Less parents, more action, more sexy. Enjoy :)
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PART TWO…
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Five years later…
I was 22 years old when I met the Volturi. Well…the first time. It would have been great if that was the only time, but this would be a much shorter story, if that was the case.
The pack and I are older now; we're more mature. Our parents don't see us as the babies anymore. The day the last of us turned 18, there was a noticeable shift in the dynamic between all of us—the old pack and our pack. A lot of them started thinking about retirement because they wanted to grow old with their imprints. They deserved it; of course, they did. In the past five years, they poured absolutely everything that they knew into us and then took a step back to let us do our thing.
And let me tell you…I never thought it would feel this good to not have to hold back. Uncle Paul and Wyatt started working with me to really come into my strength fully instead of hiding behind it. The hours were long, but they were worth it. And Wyatt, he's really coming into his own. He's still our Alpha and really started to like it that way once he found his place in it. When he stopped trying to replicate what my parents were, he started to flourish in a way I don't even think he was ready for. The boys loved Wyatt running the pack. He took us on team runs and worked us hard but kept the morale up as much as possible. And then behind the scenes, I was partnering with him on all the other stuff. Monitoring patrols, keeping the peace, hunting nomads. Add in Nathaniel's genius brain, it was a dream scenario.
It was a well-oiled machine. We were a well-oiled machine. Everything about our existence as wolves on this reservation was completely different now. We were no longer in the shadow of our families; there were no more feuds, spoken or unspoken. Nate's parents would never admit that they were alright with Wyatt running the pack, but they weren't actively plotting anymore for Nate to be Alpha. Or maybe that was just a personal vendetta against me…
Anyway, what better way to re-introduce you to us than by telling you I was about to roundhouse kick Wyatt in the face. Not because I'm mad at him or anything, don't worry. He caught my ankle with ease before it could connect, making me lose balance. "Come on, Ace, you're better than that," he commented playfully. He patted my sweaty abdomen with his hand as I tried to steady myself. "Your core should be unshakable. You're throwing your weight too much."
It was late. Or early, depending on if you've been to bed or not. We have not, so, despite the rising sun on the horizon, it was late. Wyatt convinced me that we should take over that brutal 2 am patrol shift so we could spend time together. One day, we found this private sector of the woods between Forks and La Push that we had made completely ours. Sometimes we would train, sometimes we'd make love until the sun came up, sometimes we would just sit up together and talk.
God, he was perfect. He really was. A year or two ago, we were lying in the grass, listening to the wind blow through the trees and the crickets make sweet music in the dead of night. Wyatt had looked at me as he entwined our hands and asked, "What if we built a house right here?"
A slow smile spread had spread across my face. "Really?" I'd asked.
He'd nodded as he pressed a tender kiss to my forehead. "One day, we'll have our own place away from everyone else. I want it to be right here."
I tilted my lips toward his and had said, "I want that too. Forever."
Back to our session though, I nodded at his notes as he let my leg go. You know how I said Nate was becoming an expert on our history about five years ago? Wyatt was the expert on the muscle side of things. He knew everything about everything about vampire strength, our strength in comparison, even everything about our mirrors and how the universe split our power up. We still hadn't met them yet, since Travis and Reese left, but we'd meet them in due time. "Let's go again," I huffed as I put my hands on my head to catch my breath.
"You're tired," he observed.
I rolled my eyes before repeating myself. "Let's go…again."
Wyatt shrugged as he walked backward away from me. He crouched defensively before urging me toward him. We circled each other, him smirking at my focused face. I charged forward, swinging my arm. He dodged it easily as he grabbed my arm and twisted. A stab of pain ran through me for a second, but once I kicked his legs from under him, I got my leverage back. He recovered quickly, commenting his approval, "That's my girl. Keep going."
I threw everything I could at him, as rehearsed as it'd always been. He knew my every move, but that was the point. Don't practice until you get it right, practice until you can't get it wrong. I landed a kick to his chest, launching him backward, and immediately threw a roundhouse kick once again. Except he caught it again, knocking me on my ass. And that happened when we ran it a third time and a fourth and a fifth. "Ugh!" I groaned. "Damn it!"
