Hey!

Well, this is the last chapter for awhile! I have finals soon - bleh :/ I need to focus on those and Christmas is right around the corner! I have Christmas break, but I'm not sure when I'll have time to update!! Thank you soo much for your support! I would've never thought this many people would've enjoyed my book! I don't know how I feel about this chapter - I may go back and edit!! But, this is the last update until January!!!!! :( So, here's my early Christmas present to you ;) Hugs and presents,

~Lissa

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It wasn't the wind slamming against the windows or Drew's snoring into my ear as he cuddled against my body that awoke me in the morning.

It was a bloodcurdling scream.

My eyes snapped open and for a moment, I was blinded by the sunlight streaming in through the windows. Hearing the scream, Drew jerked awake, instantly leaping on top of me; his hands grabbed my head and pulled my face to his chest, nearly suffocating me. His legs were now tangled with mine as his body weight crushed me. Although, this was his way of protecting me, I was f*cking p*ssed at his sudden action. Releasing a groan, I pushed my head away from his chest and peered up at him, not surprised to have him glancing around, eyes narrowed.

"Why don't you stop being an idiot and get the hell off me?" I asked, harshly. I pushed at his chest, but he wouldn't budge. "You're crushing me."

Realizing he was hurting me, he quickly crawled off me, finally deciding there wasn't a threat in the bedroom. I took a deep breath and sat forward, running my fingers through my hair. Scowling, I looked at him, surprised to find him looking me up and down, worriedly. I rolled my eyes and kicked off the blanket, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. What is going on? I thought, as I rose to my feet.

"Something's wrong," Drew muttered, crawling out of bed.

I rolled my eyes. "No duh."

Ignoring my comment, he shuffled across the room to his dresser. He rummaged around in his top drawer until he produced two T-shirts, one black and one brown. As much as I hated to admit it, I watched his muscles clench as he slipped on the brown one, hiding his muscular body from my raping eyes. Then, he whipped around and tossed me the black T-shirt; I caught it easily and frowned at him. He gestured towards it, before speaking, "You'll have to ask to borrow some more clothes from Katie later - for right now, that'll have to do."

I looked down at the shirt in my hands. Katie's clothes I was wearing were dirty, torn at the bottom from the werewolves chasing after me in the forest. Seeing no other option, I looked at him, a serious expression on my face. "Fine, but turn around."

He frowned. "We're mates. Eventually, I'm going to see you na - "

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," I spat, eyes narrowed. He shook his head and muttered something to himself, before slowly turning around. I started pulling off my shirt, keeping my eyes locked on the back of his head. "You better not look. . ." I heard a quiet laugh in response and knowing better than to trust him, I quickly slipped on the T-shirt while also kicking out of Katie's jeans at the same time.

I exhaled loudly. "Okay, done."

He turned back around, slowly. "Come on, lets head down." I nodded and started towards the door to leave, but he came up behind me, grabbing my upper arm. I glared at him and opened my mouth to speak, but he beat me to it. "I want you by my side, just in case." There were two possible reasons why he wanted me close. One, he was afraid of me escaping again by slipping away when he was busy dealing with whatever the hell was going on. Or, two, he was concerned about my safety, maybe because the threat was still around. Probably both, I thought, reluctantly allowing him to guide me out of the bedroom.

"Sh*t," he cursed, rushing down the hallway.

I frowned. "What?"

"I smell blood," he responded, a small growl escaping his lips. My eyes widened as my breath caught in my throat. Usually, the thought of dead werewolves made my day, but as I followed Drew down the hallways, I felt anxious. The image of Brody lying dead on the ground stirred something inside of me; believe it or not, but I didn't want to see him dead. Yes, I, the girl who hunted werewolves, didn't want to see a werewolf dead. A couple, actually. God, what the hell is happening to me? I thought, realizing I was beginning to grow attached. My family would've been disappointed in me.

