Beta

Chapter Two

DEDICATION: This story is dedicated to xxSinxx for the great banner she made me. Make sure to have a look --->

Unlike many of the pack I didn’t own a car. I had enough money to be able to afford one if I ever felt the urge to purchase a vehicle, so funding wasn’t the issue. It was rather the fact that being so closely linked to my wolf made it an uncomfortable experience. Being confined in a small vehicle, confined in a limited space, when the option of running was available was not an option that I felt comfortable with.

It didn’t feel natural, despite being half human.

Jogging to Jacobs took no more than fifteen minutes, the weather having lightened up enough to prevent rainfall. It would still be classed as cold to human’s senses, but to a wolf it was refreshing.

“I need a word with your son,” I spoke as the door opened to reveal who I assumed to be Jacobs mother. She was younger than I expected, it not being a surprise that she had given birth young if she was mated with a wolf. It would have been more unusual if she had waited to settle down and start a family.

“Is he in trouble?” her bottom lip trembled.

“Yes.”

Despite being referred to as a jerk by many parents I wasn’t going to lie to their face when there was a problem, a concept they didn’t seem to understand. I was not going to sugar coat explanations when their children were concerned. They did not seem to realise that.  

“He’s asleep.”

“Wake him up.”

Pursing her lips, nervousness flowing off her in waves she nodded obediently before stepping aside and gesturing me to come inside. I accepted.

Following her into the living room I obeyed as she asked me to take a seat. Looking around the room I took in the matching furniture and wide windows, vaguely recalling that his father was a contractor. It showed.

“Chase?”

Looking up I took in Jacob’s shirtless form, his boxers running low on his hips as he wiped the sleepiness from his eyes. His mother hadn’t been lying when she had mentioned he was in the middle of sleeping.

“Sit down.”

He was nervous and it showed, his hands trembling as his wolf paced unsettled. “Mum said I was in trouble?”

I nodded, sending a pointed look to his mother who gasped before rushing out of the room and towards the kitchen. The sounds of banging pans had me rolling my eyes at her stumbling but I didn’t comment. Instead I turned my attention towards Jacob, the scent of sweat and unease making my nostrils flare.

I flexed my fingers, watching him intently as he shifted nervously in front of me. I gained no satisfaction from watching his unease but I knew if I wanted to get my point across the more unsettled he was the better. “Why do you think I am here?”

Jacob shuddered. “I’m not sure?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?” I quirked a brow.

Instantly his face flamed red, “Telling you.”

Leaning forward I felt my tight t-shirt stretch over my back muscles as I rested my elbows against my knees, staring at him for the next few minutes as I watched him desperately try and recall the reason as to why I was taking the time out of my schedule to personally visit him.

I saw the exact moment he realised why.

“Is this about the fight?”

I nodded.

He cringed, running a hand through his hair. “I was going to tell you, I swear, but then I kept thinking that it would come across that I was a reliability rather than an asset and that was the last thing I wanted, not when I was so new.”

“I do not appreciate being informed of your actions by one of my own.” I leaned back.

“I know!” Jacob was quick to add. “If anyone else had gotten hurt I would have come clean immediately, but that girl…she was just in the right place at the right time-“

“And saved your arse.”

He was silent for a few minutes. “Yes, she did. But that doesn’t mean anything!”

“It means you lied to me. It means you kept information from me. It means you allowed yourself to let your guard down and put yourself in danger. It means you took me for a fool. You have broken many of my rules, Jacob.”

“I only made one mistake-“

“That resulted in distrust.” I rose to my feet, expression blank as Jacob quickly stumbled out of his seat, bumbling apology after apology. I choose not to respond, heading towards the door and passing the panicked mother on the way.

“You’re not kicking out me, right?”

“Don’t come to training tomorrow.”

“Please!” I narrowed my eyes when I felt a firm hand grip my wrist. He released me immediately, stumbling back as if I had physically struck him. “I’ve wanted this since I was fourteen, I should have told you-“

“Yes, you should have. If that girl had not intervened, do you know what I would have been forced to do?” I demanded.

He shook his head slowly, his brain not quick enough to process the information.

“I would have had to knock on your parent’s door, look them in the eyes and inform them that due to their sons’ recklessness he has lost his life.” I looked him directly in the eye. “Do you think I would have gained any satisfaction from that?”

His face paled, “It didn’t come to that.”

“No,” I agreed. “It didn’t this time. This isn’t just about you being honest with me; it is about not looking after yourself. Watching your own back is important, watching the packs back is crucial, taking out the enemy is a bonus. Do you understand me?”

He nodded rapidly.

“Then we are in agreement.”

Opening the door with a click I wasn’t expecting his mother to come rushing out, face pale and heart rate far beyond what it would be if she had been relaxed. I paused, my curiosity over her behaviour outweighing my previous intention of simply leaving.

“Chase?”

I tilted my head to the side, my wolf quiet as I gestured for her to speak.

“I…Mike will be home soon, Jacob didn’t mean to…”

“Mike?”

“Oh, my husband and Jacobs father.” I nodded in understanding. The name sounded familiar. “He really is proud of his son for protecting the pack, as any father would be, is there any way that you could reconsider?” she asked hopefully.

I frowned. “I never told him he had been dismissed, just not to come to practice tomorrow. Do you want me to reconsider?”

“No, I mean no” she rushed out, realising that she had overstepped herself and gotten involved when she probably should have kept her mouth firmly closed. “I’m sorry.”

It was almost surreal that this was a woman twice my age and yet she was treating me as if I was her elder.

I turned to face Jacob whose shoulders had dropped in relief. “I don’t want to see your face tomorrow, be at practice on time the following day and we’ll deal with the consequences of your actions. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” he nodded rapidly.

“Good.”

Finally making my leave, nodding to who must have been the father as I met him in the driveway, I ignored his stunned expression as I jogged towards the woods. Ripping off my shift my fingers quickly worked on my jeans. Two minutes later I was checking the perimeters in my preferred form, black coat sleek as I dashed through the woods with a gracefulness that was hard to grasp in the human form.

I needed to speak to Annabelle.