"Take a breather," he told me, holding out his hand for me to take. He helped me stand up and immediately pulled me in for a deep kiss.
I smiled against his lips, "I can't take a breath when you kiss me like that," I told him.
"Well, I'm sorry, you're just so irresistible," Wyatt said before kissing me again.
It started to get hard to keep our hands off of each other once we started dating. Those heavy make out sessions on Charlie's boat had turned into something else entirely. Careful touches became more urgent, more risky…and risqué. Then the night of Wyatt's 18th birthday party, I was on my back in Wyatt's bed all tangled up in him. Using protection, of course. And we couldn't find a reason to stop after that. Because nothing supernatural happened.
Which is a good thing because I have had the best plan I will probably ever have cooking in my brain for five long years. And after we all found out places in the pack, I was even more sure.
"Let's go home," I said, entwining our fingers. The sun was fully out, the birds were chirping, and we were both dog tired. No pun intended.
The boys and I made a bold decision to move out of our families' houses and get a place of our own last year. It was a tiny house, the size of a shoebox. But it was starting to feel like home. Dad told each of us to pay a dollar a month for a year and we could have it with no conditions. Well, one condition: we had to prove that we could take care of ourselves and our pack.
The day we moved in, Dad and Kim Cameron were absolutely gobsmacked that Wyatt and I would be sleeping in the same bed. "There's only one bed though," Dad said, confused as he and Uncle Jared brought in the mattress into one of the only two bedrooms. "Did you guys realize that only one bed fits in here?"
"Yup, we noticed that," I confirmed casually.
"So one of you is going to sleep on the couch then? Or are we moving in two mattresses in the other bedroom?" Kim asked.
Wyatt shook his head with an amused look on his face. "Nope, that's Nate's room."
"Right…right…" Dad nodded slowly before asking Wyatt, "And where will you be sleeping?"
"Oh, for Christ's sake, Jacob," Mom laughed. "They're adults. They can live together and sleep together, if they want to."
Kim let out a high pitched, "Hmmm…" as she glanced around. "I don't know, I don't know how to feel about this."
"They'll be fine, love," Jared said as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "They're good kids."
We work hard, we play hard, and we sleep hard. Wyatt and I ran into Cam and Gabriel on our way back to the house. They were about to start their patrol, thick as thieves. "Let us know if you hear anything," Wyatt said, "but it's still pretty quiet."
"Aye, aye, El Cap," Cam saluted.
"Be safe, guys," I told them.
"Oh, and don't forget we have family dinner tonight and a team run tomorrow," Wyatt called out as we parted ways.
We finished our walk home as quickly as possible so we could get some rest. Like I said, it's a shoebox, but it's perfect for the three of us. Uncle Paul had built us this cute little porch swing and Mama gave us plants to put outside. It looked like a real home. Every time we came back from patrol, I would heat up some food for us to eat before we went to bed. We'd sleep for maybe 4-ish, 5-ish hours before starting the real day. I told Wyatt as we were walking up to the door to get in the shower while I got us something to eat.
I swung the door open and was immediately greeted with an exaggerated, "Well, it's about time you guys came home! I've been waiting forever!"
The voice made my heart jump. Cassidy Call was sitting on our futon, setting down a magazine. "Cass!" I exclaimed as I ran to hug her. She smiled brightly, embracing me with the same genuine excitement.
After Travis and Reese left, Cass was understandable heartbroken. Reese left a letter for Cass that she, still to this day, has never shown anyone. I expected her to be angry with me about it; I was fully prepared to take on the brunt of her blame for them leaving. But, surprisingly, she was really considerate and sympathetic about the situation. That being said, she had decided to completely take a back seat to all of this supernatural stuff.
She moved to Port Angeles for college as soon as we graduated high school. She joined the same sorority her mom was in. She made tons of friends and would go on trips and live her best college life. I loved it for her. We got closer when she left. So when she came home, it was extra special. "I missed you," Cassie gushed as she squeezed me tighter.
"When did you get in?" I asked.
