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Things can only stay perfect for so long, until something else comes around to ruin everything. I pulled my covers up to my chin, shivering slightly as a cool wind blew in from my window. Jackson was sleeping besides me, snoring loudly with his mouth wide open. I rolled onto my side, so that his breath could no longer blow onto my face. Goosebumps lined my arms as the wind brushed through my hair.
Suddenly, I realized something.
I never left the window open.
I sprung forwards. Jackson woke up startled, his hair falling in front of his eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked groggily. Before I could say anything, another voice answered for me.
"It's been too long." This couldn't be real. I had to be dreaming. My heart pounded, drowning out everything around me. All I could hear was the thumping in my chest, as I focused my breathing trying to wake myself up from this nightmare. I was paralyzed with fear as Ethan stepped in front of my window, so that the moonlight could cascade down onto him. "I've been looking forward to this moment for awhile." He smirked, and waved his claws at me. "And who is this?" He chuckled, turning towards Jackson who was still half-asleep. My throat was dry, and my mouth refused to open. I couldn't speak, let alone breathe.
"Listen, I don't know who the hell you are-" Jackson got up, and immediately was greeted with a blow to the head from my bedside table lamp. He toppled over onto the ground, unconcious. My toes curled and I could feel a scream rising in my throat. Aiden and the rest of my pack were just outside. All I had to do was open my mouth and...Ethan came up besides me and pressed his hand over my mouth.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He whispered into my ear. Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness I could see that it wasn't just anyone who had taken out Jackson. It was Tuck. His eyes were glowing a bright red, and he stood directly over Jackson with his claws protruding from his fingertips. "My new friend Tuck won't hesitate to kill your little boyfriend." Ethan threatened me. "So do us all a favor and keep that pretty little mouth of yours quiet." He chuckled into my ear, twirling a strand of my hair around his claw. I could feel tears building up behind my eyes, I blinked hard, hoping that I would wake up and find that none of this was real. "Lights out." He muttered and before I could do anything, everything went dark.
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I woke to a pair of red eyes staring down at me. A blood curdling-scream echoed through my lips, as I started to realize what was happening and where I was. I was lying face-up on the cold dewy grass, feeling naked as ever in my fluffy pajama shorts and t-shirts as the wind blew through my touseled hair. I tilted my head to the side, my body stiff and cold and I saw Jackson besides me. His eyes were sealed shut and his lips were pale. My bottom lip trembled, and I tried to reach my hands out towards him only to find that my wrists had been sealed together. "Don't worry, he's not dead." Tuck assured me. "Yet." He finished, clicking his tounge to the roof of his mouth. I felt a surge of electricity build-up inside me, as my anger swelled. I forced it out of palms and towards Tuck. But instead the burst of light was redirected back at me. My body started to shake uncontrollably as the wave of electricity entered my body. I convlused violently, my head richoceting backwards onto the hard ground. My breathing was scattered and unsteady, I struggled to regain control of it. My fingers twitched, and my wrists seemed to be glued together. A trickle of blood dripped from my nose, my teeth chattered and I continued to twitch every couple of seconds.
"You're problably wondering why your powers aren't working." Ethan's built figure came into my view. He started to pace back and forth besides me, as I continued to twitch. He bent down onto his knees so that he could look me in the eye and smiled. "I came up with this idea myself." He said proudly, gesturing to the metal wire wrapped tightly around my wrists. "I bet you have a lot of questions for me." He smirked, his eyes twinkling in the full moon overhead. The wire cut into my skin as I tried to break it off. I blinked again, hoping to wake up. I refused to believe any of this was acually happening. I glanced over at Jackson, who still hadn't moved. He's dead. Oh god, this is all my fault. They're going to kill him. Oh, god. They're going to kill me. These thoughts kept intruding into my head. "You haven't changed a bit Tess." Ethan sighed, giving me a good look over. I rubbed my wrists together, prying at the metal around them. It scraped against my skin, cutting into me and drawing blood. "You've always been a sucker for a bad boy." He laughed, turning his head towards Jackson. "Perhaps, it's because he reminds you of me."
"Go to hell." I spat at him.
Ethan's eyes widened. "How's that electric shock treating you?" He laughed. "Doesn't feel so good, does it?"
"How did you find me?" I managed to squeak out through chattering teeth.
