Chapter 7 : Don't Look Now

He paused and I stiffened, sitting up a bit straighter. His light brown eyes were calculating as he gave me a once-over. My heart stuttered nervously. Avery glanced at me in concern as well when she caught Jared’s look.

He gave me a long look before facing the rest of the pack. “Needless to say, rogues are extremely dangerous and must be treated as such.”

Again, his hard gaze fell on me and my eyes widened. “And tonight, we have one among us.”

It was clear that word of my arrival had not reached many people, which wasn’t extremely surprising. Gasps and shocked exclamations echoed throughout the room. I ducked my head slightly, cursing Jerkface Jared to the pits of hell when a few members at our table sent looks of fear and disgust my way.

All Jared had to do was narrow his eyes slightly over the crowd and they quieted immediately. “That being said, interacting with the rogue girl without my permission is strictly prohibited.”

I looked up at him in shock at that announcement, unsure how to feel about it. A part of me wanted to protest and openly show my hate toward him.

What had I done in my short time in the Moonstone community that led him to ostracize me from everyone else? If he thought of me as such a danger to his pack, why had he agreed to let me stay at all? My anger toward him grew when more dirty looks were thrown my way. The last thing I needed was for more members of the pack to resent me.

However, a small voice in the back of my mind pointed out that the alpha’s order was the best-case scenario. It was obvious that Jared was making his hatred for me plain by ordering his pack to stay away from me, but this meant that I would be protected from them as well. 

No one was allowed to interact with me. That would have to include harassing and harming me.

No matter how unlikely it was, I couldn’t help a weak voice questioning in my head. Did he know what Damien did? Could it be that he was actually trying to protect me?

Avery squeezed my hand beneath the table. I could tell by her bright green eyes that she felt the same way. She was happy for me, but she seemed regretful as well, as if she hated that I was essentially being isolated because of my rogue identity.

Our eyes widened as we gazed at each other, both seeming to realize another important detail at the same time.

She wouldn’t be allowed to interact with me either.

“Avery.”

She jumped when Jared said her name in a low voice.

Avery ducked her head. “Yes, Alpha?”

Jared narrowed his eyes. “Since it was you who brought the rogue here, I feel it is only fitting that you are responsible to ensure she doesn’t cause any trouble. If any issues arise concerning her, you are the one who will report to me about it. Understood?”

I rolled my eyes like I was known for causing problems. 

However, Avery chirped with glee. “Yes, Alpha!”

Once Jared’s face was turned away from us, Avery and I exchanged a grin. We would be able to continue to see each other, and no one would be allowed to bother me anymore.

Maybe things were starting to look up after all.

“With all due respect, Alpha,” said a deep, resonant voice. “I fail to see why we’re allowing the rogue to stay. She presents a real danger to those of us in the pack.”

The man who had spoken was at the same table as Amanda, implying that he must be linked to the council in some way. He was an older man with gray sprinkled in his dark hair, but he was still almost as large as Jared.

Jared was calm when he answered, but I noticed the slightest tick in his jaw. “I’ve allowed her to stay since she has provided us with a lead toward possibly resolving the water shortage.”

The older man didn’t back down. His thick, bushy eyebrows rose. “I’m surprised that you would take the filthy rogue’s word so easily, Alpha. Could it be that you’ve placed some trust in her?”

I could feel the shock fall over the crowd at the man’s blatant challenge toward their leader.

Jared’s face had hardened considerably. The gold flecks in his eyes seemed to spark. His voice was cold and deadly. “Of course not. You have my word that if she fails to resolve this issue within the next twenty-four hours, she’ll die by my hands.”

I shrunk down in my seat, shivering slightly at the alpha’s words. 

“Then please do remember your own promise to the pack.” The old man smirked, seeming satisfied by Jared’s answer.

Jared surveyed the crowd, his stony expression set. “Now, if there are no further questions,” he said through his teeth and it sounded like a definite warning. “Let’s proceed to the meal.”

Everyone waited until Jared took his seat at the head table before digging into the meal, which consisted of some thin bread, roasted meats, and fruit.

Jared’s table was next to ours so I was able to hear Amanda’s voice clearly. As soon as he sat down, she pouted and looked up at him with large eyes. “Is that all you have to announce?”

“Yes, that’s all for today.” Jared’s voice was curt and unfriendly. He was obviously still frustrated by the older man’s challenging comments.

Was there supposed to be more announcements?

Amanda frowned but didn’t say anything else, only looking down at her plate, as if she was hurt.

To my shock, Jared’s voice softened, his eyebrows smoothing out and his jaw going slack. He lowered his voice before he spoke again. “There have been too many things going on lately, Amanda. A more appropriate time will come soon.”

