Gentle Predator

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

"Where's Noah?" I asked again staring at all of them. In return they all stared at me with unreadable expressions on their faces. Has something happened to him? I don't know how I'm going to take it if he didn't make it. I know his wounds were bad, but I didn't know they were that bad to kill him. What am I going to do if he's gone? I went though all of that to keep him alive yet somehow he slipped through my fingers. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I lowered my head. I'm ready for whatever they had to tell me. I don't know how I'm going to take it but at least I need to know. I raised my head once again and stared into all of their eyes. The first one to say anything was Louis. His hand raised to the back of his neck as he rubbed it. With a nervous chuckle, he opened his mouth and delivered the news I was waiting for.

"Noah didn't make it." He simple said with an emotionless tone. I blinked at him and it felt as if the ground was pulled from underneath me. My heart started beating faster as it slowly crumbled into tiny pieces. All I could do was stare at him. It was as if my body was suddenly paralyzed and my thoughts were all over the place. He's didn't make it? As in he's dead? I will no longer see him again. Even through all of that I still ended up losing him. After I fought that battle with him I still ended up losing. He's gone forever. A simple tear rolled down my face as I blinked slowly.

Suddenly with an annoyed groan, I saw Liam raise his hand to his brother's head. With a hard hit, he shoved him away by the face before looking back at me. "He didn't make it as in he didn't make the visit here. He had things to do." He added sending his brother a sharp look.

He had things to do as in he's alive? My eyes widened as I looked at him feeling weaker in my knees. "He has things to do?" I muttered with a rough voice. That means he's still alive. I didn't lose him as I thought. As if weight was just lifted from my shoulders I took a deep breath before pressing my hand against my chest. I swear I'm going to have a heart attack.

"Yeah," Alyson sighed folding her arms. "He has lots of work to do seeing as though he's the new beta."

"He is? Then how is Dylan?"

"Dylan is still Dylan." Dawn huffed rolling her eyes. I sighed in relief running my hands over my face. I'm so happy that they are alright. Now I know what I did wasn't in vein. Speaking of which, I don't think I can go through something like that again. Next time I think I'll find myself locked away. Never will I not listen to Noah about staying put. Then again who knows what would have happened if I did not have came with Dawn. Speaking of her, I looked over at her to see that she was still staring at me. Tilting her head, she folded her arms and raised a brow at me.

"How are you still here?" I muttered but she still heard me.

"What? What do you mean? I didn't suffer any injuries. I'm a smart fighter unlike you idiots."

"No, I mean how are you still on the pack territory. I thought Dylan would have-"

"Would have kicked me out or kill me?" She huffed rolling her eyes a few times. I nodded my head slowly. "We came to an understanding."

"She had until the end of the month to leave." Louis added with a bright smile. He dropped his arms over her shoulders and pulled her to his side. Dawn tried pulling away but of course it was impossible. "Which means she only has about a week seeing as though it's Christmas Eve."

"It's Christmas Eve? How long was I asleep?" I gasped with wide eyes.

"Three long days!" Alyson laughed while standing beside me. She locked hands with mine tightly. "We thought you were never going to wake up. Thank God you did. Christmas would've sucked knowing that you're still asleep. Anyways you're awake now so let's not live in the past. We are going to sign you out then head home."

"But I thought I burned down the pack house?" I muttered hanging my head. Now that it's all over, I realized that there's no longer a pack house. I wonder how many important things that are now lost. Dylan must be so pissed at me for doing something so stupid. I bite down on my bottom lip as Dylan's angry face came into view. I felt a tight squeeze on my hand which caused me to look back at Alyson. She sigh softly patting my head.

"Although burning the pack house was very stupid," Liam said holding his arms. "We are a pack that barely holds grudges."

Dawn let out a loud laugh before glaring at him. He ignored her sharp eyes and gave her a shooing motion. "The pack house can easily be rebuilt so there's no point in feeling bad about it. When we say home we mean the first house you were staying at."

"The ones the wolves broke into?"

"That was fixed long ago." Louis muttered with a smirk. "Noah and Dylan were just too lazy to go back so they stayed at the pack house. Now there's no pack house so I guess you gotta move back."

"I understand..." I muttered shaking my head.

So much has happened that I don't even know where to begin. You know what, I don't even want to know. All I want to do at this point is go right back to sleep. Everything made more sense was I was unconscious. Just like they promised, they signed me out of the hospital and now I was on my way home. I sat there against the window looking out at the scenery that was there. Beside me, Dawn and Louis was in the middle of a conversation while Liam drove and Alyson bickered to whatever Louis was saying. This felt so natural. With a sigh, I ran my hands through my hair as I thought about the few months that just went by. First, I was pushed down a waterfall by Noah. Of course I luckily survived but I ended up in such a place. A place where I'm not even wanted. I made great friends as well. Everyone in this car and even the ones that I lost.

