With the end of our conversation, I believed Samuel would immediately leave the room. However, he tiredly backed away and sat down in the armchair next to Marshall's desk. Then, he looked at me, warily.
"Bray's going to be throwing accusations out about you being human and with the gun. I'm going to try and isolate him, but I don't know if it's going to work. I'll bring you to the room next to Will and hopefully, everything will be sorted out in the morning."
I nodded, then paused. A memory from the night resurfaced and refused to go unnoticed. "Samuel, there's something else about the gun," I slowly started, thinking back to Kade and his brother.
Samuel looked at me, raising one of his eyebrows. "Yes?"
"Kade told me something and it doesn't make sense. I've tried thinking about it but no matter what, something is off." I tilted my head to the side, staring at the floor between us as if it held the answers.
I hesitated, and when I did, Samuel let out a sharp breath. "Well? What is it?"
"Well, Kade told me that the wolves already caught up with his group and him and his brother were just trying to escape. The way he talked made it seem like the others were already caught."
Samuel shrugged. The gesture was supposed to be nonchalant, but tension laced his shoulders. "He could have been lying. What does this have to do with the gun?"
"He said that the gun he had was the last one left. The wolves took them all when they captured and killed everyone when we were taken."
Samuel was quiet for a long time. He adopted an unreadable expression and held his fingers together against his nose. When he finally did speak, he kept his gaze trained on the floor.
"How do you know he wasn't lying?"
I bit my lip. "I don't."
"Then, who shot at us if the humans didn't have guns?"
My shoulders sagged. "I don't know. Nothing makes sense."
Samuel shifted, opening and closing his mouth several times before eventually getting his words out. "Look, Samantha. What you're saying could be true. But, the humans have come after us before. They've lied before. It was just a few hours ago they killed half a dozen of us."
"It doesn't make sense, though," I quickly countered. "Everyone has a different story. How could the humans have gotten to us if Bray was hunting them? How could they have shot at us if they didn't have any guns? How did they get away so fast? Why didn't you hear them before?"
Samuel put up a hand, ending my slew of questions. "I don't have the answers, Samantha."
"Well, what do you think they are?"
He rested his elbows on his knees and pressed the tips of his fingers to the bridge of his nose. He stayed in that position for a long time, closing his eyes and letting emotion roll away from his features. I hated this new part of Samuel; the one that hid everything he felt. It was so different from the person I initially met. It used to be that I could tell exactly what he was thinking by the look on his face. Now, he was hiding everything.
"It doesn't make sense," he eventually agreed, opening his eyes. "I don't know about the part if we took their guns or not. I haven't seen any. But, Riley stopped telling me things after all that happened." He sighed. "All I know is what you've told me, what Bray told me, and now, what some human said."
I tried to catch his gaze and failed. "None of the stories are adding up."
It was true; nothing made sense. If it wasn't the werewolves, it couldn't have been the humans. If what Kade was saying was true, then they had no guns to even fire at us. They'd practically been caught by the time Kade left them. If this was the case, and Kade had no reason to lie to me, they wouldn't have been able to escape a dozen werewolves hunting them down, much less run to the forest to shoot at us. Then again, I'd been betrayed by Kade before.
I phrased my next words carefully, sorting through my thoughts out loud. "Maybe it wasn't the humans."
Samuel paused. "James?"
I shook my head, though somewhat uncertain. "What motive would he have? He couldn't have done it alone."
"Maybe he wasn't alone."
I closed my eyes and tugged on the loose ends of my hair. For so long, I believed everything that was going wrong was because of Riley. I was convinced he'd somehow bit my brother and taken my mother. After all, Riley's goal was for Samuel and me to be each other's worlds. It very well could be that he had done all of that, but now I realized there was something else happening. The shooting had been an attack on all of us, including Riley. Someone else was out there, and something larger was going on.
"You really think it was him?"
"I don't know what to think, Samantha." Samuel let out a heavy sigh, his body falling deeper into the chair.
My head fell to my chest and I let out a ragged breath. "Why would anyone even want to attack us?"
