Chapter 21

Elise’s POV

0

“I can’t believe it’s only eight o’clock, it feels like two in the morning,” Leo says as he tosses a sweatshirt over his head and changes into a pair of sweatpants. "Do we need to worry about the breach? Is there anything I need to be doing?" he asks. I can tell he feels like he needs to be out there trying to handle it, but he has no idea what could be there, and because he can't shift it would be certain death if a rogue got him. I shudder at the thought and try and distract him.

0

"They have it under control. Are you hungry?” I ask him and he gets a grin on his face.

0

“I’m starving.”

0

“Good, I have a surprise for you. Come.” I take his hand and have him follow me up to the next floor and before we enter the game room, I turn to him and hug him tight. “I know the council meeting was difficult, but I thought you might like a normal night with friends. Just hanging out, watching movies, eating pizza...”

0

He looks at me curiously and smiles sweetly. “As long as there is food on the other side of that door, I’m a happy guy,” he says.

0

I swing the large oak doors open and Sammi turns first and shrieks an excited yelp and runs to me. “About time you two got here!” She says. “Leo, come, time to meet the crew.”

0

She tugs on his sweatshirt and we walk into the sunken living room. On the large dining table, there are several large pizzas that smell like heaven, and on the giant tv they are watching one of the countless Star Wars movies, it’s obvious that Jack had the remote.

0

“I understand you have already met Jack?” she asks and Leo smiles and shakes his hand.

0

“Good to see you again,” Jack smiles, “Hope Beta Lucas didn’t work you too hard out there.”

0

“And this is Taiho,” Taiho is a giant of a kid and I see Leo’s eyes widen as he comes over. “Taiho is the territories state champion in weightlifting, but don’t let his size fool you, he’s a big teddy bear.” I slap him on the chest and he comes forward and starts to bow before Leo, sensing his Alpha power.

0

“Not tonight, Tai, tonight Leo is just one of the gang.” I scold.

0

“It’s an honor to meet you, Leo, my friends call me Tai, so you will call me Tai.” He says with a deep chuckle.

0

“And this here is Echo, he’s the same age as Jack, they are ancient!” I tease and Echo comes over and shakes Leo’s hand.

0

“Good to meet you, you like Star Wars movies? That will greatly decide how good of friends we will be.” He says laughing and Leo just smiles.

0

“I’ve never seen one.” He says and everyone groans as Jack jumps over the couch, practically falling on top of Leo, and puts his arm around him.

0

“Let me show you the way, Leo. You don’t know what you’re missing, I’ll be your Jedi Master.” He says and Leo looks completely confused.

0

“Leave the poor guy alone, Jack. No one wants to watch this again, they are so terrible. It’s nice to meet you, Leo. Tragically my name is Leia, you’ll understand why that’s tragic after Jack gets done forcing you to watch his movies.”

0

“Leia just turned nineteen, she’s desperately on the hunt for her mate, just like Sammi and Jack.” Echo says as he puts his arm around Tai. “But this big brick house is all mine.”

1

“Come and eat. This pizza is insane, here take the breadsticks too.” Jack piles food on a plate for Leo and we all flop down on the giant wrap-around couch. “Only one rule tonight kids,” Jack says, “There is no talk of councils, or war, or any of that shit. Tonight we watch some trash tv, eat some crap food, and get to know the newest member of our family. Welcome home Leo, you are the piece of our puzzle that we have been missing all along.”

0

I tear up a little at Jack’s words and Leo smiles softly back at them all. He doesn’t know that this group will be my council when I get old enough, and they will be his as well. We are all part of a long line of leaders in our world, and the weight of knowing one day we will need to take our parent’s place when they have gone is heavy. But for now, we just embrace our time together, and in the back of our minds, we know that Leo will lead us to a more peaceful time.

0

Angies POV

0

“Come on, get up.”

0

The man pushes me several times and I try and get my eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight that's coming into the cottage. It looks completely different than it did last night. It’s actually a very sweet little place. Books are on the fireplace mantle, blankets are thrown over each of the armchairs and there are happy little white and blue lamps everywhere. I look in the kitchen, where the man is now standing, and there are flowered dishes sitting on open cupboards, a little flowered teapot on the stove, and there are lovely sayings written on the walls, one reads “Love You More” and another has two names in wood connected by an & symbol between them.

0

“So I take it you’re Stefan?” His reaction tells me I’m right, but he doesn’t answer me. “What happened to Sadia? Did you kidnap her too?” This gets a reaction, but I instantly regret my smart-ass mouth. He turns to me and with the coldest stare, he comes at me and stands within an inch of my face.

0

“Don’t you ever speak that name, am I clear? Never!”

0

I shift back to the corner of the couch and watch him walk to the wall where the sign is hanging and he rips it down and tosses out the back door. Whoever this woman is, or was, it’s clear that he loved her so much that just the sound of her name hurts his heart.

