Chapter Notes: Ava-Rain's POV

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- '. . .f*** a fake friend, where your real friends at?' -

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"I'm sorry. Ava-Rain, I'm so, so sorry."

     For the entire five minutes that we had been inside of her house, I had not spoken one word to Jennifer. Not when she led us into the living room, nor when she tried to defuse the awkward silence with her perfect smile and useless attempts at small talk. With Caleb close behind me and Kasey by my side, I purposely stayed across the room from her, trying to convince myself that it was the best place to be to keep Caleb—whose gaze remained solely on the pure blood named Gray—and Kasey—who was throwing deadly glares in Jennifer's direction—in check.

     But that wasn't entirely true.

     Putting as much space between Jennifer and myself was a conscious choice because I was certain if she was so much as an arms length away from me, I might have killed her.

     But the moment that pathetic apology slipped past her, all bets were off. All I saw was red as my entire body filled with a hot, fiery rage that burned hotter the more I stared at her. I don't remember crossing the room towards her, only the feeling of my hands around her neck and the euphoric feeling that emerged as I watched her eyes fill with fear as she struggled to breathe.

     The feeling was cut short far too quickly when I felt myself being pulled away from Jennifer and Caleb's voice in my ear begging me to calm down.

     "Sorry?" I shouted at her while trying to escape Caleb's hold. "You're sorry? Do you know what you did? Do you have any idea what you did? Declan," I pointed in his direction at the back of the room, "almost died because of you! I almost died because of you!"   

     She was blocked from my sight when Gray's tall form moved in front of her hunched over frame. "Control your God-damned mate or I will!" He locked eyes with Caleb before lowering them to me. "And do not forget that I spared you not once, but twice. Do not make me regret it—"

     "Gray, it's okay." Jennifer managed to regain her composure and stepped out from behind the pure blood. "I'm okay," she assured him as she rubbed her neck. He only spared a second to look at her before he maneuvered his body in front of her once again.

     As good as it felt to attack Jennifer, I knew that such an opportunity was not going to rise again anytime soon. And as pointless as I knew it was, I continued to try and break free from Caleb's iron grip, not because I wanted to make another attempt to strangle her but because I knew it would have kept him distracted from answering the pure blood's threat.

     "You haven't changed even after all this time, and you never will, will you?" I shook my head. "Sorry can't always fix everything, Jennifer. You were supposed to be my best friend! How could you do that to me?"

     "I didn't know," she had the audacity to say before looking up at the pure blood who still remained in front of her. "He promised me. . ."

     "And why the hell are you running around with pure bloods anyway?" Kasey asked. "How long have you known about the existence of wolves?"

    I and everyone one else in the room wanted to know the answer to that question. But Jennifer's reply had not come right away. And because I had been watching her so intensely, I was able to see what the others might not have picked up on just yet, even though it was so obvious.

     The way her eyes softened whenever they landed on the wolf in front of her. The authoritative tone she had used to command him to stand down when we first arrived. A tone that no mere human would ever dare use nor get away with using when talking to a wolf.

     Unless that wolf was her mate.

     "Why am I here, Jennifer? Why did you send him to get me here?"

     "Despite what you might think of me, Ava-Rain, I do care about you. Both of you," she glanced at Kasey. "You're my best friends. Even if you hate me—"

     "Just spit it out," Kasey hadn't bothered trying to hide her irritation.

     "You're here because of me," Gray answered Kasey but kept his sharp gaze hardened on Caleb in a way that made me feel uneasy. "Like I said earlier, you and I need to talk, and I think you'll want to listen to what I have to say."

     "Then start talking," was Caleb's quick reply in a no-nonsense tone.

     Instead of doing so, his mouth twisted into a smug smirk as he looked around the room. "I trust neither weak wolves nor hunters, yet you surround yourself with them. We talk alone."

     Caleb took a step towards him, not in a threatening way but to answer the pure blood's challenge with one of his own. "You sure you want to leave your mate alone with mine? I can't promise that she'll be on her best behaviour, nor will I make her promise to be."

     "His what?" Kasey practically yelled. "There is no way in hell that Jennifer is. . .You've got to be freaking kidding me."

