~A~
The moment that Sang and North walked out the door and everyone started talking at once. Mr. Blackbourne shifted back and put on a pair of sweats that Dr. Green tossed to him. Mr. Blackbourne forced his mind away from the girl that just walked out of his house and turned his focus onto the storm brewing in his home.
"Enough!" He roared. "Mr. Lee, report."
The room quieted and all eyes turned to Kota. The silence was only interrupted by the sound of Luke opening his candy bar. Mr. Blackbourne gave him a look, and he quickly stuffed the chocolate into his mouth. Kota grunted, sitting up straighter in his seat. He wasn't sure where to start. They had a lot to cover and most of it revolved around her. The pretty little blonde who lived a few houses down from him. He and Nathan had spotted her the moment they moved in. Kota had even tried to approach her a few times, but she always seemed to run off before he could approach her. There was one thing that they needed to clear up first and that was with Mr. Blackbourne.
"Why didn't you tell us what was going on with your wolf?" Kota asked.
Born shifters are quite different than the bitten. Those who are born with an animal are more volatile. Their animals can consume them. They seem to almost have a separate conscious. Mr. Blackbourne's need for control came from his upbringing. The things that happened with his family made his wolf wilder and nearly uncontrollable. It doesn't help that Mr. Blackbourne is an Alpha. If he isn't careful, he could lose himself to the wolf.
The shifters who are bitten, don't have the same issues. When they shift, it's just them. Their wolves are a separate being in the same body. However, they still have to be careful. Their emotions can still force a shift. North and Gabriel struggled with that the most.
Mr. Blackbourne used his index finger to slide his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "We thought that we had it handled. I hadn't fathomed that instead of hunting deer my wolf had been hunting that girl."
Dr. Green laid a hand on his friend's shoulder, "we thought that his wolf was acting out because he hadn't been shifting as much as usual. We've all been a little busy."
"Instead, your wolf was going after the girl that he thought was his mate," Kota stated. "How does your wolf know if she doesn't have a scent?"
Mr. Blackbourne looked lost for a moment. "I'm not sure. Sang is a beautiful girl and there is something in her that calls to the beast in me. I don't remember having seen her before I woke up with her next to me, but my wolf was extremely pleased to see our bite on her shoulder with her smelling like us."
"We can't tell the council about her," Kota said. He didn't think that the Academy council would take too kindly to Mr. Blackbourne's wolf biting humans at random.
Mr. Blackbourne was taken aback. He had the utmost faith in the Academy. They took him in after his father had gone rogue. Dr. Roberts had been the only councilman who hadn't been concerned about raising the Alpha son of a rogue wolf. He's been with the Academy since he was a child. He and Dr. Green both.
"I have to agree with him," Dr. Green said. "She's struggling already. If we tell them about her, then they'll want to meet her and she's not ready for that."
Kota shook his head, "I don't think we should let the Academy find out about her. Period. We don't know anything about her. Nathan and I know that she keeps to herself and that there's usually a lot of yelling coming from her house."
Mr. Blackbourne inclined his head, "we'll be doing something about that tonight. I plan to have Mr. Morgan do some research."
"I also don't think that you should tell her that you think she's your mate." Kota was always perceptive.
Mr. Blackbourne straightened his spine, "I wasn't intending to say anything about mating for the foreseeable future, Mr. Lee."
"We should keep our distance from her as well. We can be friendly, but nothing beyond that."
That statement was met with a growl not only from Mr. Blackbourne but from Dr. Green and Victor too. Luke and Gabriel protested. The two were probably the most affectionate after Dr. Green.
Mr. Blackbourne had to fight his instinct to automatically disagree with Mr. Lee. He'd been taken by surprise when he heard Dr. Green kiss Sang, and he, admittedly, hadn't reacted well to it. He wasn't sure how his wolf would react with all the others doting on her. Mr. Blackbourne also had to consider Sang's reaction to them. They were a large group, and she may not be comfortable receiving all their affection.
