Picture of Dylan O'Brien as Sam to the side.
-Unedited
A/N : This chapter has a different format, please tell me what you think of it. I don't think I'll ever write a chapter in this format again but I wanted to try something different and I kind of like it.
Also, there's a lot of information about Carter and Aleks somewhere towards the middle/end in this chapter. Read carefully so you can understand it.
Carter Kelly's P.O.V
"Do you want to talk about it?"Tyler asks me in a soft voice, trying to be as gentle as possible with me.
"You ran away, Carter."He says quietly. "I was worried out of my mind, I thought you weren't coming back!"
"Tyler, I-"I take a deep breath. "I'll always come back. Yes, I'm mad at you but no where near enough to leave you. Just let me shower and change, I feel gross after... you know..."
"Twenty minutes."He tells me gently. That's one thing Ty has tried really hard to do, he doesn't want to sound too demanding around me. He takes a few steps closer to me, but I turn around and grab a pair of pajama pants and one of my older brothers old t-shirts.
A pit forms in my stomach when I turn back around to see that he's already gone. I don't like being mad at him, it's horrible. It's almost like I can feel how hurt he is.
"Always messing up."I mutter quietly to myself as I step into my bathroom and turn on the shower.
I look in the mirror and see an all too familiar broken person that looks like she had just been through war. There's blood all over my hands and wrists, my clothes, and even a little bit on my face and in my hair. My leggings and shoes are covered in mud. I look like a complete and utter mess.
After about fifteen minutes of doing my absolute best of scrubbing almost every inch of my skin raw, I'm about to turn off the water when all of a sudden, it all rushes over me. That pit in my stomach has grown, giving me an intense sick feeling. I scramble out of the shower, wrap a towel around me, and empty the contents of my stomach in the toilet.
I've purged before, quite a few times. I guess I've gotten used to the feeling a bit, but throwing up is one of the worst experiences ever. After rinsing my mouth with water, brushing my teeth five times, and using a ton of mouth wash, I finally dry off and begin to get ready for bed.
"Carter?"Tyler knocks on my bathroom door softly. "Are you almost ready?"
"Yeah, just let me brush my teeth."I tell him. He's a werewolf, he's going to be able to tell I just threw up anyway but it's worth a shot at attempting to cover it up.
"I made you some tea because I know you just got sick, it'll help with your stomach."He says softly. "Please come out here, sweetheart."
I slowly open the door, silently appreciating the fact that he still knocked and waited for me to open the door, even though it was unlocked.
"Thank you."I say quietly as I take the mug into my hands and take a few sips.
"We should talk about it before we go to bed."He tells me. He moves his hand as if he was going to cup my cheek, but I tense, so he runs that hand through his hair.
"I'm tired."I say.
"No, you just need an excuse to get out of it."Tyler crosses his arms over his chest. "We need to talk."
"I panicked."I tell him. "I wanted space, alone time. I needed to get out of here for a few hours so that I could clear my head."
"I could've left the place for a while, gone down to my office for a couple of hours-"Tyler says. "You didn't need to leave the pack house-"
"I haven't left this house or our house by myself, I needed air. Real, fresh, free air."I reply quietly, looking down at my mug before takes a few sips.
"I just want to make sure you're safe, Carter."He says softly. "I know you can take care of yourself but I feel utterly useless if I can't take care of you, too. I was terrified when you walked out that door, I thought I would never see you again."
"You're acting like I don't feel our bond."I mutter. "I'm angry, yes, but we were bound to fight at one point. I don't hate you."
"Just please don't leave me like that again."He whispers, cupping my face with his hands, causing me to instantly tense. His eyes flicker to mine, but they're not the usual green. It's that dark black color that brings back horrible memories from last night.
♡♡♡
"Tyler! Stop it!"I sob as I attempt to pull him off of my old friend. "You're not making things any better!"
"Tyler's gone."He spoke in a deep voice. I knew this wasn't Ty, it's Benjamin.
"See Car? I told you this would happen, this always happens. The big bag Alpha isn't so sweet to you when he loses control? This could be you, Cake-"Sam begins to lecture me, almost as if he was angry with me.
"We would never harm her."Benjamin growls, squeezing his hands tighter around Sam's neck and begins to lift him up the wall.
"Carter, I-"Sam goes red, almost purple as he kicks at Benjamin. He tries to hard to get those words out, but it's not working. "I-"
"You don't speak to her."Benjamin stares at him with his dark, cold black eyes.
"Please."I whisper. "Please, let him go."
"No."Benjamin looks down at me arrogantly as he says his blunt answer. "You're ours."
"You're going to kill him! Please, I can't lose him, too. Not again."Tears roll down my cheeks as sobs escape my lips, I try pulling at his arms but it's not use. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
"Princess, close your eyes."Benjamin says.
"No! Don't, please don't!"The sobs become louder, making my throat hurt even worse. "I'll never forgive you if you do this!"
