I stretched in the warm light coming from my window. Sleep hadn't come easy after Janet's late night bed time story, but it did eventually and for once no dreams. I sighed looking at my door. I had a strange feeling overcome me that made my spine tingle, like the walls were closing in on me.
Then I felt pressure on the edge of my bed and my head spun around. Liz.
"Liz!" I laughed, I moved to reach out and hug her when I realized I couldn't. Instead I just smiled. She returned the smile but my attention moved to her hands which were tugging on the bottom of her shirt, nervously.
"Hey, Chloe." She mumbled.
"Where have you been?" I asked cautiously. "I was worried about you."
"Well, you left in such a hurry that I took a while to catch up to you. I umm….actually found you last night…when that woman was talking to you…"
"Janet?"
"Uh...yea." She looked away towards the door.
"Liz, what's wrong?" I shifted nervously towards her.
"It's nothing. I just overheard you two, and it well… it makes me nervous." She looked back at me the smile slowly returning. "I've been thinking a lot lately, it's all I really have to do right now. I don't think I can…I just don't want what happened to me, to happen to you…"
I starred at her nervously before patting the bed next her. "We would never have gotten this far without you." She smiled sweetly. "Were in this one together, okay?"
"Yea…I suppose so." Liz smiled.
Just then someone knocked on my door. "Giddy up sunshine, family meeting in the lounge in five minutes."Jason. I sighed and quickly threw on some of the new cloths my dad had left out for me. Liz didn't wait for me and I saw her drift through the wall into the hallway. I rushed the hair brush through my hair and scattered out into the hall, nearly running into Jason and Tori.
"Hey, good morning Sleeping Beauty!" Jason smiled widely. "Who were you talking to in there? Going a bit crazy huh, don't blame you with all the stress…" He started trailing off when he saw my face and Tori's.
"Is it Liz? Is she back?" Tori asked worried.
I nodded and looked around Liz was down the hall peeking into one of the rooms. "She's real nervous. I think the sudden change again confused her. But there something she's not telling me." Jason looked down the hall causally.
"Elizabeth? That girl you were talking about?" He looked over at Tori. She nodded. "Hmm…well this is going to be interesting. Come on they probably started talking without us." He started walking towards the room Liz had been peeking into. We followed but I stopped at the door. When she realized I wasn't behind her anymore Tori stopped to look at me.
"What's wrong?" I asked Liz standing outside the door.
"Nothing, I'm just going to stand here and eavesdrop."
"You can come in. It's not like anyone in there is going to bite you." I whispered. She looked at me shaking her head.
"Nah but I don't think anyone would be comfortable." She sighed.
"I won't feel comfortable unless you do. Come on" I made a movement to grab her arm and usher her in. "You can sit between me and Tori, you can still help." I looked at Tori and she nodded. The living room had been transformed into a meeting room over night. With one of those big board meeting tables in the center of it surrounded by big comfortable chairs. My dad looked up when I entered and gestured to the seat next to him. But there were three empty chairs next to Simon and Janet so I shook my head. He looked confused and even more when Tori and me left a chair in between us.
Without thinking Liz moved the chair out from under the table to sit in it. Everyone's attention shifted towards the moving chair. My dad looked at me worried and I just shrugged my shoulders.
"Liz wanted to hear what was going on." Tori spoke before I could.
"Liz is here?" Simon said looking towards the chair smiling. "Cool. Chloe tell her I said thanks for helping us out with that tight spot a while back."
"She can hear, Idiot!" Tori barked looking at the spot where her dead best friend sat, invisible to her.
Liz smiled all the same. "My pleasure."
"She says 'My pleasure.'" I smiled over at him. Janet, who was sitting next to me, looked at the chair like she was imaging a girl sitting there. She nodded before returning her attention on Andrew across the table.
I looked around and Doug, Leslie and the girls were missing. "Where's everyone else?" I asked.
"Doug is doing what he does best, and protecting the entrance. Leslie left with her girls in the middle of the night. I think she took them to a relative to stay till all this blows over. She wasn't going to bring them in the first place if they hadn't threatened to run away from their dad's to follow after her. She'll be back soon enough." Andrew said rubbing his neck. He seemed tense.
"I really just wanted to talk to you four." He said looking around the table speaking to me Tori, Simon, and Derek. I hadn't really notice Derek till now. He was sitting in the corner near Simon. He had his arms crossed and his eyes closed almost like he was sleeping. He looked okay; actually he looked too healthy almost like last night hadn't happened. He felt me starring at him and slightly opened his eyes. He gave me quick thumbs up and returned to his false slumber.
"So what's the plan, Drew?" Jeff asked, Jason sitting next to him his feet on the table.
"Well at the moment there isn't one." Andrew sighed. Tori snorted, holding back a laugh.
