CHAPTER 14
"Alice! Get away from him!" I yelled.
Alice shook her head and gave Brett a nod. "It's okay, Zoey doesn't understand," she murmured to him. "She's scared and confused."
"As fuck!" I added with a shout.
"Let me explain to her. Like you did to me, babe." Alice ushered an annoyed Brett out of the bedroom. "Give us some time, okay?"
"I don't know how that would help... but fine, do it your way." Brett huffed and exited the room.
I looked at Alice suspiciously. It's like I didn't know my best friend any longer.
"Alice, what the fuck is going on?" I demanded. I was still shaken up as my fingers dug into my arms, squeezed tight against my chest. I couldn't trust anyone... even Alice, and the thought hurt my heart.
Alice plopped down on the bed and sighed. "Oh, Zoey... I need you to promise not to freak out on me."
"Alice, I'm already freaked out. I don't think I could freak out anymore." I said. "Now tell me what the hell is going on?"
Alice bit her bottom lip. "I know Brett is a werewolf," she confessed. "Everyone here is."
"Every family member and local?" I asked in utter shock! This was worse than I thought. My nightmare coming fucking true.
"Yeah, and they're members of the pack." Alice said. "Remember that time Brett took me to the woods, and I returned anxious and upset?"
I nodded, blinking hard.
"Well, that's the afternoon he shifted in front of me —"
"Shifted?" I asked, confused.
"He... transformed into a smoky grey wolf," she explained. "The one you probably saw earlier at the back of the main house."
I breathed in deep. The air chocking my lungs. "Oh, fuck me." I buried my face in my hands.
Alice continued. "And he told me all about his pack."
"What the hell do you mean by pack? Like a pack of wolves."
She nodded. "Yeah, their pack is called Moon Stone, and Lincoln is their Alpha, with Faye as their Luna. Maddox is apparently in line to be Alpha of the Moon Stone pack."
My mouth went dry. "Is this shit for real?" It couldn't be. Somebody wake me the fuck up!
"I'm afraid so. I was disturbed, just like you. But Brett eased me into it and Faye helped me understand all of this."
I sat down next to her, feeling suddenly exhausted. "I don't think I'll understand any of it." I closed my eyes, trying to soak in the discovery. My scientific mind wouldn't have any of it, rejecting every word she said. But my eyes saw what it witnessed — Brett shifting into a wolf. There was no fighting that fact.
I swallowed thickly. Tears prickled my eyes as I almost burst out crying.
"I know it's a lot to take in." Alice said, her warm hand touched my back, trying to comfort me. But it didn't work. A moment of silence passed between us as the confession sunk disturbingly in. "It's crazy, huh? I'm dating a werewolf," she chuckled.
I shook my head, stunned. "No, it's not." I looked at her seriously. "This is dangerous, Alice. We're out of our league here. We don't know what these people can do to us. Maddox looks like he wants to rip my head off. We still need to leave tonight." I glanced at my packed bags settled in the corner. My only hope.
Alice shook her head and stood up. "You can still go, but I think I'm going to stay here with Brett," she said. "Let's just go outside and pretend you saw nothing. Like you're super okay with all of this."
"Are you insane? I'm not okay with this." I said with an unbelieving laugh.
"I know. But we need to convince Lincoln and Maddox to let you go," Alice said with her hands clasped on her hips — lecturing me. "You can't go crazy on them. Maddox is already pissed. Let's not upset him further." She walked to the door and opened it. "Oh, and throw that damn bear repellent away." She rolled her eyes. "C'mon let's go."
I watched her disappear out of the door.
Was she joking?
How could I pretend everything was okay? I couldn't go out there, knowing what I know now. I shut my eyes and argued facts in my head. Maybe Alice was right. In order to get the hell up out of here, I must play along.
With that promising thought, I marched out, gulping with a dry damn throat!
The lively backyard barbecue was in full swing. The sun shone brightly, breaking through the thick clouds. People — or werewolves — were chatting, laughing, and enjoying the grub of grilled food as they sat on the benches at long tables while others were scattered on the grass in little picnic huddles.
I walked into the scene, holding my breath, staring at these people with a troubled perception. I glanced at children, women, and men — looking and acting normal. But they weren't. they were far from the humans I know. My eyelids fluttered as I moved on shaky legs. I scanned the area, searching for bloody Alice.
Where the hell is she? My fake smile faded slightly as I felt uneasy.
I didn't want to look like a dildo standing in the middle of nowhere, so I tentatively walked towards the food, hoping to find Alice there. A group of four sat at a nearby bench, but as I approached, their laughter abruptly died down. They exchange glances with one another and stared at me. Their tense eyes built a knot in my stomach. To them, I was an unwelcome intruder that could expose them.
Fuck!
My eyes welled up with tears, but I took a deep breath in and tried to compose myself.
"Zoey!" I heard Alice's voice on my left and spotted her seated alone at a table.
"Thank fuck," I mumbled.
"Grab something to eat and meet me here," she said.
