CHAPTER FOUR - SURPRISE

James

Saying I was calm was something I couldn't. My body shivered every time I moved from side to side. I could feel what was going on behind the bathroom door. I could hear that cry. And the only thing that kept me from going in was Stanley, who called out to me just in time.

"Let them. I'm sure Sarah will help. Everything has its time." I felt my chest tighten as I reached the living room. Stanley had just made some coffee.

"Yeah, the same amount of time you didn't give at that moment...

"I regretted it, okay? I already apologized." I sighed when he returned a hostile look. I raised an eyebrow and poured myself some coffee as well. It'll be good to keep me awake today.

Oh shit, tomorrow I have to go back to work.

"What happened?" I asked and he took a deep breath.

"Sarah is a little too provocative.

"I don't want to know anymore. Spare me that." I looked away and heard a soft chuckle come from him. However, a tired laugh.

"Actually, that's not it." He said. "It's too frustrating to think about what Abell can do from now on.

"Are you looking forward to it?" He looked at me seriously and took a sip of his coffee.

"I don't care about this hatred he has for me, nor the desire he has to kill me. I only care about the means he might use to try to do it, now that he is no longer in the pack.

"I doubt he'll come back after what he did. It's going to take a lot of courage." I lifted the cup to my mouth and saw Stanley smile weakly. He was thoughtful.

"It could take days, months or even years. But he'll come back. That's for sure." I was silent.

"Don't you think it's better to stop thinking about these things and deal with them when they come?" He looked at me for a moment.

"That was something Sarah would say…" He smiled and I raised an eyebrow. Yes, it's something she would say. Since when am I talking like her?” Good, but I can't help it.

"Something I would say?" Her voice made me wake up. I looked over and saw Amelia beside her. Damp hair and red cheeks. She was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved pink shirt. I could smell the delicious apricot smell coming from her. Before, she could hardly be noticed amidst that smell of blood and violence.

"Are you okay?" I asked, abandoning my cup on the counter when I saw her slightly puffy eyes. As I imagined. I also noticed that her neck bandage had been changed.

"Yes, I'm fine, thanks." She smiled weakly and looked at Stanley. "Let's talk." He said. Stanley nodded and Sarah helped her over to the sofa. They sat down and I remained standing by the counter. My heart pounding in my chest and my wolf quieter than usual. A paradox I couldn't explain.

"And then?

"I have no idea where my brother might be. And he wouldn't be anywhere I knew." She replied and Stanley sighed. As if I actually expected that.

"How did all this happen? Did he attack you?" I looked at Amelia and saw her lips press together. The furrowed brows. Her hands crossed over her leg. I saw my wolf give his first sign of life.

"Actually, I was the one who attacked first." I saw Sarah have the same reaction as mine when her eyebrow rose and her mouth fell open. But the smile she flashed didn't show on me. that I dared his wolf to fight me on an equal footing." She looked down at her hands. "And I was willing to kill him then and there.

"Why did you do that after all this time?" I asked.

"Because..." She looked at me and opened her mouth in a pause that made the back of my neck prickle. "I remembered what you told me. That it would be dangerous for me to remain on my brother's side. I... I knew more than I didn't know anyone that that was true. Abell doesn't have an ounce of loyalty in him. He only cares about himself. And when I thought about it, the adrenaline did the job. I did what I did before anyone else got involved. Even if I did wasn't sure of anything... Sorry.

"James told me he asked for help." Stanley spoke and she turned her eyes to him.

"Of course I said... I could have waited a little longer." I looked at her. and come with me instead of fighting.

"I didn't know if you would really let Alpha know or if you were really going to come back." She looked at me seriously and I swallowed hard. "I needed to do something...

Sarah

I smiled and crossed my arms when I saw Stanley watching those two argue. He looked as lost as they did, but to me, it was so obvious enough it sounded funny.

Amelia unloaded everything she had in that bath. I don't know if it was relief or sadness, but I knew one thing. Her mate was right in front of her.

I cleared my throat and got up. I hadn't even eaten anything yet and my tummy was asking for it. I went to the kitchen and prepared a snack for myself while having a coffee. Stanley was still talking to Amelia about staying here if she wanted to. James looked uneasy on the subject from the way he crossed his arms. I stifled a laugh and saw Stanley look at me.

I winked and pointed to my sandwiches.

The way he was stressed, I didn't know if he had eaten anything yet, but he nodded. I walked over and sat on the arm of the chair. I grabbed two sandwiches and handed the plate to him. James and Amelia were still talking and it was strange to see how well they matched now. Were Stanley and I really that obvious in the beginning? I felt an arm around my waist and a tender kiss on my shoulder.

