Wanted by the Wolves
12. Calm Down and Deal With It

J A S O N ′ S P O V :

I was nervous. Since when was an Alpha like me nervous? I was sitting across from that human girl. That’s right, human, yet I felt nervous. Despite what her aunt had said to back her up, Ethan didn’t want to buy it. I don’t know why, I thought that we could change that, but...

Just before our foreheads made contact, Martha called announcing that she had finished preparing our snacks. Not sure what to do, I quickly said, “Um... we better get in there I guess.” I looked around awkwardly. Kara sent me a confused look. Obviously, she wasn’t used to someone radiating as much power as me acting nervous around her.

For some reason, although Ethan doubted Kara, he was somehow attracted to her. He cared about her and wanted to know that she was okay. I brushed this off and ignored him as we entered the room. Caleb and Ryder were surprisingly helping out a good amount by making the lemonade. Not something I would really picture two of the highest ranking wolves in the fiercest pack in the nation doing in an afternoon.

After they burst out laughing at something Martha had said, she turned her attention to Kara and I. “Ah, here is the rest of the group. Now, why doesn’t everybody have some snacks and then we’ll get started, okay?” I stood by my two buddies while Kara stood by her aunt.

The homemade cookies that Martha had skillfully baked earlier while she began questioning me. Since when did I go to a witch's house to get interrogated? I came to ask her things, not the other way around. “So Jason, will your pa-, I mean love life, include a new girlfriend?” Why did she want to know about Evelyn? What difference did that make?

Before I could get anything out, Kara quickly spoke. “Oh, of course he does. Why wouldn’t he?” I looked surprised at her sudden outburst and caught her eye. Ethan, for some strange reason, was excited about her jealous comment. Looks like she for some reason was jealous of my relationships. This honestly left me amused.

“Well, it looks like someone is a little more invested in my love life than I had originally thought. Anyway, it honestly doesn’t matter right now.”

Martha was about to say something back but got cut off by the doorbell. “Oh Kara, would you mind getting that for me?”

Kara immediately nodded and ran to the door. I don’t know where that boldness came from at her last comment. I heard the door open and refocused my attention back to Martha. She had one eyebrow raised and a slight smirk present on her face.

“Do you know what made her ask that?” I asked. She only chuckled and took a sip of her lemonade. She then looked back at me.

“I want to know how your relationship with your mate is actually going.”

I let out a small chuckle. “Honestly, Martha, what makes you think I’m going to tell you that?”

She looked out the window and into the distance. “I don’t know, Alpha, maybe the fact I do know a thing or two about curing sick connections between mates, or maybe because may have some information on that wanted wolf you’re after. I’ve heard they must’ve hidden pretty well to stay hidden from you for that long.”

How does Martha know something about the rogue? And is my relationship with Evelyn that messed up?

“Evelyn and I are doing fine, thank you very much. Something does seem off about your niece though. It is setting my wolf on edge for some reason...”

“Now I know if I give too much away, Kara will likely have my head... but I know that she and her friend really like you and Caleb. Maybe you could give them a chance, what they have to offer may just surprise you.”

“What do you mean ‘what they have to offer?’ And as alpha I am not just going to go hang out with human girls just because I feel like it.” I know I can be stubborn sometimes, but that is purely my wolf talking. If only Ethan could keep his mouth shut for a second...

“Well, they are more than just ‘human’, I think you will replace that out pretty quickly. Also about the whole wanted wolf thing, don’t talk to widely about it. As you probably already know, the Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack is very loyal to that particular rogue, so if he were to hear anything about it, he would most likely add extra precautions to hide them better. If I were you, I’d keep it on the down low. You are only looking for them if they are in your pack, am I not mistaken?”

I nodded, seeing where she was going with this. “Are those all the leads you have? Because we really need to track down this rogue. Not only would it bring us a lot of money, but it could pose as a threat to my people. And as future alpha, I cannot let that happen.”

“I know, I know. Don’t bore me with your responsibilities. Anyway, keep a close watch on your pack members. One thing I have noticed, is that some weird magic has happened around these parts recently. It wasn’t any of my doing, and I know all the witches around here. If I were you, I would keep a close eye on your pack members.”

Weird magic. “What kind of weird magic?” I asked hesitantly.

“Just keep a close eye on your pack members. Watch out.”

Well then. I wasn’t sure what to think of that. Weird magic? What could she possibly mean? I did understand her views on spreading word about the rogue possibly being here. I am probably going to have to inform my dad to keep it on the down low.

“Oh, and that rogue. I highly doubt it is dangerous.”

“How do you know? Have you seen it?” I asked skeptically. I honestly wasn’t sure whether I could trust this old witch anymore. Her answers were strange, and she never completely answered my questions. I would have to talk to my dad about why he first began to trust her.

“I haven’t necessarily met it, dare say, but if it were highly dangerous, like you are predicting, it most likely would have lashed out already. I don’t think it is as big of a threat as you had originally thought.”

“I think you have seen it! I think you know exactly where it is - you just want to hide it from us! But why? Are they offering you money? Or are they someone you care about?!” While I had been screaming, Ethan slowly started to come through. I hadn’t realized I was about to shift into my wolf until Caleb and Ryder pulled me back, and I noticed my fangs had elongated and my claws had made themselves visible.

“Not here Jason, Alpha we need to get you outside. A lot of people are still at school, so you should be able to shift without any humans seeing...” Ryder tried to calm me down, but it made Ethan want to come out more.

“Martha, you witch, we will continue this conversation! Don’t think you can get off the hook this easily!” Caleb shouted, his demeanor changing from laid back to aggressive on my command.

I struggled against their hold as they dragged me outside. I so hoped that Kara didn’t see this, how was Martha going to explain this. “Oh, and Jason!” Martha called from her doorstep as I was dragged into her backyard, “you are going to talk to Kara and her friend one day or another. They have something they can use to help you, I just know it!”

I didn’t hear anymore, we had already reached the woods. Hair sprouted across my back, and the sound of my clothes tearing filled the quiet air. Ugh, my dad’s going to have my head for this. This has to be the seventh time this week I’ve destroyed my clothes during a shift. My bones cracked into place and soon I was in my wolf form.

Ethan was a midnight black wolf, bigger than most. Due to our status, we had a power that radiated off of us wherever we went, so other wolves knew not to mess with us. Ethan growled, happy to have power. I still remained control in wolf form, but Ethan had more power over what we did, sort of like how I had a majority of the power when we were in human form.

I bolted deeper into the forest, the trees whipping alongside me. The thought of a witch betraying us right under our very nose brought an anger to my wolf that I could not describe. He growled again, coming across a small pond.

“Don’t stray to far, Jason. Alpha wouldn’t like tracking you down tonight.” I look behind me, only to replace both Caleb and Ryder have shifted into their wolves as well. I nodded, closing the mind link.

Looking around, I knew I needed to come up with a plan. A plan to track down that rogue once and for all.

And for some reason, Ethan told me that the wolf running past me right now was my very answer.