"This place is so freaking beautiful." I state amazed as we park the cars in front of the camp ground.

"See!" Lexi adds excitedly from the back seat, "I told you that you would love it here. And look at the mountain across the open field!"

"It's so tall!"

She giggles, "It feels even taller once you get to the top."

"We climb it?"

"Of course! The day the guys hunt, we hike. It has even more amazing views from up there." She explains to me.

Jayden snickers, "You guys can finish enjoying the view after we unpack everything."

I sigh, "Party pooper."

I place my hand on the door handle, getting ready to hop out when the feeling of forgetting something strikes me. Oh crap.

My eyes widen, "Uhh, speaking of setting up... Was I supposed to bring a tent?"

Lexi pops open the back door to hops out of the back seat. Her voice is calm when she answers, "Don't worry girl, you will be rooming with me for two nights. I've got you covered."

I smile and fling open my door relieved, "Thanks Lexi.  I can always count on you to pick up my slack."

Walking around the car, I meet with Lexi at the trunk. She quickly pops it open, raising the door above our heads. I notice my bag and toss it over my shoulder.

"Here's the tent. Do you mind carrying it?" Lexi asks.

"Of course not," I shoot my hands in front of myself.

Lexi places the tent in my hands, then grabs a couple of water packages, snacks and her bag. I follow her toward the camp ground. There are kids walking around everywhere, claiming their tent spot.

"Why don't we set up over here," she adds, nodding her head toward a shaded area under a tree.

"Sounds good."

I walk over and place my things on the ground. My hands clasp to my hips, fingers spread, as I observe the spot.

Flaky-brown wood chips scatter between thin pieces of grass and dirt. It's obvious that this place is constantly used as a camping ground due to the lack of grassy patches on the forest floor. The ground is flattened, exposing some roots of trees; making it obvious where the tent should be places in order for us to have a comfortable night.

Our spot is under a large tree. I look around and notice that others are left with spots that are in direct sunlight. The heat must consume the tent during the day, that would suck. I'm surprised this spot hasn't been claimed yet.

I turn to Lexi who is placing her things on the ground near me; it appears she already dropped off the snacks at the common area near the fire pit.

"How did we end up with such a nice spot?"

She shrugs nonchalantly, "Perks of being a higher-up's daughter I suppose. No one touches the nice areas until the higher ups have claimed their places. It's a respect thing."

My cheeks pinken a bit as I look up and notice a couple of girls in the pack glaring at me, "Well I guess it's very rude of me to be staying here with you considering I'm not even a full werewolf. I'm the lowest on the totem poll..."

Lexi follows my eyes, looking behind herself and at the girls who are still glaring at me. I can't see Lexi's face, but the girls' expressions quickly turn to embarrassment as they scurry away leaving me to believe she gave them the stink eye. Honestly, I can see why they are mad though. It looks like I have no respect for the higher ups in the pack.

Lexi whips her head back in my direction. Slamming her hands to her hips angrily, she snorts and says, "Screw those girls Sophia. They are just jealous that Jayden gives you special treatment. Once they realize that you two are mates, they will start giving you the respect you deserve."

Her eyes are so vexed that I'm beginning to worry for the other girls. I throw my hands up defensively.

"Woah, Lexi calm down, I don't really expect to get respect from the pack. My whole existence goes against everything they believe in. Honestly, I don't care about me, I just worry that they will lose respect for Jayden if he actually decides to accept me as his mate."

My eyes wander over to the fire pit where Jayden is standing with a bunch of pack members. A few girls around him are smiling, giggling at something he must have said. Some of the guys are smiling as well as they help Jayden set up tables and put the food in their correct spots.

My heart squeezes in my chest. All of that will disappear if he agrees to be my mate. He won't get much respect, and it's all because of me. It's all because I'm a stupid half breed.

"Oh no you don't" Lexi shouts as a stinging pain rides up my right arm.

"Ow!" I exclaim, reaching to nurture the spot that Lexi just flicked with all her might, "what the hell was that about?"

"You were thinking bad about yourself. Weren't you?" She questions me.

I glance up into her serious eyes. A sigh escapes my lips, as I realize I can't lie to Lexi. She knows me too well.

