by Amanda Carol
“Get up,” Blaine commands.
The second I get to my feet, Blaine kicks me in the stomach, hard enough that I fly backward and land on my back. Gasping for air, I roll onto my stomach and push myself to get back up.
Shit.
My back is to him.
He wraps his arms around me, pinning my arms to my sides. I can feel his breath on my neck, it makes my skin crawl.
“That vampire should have killed you. And your pathetic excuse for a brother should be next,” Blaine whispers in my ear.
This moment brings my nightmare to life.
I start to thrash around, but it’s no use. He’s holding on so tight that I’m having trouble bringing air into my lungs. I start to panic, but then I feel the familiar tug in my head, letting me know someone is trying to use the link, so I open it.
Calm down. I’m sure you’ve been in this position before. Get out of it, I hear Axton’s voice before I close the link off.
I wonder how he knows that I can use the telepathic link the wolves share. We haven’t told many people about that. But he’s right; I need to calm down. This isn’t my dream, and I have been in this position before.
Feeling a little calmer, I stomp my foot down on top of Blaine’s. The move causes him to misstep, and his grip loosens, but not enough for me to get out. I throw my head back, and it smacks into his chin, making a satisfying “crack” sound. He grunts; his grip finally loosens just enough for me to break free. I turn quickly, bringing my foot up to deliver a damn near perfect kick to his chest.
But he grabs my foot and throws me across the room. People move out of the way as I land and roll into the wall. I try to get up, but my arms give out, and I fall back down on the ground. Blaine wraps his hand around my ankle and drags me across the floor. I reach out to try and grab onto something but there is nothing for me grab onto. When he gets me to the center of the mat, he drops my foot.
I roll over and turn away, trying desperately to drag air into my lungs. Ever since this damn fight started, I feel like I can’t catch a breath.
Blaine walks around to stand in front of me, and when I glance up at him, his eyes are glowing with his rage. Then he lifts his foot up and kicks me in the ribs. He delivers kick after kick, and each time is a little harder than the last. Whenever I try to take a breath, he kicks me again, knocking it right back out again. With each forceful, painful blow, he reminds me just how much he hates me.
“That’s enough!” I hear Axton shout.
But Blaine doesn’t stop.
I cry out and curl up in a ball, trying to block his blows. My body is now broken and bruised, just like my mind.
“I said that’s enough, Blaine!” Axton comes up and rips Blaine away from me. “What the fuck is your problem, man?”
Blaine scoffs, but doesn’t say anything.
“You know what?” Axton says. “I don’t even care. Go take a walk. Everyone else, class is dismissed.”
I’m still lying in a fetal position as I hear Blaine storm off across the room. I flinch when I hear the door slam shut.
Moments later, I listen as everyone else quickly gathers their things and quietly leaves the room. The room is now silent, and the only thing I can hear now is the sound of my own breathing. I start to think that I’m alone until I feel a hand on my arm. I jump and scream from the contact.
“It’s okay, Aria. It’s just me,” Axton whispers as I dig my fingers into his arm. “Are you okay?”
I get my breathing under control and slowly start to uncurl my body. I look up at him, and he curses as soon as he sees my face.
“Hunter is going to kill me,” he sighs.
He helps me sit up and hands me a cold bottle of water. I sip on it, breathing through the pain. It’s times like this when I'm glad that I heal fast. We sit there for a few minutes, but all I want to do is leave this room. I start to get up, but I’m weak, so Axton helps me get to my feet. As soon as I’m standing, I get a sharp pain in my stomach and double over, wrapping my arm around myself.
“I think maybe you should see Kora,” Axton suggests, holding on to my elbow.
I nod as he places my arm over his shoulder and grabs my waist to hold me up. We walk to the medical room, but when we get inside, its empty. Axton helps me onto a cot and then searches for some Gumba Paste and stuff to clean my face. I lie back and close my eyes, and after a few minutes, Axton comes back into the room from Kora’s office.