"Late last night. I took my last exam early so I could come home for family dinner and to see you guys," she grinned before hugging Wyatt. "It feels like you guys are still getting bigger. I can barely get my arms around you, Wyatt," she joked.
"Welcome home, Cass," Wyatt said, ruffling her hair. "You hungry? Thirsty?"
"I'm dying for some coffee, actually," she said.
"Why is it so loud out here? Did someone say coffee?" Nate yawned as he came out of his room, clad only in a pair of boxer shorts. As soon as he saw Cassie, he froze, eyes wide. "Oh—hey Cass."
Cassie shifted awkwardly as she waved to him. "Hey…"
Now I know what you're thinking: Hadley, what's going on? Spill the beans. What's with the awkward tension? I will tell you what happened.
Over Christmas, Cassie was staying with us because Bianca was going a little crazy with the holiday party planning. Wyatt is the sweetest person on earth and offered to sleep on the couch and then Cassie could sleep with me, but she insisted she was fine on the couch. It was like old times, the four of us getting to hang out all day.
Ready for it to get juicy? The night of the Christmas party, we were all pregaming in the living room. Just a few shots because Cass's tolerance is a lot lower than ours. Buuuut I couldn't help but notice Nate and Cass being a little flirty. Playful touches and sitting next to each other all night, you know? I told him not to do it; it would just make things too complicated. And he didn't listen. Actually, I told them both not to, but no one listens to me.
The whole pack got completely wasted that night and when Wyatt and I stumbled home, we didn't even notice if Nate and Cass were with us or not. We were too caught up in our own world. The next morning, when I went to go make coffee for the whole house, I noticed two things. An empty couch…and a trail of clothes leading to Nate's door. The red lace panties were all the confirmation I needed because they were mine. I'd let Cass wear them because she forgot to pack some.
As far as I know, they never talked about it. But I did see the highlights in Nate's head. Jesus Christ.
And don't get the idea that this is going to turn into some friends for life turned lovers thing. They're both very clear that that's not what they want. Even more than that, something will happen soon to really squash that idea out of your head.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. For now, all you need to know is that Nate was fucking everything that walked. Even Cass, apparently. To say that it's awkward is an understatement. "Good morning, sunshine," Wyatt smirked at Nate. "You joining us for coffee and catching up with Cassie?"
"Shh. Shush your mouth," Nate frowned. "It's way too damn early for that."
"I'm just greeting my best friend on this beautiful morning," Wyatt joked.
"I hate you," Nate grumbled. "It's good to see you, Cass. I'm going back to bed though so…we'll catch up later?"
"Sure," Cassie nodded. She met my eye and it was like they were screaming for help.
"How about we take coffee out to the beach instead of being holed up here?" I asked her, putting an arm around her shoulders.
"Are you sure? You look so tired," she pouted a little.
"I'll sleep when I'm dead," I joked before we walked out the door.
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Mom smacked my hand as I reached in the simmering pot to sneak a taste. "Hey!" I exclaimed.
She rolled her eyes at me. "Can you not wait? People will be here soon."
"I just wanted to taste it," I defended myself. "Don't you want to know how good it is before we start dinner?"
"I think I'll live," she cracked, bumping my hip to get me away from the stove. "How's Cassie? She looks good."
"She's doing really good, actually," I told Mom as I leaned on the counter. "She said something about a trip to Italy that she wants to go on with her sorority sisters for graduation."
Mama snorted, "Bianca and Embry will be so pleased to hear how much that costs."
"She's on her way over there now to start the schmoozing process," I spilled.
My brother walked in through the front door, over the ear headphones glued to his head like always. He was 16 now with a giant but quiet god complex and a too-cool-for-school attitude. He was just as tall as the other boys now, taller than me, and still wanted nothing to do with the pack. Occasionally, he would help me out with things, but it always came at a cost. I'm pretty sure I paid for those headphones actually. His prices are really high. "Didn't you move out?" Will asked, barely looking up from his phone. "You're always here."
"Good to see you too, little brother," I quipped sarcastically. He glanced at me from the side of his eye and I saw the corners of his mouth twitch up. I always wanted to give him the biggest hugs every time he showed even a little bit of emotion to me. Buuut Will would never go for that.