My mind drifted slowly to Jessie. No matter all what she did to me all she wanted was to protect me. Her ways of showing it was over the top, but she did them in good will. She figured if I turned that everything would become better. I'm not mad at her for it. In fact I forgive her for all that she did for me. I only wished I had the time to tell her that I did. She was taken from us too soon. Not only her, but also her brother. I don't know what his motivation was but I'm sure it was the same as hers. They didn't have to die. Nobody didn't had to die because of this. This is all that Andrew's fault. It's a good thing that he's gone. He wanted power so badly that he didn't care who he had to kill to get it. Those poor people... They were turned into monsters they could not control and they were killed believing false promises. I sighed once again as I continued to stare out the window. I wonder how my parents are taking all of this. They are probably heart broken. It wasn't my intention, but it happened and I hope they forgive me just like how I forgive them. I love my parents and I know they dearly love me but I can't stay with him. Even though I got my memory back that doesn't change how I currently feel. Sigh, sometimes I wish we never found that stupid river. If we didn't then none of this would've happened. Then again I wouldn't have met these awesome people and I wouldn't have known that my best friend was such a wolf-fighting badass. I laughed at the thought for a moment before a smile spread on my face.

We've been driving for a while now and the pack looked as if nothing happened at all. People were out and about their houses living their daily lives. To imagine that only three days ago this was all a war zone. Three days ago bodies were scattered around the streets, blood painted over the white snow, and not an ounce of hope was left for this pack. Three days ago I never imaged that I would get back my memory. It all felt like a dream to me. At this point my whole life feels like a dream or a crazy fictional story. What am I even saying? I took a deep breath as I turned back to my friends. "This New Year we should have like a celebration." Alyson said from the front. "Like have a little pack party with fireworks and lights and all those good stuff that regular people do on that day."

"First of all," Louis injected raising his long index finger. "We are not normal people. Secondly, we just came from the biggest battle of our lives. I mean the alpha hasn't even recovered yet. You realize that New Years is just a few days away?"

"I think it's a great idea." I remarked with a small smile. "It'll get everyone to be at ease knowing that everything is alright now."

"Stella, don't agree with Alyson."

"I like the idea as well. We don't really do these things." Liam said from his seat.

"Liam, don't agree with Alyson."

"Well I don't have a say seeing as though I'm not a pack member." Dawn sighed. "But it does-"

"Dawn, please do not agree with Alyson." I laughed at Louis as he glared at the rest of us. It's so good to have things back to normal. I cant leave this behind.

"Then it's a done deal." Alyson clapped as a bright smile formed on her face. "Stella is going to ask the alpha to have this little party." My mouth opened wide as I stared at her with shocked eyes.

"What? Why me?" I snapped folding my arms over my chest.

"Because Dylan would agree with anything you say." Liam replied with a nervous chuckle.

"No he won't."

"You're like the little sister he never wanted. Trust us he would say yes if it's you."


***



About 10 minutes after we arrived at the house I once stayed at when I first came here. The memories came rushing back as I stared at the building. Standing in the snow a smile formed on my face as I looked up at the roof. I remembered the time I was stupid enough to go up there with Noah to only have him leave me. Then I almost fell, but landed in Dylan's arms. I laughed at the memory softly then trailed my eyes to the front porch. It was there I first met Andrew and from that time I knew there was something wrong about him. The moment I stared into his eyes I knew he was up to no good and I was right. Luckily he can't hurt no one else. I then turn my gaze to the large glass windows of the living room. I've had lots of encounters with wolves but this one will always be the most memorable moment. That was the first time the white and black wolves came to save me. I was frightened by them of course then I learned who they were. After that day I could've always counted on the white and black wolf to be there to protect me.

A small smile formed on my face as I wrapped my arms around myself. At that moment the doors opened and a woman came out. I stared at her with a slightly raised brow in confusion. I haven't seen her around before but then again I haven't really had a chance to get to know the other wolves from the pack. She walked towards me with a small smile on her face and a spark in her big brown eyes. When she stood in front of me, her hands clasped together before she leaned forward to stare at me closer.

"You must be Stella." Her gentle soft voice said as her smile widened. I stared at her and blinked before nodding my head. "It's nice to finally meet you." She extended her hands for me to shake. I didn't know who she was but I didn't wanted to be rude. Taking her hands in mine I shook it nervously.

"Your hands are so cold." She muttered taking both hands in hers and rubbing it. Surprisingly she was very warm for the thin layer of clothing she was wearing. Maybe she's a wolf, but I've never seen her around before.

"Who are you?" I asked pulling my brows together. She tore her face from my hands before looking up at me. Her eyes widened again as she giggled.