“I couldn’t find the Gumba Paste, but I did find a clean washcloth. You’re not bleeding anymore, thanks to your demigod powers. Shifters heal fast, but not as fast as you. I may or may not be a little jealous.” He chuckles softly as he walks over to me, handing me a damp washcloth.
I begin to wipe my face, but the movement causes a sharp pain in my ribs and my breath hitches.
“Do you need some help?” Axton asks.
I inhale sharply as I nod, handing the damp cloth back to him. He sits down on the cot next to me and begins to gently dab my face, wiping up the blood. I feel a slight tug in my head and open the link.
Baby, where are you? Hunter asks. I’m in the training room.
Medical room with Axton, I think back to him.
I swear not even five seconds have passed when Hunter comes bursting through the door, making both Axton and I jump. I wince at the sudden movement.
“What the fuck happened?” Hunter growls as he takes in my face. His eyes are glowing brightly as he stalks forward, grabbing Axton by the front of his shirt and pulling him to his feet. “How could you let this happen?”
Axton bows his head in submission. “I’m sorry, man. It all happened so fast…”
“Hunter, let him go! It’s not his fault!” I grimace when I raise my voice.
I know I don’t have any broken ribs, but it still hurts like hell. Hunter holds on to Axton for a moment longer before letting him go.
“Go. We’ll talk later,” Hunter says through clenched teeth.
Axton throws up his hands before leaving us alone in the room. Hunter’s eyes are still glowing as he sits down on the cot, grabbing the rag and picking up where Axton left off.
“Do you want to tell me what happened today?” he asks, gently wiping the blood off my face.
“Not really,” I mutter.
I cast my eyes down to my fingers in my lap. I hate the fact that Blaine got the best of me.
Maybe he’s right. Maybe I don’t belong here. I’m putting everyone at risk because I know the truth.
But what happens if I come clean? What happens to the people I love and care about if the word gets out that a traitor is walking among us? At least I haven’t seen much of the traitor because I hardly ever leave my cabin anymore.
Hunter places a finger under my chin, tilting my head up.
“Hey, where did you go?” he whispers softly as his bright blue eyes meet mine, searching my face as if it holds all the answers.
“Nowhere,” I breathe, my eyes still locked on his.
Hunter’s hand moves to cup my cheek as he leans in to place a soft kiss on my lips, then rests his forehead against mine.
“Please, baby, talk to me. Who did this to you?” His voice is barely above a whisper.
I pull away from him, and he drops his hand from my cheek. I slowly get up from the cot, making my way out of the room.
“Aria.” Hunter gets up from the cot and blocks my path to the exit. “How can I help you if you don’t tell me what happened?”
“Help me with what, Hunter?” I narrow my eyes at him. “What good would it possibly do if I tell you? We were sparring and I lost. That’s it. I don’t know what else to tell you.”
“Sparring? Those injuries don’t look like they came from a typical sparring match.”
“Well, they did.” I try to step around him, but he blocks my path again. “Can I please go home?”
“Not until you tell me who you were sparring with.” Hunter’s lips form a thin line as a muscle ticks in his jaw.
; “Does it matter?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest, ignoring the ache in my muscles.
At least my healing abilities have really kicked in now. The pain is turning into a dull ache.
“It does to me.” He mimics my stance and we stare at each other.
If I tell him it was Blaine, that’s just going to give Blaine yet another reason to hate my guts. I really don’t need to give that douchebag any more reasons to want to kick my ass again. We stand there for several moments before Hunter sighs, running a hand through his short, shaggy black hair.
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
“Nope,” I reply, putting a hand on my hip.
“Okay.”
“Okay, can I go now? I have to get ready to practice with Zayne tonight.” I drop my hand back down to my side.
When he doesn’t say anything, I move to step around him again and he lets me go this time. I just want to get out of this damn building.
“I will figure it out, you know.” Hunter’s voice stops me right in the doorway.