     "It's true," Jennifer and I said simultaneously as we both stared directly at each other.

     Although it was a bit of a shock—the fact that all three of us were mated to wolves—there just wasn't enough time to dwell on it.

     "You're here alone," Caleb pulled our attention back to the matter at hand, "because this is either some sort of trap or because you're hiding something—or someone—from your pack. I'm leaning more towards the latter. Am I right? I think I am. You may be a pure blood, but you're still outnumbered. Now, I didn't come here to fight and I promised my mate that I wouldn't do anything that might make her upset and get me scolded. But if you want to continue wasting time listing demands that will certainly not be met, then I'll certainly use that time to start remembering all of the grudges I have against you."

     If Caleb was right, then that could have only meant that Gray was hiding Jennifer from his pack. Pure bloods were pure blooded for a reason. Being a human mate to a werewolf came with a whole lot of complications in and of itself, but being the human mate of a pure blood I could only assume was much, much more than just a complication. It could easily be a death sentence not just for the human, but for the wolf.

     Especially a wolf who was supposed to be investigating claims of mixed bloods taking humans as mates.

     "And if I start doing that, we may not even get to the point where you can ask me for that favour consuming your thoughts and leading your every action. That is what this is, isn't it? A give and take of some sort. The whole reason for the ambush on my territory. We both know you'd never lower yourself to ask me nor any mixed blood for help unless you were absolutely desperate and had nobody else to ask or trust but a mixed blood. I'm still right, aren't I?"

     Of course, a thousand questions ran through my mind at that point—like how the hell Caleb concluded all of that in the mere ten minutes of us being there. But staring up at my mate as he talked to the pure blood, confidence oozing off of him while staring so intensely at him that there was no doubt in the room who was truly calling the shots, blew me away.

     He was truly born to be an alpha.

     Feared if you crossed him.

     Respected after you misjudged him.

     Revered after you underestimated him.

     Admired if you knew him.

     "Why are you here? Why are you investigating me?"

     "We're not. At least, not anymore. I mean, we never were. Not really. We were protecting you. From the beginning, that's all we've been doing."

     "Protecting me from what? From who?" Caleb demanded.

     Instead of giving Caleb an immediate answer, Gray's eyes wandered in my direction. His gaze remained on me for no more than five seconds, but it was long enough to assure me of what I already knew all this time.

     What I knew the moment I entered Caleb's life.

     The moment he chose to accept me.

     The moment I started to love him.

     And because old habits died hard, I tried to slip my hand out of Caleb's but he only held on to it tighter. And when I turned my head to look up at him, he had already been staring down at me, daring me to try and leave him or his side in any way again. Reminding me that it would only end up a battle that I would not nor could not ever win.

     "From. . .her. That was the order given from someone who wants her gone."

     That had pulled our attention back to the pure blood.

     And by gone, I was positive he meant dead. He and his pack had used Jennifer to do just that, after all.

     "So you are doing The Council's dirty work?" From behind us, Kane asked.

     "I don't know for sure if it's The Council, but that's my best guess. Or at least someone from The Council. A couple of weeks ago, our alpha sent us here and ordered us to watch you and your pack. We were supposed to report back on everything. Every move you made, every place you went, every person you crossed paths with. Most of us protested, wondering why we had to concern ourselves with the whereabouts of a mixed blood and his pack. The only answer we were given was that it was a favour for a friend that our alpha could not refuse. As you know, there aren't many that can command us to do anything."

     Why would The Council send pure bloods Caleb's way when they weren't even aware of his existence? Had they suddenly become aware? If so, why not come themselves instead of sending pure bloods to do their dirty work? Did the pure bloods know about Caleb's true identity?

     "And, after weeks of watching us, what have you learned?" Caleb probed.

     "That you keep to yourselves. You don't mingle with other wolves or packs. You spend most of your time at your den. Contact with humans is kept at a minimum. To be honest, you and your pack weren't any different than most packs."

     I released the breath that I was holding once he told us what he learned, or, rather, what he had not learned. For now, at least, Caleb's identity as an heir of the four, was still a secret.

     "But we weren't ordered to learn anything about you, only to watch. To observe. To wait and report back on anything out of the ordinary."