Drew jogged down the stairs, keeping a hold on my arm. I almost tripped at the bottom, but he saved me from the fall, which I didn't thank him for. We rushed through the living room and into the kitchen where a large crowd of people stood. Some were crying, some were frozen in fear, and some were cowered in the corners. In the middle, near the kitchen table, stood a bulky man with a bawling woman in his arms. Seeing Drew, the woman pushed out of his arms and rushed to us, tears streaming down her pink cheeks. "T-they're dead! We've been a-attacked! We're going t-to die! They're going to k-kill us all!"

Attacked?

"Who's dead? Kristy, calm down," Drew said, barely understanding her from her uncontrollable sobbing. "Where are the bodies?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but she couldn't without bursting into another fit of tears. So, she turned around and pointed out the sliding glass door. I squinted out at the backyard near the tree line, seeing two mauled bodies. Even from the distance, the blood was clear, standing out against the green. I listened to the whispers around me, keeping my eyes locked on the bodies. "They were just taking a walk. . .," " I can't believe this. . .," "It couldn't have been hunters - there were bite marks! I saw them!"

Drew looked at me. "Stay here."

With that, he pushed through the crowd of people and out the sliding glass door to the bodies where a few people had gathered around. I recognized one of the people as Cole, playing his role as Beta. I shifted my attention to the people around me, not surprised to find some glaring at me. Obviously, they knew of my killings. But, they knew better than to confront me because of my skills and how I wouldn't have hesitated in killing them. Or, knowing Drew would've probably punished them.

The bawling woman started heading back to the man, but I quickly lunged forward, grabbing her arm. She looked at me and fright appeared in her eyes; she knew who I was. She whimpered and sobbed harder, causing me to receive a glare from the man. "I'm not going to hurt you," I said, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. "I just want some answers, okay?"

Fearfully, she nodded.

"Did you see the werewolves who did this?" I asked, releasing her arm. Sobbing, she bit her bottom lip and glanced over her shoulder at the man. I frowned, growing irritated by her sobbing. Then, hesitantly, she nodded. "Yes? Okay, did these werewolves have. . .red eyes?" Suddenly, the man reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her into his body. He wrapped his arms around her trembling body and kissed the top of her head.

"Hey, I'm not done talking with her!" I snapped at him.

He growled at me. "You're done now."

The woman sobbed and closed her eyes for a moment, before reopening them and looking at me. Then, she nodded in reply with my question. My breath caught in my throat; for a moment, I couldn't breathe. Red eyes, I thought, staggering backwards until I was leaning against the wall to process everything. This meant, I was for sure not crazy. Werewolves with red eyes had chased me in the forest, nearly close to killing me. And, now, they killed a few members of Drew's pack. I didn't understand; what message were they sending?

Suddenly, a hand grabbed my shoulder from behind and I whipped around, prepared to do a wrist lock I learned from my brother. But, I stopped myself when I recognized the guy standing in front of me, his brown eyes filled with sadness.

Brody.

"Hunters didn't do this," he muttered, shaking his head.

"I know," I responded, leaning in closer to him. "The werewolves with red eyes did, Brody. That woman - " I gestured towards the woman I just spoke with. " - she told me they had red eyes. See? I'm not crazy; if you don't believe me, go ask her yourself." He looked over me at the woman sobbing in the man's arms, uncontrollably. Honestly, she probably wouldn't have been able to speak a word with her unstoppable sobbing.

He exhaled loudly. "Fine, I believe you." His words surprised me; he believed me? "So, we're dealing with werewolves with red eyes, going around killing people. God, I feel like I'm in some Supernatural episode. Maybe Dean Winchester will jump out somewhere - I hope so, he's my favorite." I punched his arm and he yelped, rubbing the area in pain. "Seriously? What is with you hitting me? Why do you abuse me!?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be dramatic." He whimpered and I looked out the sliding glass door at Drew. He was crouched down beside the bodies, rubbing his chin in thought. Cole stood next to me, glancing around. I turned my attention back to Brody. "Okay, has there have been any history of werewolves with red eyes? I mean, you read those books - have you ever read anything about this?"