I don’t turn around; I know he’s going to ask Axton who I sparred with. I take in a deep breath and leave Hunter alone in the medical room.
I glance over toward the cafeteria and I see Luna and Abby talking with Grace and Kat in the buffet line. Before they see me, I duck my head down and quickly leave the barn.
How hard is it to tell me a goddamn name?
I mean, I’m going to kick whoever’s ass I have to for hurting Aria. But I just wish she would open up to me.
There’s sparring and then there’s an all-out attack, like how she looked when Ronan got his hands on her. Her injuries from the match with Sloane were nothing compared to what she has now, which leads me to believe that whoever she was up against made it personal.
If anyone is going to tell me what happened, it’s Axton. He’s similar to Knox, in a way. He’s serious about pack law.
It’s not that I’m not serious about it. I just don’t think I’d be any good at it. My father has told me once or twice what a fuck-up I am and how Knox would be better at leading this pack than me. And I can’t say that I don’t believe him. I have fucked up from time to time and made some really shitty decisions that could have had very different outcomes. But I’ve also made choices that have saved people, and my father refuses to acknowledge those. It’s like he’s incapable of seeing any of the good I’ve done for this pack.
Axton, I call, opening the link to him.
Hey, Hunt. What’s up? Axton’s voice enters my mind.
Who was Aria’s sparring partner today? I ask him.
He doesn’t reply right away, and that can only mean one thing.
Blaine.
Fucking Blaine. I hate that asshole. He walks around this Compound thinking he’s hot shit and just causes nothing but trouble. And he’s on the team that my father wants to have go and search for Ronan and Isabella tonight.
Axton. Tell me. Now! I command. I hate pulling rank, but I need a definitive answer.
She sparred with Blaine. I’m sorry, man. I had her paired up with Jasper, but Blaine cut in. She said it was fine. I shouldn’t have listened to her… Axton’s voice trails off and I curse under my breath.
Next time I see Blaine, he’s a dead wolf.
I make my way over to Bennett’s cabin. I have to tell him what my father said during the meeting this morning, since it involves him. He’s been pulling triple duty: covering for me a lot since we found Aria, patrolling, and being one of the three people I trust to keep an eye on my girl when I can’t.
I take his steps two at a time, then knock once on his door. I don’t even bother to wait for an answer.
The inside is quiet, too quiet. Ah, that red-headed fucker is probably still sleeping. I head straight into his kitchen and help myself to a bottle of water, then make my way upstairs to his room. The layout of his cabin is exactly like mine, but the difference between them is, he’s a messy wolf. I get to the top of the steps and notice that he’s planted face-down on his bed.
I walk over to him and gently tap him to wake him up. Right. I forgot he’s a heavy sleeper. I unscrew the cap off the water bottle and then place my thumb halfway over the opening. Then I start to sprinkle cold water on him.
“Rise and shine, sleepyhead!” I shout.
He shoots up out of bed like a bat out of hell, and the sight of him crouching in front of me, palms flat and held out in front of him, makes me lose my shit.
“Easy there, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” I say between bouts of laughter.
“Dude! Don’t sneak up on me like that! I almost wolfed out on you and ate your face off!” Bennett narrows his sleepy eyes at me. His red hair is all messed up on one side and I start to laugh again.
“What are you doing here?” he asks, stretching his arms above his head.
I’m so glad he wasn’t sleeping naked. I think he learned that lesson the hard way when my mom stopped by one time to deliver him some chocolate chip cookies. He was mortified and I don’t think he’s ever slept without clothes on since.
I thought it was funny as shit. My mom, not so much.
“I came here to talk to you about the meeting my father had this morning. We got word that Isabella and Ronan are back in town. My father wants us to go see if we can track them down. But that’s not all. He wants Declan to come with us. He said it would be an advantage to have Declan there in case things go south. He can use his healing ability,” I explain, following Bennett down his steps.
