a jam session after dinner. Tiber has to break in that new guitar, you know.” Greyson smirks, “Why don’t we let the birthday boy decide what he wants to do next?”

Tiber looks around at all the Pack members who put something like this together. It was touching, as he knows he has put them all in chaos mode since Franz Libedow. When Lanara hands him the cold ale, he swigs it back. Food is ready, and because he is a man who likes to eat, he goes in for round two, gladly. He goes in for a hamburger and some side-salads before sitting with the rest of the crew. Bjorn’s lingering stare does earn him another bop from Tiber again. The Catalian looks over the woman’s arm before looking at Bjorn. “You don’t think much before you speak, do you?” Bjorn shrugs and looks mildly apologetic for not considering the Kelvarian’s injury. Tiber then leans back at Nick’s comment. “Sunburst guitar is pretty slick. Can’t believe Leo and Loravelle considered me that highly.” It was probably more Loravelle. Strings. “I’ll have to break it in. We’ll let the food digest and I can play a little, and then maybe after we do a round of volleyball so I can spike one on Bjorn.” He grins like a boy. It was nice to hangout for once.

Lanara nibbles on half of an ear of corn on the cob and she cannot help but smirk at everyone’s playful banter. It is the first birthday that the Pack has celebrated since they’ve all been together and a thought strikes her, “Do any of you know your actual birthday? If not… You should choose a date! And we will be sure to celebrate -everyone- on their special day in the future!” Tybalt chimes in, “Do we get to eat cake? Lana nods. “Then I want my birthday to be -tomorrow- and I want chocolate cake with chocolate sprinkles!” Everyone laughs and Lanara realizes the mistake in her words, “How about no more than one birthday party a month? We can’t celebrate all year round!” She grins and exchanges a loving look with Tiber, because she knows that if push came to shove, they both would grant Tybalt his wish of a birthday party every day. Imagine how they’d be as parents! The thought warms her and she feels the buzz of the ale kicking in. After dinner, Nick is the first to race towards the instruments and he admires Tiber’s guitar while waiting for the rest of the band to join him. Celeste hugs Lana and says her goodbyes while ruffling Tiber’s hair and ordering him to save her a piece of cake, before she heads back to check on Lunalesca. Lanara helps Violet and Corrine clean up the mess from dinner and snags the bag of marshmallows. She’ll be by the bonfire making some s’mores for herself as she’s an -addict- and can never have too many. “Music! Come on, Birthday Boy! Show us what that new guitar can do!”

Tiber :: Members of the Pack look around at each other and Violet is about to open her mouth about her birthday when Tybalt chimes in. Violet blinks at the kid before snorting with the rest of the crew, as Tybalt got the wrong idea. Some knew their birthdays, and some did not. Tybalt was clearly memory swiped if he was trying to choose his birthday for tomorrow. Violet, however, knew hers, but surely the topic would come up again. Tiber catches Lanara’s gaze and he smiles lazily at her before looking at Tybalt. “It’s fine, Balto. I’ll be sure to save you a piece of my cake for tomorrow too.” He winks before they finish up dinner. Tiber says his goodbyes to Celeste. “I promise, I promise. Thank you for checking on her, though. I appreciate it, Celeste.” Once Lanara hollers at the man to get his booty by the bonfire, he would snag his guitar and sit down. “Jeeze, bossy hot woman, alright, alright.” He is only jesting before giving Lanara a dramatic smooch on the cheek. The man plucks a few strings, and surprisingly… it is in tune. Loravelle knew right. “I just want to thank you all for doing this. I really appreciate all of you, and I’m glad we’ve become a tight knit family. Seriously. I’ve never had something like this.” Pause. He throws an idle hand forward.“Now enough with the mush, I guess.” He then starts fumbling with the strings and moves his fingers along the frets. He starts playing an instrumental tune that is very calm. His fingers moving swiftly against the neck of the guitar. “Ooo, she’s smooth.” Should Lanara be jealous of this guitar?

