Chapter 2

Khai's POV

I had only been back for less than an hour and the attention I drew was astounding. The crowd I saw at the clearing was nothing compared to the number of people standing about in the pack village. As we walked past, the whispers and astonished stares grew even more. In my attempt to become invisible, I pulled my hand away from Elena and latched onto Jordan for comfort. If the Luna noticed, she did not comment on it. As we continued to walk, I distinctly remembered the direction we were taking. I came to a halt, Jordan as well.

"Is this the direction of the clinic?" I asked, already aware of the answer.

"Khai, our home is much closer than the clinic," the Luna sighed.

"I'm not going there. Take me to the clinic," I demanded. She turned to face me, her bright blue eyes narrowed and for a moment, I felt a wave of intimidation wash over me. My Wolf urged me to tread lightly, regardless of how we felt about the situation. Even if I was her own blood, her Wolf did not like the way I was speaking. I hesitantly added to my words, looking anywhere but the Luna: "Please."

Part of me despised showing a hint of vulnerability even to the Luna. A tense moment passed before she answered. "Okay."

I withheld a wince. From the tone of her voice, I knew it was anything but okay. She led us away from the house and into the direction of the clinic. As we continued to walk, I noticed the Beta fall in step with us. I wondered if he thought we were a threat of some sort. I guess we were in a sense. Two unknown Wolves walking around with one of the most important leaders in the pack. Glancing around at my surroundings, I attempted to conjure up an escape plan. After she fixed my injury, there had to be some way to get out. A slight nudge from Jordan had me rethinking my plan idea though. He shook his head, already knowing what was racing through my mind. I groaned internally and glared hard at my feet.

Just as we arrived at the clinic, I sniffed out a familiar scent. My heart quickened as I realized who that individual was. The Luna held the door open to the clinic and ushered us in but just before I entered, I turned my head to find him.

My gaze landed on a familiar pair of hazel eyes, crouched low in the distance, concealed by the trees. Luke.

-

"This should be healing," the Luna stated as she observed my wound. "As an Alpha, your healing should already be kicking in by now."

She poked the wound before grabbing antiseptic wipes and beginning the process. We didn't speak for a moment as I forced myself to hold still. I hated people touching me and the Luna was no different.

"So how did this happen?" She turned around looking for other equipment. I knew the questions were going to start when she commanded everyone out of the room but I was still irked anyway.

I kept silent, glancing around at everything else in the room. The scent of chlorine. The cleanliness of the room. The emergency first aid kit. The antiseptics. The gauze. And so on.

"Is Jordan your Mate?" Again, I refused to answer. "Probably not. I didn't see a Mark. I think your father would be relieved."

Still, I held my tongue.

"This really doesn't look good," she peered closely at my wound. "Why has the bleeding not stopped?"

Curiously, I observed my injury too. She was right. At this rate, my body should have stopped the bleeding but it hadn't. I thought back to how I got the injury.

Escape.

Kill.

Explosion.

I repeated the order over and over, remembering the details which led to my current state.

We escaped first. Then we killed every hunter and-

By the fourth rerun, I jumped in realization, just as the Luna looked up worried. "Are you-"

Before she could finish her words, I shoved my fingers deep into my injury, wincing from the pain. It took a certain struggle but after a moment, I grasped onto the foreign irritant. Pulling it out, I sighed in relief, feeling the dull pressure subside. I gave it to the Luna.

"What is this?"

I finally responded. "It's the silver tip of a knife."

Her face paled and I could tell she had even more questions now. I didn't have time to answer them nor did I even want to.

"With that gone now, my body should start healing right away. Like you said, as an Alpha, my healing should kick in anytime soon."

I got up from the bed, and began walking towards the door. I'm not surprised when I felt her grip on my wrist. "Khaia please. I just-"

I turned around, removing her hand from me. "It's just Khai."

With a lingering glare, I stormed out the room. I don't know where Jordan was but I couldn't wait for him. I needed to get out of here. By the time I reach the front entrance, I'm conjuring up an escape plan.

"Wait!" I tensed up. I didn't want to but I turned around anyway. Elena came running over to me as fast as her little legs could go. "Don't go. Please."

I exhaled deeply. Elena's wide eyes stare back at mine, eyebrows drawn together. I looked up to catch Adam hovering around the corner. He had the same pleading expression Elena had on. Part of me obviously wanted to stay more so for his sake. No matter how annoying he was, I still missed him more than anything. But the other part of me still wanted to leave. I had no interest in getting to know Elena or reconnecting with my parents. Biting down hard on my bottom lip, I have already come to my decision. Tearing my gaze away from Adam, I hurried on out of the clinic

-only to be yanked to the side.

Furiously growling, I faced Jordan who looked angry as well. What the Hell? What was his reason? If anything, my arm was about to get yanked out of its socket.

