Chapter 42 - I still don't like it.

Lucy's POV

Beck, Devlin and I finally arrive at the Pack house at about ten to six and, from the looks of all the cars parked outside, the meeting's already started. It took a lot of convincing to get Beck to agree to come tonight but, eventually, I managed to persuade him. As we walk up the steps to Justin's front door, I notice him starting to drag his feet, though.

"Hey, you okay?" I ask as Devlin opens the front door.

"Yeah," he replies with a shrug, holding the door open after Devlin to let me through first. "I just get the feeling that tonight is going to be like Devlin's hearing all over again."

"Maybe," I agree, "but at least you have more people on your side. I mean, David's the one that asked me to get you here tonight."

"Yeah, I guess so," he replies before shaking his head. "Let's just get this over with."

Once inside, we head straight for the sound of voices coming from the meeting room and open the door, immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Baldwin snarls, breaking the suffocating silence that covers the room and glaring at Beck.

"I asked him to be here," David quickly answers before anyone else can speak up which, judging by the looks of disgust on their faces, they definitely want to.

"Why? He can't be trusted!" someone else shouts out.

"I think I'll be the judge of that, Rick," David replies, his voice ringing with a tone of finality that seems to cause everyone to think twice about protesting further. Everyone except, of course, Baldwin.

"And how are we supposed to trust your judgement, David?" He challenges, moving his glare from Beck to the Alpha as he stands up. "You've done nothing but lead us into a further mess."

Multiple gasps echo around the room as soon as the words leave his mouth; no one talks to the Alpha like that... ever.

David silently stands up and looms over the table, returning his glare with extreme anger, and every single person in the room apart from Baldwin and Beck bow their heads slightly in respect and fear. Surprisingly, however, the words that the Alpha speak are calm and controlled, whilst still holding a clear ring of authority.

"I've had enough of your disrespect, Quinlan, and I'm not going to put up with it any longer. Either you learn your place or you leave my Pack," he announces, giving him a clear ultimatum.

The tension in the room rises further as Baldwin remains standing but, after a few more seconds, he sits and bows his head a fraction, clearly backing down again.

I quickly glance in Beck's direction to try and figure out what he's thinking. His focus is completely on Baldwin, who now sits glaring at the floor, and it's obvious that he's confused about something. Then, as if a light goes off inside his brain, Beck turns to look at me as David begins to speak to the rest of the Pack about order and respect.

"Luce," Beck whispers, his eyes flickering back to Baldwin before returning to me. "I have a bad feeling about that guy."

"I know, he's a dick, just ignore him," I reply.

"No, I mean-" he says, quickly cutting off and looking back at the bad-tempered teacher. "Look, this might be a bit far-fetched but... Quinlan's originally an Irish name."

I look at Beck for a few more seconds before I realise what he's getting at. Quinlan's an Irish name, the rogue's always seem to be three steps ahead of us, Kailen told me that he always had people keeping tabs on me... is it possible that - is Quinlan a spy? I mean, it would explain his complete hate for me and disrespect for David, but then it could also be that he's just an asshole. I'm not willing to risk it though.

Carefully, I move closer to where Justin sits at the table and lean down a bit to talk to him.

"Heads up," I whisper, eyeing Baldwin suspiciously as I do. "Beck thinks there's a chance that Baldwin's working with the rogues."

"What?" Justin asks, turning to look at me and keeping his voice low so he doesn't interrupt whatever his dad's saying. "Why?"

"It's just a hunch," I explain, "but Kailen's Irish and so are most of the rogues in the area. Apparently Quinlan's an Irish name and, well, he takes every chance he can get to defy your dad. I know it's not a lot to go on but..." shrugging, I trail off the sentence and leave it hanging. It's a possibility and that alone should be enough to raise alarm bells.

"Dad's been talking about a traitor possibly being within the ranks recently," he muses quietly. "I mean, it makes sense, right? What with the rogues seeming to know our plans before we even attempt them."

"If David thinks that there's a traitor in the Pack then Baldwin would be my first guess, Irish or not, simply for the fact that he's a disrespectful dickhead," I reply. "Think about it, he's hated me for as long as I can remember, even more so than the rest of the Pack, which is to be expected if he's one of Kailen's minions. How much do we even know about the guy?"

"Dad told me that he transferred to the Pack a few years ago from some Pack down South," he informs me. "Apparently he fell out with his old Alpha or something."

Hmm... both of these stories seem plausible to me. Baldwin's evil enough to be an undercover rogue, but if he was from another Pack and treated his old Alpha the way he treats David then it's no surprise he got kicked out.

"Well I suggest we figure out if that's the truth or not pretty fast, preferably before we form our next attack, otherwise we might be giving the rogues more ammo against us," I sigh.

Justin nods at that and turns to talk to his Dad. David, who's now finished whatever he was saying to the rest of the Pack, clearly considers what his son's telling him before seemingly deciding to come to a decision.