Lanara is halfway done with her second bottle of ale and she’s more than a little tipsy as she stands before the bonfire and sways her hips from side to side. At some point she must’ve pulled her hair from the messy bun as it flows loosely over her sun-kissed shoulders and covers part of her fair face as she dances. Night has officially fallen and her flesh is bathed in the golden glow from the bonfire as the song comes to an end and she flips her hair back so that she can set her gaze on Tiber. He’s on the opposite side of the bonfire which is too far away. She needs him closer. The smoldering look that she gives her husband is tinged with a primal need as she abandons the marshmallows and graham crackers and saunters over to where he stands. Lana’s mind is set on one thing right now and she just may have to steal the man of the hour away to test out some of Alvina’s risque presents, as she cannot wait until after they have birthday cake and the guests go home. She makes it a third of the way to her husband when a frantic owl swoops down and lands on her shoulder. “Where’d you come from, hm?” It’s not her sister's snow owl nor is it a brown dove from the sanctuary and she finds that her doomsday radar is going wild. Lana shushes the bird and gently pries a piece of parchment from its talon, before it flies off into the night. The letter is read and her eyes grow wide with concern as her worst fears come to light, “Everyone!!! Get out of here! Go back to the Pack house! Now! We are all in danger! Sylvie said there’s going to be an aerial attack on Lowell Estate just after dark!” She shoves the letter at Tiber’s chest and sprints into the house as she doesn’t want any of their fur babies to be harmed. There’s not much time, according to the letter, and she’s not sure how far the owl had to travel to deliver the message. Is Sylvie setting them up? Could this be another trap? Only time will tell and it’s fading fast… Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Tiber is laughing in the background with Greyson and Nick who are both ogling his new instrument. Amber eyes lift to see the witch staring at him with that intoxicating gaze. That smolder. Those lips. She is on her way to him. He can sneak away from the party, right? He is trying not to be rude, and he tries to contribute some words to the conversation, but he cannot stop staring at the goddess walking towards him in her seductive sway. Those hips. Those chocolate eyes. Then, the owl lands on her with a note. ‘We are all in danger!’ Instantly Tiber removes the guitar and he stares at Greyson. “Make sure everyone gets out of here. Now.” A switch mode from light and happy… to grim. The note is shoved into his chest. “Lana! Lana!” He hollers, and then after she goes into the house, he swears over and over again before he chases after her. They did not have much time… dark was setting. He whistles for Demon, the blue doberman. “Demon, come.” The dog, by now, has grown on Tiber a little and follows protocol and comes to the man from his dog bed in the living room. Frantically Tiberius looks around and sees his brother’s guitar–the only piece of him left. He rushes and grabs it, throwing the guitar around his body. Last thing? Salem… “Salem!” He is spinning, also not to mention Lanara was in the house. “Babe, hurry up! We gotta go!” He searches around corners of the house. “Salem?! Salem!” Tiber is in full panic as his heart is almost out of his chest. ‘Meow’. The cat is brushing against him at his feet. He scoops up the cat with one hand, and he does not leave until Lanara gets out the door first. “Lana, come on, babe.” He would push against her back for them to gain distance because what could an ‘attack’ mean? Invaders? Demon follows behind him. Salem is in one arm. Guitar slung on his back. The last thing to protect was… his wife.

(Post 1 of 2) Lanara races through the house and up the staircase as she makes a beeline for the nursery. The door swings open and she ushers Cinder and Ranger out of the room before she picks up Aspen and holds him in her arms. The trio is led downstairs and to the front door where she sets them free and instructs them to wait with Salem and Demon at the edge of the property. Aspen clings to her frame for a moment as he doesn’t want to let go, but thankfully, he realizes the panic in his mothers voice and he follows after the dog and cat. Then, Lana heads back upstairs and into the master bedroom where she throws her broom and jewelry box into the large trunk at the foot of the bed. All of her witchy supplies are in there and she doesn’t want anything to be damaged, so she focuses the best she can and before long the trunk is levitating. The element of air helps her to guide it off the balcony so that it can be lowered safely onto the grass. Greyson is in the backyard leading Sansa from her stall when he sees what Lana’s doing and he quickly walks over so that he can move the heavy chest to a safer location. She’s not even aware of the fact that tears are streaming down her face as she runs from room to room to check and see if one of the animals snuck back in or if they’re forgetting anything of significant importance. “Tiber! Hurry! I can hear something coming!” Lana feels the walls of the home beginning to vibrate as something large is nearing their location and flying rather low in the sky. She desperately wants to try and battle Franz for doing this, but she’s still recovering from his last attempt to take her life. As she’s waiting for Tiber so that they can exit their dream home together for the very last time, her eye catches the drawing above the mantle. The exact moment that the Catalian asked her to be his wife. She pulls the frame from the wall and hugs it to her chest before joining her husband and exiting the Lowell Estate.