"Yes you will."Benjamin growls.
"No-"
"Close your eyes, I don't want you to see this."He continues. "Little one, listen to me."
"I'll do it."I whimper as I look up at him.
"You'll do what?"He furrows his eyebrows at me.
"I'll hurt myself again."I say so softly, so quietly, that only he could hear me. I make a sprint for the kitchen, searching frantically through the drawers knowing that Sam could be dead any second now. That's when I hear heavy foot steps running after me.
"Carter!" I know that voice, that voice is Tyler's. I turn to look up at him as more sobs and hiccups escape my lips. He comes closer to me, but I step back. "Please, Carter."
"Sam was the only r-reason I was alive, the only reason I m-made it through all of my past."I try my best to make sure sobs don't come out, but there are a few that slip up. "You almost killed him."
"He was the one who started all of this-"Tyler starts to say gently but I cut him off.
"I'm not saying that I'm not angry at him, too. I'm mad at both of you."I tell him. "You both are complete idiots."
"He was acting like it didn't matter that you're my mate, mine."Tyler takes another step towards me and I take another one back. "Carter-"
"And you were acting like he didn't deserve to breathe the same air as me."I cough out.
"He could've been feeding our information to rogues, Carter. I wasn't going to go easy on him. Then he started talking about you, to you."He tries to explain to me.
"Nearly killing him didn't help anything."I mutter as I walk past him. "It hurt so many things."
♡♡♡
"You won't even touch me or let me touch you!"Tyler raises his voice slightly from his gentle tone. He really just spoke in his normal tone but it seems so much louder because of how soft he has been speaking. He walks away from me and runs his hands through his hair.
"It's hard for me to let you when all I can picture is your hands around Sam's neck!"I flinch and back myself up against the wall. "Not to mention that you kept information from me. I know Aleks wanted to tell me everything as soon as I woke up but you wouldn't even let him in the room!"
"Carter, I will never hurt you."He speaks softly again. "I didn't even think it was possible for someone to love someone as much as I love you. You're my everything, I'll never hurt you. And I'm sorry that I kept things from you, I just wanted to wait until you were ready. After finding you unconscious, I didn't want to push you over the edge again. I love you too much to lose you."
"I know that."I place a hand on his upper arm. He looks down at me. "Just let me clear my head, okay? There's a lot going on and too much to take in."
"I'm not letting you go to bed angry, that's not how we work."He says gently. "You're just going to toss and turn if I let you go to bed angry, that's not going to solve anything."
"I think I'm just going to read for a bit."I say, walking over to my old bed and picking up my book and head phones. "It calms me."
"Not too late, you need rest."Tyler goes to smooth down my hair, but stops and just kisses the top of my head. "I'm going to do some things in my office."
"Okay."I say quietly.
"I love you."He says to me.
"I-"I take a deep breath. "I know."
Tyler looks at me the way he's never looked at me before. He seems so... so sad. I know I've hurt him by acting this way but I don't think that I'll ever forget the way he looked when he nearly killed Sam.
He simply gives me a sad smile before leaving completely. I watch him as his large figure disappears from my old room and down the hallway. Then I hear the main door close loudly.
I hate this.
I grab the comforter off the bed and wrap it around my shoulders, carrying my book, phone, and tea as I walk out to the balcony. I curl up on one of the lounge chairs. Tossing the book on the table and turning Lana Del Rey all the way up, I look up at the night sky and think about all that has happened.
♡♡♡
"Aleks?"I say as I walk back out into the entryway when I see him. He's kneeling down next to Sam, checking his neck.
"He's going to be okay."Aleks tells me when I kneel down next to him. "He's heeling, those bruises are going to be there for a while. Is there anyway you can help me bring him to the infirmary?"
"I can try."I say.
"You know Tyler would never do something like this to you."He says quietly.
"I do."I reply, telling the truth. I know he wouldn't. "Come on, let's just get him up."
I go to the other side of Sam and wrap my arm around his waist and put his arm around my shoulders. Aleks does the same thing on the other side. We slowly make him stand and walk him down the hallway and to the other side of the house where the infirmary is.
"There's an empty room at the end of the hall."Aleks says.
Sam's really heavy. He's barely taller than Aleks, but he's been working out since he 'died.' He used to be kind of a wimp, he had the same amount of over all body strength as I do. Now, he's much more toned, has more muscle. He's changed a lot.
"Can you put him on the bed? I'm going to go get things ready to get him an x-ray. There's a small chance Tyler broke his neck but I think he was waiting for you to look away to do anything like that."Aleks asks once we enter the room.
"Okay."I answer him.
I struggle as soon as he leaves and nearly drop Sam on the ground. Luckily I kind of pushed him towards the bed because he's awkwardly resting his back against the edge of it while I'm basically on top of him. He groans and cracks his eyes open.
"C-Car?"His voice comes out hoarse, very strained. You can tell how much he's struggling to speak. His eyes lock with mine and he immediately cups my face with one of his shaky hands. "Car?"
