Welcome back. Thank you to everyone who's reading. I'm sure some are disappointed I don't update regularly but this works for me.

So far, we're seeing how Ashley interacts with most of the pack. Although she has a relationship with Nick and this is rated M, things are happening so fast in the first season and so many people are dying that I don't find it appropriate to really get into sexual and extremely personal details, especially when Ashley herself doesn't like how Clay and Elena can't put their personal baggage aside while their friends are fighting for their lives.

It creates drama but I don't like it. The drama in my story is how Nick and Ash have to put aside their feelings for each other for the sake of the Pack because that is their priority.

I don't own Bitten, neither the books nor show.

Chapter 7: Grief

That night, chaos ensued when the sheriff and her people pulled out of Stonehaven because the wolf was spotted at a rave in the middle of town. Ashley and Antonio were with Jeremy in the great room when Clay called, reporting that the Mutt was dead, hit by a car. Jeremy immediately called Pete to tell him that everything was resolved. When Jeremy told Pete that he and Logan didn't have to come back to Stonehaven, Ashley immediately stood off her seat. "Jeremy," she said, cautiously. "Someone is still targeting us. We're stronger together."

"We'll find who made the Mutt," Jeremy replied. He just wanted it to be over. "I don't want all of you to uproot your lives for this. My decision is final. You should return to school." He willingly removed what he, Ashley, and Antonio had talked about in the afternoon. Jeremy feared if he kept them too close, they would run away where he could never reach them. So he let them go, willingly, always hoping, wishing, they would come back.

Ashley inhaled deeply as she stomped out of the room. "She's right, you know," Antonio said.

"Clay and I will handle it." Jeremy got up, grabbed a few glasses and the whiskey. He sat in the armchair beside Antonio, pouring him a drink. "You should head out, too."

"Jeremy, really, it's no hardship to stay on another night or two," Antonio replied.

"The townspeople got their wolf. The hunters won't come back."

"Maybe it's time we canvassed all the Mutts, remind them why it's best to follow the rules."

"That's a very good idea, my friend. But that's a project for tomorrow." They clinked their glasses together and drank just as Clay walked past them, brooding as he ripped his shirt off.

"I'm going for a run."

"He thought she was gonna stay," said Antonio.

"So did I."

As Clay ran, he caught the scent of Ashley. He looked up to find her nude, standing in a tree as she looked up at the starry sky. Ashley had already scented him coming her way. She jumped down from the tree and petted the back of his neck before pulling him in for a hug. "I miss them already. I miss her, too," She said to Clay who whined while snuggling into her neck. "Let's head back." They returned together.

Ashley was packing her clothes and laptop when Clay knocked on her door. The dejected look on his face as he looked at her told her all she needed to know. She ran down the hall, down the stairs, and out of the house, at full speed, all the way to the gate. Jeremy, Nick, and Antonio were already there as she stopped. Her eyes were fully dilated to see in the dark and her heart beating like a drum against her chest as she caught her breath. She couldn't hear or feel anything as she walked past the others.

Pete. "No." She couldn't find her voice as tears fell down her face. She crouched down as she couldn't stand looking at him beaten and bloodied and dead. Clay walked past her, crouching down close to Pete to examine his body.

"He didn't go down without hurting someone," Clay said.

"Who did this?" Jeremy asked.

Clay pulled Pete by his lapel, inhaling deeply to scent the killer. "I don't know." Clay carefully leaned Pete back against the gate post. He raised Pete's left hand, to show them that his finger was bitten off. Ashley turned to look at Jeremy just as he walked away, back toward the house. She wiped her eyes as she looked at his back, fading toward the manor. Nick lowered his head as Antonio gritted his teeth. The only thing going through all of their minds at the moment was revenge.

Ashley had cried most of the night and barely slept. She heard when Elena and Logan returned late the night before and heard when Jeremy was cremating Pete's body in the furnace. Now, the sun was up. She looked at herself in the mirror, red puffy eyes surrounded by dark circles. She couldn't send Pete off looking like the dead.

After a shower and some light makeup, she wore a casual short black dress and black knitted flats. She smiled, satisfied with herself in the mirror before she walked out of the room. In the great room, the others were already standing around the table with Pete's ashes. She stood beside Logan and picked up the glass as Jeremy began his speech.

Ashley looked down at the urn. Everything was so surreal. Pete was gone, killed, and turned to ashes and placed in a pot smaller than a glass of wine. She didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. He was always traveling and they didn't see each other much, but he always dropped by her school to take her out whenever his band was on the East Coast.

As Elena gave her speech, she was interrupted by a howl that caught everyone's attention.

"I'm betting it's the Mutt who killed Pete," said Nick.

"The son of a bitch is taunting us."

Before Jeremy said a word, Ashley was out of her shoes and running out the door. The others soon followed her, moving through the woods, following the scent of the Mutt. She had to catch him. She had to kill him for Pete, so he wouldn't be lonely in hell. But Ashley lost the scent as she was coming up to a clearing. "Shit." She looked left and right and all around, but there was nothing. She jumped up onto a branch, high in the trees to get a better vantage. But the leaves were a canopy that allowed him to evade her gaze.