"Something came in the mail for you, by the way. It came here. Not at your house where you should be."
"William," Mom scolded lightly.
He took his headphones off before he dug through the stack of unopened mail on the counter. Will leaned on the counter next to me as he handed me an envelope with neat print handwriting on it. The return address? Ontario. "Shut up," I gasped. I tore the envelope open, scanning the contents of the handwritten letter before letting out an excited scream. I threw my arms around my brother and jumped up and down. "Oh my god! Shut up!"
"What's all the commotion?" my dad asked as he came downstairs.
"Daddy, look!" I rushed over to him and all but shoved the letter in his face.
He read it quickly before raising his hand for a high five. I met his high five and grinned. "Hot damn, way to go, kiddo," he said, impressed.
"The energy is so high right now," Mom commented. "What's going on?"
"Mama, remember last year when I talked to you guys about starting to connect with smaller packs in North America?" I started. She nodded. "Well, me and the con artist—,"
"I thought I told you not to call your brother a con artist," Mama interrupted.
"Sorry, Will and I put together an entire grid of these packs that have just fallen off the map. There's tons of them. And I asked him if he could find me addresses—I had to pay extra for that…because he's a con artist—and I sent them all handwritten letters introducing us and telling them what we do and everything."
"I remember. You worked on those letters for days."
"So I asked in the letters if they would be comfortable enough to meet us because building alliances and relationships is important, right? You guys taught me that. I never heard back from any of them. I thought maybe snail mail was the wrong way to go," I kept going as I held up the letter. "Except for this! The Alpha Female of this pack in Ontario wants to host us for a visit!"
When Travis and Reese left, it was glaringly evident that there was so much that we didn't know. I'd always thought that creating relationships with other supernaturals was important, but it seemed that the only time my parents' pack could really do that was if they were helping out with a vampire problem. They'd leave for a few days, fix the problem, then come back. Kind of like one and done. We were known for our reputation and results, but I wanted it to be more than that.
It was my own little project for myself. Other than my brother, I asked for complete lead because it was important to me. "That's incredibly, baby, I'm so proud," Mama said as she smiled over her shoulder at me.
"Do you think I should bring it up at dinner?" I asked. I was playing with the letter in my hands. "Everyone on Council will be there. Or should I call a separate meeting?"
Dad thought about it for a second before shrugging his shoulders, "I don't see anything wrong with talking about it at dinner," he said.
"And we'll back you," Mom added. "It should be a breeze."
People started pouring in pretty soon; our tight knit community was still and always growing. Cam was dating a girl that we went to high school with; they'd been together since senior year and he was head over heels for her. Nate's brother was dating someone too, and Grandpa Billy finally re-married and his wife's adult kids who have kids will sometimes come along to our parties. So, that picnic table in our backyard has gotten bigger over the years.
Wyatt came with his brothers and parents, hopefully unintentionally color coordinated, but knowing Kim Cameron, anything is possible. I think she missed having all of the boys in the house. She was always bringing us food and tidying up so she could make an excuse to spend time with Wyatt. It was actually really cute.
Wyatt put his arms around my waist when he reached me. But right as he was about to kiss me, his youngest brother, August, came to push Wyatt's face away from mine and kissed me on the cheek instead. "Hey Lee," August grinned at me.
"Hey Aug," I smiled back at him.
He was 16 now, same as my brother. He was still the sweetest out of the Cameron boys. "You know you should just be with me instead of Wyatt," he said. Oh, and he still had a bit of a crush.
"Get out of here," Wyatt laughed. Wyatt playfully shoved him away as the rest of the family made their way into the house. He pulled me onto the porch and dipped to kiss me properly. "Where have you been all day?" he asked.
"I'm sorry, sweetie," I sighed. "I got caught up and lost track of time."
"You need sleep too, Ace. You can't just—," he started.
I covered his mouth with my hand. I knew this speech. We had it every few weeks. "I know, I know. Don't say it," I begged. I took out the letter from my back pocket and handed it to him. He unfolded it as he looked at me like I was a little crazy. "Check this out though. Wait, where's Nate?"
