3rd Person POV
It's been already two months since Katie and Rose had been attacked in the East Clan's territory.
Katie has been sleeping with Rose inside their guest bedroom with no more problems. She's still on good terms with Daniel, Nick, and Trish. They'd come chill with them at night and pick on Samuel.
Sally seems to be avoiding her and Rose like the plague the last few days ever since she found out about Rose.
Jackson hasn't spoken to Katie since their chat from the kitchen that day which was like a week ago.
She's been making three meals a day with the help of Keith who is surprisingly good at cooking. She's also been sparring against him and he's growing faster than she thought at first. He's also been making her smoothies.
It's already passed lunch. And Katie and Keith just finished their smoothies.
Keith's POV
"It's already Wednesday, damn." I growl out. I can't believe I lost track of time.
Katie raises an eyebrow at me.
"The um-my punishment with the Elders," I answer.
"Oh right." She drawls, clearly not feeling bad that she's the reason why even if it was my fault. "When do you leave?"
"Well, Sally wrote a doctor's note saying I'll be out of commission for the last three months. Same with Tony even though you've healed us, but she doesn't know that."
Right, she healed Tony weeks before she did to me. I swear she's such a pain in the ass.
Tony would rub it in my face when he would stop by if he didn't want to participate in any pack duties to chill and sometimes watch us spar these last few weeks. His sister Jessie would come along sometimes to hang out with Katie.
I still can't believe I'm going to be punished even though Katie and I aren't at each other's throats all time and actually tolerate each other now.
"I have a feeling she knows you guys are good enough to go," Katie laughs quietly and I notice how her eyes look distant.
"Yeah... but Jackson said I should take full advantage of it!" I say cheekily with a grin. I have an awesome Alpha.
"He spoke to you?" She asks downheartedly.
I eye her from the corner of my eyes. "Well he is my Alpha."
My suspicions on the two only grow more and more when I notice the little details with the two continuously dancing around each other. And it only frustrates me more when I don't know anything!
"Oh right."
Why does she sound sad?
I can tell because we've bonded during our time together, though, I would have probably hated the idea two months ago. If anyone told me then that I'd be walking willingly with the white bitch that almost killed me that day to the butterfly field, I would have laughed in their face. Unfortunately, if anyone had said that, they probably would be laughing in front of my face right now.
"Why do you look so down?" I bump our shoulders. "Aren't you supposed to be the legendary female Alpha?"
Katie pouts. "I am."
My eyebrows nit together in confusion, because of the underlying tone in her voice; she sounds offended. I was only joking around. "Do you know of the legend of the female Alpha?"
Katie nods, her frown deepening.
"I was just wondering what you think about it."
"And?" She asks softly.
I look at her and raise an eyebrow. "And what?"
"What do you think about it?" She studies me.
I snort in response. "It's just a legend. And the second Great Supernatural War was eons ago. Who knows what really happened? I also heard from my friend who guards the coast that someone from the Old World who picks up run-aways said that the war started because one of the Royals were killed during a small argument. Actually there's many more so I don't know the truth or really care."
"Would you want to communicate with your inner wolf?" She asks out of the blue.
I plop myself down on the ground when we arrive at our destination. "Uh, duh? Who wouldn't want to meet their wolf? It's bad enough we're missing our other halves, but to be missing a part of ourselves? Who'd want that? Or so the Legend says."
Katie sits in front me and her eyes are still studying me. "Do you believe in the legend?"
"Why are you still asking about this?" I study her now. I hadn't pictured her as a dreamer.
"Well, I am a female Alpha." She shrugs nonchalantly.
"So? You think you're the Princess of the Moon, beloved daughter of the Moon Goddess?" I stifle a laugh at her serious expression. "No way!"
Katie huffs and crosses her arms. "Whatever."
I snicker at her annoyed expression. It's fun messing with her and I take every chance I can get. This woman shows no mercy when it comes to sparring-not that I'd want her to hold back, but that's beside the point. She's a freaking sadist and gets riled up more the more she sees the damage she's done for some reason.
Her eyes are distant and glazed over with longing and sadness, which immediately makes me pause in joking when I realize I really might have offended her.
"Do you believe it?" I find myself asking.
She turns to me, clearly not expecting me to be serious and she replies innocently. "I do."
I inhale sharply. It was just a legend, a sad one, so picturing her as the Moon Goddess's beloved daughter makes something in me churn uncomfortably.
Somehow, we have gotten closer than she has with anyone else, enough to call the relationship between us as one would have with a sibling. But, we had not crossed that line, neither of us making a move, just waiting until the other does.
I've come to accept that I don't know all of Katie's past and I've long since realized that I'm afraid of knowing, especially the one of Vivian.
I remember when she told me she was a prisoner. At first I thought she was pulling my leg, but she was a rogue running away, so her words were also a possibility I had to consider.