"Shh, you shouldn't talk. It might make things worse-"I begin to say but he runs his thumb over my lips. Before I can comprehend what's happening, he presses his lips to mine. I freeze, not sure how to react. This is Sam, my best friend that died in June, that's now alive and is a werewolf, he nearly was killed by the person that I've come to care about most, and is kissing me at this very moment. What the hell is happening?
I place my hands on his chest and pull back. "Come on, let's get you in bed. Aleks is coming back soon, you're going to need an x-ray."
Sam just nods sadly and helps me help him up onto the bed in a more comfortable position. When I go to sit down in the chair next to the bed, he grabs my hand and tugs me to sit back down on the edge of the bed.
"P-Please."He says. "St-ay."
"I won't leave."I tell him. He gives me a small smile and brings my hand to his lips.
I loved Sam, I loved him more than anyone. He was there for me when my mom left, when my dad died, and when my brother died. He was always there, he knew what to say and what actions to use. He would even watch Teen Wolf with me every Monday night. To this day, he keeps saying that he looks like Stiles and to this day, I always reply 'In your dreams.'
Yes, I used to think that one day the two of us would get married. He always wanted the two of us to travel the world together and then settle back down in a nice house with Hudson and his mom. I don't see that anymore, I can't even picture that ever happening.
I have Tyler, I can see our future together. One day we'll get married, I've thought about that a lot lately. What the ceremony will look like, how my dress will look, how happy Tyler and I will be on that day. I can see the two of us having kids. I want two boys first, then a girl. That way she can have two brothers act protective over her and it'll be cute. I can see us growing old together. I can see our future in such detail that it's honestly all I want.
I'm extremely angry at Tyler, yes. The words he and Sam exchanged made me so angry that it almost hurt. That doesn't mean I hate either of them at all.
I look down at Sam to see that he's staring at me.
He has changed so much, he seems so much older now. His brown hair used to constantly be a mess, but it's cleaned up much now. I missed those brown eyes but they're no longer as bright as they were before. He seems skinnier and a bit taller than he was, even though he's only 5'10 and Tyler is 6'4, he should seem shorter. I think it's the way he carries himself now. Like I said earlier, he's been working out, too.
"Did y-you miss me at all?"Sam asks.
"Of course I did."I answer him quietly as I look down at my lap.
"I'm s-sorry."He stutters.
I don't reply. Aleks enters the room and I stand to meet him.
"He's going to be okay."He tells me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and hugging me into his side.
"I know."I say.
"Carter..."Aleks looks down at me before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He kisses the top of my head. "We need to talk tonight. I'm going to bring him up to yours and Tyler's, okay? The four of us need to talk."
"What are you talking about?"I ask him.
"You'll find out, okay?"He says. "Go upstairs, drink some tea. Things will be explained."
"Okay..."
"Hey, come here."Aleks wraps his arms around my waist and I hug his torso. "It'll be okay."
"I hope so."I mumble into his shirt. I take a couple of deep breaths before I let go and start to walk out of the door. "Please take care of him."
"I will."He gives me a small smile. "Go eat something, we'll be up in an hour."
"Thank you, Aleks."
-
I pace around the living room as I wait for Aleks and Sam to come up here. They're going to be here in about five minutes. Tyler's sitting on the couch watch watching me. He's tried talking to me but I ignore him. Everything that's been going in is too much. I got my old best friend back and nearly watched him die again all in the same day.
"I'm going to make a cup of coffee, do you want me to make you some tea? Or hot chocolate?"Tyler stands up.
"Green tea, please."I answer him quietly as I bite my nails.
"You should sit down, sweetheart."He says.
"I'm okay."I reply. It's better that I stand and pace, if I sit, I'll think too much. It helps just to count my steps and focus on that for a while. I like to pace. Pacing is my friend.
"It's starting to get late."He notes. "They should be up here soon."
"Yeah."I say, bringing the sleeves of my sweater up to my palm. I changed out of the swimsuit and into a cozy white sweater and a pair of gray leggings. And I pulled on my favorite slippers because I live for comfy things.
"Are you okay?"He asks as he brings me my mug.
"I'm fine."I say quickly as I take a few sips of tea.
"Carter-"Tyler begins to say something but he's interrupted by knocks on the door. "I'll get it."
I bite my lit and climb up onto the counter, holding my mug in both hands while I criss cross my legs.
"Don't start anything!"I hear Aleks whisper.
"I'm not starting anything."Sam whispers hoarsely. "It's not my fault that the big bad Alpha doesn't have any control."
"You've stirred up enough shit around here."Tyler whispers with a quiet growl. "I'm not letting that happen again."
"What are you going to do this time? Actually break some of my bones? Maybe murder me in front of my girl- my best friend? You know, the 5'1 blonde with the most beautiful green eyes? It's always a shame that the best kind of people get tied down to people who try to control them."You can basically hear the smirk in Sam's voice. "She deserves the world, she deserves to see the world. That's what she wants to do, and you're keeping her here against her will."
