Ava was currently sat across from me, nervously twiddling her thumbs together while I finished my cigarette. As soon as I had walked in this morning, she had sidled up to me with pleading eyes and an apologetic expression. The rest of the gang were outright ignored by her, which only twisted the dagger deeper and set up further questions for them to interrogate me with later.
Reluctantly, however, I had followed her and now, here we were.
"Just so we're clear, why did you break up with Oscar?" My voice had a slight edge to it that I couldn't help, "And how exactly was it my fault?"
"Well, I didn't mean that it was your fault..." She frowned, lowering her gaze to the floor sheepishly, "I broke up with him because I know he's not my mate. I've known for a while that he's not the one and that I'm going to have to leave him eventually, but I've been trying to forget it. I always thought that he was my mate and that on my birthday I'd be able to tell him everything, but it came and went and... Nothing. No spark, no overwhelming emotions..."
"So you haven't found your mate yet?" I double checked.
"I haven't." She confirmed, "I've been putting off breaking up with Oscar for a while, because I truly do love him, but then you and Xavier happened."
"How exactly does that effect you?"
"Every time we all hung out I was reminded that I was going to hurt Oscar sooner or later! I knew that once you knew I was a wolf, you wouldn't agree with me continuing to date him either, so I was caught between a rock and a hard place. I just had to get it over with."
I sighed, leaning back. It was a hard situation, but she couldn't place the blame on me and my relationship with Xavier. Whether I was Xavier's mate or not, Ava was going to have to break up with Oscar eventually. Unless she rejected her mate of course, which I personally don't wish on anyone. That shit hurts.
"So you're just going to ignore us all for the rest of your life, then?" My voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"Of course not. You know I love you guys, but seeing Oscar right now... It's a lot." Ava's eyes welled with tears, making my cold exterior melt slightly.
"You're being silly." I sighed, wrapping her in a hug, "Both of you need your friends right now and ignoring him is only creating more pain for everyone. Just try sitting with us again, I'll make sure nobody brings it up. If you really want things to go back to normal, you just have to push through this awkward and painful breakup stage. You and Oscar are best friends before you're romantic partners."
"I suppose you're right, I'm just scared." Ava's mascara was smudged slightly from the tears, making her look a bit like those American cartoon raccoons.
"I know you are, but so is he. We all are. I'm here for you and so are the rest of the gang." I promised, a ghost of a smile slipping onto her teary face.
"Thanks. I don't know what I was thinking when-"
Ava was cut off by a shriek coming from the common room, making both of our faces drop. My stomach lurched and I leapt to my feet, shaking slightly. That shriek was definitely not one of delight...
Ava's face was full of fear, letting me know that whatever was going on in that common room, wasn't good news.
"Jude's here."
I was dreading hearing those words, but of course Jude was here. It was just my luck that a psycho would show up at my school like this. I cursed under my breath, composing myself so that I didn't seem weak in front of the pack, before I marched up the fire escape.
There he stood, sneering at a few younger years from the pack as they cowered into the common room sofas. My reaction to seeing Jude was very conflicting because despite fear chilling my spine, my blood also boiled with anger. I felt strangely protective over the pack members he was terrorising, feeling an urge to defend them.
"Jude, step the fuck back." I snapped, my voice sounding firm despite the wobble in my knees.
"You and your mouth." Jude's eyes twinkled with amusement, "I thought I told Xavier to keep you on a leash."
"And I thought he told you to stay the hell away." I deadpanned, making his eyebrow quirk.
"It's adorable that you thought I'd listen." He chuckled, taking a step away from the pack members.
"I must have over anticipated your intelligence- my bad." I smirked.
He settled a glare on me, that unhinged look in his eyes again. I was praying that somebody had let Xavier know what was going on because that look was beyond unsettling, it made me believe that he truly was as dangerous as people had told me. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to wind him up like this, but what else was I going to do? Let him terrorise the pack?
Like hell I would.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" I mocked him, giving the stragglers left in the common room a chance to leave while he was distracted.
His eyes grew darker and I gulped, my mouth going dry. The only people left now were some of the stronger members of the pack, ready in case he snaps. Let's face it, if I push Jude too far and he decides to just kill me, I wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight. Human teenage male versus a literal werewolf? I know who my money's on.
"Don't you find Xavier boring?" Jude's mood suddenly flipped again, a devilish grin now plastered across his face.
"No." I answered simply, not wanting to humour whatever he was up to.
"Oh, come on. He's your mate, but we all know he's a bit of a snooze." Jude pushed, "I mean, you're the partying type! You like to have fun, yet you're dating Xavier? He wouldn't know what fun was if it hit him in the face."
"Thanks, Jude!" I cheered with sarcastic enthusiasm, "Your opinion really matters to me! You're totally right, he should be more like you- terrorising innocent people and being a dickhead for fun. Perhaps a spot of murder? Sounds sooo fun."
