My Heart To Hold

Chapter Twelve

Ryan was forcing me to stay home today. No Suzie, no friends what so ever.

Just me alone with the doors and windows locked.

He and his pack were checking everywhere in town they thought Leo might be.

So, here I was. In my bed wasting away watching reruns of the Shore.

Not being allowed to go anywhere and not wanting to, were two very different things.

I was extremely antsy, my mind kept wandering to the possibility of Ryan finding Leo and there being a trap waiting for him.

Jumping out of bed I ran down the stairs to the kitchen. Ready to drown my worries with ice cream. When I heard a noise coming from the front of the house.

I soon heard footsteps coming through the house in the direction of the kitchen where I was now.

My mind sifted through all the people that it could be. My parents would announce themselves. No doubt Suzie would make her presence known, and anyone else would have knocked.

Without thinking about it I jumped on my first instinct. And that was to run.

I bolted out the back door, instantly regretting letting the door slam behind me as the foot steps got louder and faster, and ultimately closer.

I was out my back fence going down the small vacant alley between the houses trying to make it to an open and populated area.

My instincts we dead on as I jumped over my neighbors now empty trashcan.

I nearly cleared the alleyway when I heard the foot steps coming up behind me.

I had about five feet to go and then I'd be home free.

But the next thing I knew my head was slammed into the wooden fence causing me to lose complete control over the situation.

Whoever had hold of me wasn't letting go as they held their hand over my mouth. They didn't have to restrain me too much as I was disoriented enough.

My sight was seeing double as tears flooded my eyes from the impact. My head was spinning, my ears ringing. I felt closer to the ground then my usual five foot eight stature.

My attacker then allowed my body to slink down so I sat on my knees.

"I'm not going to hurt you," said a feminine voice from behind me.

Too late for that, I thought as I tried to regain my usual bodily functions.

I heard someone passing by the alleyway and so badly did I want to draw attention to my predicament.

But her grip on my mouth tightened and her other hand had one of my arms twisted behind my back. It was safe to say that I wasn't going anywhere without this girl putting up a fight.

Once who ever that was passing by was out of earshot she said, "If I let you go you have to swear to remain silent and still otherwise I'll have to hurt you. And I have already done more then intended."

I silently nodded and she slowly released me.

As she did so, I swung around to face her. I was surprised to find a girl around my age maybe a year or two younger crouched down here beside me. She was slender but had a lot muscle tone for her age.

The bright green of her eyes told me she wasn't entirely human.

"Juliet, I swear I am not a threat to you or your Alpha," she held her hands up as if she had no real way of hurting me. When in actuality those very hands could probably snap my neck.

"Who are you?" I fumbled with the words as my head was still a little hazy from the blow.

"My name is Megan but you can call me Megs. I'm what you would call a double agent. Right now my allegiance is supposedly with the rouge Leo but really I am after revenge for the wrongful death of my brother. So my true allegiance is with you and your Alpha. We are both after the same end result. Leo dead."

Everytime she said 'your Alpha' she eyed the mark on my neck. The very mark Ryan gave me last night.

Trying to regain my train of thought on the here and now I asked, "So, you're pretending to be on Leo's side?"

She nodded, "I swear to it. And my word is law."

"Ugh... Megs is it?" I continued before she could confirm or deny, "How could your word be your law if your word to Leo is false? I'm sorry. I'm just finding this a little difficult to believe. And not just because you cracked my head against the fence."

"I'm truly sorry for that. I was just acting on instinct. But my word to my brother over rides Leo's authority."

I started pulling myself up, and finding it to find the strength. She stood up in a rush to help me up.

"Take me back to my house. If you're willing to prove you trustworthiness then I'm willing to give you a chance."

She pulled my arm around her shoulder and we started walking toward my house, "Yes, anything. I swear I am an asset."

When we got back I made a call to 'my Alpha'.

"Are you crazy? I told you..."

"Ryan, please. Just come over and bring Jesse."

"Fine," he grumbled, "just keep you distance and grab a knife."

I rolled my eyes but said okay anyway. If he knew she had already done harm to me, he wouldn't let her anywhere near me.

Hanging up I turned back to Megs, "Where is it Leo thinks you are?"

She looked up at me with a look of confusion, "Oh. He thinks I'm out trying to find a way to get close to you without you noticing."

My eyebrows instantly shot up, "What better way then to be a double, double agent?"

"No. No!" she started clawing at her back pocket. Usually this is when alarms start sounding off. Who was I to know f she was hiding a weapon? But seeing as this wasn't you everyday run of the mill danger, and she could kill me with her bare hands the thought never crossed my mind. "This is my brother. Leo killed him last year after he refused to kill your Alpha's brother. Like me, he was a skilled warrior."

I stared down at the photograph she handed me. In the picture stared back a boy that reminded me of Ryan. He was standing with about ten other people who I assume to be his pack. The photo projected happiness and love. While the boy himself projected a certain protectiveness and he was certainly proud of both himself and his pack. Standing right beside him was a little girl she looked to be a about ten, by the look on her face she believed he walked on water and was afraid of nothing and no one. From the looks of the now almost grown girl standing in my kitchen the thought of invincibility has been replaced by bitterness and revenge. Something that will be far from gone once Leo is dead.

"I'm sorry for your loss," I whispered.

She took the picture from me and gazed at with unshed tears in her eyes, "If you are truly sorry then please help me."

She hastily wiped at her eyes as she looked up into my eyes, "Well, Megs, looks like we're both looking for the same end to different means."

By the time Ryan arrived with Jesse, Mega and I had drawn up a game plan that secured Leo's death. But there was no way that Ryan would go along with it should he be let in on it.

Love, Life, and Sacrifice were paving the road we now followed. Who knew how much had to be lost to gain one simple thing. The safety of the ones I love.