"Anything?" she heard Clay ask below.

Ashley dropped down beside him. "No. I lost him."

"That's Pete's jacket," Jeremy said as Elena took the jacket off the tree.

"He's baiting us," Ashley growled between her teeth.

Antonio came running from the other direction with Logan and Nick following. "We lost the scent. He's gone."

"We can still find him." Elena turned to leave, but Antonio stopped her.

"By the time we change, he'll be long gone."

"Antonio's right," Jeremy agreed. "Tonight, we mourn for Pete. Tomorrow, we hunt."

Ashley saw Elena walk out into the yard as she entered the kitchen. She saw Logan sitting at the table. "How many sessions have you had today?" Her voice was hoarse as she spoke.

"A few," Logan answered as he pushed a cup of tea toward Ashley, motioning for her to sit down. "You were hit hard by Pete's death."

"Weren't we all?" She took a seat beside Logan and drank the tea. "I hate this feeling."

"What feeling?"

Her voice was groggy showing that she had obviously been crying. "The feeling of loss and emptiness. The feeling of hopelessness. Rage. They all come at me in waves, one after another. Sometimes I feel them all at once, sometimes I don't feel anything at all." She looked up at Logan, her eyes still red from crying. "Frankly, I'd prefer not to feel anything because I just feel like I'm drowning and I can't keep my head above water."

"Losing someone you love always hurts. I was the same when my mom died. The grief never goes away but it lessens with time."

"Thanks for the tea." She stood up and went back for the door.

"Ash." She stopped when Logan called her name. "You shouldn't suppress your feelings or else they'll just build until you explode. You need to find a way to get it out."

"Oh, I'll get it out." As she walked out, Logan heard her say, "By murdering the Mutt who killed Pete."

Ashley returned to her room and turned on her laptop to watch sappy Chinese dramas. She had a fantasy costume drama playing with the characters shooting colorful mists at each other while flying in the air. Her eyes were glued on the action, her heart was still in pieces as she cried. "Nicky, just come in."

"You okay?" Nick said as he shut the door behind him.

"No, are you?"

"Not really." Nick sat beside her on the bed before he reached over to wipe her eyes. "Your eyes are red and puffy."

"I'll stop crying when we go after the Mutts," Ashley said. "You were with Pete at the club. What was the last thing he said?"

"He said he loved us."

Ashley laughed. "That's so like Pete. He always has such a big heart, always wears it on his sleeve. You know, I think most of us hide our emotions, but never Pete. His heart was always open to reading. Always ready to welcome anyone." She sniffled as she looked up, batting her eyelashes before letting them rest on her cheeks. "He was just a light. I just wish he was here." Her tears came back as she began to sob. "I never told him how much I appreciated him. I love him so much. I miss him even more." Her voice broke as Nick pulled her into his shoulders. "And now, I'll never see him again."

Nick brought her into his chest, whispering soft nothings into her ear, telling her it was okay and that they were going to get the people who killed Pete. He laid her down on the bed, pulling the covers over her as she laid down with her. Nick wrapped his arms around keeping her head in his chest, letting her weep to her heart's content. Ashley wrapped her arms around Nick's back, clinging her body to him, feeling his warmth and the soft beating of his heart. She focused on his breathing as she also took deep breaths to calm herself.

She looked up at him before reaching up to kiss his lips. They shared a few small pecks while lying there together in each other's embrace. They heard a knock on the door. "Jeremy wants us in the great room," said Logan before he left.

"Thank you for staying with me." One more kiss and Ashley was out of bed and walking out the door. After a short pause, Nick followed behind her. When they came down the stairs, Elena was coming into the house topless, with her shirt only covering her breasts and her hair disheveled with dried leaves clinging to the strands.

They all stared and Nick smirked as he knew exactly what had happened. In fact, they all knew as Clay's scent was wafting off of her. "Uh, Jeremy wants us in the great room," said Logan.

"Mind if I change first?" Elena said.

Nick smiled. "Kinda." Ashley smirked as she elbowed Nick. She bit her lips to hold in her laughter. Elena simply rushed up the steps, leaving them in the foyer. The Clay entered in full nude, holding his clothes and also covered in dried leaves. Nick playfully covered Ashley's eyes with his hands. "Clay, did you two have a nice run?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clay said.

"You know, like a run. Frolicking in the woods, maybe some nuzzling."

"We ran. Period." Clay walked past them and up the stairs.

Ashley removed Nick's hands from her eyes.

"Hey, listen. I don't mind when Elena romps around the house naked but please put some clothes on. You're making Logan here feel inadequate."

"Don't displace your own insecurities onto me," Logan said as he walked away.

Nick looked down between his legs. Ashley giggled. She reached up on her toes and whispered, "Don't worry. I can attest that you have no inadequacies to be wary of down there." She kissed his lips and walked away as he smiled and trailed behind her like a whipped dog. He sprinted to stand beside her, placing a hand on her butt cheek.

Thanks for reading. The next chapter will be out in a few days. See you soon.