Then, she mentioned my older sister, Vivian. Her eyes lit up with recognition and an emotion I knew all too well-hate was there. She even firmly stated she didn't like her. Ever since, I've always find myself wondering what she could have hated about Vivian. Sure my sister was once the leader of the trouble makers of our pack, but she was faithful and had much love to give.
I was overcome with happiness, that at first, I didn't take time to think why she'd used such a disdained tone talking about my sister or why she'd hate her. But, now I can read the emotions in her eyes when her guard is down and her face doesn't show it. I came up with many scenarios to figure it out, but they're all ones I don't like.
Thinking back to the way her eyes flashed, more doubts had begun to bloom in my mind.
I hadn't brought up the subject since, and I have a feeling Katie hasn't either for my sake. And I'm thankful for it even if it's eating me up inside.
"Is this why you wish to go to the Old World?" I also remember her purpose for trespassing in our territory. I frown. I don't know if it's from her nod or the thought she is going to leave one day and may never come back. "Are you..." I hesitate to ask.
As if she knows what I'm about to sa, she replies, "Yes. I'm still going."
And I now know it's from the thought she's still going to leave.
That's another topic we hadn't breach. When she'd leave, but I knew she would, I just forgot until now. I can't look her in the eyes. Vivian had left me, and the thought of Katie leaving too didn't sit well with me. It feels like three years ago all over again.
"Will you come back?" I force out. I honestly don't want her to answer, but I have a feeling that not knowing and waiting until she returns will only hurt me even more.
Katie doesn't reply back. She remains silent and I look up, dark chocolate orbs locking with dull gray ones. My heart drops.
I had hope, but the look in her eyes is anything but a promise to return. It's of one who has resigned to their decision, to their fate.
She doesn't need to answer, but she does anyway. "No."
We remain silent, eyes still stuck on each other's.
"Can you come back?" I ask once the silence becomes unbearable.
"I..." Katie looks like she doesn't know what to say.
I lean closer to her and grab her tank top yanking her closer to me to meet me, faces just inches apart.
I have a feeling, if I'd glanced down, I'd have seen her bra, but neither of us seemed to care at the moment.
I do what I do best and act on my emotions.
"Can you come back?" My voice is a tone lower, deeper. Hopefully she can hear the unspoken words under it. "Answer me, Katie." I'm pleading now, trying to see if what I'm thinking is possibly wrong. I just want to make sure about something, about this. But when she doesn't answer, I look into her eyes and sure enough my answer is there for me. An all knowing look is sent my way.
"I forget that you're Vivian's little brother."
It's a distraction. We both know it.
A million reasons flashes as to why she'd bring it up now and the doubts only fuel them more. Of course I know it's being used to change the topic and I'm very tempted to take the bait, no longer for my sister's wellbeing.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I decide to save my concern for later. I will make sure we talk about it. For now, there is something else more important, something that has been bothering me. So when I ask my question, it's more of inviting for her to continue.
She sends me a thankful look before she starts. "As you can see, I've fully healed." She then looks pointedly at the bruises and bite marks and ripped flesh on me while she only had a few bruises here and there.
I scowl. Showoff!
I may have grown at an increasingly rate as she healed and became stronger, but I was still far weaker than her in speed. As for strength, even though it hurts my pride, I'm thankful I was born a strong healthy male. Knowing that Katie is an Alpha makes the thought more bearable.
"I've decided to tell you about your sister." Katie's lips quirk downwards in disdain. "I had planned on telling Jay-" by the confusion on my face she adds, "-Jackson, but as we have not talked in a while and how he doesn't want to hear any more information I have on the West Clan, I guess I'll tell you."
"What?! He doesn't want any information?" I shout incredulously. She nods. "None?!" She nods again. "Why?!"
Instead of answering she continues on. "Your sister," and I groan at how she avoids my question again, and she has the gall to laugh. So I silently glare at her. "I met her once. She indeed was held by someone high ranked." She shifts to lean against a tree for some reason.
I raise an eyebrow at her action, but copy her to lean against a tree facing her. "Go on."
"But I'm warning you now. The life she lived than me will be far more devastating to you. Do you still wish to know?' Katie asks for confirmation.
She knows I'm too smart, crafty and sneaky once she got to know me. I told her that I was the one who planned the ambush of the East Clan members who defied their Alpha's order and broke his rule; how other kids had come to me for help in their plan to kill her and Rose.
My plan was perfect. The timing of when Jackson was busy with the guards from the coast side, a time when majority of the pack members were eating breakfast or still asleep, to the timing of when her and Rose both left the motel.
I'd even prepared several others in case a scenario in my plan had failed before Jackson or anyone else would notice what we're doing. I had planned to kill the two rogues before Jackson and others arrived to stop us.
The only flaw in all my plans was that Katie was an Alpha, and we were all still in training, even our numbers wouldn't have saved us.
