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22
SPENCER MURDOCK
We entered Jackson's gorgeous modern home, the entrance gave a majestic modern vibe with a lightened hall that leads to the living room. In there were cloud couches and the walls facing outside were made of spotless glass. I could see the entire view over Dimmsvale. In an open wall space was the kitchen which looked like it came out of a Martha Stewart show. Marble countertops and beautiful stainless steel appliances.
I could feel eyes bore into the back of my head as I admired the cozy home. I turned around to see Jackson's handsome and powerful father watching me with a look of pure curiosity. It made a shiver run down my spine.
"I'd like to talk to Mrs. Murdock alone." His low gruff voice demand. I could still feel his intense stare boring into me.
"Father-" My boyfriend tried to interrupt and save me from whatever wrath Mr. Hale wanted to demonstrate. I have faced my father when he was angry and if my loving dad could hit his own daughter in order for me to grow stronger then I must prove my strength to him. He didn't sacrifice his relationship with me so I can be weak against a man like Jackson's father.
"Okay." I interrupted Jackson. This was a choice that I needed to make. If being with Jackson means that I have kiss the Hale family's ass then so be it. "I'll be fine," I whispered to Jackson but it wasn't any use to hide my fear of talking to Mr. Hale. All these werewolves knew.
I noticed that the people here, excluding Diego who went home because this wasn't a vampire's territory and Spencer was safe, respected Mr. Hale but they also feared him. I knew that fear could lead not only the evil but the good. Like a stern, stubborn dad with a pension for punishment but the tough love was worth it. I just want to see how Jackson's dad is using his fear, what side is he on? As a human, I understand the mask a person can place on themselves to hide the true depth of their nature.
I let go of my boyfriend and followed his father into a room. It had a large wooden desk and two wooden chairs. It felt as if it was a library with an office inside it instead of a business room. And this was the only room that wasn't modernly built. My heart clenched in my chest as I was intimidated by the order of this room. Everything is neat, clean, and organized. There was not a hair out of place when it came to the man's professionalism.
"Miss Murdock-" He started but it made me cringe, I couldn't stand being called that label.
"Spencer, you can call me Spencer," I told him.
"Spencer... I am so glad my son has found his mate but I am wary about you being a human. In the past, this kind of pairing didn't work out." He explained, motioning to the chairs for me to sit down. I obeyed and he sat behind the desk.
"I understand, I do. Diego has told me a lot about your guys' world and a little about... werewolves. I understand that this must be kept a secret. I know my people, the humans are the worst creatures out there but right now they don't know. If they found out about the supernatural-"
"It would be a blood bath. They would hunt us down and set an example out of us without any understanding of who we are." He finished for me. "Which is why you need to leave him."
"What?" I asked in disbelief, how could this man say that to me? If he thinks that I will bow down to his feet because he's my boyfriend's powerful father, he's got another thing coming. "I know that you are used to bossing people around, Mr. Hale." I stood up from the chair and step closer to him threateningly. "But I am not your little dog and you are not my alpha. You don't like me? Fine, but I am NOT going to leave Jackson just because you said so."
The man looked at me as if he was studying me but I just narrowed my eyes at him and clenched my jaw. "You have fire in you that will make you a powerful Luna. But make no mistake," this time stood up and flared at me threateningly "You speak to me like that again and you will be picking your teeth off the ground." He smiled with a dark powerful look. "I warned you but I cannot force anything. If my son wants to hold onto you tightly then that is his problem to solve. He will take my place. He is almost exactly like me and it makes me proud."
The man sighed losing his aggressiveness. "Ever since he started at that school, he has changed. I can still see myself in him but he's developed traits that neither I nor his mother passed down to him. He's using what I taught him to make it his own original power. I assume this is your doing."
I rolled my eyes. "Jackson is not you. He is his own person with his own goals," I mumbled under my breath as I walked out of the room. Right before I turned back to face him, "I hope I passed your test. There should be no doubt that I would do anything to protect him and his pack. I am not going to leave him just because we don't what will happen. You just need to accept that."