Mr. Blackbourne rubbed at his temples. "Mr. Lee is right. Befriend her, but nothing more and keep the physical touching to a minimum. Right now, she doesn't trust us. We need to work on that before we begin forming any kind of physical relationship. This also means that I have to ask that you don't bring in any girls. She may not have a scent, but I'm sure her nose will work just fine."
"And if she initiates?" Dr. Green asked. "I've already kissed her a few times. She enjoys it. You may be a saint, but if she wants a kiss, I'm not going to turn her down."
The urge to kill his best friend was getting stronger. Mr. Blackbourne growled at Dr. Green, "if she initiates, and it is something that she wants then you can reciprocate. Otherwise, we remain friendly. Agreed?"
Silas cut in before the others could say anything. "Shouldn't North be here for this?"
"I'll speak with him later." Mr. Blackbourne said.
"I am willing, and I will obey," Luke said quietly.
Gabriel was staring down at the floor, "I am willing, and I will obey."
Victor was next, his glare was focused on Kota. "I am willing, and I will obey."
"I am willing, and I will obey." Silas's strong voice boomed throughout the room.
Nathan shrugged, "I am willing, and I obey."
Kota went last. As long as North agreed, it would be settled. If North rejected it though, they'd have to revisit. And knowing Mr. Blackbourne, he would have a plan in place. Kota could understand where his Alpha was coming from, but he was worried about the girl. He hoped that she would make it through the transition. If she didn't, he was sure that they'd lose their Alpha to his wolf.
"I am willing, and I will obey."
Mr. Blackbourne gave a sharp nod. "Moving on then."
Dr. Green snorted and clapped Mr. Blackbourne on the shoulder, "Good luck, Alpha."
"What are we going to do about Lisa?" Victor asked. "And the Hunters that were at the mall?"
"We'll handle Lisa tomorrow." Mr. Blackbourne wasn't looking forward to that conversation. "What can you tell us about the Hunters, Victor?"
Luke spoke before Victor could, "The Hunter was Williams. We've been keeping an eye on him. The other two-"
"are students at the school." Victor finished as he pulled his laptop out of his bag.
"When school starts, I want them wired." Mr. Blackbourne growled. "That brings me to what Sang saw but the three of you didn't. As you were leaving the mall, there was someone in a white mask watching you all. The person signaled for Sang to remain quiet."
"That's all we need is someone else to worry about," Nathan grumbled.
"Mr. Griffin, please lose the attitude. We have bigger problems than this masked person if there are Hunters in the school." Mr. Blackbourne pinned him with a look. "We'll have to remain vigilant and be extra careful. Mr. Morgan got the cameras set up everywhere except the Principal's and Vice Principal's offices, but we're working on that. Just try to blend in as much as you can, so that we get through this year in one piece."
The boys murmured their agreements.
"Does anyone have anything else to say?" Mr. Blackbourne asked.
"We need to go back and pick up some more clothes for Sang," Gabriel said.
"Luke said that you guys bought a whole bunch of stuff today," Nathan complained.
Gabriel bared his teeth at Nathan, "We weren't able to get her underwear. She needs new underwear."
Mr. Blackbourne sliced his hand through the air, "that's not possible. Not right now. Sang struggles with new places and crowds."
"Will she be okay at school?" Kota asked.
"She doesn't have much choice, unfortunately." Mr. Blackbourne said, before looking at Gabriel who was slouched in his seat. His disappointment was clear on his face. "Perhaps you and Mr. Morgan can pick some things out for her. I assume you know her size?"
Gabriel shook his head, "no, but if she'll let me, I can measure her."
"If not, we can get a range of sizes for her to try and donate what doesn't fit." Victor squeezed Gabriel's shoulder.
Mr. Blackbourne pressed his lips together. "I have faith that you'll figure it out, Mr. Coleman."