(Post 2 of 2) Once outside, everything seems to erupt into chaos! Greyson is holding the scrap of paper from Sylvie with one hand, while the other holds onto Sansa’s reins. He’s in a -very- bad mood right now because someone interrupted his Alpha’s only birthday and the woman that he cannot get off of his mind seems to be in the midst of things. Greyson rarely loses his cool but he nearly got into a physical altercation with Bjorn when ordering everyone to leave the premises and head to the Pack House. Nick and Corrine went to guard Lunalesca and check on Celeste, no questions asked. Violet took Tybalt by the hand and practically drug him away, but Bjorn refused to budge. He didn’t want to leave Tiber and Lana during their time of need, but the Beta trumps Delta, and after a few moments of arguing Bjorn stalked off. The dogs, cats, and bear cub sit on the grass beside Greyson and fearfully keep looking up as though they sense what’s about to happen. Lanara is a little winded after all the running around but she refuses to flee to safety and let their home disappear. A captain is the last to leave a sinking ship, right? The Kelvarian stands close to her husband and watches as a flock of crimson-eyed hippogriffs fly over the home and drop enchanted boxes that explode once they hit their target. It’s a flashback to the small gift that combusted once Queen Lunalesca tried to open it in the forest, except this time the effects are tenfold. All six winged beasts launch their aerial assault on the Lowell Estate and within seconds the beautiful dream home turns into a house that will haunt their memories. The roof caves in as the glass panes in the windows shatter and the rest of the home seems to follow suit as it's engulfed in flames. Lanara bursts into tears and falls to her knees on the grass, “This was the only home that was -mine- and that felt like home! -Our- dream home, Tiber!” She weeps as she recalls the day they picked out the house, their first night inside, the way she designed the nursery for the animals, their housewarming party, every morning that she woke up in Tiber’s arms, the countless meals, the nights of passion, and so many more. Each memory slashes her heart as she cries so hard that she soon is gulping for air, because this is the final nail in the coffin. Franz has won. As Lanara kneels in shock and heartache, the sound of hooves can be heard and a woman drops from the saddle and approaches the couple. “I see you’ve got my letter. I’m so sorry… He went too far. I tried to stop him. But… He’s gone now. He went into hiding after the Queen didn’t turn up, as there’s too much activity. Let me help…” Sylvie is sporting a black eye and looks worse for wear as she rests her hand on Lana’s shoulder but looks at Tiber’s face, “I cannot stop the destruction of your home, but I think I can help your wife to contain the fire.” All of Sage Forest shouldn’t have to suffer, too.