"Maybe..."

"Well that's not acceptable. You need to get your act together, because we are here on this trip to have fun. Jayden wants to be able to show you that the pack will accept you as long as he does." She sighs and squats down to start to put together the tent supplies, "Just try to accept yourself Sophia. I know the Alpha is being hard on you, but you can't take it personally. He was raised this way, Jayden will get him to change his mind."

A smile creeps onto my face. I haven't know this girl for too long, yet she knows exactly how I'm feeling and exactly how to fix my insecurities. I squat down to her level and pick up the sticks in the tent set. She really is my best friend.

"Alright. I won't think of myself negatively anymore. I don't usually feel this way but I've been insecure about myself ever since returning to the pack..." I admit to her.

A soft hand lands on my shoulder as Lexi tries to comfort me. She doesn't say anything, and honestly she doesn't need to. I don't want her pity, but it's nice to know she is here if I need to talk to someone.

"How about we set this tent up and get our sleeping bags inside?"

"Sounds like a plan."

By the time we are done setting up the tent and getting all of our stuff into it, the sun is already sinking on the horizon and the smell of campfire resides all around us. Kids are chattering, electric lamps are set up all around the camp site, and the boys are starting to cook our dinner over the fire.

We make our way over to the bonfire, where everyone is socializing. A couple of girls approach Lexi and start to ask her random questions. She gives me a sympathetic look, telling me she is sorry but needs to talk to them. I smile back, assuring her that I will be okay on my own.

I glance around the fire, looking for any sign of Jayden. Sadly, I can't find him anywhere. I swerve around groups of people still searching. Yet nothing. I huff sadly.

"Hey Shorty," a deep voice calls from behind me.

A smile spreads across my face as my eyes turn to meet Vince's.

"Long time no see," he smirks and opens his arms for a hug.

I laugh and comply, hugging him, "Hey Vince, it's good to see you." I pull away and look up at him "Have you seen Jayden?"

He places a hand on his heart. "Ouch. This is the first time I see you since getting to the camp site and you go and ask about Jayden? Am I nothing to you?"

I laugh. "Oh come on Vince, you know you're one of my closest guys friends and I'm happy to see you. It's just I haven't really talked to Jayden at all and I kind of miss him..."

He smiles and lets his hand drop to his side, "That's cute Soph but surprisingly I haven't seen him around either. Last time I saw him, he was setting up his tent."

I turn around and glance at the camp area where all the tents are set up. Only a few people are chilling over there. Everyone else is around the campfire. None of them are Jayden.

"Which one is Jayden's tent?" I ask.

Am I starting to sound like a crazy-obsessed person? I just feel like I should have seen Jayden by now.

"Planning something dirty?"

I whip my head in his direction and frown, "Of course not you perv."

He holds his hands up in defense, "hey I am not a perv, keep in mind you were the one trying to sneak into Jayden's tent."

I roll my eyes at his dirty mind, "I was thinking no such thing. I'm just worried about him and I want to make sure he is okay. So which one is it?"

"He is all the was toward the back, in a big blue and grey tent. It's the furthest one from this spot, you can't miss it."

I give him a grateful smile, "Thanks Vince, you're the best. If Lexi comes looking for me, tell her I will be right back!"

"Sure thing Shorty."

"I'm not short!" I shout as I scurry away from the fire.

I pass by most of the tents, heading straight for the back. What if he decided to take a nap and ended up sleeping too long? I don't want him to miss dinner.

The sky has darkened fully, so the only things helping me see are the electrical lamps that are randomly scattered along the forest floor. Every tent I pass is pretty different, whether it be shape, size or color. At the end, I can see a large blue and grey tent, just like Vince said.

I make my way over.

As I get in front of it, I go to knock on the tent. Before my hand makes contact with the course material, a hand cover my mouth. I squeal but it is muffled by the hand. The person wraps their other arm around me and starts dragging me toward the woods. I struggle with all my might but they are stronger than me. My head throbs nervously as I remember my previous abduction. I wiggle harder against his grip but he doesn't loosen up.

As we get deeper into the woods, I do the only thing I can think of, I bite their hand as hard as I can.

"Shit," the strange man's voice calls out.