"I'm still shocked about it too." He admitted. "I've been dreaming about this moment for so long, that it almost doesn't seem real." He paused for a moment before continuing, "I didn't exactly picture our reunion to turn out like this. I was hoping it'd be a lot bloodier. With Aiden in between my claws..." Once again, I forced out my power. It came hurdling back at me and I yelped in pain as the electricity coursed through me. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." Ethan scolded me. "It's that stupidity that got you in this situation in the first place." He told me. "For days there have been reports of power surges in this town-unusually high and extremely irregular for us not to take notice. Once we were able to track you down we realized that you had joined another pack. It wasn't until Tuck came along that we were able to come up with a plan to get us to you." Tuck was standing behind him, smiling smugly down at me. "You made it almost too easy." Ethan grinned. "By turning your entire pack against Tuck, we no longer had to go against two Alphas. And let's face it, your brother can hardly be considered one. So, since Tuck was the only true threat there was pretty much nothing left to stop me. I was suprised when he offered to help. Turns out he knew we had been hiding out in the town for a couple days, and was waiting for the right moment when we could prove useful to him. It's funny how things work out, isn't it?"
"Hilarious." I muttered dryly, trying to control my body spazams.
"Enough about me, I want to hear all about you." He jabbed his finger into my shoulder. "You continue to impress me, Tessa. I don't know how you've got half the ton crawling all over you, but it definetly made my search a hundredtimes easier." He mocked me. "What's his name, again?" He asked, standing over Jackson. "Jackson?" He answered himself, and kicked Jackson in the ribs. I clenched my hands together, fighting through the pain of the sharp metal wire cutting into my skin. "I'm sort of offended." Ethan said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I always thought you still had a crush on me." He smirked. Tuck chuckled loudly, he was still pacing back and forth nervously.
"I don't get it." I swallowed uneasily. "Why are we still here? What are you planning?"
"Getting you was only half the plan." Ethan informed me. "You should really be blaming yourself for making this so difficult. If you hadn't revealed yourself to both of the packs, then we wouldn't have to be preparing for phase 2." I was afraid to ask what that meant. "We can't risk anyone coming to save you. We have to make sure your secret dies with this town. And that the rest of the pack dies along with it." He said the last part slowly, causing goosebumps to line my arms.
"No." I gasped, struggling to break off the metal wire. Tears stung my eyes as realization sunk in. Ethan was going to finish what he started, and that meant getting rid of everyone I loved in the process.
"Don't worry," Ethan consoled me. "we're saving Aiden for last." He bent over and hovered his face over mine. "I want you to watch me kill him yourself." He blew his breath onto my face. Tears were rolling down my cheeks now. I glanced upwards at Jackson was still unmoving. Ethan stood upright, and adjusted his jacket. He ran his hand through his slicked back hair and winked at me. "I'm going to turn the lights off in the town, forever." He took one more look at me before turning to walk away. "Watch her." He told Tuck. "If she tries anything, kill him."
"You won't get away with this." My voice shook as I spoke. "This time you're going up against two packs, not just one.
"The others will be here shortly." He started to laugh maniacally. My memories came back in flashes; of the white wolf slashing it's claws through my father's neck, of an entire pack of wolves crashing in through the windows of my kitchen, of Ethan ripping his claws through my brother, of watching my house go up in flames, and watching the tiny light emitted from it disappear from my view. But this time Aiden and I won't be getting out in time. "In the meantime, I'll be busy destroying the lives of everyone you love." Declan. Carter. Scarlett. No one was safe.
Ethan disappeared into the night. A cool rustle of wind blew through the air. Tuck shifted uncomfortably on the ground. "J-j-jackson?" I stuttered weakly, kicking him with my leg since that was the only part of my body I had control of. "Jackson?" I called out to him again, my voice wavering. He still didn't move.
"He'll be out for awhile." Tuck interuppted me. "It's going to take awhile for him to heal from that blow to the head." He explained.
"He'll go after Scarlett." I told him. "Unless you stop him, Ethan will destroy both packs."
"With a gift like yours, I can have all the packs I want." He gave me a slight side smile.
"What makes you think I'd ever let you use me?"
"You don't really have much of a choice." He sighed, and bent over besides me. Tuck readjusted me so that I was in an upright sitting position, with my wrists binded together in my lap. "What's that?" He asked, looking at the exposed skin on the side of my abdomen. My tiny tattoo of a flame was revealed underneath my rolled up tank. "How cute." He smirked.
"You were trying to get rid of me before you even knew my secret, why?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. It started to sink in that I was completely on my own out here-among the shadows of the trees where no one would even hear me scream.