"I'm sorry for being rude. I'm Sapphire. I'm sure you don't know anything about me." She let my hands go to run her small hands through her wavy black hair. "I was a human as yourself not to long ago until that idiot Andrew did this to me."

"Wait, Andrew turned you into a wolf?" She nodded her head slowly before sighing.

"He practically forced a lot of people into becoming wolves. There were those who wanted to get revenge, but most of us were happy the way things were. I don't know why though. If they didn't like it they could've left."

"I thought the only way out was through the pack territory." She shook her head before pulling her brows together.

"Who told you that? It must've been a wolf because there was another way out that the wolves just didn't know."

"Then why go on such a crazy mission as to attack the pack claiming wanting freedom?" I muttered to myself but she heard. Sapphire tilted her head as she watched me. A smile found its way back on her lips as she did so.

"Dylan was right. You do ask a lot of questions."

Huh? I looked at her with a blank expression. She knows Dylan? I don't get what's going on here. If she's from the other side of the territory then how do they know each other? I was gone for three days and there are so many questions that I have unanswered.

"You know Dylan?" I asked folding my arms over my chest. "How?"

"Oh well during the battle I had no control over my actions or even myself. My wolf was out of control and I was going to kill someone but I tried to fight it and backed away. When I did another wolf tried to kill me but then Dylan saved me."

Dylan...

Dylan saved her....

Why?

I stared at her up and down still confused as ever. I think I'm going to pass out soon if I learned anymore new information. She didn't look like she was lying either. The innocence in her eyes pushed away all my doubts. He let her survive even though she treated his pack.

"Dylan-"

"What about me?" I suddenly heard behind of me. I jumped slightly as I quickly turned around. There I found Dylan shirtless as always in the snow walking towards us. He must have just came back from shifting. I can see why Louis said that the alpha hasn't recovered yet. There were still fresh scars on his torso and chest. Shouldn't he be resting so they can heal? Then again this is Dylan. I stared at him with a bright smile.

"Dylan, you shouldn't be walking around in the cold without any shirt." Sapphire suddenly said heading to meet him. He rolled his eyes at her as she stood in front of him. His tall frame towered over her small body. Staring up at him Sapphire huffed placing her hands on her hips.

"Why are you so hardheaded?" She asked.

"Why are you so annoying?"

"Because someone has to care about your health since you obviously don't."

"I'm a wolf. This isn't going to get me sick."

"You'll keep saying that until you get a cold."

I stared at the two in amusement as they kept on bickering. I don't know why but they reminded me so much of Noah and I. Dylan didn't had that stern expression on his face that he usually had. Instead, no matter how much he argued with Sapphire, there was a slight curve at the corner of his lips. He looked so much younger and at ease. There was even a spark in his eyes. I don't know if I should be happy or scared or even jealous. I've seen Dylan when he's playful and he tends to be more overwhelming than his usual self. Plus, she's only been here for three days yet she could get him to smile and joke around like this. I've been here for months and Dylan still glares at me. She was once a human like me so what makes her so special to him.

What am I even saying?

Jealous...

No way....

I hummed as Dylan suddenly brought his large hands to Sapphire's face and gently pushed her out his way. Making his way towards me, he huffed before folding his arms over his chest. He's back to his normal self. Huh...

"You're awake." He stated staring down at me. I nodded my head in reply.

"I also got back my memory."

"The doctor said that you might have. We were all worried you wouldn't wake up."

"We?" He sighed glaring down at me. Yup, this is the Dylan that I'm used to.

"If I didn't care for you I would've left your ass to get killed by those wolves."

With that said he began to walk away towards the house. Before he got inside, he called out to me. I turned to face him to see he was standing on the porch.

"By the way," he smirked. "You owe me a pack house."

"I did that to save your life."

"I never asked you to."

Before I could reply he turned his back and walked into the house. Ohh he never changes. I glared at his back until I felt a pull on my hand. Without warning, Sapphire began to drag me into the house. "Let's head inside. You must be tired." She said leaving no space for protest. I'm getting used to having wolves drag me around the place. You just can't say no when it comes to them. When I got inside everything was just how it was before. It's as if nothing never even happened here. Sapphire led me to the kitchen where she forced me to sit down and insisted on making me some tea. I don't know who this girl was, but she seemed like a friendly person. I watched her as she searched through a box filled with tea bags with a concentrated look on her face. When she decided on the ones she would use, she went over to the cabinet and took out four mugs. Four?

"Why do you need four?" I asked her before I could stop myself. She turned to me with a smile.

"For the brothers of course." Does she mean Dylan and Noah? I stared at her as she placed the four mugs in front of me on the counter and pulled out the tea bags.