"Don't fucking talk like that, especially about her."Tyler growls. "She's my whole world."
"I can talk anyway I like, dip shit."Sam replies.
"Don't start anything you idiots!"Aleks says a bit louder. "She's in the other room and she's terrified. Can't you sense that? Get over yourselves and focus on her. If you guys care about her as much as you say you do, you'd already be talking to her and whining to each other."
Aleks comes down the hallway and into the kitchen, he walks over to me and tucks my bangs behind my ears.
"Did you eat?"He asks.
"Yeah."I nod. "Peanut butter and jelly sandwich."
"Good and you have your tea."He smiles. Sam runs down the hallway first and Tyler follows.
"Car?"Sam looks me up and down. "Are you o-okay?"
"I didn't realize I was in any danger."I mutter to myself. "I'm fine."
"He didn't touch you, did he?"Sam says, gesturing towards Tyler. He walks over to me and places his hands on the counter. "You've seen what he can do, Car. I don't want that to happen to you."
"What the hell are you talking about?"I ask him. "You don't even know what has happened since you... whatever. You don't know what goes on here, that's not how this place runs."
"Cake, I-"
"No, I'm done with this."I tell him. "You don't know what happened when you died! I lost my freaking mind! I was finally happy and then after waiting hours in the hospital waiting room, a doctor comes out and tells me that my best friend in the entire world had passed away because he didn't survive some stupid surgery that you didn't even need! You never mentioned once that you ever had heart problem!"
"But I didn't die-"
"That doesn't matter! I was depressed, I barely ate for months! Maybe once every two weeks! I hated myself, the only thing that was keeping me on this ugly earth was Hudson. My dad left, my brother left, and you left. Every breath I took felt like a mistake, I got worse and worse-"My eyes stay dry. I wasn't going to cry anymore tonight.
"Carter, I'm sorry. It wasn't my choice-"
"It wasn't your choice?"I yell, slipping off the counter and walking straight up to him. "You left. Tyler saved my life because I nearly killed myself over you! I loved you more than anyone and you broke the one promise you know you should have never broken."
"Carter you... you nearly-"Sam goes to cup my cheeks with his hands. "Car, I lo-"
"No, fuck you for leaving me when I needed you most."I shove his hands away from me. "After all of that, you come in here and act like you own the place. Tyler, he's never done anything to hurt me. He's cared for me like no one else has. He takes me for walks after my weekly therapy session because he knows that fresh air helps me calm down. He comforts me after every nightmare about my past, including you. He's treated me like a princess. And you have no right to talk to him like he's some horrible person. Yes, I'm angry that he did that to you but I'm not angry enough to let you talk about him like that."
"Carter..."Sam gasps out as he leans down closer to me, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Does he make you laugh like I did?"
"He doesn't make me cry like you did."I mutter lowly and shove his hand off of my shoulder. I walk away from him.
"Sweetheart..."Tyler says softly.
"Don't."I look up at him. "I'm mad at you, too. I explained to you who he was, how I knew him. I've told you that I've thought of him as my brother for the most part. Yet you still decided to nearly kill him and then Benjamin goes and nearly snaps his neck right in front of me. You've kept me on a freaking leash since I've gotten here. You marked me without explaining things to me, I know you're sorry about that but do you know how helpless that has made me feel?"
"I'm sorry, you deserve so much better than that."Tyler says gently. "I can't change what I've done but I've been trying my best to make up for that. I just... I just want you to be happy."
"Carter?"Aleks gains my attention next, the only person that hasn't angered me at all. "I think that we all need to calm down a bit. You should probably sit for this next part."
"What else is going on?"I ask him.
"Come on, let's all sit down."Aleks sighs.
Tyler sits in his usual seat at the head of the table, Sam sits across from him. I sit down on one of the bar stools and turn around on it to look at him. Aleks sits next to me.
"What do we need to talk about?"I ask.
"Carter, I'm..."Aleks takes a deep breath. "There's a reason we have a connection, and it's not just that we have had similar problems in the past. There's actually two reasons. I've wanted to tell you but Tyler and I agreed to wait until you were ready, you deserve to know."
"Okay..."I suck in a breath and run a hand through my hair.
"There's a thing in the werewolf world, it's rare. Most humans know it to be the Alexandria's Genesis. We believe that when you and Tyler are fully mated, you'll shift."Aleks begins. "See, have you ever had a tan? Ever been sunburned before in your whole life?"
"No."Sam answers before I can. "I remember one time we went camping on the beach for the week and I forgot to pack sunscreen, I was burned alive and she had no problems with it. Granted I knew she would be okay without it anyway."
"You knew?"I ask.
"It would be better if Aleks explained everything to you."He tells me. "Sorry I kind of interrupted."