He shook his head. "No, the only creatures I've read about with red eyes are Hellhounds. But, these are werewolves, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I ran my fingers through my hair, exhaling loudly. I looked back out at Drew, startled when his eyes met mine. Several emotions swarmed in his blue eyes, even though he was just making sure I didn't run off. That's when it hit me, like a punch in the face. I looked at Brody, a small grin on my face. "You know what? I think I know someone who has the answers we're looking for."

He frowned. "Uh, God?"

"Not him," I said, shaking my head. "Caine."

"Really? We're back to this," Brody replied, rolling his eyes at the 'crazy' thought of one of the first werewolves ever to still be walking on Earth. It took me a moment to remember that he didn't believe me when I first mentioned Caine being alive. "Look, I'm not saying you're crazy - because if I did, you'd punch me again - but I know a therapist. He's a real nice guy; I think you two would get along very well."

I groaned. "Brody, I know I have no proof of him being alive right now, but for the moment, just consider it, okay?" He glanced over his shoulder at a group of sobbing woman, before looking back at me and hesitantly, nodding. I exhaled loudly in relief. "Think about it. Like you said, the guy is really old, meaning he's probably seen some weird things. Maybe he's seen this before or knows what's happening."

He scratched his head. "Yeah, I guess. But, don't you think if he knew stuff on these werewolves, he would've told you in the forest?"

"I didn't ask," I muttered, rubbing my temples as I flashed back to the moment. "I'm pretty sure he knows what's going on. He has to."

"Okay, well, call to him?" he suggested, raising his eyebrows. I looked at him, frowning in confusion at his words. He shrugged, tossing his hands into the air. "Hey, I'm guessing you two didn't exchange phone numbers out there, so how else will you get him to come around? I was just suggesting. . ."

"Call to him?" I asked, frowning. "What the hell does that mean?"

"You know, like bird call?"

"I'm just going to pretend you never said anything."

"I'm okay with that."

I took a deep breath. "Okay, so how am I going to contact him? How am I going to get him here?" Brody glanced over to the right, noticing two woman were attempting to eavesdrop on our conversation. He grabbed my upper arm and dragged me across the kitchen to behind the granite counters near the refrigerator. I folded my arms across my chest while he opened the refrigerator and grabbed a Pepsi off the top shelf. He opened the soda and took a long drink, feeling my eyes as I watched him, growing impatient.

He swallowed. "Hey, I don't know."

I groaned, letting me head fall back dramtically as he took another sip of his soda, just when Drew came walking back into the room. Frantically, his eyes glanced around, his posture rigid. When his eyes found me, he instantly relaxed and started heading my way. I looked at Brody, narrowing my eyes in a warning. "Don't say anything."

Drew stopped next to me and looked at Brody. "Leave."

Brody bowed respectfully, before scurrying off without another glance my way. I frowned at Drew who frowned back at me. "Come on, we're going back upstairs. We need to talk." Before I could respond, he grabbed my upper arm and started dragging me back up the stairs, a scowl on his face. What the hell is with everyone grabbing me? I thought, tired of being dragged around like a rag doll. Reluctantly, I was dragged down the hallways, cursing to myself. Every time I tried to yank my arm out of his hold, he tightened his grip.

Bursting back into the bedroom, he released my arm finally and I waltzed back to the bed, flopping down at the end. I watched as Drew closed the door, running his fingers through his hair, frustrated. "I can't keep this from you anymore. They won't stop and. . . I need to tell everyone. It's the best thing for the pack." His eyes snapped up to mine, before he started pacing back and forth by the door.

I frowned. "Tell everyone what?"

Hesitantly, he answered. "Those woman weren't killed by normal werewolves, Nora. These werewolves are, uh, different. They're stronger than most. They're evil, okay? I've been trying to do something about them - I've been, um, talking with other packs. I guess they found out and they killed some of my pack members. God, this is all my fault." He buried his face in his hands, thinking about the mauled woman. If I wasn't frozen in place, I would've slapped him numerous times. He knew? This whole time, he f*cking knew about the werewolves with the red eyes!? And, he didn't bother telling me!?