I nodded and hurried to the food. There wasn't much left. Empty trays rested with scattered scraps of meat and crumbs from the rolls. But I didn't care as much as before. My appetite completely vanished. I grabbed a plate and scooped up the remaining potato salad with all the trimmings gone, grabbed a burnt chicken drumstick and a half sweet corn on the cob. Not that I desired any of it. Swiftly, I marched up to Alice and took a seat beside her, determined to salvage this fucked-up situation.
I plopped down and breathed in deep — feeling uncomfortable as fuck than I ever had been before.
"All the ribs are gone." Alice pursed her lips as she pecked on her chicken skewer. I nodded vaguely, not having an inch of appetite, as I stared at my sweet corn. Alice continued to talk, but I zoned out, feeling an out-of-body experience.
I'm surrounded by supernatural beings. I'm surrounded by werewolves. Was all I chanted in my head — giving me a damn headache.
I hadn't realized the table became quiet. Unexpectedly, three men sat down. One next to me and two opposite. Alice left my side. I kept my head low. My breathing became heavy as my heart raised. I dared not look up as my body started to tremble. I watched as plates with heaped food of meat slammed on the table with a rumbling of chuckles I recognized as Zack and Mike.
My muscles tensed up as I froze on the spot.
"Listen to her heart beating out of her chest," Clarke chuckled with the others. "You're scared as fuck."
"Why you not eating my mother's apple pie, huh?" Zack taunted me. "We're not good enough for you anymore."
I gulped and couldn't believe I let these guys carry me once upon a time!
I cautiously lifted my eyes, meeting Clarke and Zack's snarky gaze. I looked at Mike beside me, tearing into his T-Bone.
"Fucking delicious," he grinned, chewing like an animal he was. "You know, fear adds to the flavour of meat." He teased, and my breath heaved.
I glanced behind me, and Alice had disappeared. So much for best friend! I fumed inside.
"I heard what you did to Maddox, Ha-ha-ha! Classic!" Zack laughed. "Fuck, I wish I could've seen his face. Like bribing the land inspector and giving the dude ribs wasn't enough. You put the icing on a perfect fucking day."
"Taking Maddox for a bear," Mike shook his head with a smirk. The barbeque basting sauce was smothered at the corner of his mouth. "That's an insult to our kind, you know."
"Yeah, how dare you compare us to bears." Clarke said smugly. Why was he even here? Didn't he have to chase after Willow or something? "Wolves are more superior."
I gasped at the mention of wolves, and they all laughed. Mike touched my hand. "Hey, you didn't eat a bite of your chicken."
I jerked at his touch, that had a new meaning. "Don't touch me," I blurted.
He raised a brow. "I carried you in my arms like Prince Charming and now I can't freaking touch you," he mocked with a chuckle. "That's fucking discrimination."
"Humans, they freak out so easily." Zack shook his shoulders with laughter and snatched the chicken from my plate. "You know, I never talked to one before you."
Only now, I understood all the weird human jokes they've said.
"Don't worry, Zoey, we don't bite." Mike growled.
"Yeah, we just nibble." Zack said and moved abruptly across the table, shocking me to the core. "BOO!" he barked.
I bolted up from the bench and screamed out. The three guys erupted into laughter. I jogged away in the opposite direction. "Leave me alone!" I yelled back to them, but I didn't get very far when I bumped into a brick — again.
I jerked backwards and used my crutch to steady me. "Fuck! Ow! My ankle." I whined.
"You're more trouble than it's worth." A deep voice rumbled, and my blood ran cold. I spun around and faced an angry Maddox. He breathed in deep, rubbing his left temple. The bear repellent didn't irritate his eyes any longer.
"Hey!"
I glanced behind and watched Alice trot over. I narrowed my eyes at her.
"Where have you've been?" I gritted my teeth as she caught up beside me.
"I got us apple pie before it all ran out," she shrugged and held two side plates with slices of pastry.
I blew out a hot breath. We both looked at Maddox and he grimaced, unimpressed with the both of us. Lincoln approached Alice and I with a stern expression with Faye by his side.
Fuck! Was this judgement day?
Alice and I glanced nervously at each other as Brett slipped by her side.
"let's get this over with," Maddox said and looked at his father. My heart clashed against my ribcage, and I gripped Alice's right hand — our fingers interlocking. She tugged me closer, and I clutched her hand for dear life.
"We came with a solution." Alice spoke up first. "Zoey won't say a word about this afternoon. She'll leave tonight and forget everything what happened... right?" she looked at me with an encouraging but nervous smile.
"Yeah, I saw nothing." I gulped.
"Don't get it twisted," Maddox breathed and looked at Alice. "You're here as an extension of my idiot and reckless brother." He turned to me. "But you... you're not supposed to be here."
"I know, but I'll leave tonight and get out of your hair." I said. "You never have to see me again!"
Maddox folded his arms against his sleek black shirt. "You're a human that knows our kind exists." He growled with a tight frown. "We can't jeopardize anything. We can't have any loose ends." His voice turned dangerously low.
I gave an awkward chuckle. It felt like I was in a scene from a mafia film. "I won't say anything to anybody. I promise."
He stepped closer. "There's usually only one way to handle this." His face ghosted a mocking smirk. "We must kill all human witnesses."