"How was it?" He asked and I looked at him. I didn't know what he was referring to, but I assumed he was asking about Amelia. As always, he seemed to want to know the smallest details.

"Well..." I said quietly. "It was unexpected." I bit into my sandwich. I wasn't going to say more than that, so I looked away. "Just let him take care of her. You don't need to get involved more than that." I whispered softly as I chewed.

He smirked and raised an eyebrow. He looked in disbelief at what I had just said.

"What it was?

"I'm fully aware of that, Sarah. Don't worry. The only thing I want to take care of right now is that sharp mouth of yours." He bit into his sandwich and narrowed his eyes at me. I wanted to laugh, but at the same time I felt my insides vibrate. It was like a spark of fire directed at me. And it turned me on just to think that I caused it.

I cleared my throat, tried to ignore the delicious threat it sounded, and looked back at anything but him.

Abell

Find your own path and go it alone.

Keep running...

Why are you so full of rage?

That's what kept running through my goddamn mind as the icy night wind whipped through my hair. It was as if my wolf was speaking directly to me. I could feel my joints tremble as my paws picked up the dry leaves on the run.

I couldn't understand... Why did she do that?

Everything was going great until she freaked out. It wasn't the first time actually, but none of the other times had she returned such a bizarre and genuine look of hatred as that one. I thought she would never have the courage.

"I will kill you".

Her voice came into my head and I felt hot air rushing out of my nostrils.

The wolf inside me had taken control since that moment. My skin was starting to heal, but me in particular... It was like I was frozen in time. There was just the wolf…the taste of her blood…and the gnawing doubt that wouldn't leave my mind for nothing. Maybe I killed my sister.

Shit... Shit. Shit. Shit. I had to get out of there. Curse.

There was nothing of nobility left. All I could see deep inside this wolf's carcass was cruelty. The cruelty I once dared to be afraid of. And that he had woken up again after that night. There was no one else to take the blame but me.

And it changes everything I planned.

Mark

I woke up in the morning scared. Sury rocked me. All I wanted to do was sleep late on Sunday, but it seems like I can't even do that anymore. Just now that I had found the perfect position where the light didn't bother my face...

I looked at her face feeling the anger rising inside of me and she had the ability to laugh.

"Why. are you. waking me up?

"There's someone downstairs I think might want to see." I frowned and felt a slight flutter.

"And who would that be?

"See for yourself, but first, please go wash your face and put on some clothes." I buried my face in the pillow and stretched as I watched her leave my room.

Was today the day of that lunch they had scheduled? But what time is it? I took my father's antique clock from the bottom of the nightstand drawer and looked at the time. 12:00 and little.

Shit. It's not as early as I thought.

I got up slowly, cracked my neck and put on some clothes before going out to splash some water on my face and brush my teeth. There was a lot of chatter downstairs... Something normal in the pack house, but today, they were in high spirits... It's been a while since anyone got together like this again.

After pissing, washing my face, and brushing my teeth, I headed downstairs. I had the impression that my hair was still all up and I didn't even remember to fix it. Which I bitterly regretted after I saw a pair of brown eyes in the middle of all those people and blonde hair tied in a high bun. Too high in my opinion, but still, irrelevant compared to the rag I was in. Of course I had to have chosen the most wrinkled shirt in my closet, a pair of pants with a huge tear in the knee, no shoes and, on top of that, hair in that state. Why didn't Sury tell me that Mandy was here too?

"Mark!"Sury came to me smiling, but his smile soon disappeared as he got closer. "Honey... I said put on some clothes, but at least something better...

"Why, I didn't know the whole pack would come..." I tilted my head to the side to look at Mandy behind her again. He hadn't seen me yet. She's never been on dates like this before... she was standing next to a woman and a man. Considering the resemblance the woman bore to her, it was probably her mother. But the guy was nothing like her, even though I couldn't see their faces very well.

Stanley said they came here a few months ago, didn't he?

"Well, no problem." Sury ran a hand through my hair quickly. "That girl Mandy, she never came before. I talked to her and she said she's from your school.

"Yes." I took a deep breath and she smiled.

"Are you hungry?

"Yes." I looked at the set table. Surely William had cooked. He was by the kitchen counter having a beer with Alex, Ethan, Lucas and a few other guys. I noticed that on the counter they also had some bottles of champagne and wine. Will they drink all day? Liane was sitting on the couch talking to other wolves quietly. But what interested me most at the moment was the table. It was full of appetizers and pasta and meat and… Mandy is looking at me. I swallowed hard and saw her walking towards me.

