This is a long chapter, but I didn't feel right breaking it into two. So, I hope you enjoy ;)
He knew that I was lying
Waking up wasn't a pleasant experience as a prisoner. The moment my eyes opened and I saw the pale white wall less than a foot away from my face, I wished I could go back to sleep. Sleep had been peaceful and warm and my body felt extremely relaxed. There was an arm draped over my ribs and I slowly recalled the events from yesterday. Looking down at the hand on my stomach and then glancing over my shoulder gave me glimpses of soft brown skin. A sickening guilt welled up within as I realized that I'd spent the night in Nicholas Blake's captivity.
Now I'd have to wake up and face the rest of the world knowing that I'd slept with not one, but two other guys. What would be the point of claiming to be straight when I let this happen twice? Reluctantly, I rolled over against the wall and met Nick's sleepy gaze. "Good morning, beautiful," he mumbled and my eyes nearly rolled out of my head. I raised both of my feet to his waist and shoved him off the bed before he could put up any defense. He started laughing and got up right away. Without warning, he grabbed both of my legs and pulled me off, almost cracking my head on the floor. "I hope you weren't expecting too much special treatment from me, Jake. I prefer to be gentle, but I'm fine with being rough as well." There was a dangerous glint in his eyes that told me he was talking about more than just minor fights.
"I need to get home. My parents will freak out if I don't return soon. Then you'll have to deal with the police." It was a flat out lie. My dad would have assumed that I spent the night with some girl that caught my attention and my mom would be happy to have the extra privacy for a while. They only had one son, but they weren't interested in coddling me when it wasn't absolutely necessary. Hopefully, that bluff would work anyway.
"Come on, I saw the way you reacted when I took away your phone. You didn't seem worried then, so why would you be now?" damn him and his deductive reasoning! "Don't worry, though, you won't have to stay for long. By now the hunt should be over and my uncle will be back taking a nap. We only needed a head start, so Emilia will drive you home when she gets back. Actually, you can go right now if you're willing to walk." That was a surprise to me. I stood up and headed straight for the door. When Nick grabbed my arm and pulled me back, I expected him to laugh and take it all back. "You might want to take this with you," he said while holding out my phone.
I cringed, "thanks." I started for the door again, but he pulled me back for the second time. This time he asserted his strength and pulled me up against his chest. "Nick?" I was more annoyed than confused at this point.
"This doesn't change anything. I'd like to see you around more while I'm here. I'm not asking for you to fall head over heels for me or anything, but keep an open mind. I can show you what a good guy can do for you." A rock wedged in my throat and I couldn't find a way to respond. His stare was casual as always, but I could hear the sincerity in his soft voice. "You're welcome to sleep in my room next time. It's bigger and far from the rest of the bedrooms so no one would hear it if...someone got a little loud." Nope. Nope, no, no way. Nope! I was out in a heartbeat. My mind kept replaying different ways of declining as I shook the words from my head. No, not happening, nope, never, nino, uh-uh. I was on an endless loop even while I struggled to navigate my way home. He can go shove that suggestion up his-
"Hunter?" I stopped in the middle of an empty sidewalk and started scanning my surroundings. I could suddenly feel that familiar pressure on the back of my head that told me I was being watched. It wasn't particularly heavy, but it was back so suddenly that I was alarmed. He'd stopped watching me at some point last night, but now he was watching again. Relief washed over me and erased a fear that I didn't realize I was hiding. If he could see me now, that meant he wasn't caught by the Blakes last night.
I continued my straggling through the town and it took over an hour for me to find my way home. The sight of my house coming up ahead was a sight for sore eyes and I didn't care if going inside meant skipping training at school today. My house rested on the very tip of the south end of the forest, standing at the boundary between it and the rest of the neighborhood. As I approached this time, a chill went down my neck and a rustling sound came from around the house. Somehow, I knew it was him, and I spoke before thinking.
"I'm glad you're...ok?" My words died on my lips. Hunter Sin certainly did not look 'ok'. He sat down leaning against the side of my house with his arms resting on his bent knees. His clothes were more torn than usual and there was a dried stream of blood going down the center of his face. He looked tired beyond belief and filled to the brim with frustration. The poster boy for teen anxiety looked up at me as I came to face him. "The Blakes did this to you?"
"What? No. I'm an alpha, Kent. Do you think those pieces of demonic trash would come after me first?" Actually, I did think that until he made it sound so stupid. "I got everyone out before their stupid hunt began...or at least, almost everyone..." a new surge of grief covered his face as he said this. "It was a fucking disaster. I couldn't make them leave, so I got almost everyone together to convince them. Then, last night, they just showed up at the safehouse. It was like we got hit by a nerve bomb or something. I felt my muscles refuse to listen for a moment before my instincts kicked in. But barely anyone else was strong enough to do the same.