Amanda smiled at him in response before starting to eat. 

My jaw almost dropped in disbelief. I didn’t think it was possible for the Jerkface to have a conversation without being an asshole. I watched the two for a moment, wondering what they could possibly be talking about that made Jared soften so much, or made Amanda look so hopeful.

But then I shook my head and started eating. It wasn’t any of my business.

Everyone else was eating dutifully, making polite conversations. For the most part, they were ignoring me and avoiding my eye, but a few looked over at me with disdain. I was surprised when Avery returned a couple of the looks, narrowing her eyes back at them. Most of them backed off, returning to their food, but a couple of the women closer to our age gave her a warning glare.

Once Jared finished with his food, he stood up and left just as abruptly as he had come. A dark-haired man about his age followed him out.

“That’s his right-hand man, Kent,” Avery told me in a low voice. She furrowed her eyebrows, watching them go as well. “They’ve been busier than normal due to all of the security incidents occurring recently.”

I nodded in understanding, thinking about how my father and Uncle Ben were often away from the pack as well, busing with their work. Being the Alpha and Beta of the pack came with great burdens of responsibilities. They weren’t blood-related, but they were closer than real brothers, and I was told to call Ben my uncle for as long as I remember. 

“Kent is the Beta?” I asked.

“Nope,” Avery lowered her voice and sneakily pointed at the older man who challenged Jared earlier. “That guy is. His name is Travis and he is Amanda’s dad.”

My eyes bulged, couldn’t understand Jared’s choice of his second-in-command. Even a blind person could see that Kent was more suitable to be Jared’s Beta. 

But again, none of my business.

As soon as they were gone, the noise level grew exponentially. Soon, the pack members were laughing much louder than they had been before Jared left. A few even got out of their seats to visit with some friends at other tables. Many people at our table stood up and left, dragging their chairs away to sit elsewhere.

It was obvious that it was because of me. I didn’t mind. In fact, I felt a huge wave of relief when I realized that they were no longer allowed to interact with me. 

However, that relief didn’t last long.

Feeling like I was being watched, I whipped my head around, wondering why I felt so uneasy all of a sudden. I should have known that Damien was staring at me with greed swimming in his eyes. I did my best to ignore him, turning to face my sole companion.

The idea of being isolated was getting more appealing when I glanced at Avery, who was eating happily as if people leaving her table was an everyday occurrence. One true friend was better than a hundred fake ones.

I stuck my tongue out teasingly when Avery looked my way. “The food is fine, but it’s nothing compared to your cooking.”

Avery giggled a light sound that had me laughing along with her. “I’ll cook for you again soon,” she promised.

We chatted lightly for a while about cooking. I was unsurprised to find that Avery had learned to cook at a young age. She learned from her grandmother and commented that she would have to make me her grandma’s famous cookies soon. 

My mouth started to drool just by her mentioning the dessert. 

Suddenly, I sensed another, more hostile pair of eyes on me. I frowned and locked eyes with Amanda, who looked ready to leap across the space between us and bite my head off.

I just blinked at her before turning my attention back to Avery, who was shaking her head warily. “Just ignore her. She’s obsessed with Jared and is cruel to any she-wolf that even looks at him. She’s the daughter of one of the elders, which apparently means she should get special treatment and should be allowed to tell everyone else what to do.” Avery rolled her eyes to the ceiling and then paused as another thought struck her. 

She hummed thoughtfully, turning her head to look at another table.

I felt my eyebrows furrow. “What is it?”

She lowered her head toward mine. “Damien is Amanda’s cousin.” 

She nodded when my eyes rounded with shock. “I wonder if she had anything to do with him… visiting you earlier.”

A snarl built in my throat but I forced it back down. The last thing I wanted to do was make a scene. I inhaled deeply, reasoning to myself that this was just a theory. We had no proof.

Avery’s explanation sparked another question. “Why would Jared allow Amanda to have special treatment? Just because she’s the beta’s daughter?” I asked.

Avery looked around to confirm no one was within earshot. “When Alpha was a child, Travis saved his life once. He was also the beta for Alpha Jared’s father, so Alpha kind of inherited him. As a result, Travis’ whole family received more respect than the typical Beta. Unfortunately, Amanda learned pretty quickly that she could get away with abusing the Alpha’s gratitude.”

I shook my head in amazement, scoffing with disgust. That was definitely in line with Amanda’s personality. A tiny part of me felt sorry for Jared. He might not even be aware that he was being taken advantage of.

Avery looked past me and narrowed her eyes, her mouth twisting into a scowl. “Don’t look now…”

I grimaced and knew what was happening even before I turned to look for myself.

Amanda was stalking toward us purposefully, looking ready for a fight.