“Shit, dude. I mean, yeah, it would be good to have him tag along. But what about Blondie?” Bennett jumps over the bottom two steps.
“What about her?” I ask, a little harsher than I intended to.
I’m pissed that she wouldn’t tell me who she sparred with, but I'm more pissed about the fact that she sparred with him. I follow him into his kitchen and sit down at his table, while he goes into his fridge and pulls out a Red Bull. He doesn’t drink coffee; he says it’s like drinking dirt. Whatever the fuck that means.
“Well, that was harsh. Trouble in paradise?” Bennett cracks open the tab on the can and takes a few gulps.
I shoot him a look.
“No. Not really.” I lean back in the chair and scrub a hand down my face. “I mean, you know how she’s been. We just had a small disagreement today.”
Bennett chugs the rest of his Red Bull, before tossing the empty can in the trash.
“Are you going to tell me or just sit there and be broody? Inquiring minds want to know.” He taps the side of his head.
I roll my eyes. “After the meeting with my father, I went to the training room to see her, but it was empty. She and Axton were in the medical room, and when I walked in, she was pretty banged up. Worse than her match with Sloane. She wouldn’t tell me who she sparred with. I had to find out through Ax.”
“Who did she spar with?” Bennett asks, crossing his arms over his chest, and leaning back against his counter.
“Blaine. Ax said that he had partnered her up with Jasper, but Blaine stepped in and she agreed. He didn’t spar with her, Benny. He beat the shit out of her. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was personal.” I can feel my temper starting to flare just from remembering her bloody face. Blaine’s lucky I don’t just beat the shit out of him just on principle alone.
“Damn. Wonder what his problem is? Actually, don’t answer that. He’s just a dick. How is Blondie?” Bennett turns grabbing a bowl from his cabinet, then grabs the box of Honey Smacks off the counter and pours some in the bowl.
Obviously, we have a cafeteria here, but a lot of people still go into town to grab their own groceries. The cafeteria is used mostly by the shifters, especially after long shifts. But Bennett loves his Honey Smacks, and they don’t have that in the cafeteria.
“Are we talking about in general, or from Blaine beating her up?” I ask as I watch him grab the milk out of his fridge and add it to the bowl.
“I’m talking about from the matc
h. I have eyes, you know. I can see she’s most definitely not okay in general.” Bennett shoves a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.
“Yeah, I know. I don’t know how to help her with that either…” I start to say, but I am cut off by the pull.
I open the link, hoping that it’s my girl.
Hunter, come to my office, I hear my father command.
I look at Bennett and he stops eating his cereal.
“Being summoned?” he asks before taking another bite.
“Yeah. I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.” I get up from the chair and start to head out of his kitchen, stopping in the doorway, “Oh, Aria is training with Z tonight. Can you—?”
“Make sure she gets there in one piece? Yeah, yeah, I got you. Peace out, broski.” He waves his hand, dismissing me.
I chuckle softly, then turn and make my way to my parents’ place.
My mom isn’t home. Apparently, she left with Kora and Luna to go to town to stock up on more supplies. I walk down the long hallway to my father’s office and knock on the door. I hear a muffled “come in” and turn the handle.
“You wanted to see me, sir?” I shut the door behind me and walk over to stand in front of his desk.
He glances up at me, setting the paper that he was reading down. “Yes. As you know, I want a team of you to track down those vampires. I want you, Bennett, Knox, Declan and Blaine to go check it out. I’ve already informed Knox and Blaine.”
“What?” I all but shout, which causes my father to raise a brow.
Oh, fuck. Here we go again. The fact that he informed Knox and Blaine before informing me pisses me off.
“Is there a problem?” he asks, folding his fingers together and laying them down on the desk.
“Yes. Blaine isn’t going,” I say through clenched teeth.
“And why, might I ask, is Blaine not going?”
“Because he’s not.”
“That’s not a good enough reason, son. If you can’t give me a good reason as to why he can’t go, then he will be going.”