He pursed his lips, clear thoughts running across his face. However, he didn't voice them. He only told me, "You don't need to worry, Samantha. I'll fix it."
"Not everything's fixable," I sighed, suddenly feeling the weight of oceans crash down upon me. Unexpected tears pricked at my eyes, but I forcefully pushed them back. There should be no reason for me to cry right now. No reason, apart from the fact that my family was missing, I'd almost died - again - tonight, and I was no closer to fixing anything than I was when this whole mess started.
Samuel shifted his weight, and after a moment's hesitation, he left his chair and sat on the desk with me. His large hand found its way to my knees, just as I pulled them up to my chest. I was tempted to lean into Samuel, but I stayed rooted in place and told myself it was exhaustion drawing me nearer to him; simply the need for a surface to sleep on.
He softly continued speaking, comforting me with his words, instead. "Everything's going to be fine. Will's going to be fine. Your mother will be fine." He paused, hesitantly reaching forward to turn my face to him. "We'll be fine. We will figure out who did this. You don't need to worry. I'll fix it. You've been through enough, Samantha."
"You don't have to fix everything, Samuel."
He shook his head softly. "When it was me who caused the mess, yes, I do."
I turned my gaze away and Samuel let go of my cheek. "We've both to blame, here. We've established that." He opened his mouth to counter my response, but I spoke over him, quickly changing the subject. "Besides, you try and fix everything."
He tilted his head. "Everything? That's a bit of an exaggeration."
"Definitely, not."
He softly snorted. "Agree to disagree." A small smirk played on his lips, begging for me to contradict him
I shifted my weight, raising an eyebrow and pointing a finger at his chest. "No, I'm definitely right. What about Will?"
"I didn't fix Will."
I folded my arms, sending him a pointed look. "You fixed his hospital room."
Samuel shrugged my comment off, looking around the small office.
When I realized he wasn't going to respond, I smirked. "I rest my case."
He looked back at me, holding back a wide grin. "You're right. I'm a fixer."
"I know I'm right."
Samuel's shoulders shook with his small laugh. A genuine smile threatened to break through my features, but for some reason, I held it back.
Eventually, Samuel patted my knee and sighed. "You need rest."
"So, do you."
He sneered suddenly, catching my eye. "Care to join me?"
I scoffed, rolling my eyes dramatically. "In your dreams, wolf boy."
"Always, Sammy."
"That's not my nickname. That's yours. I've heard two people use it, now."
Samuel beamed. "Who's to say I can't share?"
Another smile threatened to spread across my face. Samuel was already grinning broadly, waiting for me to follow. Instead of giving him the satisfaction, I turned my face away and buried my gaze into my other knee. He laughed once before standing and stretching out his hand, letting it linger in the air for me. When I didn't take it, he rolled his eyes.
"It's a hand, Samantha. It's not going to shoot."
I scowled, though I scooted off the desk and took his outstretched palm. "That's not funny."
He shrugged. "You've got to find humor, somewhere. Come on." He tightened his grip, pulling me close to him so I wouldn't fall. "I've got a room for you next to Will."
Samuel once again half carried me through the halls. I'm sure if my wound hadn't been on my side, he would have insisted on carrying me over his shoulder. Like before, I lost track of the number of doors we passed and hallways we crossed. Only when we descended a flight of stairs did I recognize the grandiose living room coming into view. With it, came the rumbling of voices and shuffling of countless feet running across the hardwood floors.
We came to the bottom of the stairs, but before Samuel could lead us to another hallway, he was stopped by a loud voice calling out his name. When it did, the room stopped moving. Everybody paused their movements and turned to face the person who'd called out their Beta's name. Up until this point, none of them even knew Samuel was here. Now, there was no avoiding it. It didn't take the crowd long to find us, and soon, it felt like hundreds of eyes were staring into my soul.
"Samuel," the voice of Payton Bray called out again. The steel tone echoed through the room, sending chills across the once cozy furniture. "How nice of you to finally join us."
