Cameron and Malena came back a few minutes later with Cameron still looking sullen and hurt, and I couldn't help but look at my food and set my jaw, not able to meet his gaze.

"So," Carter said while Cameron and Malena sat down with us, with Cameron sitting next to me and Malena at his other side. "Do you think you two will be ready to get the next piece of the sword after you finish eating?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yes," Malena said while Cameron nodded in confirmation, staying silent. "We will be."

"Good," Carter said. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow with a small smirk on his face. "So, Princess," he drawled out, and I rolled my eyes and scowled.

I stayed silent and continued to eat my food, not looking at him and ignoring him.

Carter sighed mockingly and rolled his eyes. "Princess," he said.again as if he thought I would answer him.

Still, I ignored him, and I had a feeling that both Carter and Chase looked at each other before they looked at me.

"Princess," Carter said in a small sing-song and cheerful voice, and I held back an eye roll and pressed my lips into a thin line but still didn't look at him. "I know that you can hear me talking to you."

Chase cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, biting back a small laugh. "I don't think she is going to answer to "princess," Carter," he said while he looked at him and then at me before he looked at Carter again. " So what do you want?"

"Well, I don't want to talk to you because you aren't Princess," Carter said. "I want to talk to the one with a princess's name." He gestured to me, and I rolled my eyes and scowled, but I still didn't answer him.

Chase sighed and shook his head. "Man, you are going to get your ass handed to you one of these days," he said with another shake of his head. "She's not going to answer you until you call her by her real name."

"Hmph." He pressed his lips into a thin line before he looked at Chase and then at me again. "Well, what if I call you Alpha, Princess?" Carter asked while he raised an eyebrow in question. "Will you answer to that?"

I set my jaw and grew tense, my heart aching. I didn't say a word while I continued to eat my food, even though I was not hungry but I knew that I was going to have to eat something to keep up my strength.

Carter and Chase looked at each other and then looked at Cameron, who shrugged and also looked at me, concerned.

"I think that is a no," Samuel said.

"Shut up, Samuel," I seethed while I glared at him, and he flinched and looked down, not able to meet my gaze any longer. I scowled and narrowed my eyes before I looked at my food and gripped my fork tighter, setting my jaw.

Carter sighed mockingly and rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said. "Jasmine, can you look at me, please?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

I held back an eye roll while I looked at him with an annoyed look on my face.

Carter grinned while he dipped his head closer to his chest, and I rolled my eyes and scowled, annoyed. "Thank you," he said sweetly before he cleared his throat and grew serious. "Now, are you almost ready to go?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

I looked at my food before I looked at him, setting my jaw. "Do I look ready?" I asked coldly while I raised an eyebrow in question. "I mean, I still have food on my plate, right?"

Carter shrugged and looked nonchalant, and I rolled my eyes again. "I mean, you could be ready even if you have food on your plate."

"Not wolves," Cameron said while he shook his head and cleared his throat, hiding a chuckle. "We don't stop eating until we are either full or everything is off of our plate."

"You two do need to hurry up and get ready to go," Samuel said, "so I suggest that you tw- well, three finish eating so that Jaz can get your swords. There are dark d-"

"Dark days are already upon us, Samuel," I said, interrupting him while I rolled my eyes and scowled. "I mean, what do you mean by that?"

He shrugged and grimaced, not looking at me. "N-N-Nothing," he said before he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "D-Don't worry about it."

I rolled my eyes and scowled, not saying a word before I took another bite of my food.

"I mean, Jaz is right, though," Carter said and shrugged while we looked at him. "I mean, We are in some pretty dark days already. What could possibly go wrong that hasn't gone wrong already?"

Samuel narrowed his eyes when he looked at Carter and scowled. "A lot," he said sarcastically. "Jaz could lose her life." He gestured to me, and I scoffed a laugh and rolled my eyes.

"Sure, sure," I said and nodded. "Or the world could end tomorrow. What else is new?"

"Nothing much, really," Carter said, interrupting Samuel. He shrugged and grinned, his eyes sparking with amusement. "That's the fun of it," he said, and I snorted and rolled my eyes. "The future keeps changing and is affected by strings being pulled by someone that we can't see."

Clatter, clank.

We turned in Samuel's direction to see that he was looking pale and staring at Carter with wide eyes and an open mouth. Fear filled his eyes, and it looked like he didn't expect Carter to say something like that.

"W-W-W-What?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "What did you say?"