"I'm here," Nate's voice came from inside. He walked out onto the porch with his hands in his pockets. "Sorry, I was helping Dad and Paul with something in the back. What's up?"
"Or you were avoiding Cass again," Wyatt quipped. Nate flipped him the bird.
I waved Wyatt to hush before turning to Nate, grinning at him excitedly. "Guess what," I bounced a little.
"What?" Nate let out a nervous laugh.
"Oh shit!" Wyatt said surprised as he finished the letter.
"We're going on the road," I squealed. Nate's eyebrows flew up in shock before taking the letter from Wyatt's hands. I didn't even wait for him to finish. I was too excited so I just started rambling. "They want to host us for a week, but since they're smaller, I don't want to bust in there like the whole big group of us so I was thinking—."
"So you already ran this by the Council?" Nate asked.
"Not yet," I told him. "I wanted to show you guys first. Mom and Dad are already on board. The Elders are the last step."
Nate looked a little apprehensive. Not at the idea of meeting new packs, but at going to the Council. "Lee, do you really think they'll go for this?"
"Why wouldn't they?" I challenged. "I've done the research, I've done the work. I ran all of the scenarios for hours; I can't think of a single reason why they would say no."
My dad popped his head out of the door. "Come on, guys. Dinner's on."
I walked in there so excited, so confident. Wyatt sat next to me and I sat right next to my grandpa who was sitting at the head of the table. Across from me was my Grandma Sue and my parents. Sam was somewhere down the line with Luna in his lap. He had taken a major step back from his Council responsibilities; he said it was because he wanted to spend more time with his kids. The real reason was my mother. Mom confronted Sam about that whole fiasco where he was trying to change the rules about me Bonding. She'd grabbed him by the collar and said something along the lines of, "We've been in a good spot for a lot of years, Sam. But if you keep targeting my kid, I will fucking come for you. Ok?" Across the table, Mama winked at me to let me know that she had my back.
"So, Wyatt, tell me how the boys are shaping up," Grandpa Billy said as he started to eat.
"They're looking great, sir," Wyatt said proudly.
"Wyatt's been working on their speed this month," I told Grandpa. He looked impressed.
Wyatt shrugged, "Sometimes I'll just have Hadley run at her full speed through the woods and make them catch up to her."
Grandpa Billy and Grandma Sue laughed at that. I felt my face flush a little. It was true; one day, Wyatt came up to me and asked me if I could just start running, but didn't say why. And then all of a sudden, there was a stampede of feet behind me. A pack of young wolves trying to gain speed. By the end of it, they were all so riled up that they asked for another go. "Hey, whatever works," Grandpa chuckled. "What else is new?"
My eyes cut to my parents quickly. They both have a subtle go ahead. I sat up a little in my seat. "Actually, Grandpa, there was something I wanted to tell you. You too, Grandma."
"Oh no, you're not pregnant, are you?" Grandma Sue asked. "I love you both, but I'm not ready to be a great grandma."
"God, no," I shook my head fervently. Wyatt mumbled something under his breath, making me elbow him in the ribs. "I've been working on this project…" and I started to explain to them my vision for bringing solidarity across the supernatural community. It was a speech I'd already prepared and practiced in the shower multiple times. "And the best part about it is that it's not transactional; it's relationship building. We can start to connect those bridges with other people like us."
"She's put in a lot of late nights working on this," Dad chimed in.
Grandma nodded her head, "It sounds incredible, honey. I admire the dedication to it. But I'm a little confused as to what the next step looks like."
I brightened at her words. "I'm so glad you brought that up actually! There's a pack in Ontario that has invited us to stay with them for a couple of weeks. We can learn their culture, their trainings, their practices."
"It would be a great bonding experience," Mom added.
Grandpa was processing which made me nervous. "Invited you, as in you and your parents?" he prompted.
"Actually, I was thinking me and the boys could go. Wyatt, Nate, maybe Cameron, if he's up for it," I said very politely.
"So Leah and Jacob wouldn't go with you," he said in that voice. He had slipped right into his Chief voice. Fuck.
"I think they're old enough to handle something like that without us," Mom said.