"The real murderers are the elders of that damn pack." Jude suddenly hissed, taking several threatening steps towards me.
One of the pack members attempted to block him, stepping in front of me, but Jude only shoved them to the floor with force, stepping over them and continuing towards me. I wanted so badly to seem brave and stand my ground, but that shook me to my core and I had to stumble backwards, scared to be tossed like a rag doll by some unhinged rogue.
"Take one more step, Jude." A familiar voice boomed from across the room, "Take one more. I dare you."
"It took you a while to get here, Xavie-kins. Don't tell me you haven't marked him yet?" Jude chuckled, "You're making things far too easy for me."
Xavier didn't bother to even reply.
Last time we saw Jude, there were a bunch of humans present which prevented any kind of confrontation. This time, however, the only human present was me. Xavier must have realised this because he didn't waste a single second in crossing the room and lunging at Jude.
Jude hadn't expected Xavier to be so rash, so they both went crashing to the common room floor. Xavier had the advantage, being on top, so he managed to get the first few punches in. He really wasn't wasting any time, his punches were furious and so fast that his fist blurred as he swung. My stomach flipped watching them, unsure of what to do and hoping that Xavier didn't get hurt.
Jude must have finally clicked into fighting mode because the next thing I knew, Xavier was on the bottom and Jude was swinging punches at him. Xavier was thrashing underneath and trying to push Jude off, which didn't take very long. It seemed like they were pretty much matched in strength, since the fight seemed very fifty-fifty.
"Aren't you going to help him?" I asked one of the pack members, gesturing to the brawling pair on the floor.
"He asked us not to." The guy shrugged, "I can't disobey the Alpha."
"Well, he's not my Alpha." I muttered to myself, shaking my head.
Jude was on top again, so I marched over to them and swung my leg back, letting it connect with a cracking sound to Jude's head. I chose a good day to wear Dr Martens. Jude went flying off of Xavier and landed with a crash, sprawling on the floor. I offered Xavier my hand, having to use all of my body weight to help lift him up.
He was clearly chocked that I had intervened and kicked Jude in the head, but I wasn't just going to stand there while they air their personal grievances. It's ridiculous for them to fight one on one when Xavier has a whole pack at their disposal- it's only going to put more pack members in danger when Jude inevitably flees.
"This is about more than just you and Jude: it's about the pack." I hissed, "Grow up."
It was then that I was tackled to the ground from behind.
I let out a yell in pain, feeling my whole body be crushed by a weighty figure. The only person here who would tackle me would be Jude, so I'm presuming that's who's onto of my back right now. This wasn't unexpected, I did tackle him after all, but I hadn't expected it to hurt so damn much.
Jude wasn't on me for long before he was then tackled off of me, allowing me to roll over onto my back to see what was going on. Just a few feet from me, Kodiak now stood, towering over a smirking Jude. If I were Jude, I'd be shitting my pants right now. Kodiak had never looked this intimidating to me, even when I first met him.
"Did wolfie not like me on his mate?" Jude teased, his voice twisted with a sick sense of excitement.
Kodiak simply growled back, making me jump. The sound rumbled through the room, making a clock fall off of the wall and smash as it hit the floor. I could feel the vibrations in my bones, allowing me to feel just how much power was in that growl of Xavier's. It wasn't just a warning, but a threat on Jude's life.
Jude was backed into a corner now and there was no way he could possibly escape. Was I about to witness a murder? Even if he is a horrible person, I'm not the type of person who can just sleep peacefully at night after watching a guy be killed...
Kodiak took a few more steps towards Jude, his head dipped low with his eyes trained on Jude's every move. He looked a bit like an animal stalking his prey, which is exactly what he is, I guess. To Kodiak, Jude was just dinner disguised as a nuisance who had hurt his mate.
Oddly enough, Jude wasn't tased by this. Something tells me that he's been in this exact position a thousand times, so now he's just a seasoned expert at escaping. His cocky attitude was enough to get on my nerves, so I could only imagine how Xavier felt. His sick smirk only grew stronger with every step Kodiak took towards him.
As if almost on queue, a scream rang out from outside. Kodiak was only a step away from Jude at this point, shaking with anger. Everyone in the room whipped their heads towards the direction of the sound, but Kodiak and Jude just continued to glare at each other intently.
"Haven't you got to go save somebody, Kodiak?" Jude tutted, "The longer you stay here... Well, let's just say the clock's ticking, Alpha."
Kodiak growled lowly, clearly fighting himself on what to do. None of us had any clue what was going on outside, so Xavier could really be needed. On the other hand, that would give Jude a chance to escape. What I couldn't understand, however, is why Xavier wouldn't just kill him now and then go help? Why was he dragging out his attack? Jude was vulnerable and an easy kill. If he really wanted to, he could just end it right now.
With one last threatening bark, Kodiak backed off of Jude and shifted, watching Jude rise to his feet and walk to the window, slipping out of it with one last cheery wave.