Chapter 7
Valentina's POV:
The next few days went by in a blur. I couldn't get my thoughts away from what happened in the nursery. Conner had threatened me. Threatened me. Nobody had ever done that before. Not even Tyler.
I finally realized how simple my life had been for me until now. I had never met a challenge before. My life had been safe, interesting and, most of all, controlled. Until now, of course.
Well, in some way my life was still controlled, only not by myself. Conner seemed to have every single detail about my day covered up. Someone Conner trusted, (usually Will, Ethan, or sometimes even Ryan), followed me to every class, just in case someone would try to do anything harmful towards me.
I didn't see the point. I could defend myself, after all. I just hated violence. And besides, no sane person would try to touch me after what happened to the big werewolf dude, also known as Fredrik.
I was way to shaken up after the scene with Conner to leave the room for a while, but Will had told me everything that happened.
According to Will, Conner had let his wolf take completely over, something that could happen if a werewolf was angry enough. He had shifted in the middle of the Pack house, and on his way out he had met a very unfortunate Fredrik.
Fredrik was still unable to leave his bed, even though he had the werewolf ability to heal faster than humans.
~
"You should really come, Val," Rosalie said excited. EVERYTHING Rosalie did or said was enthusiastic. I guess it was some way to handle the energy I had realized came with being a werewolf. Everybody had a different way of expressing their energy, and Rosalie used hers to be constant excited about everything. Either that, or she was just an extremely optimistic person.
I finally realized that everyone around the table was staring at me, even Conner. Conner and I had ignored each other, (with various luck), for the past few days, and if we had to acknowledge each other, it was usually with a cold politeness.
"Yeah of course" I answered on autopilot, before I realized that I might get myself into trouble. What if agreed to something stupid like... A party? I really, really wasn't in a party mood.
"Really? You would come?" Rosalie asked, if possible even more excited than before. Damn. Now the damaged was done. I just couldn't disappoint Rosalie. She had become the closest thing I got to a friend in this wolf house.
"Sure..." I assured her. "If you would just repeat the part where you explain what I'm coming to!"
Will, Ethan and Conner sighed in unison, while some of the girls around the table giggled. Rosalie looked a bit offended for a moment, before she got back to her usual bright self.
"It's a moon festival, silly" she explained. "On honor of the moon goddess! We're gonna stay out in the forest all night, and play games and stuff. I really don't get what it has to do with the moon goddess, but I guess it just sounds nicer with "Moon festival" than "Get-drunk-in-the-woods festival!" It's a tradition, by the way, so you're obliged to go anyway!"
I frowned a bit. It really didn't sound like my kind of thing, but I agreed to go anyway, as long as it started after twilight. I had avoided the sun as much as possible the last few days, but it was impossible to stay completely out of the sunshine all day. I had gotten some serious headache, and in History class the teacher had refused to make use of the curtains. At the end of the lesson I had been close to throwing up, but I hadn't told anyone. A bit too creepy, if you ask me.
~
Friday night was here, and everybody had met up in the woods. Okay. I wasn't sure if everybody was here, but everyone I knew, (and a lot of people I didn't knew), was here, so it was a lot of people, at least. A lot of teenagers, to be specific.
If I had been on a regular High School party before, then it would have reminded me of that. The again, I hadn't been on a regular High School party, so I was extremely confused when I arrived in the forest to find people dancing to some crap Pop music, walking around with half empty bottles or puking in the bushes. (Disgusting, I know.)
I walked around, looking for a familiar face, when someone suddenly grabbed my arm, and spun me around. I stood suddenly face to face with a boy I was certain I had never met before. Something about him just screamed "dangerous", and I wanted to get away from him as soon as possible.
"Well, what do we have here? A new, unmated beauty in the pack?" he asked. His voice sent shivers down my spikes, and I felt extremely uncomfortable by his words.
I realized that his smell was different from the other werewolves, as well. Everybody in the pack had smelled like safety, even Fredrik. They had reminded me of Conner, in some strange way. This guy's smell didn't, though. He smelled like a stranger. Yet, it was something else about him that reminded me of Conner. The part of Conner I didn't like. The Alpha part.
My brain suddenly said click, and I realized who this person was. He was an alpha, (or a soon-to-be alpha), from another pack. That's why my instincts told me to run away. He was an enemy. (Cliché, I know).
"Can you please let go of my arm?" I asked, and used the same, cold politeness I had practiced with Conner for the past few days.
The boy just smirked rudely at me. "Aren't you interested in the company of an Alpha?"
"Oh, I'm interested in the company of an Alpha alright, just not you!"
They boy narrowed his eyes, and drew me closer. "I was told that the Amber boy had gotten a new mate, but I wasn't aware that it was someone like you, vampire" he whispered in my ear. "And he even let you go unprotected and unmarked around in the forest. That IS an opportunity I can't let pass, can I?"
Pure panic started to build itself up in my stomach. I tried to get out of his grip, but of course I wasn't strong enough. I wondered if every werewolf was this strong, or if it was an alpha thing.
"You have already spilled your opportunity, Logan" a familiar voice said from somewhere behind me.
The boy, (Logan, apparently), let go of my arm, and I stumbled backwards into Conner's safe embrace. An hour ago I would have pushed him away, but now I really needed the safety he brought with him. I leaned my head against his chest, and I let his slow breathing steady my own.
Don't get me wrong, I was still pissed at him, but right now I just needed him. I didn't know if it was the mate bond, or whatever, but I had never felt so safe as I did in his arms.
"Well. I guess I'll have a more private conversation with your mate later" Logan said. He sounded surprisingly relaxed. "And by the way, you did tell your parents goodbye, right?"
I could feel Conner stiffen. His heart was beating faster, and I could almost feel his thoughts spinning around in his head.
"What do you mean?" he asked carefully. He sounded calm, but I knew he was afraid. Afraid of what might have happened to his parents. I didn't knew this Logan guy very well, but he was scary.
"Your parents always go on a moonlight trip while you teenagers party here. Their trip goes dangerously near the border, to be honest." Logan said, "How terrible it would be if someone overpowered your guards, and then attacked them,"
"No" Conner whispered. He was shaking now. I pulled my armed around him, and hoped that my arms would somehow comfort him, or calm him down, at least.
"I'll see your later, when you're the new alpha" Logan said, and turned around, like he was just gonna walk away after what he just had said.
Conner suddenly pushed me out of the way, and tried to tackle Logan from behind. The other boy dodged faster than I've seen anyone move before, and Conner lost his balance. He had obviously moved in pure rage, without thinking about tactics.
Logan kicked away Conner's feet, and he fell to the ground. Logan then placed his foot on Conner's chest to hold him down.
"If you were an Alpha, then you might have had a chance, but I think your father still has a few minutes left" Logan said. He seemed totally unaffected by the short battle. "I hope you like your new job," he finished, before he again turned towards the woods, and disappeared in the shadows.
I didn't yell at Conner to try and save his parents. We both knew it was too late.
I wanted to ask him if he had sent someone after Logan, but I didn't do that either. I just lay down beside him in the mud, and pulled my arms around him.
I gave him the time he needed to realize that both his parents were dead. His parents were dead, and he was now the Alpha of a pack at war.
Okay. I feel kind of bad right now, but it was inevitable. I always knew someone would die in this story, and Conner's parents was sentenced to die from the beginning.
Sorry.