"And it's not like we're hard to reach, Dad," my dad continued.
Grandpa Billy's face was serious. More than serious. A stone. "I don't know how I feel about that kind of trip without a senior there. Actually, I'd prefer if only the older pack went. Just the be safe."
No no no no no no no no no no "But Grandpa, I…I worked really hard on this and I really was hoping to take the lead on it."
"You're too young to go that far on your own," he said definitely.
"Mom and Dad don't think so," I heard myself argue before I could stop it.
"Regardless, you don't have as much experience as your parents, Hadley."
"I'm 22 years old. I have been phasing since I was 2 and training since I was 8. I have experience."
"Not in leading."
"That's not true. Just because I don't have a title doesn't mean I haven't been helping lead this pack."
"Leadership is about more than a title, Hadley. You know that." He was getting angry. That's ok. So was I.
"Grandpa, I've known everything you've asked. And then some. I've followed your rules, I haven't made trouble. I've grown up. All I'm asking is to help me put our best foot forward to do what our ancestors actually told me I'm meant to be doing."
"Hadley, I don't have to explain to you why I'm saying no. There are things you don't know because you're not in the authority to know them."
"And whose fault is that?!"
The entire table came to a screeching halt. You could hear a pin drop and no one dared to move a muscle. Fuck fuck fuck. I blew it. My hands were shaking so bad, the only thing that got them to stop was Wyatt putting his hand over my clenched fists.
Let me tell you something. My grandfather can be the softest teddy bear known to man. But Billy Black is the scariest person you'll ever meet. "The answer is no. I don't want to hear anything else about it," he said.
I debated getting up from the table. Throwing my napkin down dramatically. Stomping away in a fury. But I didn't do any of that. In fact, I was the very last person to leave the table when dinner was done.
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"Hadley, baby, please stop pacing. You're making me dizzy," Wyatt sighed.
I was pacing in front of the couch, chewing the nail on my thumb until it was practically nothing. The boys were sitting on the ground for some reason. They probably thought it was safer from the warpath. "It's fine," Nate tried to reason. "We'll all take a day to cool off and we'll try again."
"Cool off?" I incredulously repeated.
Wyatt muttered to Nate, "You're an idiot."
"I mean, you have the backing of your parents," Nate corrected. "That means something."
"Obviously not enough, Nathan, he still said no!" I was so frustrated, my head fell into my hands. "I am so sick of being weighed down by 'the rules.'"
"They're there to protect us, Hadley," Nate argued.
"Or stifle us," I shot back at him. "How are we supposed to get experience if they don't let the leash loose at least a little bit. It's time for some change around here. It's long overdue."
"She's right," Wyatt agreed earnestly. "I think they're even stricter than they were when we were kids. Everything needs to be approved by the Council. Not even the whole Council…sometimes it's just Billy."
"Billy's not the bad guy here," Nate said.
"No one said he's the bad guy," I said. "He's my grandpa; I love him to death. But call it what it is, Nathan. He does this because he's scared of something happening—"
"Which is fair."
"Yes, it's fair, but he can't keep throwing the fact that I don't have experience leading in my face if he's the one blocking me. Blocking us." I paused. "Am I wrong? If I am, please, please tell me. I will go fix it right now. I will go over there right now and apologize and grovel and I will never say another defiant word again in my life."
Nate sighed as he rubbed his head. "No…no, you're not wrong," he finally said. "Look, let's just sleep on it. Let's blow off some steam after the run tomorrow. We can go out, have a couple drinks. We need to table this before Lee runs a rut into our floors."
Nate stood up and headed toward the door. "Where are you going?" I asked.
"I have a date," he said casually as he picked up his keys.
"A date?" Wyatt playfully challenged him.
"Date, hookup, same thing. Who cares? I'll be back later. Don't wait up," he rushed out before closing the door behind him.
Then it was just me and Wyatt. He looked at me with a mischievous glint from the floor. The dimples in his cheeks made an appearance as he tried not to smile. "What, Wyatt Greyson?" I asked playfully.
