I walked onto Tera's porch and rang the doorbell. I stood and waited, my foot tapping from impatience. Ever since earlier at school, I've been impatient to see her again and to know what was going on and why her ex was here.
The door opened, and standing there wasn't Tera, but was Charlie. He was wearing a gray tank top with some matching sweats. His hair was tied back and he had a beard that was so sloppy that it looked like he hadn't shaven for weeks.
"Charlie?" I asked. I hadn't seen him since the night he stormed into the woods as a wolf from the tension that Flower had caused.
He smiled weakly. "In the flesh." He said in a low cheery voice that wasn't his. He always seemed like he was in a good mood.
"How are you?" I asked. "I haven't seen you since that incident."
He shook his head. "Just a little sore. The Change can hurt pretty bad." He lost the smile and put on a straight face. "You know you can't get involved." He said flat out.
I shook my head. "I just want to know what the problem is, that's all."
"If you get involved, then you'll be the problem." Tera's voice said, Charlie stepping aside to reveal Tera. "You should just go home. Stay out of this."
I didn't move. "But Tera, I can-"
"No." She cut me off. Her voice was more firm. "You can't do anything in these kinds of things. You'll be useless."
That stung. My heart was pricked, and it felt like it was bleeding. 'Useless?'. I'll be the problem if I get involved?
Charlie noticed how I was feeling. He turned to Tera. "I'll let you handle this." He said, and walked away, out of sight.
She sighed. "You should've just left me alone, then you wouldn't have to be so hurt." She said. "I could've just left without leaving any unfinished business like with you behind."
"Business?" I asked lowly, my eyes staring at the ground. "We were business to you? Me and Sage and the others?"
She sounded like she was confused. "What? No, you guys were-"
I cut her off this time. "Tera, you were there for me. You stood by me as someone I truly cared for. I let you into the family of those closest to me. You became a part of that family, and it only took only a small amount of time to do so. And you say we were just business."
She sounded frustrated. "That's not what I meant."
I looked up at her and stared her directly into her eyes. "You became a part of OUR pack. You know damn well we're not 'unfinished business'."
Her expression changed. She kept her golden eyes on mine, and we stood there for a good while, glaring at each other. Suddenly, her eyes dropped, and she looked so surprised.
I raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" I asked.
She looked back up and regained her composure. "You don't understand. You don't know how I feel and what my motives are behind leaving." She was ignoring what just happened. But then again, so did I once we started talking again.
I shook my head. "Were we just play things for you for the time being?" I asked, my voice trembling. For the first time in so long, I felt anger at someone. My blood felt like it was boiling and my hands were shaking a little.
She put a hand under my chin and made me look at her. "You guys are my world. You guys made me smile for the first time in so long. You, of course, made me feel something I thought I couldn't feel anymore."
The trembling stopped, and I felt so still, with my breathing slowed and my heart almost to a stop. "Then why? Why would you leave us?"
She smiled, a pained smile. And I saw something in her eyes. Tears. "Why would I put my family into danger when I know I can just avoid it by running?"
I stood silent. I didn't know how to respond. I got so angry over nothing?
She wanted to leave to protect us...
She leaned in and, gently, kissed me on the lips. I closed my eyes and put my hand over her's that was on my cheek. I felt myself breaking inside. I wanted to cry, I did, but I couldn't. I couldn't shed a tear in the last few years. Crying never got me anywhere in the past. Where would it get me now?
She pulled away and I saw the wet stained track on the side of her face. She backed away into her door. "I hope we'll meet again someday." She said, beginning to close the door. "I'm sorry if I made you feel worthless."
"Wait." I said, my voice trembling again. "I-If you leave, I'll tell everyone your secret. I'll make sure everyone knows that your kind exist."
She closed her eyes and smiled, another tear rolling down her other cheek. "No you won't. We both know you're lying." She opened them and there was sincerity in her face. "Besides, it would just lead to a pointless death."
She continued to close the door before I finally got desperate enough. "I don't care." I said. "About dying."