And I left.
Hushed whispers stopped as soon as my foot stepped into the kitchen. Jackson caught my eye and I could see the worry glint in his. Everyone in the room studies me for any indicator that I had been broken in that room. Mr. Hale has a strong reputation among his pack.
Speaking of the devil, he walks into the kitchen after me. I could feel the tension in the air. I don't know if it was because of my situation with Derek or something else. All I knew was that it was so thick, I could probably barely cut through it with a knife.
"Alpha, we need to discuss the vampire. If what he told the human is true, then we need to prepare for an attack." A man said as he approached the kit he table.
"Beta Fredrick, go prepare the warriors and train them." Mr. Hale ordered.
"Dad, I'll go with you," Cayden called to the beta. "I wanna learn more about you do."
The father looked at the alpha for permission. "Very well, go train them." The alpha waved them off.
They both hurried out of the house. I looked at the time on my phone and sighed. It's 8:00 pm. My dad must be worried, or maybe he's too caught up in his work that he doesn't even notice.
I pulled my long hair to one side of my shoulder and played with the ends of it as I thought about the mysterious man. Who was he and why did he hate werewolves?
"Dad, we need to find out who this guy is," Jackson said as he approached next to me.
"I think I know who can help with that." I muttered, "If I can convince Diego to help us find out information from Derek."
"Diego and Derek have never been on good terms." Jackson reminded us. Who's one person that Derek trusts? There's me because I look like Charlotte and...
"Camilla!" I exclaim. "Derek may not trust Diego but he loves her like he's her own brother. He trusts her."
"Can you really convince the vampire to use his sister?" Mr. Hale asked curiously.
"It doesn't hurt to try." I shrugged. Diego has become my close friend in the weeks I've got to know him but he would do anything to protect his little sister. Derek might not do anything to Camilla but I can't say the same for the man. He might use her against us.
Losing Camilla and also Diego's trust is the worst possible thing that could happen. Is this really the best idea? Do I risk this for a pack of werewolves I barely know?
"What I don't understand is," Tori speaks up, "why werewolves?" She looks at us. "Why spend all this time figuring out a way to defeat us? And why not other supernatural creatures?"
"Tori is right. Why us?" Jackson mumbled.
"Maybe those are questions Diego's sister can ask Derek." Mr. Hale says.
"Have there been any attacks?" Victoria asks the Alpha. He narrows his eyes at her hesitantly but thinking back to any reports.
"Yes, defenders that were on patrol around the town. They must have been in contact with him. And... some of our town members." He tells me.
"What about the other packs?"
He thinks about it and looks at me with a curious look. "No, none of the other packs have been attacked."
"That's weird," Tori whispers, thinking about it closely.
"What does that mean?" Jackson asks.
"Going after the supernatural is probably business, hunters. Going after werewolves that are in the same pack then they're either getting paid to kill or a personal attack." Tori explains.
"It's just this pack. It's specific and personal. It's a vendetta. Something happened to him by this pack." I finish for her understanding of where this line of thinking came from. Victoria is smarter than anyone gives her credit for.
"So it would have to be someone who was in this town," Jackson says.
"Dimmsvale may be a town full of supernatural separate from the humans but it's not hidden away from everyone. People know it exists, they pass through it. It's rare considering how small and out of the way we are but it happens." Mr. Hale informs us. "We never leave the town without permission. Like the high school transfers. But this has been happening before them."
"So it has to be a human who has something happen to him in this town," I say.
"Dad, have someone search the records of any incidents involving a human man or boy in the last 50 years. Just to be cautious." Jackson says to the Alpha who just looked at him. "What?"
"Nothing," he smiled at his son. "I'll get right on that."
Mr. Hale turns away from us and walks out of the room. Suddenly, it's no longer tense in this room. It's just me, my werewolf boyfriend, and his beautiful werewolf best friend.
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