To Fight Back, To Change

Chapter 11 - Meeting an old....friend? Wrong, Don't Have Those

.*Ace’s POV*

After an hour of playing fire truck with Blace and getting into a Lego war with him it was time to go. Blace was latched onto my leg and Cass was furious at my been forced to leave. She had stood in from of my bedroom door seething muttering “Bloody Alpha, how could he freaking, after everything!” until I snapped at her to shut up and help me pack up my duffle bag.

I wanted Cass to come with me more than anything but we both knew she needed to stay behind as the now official warrior of the pack. I’d never admit to it but the idea of going back, without Cass or Mike or any backup terrified the shit out of me. It was like Armageddon and all the world wars mixed into one. My own personal Armageddon.

But they would never know that it was me. I am planning on them never finding out that I am Alexis. With my complete change they would never even consider comparing the two together. Every time I thought about what would happen when I re-entered hell my whole system began to race and I would have a mini panic attack that only the smiling figure of Blace could actually calm me down from.

It was necessary though. Necessary so that I could find my answers, necessary so I could stop the raging rogue threat and necessary so that I could come home as soon as possible. That thought cheered me up the sooner I got going to hell the sooner I could leave its burning mess. And maybe cause some burning mess of my own.

I had said goodbye to my baby and watched his lip quiver which set my heart on edge. I didn’t blame the Alpha for any of this. So when I felt his eyes on me I sent him my last thank-you note before I hit the clutch and roared down the path to hell.

My journey took a break as a message from the alpha forced a stopover in a small internet café just off the highway. All he had called and said was “WAIT”. Which pissed me off and yet here I am tapping my fingers against the cardboard tea-cup that my once hot drink had sloshed around in. It had disappeared form the cup hours ago while waiting for my so called present to arrive.

It was almost getting dark by the time the chiming door was wrenched open and the smell of another werewolf filled the room. I waited, not moving and acting nonchalantly until the newbie swung into the seat adjacent to me.

“Ace.” A smooth confident voice spoke. I nodded my head but continued to stare at the foam cup. I knew that voice. “Your late.” I growled gruffly.

“Just like old times.” The voice leaned back into his seat and waited for my reply. As cocky as ever.

“What you doing round these parts?” I asked.

“An old friend was in trouble and I called in as a favour.” The voice chuckled.

I raised my face to meet with the rough features of Mason Santori. Like he said, we were both “old friends” or as much of a friend as I could get. He was one of the only ones able to handle my darkness.

Mason and I had been in the same training class for fighting until I was moved off to private lessons since my …methods were too severe for partners.  I used him as a sparring partner but we were never close. Not like Cass and I. He was just someone handy to have around.

“Let me guess, Alpha asked you to babysit me.” I growled at the thought of it.

Mason raised his arms to calm me down. “We all know you don’t need a babysitter and most likely anyone brave enough to call themselves that would end up dead and buried 6 feet under.” I smirked at the thought. So true. ‘I’m just here as a people liaison, more of a backup than a caretaker.”

I sighed, the Alpha had called in a favour alright. Trust him to pick the only other person on the planet who knew of my past. We hadn’t told him, but after hearing a conversation between Sarah, Alpha and I he had brilliantly pieced the bloody puzzle together. Though luckily he didn’t know the exact details. Admittedly my spirits were raised at the thought of backup, but my pride wouldn’t exactly let me accept it.

“Alright, so you’re my backup.” Mason looked shocked that I had agreed so quickly, and was acting so calmly at that. “On one condition.” Mase looked confused but nodded.

“You must hate them on sight.”

*Unknown POV*

It was going back home. How sweet. I laughed and leaned back against the chair, staring at the computers surrounding the small claustrophobic room. The small figure rode across the electronic screens as my men tracked it’s every movement.

It didn’t know. Didn’t know that I have been watching.  Hadno idea that I have seen it grow and age these past years. Thanks to my insider, I knew everything about it. I hadn’t acted yet. I wanted to see if it had the potential I needed. Assuming from what I’ve seen, it is almost there.

All I have to do is wait and watch. Like a little game. But as my potential future it wasn’t…complete enough to recruit. But maybe the journey back to me will change that.

*Mason’s POV*

I wasn’t surprised at her one condition. Having pieced together most of her past not much surprised me about her deep wells of malice.  I watched this stone-cold girl sitting in front of me calmly watching my reactions and I leaned back, assessing the situation I had just agreed to.

 When Alpha Reyborn had called through to me with a desperate need of a favour I had accepted almost immediately. Having not seen Ace for a long time I had leapt at the chance. Yes, I admit that I had wanted to be more than distant friends with her. Much more. But after realising how non-existing the chances were I had given up.

Her every-changing hair colour was now a deep stormy blue more stormy grey than blue, really.  And it matched with the coldness in her eyes.  I took into count the many scars along her body. 

Some were just thing white lines lining her skin. Most of the recent ones were very small if not there. I respected that.  She had reached some point in her fighting skills that taking hits rarely occurred in her battles.

 Although, there were others, like the puckering scar that marred her albino skin from her neck to shoulder were still red and painful-looking.  The neck wound looked brutal and jagged, but it seemed years old so it must have happened before her training. She subconsciously touched the scar every now and then, running her fingers across the wound.

She held herself up strongly and fiercely radiating that i-don’t-give-a-shit-and-if-you-bother-me-i-will-slash-your-throat aura.  Which freaked most people out, but I knew that she never killed innocents; sure she may harm them if they have something she needs or if it’s by accident. What do they call those innocents killed in war? Casualties? I don’t know, but still.

There was also a burn mark covering about 4 inches of her lower arm. It had faded and scarred over a long time ago too. When I first met her the scars surprised me. We never scarred for long, our wolves had an amazing power to heal and replace. 

It was rare to see any were with markings of battles on their skins. Most saw it as a shame to our wolves not to heal fully. But Ace held them as trophies, which was probably why they were never properly healed. But who knows, this is one strange girl.

*Ace’s POV*

I watched my “favour” assess me from the edge of his chair. I glared slightly when his eyes strayed onto my body. It took me a lot not to punch him in the face just for looking at me like that. But that would be unethical. If I had ethics in the first place.  This, was going to be fun.

Two hours later we were both tired and desperate for a shower. To get to the Jade pack we had to ride through some serious outback. Mason was lucky with his air-conned car. But as I rode my motorbike my hair was stiff and incredibly windswept (since I never wore a helmet, I mean, why bother, there were worse ways to die in my world.) and both I and my ride were covered in red dust, sweat and dirt.

This did not put me in a good mood.  But as we got closer and closer to the pack house I stopped been scared and got mad instead. My rage boiled through pumping veins. I was really ready to have some fun.