     "So you reported back about Ava-Rain?"

     "We did what we were ordered to do," he answered defensively. "You think we wanted to be a part of this? We did it because we had to. Because, although he never admitted it, our alpha was threatened. I don't know why or by who, only that we had no choice. And just as I'm sure your pack does, we answer our alpha's call no matter what. After we shared what we observed, we were told that she wasn't your true mate and to rid of her because she knew too much."

     "And you were going to do it? Just like that? Because you were ordered to? No questions asked?"

     More than simply sensing and hearing it, I felt Caleb's anger because of the connection established through our intertwined hands. It was a rapidly growing fire spreading from the pit of my stomach.

     "You sent a T&D after her, and when that didn't work, you lured her out with the help of Jennifer—"

     "A T&D? That wasn't us—"

     "Even if Ava-Rain wasn't his mate," Kasey interrupted, "what gives you or The Council the right to take a human life?"

     The pure blood shifted his gaze in her direction. "He didn't report her like all wolves are required to do by Council Law." Returning his focus on Caleb, he continued. "What the hell were we suppose to think other than that you were keeping her a secret because she wasn't?"

     "She is. Just as much as Jennifer is yours, and you have no intention of reporting her either. Not to The Council or your own pack, do you? By your own twisted logic, does that mean that I can kill her?"

     I expected the pure blood to protest, to react to Caleb's threat—one that he would never actually carry out—but, to my surprise, he remained silent. Not because he wanted to—his clenched fists were more than enough indication of his anger. Not because a threat against his mate was something he was taking lightly—the words of protest were conveyed through his intense stare while his icy blue eyes remained zoned in on Caleb. Just as I had witnessed Caleb do so many times before, Gray was swallowing his pride for the sake of his mate, whom he continued to keep behind his protective stance.

     "Who else from your pack knows about Jennifer and what she is to you?"

     "Only my alpha. The others just know her as someone I got close to in order to gain information on your mate and the hunter."

     "And he's okay with it?"

     "No. But he's my father. And it's that fact alone that's preventing him from killing her while making me watch. She's not, nor will she ever be safe with me because of the blood that runs through my veins. Especially not now. There have been whispers of the yellow circulating amongst my kind, whispers that tell us that there is an unrest within The Council. Our pack has cut off all contact with this wolf that wants your mate dead, and it's only a matter of time before he or she sends others to do what we couldn't. They'll come for you, for us, and when that time comes, we need to be prepared, and so do you. Because they will come."

     "And that brings us to why we're here, doesn't it? What is it that you want?"

     "I need to know that. . .that if—when—the time comes and shit hits the fan, that you'll take in Jennifer and protect her. I need to know that you'll keep her safe. I know that I have no right to ask this of you after what I've done to your mate, but, ironically enough, you are the only wolf that I can ask. The only wolf I can trust with her life because of your mate."

     "You just told us that someone from The Council wants Ava-Rain dead." Chase spoke for the first time.

     "Exactly," Kane agreed. "What makes you think your mate will be safe with us?" Kane questioned.

     "Because you have what we don't: hunters. Despite how they feel about wolves, hunters always put humans first. I'm counting on that being true, no matter what."

     It was obvious he was hinting at mine and Kasey's currently undefined relationship with Jennifer, who up to twenty minutes ago we had written off as a traitor.

     "Is it really that bad?" Again, Chase spoke up. "I get you not being able to accept your mate, but why the need for protection? Nobody from your pack other than your alpha knows that she's your mate."

     "Like I said, we cut off contact with this wolf, which has most definitely put a target on our backs. I don't know why your alpha is so important to this wolf. . ."

     He paused long enough for my stomach to drop. If he had decided that right then and there was the time to push for answers—answers that Caleb could not give—then it was all over.

     I waited with bated breath, praying that he did not press any further. Hoping that, at least for the moment, his curiosity did not get the better of him. Silently begging him to remember that the temporary truce was only being upheld because Caleb was in a generous mood and would only last so long as he had not felt threatened.

