Chapter 4

Aliyah

It was early Saturday morning, and I was heading to the university parking lot. I commuted as usual. Dad insisted I should have a car and a driver. Still, I refused because I wanted to keep my identity secret, so I stayed low profile.

“I thought you wouldn’t show up,” Janice greeted me as soon as she saw me, causing me to frown. “I know you’re not fond of these pack visits, and I was worried Aunt Avery wouldn’t allow you to come.”

“She allowed me because I told her I’d be with you,” I replied, seeing a wide smile across her face. She was about to say more when a black SUV suddenly stopped beside us. The passenger door opened, and Chloe stepped out with a smile.

“Hi, girls! Sorry, I’m a bit late. Adrian took forever.” We looked toward the driver’s seat, where her brother Adrian also got out, staring intensely at Janice, and my friend stared back at him.

“Hey! What’s going on with you?” I asked, surprising her.

“Huh? Nothing, I just– I don’t know.”

“Adrian, stop scaring Janice. She’s only 17!” Chloe said, annoyed at her brother.

“17?” Adrian asked, still not taking his eyes off my friend, who was now holding onto my arm, seeming uncomfortable. “I am not scaring her; I just thought your friends were amazons!” he told his sister.

Janice and I looked at each other before Adrian spoke again. “My little sister is kind of an a****n, so I thought her friends would be like her, too.” He scratched his head as he said that.

“A****n?” Janice asked, confused.

"You know, Xena type of girl..." Adrian answered, smiling.

“Oh, don’t mind, my brother. He’s always off. Plus, he’s probably out of it since he just got home, probably from his womanizing ways,” Chloe said.

“No, I wasn’t!” Adrian suddenly exclaimed, shocking us with how defensive he sounded. “I came from patrol, not from whatever gossip you’re spreading to your friends. They might actually believe it.”

“Ugh, let’s just go,” Chloe said, glaring at her brother before looking back at us. “Come on, girls, I’m excited to take you to our pack,” she added excitedly, so Janice and I nodded and got into the SUV.

Chloe sat beside us while Adrian complained about looking like a driver. The two siblings seemed close, which made me smile. While we chatted during the ride, I was secretly nervous.

I don’t know why, but just the thought of seeing Xavier again made me feel something strange. Maybe this is how it feels to have a crush. Yes, I admit it; I have a crush on him.

I remember his deep eyes staring at me whenever I closed my eyes, especially when we shook hands. If not for that electric feeling, I would’ve held on longer.

“Janice,” Adrian called, making us look at him, although his eyes stayed on the road.

“Just focus on driving, Adrian. Janice is the daughter of Alpha Joric, so don’t even think about messing with her,” Chloe warned her brother, who suddenly hit the brakes. “What the heck, Adrian!”

“She’s Alpha Joric’s daughter? Why haven’t I seen her at the Midnight Pack, not even once?”

“I don’t really socialize, and as much as possible, Dad doesn’t allow me to show up when there are visitors,” Janice explained.

Adrian said nothing more and continued driving until we finally reached the Howlers Pack.

“Welcome!” Chloe exclaimed as we got out of the car. “Let’s go to the packhouse so I can introduce you to Alpha Xavier.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” Janice asked when I suddenly froze. I got nervous when I heard Xavier’s name.

“Come on, girls!” Chloe was still super excited as she walked between Janice and me, linking arms with us as we entered the packhouse, with Adrian trailing behind us.

My heart was pounding, like it was about to jump out of my chest. Why do I feel like this? It’s so annoying!

As we entered the packhouse, we saw a bunch of men in the living room who immediately stopped what they were doing and looked at us.

“They’re just young pack warriors. Don’t mind them,” Chloe said as she led us through.

We walked until we reached a hallway with rooms on both sides. Each had glass windows so we could see inside.

“This way,” Chloe said as she stopped before a closed door. She knocked, and my heart pounded even harder when I heard that voice.

“Come in.” With that, Chloe turned the knob and opened the door.

We walked in, and I noticed Xavier straightened up in his seat when he saw me. He must’ve been wondering why I was with Chloe.

“Alpha, these are my friends, Janice and Aliyah.”

“You said you’re going to train?” Xavier asked Chloe, but he was looking at me.

“Y-yes, Alpha. There’s a mini-tournament at school, and everyone is required to fight.”

“Everyone?” Adrian chimed in, and the three of us nodded.

“Humans and supernatural categories are separated,” Janice quickly said.

“Where do you plan to train?” Xavier asked.

“Can we use the training hall, Alpha?” Chloe asked hesitantly.

“No problem, at least the other warriors won’t see you.” There didn’t seem to be any harm in anyone seeing us, so why was it such a big deal to him? “You know how our warriors act when they see women. It’s like it’s their first time.”

“Yeah, Alpha,” Chloe replied, making Janice and me look at her. “But they’re harmless. They just get really excited about visitors, especially if they’re women. Didn’t I tell you no one wants to visit our pack?” she explained.

“Ah, okay,” Janice and I said in unison.

“That makes me curious,” Xavier suddenly interjected. “What made you agree to come?” His deep eyes were looking at me again as if trying to draw me in, but the way he asked made it sound like he was suspicious, as if Janice and I had some secret motive for training here.

“I begged them, Alpha,” Chloe suddenly said, making Xavier look at her.

“What? Why did you do that?” Adrian quickly asked.

“I don’t know. I just felt it when Aliyah and I locked eyes. There’s something about her that I can’t explain.” Chloe lowered her head, seeming unsure.

“Alright, you can start your training. I’ll come by after I’m done here to supervise you personally.” My heart nearly jumped out of my chest when Xavier said that. Why did he need to supervise us?