Samuel shifted me so that I was slightly behind him and away from prying eyes. "It's Beta to you, Bray." Samuel's tone matched Bray's in every aspect.
"Is it?" Bray called out. "That's what we'd all like to know, after all."
The room was devoid of any noise. The two men's voices echoed across the walls, bouncing back and forth, demanding any and all attention. Samuel eyed the room, stiffening as he held me with one of his arms.
"For now."
A few gasps were heard, and the crowd started to murmur. Countless cries of 'Where's the Alpha' and 'What happened' pierced the group. Before they could get carried away, Samuel raised his hand, and everything silenced once more.
"I will answer any and all questions you have. For now, let us tend to the wounded and help one another through the night."
"What about the dead?" Bray's voice rose above Samuel's.
"Shouldn't you be hunting the ones that killed them?"
Payton's eyes narrowed. "It seems you're already hiding one behind our backs."
Again, low voices surrounded us. Bray's words were being taken to heart, and I could suddenly feel an entire pack of werewolves bearing down on me. Their glares, their contempt, their confusion, was all I could sense. It surrounded me in a cocoon, threatening to squeeze the life from my body.
Samuel hugged me, reassuringly. "Samantha has hurt no one, and she does not intend to. She is my mate."
If I thought the crowd murmured before, it was a thunderous wake of outcries, now. A ripple fell across each of the werewolves in the room, and each ripple caused a different effect. Some ripples were innocent and held only confusion. Some traveled further with caution. A select few were cut short with rage.
Before Samuel could explain further, the crowd grew restless. A few pushed forward to get a better look at Samuel and me, while others began to retreat. Just as the unrest rose to a climax, another loud voice broke through the panic.
"Enough!" The feminine voice called. Following it, the crowd parted. A figure emerged from the center of the room, revealing a tall woman stalking towards the front of the crowd. Her skin was darkly tanned, and contrasting bright, blonde hair fell to her waist.
When the woman was separated from the rest of the group, she slowly spun in a circle, catching the gaze of each and every soul. Whoever she met eyes with instantly cowered. That is, until she faced Payton Bray. When her eyes fixed upon him, the room grew cold with Bray's freezing glare. The woman took no heed of it though, and instead let her voice ring through the air once more.
"It seems in the wake of devastation, this pack has lost who they are." The woman paused, and the room stilled. Everyone, including me, held their breaths in anticipation of her next words.
She smirked, knowing the room was putty in her hands. "We have lived around humans for decades now. Why is now any different? Why right now, do we decide to challenge our leaders and force a divide?" The woman didn't wait for a response, but turned back to Bray and returned his glare. "It seems that some of us have forgotten our place in the world."
Suddenly, the woman spun around again. She walked gracefully towards Samuel and me, her chin rising the closer she came. She came to a stop at Samuel's side, nonchalantly blocking me from view.
"Beta Samuel and I have this under control. Do your duty to our pack, and we will get through the night. As he said, everything will be explained in the morning."
The woman finished speaking, but the crowd made no movement. They continued to look to her for direction, at which she covertly elbowed Samuel.
He cleared his throat, gathering the attention back to him. Samuel looked upon the group with an expressionless face, catching each person's eye and sending their gazes to the ground.
"The ones who have thrown our pack into disarray are not with us tonight. The ones who have killed our own are still out there. While we've been wasting time, they are escaping further and further from our grasp.
"Yes, we've suffered losses tonight. Yes, we are all scared. But, we don't have to be. If the remaining warriors would protect their pack, instead of sending them into panic," Samuel suddenly trained his gaze on Bray. "We would all be able to sleep safely tonight." He paused then, letting his words blanket the air. A few people were nodding their agreement, while other's suddenly looked as if they would faint. The medical supplies in the room grew heavier, and the toll the pack was taking was suddenly more than apparent.
Samuel took a deep breath, sending a sideways glance to the woman beside him. She nodded slightly, and he continued. "To those of you who wish to participate, we are organizing a party to hunt them down. You can see Bray for details."