"We have to save Rae and my Aunt Lauren." I said speaking up. I felt strange, almost confident, something I never use to have. My nerves seemed to be gone. "We can't just leave them behind."
Andrew looked at me and then at Janet. "I know Chloe. I want your Aunt and Rae safe just as much as you do but…I know that the group isn't going to give them up easily. I think our best bet would be to find Kit."
Both Simon and Derek looked up with bright eyes at the mention of their dad. "Do you know where he is?" Simon said leaning towards Andrew excited.
"No, the last time he was able to get a hold me he was just outside New Jersey. And that was a good time before you guys were able to find me. He was able to call me on an untraceable cell phone. He's well, but worried very worried about you two boys. I didn't want to tell you boys at first, I didn't want to get your hopes up. But now…I don't have much of a choice."
"How can Kit help us?" Janet said her back straight and proper.
"He's the only one I can think of who knows that building well enough to invade it. If there was one person who could get us in an out, it's Kit." Andrew said nodding.
"So how do you purpose to find this Kit?" My dad asked.
Andrew scratched his neck.
"You don't know, do you?" Derek said relaxing back into his former position. Andrew glared at him.
"I can't exactly call him back, he called from a payphone. He said he was call back when he was closer and safe. I can't do much till then. I do have his email addresses. I've been sending him cryptic emails but he hasn't replied yet." He sighed.
A loud bang made everyone in the room jump to their feet. I felt my heart begin to race, was it another repeat of the safe-house? Were we being attacked again? No. Please. Not again.
"It's okay, calm down everyone." Andrew sighed gripping his chest over his heart. "It's a signal from Doug, someone is at the door. That's all."
Everyone piled out of the room and towards the entrance. Liz ran ahead of us. Derek came up beside me and grabbed my hand. I looked up at him and noticed how serious his face was, this couldn't be good. Doug came through the door first, unknowingly walking right through Liz. "Who here?" Jeff said running up to meet him.
"He's back." Doug said but before anyone could ask him who I felt Derek's grip on my hand tightened and William walked through the door. He smiled casually as the rest of us tensed at his powerful presence.
"Hello, everyone." William nodded to us.
"Good evening Mr. Tripp." My dad said rather businesslike from behind me making me look back at him shocked. He was about to walk past me and reach for a handshake from William when Derek reached pass me and grabbed his shoulder. "Wha-?"
"Dad don't." I hissed. He looked at me confused. My eyebrow rose, "didn't Andrew tell you?"
"Tell me what?" He said stepping back a few from Derek's reach.
"Sorry to interrupt your beautiful morning but I'm here on official pack business." William said adjusting a ring on his left hand.
"Of course," Andrew said finally finding his voice. "Is there a problem?"
"I guess you could call it that." William smiled.
"Is it about Liam? Did you catch him?" I asked, Derek's hand squeezed mine giving me a silent warning.
William smiled brightly at me. Almost charming, in a creepy way. "You need not worry about that trash anymore young Miss. Liam has been terminated for the welfare of the community. He won't be coming after you ever again."
I heard Tori let out a giant sigh of relief.
"But no, that is not why I'm here." His eyes went straight to Derek. "No, my boss has sent me here to give our young Sir here a message. More than that, really, an offer." Derek's muscles tensed. "Our Alpha has taken a great interest in you lad. And he should. Your story is very intriguing."
"William, Derek is still a kid-." Andrew started but a look from William made him stop.
"I am not here to take the boy tonight, Andrew; it is always the boy's choice. No I am here to deliver a message and try and convince that is all." William's gaze went back to Derek. "That is, unless, he chooses to come with me tonight. Then you should not stop us. If you all wouldn't mind I would like to talk to the boy alone."
No one moved.
William pretended not to have noticed our unwillingness to leave. He walked up to me and Derek; he stopped a good two feet in front of us. Derek tugged on my arm, pulling me once again behind him. I saw William's gaze go between me and Derek for a second before smiling at Derek. "I don't think we've been properly introduced yet." He held out his hand waiting for Derek to shake it. "I am William G. Tripp, and I am here to deliver an invitation to you, Derek Souza. My leader wishes for you to become one of us, and join our pack. He believes that we all can benefit from this, and hopes you will consider his offer."
Derek didn't answer or reach out for William's hand, he just glared at him. William's smile twitched a bit and his hand fell to his side slowly. "You're not the talkative type, are you son?" He chuckled. "Listen boy," His voice held a bit of an edge now causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. "You're at a big disadvantage right now. A wolf without a pack will always be on edge. There will never be a moment of peaceful sleep. This is your chance to be welcomed into an understanding family. We treat each other like brothers, and we will treat you the same way. You need a family to protect you. We can help you, if you only help us."