    "Only you know that answer," Gray concluded, and a sigh of relief escaped me. "But he or she must be powerful. This whole situation screams 'off the books', which means this wolf has enough power to keep it from the rest of The Council. Can you really not think of anyone that wants to protect you? That would go so far as to put out a hit on your mate to do so?"

     'I don't know why either.'

     That's the response I anticipated slipping past Caleb's lips. But those words never came, and neither did any semblance of something along those lines. Had that meant that there was a possibility that Caleb did, in fact, know someone that would go to such lengths to protect him? Or was he simply just trying to say as little as possible to prevent further questions that would have put him in a tough spot from arising?

     "If you can't tell me anything about this wolf, then maybe your alpha can. Would a meeting with him be possible?"

     "He's already headed west. Only a handful of us stayed behind to tie up loose ends before we set out tomorrow to rejoin the rest of the pack. The best thing for us is to lay low for a while, but we also need to be prepared incase we become targeted."

     "What?" Jennifer grabbed his arm from where she stood behind him, "Grayson, you said you weren't leaving for a few more days."

     Refusing to even turn around to look at her, Gray kept his attention in our direction and continued on as if he had not heard his mate or was affected in any way by her touch. "I really hope that it doesn't come to it, but if it does, then you will also find yourself putting your mate in the hands of others, not because you'll want to but because you'll have to. Because her safety will be all that matters. Because as selfish as you want to be, keeping her any where other than by your side will be the only sure way of protecting her. I just ask that when that time comes, you will do the same for Jennifer."

     Caleb's reply had not been given right away. His hold on my hand had not loosened in the slightest; it was probably, in some way, his way of showing the universe that would always try and keep us apart that, no matter what obstacle it threw our way, he would never let go. But we both knew that this unknown threat that we now faced was going to force us all into doing things that we never anticipated having to do. Even if we didn't know when the storm would hit, even if we couldn't yet predict what sort of sacrifices we would be forced to make, every moment from that moment onward would consist not of us waiting for the storm, but chasing it.

     "I know that you just want what's best for your mate," Caleb finally spoke, "but I have to do what's best for mine. So I'm not the one you should be asking. It's her. She had to watch her delta almost get mauled to death. She had to learn that betrayal from a loved one is the worst kind. Jennifer hurt her in ways that she never imagined, and, humans tend to forgive more easily than wolves, but my mate isn't just a human. She's an alpha female. She has a pack that she loves, and a pack that loves her. A pack that would die and kill for her. A pack that she would die and kill for. Jennifer was once a part of her pack, but, intentionally or not, she betrayed her. So, you'll have to ask her if Jennifer can ever be a part of her pack again."

     After that, all eyes in the room were on me. The urge to hide behind Caleb was there, but there was no way that was going to happen. He wouldn't have let me, anyway. That's what the old Ava-Rain would have done, and I was no longer her.

     I had a voice. I was respected. I was an alpha female. I had a pack that accepted me with all of my faults and flaws, a boy who had breathed life into me by loving me, and a best friend that refused to let me walk alone in a world that would always try and break me. So every choice and decision I now made, I had to keep all of them in mind.

     And I didn't think Jennifer had a place within my pack.

    Not the Jennifer who was an expert manipulator, nor the Jennifer who had an arsenal full of guilt trips to use when she wanted something. Certainly not the Jennifer who had the inability to admit when she wrong or at fault.

     But, like Kasey, she was still the girl that I had known for most of my life.The Jennifer who had it all but never once looked down on me for not might have had a place. The Jennifer who still planted gardenias, tiger lilies and pansies outside of her house every year because they were our favourite flowers might have had a place.

      But, on any given day, I did not know which Jennifer I would get. Some days she was impulsive and self-absorbed, and on other days she was genuine and sincere. And I couldn't trust in that. I couldn't count on that. I certainly couldn't bring that around the pack.

     That's what my mind was telling me. However, my heart spoke differently. It told me that there was nothing coincidence about Kasey, Jennifer and I becoming friends. It told me that perhaps we were meant to cross paths and enter this supernatural world together. Three humans fated to wolves.

     So, did Jennifer have a place in my pack?

     Maybe. Maybe not.

     But one thing I knew for sure was that fate had intertwined our lives. Whether there was a reason or not, Jennifer, Kasey and I were fated.