He releases me to nurse his wound and I take the opportunity to jump out of his grasp and  turn. His face is somewhat recognizable. I think he is one of the boys in the pack.

"What do you want?" I snarl, my heart beating nervously in my chest.

He looks at me and squints his eyes angrily. "You bit me."

"What did you expect me to do? Come quietly while you drag me through the woods? What do you want from me?"

He steps closer to me and I step back, keeping a large distance between us. I am not going to take any chances with this guy.

He snickers, "Oh come on Sophia, stop running away. Someone wants to talk to you."

I eye him carefully, "And that someone is?"

"Does it matter? You are coming with me no matter what."

"And why would I listen to you?"

"Cause you don't have a choice" he yells as he lunges toward me.

I dodge him and hall my ass back toward the camp. Since the woods is so dark, I'm having a difficult time dodging all the shrubbery. Every time I slow my pace in the slightest to dodge, he gets that much closer to catching me.

Judging by the sound of his steps, he is right on my heels.

In the slight distance I see the camp. I hear his footsteps slow to a stop, and the distance between us grows.

"Wait, it's Georgia!" He calls out to me.

My feet skid to a stop at the mention of her name. Georgia? What if she needs me?

"What about Georgia?" I ask cautiously, glancing over my shoulder.

"She's the one who asked me to retrieve you."

"I don't believe you."

He shrugs, "Whether you believe me or not, it's true. She wants you to join us."

"Join you? What do you mean?"

"She wants you to join the Opposition." I eye him strangely and then it hits me. The Opposition is the resistance, the whole reason Manus caught me in the first place. So Georgia was a part of it this whole time and now she wants me to join. It doesn't make sense that she would continue to work with them when she just got out of the Manus situation that we were just in.

"Well you can tell her that I'm not interested."

"That's not enough, can you please just come tell her that yourself? She won't believe me if I tell her that."

Looking into his eyes, he seems harmless enough. I turn my whole body around to face him directly. He visibly sighs in relief as I start walking toward him.

"Fine, but let's make this quick. I have things I need to do."

He nods and leads me into the woods.

We spend a long time walking next to one another in silence. The leaves and dirt crumble under our feet with ever step we take. Bugs chirp all around us and I hear the faint sound of an owl whoing in the distance. Suddenly I get a bad feeling and realize we have been walking for a really long time, much longer than I anticipated. I look around the dark woods. An eerie feeling washes through me. The hairs on the back of my neck begin to stand up as I feel like I'm being watched.

"How much further?" I ask quietly, trying to hide my fear.

"Just a little further."

Then it dawns on me. Georgia didn't even come on this camping trip. She has no idea where we are all staying and she especially doesn't know anyone in my pack. Yet this boy says that he knows her? Something isn't adding up.

"So why are you in the Opposition?" I ask casually.

"Huh?"

"The Opposition, why are you a part of it?"

"Oh right the Opposition," he thinks for a moment but continues to look straight ahead while he walks, "well I'm not a fan of a lot of the rules they have in the pack. So I want to join up with the others and fight for our freedom, and you know, oppose things."

I can tell by the shaking of his voice that he is lying. My heart races at the realization that I've been tricked. The resistance is only filled with people who are half breeds or have a mate that's human. He has no idea what the real Opposition is about, he just used it to fool me into following him, and it worked.

I slow my pace and as a bit of distance gets between us I take off in the direction we came from.

"Shit, get back here!" He yells after me.

My legs pump hard against the ground, but this time, it's not enough. I'm pushed to the floor from behind, falling with a thud. The front of my body hits hard against the dirt and leaves. I groan as I try to sit up. Two hands roughly grab hold of my elbows, dragging me from the ground. I fight against his strength, but clearly he is a full werewolf, my strength is nothing compared to his.

"Let go of me," I yell struggling against him.

Instead of replying, he just continues to drag me back through the forest. I wiggle in his grip, causing him to hold on tighter, squeezing my arms hard enough to stop the blood flow. I continue my struggling until we stop randomly in the woods.

"Let go of me!" I screech.