(Post 1 of 2) Once breaking outside, chaos swarms around them. Everything seems to be a blur as Sansa is rising and almost out of control. Salem is wriggling in his arms, so he lets Salem go, and Salem sits and stares at the home in front of them. All the animals had a feeling. Demon the blue doberman is growling as he senses the atmosphere. Tiber is frantic, but the next thing on his mind is getting Lanara in a safe-zone. Eyes lift to see the hippogriffs soar above and drop packages down on the home which creates explosions. The Catalian moves to hover over his wife in case any flying debris heads their direction. His back faces the home, and he looks over his shoulder at each large explosion. There was a loud buzzing in his ears, and the man becomes red-faced as he screams loud and aggressively at the house being terminated. A vein almost pops out of the man’s forehead as the anger seethes through him like nothing ever before as he does that long, painful yell. His lungs feel like they are on fire just like the estate before them. His dream home is gone in an instant, and Lanara is weeping on the ground which causes Tiberius to fall along with her and he breathes heavily at the sight. Tears brim, but nothing streams–yet. He had failed. Again. His wife and him were yet again… defeated. Left with… a gash in the sea of memories they shared in -their- home. Tiberius Lowell could not protect his wife. How could he? The flames roar, and Sylvie drops down from her horse. Tiber lifts his gaze as the blonde speaks. “-You-.” He could care less about her black eye. He stands and he shoves on the girl’s chest before Greyson scrambles to step in between them. That itch was there for the Beta. A girl he barely knew, and Greyson wanted to protect her. “Stop, Tiber. She wants to help. She saved your pet’s lives!”

(Post 2 of 2) Tiber stares at the Beta with a hard look. “Get it through your thick skull that she was bound to Franz. She doesn’t want to help us.” Tiber is seeing red. The beast is pulsing through him. Greyson, although a step below the Alpha in rank, stands strong. Just as Bjorn did. “Let her help put out the fire to salvage anything in the flames. And then make your call.” Greyson is trying to reason, but still letting Tiber feel his emotions. Tiber is glaring at the blonde female. “Whatever. Side with the enemy. Your home will be next.” Tiber then turns and places his hands on the back of his neck before throwing them forward. Sylvie then looks to Greyson. “I.. I didn’t want this to happen. I didn’t want him to hurt you. Tiber was loyal. Tiber fought for what he wanted under Franz. Franz doesn’t like that.” She tries to explain herself. “I’m just about as big of an enemy for Franz now as the rest of you. For helping you.” Sylvie does not take anymore time as she turns to manipulate the water from the earth below. Water comes from the ground and it smells musty and dirt-like before the water is splashed onto the house to start putting out the flames.

(Post 1 of 2) Lanara doesn’t react when Tiber pulls her into his arms and releases agonizing screams that pierce her sensitive ears. She doesn’t react when Sylvie appears and asks if she can help. She doesn’t even react when Greyson and Tiber nearly get into a fistfight over letting the blonde try to combat the flames. She’s lost in the sea of flames as her big brown eyes are glued to the home that she spent her entire life dreaming up, before Tiber had granted that wish. She’s not materialistic, but the home meant more to her than anyone could possibly understand. Lana feels a piece of herself dying with the destruction of their home and her eyes are already bloodshot from a combination of non stop crying and smoke. It’s only when Aspen rests his paw on her shoulder and whimpers that she’s pulled from that trancelike state and she rests a shaking hand on top of the cubs head. Slowly, she rises from the ground and she looks into Tiber’s amber gaze and realizes that it’s a mirror of her own emotions. There’s so much raw pain there and it’s as though flames flicker in their hearts as well as in their home. Lana cannot offer him any words of comfort because this is a wound that won’t heal with pretty words. The couple is now homeless and hunted and she wonders if they will ever truly be safe. Everywhere she goes, she sees an enemy or fears that she will be attacked. How can they protect the Pack? Each other? If they cannot protect themselves from one man?! So many thoughts cloud her mind but she dares not voice them because she doesn’t want to instill doubt in Tiber’s mind. She doesn’t doubt -his- ability to protect her, but she has greatly underestimated the lengths that Franz will go to in order to fulfill his revenge. “I love you…” Her voice is tiny and strained as she continues to openly cry, but the reassurance is there. Lana turns to Sylvie and briefly addresses her, “We need to get closer. I’ll work on the rear and sides of the house and you control the front. I think we can contain the fire until it’s consumed everything, but I don’t want to risk the rest of Sage Forest catching fire.” She has friends that live in the area, so many animals call the woods their home, and Happy Tails is to the north. Lana will exhaust all of her powers to ensure the safety of this area and although she won’t admit it, she’s grateful for Sylvie’s assistance. She cannot do this on her own with her emotional state so fragile.