The door stopped, and her eyes were looking down at my feet, not meeting my eyes. "...What?" She asked.
I nodded. "That's right. If helping you would result in me dying, then so be it."
"You're either crazy or stupid to die for me." She said.
I laughed with no humor. "Maybe. But I'd at least died knowing I was some use to the person I care for."
We sat there silently for another moment, before she pushed the door open and walked back inside. I followed behind her.
We walked into the kitchen where Charlie was sitting at the table with a glass of something brown. He turned and looked at us both.
He turned his attention to Tera. "I hope you know what'll be at stake here." He glanced at me and back at her.
I felt myself shiver a little, but I shook it off. Maybe Sage was right, maybe I was growing more and more brave and bold.
"I'll take my chances." I spoke. "At any cost."
He turned his head back at me and gave a side smile. "You're not so bright. This is no situation for humans to handle."
"I tried to convince him otherwise." Tera added. "He just wouldn't listen." She smiled at me for a second. "But he's gonna do whatever he can."
Charlie nodded. "Your call." He looked down and noticed the sheathed dagger on my hip. "Dancing Wildflower must have given you that."
I nodded. He sighed. "That was a gruesome day."
"You mean when her parents were killed?" I asked.
He shook his head. "The day she got revenge." He answered. I grew cold at the thought of Flower actually killing someone, so I let that conversation stand for another time.
"Mind filling me in on the situation?" I asked.
"A childhood friend is here to see me." Tera said.
She wasn't saying much so I looked back at Charlie. "He's come to take her back to the old pack."
"Take her back? Why?"
Charlie shook his head. "You don't leave behind your packs just like that." He explained. "Packs run by blood. You make a blood pact with the Alpha, and then you dedicate yourself to standing by the Alpha with the rest of the pack."
I nodded and crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm guessing that your Alpha sent this guy to come and get Tera?"
Charlie opened his mouth to speak, but closed it and looked away. Tera was the one to answer. "No, the guy who came IS the Alpha."
I froze. If he was the Alpha, then he must be the most powerful. And if Tera was his mate, wouldn't that make her higher up in the pack system? How does this stuff even work?
I looked at her. "You were mates with the Alpha?"
She grimaced at me. "Mates, no. I wouldn't dare bind my heart with that parasite who only wants to use me and abandon me."
Charlie finally spoke up again. "See, Kurt, the Alpha, learned the history of Tera's mother and her family lineage. He thought that by any chance of Tera adopting some of the magic that she would be able to bare him children."
"Bastard." She said with a low growl.
I cautiously patted her on the shoulder. I saw her golden eyes brighten up, and when I touched her, they dimmed.
Charlie noticed this and crossed his arms. "Guess it's a good thing we left." He gestured towards me.
I looked back at him. "So how do you plan on handling the situation?" I asked.
"Simple. We leave town tomorrow. We'll take what is important and be gone by morning." Charlie explained. "He wouldn't dare track us in the day and he won't find us until he changed and asks around for us."
Tera closed her eyes and shook her head. "We're not leaving." She said.
Charlie stilled. "...what?" He asked.
She looked up at him, and over at me. She gave a frustrated smile, but it meant so much. "I've decided to make this new place our home." She looked at him again. "I have the best place to call my home."
Charlie shook his head. "Tera, you're being unreasonable. You're thinking in the moment."
She looked at him, a stare of power that even I felt in the room. "In any moment, I'd give anything to stay."
He exhaled deeply, then lowered his eyes. "So what do you think is a good plan here?"
"I guess the only plan we have: Talk him out of bringing me back, or fight."
I looked at her. "Are you strong enough to handle him? He is Alpha, after all. Doesn't that mean he's more dominant?"
Charlie smiled and looked at her. "I remember when they were little they would always fight and she would always come out on top. Even as teenagers." He turned to look at me. "Truthfully, he could seriously injure her. She could seriously injure him." He looked back at Tera, whose eyes were focused on staring outside the window. "She's one of the only females in the America's strong enough to become Alpha."