"Okay," David says, addressing everyone in the room. "Here's what we're going to do. We don't have long to make sure we're fully prepared, especially now that we've come into contact with the rogues, we need to make our next move before they do. Tomorrow, from two o'clock, we'll get back to training. That way, it gives us a chance to find our strongest warriors before setting our next attack in stone."

"What if they attack before we're ready?" a woman asks, and I can't help but notice the way she glances at Beck with a clear look of distrust.

"I'll double the patrols," David assures her. "That way, at least we won't be blind to it if they do."

Slowly, after thinking it over, Pack members start to agree to the plan.

"Good," David says. "Then I guess that's all for now, I'll see you all tomorrow for training."

When everyone starts to gradually disperse David goes and pulls Baldwin to one side, shortly followed by Wayne and Dean once Justin explains what's going on. Justin pauses, though, turning to look at Devlin and Beck whilst clearly considering something.

"I think you guys should help interrogate him," he says honestly. Devlin simply shrugs and nods in agreement but Beck raises an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "Think about it," Justin continues. "If anyone has a chance of finding out if he's a rogue or not, it's going to be you two, no offense or anything."

"None taken," Beck replies. "Okay, I'm in."

"Luce?" Justin asks, giving me a questioning look.

"I think I'll sit this one out," I decide. Something tells me that this interrogation isn't exactly going to be pleasant and, seeing as Baldwin hates my guts already, I'd just make it worse. "I'll be out here when you guys are done."

"Okay," Justin agrees, the three of them setting off in the direction of David's office, where the others have already made their way to.

I make my way over to where the Harbours are all waiting for me. Mostly everyone's left already and I need to tell them that I'm going to be waiting around for a bit before heading home.

"Hey, what's going on?" Jess asks, looking in the direction that the guys just left.

"They're interrogating Baldwin," I explain, deciding to tell them the truth. "There's a chance he's working for the rogues and we need to find out if he is or not before forming our next move."

"Huh, wouldn't surprise me," Amy snorts. "I've always hated that guy."

"That's not good, though," Richard mutters with a frown. "If a traitor's been inside our Pack for this long without anyone knowing, I mean. Think of all the information he'll have been able to gather."

"Yeah, well," I shrug. "We don't know anything for definite yet so don't tell anyone. The last thing we need is a mass panic, especially if Baldwin turns out to be innocent."

"Somehow I don't think 'Baldwin' and 'innocent' belong in the same sentence," Jess says sceptically. "Amy's right, there's always been something off about that guy."

"I'm going to wait around here and find out what happens," I tell them. "I probably won't be any longer than an hour."

"Amy and I'll wait too," Jess says, turning to her parents. "We'll be back in plenty of time for dinner."

"Okay," Louisa agrees. "Lucy, is Beck staying tonight?"

Oh, right, I hadn't even thought about that. There's no way I'm letting him go home with the rogues sniffing about.

"Yeah, if that's okay with you," I reply with a small smile.

"Of course it is. We'll head home now, then. Don't be too long," she says.

"We won't," Amy calls after them as Louisa and Richard make their way out of the room. Once they're out of sight she turns back to me, opening her mouth as if to say something and closing it when something behind me catches her attention. "Good luck, Luce," is all she says, amusement clear in her voice as she pulls Jess away by the arm.

What the...?

"Lucy," Wendy says from behind me, making me jump slightly.

Oh, God. I'm going to kill my two best friends.

"Hey, Wendy," I say awkwardly, turning to look at her with a small smile.

If she brings up yesterday then I'm just going to die on the spot.

"Do you mind helping me put the chairs away?" she asks, seemingly trying to hide her amusement.

"Um, sure," I reply.

"Thanks," she replies. "I get the feeling we'll need them again pretty soon so let's just stack them up against the back wall."

"Okay," I agree, following her to where the chairs are and beginning to stack them three at a time before carrying them to the back wall.

"I really can't wait until this is all over, I'll finally be able to get my dining room back," she laughs.

"Do you think it'll be over soon?" I ask, wanting her honest opinion, whilst stacking my next three chairs and placing them with the others.

"If Beck's right about Quinlan then it should be; it'll give us back our element of surprise," she replies.

"Yeah..." I agree, thinking about it. It'll be weird not having to worry about it anymore, though. I mean, what happens afterwards? The threat of the rogues has brought us all closer together as a Pack, it's given us a reason to act like wolves again, something that hasn't happened for years. When this is over does it all just... stop? Does it all go back to how it was before? I hope not.

"So," she says after about a minute of silently stacking up the chairs, and her tone of voice alone is enough to tell me where she's headed. "You and Justin, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess," I reply awkwardly, silently thanking whoever might be listening that there are only a few chairs left to be put away.

"Well, I'm glad," she says, and I glance over at her to find her smiling. "I've always liked the idea of you two being together."