"This demon witch came in through the front door swinging a silver scythe around and so many of us went down! It was so sudden that we never had a fighting chance. She moved like all hell and smiled while cutting my friends apart! I wanted to rip her apart myself, but I knew I needed to get everyone out. I managed to snap some sense back into the pack, but by then it was almost too late. The room erupted with some kind of sonic boom and all the windows shattered. Burning white light flooded the room and I could just barely hear my family crying around in pain. None of the kids made it out, only the shifters that were strong enough to transform despite everything."
The news sunk in like an anchor. I'd never met any of Hunter's pack, but hearing his story made it painfully close to home. I remembered how kind Emilia had seemed from the very start. I didn't know what to say, so I said the only thing I could. "I'm sorry, Hunter." His gaze shifted up to me and I flinched. I almost forgot how intimidating he was when he looked at me.
"I'm not blaming you, Kent. If anything, this was my fault. I half-assed everything. I pushed you away so much that you didn't understand the danger. Then I left a trail on you that made it easy for them to find us. It was all so sloppy and it didn't need to be." He stood up and I couldn't help but follow his every move with my eyes. His shirt was far too tight for a body like his, and the tears around the arms and chest did nothing to make him more modest. Before I knew it, my face felt hot and I had to force myself to stare at his head. He coughed uncomfortably and I wanted to die, "Anyway...It could have been worse. I still got many of us out, without a scratch. Once we all shifted, the demons couldn't keep up. I've got the family waiting underground right now." that formed a new question in my mind.
Why was he all torn up and bloody? He suddenly looked away after hearing my question. "What happened to your head?"
"My clothes don't transform with me, idiot." The insult wasn't as effective as usual. It also didn't explain why his head was bleeding. Anger poured out of him when he responded next. "You stayed the night with him...I saw you. I couldn't look away. I couldn't sleep. I pretended not to see or care until I realized that it didn't matter. Banging my head against a tree was the only way for me to get some relief! I couldn't believe you were staying in the same bed like that! Are you bloody insane!?" he was shouting at this point, but I wasn't about to take that from him.
"What do you care!? It's my life after all! It's not like you tried to do anything. You've watched me Every Single Night! Yet, not once, not even once, did you do anything about it. You of all people know what it's like for me being alone. You know how scared it makes me every night, but you've never done Anything! You shut me down the moment I fight for your attention! I've gone so far to change myself, and it was because of You! I wasn't strong enough for you, I wasn't smart enough, I wasn't the right gender for you; I was such a terrible thing in your eyes that you've avoided me for Months! Yet, now you care?"
"I-"
"Shut the hell up! I don't want to hear your excuse. I heard it the first time. I just want to know what your problem is now! Is it because someone else cares about me? Are you pissed because someone doesn't actually want to leave me alone all night? Yeah, that family might be crazy as hell...but I wasn't alone last night, and I would have been if it was up to you." I wanted to keep yelling, but the strength kind of drained out of me. I hadn't realized that I was keeping so much in. But it was all true.
Even if I never said it out loud, it was all true. I was afraid of the big bad wolf from the very start, and at first, I really did just want answers. But I got my answers long ago, and it wasn't enough for me. Even after I learned who Hunter was- what he was- I still wanted to come back to him. He meant more to me than the mystery of mythology. He was the person who saw me in all of my worst moments. He was the force that could deal with my bullshit and put me in my place with ease. I wanted him to be the one to save me from my loneliness. Even if I had other reasons for changing as much as I did, it all started because of him. Yet, I'm not even on a first-name basis with him.
"What right does he have to be angry with me?" I don't know if I said it out loud or not, but I know it didn't matter. Hunter could hear anything, and probably everything that went on in my head. I might as well have put a sign on my forehead that read 'pathetic loser', or 'forever lonely'. It would have been quieter. The silence went on for a few long moments and I just stared at the ground, struggling to keep my emotions in check. When I finally built the courage to look up at him, I was surprised. There was even more conflict on his face than mine. His brows were strained and his eyes were shut tight. He was leaned against the wall and his hands gripped his head in pain.
When he opened his eyes to look at me, I saw bright green eyes dancing under a thin layer of restrained tears. When he finally spoke, the voice I heard was utterly heartbroken. "I get it ok? I get it. I know-I just...I'm leaving Viridian." What? "I have to take the pack somewhere safe. If we stay here, the demons will pick us off one-by-one. I've got to leave, but...I want you to come with me." What? "You'll be safer if you stay here honestly. I can protect you if you come with me, but you won't be in any danger if you stay here. I want you to come with me and the pack when we leave." What? "Damn it, Jake, stop saying that! You know what I'm asking. Do you want to come with me?
"I'll keep you close from now on. I'll tell you all the secrets that the world has hidden. I'll do even more, I'll show you everything. If you tell me that you want to come with me, I'll make up for everything. I've got to leave one way or the other, but I want you to come with me. So, do you want to leave with me?"
My head was so numb that my words came out before the thoughts even formed. "No, I don't want to." I saw the hope die in his expression for a moment until he realized. I said what I did because it was the logical choice. I told Hunter that I didn't want any of it, but he could see the truth. He knew that I was lying.
Like the conflict? I know I do :)