The Wolves of Crystal Cove

Chapter Two

"If I wanted you present for this meeting, I would have sent for you Erin," my father scolds.

I bite down on the inside of my cheek trying to refrain from snapping at him. "Jasper is here, why can't I be?" I retort.

He narrows his eyes while puffing out his chest. "Because I said so. Now go," he orders. I send him my own narrowed look before storing out of the meeting hall. Several pack members try to make conversation with me as I storm to the alphas house but most take the hint to leave me alone.

I head to my room to change before heading back downstairs. "Hey Erin, want a sandwich?" Katherine asks as her and my mom move around the kitchen.

"Not now."

"Why are you home?" Mom calls out but I ignore her before heading into the woods. The hike to the waterfall, where many young wolves like to go swimming, is only thirty minutes for a human.

It seems the closer my birthday gets the more determined my father is to push off my training. It doesn't make any sense as to why either. I'm the only heir he has, Ricky is adopted so he can't be alpha. Many alphas will have only one biological child then adopt the rest as a way to try and prevent rivalry between the siblings. He could become alpha but he would have to challenge and kill me or I would have to be dead. If I had not died majority of the time the pack would not want him. They would want the blood heir.

  I just need him to trust me enough, to want to train me to take over the pack. It's what I was born to do. I pause once I get to the waterfall, looking down into the cove area below. I strip off my shirt, shorts, and shoes getting ready to jump.

  Staying active is good for werewolves. We can't expect our wolves to be strong if we are weak. I do some quick stretches before I jump off the waterfall. The feeling of the air rushing around me makes my adrenaline pump. For the past few years this is the closest I get to the thrill of shifting.

The water hits me, jolting my senses and me. I let myself sink in the water letting my anger roll off of me. I swim up to the surface gasping in air only for my eyes to land on a brown wolf watching me. I watch as it slowly morphs into Jasper. He stands up smiling proudly as I shake my head.

"You're naked."

"It's not like you haven't seen it before," he retorts. I tilt my head while lifting a brow.

"I think some things have changed since we've last seen each other naked Jasper," I add as I climb back on land.

I hear him shuffle around some before finding some spare clothes hidden in a tree trunk. He slips on the swimming trunks before turning towards me, his eyes widening as they do. "Holy fuck," he gasps breathlessly. Some might assume he's gasping at my beauty but in reality it's probably just my body. Littered in vampire bites, knife scars, as well as a bullet scar.

"You really know how to boost a girls confidence," I mutter ringing my hair out.

I hear his make a few noises probably trying to find his words. "What happened?" He sputters out. I start walking on the trail to get my clothes with him following me.

"A lot. Surprised you don't know about it by now," I say a bit bitterly. I wish he had already known. I don't like explaining what happened. Reliving it almost every night is hard enough.

I think in total four packs were involved with my rescue and the Gold pack was not one. I know the Brown and Green packs were as well as my own. I can't seem to place the fourth one though. "We had very little communication where we went. No phones, emails, tv," he explains. The question of why burns in me but before I can answer a snap of a twig cuts me off.