When we make it back outside, the fight that was going on is over. There's no one around except for me and Braxton, as well as a black SUV parked a few strides away. Braxton opens the right back door and sets me down onto the leather seats. I notice both Noah and Garret are in the front. They don't say a word, and just look forward, out the windshield.
I expect Braxton to close the door behind him and go around to the other side, but he pushes me into the middle and gets in. I start scooting over to the other side of the car, so I'm not pressed against Braxton, but he wraps on arm around my waist, keeping me in place.
I look up at him with narrowed eyes, but before I can argue with him, Braxton says, "Put on your seatbelt."
I roll my eyes, but listen to his command. It's pretty clear that he won't let me move over, so why should I waste my energy on a lost cause?
Instead, I change the subject to something mush more important. "You have a lot of explaining to do."
Braxton sighs quietly. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything," I say.
"Can this at least wait until we're home?" Braxton asks. "I'll have Asher, Natalie, and your parents meet us there. They can explain certain things much better than I can."
Hesitantly, I nod. "Fine."
It's silent for the remainder of the trip. In my head, I'm planning out all of the questions that I am going to ask him. There's a lot.
Surprisingly, it only takes us a few hours to get back to the clearing where all of the buildings, including Braxton's house, are. I assume that the abandoned house that Damien took me to is in Oregon as well.
Not gonna lie, I'm a bit irritated that I made it all the way back to Colorado, only to end up right back where I started. But, I've slowly come to terms with the fact that this place feels a lot more like a home than mine ever did.
When we stop on the driveway of Braxton's house, there is another SUV parked out front, identical to the one that we are in. How many of these cars do they have? I wonder silently.
Braxton hops out of the car and offers me a hand. Slowly, I undo my seatbelt and allow him to help me out of the SUV. We follow Noah and Garrett to the front door.
Once inside, we go to the living room, where Natalie, Asher, Nathaniel, and Isabelle are sitting on the couch, waiting for us. I sit down on one of the chairs, so I'm not too close to any of them, and can see everyone. Braxton stays standing, his eyes watching my every move.
No one speaks, and the silence is starting to make me uncomfortable. I clear my throat as quietly as possible and say, "So... you guys are... werewolves?" It comes out as more of a question rather than a statement, because I'm still having a hard time processing the whole thing.
"Yes," Braxton replies.
"All of you?" I ask. Everyone in the room nods, so I swallow, and take a deep breath. "How?"
It's silent for a few seconds. Clearly, no one knows how to answer my question. Then Natalie speaks up. "Just like how you have genes that determine that you have green eyes and brown hair. We just have genes that allow us to shift into a wolf."
I nod slowly, biting my lip. "Are you guys all like in the same... pack?" I question. I'm hoping that I'm using the correct terms so I don't look like an idiot in front of all of these people, especially Braxton.
I glance over shyly at him, only to see that a small smile adorns his very kissable lips. "Yes. We live and function together, because a wolf is strongest in a pack."
"Are there rules? Do you go to school?" I ask, my curiosity overtaking me.
Braxton nods. "We do go to school. But it is a school that consists only of members of the pack. As for your other question: have you ever heard of an Alpha?"
"Yeah. I did a project in my A.P. Environmental Science class where we all studied different wolf packs, and we figured out who the Alpha was, and stuff like that," I tell him honestly. It was one of my favorite projects in the class.
"Good. So basically the Alpha is the leader of the pack, and whatever he says, goes," Braxton says.
"So it's like a dictatorship?" I ask. The thought is not very appealing.
"In a way. But Alpha's are never corrupt, and their first priority is always the protection of their pack," Braxton tells me. "Also, they are not alone. The Beta and Gamma assist him in taking care of the pack."
"Okay." That makes it sound a whole lot better. "Who is the Alpha of this pack?"
No one answers at first, and I begin to think that we may be back to me being left completely in the dark. But then Braxton says "Me."
My eyes widen, and I think my jaw drops. I didn't expect it to be someone so young. I pictured a rugged guy in his thirty's or forty's... kind of like Nathaniel. But, at the same time, it does make sense. People do seem to refer to him as 'Alpha' quite often. And he really is the perfect definition of an Alpha male.
"How did you become the Alpha?" I ask, once I've taken a moment to process the information.
"The title was passed down to me. My father was the Alpha before me, and his father was the Alpha before him," Braxton explains.
"Could someone else be Alpha if they wanted?" I question.
Braxton shakes his head. "No. I mean, they could try, but Alphas are born stronger than all other ranks. If even a Beta attempted to take over a pack, it would eventually crumble, because they are not designed to lead a pack like an Alpha is."
"What is the name of your pack?"
"We're known as the Dark Eclipse pack." I can hear the pride in Braxton's voice as he says the name.
"That's cool," I say, and everyone smiles at my words.
"Glad you like it," Braxton says, his voice a bit huskier than before.
His words make me blush, so I change the subject before my cheeks can get too red. "Okay, now what I've really been wanting to know is why the hell did you kidnap me?" I can't help but send a glare over to Asher. After all, he is the one who originally got me into this whole mess.
"I recognized your scent," Asher says, but that doesn't really answer my question.
"What does that mean?"
"All wolves have a scent that is unique to them, and I recognized yours," Asher tells me.
"How would you have recognized my scent? We had never met before we ran into each other in the woods and you decided to kidnapped me!" I exclaim. I would have remembered meeting someone with such a similar eye color to my own.
Asher sighs. "You wouldn't have remembered it, because it was when you were born."
My eyes widen at his words. "Why the hell were you at my birth all the way in Colorado?"
"No, not in Colorado." This time, it's Nathaniel who speaks. "You were born here."
I fold my arms over my chest and lean back in the chair, exasperated. "No I wasn't! I was born in St. Luke's Medical Center in Denver, Colorado!"
"You were born in the pack's delivery room," Nathaniel says sternly. He looks annoyed with all of my arguing.
"Why was I born in your pack? I'm not a werewolf!"
The silence in the room is deafening, as they all look at me with wide eyes, like I just guessed their deepest, darkest secret. The looks on their faces tell me that what I don't want to be true, may actually be reality.
"No..." I mumble, shaking my head rapidly.
I look over at Braxton, who is in the process of taking several steps towards me. I hold up a hand, and he stops in his tracks. He takes a deep breath, like he is preparing for my reaction to whatever he is going to say.
Braxton opens his mouth to speak, and then he confirms my biggest fear. "Brynlee... you are a werewolf."
~*~
Hey guys!
I really hope that you all liked this chapter! Look forward to a lot of answers in the next one, which will be up as soon as I can write it!
I can't believe that my book has over 1,000 votes! Thank you all for the support, it means a lot to me!
Thanks so much for reading, and please remember to vote and comment!
- Nina