by Belle Kayce
Julia shakes her head. “They know where you are, and the only thing they wanted was for you to be safe. Lisa wouldn’t come with me, and your parents just told me they were looking for someone.”
That’s a sting to my chest. Why wouldn’t they come see me?
“Hey—”
I stand up. “What am I doing here, Julia?”
Julia looks at me in confusion. My voice gets higher as my anxiety rises. “I’ve been here in this pack for like months and I’ve done nothing. My parents could be in trouble because of me, and I’m just sitting around pretending like my life is great. I need to see them.”
“First, you need to take a deep breath,” Julia says.
I oblige. Instantly, it calms me.
“Secondly, your parents are adults. If they wanted to see their child, well guess freaking what, they could have. As far as we both know, they’re alive. If they want to contact you, I’m sure they will.”
“I don’t know what I want, Julia,” I whisper to her.
“Your mate is an alpha.” Julia crosses her arms, looking at me like she’s about to interrogate the living daylights out of me. “Lance seems like a really surprisingly decent wolf.”
“He is,” I say truthfully, “more than decent.”
“Putting up with you? No kidding.” Julia grins.
“Can you even see me as a luna?” I ask her. “Tell me the truth and nothing but the truth.” I trust her opinion more than anyone’s.
“Yeah,” Julia says without thinking twice about it. “Anyone can be a luna. You don’t even have to be likable because wolves are kind of cult-like, and they follow whatever the alpha says. Who is going to disobey you in your own pack? No one. You’re like a dictator now, Ava.”
“Gee, always wanted to be one.”
Julia rolls her eyes. “I’m serious here, Ava. Your dumb self isn’t even initiated into the pack yet, and I already am.”
“You’re what?” My mouth hangs open. Julia gives me a toothy grin.
“Looks like Alpha Lance is a sneaky one. He wanted to surprise you I guess, but me being in the pack is all for you mainly.”
I frown. Okay, so he did something nice, but I’m still mad. I roll my eyes. “Whatever.”
“Trouble in paradise?” Julia crosses her arms and raises her eyebrows.
“Tell me I’m not being stupid for being mad at him because I wanted to see Trent and Steven—”
“That’s pretty stupid,” Julia cuts me off.
I explain to her how I want to save Tiffany from her mate and how Lance didn’t really give me a choice.
After I’m done, Julia sighs deeply. “The thing about all of this is that you need to see it from his point of view.”
“No, I don’t. I want to be petty.”
“Your mate wanted to make you happy, so let me join his pack so you can be around someone you love.”
“Whoever said I love you?” I grin at her.
Julia picks up a pillow and throws it at me.
“The point is, he cares about you. Ava, it’s usually unheard of for wolves to join Noctis Luna on the fly. Alpha Lance made an exception.”
“You know how weird it is for you to call him ’Alpha Lance’.” I scrunch up my nose.
“Well he is my alpha now and has already earned my respect.” Julia shrugs. “And if you’re going to be luna, guess what? There is no way on earth I’m ever going to address you that way.”
I punch her shoulder and she winces. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh nothing,” Julia brushes it off. “Just, uh, sore.”
I get up from the bed, look down at her, and narrow my gaze. “I can tell when you’re lying.”
Julia averts her gaze. “You can’t blame yourself.”
“For what?” I ask her, my heart pounding.
Julia takes a deep breath, turns around, and takes off her shirt.
And I see it.
It’s the same whip marks Lance has, except where Lance’s were way deep and old, Julia’s looks like it’s been recently administered. There’s only a few compared to Lance, maybe ten or fifteen.
“Who did this to you?” I swallow. Did our own Alpha Trent do it? Because of . . .”Because you didn’t tell them where I am?” I lean on the wall across from the bed and slump to the floor, putting my hands on my face. She shouldn’t have went through that. I should have been the one to face the whipping post. “It should have been me.”
“Ava . . .” Julia sighs and puts her shirt back on. She sits down next to me and places her hand on my shoulder. “You or I do not deserve to go through this, but honestly, I will do it again if it will keep you safe.”