Fear spreads through my entire body. I fight it and try to remain as strong as possible. I can't allow myself to be kidnapped twice. I look up into the boy's eyes angrily. When I do, I notice his pupils are dilated and empty as he stands there with me in his grip. I didn't notice it before, but his eyes have been like this the whole time. As if he is in a trance.

A second later I hear foots steps approaching us. I can hear the crunching of the leaves as the person or persons get closer. Judging by the sound, I believe there is at least two people coming. I struggle even more in the boys grip as fear crushes my anger, leaving me as a putty mess. My heart races rapidly as my legs grow weak.

"Please let me go," I sound pathetic as I struggle.

A small and evil laughs emits in front of us as a person steps out from between the trees.

My fear dissipates at the sight of her, and soon I'm filled with rage again.

Ashley is dressed in a tight shirt that stops above her belly button. Jean shorts hug her hips low. To top off the outfit, she is wearing hiking boots and a heart shaped necklace that I think I've seen her wear once before.

"You appear to be in quite the pickle." She comments as she comes to a halt in front of us. She places her hands on her hips and raises an eyebrow at me.

I grunt, "So, it was you that was behind this. What the hell are you doing? You know when Jayden finds out about this he is going to be pissed at you."

She laughs again, only fueling my anger. "Is that so?"

I frown, "Yeah, so let me go before he ends up hating you. I know that's the last thing you would want since you're still in love with him."

She growls, "Of course I am still in love with him. You make it seem like it's so bizarre. But what's really bizarre is the fact that you're still chasing after him. He and I just make sense. You on the other hand are a disgrace to the who werewolf race and Jayden."

I roll my eyes, "I'm not chasing after anybody. Jayden and I are together and you need to back off."

She snickers at that comment. "Oh yeah? So you think Jayden likes you more than me?"

My eyes squint at her, trying to figure out just what kind of scheme she is planning. "Not think, I know." I add confidently.

"Let's ask him then." She straightens her back and yells, "Oh Jayden hunny, could you come here a moment."

My eyes widen as a second person exits from behind the trees. Jayden walks our way. He is wearing the same thing he has been in all day. I look up at him, but his eyes are locked onto Ashley. He stops by her side. Ashely takes the opportunity to wrap her arm around his, and squeeze her boobs against him. I feel a growl rumble in my throat. Rage pulses in my veins and I feel myself on the verge of shifting.

Her eyes meet his and she smiles gently when she asks him, "Jayden could you please tell this girl that you like me more than her."

He nods slowly and turns his head my way. Our eyes meet and I notice something odd. Just like the boy holding me in a grip, Jayden's pupils are dilated and empty. His eyes no longer have that brilliant green spark to them, they are dull.

As his eyes meet my own, he suddenly hesitates. His mouth freezes open, as if he stopped from saying something. I notice his eyes switching from the dull stage to his wolf's black eyes. Ashley growls and tugs his arm aggressively. I growl at her but she ignores me.

"Tell her Jayden!" She shouts at him.

His eyes close for a moment and his hand clutches his head. He looks like he is struggling with a decision, and not an easy one at that.

"Jayden, tell her you love me and not her!" She shouts again, frustrated.

With her last screech. Jayden releases his head and looks me in the eyes. My heart sinks to my stomach as I notice that his eyes are dull and dilated. He opens his mouth.

My heart breaks at the three words spoken.

"I love Ashley." He says plainly.

Ashley smirks next to him as my heart shatters. My biggest fear has just come true. He really has loved her this whole time?

No

A ruff and rugged voice I've never heard before pops into my head.

Don't listen to her. Something is making us act this way. Please Sophia, don't give up on us.

I blink a few times. Hold up. Did I just imagine something?

Jayden's eyes start switching again, between pitch black and dull. Jayden falls to the floor and grabs his head in his hands. He groans in pain.

My eyes widen in fear, "Jayden!" I shout and struggle against the boy holding me.

Ashley falls to the ground next to him and places a hand on his shoulder as he continues to grab his head. She frowns.

"This shouldn't be happening." She adds frustratedly.

I growl, "What the hell did you do to him?"

Her eyes shoot to mine as she glares at me, "None of your business. Now you know he doesn't love you so you can leave us alone now. Good bye."

