XIX. The Nightmares

Rhea's POV

By the time I can walk, my family has jumped to so many conclusions that I don't even want to tell them the truth, which is still impossible since I cannot speak. I have missed a full week of classes, and I am eager to return to school.

My body is still recovering from the many bites on it, and judging by how gross they look days later, they must have been grotesque in the beginning. Aside from that, the worst thing about my recovery are the nightmares.

I don't know if I dreamed it or hallucinated, but I could swear that Colton visited me in the hospital while I was alone. Since I am still alive, I doubt it was real, and because my family hasn't mentioned anything about it, I pushed it to the back of my mind.

Even so, I keep dreaming about Colton standing in my doorway. There have been times when I am trying to sleep and the fear that he is in my room with me becomes so great that I refuse to close my eyes.

There are other times when I am reading, or catching up with schoolwork, and I feel his presence behind me. Those days are the worst because I cannot even move when that happens. I become frozen, and without my sense of smell, there is no way for me to confirm he is not there without turning around.

I have to wait for my mother or someone else to enter my room, and by then I am almost always a mess of nerves. I have told myself that staying in my bedroom is my main issue. I need to get out, but I don't want to hear my pack members whispering about me.

I still cannot speak, but I know if I spend another second in the Packhouse I am going to die from my own toxic thoughts. I throw on a sweater, put on my glasses, grab my bag and start walking to where the pack shuttle bus stops. My mother of course intercepts me.

"Baby, this is not a good idea." I hate seeing my mother's worried expression, and I pull out my phone to type my response.

[I cannot stay here forever. I am dying.] I meant that in more ways than one. Sylvia is still gone; I am too afraid to tell my parents what happened to me and believe me I have tried. Every time my fingers go to type out that message, the only thing I can do is shake, but I have managed to tell them that I shifted prematurely.

"Sweetheart, a premature shift is serious. There could be other side effects."

[Staying home will not stop that. I do not have a wolf and I don't know if she will ever come back. I am a human, and I need an education. Please do not take that away from me too.] My mother whimpers, and she eventually decides to leave me alone.

While I am waiting for the shuttle, Luke, Raven and Robin pass by, and they insist I ride with them. I agree, and I get to school an hour before my classes. I have already emailed my professors, and they all think I was in some sort of car accident in which my vocal cords were damaged by smoke fumes.

I have not felt so relaxed in a long time, as I settle back into my routine. It is exactly as I thought. Having something to do has taken my mind away from the negativity.

Colton's POV

Today is Lark's twenty second birthday and alpha ceremony. The whole alliance has been invited but I do not want to go. The last I heard, Brain's voice returned to her recently and I cannot help but to think that the only thing stopping her from telling everyone the truth last year is the fact that she couldn't speak.

It was silly to have thought that Brain had forgiven me, and I could very well be walking into a trap set for me.

My father is insisting that I attend, because he says that we need to gather as much information about the Claw pack as possible. The man is so jealous of Alpha Jay that he believes that the Talons family is involved in illegal activities. In his mind, it's the only way their pack could be so successful.

I resist the urge to remind my father that the Talons do not live in a high maintenance palace the way we do, but only because he has been having it rough lately and I feel for him.

My mother had gone to the UK with Dolton; she used to travel back and forth a lot, but over time, her returns became less frequent. The plan was for her to come back as soon as Dolton turned eighteen, but she recently sent word that Dolton' future pack needed her more.

I do not blame my mother. My father was neglectful of her when she was here, and it took me becoming an adult to realize it. I cannot remember the last time I saw him hug or kiss her, and I am almost positive that she had been waiting for an excuse to leave for a long time.

Not all fated pairs are happy with the mates they are given, and because mate bonds weaken when a relationship is strained, my mother must have taken the opportunity to flee.

"Make sure you get her alone," My father says. I nod, but I have no intention of forcibly marking and mating with Raven. I will make sure the opportunity never presents itself, which shouldn't be too hard considering the fact that the girl has completely changed. She is no longer the party type, and if I didn't know any better, I would say that she has settled down.

When we get to the Claw pack territory, I immediately notice that things have changed. Now I understand why my father is jealous. Alpha Jay's pack was never shabby, but they have done a ton of renovations and I barely recognize the place.

They have paved roads, the pack cabins have been decorated, and it looks like there are small stores within the pack grounds. We pass by one that is clearly a bakery and obviously busy. I caught a glimpse of Luna Mavis hard at work on desserts.

My father sneers and I look at him in confusion. He links me that there is no way apples have paid for all the changes we are seeing in under a year, and I have to agree with him. Even taking into consideration that Brain's scent blocker is extremely popular, it is still impossible.

Out of fear, our packs have entered a blood oath, and the Claw pack cannot sell their blocker to any pack that is not within our alliance. Since we would know if they were breaking the oath, it means they are doing something else.

My father and I step into the clearing where the main event will be held, and my eyes immediately snap to a small girl sitting in a corner. My heart starts to race, as I notice that she is talking to someone I know. The conversation they are having looks serious, and I quickly link my beta, making his eyes snap away from Brain and toward me.

Carter jogs up to where I am standing, and he looks depressed. I ask him what he was talking to Brain about, and he tells me that he found his mate.

"What the f*ck are you talking about? She isn't even sixteen," I say angrily. I really hope that my beta is not trying to con an underage girl into giving into him by pretending to feel the bond early. It does happen, but it is rare.

"What? No bro, my mate is Mandy." I flinch at the name. Mandy is Brain's cousin from her father's side. She and Carter lost their virginity to one another and she thought it meant they were in a relationship. He led her on for two whole years before she caught him red handed.

"You're f*cked,"

"I know." Carter rubs at his face. "She has already asked her father to put in a rejection request with the council." Because Carter is a higher-ranking male, Mandy cannot reject him without the werewolf council's consent, but she has to make her case convincing. Rejections are tough, and they can kill, so the council must deem it worth the risk.

Carter is in trouble, because Mandy's father and his father have gotten into a fist fight over what happened. The girl was so broken up that she actually told her parents everything, and Beta Ben almost cut ties with Alpha Jay, his own brother, because he blamed him for allowing his daughter to fall into Carter's 'trap.'

All Mandy has to say is that being mated to Carter could turn three neutral packs into hostile packs. On those grounds, the council will agree to her request and set a date for a supervised rejection.

"What does that have to do with Brain?" I find myself asking, and Carter looks at me to make sure I am serious.

"Mandy is probably the only friend Brain has. Do you not remember how inseparable they were anytime she would visit?" I shake my head. I spent so much time hating Brain that I never paid attention to anyone around her, especially not some girl my beta was screwing.

"Anyway, I am hoping to make my case with her to see if she can help me."

"I'll talk to her," I add, but my beta literally blocks my path making me growl from his display of disrespect.

"No offence alpha," he says to placate me. "But I don't think you are the right person to talk to Brain."