Putting the last of the chairs away, I can't help but smile too. This conversation isn't nearly as weird as I thought it would be.

"Well, thanks again for the help, Lucy. The boys should be finished soon," she says. "I'm going to go and start on dinner."

"Okay," I reply before we split ways, her making her way towards the kitchen whilst I make my way out into the hallway where Jess and Amy stand talking.

"So, how was the talk with the in-law?" Amy asks with an evil grin, and I can't help but roll my eyes at her.

"First of all, you're an idiot. Second of all, it actually wasn't so bad," I reply with a shrug. "Have you heard anything?" I then ask, motioning towards the office door.

"Not really," Jess says. "There was a fair bit of shouting going on a minute ago, though. Baldwin's not a happy bunny."

I snort at that. Is he ever?

"So," I say to pass the time. "Have you thought about what you're going to say to Dean, Ames?"

"Er..." she says awkwardly, causing me to laugh.

"You're not backing out," Jess announces. "We won't let you."

Just as Amy's about to reply the door to the office opens. Baldwin's the first person I see and I have to step back when I see the livid expression on his face, Jess and Amy doing the same as me. The others all look grim, really grim, and I begin to get the feeling that we were right to be suspicious.

"Wayne, take him upstairs and lock him up. If he tries to run, you know what to do," David says, and I don't think I've ever heard him sound so... cold.

"You bitch!" Baldwin snarls at me, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. I notice his intention just in time though and quickly move back when he tries to lunge at me.

Holy crap!

"Enough," Wayne snaps, forcibly dragging him back and all but shoving him up the stairs.

"You and Beck were right," Justin sighs once they're out of sight, running his hand through his hair in clear agitation.

"Yeah, I kind of guessed as much," I reply breathlessly and attempt to laugh the shock off. It doesn't work. Never in my life have I heard or seen Baldwin so... feral.

"So, what happens now?" Amy asks, glancing up the stairs, looking just as shocked as me.

"We need to keep him locked up," David says. "We don't have the time to deal with him at the minute; we have an entire Pack of rogues to worry about instead. We'll have to wait until after we've dealt with the others to deal with him."

"So you're just going to keep him locked up here?" I ask worriedly, not liking the idea of someone so dangerous being kept in the Pack house with them. "What if he escapes and-"

"He won't," Justin assures me. "He's going to be under twenty-four seven guard watch, we'll be fine."

I still don't like it.

"Well we should probably get going," Jess sighs, seemingly just as unhappy about this plan as me. Then again, Devlin lives here too, so that's understandable. "We said we wouldn't be too long."

David nods. "Okay, make sure to get a good night's sleep, you three, it's going to be a long day tomorrow."

After that, he heads up the stairs, most likely to go and see if Wayne needs any help.

Jess and Devlin slowly move away from the group, as well, trying to get as much privacy as possible with us all still stood here. It's not long before Dean pulls Amy to one side too, leaving just Beck, Justin and I stood together. Great.

This isn't going to be weird at all.

"So... I guess I'll see you tomorrow," I say awkwardly to Justin. I haven't really talked to Beck about Justin and I being a thing and I don't particularly want to open that can of worms right this second. Luckily, Justin seems to pick up on this fact.

"Yeah," he replies. "I'll text you later if anything changes."

"Okay," I say with a smile.

"Hey, are you guys ready?" Jess asks as she and Devlin move back over to us.

"Yep," Amy replies, re-joining the group too, and the four of us all start to make our way home.

(Hey guys!!! So I know I haven't updated in FOREVER!!! I'm so sorry!!! I got really stuck on this chapter and got really annoyed with it, so I decided to take a bit of a break from writing this story. The good news is that, in the break, I started to plan more stories that I can start writing and uploading when this one's finished :)

So quite a lot's happened since I last uploaded and I'm going to give you a brief update for anyone who wants to know. Firstly, I passed my AS levels and am now in my second year working towards my full A-Levels. I've also officially applied to Uni to study Creative Writing and Psychology and have been accepted by all five I applied to, so I'm now going around on the open days to help me decide my two final choices. Yikes, this shizz is scary! If all goes well then I'm not going to be living at home next year o.O So, yeah, it's all getting a bit crazy at the minute with finding time to do everything but I PROMISE that I'm going to work harder at getting back to regular updates!!!

So, anyways, I hope you all had a good Christmas :D Oh, yeah, I just remembered it's now officially 2016 so HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Where the hell does time go?

Okay, I'm waffling a bit now so I'm going to stop, haha :') I hope you like the chapter, sorry it's not a great one, especially after you've all had to wait for so long. I'll try and make the next one better :) Also, sorry for any mistakes within the chapter, I briefly went over to take out any big ones I could find. Um, yeah, I guess all I have left to say is thanks for reading and don't forget to Vote/Comment/Follow as it really helps me out :) Until next time (which will definitely be sooner than another five months) byee!!!)