I gritted my teeth together. "You f*cking knew!?"

Confusion washed over his face. "What?"

"You knew about the werewolves with red eyes this whole f*cking time and you didn't tell me!?" I shouted, jumping to my feet. Now, I wasn't frozen in place. I stomped over to him and started swatting him with my hands. I smacked his ear and he yelped, gently shoving me away. But, I continued swatting at him, aiming for his cheeks. "You. F*cking. Idiot! That's what those -" Smack! "- meetings were about!?"

I slapped his cheek, hard enough to leave a red mark. "Stop!" he demanded, shoving me away even harder. I stumbled backwards, glaring at him in anger. He took a deep breath and frowned at me. "Why don't you explain to me how you know?"

"I was f*cking chased by them in the forest!" I answered, not caring whether or not he knew anymore. "Hell, I thought I was crazy at one point! And, you knew this whole time!? Why didn't you tell me!?"

His eyes narrowed. "Did they hurt you?"

"That doesn't matter!" I shouted, frustrated that his protectiveness decided to kick in at the moment. "You should've told me! Ugh, you dumba**!" I lunged at him again, slapping him repeatedly. I slapped his chest multiple times, considering he was smart enough to block his face with his arms. I didn't care how many red marks covered his skin afterwards - he deserved it. He shoved me away, releasing a growl. "You should've told me about being chased by them! I wasn't the only one keeping secrets!"

A harsh laugh escaped my lips. "Don't turn this around on me!" Slap! I managed to smack him across the cheek again and hard enough that it echoed throughout the room. This caused his eyes to flash black and I gulped loudly. Sh*t. I p*ssed another werewolf off - nothing new. Before I could react, he grabbed my forearms and using his fast speed, pushed me against the nearest wall. I groaned, still a little sore from Cole throwing me against the wall yesterday. Drew growled, attempting to gain back his control.

"They hurt you," he growled again, his breath fanning my face. I started wiggling my forearms out of his grip. "I didn't even know. . .I need to protect you."

I frowned. "No, you don't."

"It's the only way," he whispered, ignoring my comment. He started leaning closer, his mouth heading straight towards my neck. That was when it hit me - he was going to mark me. F*ck no! I started thrashing around, slapping at his chest in hope of escaping his hold. "Don't you dare!" Seeing no other option, I brought my head forward, nailing our foreheads together. An ache occurred in my head and black spots appeared in my vision as he stumbled away, dazed. Hastily, I staggered away to the other side of the room, blinking away the spots in my vision.

Shaking his head, he whirled around, looking at me. "I'll be able to protect you better; I'll know when you're in danger." He started approaching me, slowly.

"Stay the hell away from me!" I screamed, panicking on the inside. This can't be happening, I thought, fighting back the tears threatening to spill. If he marked me, he would've been able to sense where I was and know what I was feeling. This meant, if I ever escaped, he'd know exactly where I was. To make things worse, once I returned to my family, they would've been ashamed with me. Once they saw his mark, they would've probably made some remark like, 'We raised you better than that.'

"I should've marked you right when we met," he responded, watching my every step. "I waited, hoping for you to come around. But, i-it's too dangerous now. . ."

Realizing he was only a few feet away, I leaped across the bed, but accidentally caught my foot caught in the sheets. I plummeted to the ground and released a cry, kicking away the sheets in a hurry. No! I leaped back to my feet and charged towards the door to get away. I heard his racing footsteps after me; I reached out towards the handle and I was close enough that my fingertips brushed the cold metal. But, an arm snaked around my waist, dragging my back towards the bed.

"Let go of me!" I yelled, scratching at his arm in panic.

Next thing I knew, he was dropping me down on the bed; before I could crawl away, he crushed me with his body. Lying directly on top of me, I tried wiggling out from underneath him, but he was too heavy. "Don't! Drew, don't! Think about this! My family will kill you! I'll f*cking h - "

"I'm sorry."

Then, his teeth chomped down on my neck, followed by my fist to his face.