This is so long overdue. I apologize for making y'all wait. Life has been a lot. But I miss writing, so I'm going to work it into my schedule.
If there are any discrepancies, please let me know. I still can't find my notes, nor can I access the pages I had previously written for Shift. So, please, bear with me as I find my groove with writing this story again.
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Owen drove back to Sargent Jasper. The rest of the drive had been relatively quiet aside from Kota's incessant tapping at his phone. The moment that Owen's vehicle came to a stop in a parking spot outside Sargent Jasper, Kota slipped his phone into his pocket and I released a sigh of relief.
The Toma Pack's apartment was empty. Kota stood stiffly next to Owen, his focus was completely on me. His emerald eyes were full of mistrust. Every move I made had him tensing like he thought that I was going to do something to hurt him or his Alpha.
"Where is everyone?" I asked.
Kota scoffed, "We do have jobs and school to attend to."
Owen shot Kota a look, but the Beta didn't seem to notice. Sean glanced between Kota and me. His lips pressed into a firm line. I wasn't sure what was going through his head, but maybe he could see that Kota and I are like water and oil. I didn't hate Kota. I even liked how much he cared for his pack, but I wasn't sure I'd be able to move past the way that he had treated me. I understood that he had some past difficulties and I felt bad that I was some sort of trigger for him, but threatening to harm me burned any bridge we had at being friends.
"Why aren't you at school?"
His eyes narrowed on me, "someone has to watch you."
Sean rolled his eyes, and gave Kota a little nudge, "I'm perfectly capable of watching over Sang, and protecting our Alpha."
Owen looked like the thought that anyone needed to protect him was the most ridiculous thing in the world. After what the masked man had said at the hospital, I was more than agreeable to protection for him.
Finally looking away from me, Kota glanced at Sean with a raised brow. "I'm not sure that you are."
The smirk that had been lifting the corner of Sean's mouth dropped immediately, and a growl built in his chest. Owen's head snapped up. His eyes darted between Sean and Kota. The tension building in the room was almost palpable.
I stepped towards Sean, "I don't think that he meant it that way. I think he means that you're too close to me."
If I was suspicious of someone, around the people I loved, of having nefarious motives then I would have to agree with Kota. Sean was too close. He'd have no problem protecting Owen should he need it; I knew that without a doubt. I didn't think that Sean would ever be able to see me as a threat though.
Owen stepped around the pair that appeared to be having a staring contest. He placed his hand on my shoulder. "Don't interfere with this. If Mr. Lee wants to challenge Sean's dominance then he will have to deal with the fallout."
I interlocked my hands behind my back to force myself to be still. "How does dominance in a pack work?"
"The most dominant in a pack is the Alpha. Being Alpha is about more than being the strongest. It's also about being able to properly care for everyone within the pack. The next dominant is the Beta. Like Mr. Lee and Mr. Weiland, they are in charge of guiding those that are lower in the pack. Mr. Lee relays what I tell him to, and ensures that things get done. He also comes to me if anyone in the pack is having difficulties so that I can handle it." Owen paused for a moment when Kota snarled at Sean who looked cool as a cucumber. "I believe that Mr. Lee often forgets that Sean is an Alpha. We for lack of a better term are co-Alphas, but Sean's wolf doesn't need the control that I do."
So, Sean could lead the pack if he needed to. Maybe he acted more easygoing than he actually was. I remembered something from the other day that Owen had said. "What about North?"
Owen's lips twitched, "Mr. Taylor could be a Beta. He doesn't quite have the temperament for it yet. I expect that one day, he'll want the title. Mr. Lee won't want to challenge him for it either. They will likely be co-Betas much like Sean and myself are co-Alphas."
Kota started to shift. His emerald eyes were amber now. Sean shifted as well. His shift was faster and smoother than Kota's. The moment Kota completed the shift, Sean was on him. His teeth wrapped around the scruff of Kota's neck, pinning him to the floor. Kota's eyes sought me out. He began snarling and thrashing his body. My heart was in my throat.
Sean pressed down harder on him, and Kota yelped. Blood spilled over Kota's fur, and I couldn't stop myself from moving forward. I managed to halt my steps a few feet away from the pair of wolves. Owen's body pressed against my back.
"Does it bother you?" He asked quietly.
Very much aware that the two wolves in front of me could fight and focus on our conversation, I decided to choose my words carefully. "I don't like being the reason for there being tension between all of you."