He beckoned me over to him. Right into his lap. I straddled him on the ground and he started to twirl a lock of my hair between his fingers. "Why don't we redirect this energy somewhere else?" he smirked. I rolled my eyes at his comment, but as soon as he kissed me, nothing else mattered.
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There was something else I'd been working on for a while. That little red Mustang that Travis left behind? It became a personal passion project of mine. I had been fully restoring it with my own hands the past couple of years. I left it alone for a while, trying to figure out what to do with it. Then one night, after a long fight with a nomad in Forks, I came to the shed for some quiet and just picked up where Travis left off.
It wasn't a secret or anything. I just think there's a point where you want something that's just your own. Nate had his secret fling that lived in Forks, Wyatt had taken up boxing. We all had tabs on each other but had reached that point where we allowed each other that privacy.
Come on, Ace. It's time to go, Wyatt projected.
I rolled the stool to the metal table on the left wall to grab a grease rag. I'm coming, I said as I looked at the clock. I was late. Some things just don't change, ok? I threw the rag on top of this box I found in the trunk that had my name on it. I never opened it; I wasn't sure I was ready to. When I found it, I thought about Reese with that photo of her mom that she said she found in a box with her name on it.
I think Travis and Reese left it for me to find. To figure out on my own. And I was still working up the courage to go through it. Every time I touched it, my hands started shaking really bad and my stomach would turn. Matthew's face would be right there just as menacing and crazy as it was that day.
So I closed up the shed and jogged to the tree line to meet the pack. "You're late," Cameron fake scolded me.
"She's still faster than you, smartass," Wyatt commented. "Let's get a move on!"
Wyatt liked to have us go on pack runs lately. He was really tapped into this whole soccer coach, keeping the energy, we're-only-as-strong-as-our-weakest-link thing. So as we all stripped and phased, he tapped into his cute leader voice. He hasn't quite mastered the Alpha order yet; sometimes he just sounded like an involved gym teacher and that made me laugh.
We ran all the way to Port Angeles and back. It was a breeze on those late nights. The rain feels so good on your face as you face through the trees. On those hidden paths where the latest of wanderers wouldn't be able to find us. I always start off slow for the guys to keep pace. The boys liked to talk while we ran. Cam was telling us that he was thinking about giving his girlfriend a promise ring, Gabriel was ready to get drunk tonight, and Nate was trying not to think about that girl that he's been fucking.
Alright baby, let's pick up some speed, Wyatt said.
Got you, boss, I nodded as I let myself go my natural speed. Wyatt was the only one that could keep up with me. We ran side by side for a while, no fight to win, no struggle for power. A match made in heaven. After the family dinner disaster, Wyatt took me to bed and, after our usual 2 am patrol, we spent the rest of the next day in bed. What I loved most about Wyatt was the fact that sex didn't always have to be this sexy production. We spend so much time laughing and enjoying each other, it makes that part of being intimate have so little pressure. It's like our souls are connecting. I couldn't stop myself from thinking about him on top of me this morning.
Yo, can you put some walls up? I don't want to see Wyatt's dick, Hunter yelled.
Oops. My bad, I cringed. It's not like me to not have at least one wall against the rest of the pack. Usually I keep my mind open for Wyatt, mostly for Nate too, but I don't know what just happened.
Hey, Wyatt glanced at me. You seem distracted. Are you ok?
All good, I said, sending him love. It was just a slip.
You sure?
Promise.
Then he opened up to project to everyone. Alright, you know the game! The first person to stay toe to toe with Hadley till the end of the trail will get the prize.
Tell us the prize or you're full of shit, Cameron quipped.
I will give you cash money from my own wallet, Wyatt offered boldly. And no patrols for a week.
Let's gooo, Hunter whooped.
I laughed as I took off in a full sprint. Wyatt held back and Nate did too; he was helping August keep up toward the back. Hunter pushed hard and could almost catch up, but not quite. Gabriel was right behind Hunter. And then Cam.
Cam was right on my heels the last five miles. I'm coming for you, Lee, he said lightly.
See if you can keep up, Cam, I cracked back before pushing a little bit harder. I'm not totally cruel though, come on. Right in the final stretch, I slowed up just enough for him to catch up.
