"Fifty-one..."

I can't keep on repeating the same stupidity and expecting a different result.

"Fifty...two..."

My mistakes is something that can't be escaped, no matter how hard I try, it always swallows me again.

"Fifty-three..."

I can't stop being me.

"Fifty...four..."

My past constantly follows me around like black smoke choking me from the inside out. Like a savage beast clawing at the heart and mind, eating pieces of it until there is nothing left.

Eating me slowly and alive.

All I have to do is stop.

"Fifty-five."

But I can't.

Sweat trickled down my back, beading on my forehead and dripped from my chin. My hands let go of the bar and I landed to the ground with a soft thud. Angie handed me a white towel and I started to dry my face with it.

"Not bad. Though I would have done it better."

"You? Better?" I laughed. "You're a wimp compared to me. "I did fifty-five chin-ups. Chin-ups! You know how hard they are?" I rubbed my sore shoulders.

"That the best you got?"

"Well I mean I would have done more but-"

"Let a woman teach you how it's done." She brushed right past me and grabbed the metal bars.

"Now this I have to watch." I tossed the towel over my shoulders and spectated Angie.

She gripped the bar shoulder-width with straight arms. She rose her feet off from the ground by bending her knees and pulled herself up. She kept pulling until her chin passed the bar then she lowered all the way down until her arms were straight. Her breaths came out weary as she repeated the same procedures. Dark spots stained her gray shirt as she effortlessly did chin-ups.

"See...easy..." She gritted her teeth as she kept going.

I smirked as I watched her going up and down. Sweat already dripped from her face and plastered her hair down. I have to admit, she was way better at it than me. Oh gosh I can't believe a girl just beat me. She passed my stopping point and kept going.

"Okay I think you've done enough." I stood in front of her as she kept her same pace.

"What's wrong, Hawthorn? Jealous?" She slightly smirked before gritting again.

"No...I just don't want to see you get hurt." My eyes followed her movements.

"Puh-lease," her lip curled, "I'm used to that by now."

"Angie."

"I'm doing just fine." She started to pant rapidly.

"Angeles." My hand grasped gently against her hips making her stop. She hung from the bar and finally let it go. My hands still remained on her as she now stood just centimeters away from my face. Droplets lined on her eyelashes as she blinked slowly. I couldn't help but to trace a thumb on her cheek. Her hands were placed on my arms as we only stared. Her brown eyes looked up at me with an unreadable expression.

A bang made our heads turn back.

"Simon! Are you- oh." Jezebel pushed opened the gym doors and froze​.

Angie quickly stepped away from me and grabbed a towel that was laying on a metal foldable chair.

"Are you done?" Jezebel's eyes narrowed.

"In a bit. I need to be in shape for tomorrow."

"Did you seriously had to tag her along?" She looked at Angie.

"I tagged myself thank you very much." Angie stood next to me and tossed me the towel.

"Sure you did. Try not to distract him okay? He needs to focus to get his pack of mutts."

"Where's Erwin?" I changed the topic, feeling a little annoyed at Jezebel's sharp comments towards Angie.

"He stayed with Nicky. I just came to see how you were doing. I see you're doing just fine so if you'll excuse me." She turned her back to us and walked away.

"What's her problem?" Angie rolled her eyes.

"I don't know."

"So who is Erwin?"

"Uh...my cousin." I gave her my back as I stiffened and tousled my hair with the towel.

Angie rose an eyebrow at me and smirked.

"You should introduce me to him one day," She scoffed. "But that is irrelevant  to why we are here. You brought me here so we could talk in private. I want to get on with it on why I came to look for you."

"Go on." I turned back to look at her.

"Zack, my mate, wants to kill you. But in order for you to come and make it more dramatic he sent me."

"You? Hmm and?"

"And practically I'm suppose to lead you to your death."

"Will you?" My shoulders tensed and a small growl started to form.

"Of course not," she quickly placed a hand on my shoulder for a second before taking it away. "That's why I came here to warn you."

"And what happens when you go back to your mate and come empty handed? Did you think about that?" I rose my voice and got up to her face.

"Dude chill I'm trying to help you but it seems like you actually want to die."

"You think he scares me? I fucking don't know who your fucking mate is."

"He hates you for the same reason I hated you."

"Hated? As in past tense? So you don't hate me no more?" I was fed up with everyone for hating me for the wrong thing. Thanks to my deceased father, I'm the one being blamed for everything. "I told you I had no doing in keeping your freaking family as prisoners. Heck I didn't know you existed or your specie!"

"Freaking? Are you calling my family freaks? You know what, forget I even came! We can't last a minute before arguing. You're hopeless!"

I grabbed her arm and turned her around so our noses brushed.

"What does he has that I don't?"

"Excuse me?" Angie shoved me away but I still had a good grip on her arm.

"Why won't you stay with me where it is safe?"

"Safe? I'll end up dying because of you."

"I'll protect you. Please," I softened my voice a bit, "Let me help you. Let me at least show you that I can be good. Can I at least get one chance? I want to repay you somehow for all the damage my father has done to your people and what I have done to you back in highschool. Give me a chance..."