"It happens from time to time, Sang. Mr. Lee may not usually be the one involved, but his past is something that he's tried ignoring for a long time."
Kota shifted back, "enough!" His growl echoed through the room. His anger was evident from the look on his face and the red tinge at the tops of his ears.
Sean stepped away from him and trotted over to me, leaning against my leg. He didn't look happy. My fingers trailed along the back of his neck provoking a shiver that ran down his back. Kota's chest heaved as he stood. Owen went to Kota, placing his hand on his shoulder. Kota's breath slowed.
"When will you see her for what she is?" Kota asked under his breath.
Owen removed his hand before answering him, "When will you?"
This was beginning to be exhausting. I pulled my hand from Sean's fur and walked to Axel's room, locking the door behind me. I collapsed into his bed, burying my face into his pillows. There's a constant ache in my chest telling me that Axel is gone. There's another ache that's a bit deeper and doesn't belong to me. I couldn't identify who it belonged to, but it was a physical ache rather than an emotional one.
I reluctantly climbed out of Axel's bed, unlocked his door, and stepped out of his room. Kota sat on the couch with his head in his hands as Sean cleaned the back of his neck. Owen's eyes met mine as I rubbed at my chest.
"Are you alright, Sang?" He asked.
The ache seemed to get worse with every passing moment. "Is someone hurt?"
Owen and Kota both straightened. Sean stood from the couch as Owen walked towards me. "What are you feeling?"
"There's a pain that I know isn't mine, but I can't tell where it's coming from." Their phones started vibrating at the same time.
"It's Nathan, he redlined." Kota started tapping at his phone, pausing only for a moment to shoot me an indiscernible look. "Victor and Silas are handling it."
Owen brushed his thumb over my cheekbone, "you feel them more acutely than I do through our bond. Can you feel North and Axel?"
I felt the ache from both of them being gone, but looking deeper I could tell that North was bored and annoyed. Axel was irritated that he had to be away from me. "Yes, they're both okay." I could also feel Owen's adoration, but there was no way that I was going to mention it.
Kota's phone beeped, glancing down as he read the message. "Victor, Silas, and Nathan are on their way here. Nathan got jumped by several students and is injured."
Just what kind of school had I enrolled in? I had been sad that I wouldn't be able to go to school. It had been my escape, my favorite place to be right after being outside. Now, I wasn't so sure that I wanted to be in school.
"Are the hunters the reason that you're at the school?" I asked.
"No," Owen shook his head. "That was an unfortunate coincident."
If they were that worried about hunters then you would think that they would have looked into it before joining. Why were shifters getting involved in human schools anyway? Something didn't seem to fit. I never cared for coincidences.
Sean checked me over once more, fretting like a worried mother hen. He may have also snuck a few kisses in. Owen pulled a laptop out of some bag that he had stashed. He and Kota sat on the couch looking over some documents when Victor, Silas, and Nathan stumbled in.
I gasped when I saw Nathan and Victor. He stood limply with Silas supporting him. Nathan had a swollen cheek, and I could see more bruises along his arms. Victor had a gash on his cheek. The side of his face was bruised purple. Silas looked completely fine.
Sean and I both moved for the boys as Silas led them to the couch. Kota handed Sean a bag, which the doctor placed on the floor before the boys. Silas sat heavily on the floor, leaning against the couch. Sean pulled out some gauze, cotton rounds, and an antiseptic before pulling out a tube and handing it to me. It was arnica cream. Sean pointed at Nathan before cleaning Victor's face.
Nathan struggled to take his shirt off, but he managed it. His chest was covered in bruises and he winced every time his back brushed against the couch. I hoped that Axel and the rest of his pack didn't mind a little blood.
"Rub the cream into his bruises, Sang," Sean instructed. "I'll take care of the cuts."
My cheeks heated as I squeezed the arnica cream into my hands. I must have taken too long because Nathan grabbed my hand and placed it on his chest. His warm, soft skin had my hand shaking. I forced myself to focus on the bruises rather than the fact that I was touching a muscled chest. It didn't take long before I was done with his chest and arm. His back was a different story. It was a big mess of cuts, bruises, and red marks. I worked carefully around the cuts. When I was done, Sean took over.
I sat back on my heels only for strong hands to wrap around my waist and pull me backward. I looked over my shoulder to meet Silas's deep brown eyes. He offered me a smile before pulling me into his chest. He was warm and comfortable. I laid my head on his shoulder and lost myself to the strong beat of his heart.