Cam took a leap over our imaginary finish line before throwing his large head back and howling in victory. I am victorious!
Hey, that's cheating! Hunter yelled as everyone came to a stop. Wyatt, he cheated!
No, I didn't!
Fucking cheater!
It's all part of the fun, you know? They get all riled up and then wrestle each other to tire themselves out. So it was no surprise when Hunter jumped on Cam and they started rolling around, shaking the ground as they bumped into trees and boulders. Guys, be careful, I warned them.
The scary part is that it's all fun and games until those hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention. We were being watched. My entire body erupted into tingles as I started to survey around us. Stop, I Alpha ordered as softly as I could.
I had almost missed it. Their dark robes at the top of the hill almost made them invisible as they started to move away into the trees. Almost. But my eyes caught a patch of pale white skin and bright blonde hair in a tight bun and I started to move. Whoa, Lee, what's going on? Nate asked.
Vampires. Three of them heading north. I need three of you to run the perimeter. August, Hunter, I need you guys to make sure there are no humans around. Nate, Wyatt, Cam, come with me. I just started barking orders before I could really think about it. Everyone started heading in separate directions. And I was locked on that blonde head.
The three vampires—they were so smooth the way they weaved through the trees, going high and then swinging low. We were barreling through, trying to catch up. One of them stayed high in the trees, her light brown hair was blowing behind her in the wind. She looked really young. They all did. Like they were children.
The one with the blonde hair was really petite, maybe 5 foot two. She couldn't have been older than 13…in human years. She ran mainly on the ground, dodging branches like a seasoned pro.
Then there was a dark haired boy; once again, he looked so young. He was a little taller than the blonde, but not by much, with a rounder face. Parkouring himself off of the tree trunks, he was leading them to safety.
What do we do? We can't go high, Cam asked.
Keep low. If you catch one, the others will come, Wyatt said, his tone serious, focused.
And if I'm remembering right, they'll run out of tree coverage soon, Nate added.
I think I can get her, I said, but I think I was mostly talking to myself. Wyatt and Nate ran in front of me to get the others. I launched myself at the blonde just as she jumped into a tall tree, right out of reach. She hung from a branch with one hand and looked directly at me with bloodshot red eyes. She smirked a little as she whispered, "Pain."
Pain? What the hell was that supposed to mean?…or do? I snapped my jaws at her and swiped at her, catching the end of her robes. Frustration and confusion crossed her face as she studied me. And then she blinked a couple of times before locking on something directly behind me. The high pitched whimper behind me was enough to get me out of attack mode. I whipped around to see Cameron writhing on the ground in pain. I ran to him immediately, listening to him yelling and cursing in his head. What the fuck?! Fucking shit! Ahhhhh!
Cam! Wyatt yelled as they turned around to come back.
The pain was severe enough to make him phase back, screaming. I phased back too to try to figure out what was wrong. "Cameron," I panicked. "Tell me where it hurts."
"Aghhhhh!" was all he could manage as his body curled up into a fetal position.
I looked behind me, only to see the same blood red eyes in the same spot. She was still fixated on him, drinking in every second of his agony. As soon as she looked away from him, Cam stopped screaming. She made eye contact with me, an insidious smirk on her face. And she winked at me before blurring through the trees to catch up with the other two vampires.
Cameron was reduced to fighting for his breath as his entire body shook. I covered his body as I tried to find exactly where he was hurting. He couldn't speak.
"Cameron!" Wyatt yelled as he slid to his knees next to me. Nate cursed as he stood over Cam. Wyatt glanced at me, "He looks fine. I don't understand. What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know," I shook my head as my heart pounded in my chest. "She did something to him, but I can't figure out what. Or how. I don't know."
"We need to get him home," Nate said, scooping him up off the ground as the others gathered.
They got away, Hunter told us. Do you want us to keep chasing?
"No, it's fine," I said out loud. "Let them go."
I told Nate to carry Cam on his back and to get him home. The rest of the wolves followed behind Nate, asking a million questions at once. Wyatt and I stood up, looking around to make sure the vampires were really gone. "What the hell was that?" he asked out loud after a solid beat.
"I…I have no idea."