"Anyway, the Alexandria's Genesis involves being immune to the sun. It's also where you will develop purple eyes, I'm pretty sure that when you're in wolf form, your eyes will be purple."Aleks says. "And, apart from the hair on your head, eyelashes, brows, and nose, you don't have any body hair."
"I guess that's why Hudson never had to have the shaving talk with me."I mutter quietly. "I was told I just have a rare hair disorder."
"Telling your eleven year old self that you're actually a werewolf wouldn't have turned out all that well."Aleks presses his lips in a thin line.
"What else does it include?"I ask.
"You're going to live for a long time. Estimated a hundred and fifty years old, that's about twenty five years longer than the average wolf and ten years longer than an Alpha."He tells me. "You don't get sick, like most werewolves. Actually, werewolves kind of evolved from AG's. That's another story. Anyway, you won't really gain any weight either. I think that's why you were really sick when you stopped eating. And since you've had run ins with anorexia, you've kind of lost one of the perks of being a woman who's an AG."
"I did?"
"Well, if you're a woman who's an AG, you don't get your period but you can still have kids. But, since you have werewolf blood and you're an AG, you'll always be able to have kids."He scratches the back of his neck. "Anyway, people say that AG originated in Egypt but that's just what happens when stories get passed on from generation to generation, information gets misinterpreted."
"So I'm some genetic mutation? And I thought that I was a freak when I was told I had werewolf blood..."I mutter to myself. "How do you know so much about all this?"
"Well, one... I'm an AG, too."Aleks says. "And two, AG's need what we call protectors. I became your protected when you almost died that night, I gave you my blood and that's when we became connected. To become a protector of an AG, you can't have a romantic relationship with them and you can't originate from the same mother. Lucky for us we only have the same dad."
And that's when my heart stops.
"We... we what?"I stutter out. "How in the hell-"
"Let me explain, okay? Dad, he was bit by a special Alpha, an AG. That Alpha had to pass on his power before he killed himself, his mate had died that same day, they both were eighteen and didn't have kids. He had to pass his gene onto someone and dad happened to be at the wrong place and the wrong time and he was bit."Aleks rambles. "Your mom was cheating on dad, dad started cheating on her with my mom. Dad was living a double life until he died."
"Holy shit."I mutter running my hands through my hair as I take deep breaths to keep me under control. "So, let me get this straight. I'm a mutation called an AG, you became my protector when I almost died, and you're my half brother?"
"Do you remember Delilah? She's your half sister."Aleks says.
"Flip, I just thought she was some creepy person..."I mumble. "Wait, does that mean I'm related to Landon and the rest of the Camry's?"
"No, actually they adopted me. Landon and I were the same age and I needed to go undercover. AG's are rare, they aren't really welcomed by everyone. Kind of like the munies in The Maze Runner."Aleks explains. "Delilah became a rogue to be with her mate Adam, she's older than I am so she was able to be on her own. I've always wanted to be a Theta and Dr. Camry was more than happy to teach me. See, Mrs. Camry was the eldest daughter of her father, who was the pervious Beta. It's all complicated and hard to explain now, but if you have anymore questions about that, I can answer them later."
"You kind of left out the part where I used to be her protector."Sam interjects.
"Wait... what?"Aleks furrows his eyebrows. "I mean, I thought that you might be but that wasn't very likely. And even if you were, we thought you were dead at the time so your connection would've been-"
Tyler, Aleks, and Sam immediately turn their attention towards me. They're all silent and tense.
"What?"I ask.
"Carter... You didn't almost die."Tyler whispers. "You died... your heart stopped."
I don't reply, I take a second. It all makes sense, every time I get close to death... I saw Alysia. This time, I actually managed to have a conversation with her. We talked. She's the reason I'm still here, she kept me alive.
"Carter..."Tyler stands.
"I'm okay."I whisper, breathing heavily. "I won't give in. I have control. I can do this."
"Carter, look at me."Aleks stand in front me and looks me in the eye. "What has Dr. Candice told you to do to help with these?"
"Hold my breath."I mutter. "Count to ten, hold my breath for ten seconds, breath for ten seconds, count to ten, hold my breath for ten seconds."
"Then do it, you can do this. Don't let your anxiety control you. You're better than this. You can do it."Aleks says.
And so I do. Count to ten, hold my breath for ten seconds, breath for ten seconds, count to ten... I repeat those actions over and. Over again. My heart beat slowly starts to regulate again and I start to gain control.
"Carter..."Sam stands now, trying to look at me.
"I'm okay."I nod and stand up, too. "I just need to clear my head."
"That's a good idea."Aleks moves out of the way to let me pass.
I go to my room, take off my slippers and pull on my Uggs. Then I pull on a jacket and walk back out into the hall way. I know Tyler keeps his keys hanging on the hook next to his coat by the entry way so I grab the ones to the truck and sneak out the door.
I rush down the stairs and out the front door to the pack house, making a run for the truck. Flip, running in Uggs is hard.