Guilt sat on my chest. I'm letting Angie soften my heart like no other. She was the only one who could make me plea. I was off as Alpha when it came to Angie.

"I'm going to regret this. I just know it."

"Is that a yes?" The corner of my lip crept up.

"In one condition," she lifted a finger to my lips. "Keep your vampire friend under control. If she looses her cool I'll loose mine. And second, don't you touch me understood?"

"Sure whatever."

I won't promise anything...

I crossed my fingers behind me and smirked.

"Third,"

"Woah hold on," I threw my hands in the air in form of surrender, "That is a hell of a lot of conditions."

"Language. I make the rules here. You want me to stay? Then you do what I say."

Mmm feisty...I like it.

She spun on her heels, making her hair fly out and slap my face.

"See you in the morning."

"Where are you going to sleep tonight?" I called out, the gym's wall echoing my voice.

"That doesn't concerns you." She smirked and walked out through the doors. "By the way I did seventy-three!" She called back.

*****

I walked behind Jezebel and next to Angie as we walked down an empty street. Just one lonely car drove by but disappeared. Everyone was too asleep to be awake early in the morning except for the caw of a crow that was heard but not a single soul in sight. Jezebel on the other hand knew where she was going. We stopped in front of a manhole leading to the sewers. She rolled the manhole cover to the side and dusted her hands on her jeans, bringing her purple eyes to stare into mine.

"You only have one chance in this. You fucking screw this, you be fucking packless."

"Do we have to go in there?"

I leaned over the hole and stared into the darkness. 

The first thing that hit me was the smell. I took a half step backwards, squeezing my eyes shut in surprise.

I can do this...I can do this...

Reluctantly, I lowered myself into the sewer, taking care not to cut my hands on the rusty ladder. My shoe found a ledge on the ladder and I decided I should be the first one to go down.

I have to show off Angie that I am not a coward.

Jezebel pulled out a flashlight and shined it down the tunnel as she went down next, followed then by Angie. The walls and ceiling were circular, and old pipes draped with cobwebs ran along the sides. On either side of the running water was a concrete walkway which only had one path and that was forward.

"Alright so here is the plan," Jezebel got on my left side as Angie got on my right. "You are going to walk in and ask for Snake Eyes. He will be the one who will hand you the list for your new pack members."

"Snake Eyes? How the fuck is that a name?"

"Don't mind that. One mistake Simon and it's over."

"What about you two?" I asked.

"First of all I'm a vampire and there is no way I'm going in their with a place full of mutts. Second Angie stays. We don't need little howlers do we?" She whispered the second part close to my ears.

We stopped walking and stood in front of a door.

"Why is there a random door in the sewers?"

"Why are you asking so many questions?" Jezebel slapped me on the back of the neck.

Behind me Angie snickered.

Women...

I bit my bottom lip and opened the door. Inside wolves and humans roamed the place. All eyes turned to me. Some shifted to their human forms and the ones that remained wolves, snarled at my entrance. I walked slowly casting each one a look of my own. I'm not going to show fear to these rouges and strays. I'm Alpha and I give the fear.

"Where is Snake Eyes?" I rose my voice with authority.

"Why you need him?" A rough voice spoke from somewhere within the crowd.

"I'm looking for a pack."

"You came to the right place." The same voice chuckled.

Everyone parted to let a man walk towards me.

I could see why he was called Snake Eyes. The man had yellow-golden eyes with sharp slits in the center. His eyes were like a paralyzing machine, freezing me in the spot. He smirked at me and revealed perfect sets of pearlie white teeth.

"Alpha Hawthorn?"

"Yes." I kept my voice firm.

Snake Eyes dismissed everyone with a wave of a hand making everyone continue what they were doing.

"Follow me." He lead me to a corner and ran a hand through his silky black hair. "How many members do you want?"

"Well to start with I need at least ten." I replied.

"That wasn't what I asked. How many do you want?" His eyes never blinked.

One mistake and it's over...

Jezebel's voice went through my mind.

"I want twenty."

Snake Eyes grinned and slapped me in the back.

"I like your style. I see the type of man you are. Very well then consider wish granted." He handed me a list of names. "Lets just hope they want you as their Alpha," He smirked. "Some of these haven't had a leader for a very long period of time. Is up to you now. Hand over the cash."

Cash???

I frantically search in my pockets and felt a huge relief when I found a bundle of cash in my back pocket. I don't know how Jezebel managed to put it there without me knowing it but she just saved me.

"Here you go." I cleared my throat and handed him the cash.

"Nice making business with you Hawthorn...nice indeed." He licked his teeth and sauntered off.

Twenty names were in the list.

Address and numbers.

Now I just have to look for them.

I quickly hurried back to Jezebel and Angie and handed the list to Jezebel.

"Not bad. Finally you did something right." Jezebel snatched the list from my hands and stuffed it in her pocket.

I frowned. What was her problem with me?

"Alright now take your pretty tail back to the apartment while I do the rest."

"I could-"

"You want the pack or not?" She hissed.

"Yes but I can-"

"Yes or no?" She spat.

"Yes."

"Then go home. We need to hurry this and soon." She spun the flashlight in her fingers and lighted the way back out. "The faster you get your filthy pack, the better we will all be."