0

I watch him as he exits the kitchen and goes outside to the shed. He’s grabbing things and piling them in the center of the room. Each item scares the shit out of me. There’s a long chain, a padlock like the one that was on the front door, a pile of clothes and blankets, and a few bottles of water.

0

He takes the chain and secures it around a pillar that’s in the middle of the cabin. A support beam I’m guessing. Without a word, he grabs my hands, undoes one of the cuffs, and fastens it to the other side of the long chain. I just stare up at him, my heart beating faster and faster, waiting for him to say something.

0

He walks out the front of the cabin, but only for a moment, and then comes back in with what almost looks like a bush. When I look closer I see that he’s ripped several vines off of a wild berry tree.

0

He stands back by the door and finally says something.

0

“We are both in a world of shit right now. But, I don’t know if you can be trusted, and I can’t have you leave and get picked up by Eric, and I can’t take you home. Honestly, I don’t even know where your home is.

0

“Billings!” I blurt out. “I live in Billings Montana. Please, please let me go home.” I start to cry again, I miss my parents and my friends and I’m so scared I’ll never see them again.

0

“What did you say?” He asks.

0

“I want to go back to my soccer team, and back to Fairview and see my friends and go on a first date,” I’m rambling now but I don’t care.

0

“Calm down. Look at me. You said you live in Billings? What the fuck are you doing all the way down here?” he asks, and he seems genuinely interested.

0

“My cousin and I came down to visit our Aunt. Please, my parents must be worried sick!”

0

“Where did you say you went to school?” He asks, and I don’t understand why he even cares.

0

“Fairview, I’m begging you -”

0

Suddenly he is pacing the room and talking to himself.

0

“Can’t be possible. It can’t be. What are the fucking chances.”

0

The way he is pacing sets a panic in me all over again.

0

“You know a kid named Leo?” he asks and I just stare at him stunned. What could this horrific group of people want with Leo?

0

“Answer me!”

0

“No. I don’t know any Leo.” I say, but my eyes have already given me away.

0

“Liar. You do know him. Are you friends? Oh shit. SHIT!” He steps away from me like I’m suddenly emitting poison. Then he turns and tilts his head to the side.

0

“Please, please tell me your name is not Angie.” He stares me down and tears well in my eyes again.

0

“FUCK!” He screams and plops himself on the chair, dropping his head in his hands. “Of all the fucking girls Eric sets his paws on, what are the odds it’s you.”

0

“I don’t understand what’s going on. What do you want with Leo?”

0

He looks up at me and he looks like stone.

0

“Change of plans. We can’t stay here.”

0

“Where are we going?” I ask, but he just returns a blank look on his face. I don’t think this guy has any plan at all.

0

“I’ll be back,” He says heading for the door. “I need to take care of some things. But, I warn you, if you draw attention to yourself here, if anyone around here finds you, you will find yourself back in Eric’s cage, and I won’t be there to protect you because I’ll be dead. Understand? There is not a single person here you can trust.”

0

“Is Leo okay? Can you just tell me if he’s alright?” I plead for an answer.

0

“If Eric finds you, Leo is as good as dead.” Those are the last words he says to me before he rushes out of the cabin. I can hear him put the lock back on the front door, and then it’s deadly quiet. Only the sound of the lake makes any kind of noise. I walk around the room for a while, restless, until I decide to look at the books that are on the mantle. Maybe I can read something to pass the time and occupy my mind for a bit.

0

I read through their titles and they definitely have a favorite genre. ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’, ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, ‘The Woman in White’, ‘The Maltese Falcon’. I sense a mystery theme here and I wonder if it’s Stefan or his wife that’s the fan. I keep looking when I see a book that is quite out of place. ‘What To Expect: A Mother’s Guide To Her First Pup’

0

What a bizarre title. I’m interested, so I take it off the shelf and settle back down on the couch. I open the book up and two pictures slide out from the book jacket. One is an ultrasound picture, I flip it over, and written in delicate handwriting I read Baby Ben 2 months.

1

The other picture is of a couple, and looking closely I see that it’s Stefan and what I am guessing is his wife, Sadia. He’s making the silliest face and pointing to her belly and she looks as if she’s laughing. He looks so completely at ease, so happy. Nothing like what he looks like now. I initially thought he was just angry, but now I see that he’s actually grieving.

0

I put both pictures back but continue to read the book. What fills these pages is pure insanity. It’s a werewolf’s guide to pregnancy. It’s extremely detailed, and the more I get into it I start to think about the thing in the woods that seemed to transform right in front of my eyes. I had chalked that up to just being terrified and possibly insane with fear. But now I’m not so sure. I remember the beast’s eyes, they were bright and otherworldly...

0

... just like Leo’s.