That's when I hear Tyler yelling for me as I start the truck and begin to drive down the drive way and down the street.
♡♡♡
"Carter?"A knock on the balcony door breaks me from my thoughts. I look back to see Tyler standing in the doorway. "Lizzie is here, you don't mind if she stays the night, do you?"
"Of course not."I shake my head and stand. "She can stay however long she needs to."
"Come inside, she's in the kitchen."He gives me a small smile. When I go to walk through the door, he stops me. "Are you okay?"
"We can really talk later, okay?"I whisper. Tyler was just doing what he thought would protect me. He never said anything against me, tried to make excuses about his actions. He took responsibility for them. "I just needed time to think, I'm sorry it took me so long."
"I understand."He says. "Come on."
We both walk inside, Tyler goes into the living room and goes on his laptop. I take a deep breath and go into the kitchen to find a little girl with adorable curly brown hair and bright blue eyes standing here quietly.
"Hi, Lizzie."I kneel down to look at her. "My name is Carter."
"Daddy always said call you Luna and your boyfriend Alpha."Lizzie says. "Can I tell you a secret?"
"Of course you can."I tell her.
She leans in close and whispers in my ear, "Your boyfriend ugly."
"Do you think so?"I giggle.
"No."She giggles back. "But he got cooties. Daddy says boys are bad, they have cooties. You too pretty to get cooties."
"I'll watch out for that."I giggle. "How about I get you a cookie and some hot chocolate?"
"Yes please, Luna!"Lizzie says excitedly.
"My friends all me Carter."I tell her as I stand up. "You're my friend so you can call me Carter."
"Okay."Lizzie smiles at me. This poor girl, she's barely three years old and she's orphaned. She was Aiden Hue's daughter.
I take a deep breath as I get the Keurig ready to make hot chocolate.
"Do you want to pick out a mug?"I ask her.
"Yes please!"She jumps up and down happily. I start to climb onto the counter but Tyler walks in.
"Hey, baby, let me get them for you."Tyler walks up to me and warps his arm around my waist, pulling me aside. I tense again and decide to pick up Lizzie. He looks down at us and smiles. "Which ones do you want?"
"You have the pretty pink one, Alpha."Lizzie points to probably the girliest one and giggles. "Carter have the one with hearts. Can I have kitty one?"
"Of course you can."Tyler smiles at her, chuckling slightly. He grabs the mugs and places them on the counter. "How about Lizzie and I pick out a movie while Carter makes us all hot chocolate."
"Okay."She smiles widely. I hand her over to him.
Lizzie looks so much like her father. I didn't really know Aiden, I've only spoken to him once. That was when I tripped at the diner and he caught me before falling. He was nice, he didn't deserve to go the way he did.
♡♡♡
After driving for a while, I pull into a random parking lot and take a second to breathe. That was a lot of information to process.
Aleks... He's my brother. Half brother, I guess. Delilah, she was there the night Tyler and I met. She's my half sister.
Not to mention there's a good chance that I'm going to shift when Tyler and I frick frack. That makes me nervous. I'm going to be a werewolf, that's something I never thought would happen. This is all too much.
I take a deep breath and decide to drive to a cafe to get some tea and maybe something to small to eat. But when I walk into the cafe, everyone turns to me and I immediately can tell that everyone in here are wolves. They all bow their heads.
"Good evening, Luna."One of the says to me.
"Hi."I give them all a small smile and walk to me back of the cafe. Everyone carries on with their business. A server quickly comes over to my table.
"Luna."She bows her head. "My name is Olivia."
"I'm Carter."I tell her.
"Can I get you anything?"She asks.
"Just some green tea and a chocolate chip cookie."I answer. "Please."
"Of course, Luna."Olivia bows her head again and scurries off into the kitchen.
I pull out my phone, Tyler, Aleks, Sam, Hudson, Lee, Landon... all of them have been texting me. Asking where I am. I scroll trough all of them to see that even Liam texted me, causing me to shiver. He still kind of creeps me out.
I choose not to reply to them and open up Tumblr, deciding to take my mind off everything by scrolling through my endless feed.
"Here you are, Luna."Olivia smiles as she sets down a mug and a small bag.
"Thank you, Olivia."I give her a small smile and take a sip of the tea. She leaves me again.
I spend another forty minutes there, just relaxing in the corner with my tea and my phone. That's when Tyler texts me again.
From Tyler♡ : Baby love, please don't leave me. I can't lose you, I can't. You're my world, Carter. My life isn't worth living if you're not in it.
From Tyler♡ : Darling, I love you. Please, come home. I'm sorry.
His messages brake my heart, he thinks that I left him. I'd never leave him, he's my mate. I would never in a million years leave him.
To Tyler♡ : Of course I'm coming home I'd never leave you
Nearly the second I hit send, he replies.
From Tyler♡ : Thank God, you're okay. I'm so worried about you, princess. Please come back to the pack house, it doesn't feel like home when you're not here.