Carter narrowed his eyes and scowled. "Are you ok?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "You look a little pale and seem to have seen a ghost."

Samuel shook his head, and his heart pounded hard in his chest. "What did you say?" he asked again.

Carter looked at me, and I shrugged and grimaced, not knowing what was wrong with him. He furrowed his brows and looked at Samuel, confused. "Well, I asked if you were ok and that you look a little pale and seem to have seen a ghost. Why?"

Samuel shook his head again. "No, no, no," he said and waved his hands a little. "Before that. What did you say before that?"

Carter blinked and blinked again, confused. "The future keeps changing and is affected by strings being pulled by someone that we can't see?" he asked.

"Yes, that," Samuel said and nodded. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat "How do you know that?"

Carter furrowed his brows tighter while he cocked his head and pressed his lips into a thin line. "It's... Greek mythology," he said. "I mean, everyone knows it." He looked at me when he said that and raised both eyebrows in unison, silently asking if I knew what he was talking about.

"What?" Samuel asked and looked at me before he looked at Carter, and I rolled my eyes and scowled. He looked at Carter again and cocked his head while he studied me. "What do you mean?"

"He's talking about the Fates, you dunderhead," I said and rolled my eyes again while I pressed my lips into a thin line, "or the Moirai."

"Ya," Carter said and nodded in confirmation. "You have Clotho, who is the spinner, then Lachesis who is the allotter, and then Atropos who is the inevitable, or in this case the master of death."

I scoffed a laugh and rolled my eyes, scowling. "Atropos isn't the master of death, Carter," I said, and he looked at me while he grinned. "She determines who dies or who doesn't and when. She isn't the master of death. That'd be Thanatos."

Carter shrugged and grimaced. "Eh, same difference," he said, and I rolled my eyes and scowled. "But why were you so scared when I said something like that?" he asked and looked at Samuel while he raised an eyebrow in question. "Are you hiding something?"

Samuel didn't say a word and started to eat something else on his plate. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, and I rolled my eyes and scowled before I turned my attention to Carter.

Carter looked at me and grinned, amused. "Well, aren't you worried?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and I held back an eye roll while I scowled and narrowed my eyes, pressing my lips into a thin line.

"Not really," I said, and he snorted and shook his head, amused. I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head while I stared at him. "Why? Are you worried, Carter?" I asked and raised the eyebrow higher while I looked at him.

"Oh, I am," he said and nodded in confirmation. "I mean, it seems important. Doesn't it?" He looked at Samuel and raised an eyebrow in question.

Samuel hesitated before he shook his head and cleared his throat, not looking at us. He shifted in his seat and bit the inside of his lip. "No," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper, and he was the worst type of liar ever. "It isn't important."

I bit back a small snort and rolled my eyes, pressing my lips into a thin line. "Very funny, Samuel," I said coldly, and he looked at me with wide eyes, and his face turned pale. "That is such a terrible lie, even for someone like you."

He didn't say a word and slowly blinked before he looked between the two of us and then at me. His whole body was tense, and I could tell that he didn't want to talk about this at all and hated himself for bringing it up.

I bit back an annoyed sigh before I shook my head and looked at Malena and Cameron, who had been silently eating, watching this play out, amused. "Are you two almost done?" I asked, noticing that they were about done before I looked at them again. "We should be leaving here soon."

"I'm almost done," Malena said while Cameron nodded in agreement. She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat while she looked at Samuel and then at me. "Is... Samuel not coming with us?" she asked and furrowed her brows while she looked at me, cocking her head.

I set my jaw and narrowed my eyes before I shook my head, ignoring the small growl that wanted to come out, but I didn't let it because I was still mad at him. "He isn't," I said, the small growl appearing out of nowhere no matter how much I had tried to hold it in, and Samuel flinched. "And if he tries to follow us, then his head will be mine."

I looked at him and narrowed my eyes further while I bared my teeth in warning, and Samuel gulped, his face becoming pale.

He hesitated before he shook his head, not able to hold my gaze any longer. "I won't be coming with them," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "I won't follow you. I-I promise," he said, stuttering.

He wouldn't follow as Samuel...

"Hmph." I bit back a small satisfied smirk. "Good," I said and lifted my head higher while I stared at him. "Because if you did, then that would have been the last thing that you do."

And with that, I stood from the table, muttered something under my breath about going to the library and waiting for them and left, leaving everyone behind to watch after my retreating back.

Oh, Goddess... please, don't let this be the last thing that I do.

Please...