Derek eye's sharpened as he starred straight into William's eyes. I held on tight to Derek's hand grabbing his arm with my other hand. I thought Derek wasn't going to say anything, so did William who opened his mouth to say more when Derek spoke up. "I have gone through a lot, but I have a family. And they need me more than I need you right now." William's forehead creased. "Thanks for the offer but I can't leave them now."
I smiled.
"You don't have to decide now, of course." William said through his teeth. "But I feel an obligation to tell you this…This family of yours, how long until they don't need you anymore? How long until they abandon you like a misbehaving mutt on the side of the road? Are kind, are not accepted by anything other than our own kind. This family won't stay your family forever. They'll start to hate you, distance themselves from you. And you'll be all alone. It's a cruel world out there, Derek, and we need to stick together."
Derek didn't answer.
William's stare turned to me; he was starting to get angry you could feel it in the air. "Don't ruin your chances at a real family just because some blue eyed harpy blinked her long lashes at you. You'll regret it, trust me."
I felt a strange fire grow inside me. It was different than when Doug had insulted Derek, this time I felt offended personally. "Now wait a second." I growled. I felt Derek push me behind him, but I pushed forward and was able to keep eye contact with William. "You don't know me. Don't be assuming what I'm going to do and what I'm not going to do." William blinked, taken aback. "I'm not afraid of you. And how do you know what a real family is and isn't? I know he's different, hell we all are. I owe Derek my life; if it wasn't for him we'd all be dead. I won't ever forget that."
"Me either." Simon said standing right next to Derek now. "Derek's my brother, even if we're not blood related. We're in this for the long haul."
"I have to admit. Without him, we'd all be dead." Tori mumbled. Everyone seemed to be standing closer to each other. Trying to build a wall, almost, daring William to try something.
"There's your answer, William," Derek chuckled. "This is my family. They're not going anywhere. Even if I'm rejecting an amazing offer, I'm sorry, I can't leave them. That's real family."
William straightened up and closed his eyes. All of a sudden he started to laugh and the air around us suddenly became much lighter. "Well, well." He said shaking his head. "I'll hold you to that then, boy." He winked at me before turning and leaving without another word.
Everyone let out a sigh all at once. Jason and his dad started laughing.
"Damn, Chloe!" Tori said her eyes wide and her smiling approvingly. "When did you grow a back bone that big?"
"That was a foolish thing you did, Chloe." Andrew said shaking his head. "That man is older and stronger than you could imagine."
"Could someone please tell me what was going on?" My dad said coming up next to me again.
Andrew sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't tell you Saunders. I just didn't want to frighten you. William is the second strongest Werewolf in the New York territory. He's nearly ninety six years old. He could rip a man in half before he even had a chance to blink. But he was the only way for us to get such a great hiding place."
I saw my dad's face tighten, he looked at me disapprovingly. I was still clinging onto Derek. "I'm sorry…I don't know where it came from." I said trying to make up an excuse. He sighed before walking away. Jason and Jeff both gave me thumbs up before walking away after him. Andrew, Doug and Janet walked away heads together discussing something about William.
Liz jumped in front of me, "whatever the old geezers say, that was awesome. No ninety year old delivery boy is going to break up the team!" We all started to walk back towards the meeting room, but Simon kept looking back at Derek. I looked up and noticed he looked stressed.
"Hey Tori, Let's go and see what the kitchen has to offer." Simon said throwing his arm around her neck and leading her down the opposite hall way. She barked a few choice swear words at him and his new found cheerfulness. He looked over his shoulder as he was going and winked at Derek, who nodded.
Once they were gone and out of sight Derek pulled me into an the nearest unused office. He shut the door quietly behind him but stayed in place for a while. I started to feel uneasy. Liz peaked inside but I told her with a quick short hand motion to leave us for awhile.
"You're going to start shouting at me now aren't you?" I said glaring at him. "So what? I'm not allowed to protect you or -."
"No. It's…not…" He said speaking through his teeth. "I'm…not going to shout…" He let out a deep breath and didn't say anything else.
"Umm…Derek, listen, I'm sorry-." I started to say when the silence became unbearable.
"Thank you." Derek mumbled. I smiled. He looked over his shoulder. "You shouldn't have done that. But thanks anyway."
"Well, I couldn't let him call me a harpy and get away with it." I said rolling my shoulders. "And I wasn't going to let him take you away just yet."
"Oh really?" He said rising in eye brow and coming to stand in front of me. "Why's that?"
"I'm not done with you yet." I smiled up at him. "And I don't plan on it ever happening." He chuckled, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. His hand didn't leave my face.
"You're becoming quite a handful. Could you do me one more favor? No more Werewolf showdowns for you please? Unless you want to give me and your dad a heart attack." I shrugged; it must have been torture on him. William had a strange effect on us, I couldn't even imagine the stress Derek felt around him. I reached up and pulled his head down so our foreheads were pressed against each other.
"I'll try." I finally said, looking into his green eyes inches away from my own.
"Good." He sighed.
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