'You were getting on my nerves." His bottom lip quivered as he spoke. "I didn't like how attached Aiden was to you, and after getting attacked by Carter you were becoming more and more of a liability." He smacked his lips at me. "I was hoping to make your death look like one of the others. Then Declan saw me."
"And you couldn't risk him telling anyone about what he saw." I finished for him, as everything started to fall into place.
"Was any part of it real? Or did you make up everything, just to get close to me?"
"I've been living my entire life as a lie, it wasn't hard for me to realize you and Aiden were too. The only way I could get you to open up to me, was to earn your trust. Which proved to be much easier than I thought." He laughed. "Aiden refused to share anything with me, but you...you were so eager. You wanted so badly for someone to listen to you so that you could for once, share the spotlight with your brother."
"And Scarlett?" I added. "Was she just another part of your act?" Tuck suprised me and fell silent. I took this as an advantage and continued, "You put those scratches on her arms, didn't you? Just like the one on her face!" I yelled.
"SHUT UP." Tuck growled gripped me by my chin. Suddenly his features softened, and he pulled away from me. "It's too bad that you're completely useless without your hands." He leaned forward, his breath blowing down onto my face. I gulped uneasily as Tuck pushed me back onto the ground and climbed on top of me.
"Not completely." I argued, slamming my knee into his groin. Tuck yelped in pain and rolled off of me. I struggled to my feet, running with my hands tied together as fast as my legs could carry me. I had no choice but to leave Jackson behind-and the guilt was biting into me. I could hear Tuck's footsteps echoing my own. I sprinted foward, my hair blowing behind me. I tried to ignore the tiny rocks embedded into my feet, using the pain to push me faster. We were reaching a clearing in the forest, by the lake Declan had taken me to when Tuck grabbed me by the hair. I screamed, as he yanked me back. Tuck tossed me into a nearby tree. I hit my head against the bark hard, and my vision blurred. I rolled over onto my side, gasping for breath. Tuck stood over me, with his claws protruded. A sharp stinging pain in my ribs caused me to wince. I looked down, and saw that I had fallen on top loose branch. The branch stuck out of my abdomen and when I tried to pick myself up it dug further into my skin. Tuck bent over and hoisted me up into the air. He wrapped his hands around my neck and squeezed my air passage with his curled fist. I kicked out my feet wildly as I dangled in the air. Everything started to blur as my oxygen was cut off. I clasped at Tuck's hands, but it was no use. I felt my body beginning to go limp. I opened my mouth, attempting to breath in one last breath of air. I had blown my one chance at an escape. Tuck was going to take me back to Ethan, and then my fate would be sealed. With every last ounce of energy inside me, I sent out an wave of electricity through my palms. Although it ricocheted back to me, I was able to send a shockwave into Tuck as well. He jumped back, and released me from his grip. I sucked in the air greedily, my body making small spazms as an effect of the electric shock. Tuck fell onto the ground, his body twitching uncontrollably. I had to get up. I had to keep going. I wobbled drunkedly to my feet, the entire world spinning around me. My hands twitched, as sparks flew out from the tips of fingers. Tuck's claws were still out, since the electricity prevented him from controlling his shifting. I limped towards him, with the branch sticking out of my side and my body convulsing. I bent down besides him and used his claw as a knife to break apart the metal wire around my wrists. The wire snapped in half and I fell backwards from the impact. A nervous laugh escaped from my lips. My adrenaline had finally kicked in, and I yanked the branch out of my skin with a loud grunt. It fell onto the grass with a soft thud, my blood dripping from it.
A howl pierced through the still night air. I was being torn at the seams. It wouldn't take long for Tuck to come back into consciousness so I had to make a choice: Aiden or Jackson. I bit my bottom lip, clutched my abdomen with my hand, and headed towards my house. I limped as I trudged through the underbrush and clasped my open wound which stained my hands red. My hair fell in front of my eyes and I couldn't get the image of Jackson lying helpless and still on the cold dirt ground-out of my head. Tears were budding in the corner of my eyes. I couldn't just leave him, but I couldn't let Ethan get to Aiden before me. I reached the edge of the lake, the tide rolled in and out slowly almost reaching my toes. It was only a couple blocks to my house from here. I exhaled deeply when I saw a flash of light from across the lake. "Tessa!" Declan yelled, waving around a flashlight in the air. "Tessa, are you out there?" His voice echoed across the lake. A warm feeling bubbled inside me. My lips widened into a smile and I began to jump up and down.