A few moments later, North entered the house and spoke before anyone could fling questions at him. "Sang was quiet the whole ride home. She seemed exhausted. She went straight to bed after I dropped her off."
"She didn't have another panic attack?" Silas asked.
"No," North shook his head. He turned to look at Dr. Green, "does she get those a lot?"
"I believe she does struggle with anxiety and panic attacks. I haven't spoken with her in-depth about it, but it seems that she only gets them when she's in stressful situations."
Silas's brow furrowed, "so, how do we help her if she gets them at school?"
"You ground her," North said as he leaned against the wall. "Get her to focus her senses and then help her slow her breathing. Then reassure her. I don't recommend moving too quickly if she's having a full-blown panic attack though. She may get physical."
Dr. Green grinned brightly at him. Nathan gave him an odd look, "how do you know that?"
"A few of us have struggled with anxiety, so I researched it so that I would be able to help them better." North shrugged.
"Thank you, North." Mr. Blackbourne's voice was quiet.
Kota grunted.
"I think that's enough for tonight. Kota, Nathan, tomorrow will you check on her? If her father is home, then sneak in. I don't want him to see us. Victor, I'll see you in my office."
A few hours later, Kota poked his head in Mr. Blackbourne's office. Victor was the only one in the room. He sat at Mr. Blackbourne's desk with his eyes darting across his laptop screen. His head shifted slightly, his only acknowledgment of Kota's presence.
"Where's Mr. Blackbourne?" He asked as he shut the office door behind him.
"He left to take Dr. Green to the hospital."
Kota tried to keep his voice casual as he asked, "did you find anything on her?"
Victor finally looked away from his laptop. He blinked a few times before eyeing Kota. "Why?"
"We need to know everything about her. It's dangerous to have someone in the pack that we don't know or trust." Kota moved to stand behind Victor and watch the screen over his shoulder.
"She's an innocent, Kota," Victor growled but regained his composure. "I can't find anything on her. There is no Sang Sorenson in the system. According to the government, she doesn't exist." He pulled his eyes away to face the Beta. "She's a ghost."
Kota's eyes widened. He knew where Victor was coming from, but this made him more suspicious of her. Why had someone gone through the trouble of trying to hide her? Did she know?
"Vic, there has to be something. What about her parents? Who owns the house that she's staying in? She has to have a school transcript, so where did she come from?"
He fired off the questions. Victor brought up another window on his computer. "The man who owns the house, and who Kota assumed is her father, is Marshall Sorenson, 48, from North Chicago. He received a master's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Chicago." Victor paused as he continued reading with a furrowed brow. "He's a biotechnologist and he previously worked for the Chicago Research Center before he quit and moved his family here. However, it shows that he has a wife and one daughter named Marie. So, why does Sang live with them?"
Victor pulled up a picture of a tall man with dark curly hair. As Kota stared at the picture, he found that could not identify any feature on the man's face that was remotely close to Sang's. However, a growl left his chest when Kota realized that he recognized this Marshall. They'd seen him before, but they'd never heard his name nor could they find anything about him in their searches. They had him now though, and Kota knew what he had to do.
"Do not tell the Alpha," Kota commanded.
"What? No, we have to tell them." Victor protested. "He's likely dangerous. The Academy should be aware of him."
Kota shook his head. "We can't tell them. Not yet. Something has to be done about Sang first. Until then, don't say anything."
"What are you going to do about her?"
"Don't worry about it. Nathan and I will handle it tomorrow." Kota said over his shoulder as he rushed from the room. He had something thinking to do. He needed to be able to convince the girl that she had to stay away from them or else.
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I couldn't move. Someone was standing over me, but I couldn't make out any of their features through the glare of bright light. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large syringe filled with a dark fluid. I tried to move but something was keeping me pinned. The needle pierced my skin, and my scream filled the silence.