"Are you serious Khai?" Now I'm confused. "Your family, your pack has been waiting for this moment for seven years and you want to leave?"

"You know-"

"No I don't!" He tensed. "You have a family here welcoming you back home with open arms and you're too stubborn to acknowledge that."

I clenched my teeth. "You wanted me to come back here. That's why you led us north."

"Khai," he shifted position. "I would do anything for the chance to see my family again and here you are taking that chance for granted."

"You're going to pull that card?"

"Is it working?"

"Maybe," I sighed, glaring at him.

"Wolf's Honour," he stated firmly. I shook my head viciously. "I can and will use that right here."

Wolf's Honour. It was a mantra that we would say to each other where we were locked up. It meant we would be fine through all the torture and tribulations as long as we trusted each other completely. I scoffed. I couldn't believe he would use that here.

"Are you sure?" I asked after a tense moment. He nodded once. I never questioned Wolf's Honour until now but taking in the seriousness plastered all over his tan face made me realize I shouldn't question it. Besides he is the reason we are still alive, My Wolf added. I nodded, finally coming to agree.

Jordan exhaled and crossed his arms over his chest, accentuating his already large biceps. "You are stubborn as ever."

I reached over and slap the back of his kinky coarse hair. "Shut up."

-

"So I haven't seen the Alpha," Jordan and I are joined by Adam and Elena as we walk away from the overbearing crowds of people and head behind the clinic. I've seen both the Beta's, the Luna, and most of the pack but I have yet to find the Alpha himself.

"He's at a meeting looking for you," Adam replied. "It's useless since you never meant to come back."

I sensed the underlying bitterness in his voice. Unsure of how to proceed, I threw a dire glance at Jordan who shrugged. It's Elena that comes to my rescue surprisingly.

"Don't say that Adam," she glared at him but for some reason it looked almost. . . cute? She flashed a wide toothy smile up at me. I forced myself to return the smile but I'm sure it comes out more of a grimace to which Jordan snorts at.

Shortly after, we head back into the clinic where the Luna, Jay and some others looked up at our arrival. If anything it seemed like we interrupted a deep conversation. I took notice of some pack Warriors lingering by, casting glances in my direction.

"That is enough for the day," the Luna suddenly announced. She looked over at Jay who nodded once firmly and dispersed, along with the group. Elena ran over to the Luna who opened her arms wide to receive her. I looked away shifting from foot to foot.

"So I was in the middle of making dinner earlier," she began. "I'm sure you two are hungry."

I don't know what's more embarrassing. Saying I wasn't when I clearly was or my stomach growling which gave me away. Without a word, she began leading the way back to her home. Part of me dreaded being in my childhood home. I wondered if it would still feel like home to me.

Maybe this is what we need, my Wolf said. Maybe it'll work out for the best.

I hope so.

-

We had just finished a slightly decent dinner. The Alpha was still nowhere to be found so I was partially relieved. The Luna kept asking questions but thanks to Adam who intervened at almost every one of her attempts and Elena's annoyingly talkative personality, I hardly spoke a word. Jordan on the other hand had a blast with the kids. While I was stuffing my face with the roasted chicken (a bit aggressively, I may add), Jordan was taking the initiative to keep the conversation light-hearted. Well, until Elena asked the most obvious question.

"Where did you go?"

I paused, fork of chicken halfway to my mouth. The Luna took a sip of water but made no attempt to get involved. Jordan glanced over at me.

Adam, bless him, intervened but not the way I wanted. "Is Jordan your Mate?"

I frowned at him. He threw his arms up innocently before shrugging. I didn't respond to either of their questions but Elena impatiently tapped the kitchen table.

"I don't want to talk about it and that's final." The tapping slowly came to a halt as an awkward silence descended upon us.

"Your sister isn't ready to talk just yet," the Luna stated. I clenched my teeth.

"We'll wait for dad to come back," Elena announced. At her words, I tensed up which I'm sure doesn't go unnoticed. Elena suddenly turned her whole tiny body to me. "When he comes back, we can go play outside with his Wolf. Before he trains Adam-"

"You're doing Alpha training?" I asked incredulously to which he nodded. "Aren't you too young?"

Adam shook his head. "Dad thinks it's a good idea to start early."

I bit down on my bottom lip wincing. That was supposed to be us, my Wolf whined. We are next in line to be Alpha.

I don't think I even want to be Alpha, I scorned. I felt her annoyance with me on the subject. We've discussed this topic numerous times and not once have we seen eye to eye. Suddenly feeling sick to my stomach, I pushed my plate away none too gently.

"Do you want to play tag?" Elena inquired. "I play with dad when he's not busy but we can-"

"I don't." A growl came out unintentionally, causing Elena to flinch. Jordan tensed up, along with the Luna. "Excuse me."

I stormed out the room and stayed in the bathroom for who knows how long. By the time I came back out, dinner was cleared off the table and I had concocted a plan.