"I'm over here!" I yelled, my voice hoarse. "I'm right here!" I repeated, this time louder. I waved my hands over my head, and the ray of Declan's flashlight fell onto me. Declan's eyes softened when he laid them on me, he seemed to take a collective breath. His eyes fell to my side, where the blood was starting to soak through my shirt. Declan tore off his shirt and ran into the water. His eyes never left mine until he could no longer reach the bottom of the lake with his feet-so that he had to swim the rest of the way to me. Declan emerged from the water with a collossal splash, his hair was slicked back and his droplets of water dripped from his chest. "Are you okay?" He pressed his hands to my cheek. He pulled me into a tight hug, causing me to get soaked. "I was so worried about you." He murmered into my ear. "We all knew that Tuck was going to come after you eventually-" I cut him off.
"This wasn't just Tuck." I explained.
"What are you talking about?" His eyes widened. "You're hurt." He observed and without letting me finish he swooped me up into his arms. "We need to take you to the hospital." He started to panic. "You're losing a lot of blood, you look so pale..." He caressed my face softly. "I'll tell your brother to meet us there."
"No!" I yelled, using all the energy I had left inside me. "You have to take me to Aiden NOW."
"We don't have time for that, Tess." Declan tried to reason with me.
"You don't understand, you NEED to take me to him." I begged.
"No, you don't understand." He clarified. "You aren't a werewolf, Tessa. You don't heal like we do. If we don't take care of that soon you're going to be losing a lot of blood."
"It's Ethan." I blurted out with a heavy breath. I could feel my whole body shutting down. My eyelids grew heavy and my fingertips twitched. "He-he found us." I stuttered, trying to catch my breath. "Jackson's in the woods, you have to go back for him." My voice was almost at a whisper now.
"Jackson can take care of himself, what I'm worried about it you."
"Promise me," I tugged on Declan's shirt. "promise me you'll go back for Jackson."
Declan gulped uneasily and nodded. "I promise."
"How sweet." Tuck's voice cut through the night air like a sharp knife. Declan settled me back onto the ground gently. I could barely hold myself up anymore, each second I could feel myself getting weaker. I wobbled back and forth, struggling to stand upright. Declan stood in front of me, with his arms outstretched. His flexed his hands, and his claws sprung outwards. "There's no need for hostility." Tuck smiled coyly. "We both want the same thing." He locked his eyes onto mine. "And that's for Tessa to stay alive. She's worthless dead."
I collapsed onto the ground, the light inside of me starting to flicker. "Tessa!" Declan bent down besides me, cradling my hand in his. He ran his fingers through my hair, as I panted for air. "Stay with me." He begged. "You have to stay with me."
"I-I-I'm so tired." I told him, my eyes fluttering.
"You have to stay awake." He told me. "If you close your eyes you might never wake up."
"You know there's only one way to save her." Tuck stood over him, his own claws protruding from his hands. "The bite of an Alpha can heal any wound."
"I'm not letting you anywhere near her." Declan stood up and shoved Tuck backwards.
"And I'm not letting her die." Tuck narrowed his eyes. He threw Declan into the lake. Declan thrashed back and forth as Tuck pinned him underneath the water. Every couple of seconds he would come up, gasping for air, but he wouldn't be able to last forever. Eventually Declan would be taking his last breath.
The splashing of water echoed through my ears, as the entire world seemed to shift. I suddenly became aware of every electrical current coursing underneath the ground, from the lamp post besides the sidewalk, and from the houses across the street. The light throbbed with a heart-beat of it's own, slowly fading in pace and vibrance as my breaths slowed. The splashing continued, and I could no longer see Declan. Tuck was standing in the water, his eyes glowing a darker red than I've ever seen before. This time he wasn't going to let Declan get away. This time he was going to finish the job. A pulsing current of electricity from underneath an emergency in ground flood light in the grass called out to me. I had this strange feeling that if I could just reach it...that everything would be alright. I pulled myself up onto my hands and knees and began to crawl across the grass. My body grew as heavy as my eyelids and I fell over, only inches away. I straightened out my arm, reaching my hand for the light.
I could feel myself fading away. I no longer saw coursing rivers of electricity traveling through everything around me. All I saw was the pool of blood that had formed along my shirt. I stretched out my fingers with every last bit of energy I had inside of me. Tuck's dark figured walked out of the water. Declan never came out. I let out one last breath, stretching out my fingers until they wrapped around the in-ground flood light's metal coating.
Then the light inside of me shut off for good.