I sat straight up in bed; my breathing heavy. My skin was coated in sweat and my head ached. The room spun as I tried to get out of bed. I crumbled to the floor where I stayed until everything stopped spinning and the black dots faded away. After several long minutes, I was able to stand.
I felt shaky and weak. My stomach rolled forcing me to heave. Thankfully, my stomach was empty. Even still I couldn't stop the horrible gagging sensation as my mouth filled with saliva. I stumbled to the bathroom, filling the tub with water and splashing water on my face from the sink. My skin looked sallow and my eyes were watery. I must finally be getting sick from spending the night out in the woods.
After stripping out of my clothes, I climbed into the tub. The warmth of the water felt great against my sweat-slicked skin. Closing my eyes, I relaxed back into the tub. Yesterday's conversation came flooding back. Shifters. Owen and the others are wolves. I had been bitten. Maybe I wasn't just sick. Something was wrong. I needed to call Dr. Green.
I sluggishly washed my body and my hair. I wrapped a towel and stepped into the hallway. Halfway up the stairs were my father who looked quite angry. His eyes ran over the towel before flashing back up to my face.
"Get dressed then come downstairs." He demanded before turning around and stomping back down.
My body struggled to move as I watched him go. I forced myself into my bedroom and dug out a sweatshirt and a pair of shorts. My vision swam as I headed down the stairs. I didn't really want to hear what my father had to say. I wanted to go back to sleep. My father sat at the table in the kitchen. He turned to look at me when I entered the room. His brow furrowed as he looked me over.
"You're sick?" He asked.
I shrugged, "I think it's just a head cold." My voice was monotone, I didn't have the energy to talk normally.
"You'll have to stay in your bedroom. I'm going to the hospital to pick up your mother." He glared at me. "You don't get to call the doctors or the hospital. You always call me first."
"I don't know your phone number."
He huffed. "I'll leave it by the phone. You are to only use it for emergencies. We shouldn't waste money on unneeded emergency visits."
"Mother wouldn't wake up," I managed to raise a brow.
"Call me first," he snapped. "Go to your room, and don't come out until you feel better."
I dreaded the walk up the stairs. I walked to the base of them and wondered if I could just take a nap on the floor instead. A shadow at the top of the stairs got me moving though. I tripped about a dozen times and felt like I was about to go tumbling back down the stairs, but I made it. I stumbled into my bedroom, closing the door behind me. The boy leaning against my wall sent my heart through my throat. If I had been feeling better, I probably would have screamed.
"Kota?" I rasped.
His face was blank as strode up to me, his shoulders were set, and his step determined as he approached me. He couldn't hide what his green eyes were reflecting behind his black frames. I saw the anger and the distrust, but I couldn't understand why it was directed at me.
"Did you think we wouldn't find out?" His voice was a low growl.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, "Kota, what's wrong?"
"I know what you are?" Kota growled. "Did your father put you up to this?"
"M-my father? Kota, you aren't making any sense." I steadied my hand against the wall.
He reached out with both of his hands, gripping my upper arms as he pressed me back against the wall. "Do not lie to me," Kota growled and gave me a little shake that made the room spin. "Stay away from my pack. Stay away from Mr. Blackbourne. We never want to see you again. If I see you around my family again, I will end you."
He pulled me closer, forcing me to look into his eyes. My eyes stung with unshed tears from both his tight grip and his harsh words. Kota's lip curled in disgust. He released me shoving me backward. I hit the wall with a dull thud and slid down to the floor. He growled at me once more before going back out the window.
It was only a few moments later when the front door slammed, shaking the house. I crawled across the floor and climbed into my bed. My eyes burned with tears. I was upset about how Kota treated me, but I was more confused than anything. What would my father have put me up to? How did he even know my father?
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I'm sorry this chapter took so long to put out. I had intended for it to go one way, but Kota had different ideas. I'm working on Chapter 9 currently, and I hope to have it posted tomorrow at the latest. Thank you for reading!