"No," I shout at her, "I know you did something to him. I'm not sure what, but I know you did something and now he is in pain. So stop whatever it is you're doing!"

"I haven't done anything to him. He loves me. He has always loved me." She cries out.

Her eyes grow dark in anger as she stares into my eyes.

"He loved me up until you came along and stole everything from me." Her breaths become slow and deep. "No he loves me still. He loves me right now." She touches Jayden's arm, "You love me, right?"

Jayden is still in pain, "I...I love...."

Ashely grunts, "Me, you love me, Ashley."

Jayden groans in his hands again as he whispers, "Ashley."

She sighs in relief and stands from the ground. She walks over to me and smiles with a dark gleam in her eyes. She has gone completely insane. There is nothing normal about her right now. She can't be thinking straight.

"Don't you see Sophia, he loves me."

I slouch in defeat, the only thing holding me up is the boy who still has my elbows firmly in his grip.

"He doesn't love me?" I ask in a voice that could crack any second.

She smiles, "So you're starting to understand huh?"

I look at the ground, "All this time I thought he loved me."

"Aw," she says sarcastically, "Sophia finally realizes how alone she truly is. Now you know that Jayden was merely faking it the whole time. You can go back to being the new girl at school and get out of everyone's lives thank you very much."

I don't respond. My body deflated.

Ashley snickers, "Release her. You can go Aaron. I'm done with you for now."

He releases me and steps back from my body as I collapse to the ground in a heap. I hear his footsteps disappear back to the camp. Soon the sounds of him is completely gone. It's just the three of us now.

Ashley squats down next to me. She lift up my chin to face her. She smiles menacingly, "How does it feel to know your mate chose another woman over you?"

I laugh humorlessly.

Her features grow surprised as I answer her. "You know Ashley, you're one insane bitch and I'm tired of all this shit."

She squints her eyes evilly at me. "What are you talking about? Jayden doesn't love you, aren't you devastated?"

I grab her wrist, tearing it away from my face aggressively. I stand up, towering over her. I feel the rage flowing through my body and I grip her hand tighter. She flinches.

"Shit, let go of me." She tries to tear her hand away. "What happened to the pathetic girl that was just withering in pain?" She complains.

I laugh again, no humor in my tone. "You fell for it. I guess I'm a better actress than I thought. I don't know what you did, but I know Jayden's true feelings, and let me tell you there is no way in hell that he likes you over me. Tell me what you did to him to make him act this way." I snarl as I squeeze her wrist harder.

She stands from the ground and glares into my eyes, trying to ignore the pain in her wrist. "I did nothing to him." She wiggles her wrist quickly loosening my grip on her. "He. Loves. Me." She shouts angrily as she pushes me hard.

I stumble back, but catch myself before I fall. I feel rage pulsing through my veins, but I control myself from shifting. Now isn't the time. I know I can beat her without shifting.

She charges at me and swings her fist at my face. I quickly duck and elbow her in the gut. She hisses before she slams my back with he hands, sending me down to the ground face first. I hit hard, but quickly roll to the side. Barely getting away from her as she stomps her foot to the ground where my stomach just was. Her balance is a little off considering she placed most her weight in the foot she just stomped to the ground. I take advantage of this moment by quickly swiping that foot from underneath her, causing her to fall to the ground.

As she goes to sit up, her necklace gets caught on a tree root that's sticking up from the ground. I hop up to my feet and she tries to do the same. As she does, I hear a slight tear as her necklace falls to the floor broken. Her eyes widen in fear as she hops to the floor and grabs the necklace frantically.

"Crap," she hissed as she scoops up the remains.

My back straightens as she glances over at Jayden. My eyes follow hers. He is still hunched over, but now he is moaning, as if he is just waking up. I turn back to Ashley, but she is gone. She disappeared somewhere into the woods.

I run over to Jayden's side. I kneel next to him and place a hand on his shoulder. Sparks fly up my hand and into my body as Jayden starts to lean up . His hand is still on his head as he looks around us. His features show nothing but confusion.

He turns to me, "Why are we so deep in the woods?" He asks. 

I give him a strange look, "You mean you don't remember?"

He gives me a funny look, "Don't remember what?"

Oh boy...