He was found.
That was all Darius had in his mind. He felt terrified to think that those two were from the Council that hunted down the criminal rogues and Sigmas that were reported. He had forgotten to care about that small pack that he had over that coastal city, but if he got taken down now… what would happen to his pups? Would they be left to survive on their own, or would they be taken down as well?
His fear shot up that even Megan was awakened from the stiff and rigid actions of their gentle daddy. If Darius was asked, he might be able to save himself, but who would protect these three if he had to go in hiding and live a life filled with death?
When he got inside the cab, he only had them sit properly in the backseat. He got on the navigator's seat and only hoped that they wouldn't be tailed to their little house. In the back of his mind, he wanted to believe that it was just a coincidence…
That she was a werewolf that detected his pups' presence… that she was there every time… or that she was meeting with the new boss who was clearly trying to recognize him…
Darius only looked outside the window and watched the scenery change. He then muttered in a voice that humans couldn't hear: "I have to leave to be sure…"
…
Two weeks… Darius wanted to use two weeks to plan his movements. He was looking at houses for lease in a different city, as well as possible jobs that he could take. The most he could go for was being a machine operator since these shipping companies normally wouldn't ask a lot of questions. It's just that… he had no idea how Megan and the others would feel.
To the three, this little house was a house of their own—even if it was just an apartment unit. This was where they first saw the world and had experienced most of their firsts as children. For them to leave this place only after three years would be…
Darius held onto his forehead. He didn't want to make any of them cry.
"Daddy…" Adrian called out and scooted a chair to sit next to his daddy at the table. He saw the pamphlets and newspaper pages before their daddy. His golden round eyes then looked up at his daddy: "Daddy, are we in trouble? Is it me?"
"Did you do something that you shouldn't have?" Darius only chuckled as he cleared his clutter. This eldest child was indeed able to read things like this.
"…those bad kids next door…" Adrian fiddled with his fat fingers on the table. "When they made fun of us, Megan cried. I hit one right in the face… like this—!"
Darius was shocked when Adrian did a punching motion. He didn't hear any complaint from the lady next door about what happened, and it did seem like the children didn't know that Adrian had already taken action.
The daddy turned to the boy. "You said you want me to whoop them. Didn't you get in trouble for hitting one of them?"
Adrian shook his head. "I think the lady didn't see me do it. The kid didn't, too. He just fell over."
"Not even Megan saw it?" Darius was shocked. If Adrian moved so fast, wouldn't that mean that he was also exhibiting his werewolf traits; it was even something used in combat.
When Adrian nodded, Darius frowned a little. "Adrian, never do anything like that again, okay? You're just a kid now, so whoever you hit might just fall over. When you grow older, you might not like the consequences."
"Okay, Daddy. I'm so sorry…" Adrian fought his tears, but he sniffed the mucus that was threatening to drip from his nose. "Is it all right now?"
At this, Darius remembered the beginning of their conversation. He only smiled. "No, but this isn't about what you have done. It's… me. They're looking for me…"
Darius moved to face his child. "Adrian, can you promise me that when something happens to me, you'll protect your siblings? I'm sorry if I have to burden you with that much when you're just a little boy. Don't worry, I'll try my best to stay with you three…"
The kind of gaze he was getting from Adrian only answered him with confusion. It was as if their dad had always been so good that they couldn't think of anything that he might have done to be punished by others. At this look, Darius only reached out to ruffle Adrian's head.
"It's late. You should have been asleep." Darius left the seat and carried the boy back to the room where they were all supposed to sleep. It's just that when he opened the door, he saw how Dylan and Megan were looking up at him. From how Adrian hugged him, they could also feel the kind of apprehension that Adrian had, which he couldn't put into words.
"…Daddy, we sleep…" Megan got up from their bed and climbed to that of Darius. She patted the bed, her tears only brimming on her eyes' lower lids. "I sleep next to Daddy, so he won't be scared."
"Me, too. I sleep next to Daddy." Dylan got up as well, but he didn't get on the bed. Since Adrian was not letting go, he also wanted to sleep next to their daddy.
A slight smile escaped from Darius. He had no idea what he had done to deserve these three treasures, but he was not willing to get separated from them anymore. He only crawled into his bed and made enough room for the three kids.
Even if he didn't want to share his fear with them, the mind links he formed with them were already strong enough to transmit thoughts to their little minds.
He then ended up whispering, as he held all three of them close: "In the next two weeks, don't open the door for anyone aside from me. Don't let anything step inside the house aside from me. Then… we will be going to a new house. I'm sorry, but I can't take a risk."
"Will it be a big house, Daddy?" Megan squirmed a little, trying to get comfortable in his hold. "I want to have a garden like on the TV, Daddy."
"Sure, let's look for a place with a garden." Darius chuckled as he released the three, endearingly rubbing the faces of his little pups. They were just too young to understand everything, but he couldn't stand strong enough for them. Not when he was so sure that he would be separated from them in the end.
"Chimney…" For the first time, Dylan murmured his own demand. "Let's catch Santa."
Adrian pouted as he rubbed his chin instead, only to whine at the end. "No fair, I want to ask for something, too! Fridge, TV… Daddy, I don't know what to ask for!"