"My favorite kind of tea is hibiscus." She stated opening a bag and putting it in a cup. "Dylan likes peppermint no matter how much he denies it." She chuckled placing the bag in the other cup. "Noah likes anything you give him. So I got him cranberry apple." She smiled doing the same again. "And you," she looked up at me with a spark in her big eyes. "You looks like need something sweet."

"You know a lot about the boys in three days..."

She hummed turning to the stove where she took a kettle. Turning back to me she pulled her brow pulled together as she poured hot water into each cup. "Three days?" She muttered. "It feels like three years. I wanted to repay Dylan for saving me. Him and his brother are so busy in getting the pack back to normal that they barely have time to take care of themselves. So... I guess that's why I'm here. We bonded a lot in that short time. You cook men food and suddenly you're their best friend." She laughed and I gave her a slight chuckle. She pushed a cup closer towards me and also a few sugar packets. I thanked her as I took the warm mug in my hands and took a sip. The sweet liquid warmed my body as it ran down my throat. This was perfect for the weather outside, and it calms the nerves just a little. With a hum, I took a next sip before looking back at Sapphire. She was leaning against the kitchen counter with her cup pressed against her smiling lips. I sent her a quick smile before taking in a deep breath.

"So where is your family?" I asked her trying to make a conversation. For the first time I watched as her smile slowly formed into a frown as she stared at her. Her big eyes slightly squinted with pulled brows causing her to almost look deadly.

"My family was killed many years ago when the alpha went on the rampage." Her voice was low but you can still hear the pain in it. "I never understood why he did it until he took mine away. The pain of losing your family is more heartbreaking than anything. Some people expresses that pain in different ways."

"Wouldn't you want revenge for your family?"

"I would, but what would that solve? When he's dead it doesn't bring back my family. It only causes more people to hurt and I don't want that."

"I-I didn't know some humans felt that way." I mumbled looking down at the cup in my hands. She lost everything yet she forgives Dylan for what he did. The way the others sounded were nothing like that. I was convinced that everyone wanted revenge against the wolves and that's why they did this. But hearing Sapphire's story about how she was forced and how she doesn't even wanted to get revenge over the person how killed her family made me feel guilty. I wonder how many wolves I killed that didn't have control over themselves and were forced just as she was. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I never thought about what she just told me. I sighed as guilt washed over me as I took another sip of my tea. I didn't even wanted to look her in her eyes anymore. What if I killed her not knowing her story?

"Noah talks about you a lot." Sapphire giggle bringing me from my thoughts. I stared up at her as she looked down at me with a cheeky smile. "You two have been through a lot."

"Where is Noah?" I asked but before she could answer me a voice behind of me answered instead.

"Noah is busy cleaning up the mess you caused." Dylan answered walking into the kitchen. Unlike earlier he was wearing a shirt with a pleased look on his face.

"Are you going to pin the whole thing on me?" I snapped glaring at him. Dylan worked his way to the counter where the cup of tea sat. He stared at both of them before picking up the peppermint one Sapphire said he would drink.

"I'm not blaming anything on you, Stella." He simply stated with a cold look in his eyes.

"Fine, then don't make it sound like you are. I just wanted to help."

"I had everything under control."

"You had two wolves including yourself. You're welcome."

"Dylan, don't be so harsh." Sapphire said frowning at him. He slowly turned his head to her and gave her the same look he once gave me. But unlike me Sapphire didn't look away. Instead she challenged his gaze until a smirk formed on his face.

There it is...

That jealousy again...

Is this a sigh that I have repressed feelings for Dylan? Of course not... Shaking my head, I cleared my throat and ignored the thought. "Oh Dylan, a group of us was wondering if we could have like a little pack party to ease everyone's worry."

"No."

Well at least I tried. They can't say I didn't asked. I frowned looking down at my cup. "Wait Dylan, let's hear what she has to say. This sounds interesting." Sapphire said hitting him in the back of the head. I looked back up with hope.

"Well everything is so tense and the way it seems no one is going to enjoy a good Christmas. So we thought why not have a celebration on New Years at least to celebrate the survival of the pack."

When I was finished I stared up with pleading eyes and a wide grin. As I expected his expression didn't change. He stared at me uninterested. That was until Sapphire voiced her opinion. "I think it's a great idea." She grinned clapping her hands together. "It's like starting the year new literally. Let's do it, Dylan." He stared at her while taking a big gulp of tea. With a deep breath he placed the cup on the table before heading towards the exit.

"Fine."

"Fine?" I gasped.

"I said it's fine. Sapphire, you take care of it."

"Will do, alpha!"

With that he walked out the room. That's it? He's not going to protest with her? He told me no in a heartbeat, but he just instantly changed his mind with her. Who is she? "This is going to be lots of fun." Sapphire cheered clapping again. I stared at her not knowing the right words to say. I stared at her even more confused than before.