I look up with a pouting, shaking my head.
“It should have been me.”
“You think playing the blaming yourself is going to change anything? It’s not.” Julia gives me a hard look.
“How do you still want to be around me?”
“Because, you oblivious goof, I love you and I’m thankful to have you in my life. I know you’d do the same for me. What you and Lance have? Sure, you’re mates but we’re soul sisters, you and I.”
I scoff. “Don’t I know it.”
***
We both decide we’re hungry. Julia’s snips a comment on how she thinks I’m always hungry, which is true.
We head to the restaurant, and Cook is happy to see me. He rewards me with the best cheese burger I have ever eaten. Julia compliments him with his cooking, but Cook is way too humble.
“Have you been taking your iron pills, Ava?” Cook the Responsible One asks me.
Guilty as charged.
My health is probably the last thing I was thinking about when we went to Paxon’s.
“Uh . . .”
Cook goes to the medicine cabinet, shakes his head at me, takes out one pill, and puts it on my plate. “It’s getting late, and I have to go, but you need to take your pill.”
Julia looks like a hawk when I try to swallow down the awful pill.
“I never knew you were anemic.”
“Can werewolves even be anemic is the question,” Meg’s voice floats into the kitchen, and I realize I miss her and her pink hair.
She pulls up a seat at the table we’re in and looks at Julia up and down with a sneer. “Who are you?”
“Julia, new member of the pack,” Julia responds, eyeing her.
“And my best friend,” I add.
“How was Paxon’s? Why didn’t Lance come home with you? Why are you here?” Meg fires all these questions at me.
“Lance is handling everything, and they don’t need me.”
Meg raises an eyebrow. “Let’s be real. You would get kidnapped if you went.”
I take a piece of lettuce and chew on it. Maybe she’s right. Imagine being Kade’s captive. That’s what Tiffany is right now.
***
Julia is feeling really tired. I tell her she should sleep because I am feeling tired myself even though I did nothing and was in a car all day. I hug her good night and make way into my room.
When I enter my room, I just feel stuffy, so I open wide the window next to my bed and poke my head out, breathing in the fresh night air. I close my eyes, enjoying the quiet and the crickets chirping. I need a vacation. Like stat.
Ding.
Who could be calling me at this time of day? I’m not popular these days although Zeke and I have a snapchat streak going on.
I walk over to my bed, sit on it, and pick up my phone. There’s a text from Lance.
I want you to know that the duel never happened, and Paxon agreed to an alpha council meeting, where the punishment for his mate’s death will be decided. Heading back home soon.
It’s such a Lance text with the use of proper punctuation. I usually send emojis or memes to talk through text. My pettiness wants him to be left on read. He’s basically saying he’s fine, and I’m so glad he is telling me. Should I respond? I should. Pettiness though . . .
I sigh and text back the truth.
Glad you’re ok
He responds within seconds.
I miss you.
Ugh. Saying that is so unfair.
Still mad ;)
When I hit send, I scream at the error. I did not want the winky face emoji! Oh my god!
Out of nowhere, my door bangs open. Cole and Bo looks like they’re about to fight someone. Cole checks the room, and Bo runs to me. “Ava! Are you okay?”
I rub the back of my neck, really embarrassed. “Yeah sorry. I just did something dumb.”
Bo notices the phone in my hand and he grins. “Who’re you texting?”
“What if I told you that it’s not Lance?”
Bo’s face drops. Even Cole looks perturbed.
I roll my eyes. Really? “Sheesh, you guys. It’s a joke! I’m texting Lance right now.”
“He’s the one making you scream?” Bo asks me, his grin widening at that dirty thought.
“Did you hear my scream? It was one of horror.”
Bo reads our conversation, and Cole glances at the screen too.
“Wow, Ava, he isn’t even responding to you.” Bo snickers. “This is so much like Lance to tell you he misses you.”
Then we see the three dots indicating he’s typing. I scream again and throw the phone.