"I think it's nearing your bedtime," the Luna stated as I linger near Jordan. They were all resting in the living room. My eyes flicker from the clock, to the door and back to her as she motions for Elena to hit the stairs. "You too Adam."

He shook his head rigorously and snuck a glance in my direction. "You'll see her tomorrow."

"Goodnight," Elena said suddenly, wrapping her short arms around me. I nodded but forced myself to stay still.

Adam huffed and got to his feet. "Goodnight buddy," I told him at the last second. He turned with a small grin. Moving over to Jordan, the two clasp hands in a handshake. My chest blossomed at the sight. It made me almost guilty of what I was about to do.

"I'll be back in a minute," the Luna stated. I couldn't tell if it was the dim lighting in the room or my eyes simply deceiving me but I could have sworn she wanted to say more.

Once they were out of earshot, Jordan moved closer. "How was that?"

I shrugged and stared hard at the coffee table. "Khai-" When I didn't reply, he pulled me into his arms. I do not object, instead I welcome the warmth he provided. Now my guilt had risen to an all time high.

"I'm leaving," I whispered against his chest. He tensed and pulled away to look at me but I did everything to avoid his gaze.

"Khai-"

"I don't want to explain how I feel right now but just know I'm leaving," I told him. "You don't have to come with me-"

He got to his feet, effectively cutting me off. For a moment, I think he's about to rattle me out and all my planning has gone down the toilet. But he only stared down at me, brown eyes as gentle as ever. "If you're sure."

Almost hesitantly, I nodded gesturing for him to follow as we made our way through the backdoor. Once my feet touched the grass, I Shifted and took off as fast as possible. I sensed Jordan hot on my trails. We hadn't gone too far out before I sensed the Luna's anger through the pack link. I forced myself to shut her out, no matter how painful it was and braced for the chase. I counted three Warriors headed out in this direction earlier on. If I was right, she would have mind linked everyone in the North part of the territory to be on guard. I don't think you thought this through, my Wolf said.

Yes I did!

Ignoring her, I increased my speed, taking a more congested path. The branches slapped against my fur as my paws pounded the forest floor. We just needed to get out of the pack borders as quickly as possible. The wind shifted direction and I picked up four different scents headed our way. I barked at Jordan to pick up his pace a bit more. I already knew I could outrun them due to my Alpha blood but Jordan was at a slight disadvantage.

Khaia! Hearing the Beta's enraged voice in my head threw me off. I hadn't considered the mind link. Even though I wasn't here these past years, they were still able to mentally contact me now that I had my Wolf. I could sense my Wolf's urge to bark in annoyance at my thought process. I blocked her and the Beta out.

Focusing on my surroundings, I barked at Jordan to let him know we had incoming. Two wolves came racing from our left and we turned the opposite way, jumping over a couple tree branches. Jordan brushed himself against me as the space between the trees was getting thin. That must have meant we were close to the outskirts.

Two more wolves came barging out from nowhere blocking our escape. Deep down I was having second thoughts now but my pride would not let me give up. If we could just get around these guys, we would be fine. We could fight our way through but part of me was hesitant. Jordan barked for me to follow and we turned swiftly-only to plummet down.

The wind left my lungs as my body rolled, smashing against the hard ground. In a fit of snarls and whimpers, a sharp pain erupted all over me. I heard a pained howl but I wasn't sure if it was Jordan or I. I landed in a pile of hard thick branches but my vision was still dazed. Whimpering, I struggled to stand up before my front right paw collapsed from under me.

Jordan had landed a good few feet away from me but that isn't what suddenly made me freeze. He was still shifting about trying to get a grasp of his surroundings. If he couldn't see it yet, he would smell it. He barked at me but I didn't reply, instead I kept my gaze on the horrifying image in front of me. The sound of bones snapping filled my ears.

"Khaia?" He stepped forward, suddenly aware of the acetone smell filling the air. Without realising, my bones have realigned back to human form. Pain erupted all over but I was momentarily distracted. "What the-"

He turned me away from the rotting corpse just as I felt bile rise up from my stomach. The bushes rustled nearby and I took my gaze off the branded body. Taking a deep inhale, my body keeled over at the stabbing in my chest. Warning bells go off as I realised I can't smell. I can't smell anything.

They found us.

"Jordan," I clasped onto his wrist.

Just as the figure broke through, Jordan tugged me behind him, crouching low to attack. We can't go back, my Wolf panicked.

The air left my lungs in surprise as a large glossy black Wolf jumped out in front of us snarling. For a moment, I'm relieved it was not the Hunters I was expecting but that feeling soon dispersed. The Wolf emitted a deep threatening growl radiating authority; the growl of an Alpha. My head lowered no matter how hard I resisted. I noticed Jordan submitting from the corner of my eyes. I exhaled shakily.

There was no way out now. 

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MissieA