Payton stiffened, and his hands made tight fists at his side. He scowled at Samuel, a pleasant smile beginning to creep across his cold features. "Samuel is right. If you wish to protect the pack, follow me."
With his final words, Bray left the room. He disappeared behind the wall of windows, glass doors slamming shut behind him. Several people followed, but a few hesitantly walked up to Samuel. He caught one or two of them by the elbow, spoke lowly in their ears, and sent them after Bray. These select few ran after the group that Bray was now going to lead, the entire time glancing back at Samuel.
Eventually, the room settled back into the motions from before. Though the movements were not as frenzied now, people still scurried from one room to the next, carrying medical supplies, crying companions, and death like stares. My gaze was fixed on them for a long moment until it was torn away by the woman at Samuel's side.
"Really Samuel?" She walked in front of the two of us. "Was that the best way to make that announcement?"
Samuel shrugged. "Good a time as any."
She rolled her eyes and rested her hands on her hips. Her hard gaze lingered on Samuel for a moment, before flickering to me. Samuel noticed her shift and sighed.
"This is Samantha, as I'm sure you know." He pushed me forward a bit more. I staggered on my foot, but as soon as it happened, I was pressed into Samuel's again.
The woman's gaze dropped to my side, then to my feet. As quickly as it happened, her eyes traveled back up my body and met mine. She seemed to study me, as I did her. Her golden eyes burned into me, and I was reminded of another's that looked almost identical.
Samuel's voice startled me out of my gaze. "Samantha, this is Goldie."
She smiled, and her large lips thinned slightly. They accentuated her wide-set nose, and despite her overpowering features, she was the epitome of beauty.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Samantha." Goldie took her hand in mine, shaking it briefly. I gave her a small smile, and she continued. "But, you can call me Carmela. Some of the boys around here think it's funny to come up with ironic nicknames." Goldie sent Samuel a brief glare.
Samuel looked at me and shook his head, dismissing her comment and request. He laughed once. "Don't blame me. It wasn't my doing."
She rolled her eyes. "Of course it wasn't your doing. You're perfect, Samuel."
He shrugged and shifted his weight, pulling me closer. Goldie eyed the two of us for a moment before pulling her hair up into a ponytail. Samuel took the second to look around the room, only to find the same scene as before. The earlier encounter with Bray had seemingly been forgotten, and the pack was running about its business.
"Who did you send with him?" Goldie suddenly spoke, bringing both our gazes back to her.
"Briggs and Arthur. Both said they'd keep an eye on him."
She nodded. "Good choices."
"I've got Raven guarding a room and she needs help or a replacement," Samuel began, all trace of humor gone from his voice. "Sooner rather than later."
"The shift room?" Goldie questioned. Samuel nodded quickly, and her gaze darkened. "I'll send Nina over there when we're done. She'll help her."
"How many?" Samuel questioned, vaguely.
"Eight, so far."
"And tomorrow?"
Goldie shrugged. "Maybe twelve. Eleven, if we're lucky." Without waiting for his response, Goldie continued. "Have you thought about this? About what's going to happen?"
Samuel stiffened. "I've already spoken with Marshall."
She scoffed. "Load of good that did, I'm sure. Did he roll over when you snapped at him?"
Samuel was quiet, and Goldie shook her head. "He's right, and you know it. Come tomorrow-"
"I know," he cut her off. "I'll work it out. I'll fix it."
"There's nothing that needs fixing."
Samuel was quiet, once more. His shoulders sagged for the smallest moment before he picked himself up again. Goldie watched his reaction, and I knew she didn't miss his brief movement, either. She caught my eye and nodded to herself, then spoke again.
"Do you want me to take Samantha? A few are asking for you and Riley."
He caught my eye, subconsciously tightening his grip on my waist. "No, I will take her. Give me a few minutes and I'll be back. I'll need someone outside her door, as well."
Goldie nodded. "Nina can handle both. Especially with Raven to help." She turned away from us then and began to cross the room, following a mass of people. "I'll be in the front." She didn't wait for Samuel's response before fully immersing herself in the crowd, getting lost in hurried feet and frantic bodies.