To Tyler♡ : One hour
Again, he replies immediately.
From Tyler♡ : No, I'll come get you. Where are you baby girl?
This one I don't respond to. I need more space the think, to relax. I take out a twenty dollar bill and put it on the table before standing and quickly exiting the cafe.
I jump in the truck just as my phone vibrates again.
From Tyler♡ : Princess? Please?
To Tyler♡ : Driving
To Tyler♡ : Can't text
I throw my phone in the passenger seat and start to drive. After about twenty minutes, I get to the part where I drive through the woods so I know I've got another fifteen minutes before I get back to the pack house.
That's when a wolf jumps out into the road in front of me. I slam on the breaks just before hitting it. That's when he shifts and I see a man.
"Aiden?"I mutter, getting out of the car and walk over to him to make sure he's okay. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Luna, get in the car."Aiden says. "Get in the car and go to Tyler. You'll be safe with them. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
"What are you talking about? What's wrong? Are you okay?"I ask him, noticing he's covered in blood.
"Aiden...?"A female voice calls from the woods.
"Get in the car, Luna."Aiden says much more urgent. "Go."
"No, you're losing too much blood!"I tell him.
"And what do we have here?"The female voice is much closer now. I turn and see an all too familiar mess of red hair. "The little Luna helping the spy?"
"What?"I ask, staring at Nia.
"Don't you know? We've had so many spies in your pack for months now. Ever since you were brought in the mix."Nia crosses her arms over her chest as she saunters over to us. She stands right in front of me but doesn't touch me. "See, I'm not allowed to harm you, but Aiden over here, he broke our deal. He was supposed to keep little Sammy away from you..."
"W-what?"I stutter out.
Nia moves over to Aiden, staring him down as she places a hand on his chest. She drags it along as she moves behind him. Before I can do anything to try to persuade her, she almost rips his entire chest open.
"I'll see you later, sweetie."Nia waves at me before skipping back into the woods.
"Oh my God."I whisper as I run over to Aiden. I try to hold his chest closed and avoid thinking about how much I hate blood. "Aiden, stay with me. Please stay with me."
"T-tell Lizzie that I love her."Aiden says. "Please."
"Of course."I tell him.
"My sister, she's her godmother, call her."Aiden gasps out.
"I will, she'll be safe. I'll make sure of it."
"I'm s-sorry."He stutters. "I had to. They killed Beth, they threatened to kill Lizzie, too. I n-needed to keep her safe."
"It's alright."I tell him. "I understand. Don't worry about it."
"They killed two other pack members. They're in the clearing in the woods. Tell Tyler to find them."He says and I nod.
"Thank you, Carter."He whimpers. He struggles hard to breathe, and then I think he figures out what will be his last breath. He chose his last words so quickly, "I love Lizzie so much."
"Aiden..."I whisper. "No."
A man was just murdered in front of me. I can't believe that just happened, oh my God. I have to call Tyler.
I run back to the car and grab my phone, immediately calling him. He picks up during the first ring.
"Carter? Where are you?"Tyler talks quickly.
"Tyler..."My voice comes out shaky, I'm trying my hardest not to burst out in tears. "I'm about fifteen minutes away and I need you to come here right now."
"Baby, what's wrong?"He asks in a gentle tone.
"I was d-driving. A wolf came into the road right in front of me and I stopped just in time..."I struggle hard to get the words out and not cry. "It was Aiden, he was bleeding so much. I th-thought I hurt him but it wasn't me. It was Nia."
"What? Nia?"Tyler becomes more urgent and worried at this point. "I'll be there in two minuets, darling. You can explain more then."
"No, wait!"I say. "She didn't touch me, she said she wasn't allowed to. But she did something else before she left."
"What did she do?"
"She-"I close my eyes and take a shaky breath. The tears escape my eyes and I let out a small sob. "She killed him right in front of me."
"Princess..."Tyler says softly. "Shh, please don't cry, we're almost there. It'll be okay."
I hang up and throw my phone back in the car, I also take off my jacket and put it in the back seat. I run my hands through my hair and start to panic. People are dead.
A car drives up and stops right behind the truck. Sam, Aleks, Tyler, Landon, and Liam pile out. Another car parks behind them and Lee and Hudson quickly get out.
Sam starts to walk over to me but I immediately run up to Tyler.
"There's two other bodies in the woods."I tell him. "Aiden said she killed them, too. They were pack members."
"Princess, I never wanted you to be exposed to these kind of things."Tyler goes to hug me but I just shake my head and look over at my sister.
"I think I'm going to talk to Hudson."I tell him.
"I'll be by Aiden if you need anything."He says softly. "Be careful, okay?"
"I will."
I spend the rest of the night sitting on the hood of Hudson's car. Lee and Hudson sit on either side of me.
Lee rests her head on my shoulder and I rest my head on hers. Hudson holds my hand. Aleks jogs over to us after about an hour of watching Tyler and a couple of police men who are in the pack work.