"Hi." He smiled as he stopped in front of me. Sury was no longer there.

"Hi." I smiled and scratched the back of my neck. "You came this time." She was a good few inches shorter than me, but she had quite the posture for someone our age. Someone who had probably done ballet or something.

"Yeah... I want to get to know the rest of the pack better." She squeezed her own arm and the sentence sounded a little automatic. It was very important for a wolf to know her pack.

"I'm glad you decided to come." I said and saw the woman who looked like her approach us with that guy.

"Hello, you must be Mark." She looked at me and I nodded. "My daughter told me you're at the same school. It's a pleasure." I accepted her handshake. Did Mandy tell you about me?

"My pleasure." Can they smell my nervousness? I didn't even know I could be so polite.

"My name is Amber. And this is my husband Bastian." I waved and greeted him too. He was tall and had a neutral expression on his face. I glanced at Mandy and saw her look away. "To be honest, I was quite worried to hear that another boy in the pack was at the same school as her, there's been some trouble because of that before, but seeing you now... I'm relieved. I hope they get along." She smiled as she stared at me.

I knew they were talking about those other two Mandy had told me about, but I didn't know what problems had happened.

"Mom, it's good." Mandy nudged her in the back and Amber waved at me before walking away with Bastian. Who gave me an unreadable look before following her.

Well weird...

"Well... Are you hungry?" I asked her as I went to serve myself.

Philip walked past me laughing and just seeing that freckled face filled me with rage.

"Your friend?" She asked.

"No." I put a handful of meat on my plate and watched her take an apple from the fruit bowl. "Aren't you going to eat?

"Already ate." She bit that looking around and then I did the same. The whole pack was there. They talked, they laughed, and the house was big enough to fit everyone. I always thought it would be impossible to accommodate everyone, but it always did.

The fireplace was lit and it didn't seem like a good day outside. The sun was hidden behind several layers of clouds and the whole environment was very pleasant. I waved to a few people who greeted me and left the room to eat in peace. The noise of the apple being devoured could be heard right behind me. I looked over and saw Mandy distractedly watching the house as she followed me.

"Can I ask you something?" She looked at me and nodded. I continued down the hall to the back of the house. I opened the door and the deliciously cold wind hit my face. Ah…winter. “What really happened to those guys who transferred?” She sighed as I sat on the porch.

"I figured you'd ask that." She continued to stand and I could tell she was bothered by the cold by the way she rubbed her arms. I had on a blue sweatshirt and jeans, she'll take it. "Well, like I said, they had a fight.

"Your mother looked worried. It couldn't have been just that." She looked at me and sat down near the other pillar.

"They just got me involved in the fight. One of them teased me to death and the other thought he could help me, but they were just two boorish assholes.

"Hm." I started to eat. That's what I thought.

"But anyway... Do your parents live here too?

"My parents?" I looked at her.

"Really? I didn't know." He lowered his head. Half of your apple in your hands." I don't know what must have happened, but I'm sorry.

"Fine." I took a deep breath and continued to eat.

"My God, it's getting really cold." She cringed.

"I can't wait for the snow to come.

"Do you like?

"Don't you?" She looked back at me with a confused look. "Well, it's going to be my first winter as a wolf. I'm extremely excited.

"Yeah, it'll be my first too.

The few minutes we spent there were incredibly pleasant. It's not like when I'm close to Antony, for example. Having to hide something is always very uncomfortable and exhausting.

It didn't take long for us to go back inside. She had finished eating and Mandy looked uncomfortable with the cold. But when we walked in, I saw that everyone was staring at something. I found that bunch of statues in the house strange and looked in the same direction as them. And my reaction turned out to be the same. My eyes soon widened and my feet locked in the same moment.

Stanley was closing the door. James, that loner was with him and the blonde wolf who was the sister of that other guy everyone hated was with them too. She was bruised and appeared to be limping a little. That's why she was having help from James to walk.

But what caught my attention the most was the red-haired woman next to the Alpha who had entered last. Amber eyes darting around the house. Analyzing the environment carefully.

It was the other loner I didn't know yet. The runaway wolf they talked about so much. And that she was holding hands with Stanley. My mouth fell open and I remembered the day I smelled that in his car. It was the same smell that was coming from her. But beyond that, the smell I also smelled on Liane and Ethan and the same scent I smelled on Mandy's parents.

Our Alpha... Also?