See, what I want to happen is for the phone to just drop on the floor next to me. Instead, I think my throw was too powerful. Now, the phone is out through the window.
Bo howls in laughter, and I rush to my window, looking at the cracked screen on the back patio. There is no way even an iPhones could have survived that impact.
“Now, we’ll never know what his reply was!” I cry. I really would have liked to know what he thought.
“At least he can buy you the new one. Yours was old,” Bo says nonchalantly. It’s like he gets new iPhones every day.
“I’m poor. You expect me to update my iPhone every time a new one comes out?”
“Well, now you’re not, so you’re in luck,” Bo says cheerfully.
He’s not getting it at all. Us, poor people, can’t afford such luxuries all the time.
I look at reliable Cole. “Can you mind link Lance and say if I don’t respond to him, it’s because I broke my phone.”
Cole nods and meets my eyes. “Should I tell him how you broke your phone?”
“What!? No!”
“Should I lie?” Cole deadpans at me.
Bo snickers and I shoot him a glare.
“Cole! Yes, lie!” I exclaim. I don’t typically support lying to your significant other, but hiding this embarrassing incident is harmless.
Cole is quiet, his focus on mind-linking Lance, then he zeroes in on me.
Our eye contact breaks when we hear a scream.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Whoever screamed has Cole running downstairs fast. I try to follow him, but Cole is much faster than me.
Bo is at my side, probably to make me feel better about my life.
When we get downstairs, Cole’s body is blocking my view from what Meg is staring at in complete and utter horror. I step to the right to get a better look, smelling something awful.
A wolf’s head.
Right on the table.
I quickly turn away, feeling bile rise up my throat. That is probably the most horrible thing anyone can do. I cover my mouth with both hands. I don’t even know the wolf, but given Meg’s expression and Bo’s unusual solemn face, the wolf is a member of our pack. Something hurt deep inside me, and for some unselfish reason, I think about Lance. What will he do? How will he mourn?
“Who could have done this?” I whisper, swallowing at the sight. Cole looks at Meg for a second before he turns to Bo and I.
“I have a theory about a mole in the pack,” Cole says.
We go silent again.
Suddenly, Cole goes full alpha mode. “Bo, I want you to check the eastern border. Meg, go to the southern one.” His voice holds so much authority, and I feel his alpha aura coming out in waves.
“What can I do?” I ask, taking a step forward. Cole, Meg, and Bo give each other a look.
I hate that look so much.
Meg says, “I don’t think you should be outside.”
“That’s crap. I’m not going to be some sitting duck here. Whoever did this is still out there, and we’re wasting time. You guys need to go now.”
To my surprise, Meg and Bo take my advice. They shift and run through the back door.
Cole turns to the wolf’s head, assessing it with sad eyes. “It’s Peter.”
It’s the guy that was so protective of his new rogue mate that joined Noctis Luna recently. He almost attacked me for it. He sucked but this is a fate no one should ever have to endure.
“He wasn’t some easy wolf to beat,” I state, remembering his build.
Cole doesn’t disagree with me. This is serious.
“Who could have done this?” And why are our borders not secure?
Cole clenches his jaw. “I don’t know. I’ve mind-linked Lance, but he has yet to respond.”
My heart hammers. Cole takes out his phone from his pocket and types something.
“Is he . . .” I start to say, thinking the worst, but Cole shakes his head and meets my gaze.
“It’s Lance,” Cole answers me like it’s the simplest thing to say. Cole seems so assured about it too, which makes me release a breath I didn’t know I had been holding. Truth be told, if something happens to Lance, I will probably just cry on the spot.
“Let me check on Julia,” I say suddenly and Cole follows me. He is the ever-so-present guard I don’t deserve. When I get to her room, her door is already open. I look back at Cole in horror and the run into her room.
I turn on her light. Her bed is empty.
“Julia!” I yell. Oh no. This can’t be happening. They got to my best friend. “Julia!”