"Hey, kiddo."Aleks gives me a small smile. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm okay."I nod. It's weird having my sister and my half brother stand in front of each other. I look at Hudson. "Did you know about him?"
"Yeah."She nods. "We just wanted to wait until you were settled. I didn't want you pushed over the edge because of another lie."
"I get it, I guess."I shrug.
That's when Liam walks up and I tense instantly. He gives me a smile and places his hand on my knee.
"Alpha wants to know if you want to go home, Luna."He says, his hand moves just above my knee and travels about half way up my thigh. "I can take you back and keep you company if you want. We can finish what we started a few days ago."
"No thanks."I shake my head quickly and hug my knees to my chest so that he moves his hands off of me. "I'd rather wait up for him."
"Are you sure-"
"Yes."I reply before he can say anything else.
"I'm going to take Liam and Sam back to the pack house."Aleks tells me. "I'll see you tomorrow okay, kiddo?"
"Yeah."I nod, sliding off the car and wrap my arms around his toros. Aleks hugs me into him and kisses the top of my head.
"You need a shower."He laughs when he pulls away. "If you ever need anything or have any questions, come to my place. I'm always here."
"Okay."I give him a small smile and let him go. Liam eyes me as he follows Aleks to his car. Sam tries to come over to me but Liam stops him and shoves him into the back seat.
"Landon wants to get home, too."Lee says. "Could we get a ride with you, Hudson?"
"Yeah..."Hudson nods before looking at me. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, Tyler can drive me back."I nod. "Go ahead."
"Stay safe."She tells me.
I walk over to the truck and lean against it. Tyler notices and comes over to me. He tries to put his hands on my waist but I simply stand up straighter to avoid the contact.
"Are you okay?"He asks.
"Yeah."I nod. "When can we leave?"
"Now, things are wrapping up. You go ahead and get in the car. I'll be there in a second."He goes to kiss the top of my head but I turn around and open the door.
The drive home was mostly silent, I didn't speak a word.
♡♡♡
We're sat on the couch watching a Barbie movie, Princes and the Pauper. Lizzie is sitting on a couple pillows next to me, she's resting her head on my shoulder. She's asleep.
"You're good with her."Tyler smiles.
"I guess."I shrug, smiling down at her. "When is Aiden's sister coming to get her?"
"Tomorrow morning."He answers.
"I think I'm going to take her to bed."I say, taking Lizzie in my arms and standing up. I start to walk down the hallway but Tyler calls after me.
"Carter?"He asks. "We can talk in the morning, okay?"
"Yeah."I nod.
I bring Lizzie to my old room, covering her up with the covers. She snuggles into her pillow. I smile at her before leaving the room and leaving the door open just a crack.
"Tyler?"I walk back into the living room to see that he's really into the movie.
"These are quality movies, you know?"Tyler chuckles.
"A couple months ago you said it made you lose all your manliness."I laugh as I walk over to him.
"Real men have a feminine side."Tyler says. "Are you going to sit?"
"I think I'm going to go to bed. I haven't really slept in about twenty four hours."I say as I pull a pony tail off my wrist and put my hair up in a bun.
"Are you still angry?"He asks.
"No, not really."I reply. "I'd just rather talk in the morning."
"Alright, sweetheart."He stands up and leans down, kissing the top of my head. "I'm going to be up for a while more."
"Okay."I nod.
"Good night, baby girl."He tells me.
"Tyler, I..."I take a deep breath. "I know why you kept all that stuff about AGs and Aleks from me and I understand. I forgive you for that. Just... Just please don't keep things from me again. I just want you to be honest with me. That's all I really ask of you, just be honest with me."
"I'm sorry. There's no more lies between us, okay? We're going to be honest with each other."Tyler promises. "No more keeping things from each other."
"No more."I agree with him before a yawn escapes my lips. "It's past my bedtime."
"Go to bed, love."He smiles. "You need the rest."
"Night, Tyler."I say before walking towards our bedroom.
I brush my teeth and then climb into bed, but instead of going to sleep my mind starts thinking.
I'm going to have to tell him about Liam.
♡♡♡
GUYSSSSSSS WE HIT MOTHER FLUFFING ONE MILLION READS!!!!!!!
I CAN'T. MY HEART. WHAT IS AIR.
Thank you all so much, it's truly amazing. This is honestly insane and I never thought that I would get this many reads. It means the world
Again, a lot of you predicted that Aleks and Carter were related... That I'm surprised about because it was less obvious than Sam still being alive.
But how many of you figured out that Aiden was working with Nia and the rest of the rogues?
Thoughts on the new cover?????
Also, did you guys like the format of the chapter? With all the flash backs? If you guys found it too confusing I might rearrange all of it and make it more norm all. I kind of liked it but I can understand if you didn't.
Question of the day: If Carter had a bakery, what would she call it?
Thank you all so much, please remember to vote c:
I LOVE YOU
♡Aly