When I told her it all, she was fascinated by my witty and clever ploys, and I couldn't help but tell her more of past ones that got me into trouble, but was for the greater good of the Clan which all were never really severe as my last one.
Vivian taught me how to be like this, to always overthink.
"I need to know." I say determinedly.
Katie looks toward the ground and I watch as she slowly lets her guard down.
She's not gullible, she's smart. Probably not a schemer's level, and with the time I spent with her I realized it's most likely from her lack of proper education a pack usually provides. This makes it easier to believe that she was a prisoner and didn't know much, and if she did, then my guess is on her friend, the red head, Rose.
Katie barely lets her emotions show, but when they do it's too overwhelming that it affects other werewolves around her. It's unnatural but the only other explanation there is, is because she's a female Alpha.
The thing is she's easy to read like a bedtime story when she lets people get close to her, lets them in. However, it seems to me that Rose has been the only one in her entire life to get close to her. Then, there's Jackson and his inner circle, I'm sure she's opening up to some of them. But, I can tell it's not enough, because I can see it. She keeps everyone at a distance, even me.
It's understandable. Not many people are friends with me, and before the reason was cause of how troublesome my sister was, but now it's because I'm just like her. Maybe not in personality wise, but being close to someone like me can be unsettling. Katie's not the only one who doesn't like to be read like a book, doesn't want to have that small piece of thought that someone like myself can read them and may one day turn on them, the pack members are like her too.
Katie probably has it worse though. She not only taught me how to fight her, but she also let me in, closer than anyone's probably ever been since Rose. Well at least that's what I think.
Ever since I bowed to Katie, she seems to be more comfortable with me now. I don't understand that part. Does it have something to do with her being a prisoner? A kink? No, I doubt it, she doesn't seem like the type. Could it be recognition? Her Alpha pride? It's the only thing I don't understand about her. I won't understand unless I cross the line between us two.
Katie quickly licks her lips; clearly she hadn't thought this through.
"Well?" I'm not letting her escape out of this one.
I see her swallow and she bites the inside of her lip.
"Katie?"
"Your sister...was indeed held by a man of higher rank."
"I know. You already said that." I roll my eyes. How many times is she going to repeat that?
"No-damnit-you don't understand." She shakes her head as if she's mad. "When I first met her," she says slowly, "she was being held by a man of a high rank." Her eyebrows furrow together and her nose scrunches up.
Immediately I understand what she means and my mouth falls open in shock. I had doubts, and while that may have crossed my mind as one of the scenarios of her life back in the West, it still makes my blood run cold.
"He introduced her as his mate when I saw him once." She wraps an arm onto her stomach, her face twisting in disgust.
I can relate. The betrayal and hurt, I feel it all. Is this why she didn't want to tell me?
Vivian was a terrible person, but she was the best sister in the whole world. We only ever had each other so we were close. For her to...to hear this about Vivian...
I narrow my eyes at Katie. It's impossible for Vivian to leave me for some high rank in another pack, there's no way she would do it. Unless it really was because of her mate?
"The man, he'd brag that it was all thanks to her being their spy inside the East Clan they'd successfully killed and captured many of your members." Her face drains color as she continues talking.
She swallows again. "He said she'd met him not long after she began infiltrating the West. And she would tell him the names of other spies to kill since she wasn't able to buy them over."
I remain silent as she continues. I don't know what to say.
"She was the only one allowed to live over there while the others who betrayed you all had been killed because they weren't mated to anyone there and they weren't loyal to them because of their ways."
Katie swallows again only to cough.
"Katie, are you alright?" I'm by her side in the blink of an eye. She suddenly looks much paler than a sick person.
Despite her nod, she coughs harder, some blood spraying from her mouth.
My eyes widen. "You are not alright!" I rub her back. "What's happening?"
Katie shakes her head. "Vivian didn't just betray you. She also took part in smaller fights before the one three years ago, against you guys. She was also the reason of the attack three years ago. She was smart and clever like you and had planned everything with another from the West Clan."
She begins vomiting out blood, the smell of the smoothie we had earlier mixed with the smell of iron.
My eyes widen in realization as that time back in the kitchen when she threw up blood flashed through my mind. "This is the witche's fault isn't it? This is what happened when you tried to... It wasn't that Jackson didn't want to know information of the West Clan, it's because you can't speak about it."
"I swear," she chuckles only to cough harder, "you're too smart for your own good. But listen, I'm not done."
"No, don't. I've heard enough to put pieces together." I start to move and now it's her turn to grab my shirt and pull me closer. I fall onto my knees stuck in her Alpha grip. "Katie..." I bare my teeth in warning. I don't want to hear this. Those assholes from the West probably hired witches to keep her from spilling their information, the truth.
She ignores it like the stubborn person she is and continues. "There is one last piece you should know as...her little brother."