“What?” Julia’s voice comes from behind. Cole and I turn simultaneously. I run and hug her, making sure not to touch her back too much.
“You’re alive!”
Julia gives a humorless laugh. “I felt someone come in the house and checked it out. I tried chasing after it but to no avail.”
“You couldn’t even track it?” I ask her. She’s an incredible tracker in our former pack. She is so good that she became a tracker even before she could shift.
“It wasn’t a werewolf,” Julia frowns. My eyes glide over to Cole’s.
“We may need to visit Damien.” Cole sighs. “Only a few kill werewolves like that.”
“Damien?” I ask.
“Zeke’s father.”
Oh.
“Whose father?” Julia asks.
“Lance’s brother, who is . . . a vampire,” I answer.
Julia looks perplexed and surprised.
Same, girl. Same.
“We’re dealing with vampires?” she asks incredulously. “You can’t even catch a good scent on them. I can try to track again.”
“That would be good,” Cole says.
Julia nods at me before running back outside. I follow her outside too, feeling my pocket for the silver dagger Bo gave me one time when we were training. He told me it would be my best shot at protecting myself from a werewolf.
Cole blocks my way to the exit.
I look up at him. “Cole, move.”
“My orders are to be with you the entire time.”
“My orders are for you to let me outside.”
“She’s got you there.” Julia snickers.
Point for my best friend.
“I can help, contrary to what you and Lance think. I’m not so helpless.”
Cole frowns. “We don’t think that.”
“Uh, yeah, seems like it.” A lot.
Cole takes a deep breath. Julia adds, “Ava’s helpful when she wants to be.”
“Appreciate the support, Jules.”
“You can ride on my back or Julia’s then.”
“Gee, thanks for the permission I didn’t ask
for.” I glower at him. Cole’s overprotectiveness is going to make want to put myself in danger just because. It’s so frustrating.
“Wait!” With the darkness, it would only make sense if I bring my handy-dandy flashlight. I make a run to my room and look underneath my bed, where I shoved a flashlight somewhere. Upon feeling it under the bed, I grab it. Quickly leaving my room, I go to Julia’s room again.
I put a hand on my heart. “Wow! You guys actually waited for me.”
Cole gives me a deadpan look, and Julia takes a deep breath.
“If we see trouble, you’re running, Ava,” she tells me.
“Sure,” I lie. Yeah right. Like I’m going to survive the woods without special werewolf vision. Or starvation.
We use the back door that leads to the training grounds. Cole and Julia shifts, and I hitch a ride on Julia’s back.
***
Julia’s wolf is stellar. The best. Her speed is impressive, and I think even Cole’s wolf notices it and barks his approval. She maneuvers past the trees easily. She stops running and starts sniffing around. I hop off, shining a flashlight at surrounding area.
Then I hear it. Growling.
Cole’s wolf’s takes a fighting stance. Julia’s wolf growls back threateningly.
About ten pairs of beady yellow eyes are zoned in on us. Rogues? I didn’t know we needed to deal with rogues too. I thought it would just be one measly vampire. Apparently not.
My hands make way to the dagger. This is where my training will finally kick in.
As soon as one of the rogues jumps to attack, Cole’s wolf flies past me, biting down on the rogue wolf.
I didn’t have to hear Julia’s voice to know her wolf wants me to run. I shake my head at her. I didn’t come here just so I can run. I’m ready to fight.
Julia isn’t having any of it because her wolf’s snout gently pushes me behind the knees an into the direction I should run. Her wolf growls menacingly at the three wolves that are surrounding us. I bite my lip. Silver dagger. As soon as the first rogue makes a move, the two others charge.
They are all aiming at me.
Julia’s wolf seems to have picked up on it and defended me with her body.
One of them comes for me for the kill. I hit the ground with a thump, and feel the air whoosh out of me as the wolf lands one me. The furry body is so heavy for me to fight off. Its jaws are right on front of my face, and I’m trying to not let my face get bitten off. Let’s be real. It’s a feature that I can’t afford to lose.