(Post 2 of 2) Lanara heads into the backyard and calls upon the moisture in the air and in the clouds in the sky. It takes everything in her not to fall to the grass and throw a wicked tantrum about how life isn’t fair, and the scalding tears do not seem to be slowing down. Lana pleads with the Goddess and works her magic but it takes a minute longer than usual, as she’s having difficulty focusing. Some debris flies off the house and nearly strikes her, but lands a few feet away. She didn’t even try to step to the side as she feels so defeated that she almost welcomes another injury. At long last, the first few droplets of rain fall upon the wreckage of the house and the droplets grow into a full on rainstorm. Every so often she has to adjust the spell when the flames veer to the left or right, but other than that, Sylvie and Lanara are working in tandem to isolate the damage. The women are out there, inhaling smoke and covered in soot, for nearly three hours. After their work is complete, they call off their spells and rejoin the men. Sylvie feels a pang in her heart when she looks at Greyson and she lowers her head as she speaks to Tiber, “I willingly allow you to imprison and question me. You will find that I’m being truthful and that my intentions are pure.” She coughs and winces as she rubs both of her temples, and concern washes over her face as she looks at Lanara. “If I’m suffering from smoke inhalation, she must be far worse… She was so close to the house.” The witch doesn’t even notice that she’s being spoken about as she’s struggling to keep her eyes open. She stumbles on her way over to Tiber and she collides with his side as she clings to his frame, “I’m so sleepy… Where will we sleep tonight?” At this revelation, she bursts into fresh tears and buries her face in her sooty hands, “I want to go home but we don’t have a home anymore…” Greyson’s eyes brim with tears as he looks at the couple and he wonders how such a beautiful day could turn into something this horrific. It’s a birthday that Tiber will never want to remember, let alone repeat. “Why don’t you both stay at Corrine and Nick’s? You can send them back to the Pack House. Celeste, too. That way you two can have some privacy.”

Tiber stands defeated in the area as he stares at the house and watches it burn. Sylvie is trying her best to contain the flames, but it does not reassure the man. The lengths Franz would go–Sylvie could be a spy. An actress. She was a swooner. Easy to manipulate. The gloss over his eyes are evident, and it is not until Lanara comes to him with that teary, heartbroken gaze, that he loses it. Tears stream down his face and he closes his eyes. This was their home. -Her- home. There were no words of comfort, and there was a faint voice in the back of his mind telling him that he should just ‘stop’. Hide Lanara away like he wanted to from the start. Push her away. Keep her safe. “I said I would protect you…” He promised, even. This promise was broken. ‘I love you…’ the man feels like pushing those words away. He failed her. He did not deserve her love. Not like this. Not at this moment. His past biting back and haunting them. Lanara then parts away from him. There was nothing left to do but console the animals and watch the raindrops fall on their inflamed dream. Time passes, and he is not sure how long they have been standing there. Watching. Waiting. Working. Eventually Sylvie comes over and speaks. He cannot look at her, although she helped put out the flames. He does not say much to her ‘imprisonment’. “You can stay at the Pack house. I’m sure that’ll be next anyway, so if Franz pulls any other stunt, you’ll be in there to burn.” Wow, wicked, Tiber. Greyson glares at Tiber at that point and Lanara comes into the clearing. Instantly he is wrapping himself around her. “I’m so sorry, babe… I’m so sorry.” He is trying to ‘shh’ her gently, but it does not help the tears. The devastation. “Let’s get you out of this smoke. Greyson? Take Sylvie with you, and don’t let her out of your sight. I’ll send Corinne and Nick your way.” He then looks down at Lanara and presses his face in her smoky hair. “Let’s go…” He then parts off from her and scoops up Salem. The guitar was still on his back, and whistled for the dogs to follow: Ranger and Demon. Cinder also would follow–who did not have a snarky comment for Tiber tonight. Tiber was sure Aspen would be taken care of by Lanara where he can help Lanara be lifted on to Sansa to give her a break from cooling out the flames to their home.