Samuel sighed, but I spoke before he could. "What was that about?"
He shifted my weight onto him again and turned down a hallway. I recognized it as the one we'd entered the house in earlier, the one that led to Will's room and a few others.
"A few things. You don't need to worry. It'll be sorted out in the morning."
"She was talking about the same thing Marshall was," I prodded, gripping onto his hand around my waist. It steadied me some, erasing the pain creeping into my side.
"She's his daughter," he said without missing a beat. "And the Beta Female. She knows a few things."
My step faltered. "Beta Female?"
By this time, we were rounding the corner and closing in upon the hallway of doors. I knew my questions were going to be limited, so I tried desperately to narrow them down to what I knew Samuel would answer, or I could drag out of him.
"Basically just the female version of my job. She helps me, I help her. Together, we help the Alpha."
I had countless more questions about that, but they each got pushed aside for what was immediately weighing on my mind.
"What were they talking about? Her and Marshall?"
Samuel sighed, heavily. "I told you I'd talk about it later."
I resisted the urge to scoff. "Right."
We rounded a final corner and reached a door. There wasn't anything special about it, as it was uniform with the rest of the hallway.
"Why did you send Bray off on his own?" I asked as Samuel reached for the doorknob.
He pushed the door open, pausing at my question. "Why wouldn't I?"
The door swung open and a small room was revealed. Much like the rest of the house, the walls were lined with thick wood and the floor was covered with a fleece carpet. This one had frayed tassels on the ends, a myriad of faded colors lining its design. A small bed lay against the back wall with a window just above its frame. Next to it stood a matching nightstand that held only a broken lamp.
Samuel led me into the room, but before we could go any further, I sunk my good heel into the ground and stopped our advance. He turned and eyed me warily, at which I only glared.
"Why did you send Bray off on his own?"
He held my gaze for a moment, before dropping his eyes and scanning the room. Eventually, he brought the dark blue orbs back to me and furrowed his eyebrows.
"He's not alone. We sent people with him. But, even then, you have to watch what you're implying, Samantha."
"Why?"
Samuel looked out the doorway for a moment. "Becuase pack is family, and family trusts each other."
The words fell off my tongue, and silence was left in their wake. Samuel took this opportunity to pull me the rest of the way into the small room.
"I'm sorry it's not the biggest," he began, gesturing to the room. "I just figured you'd want to be closer to Will rather than have a large bed."
"You were right," I told him softly.
Samuel walked up to the bed and placed me lightly on its surface. I immediately sunk into the blankets, and abrupt exhaustion threatened to overcome me. I pushed it back for a bit longer though, focusing on Samuel standing above me.
"What are you going to do?"
He looked around the room again, avoiding my gaze. "Talk with Goldie. See the pack. Count the dead. Prepare the funerals. Figure out tomorrow."
My gaze dropped. "I'm sorry you have to go through this."
His hand suddenly found my chin, tilting it so that he could see my face. I gave Samuel a sad smile, which he returned.
"It's not your fault. Things happen."
I nodded, and before I could ask another question, Samuel continued.
"I have to go. I'll come for you in the morning." He dropped my chin and took my hand instead. Our fingers intertwined and he traced my knuckles. "Please," he paused for emphasis. "Please don't try and leave or do anything stupid. There's someone guarding your room, but if you leave, I can't guarantee you'll be safe. Not tonight, anyway."
I watched his thumb run along the cracked skin of my knuckles. "I promise."
***
Heeeeeyyyyoooo!
As always, please excuse grammatical/format/editing errors. This is definitely a *rough* draft so things are not perfect. (Though, feel free to point them all out. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.)
Not a whole lot else for me to say. What do you guys have to say? Thoughts on the chapter and new character, Goldie? Do you think Samantha will stay put for the night? What is Samuel going to do to fix everything? Thoughts on Bray?? Who do YALL think made the attack?
Keep on rocking my life with votes, comments, and follows. You guys are amazing <3 THANK YOU!!
Mquistey