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  "Not to feed, there are blood banks these days, but all of my kind don’t have the same morals,” he tells me. A shiver flutters through me as I remember the guy that attacked me, I remember him calling me food.

  "Do you kill shifters?" I ask, and Wyatt moves into my face again.

  “I'm not a good person, Winter, not since Demi. But I’m not a monster. I don’t kill unless I have to, and the shifter war isn’t my war, it’s my father’s," he tells me. I wrap my arms around his waist and press my head into his chest.

  "There's a war, I get it. Please don't kill anyone else that doesn’t deserve it. That is the only thing I can’t forgive you for," I tell him. I can’t blame him for his past, but I would blame him for anything else that happens now.

  "I won’t unless I have to, Winter,” he tells me. His lips brush against mine softly.

  "Thank you," I say against his cheek as I move so my head is on his chest.

  "Who are you scared I'm going to kill?" he asks, running his hands up and down my back, in a soothing motion.

  "My friends," I tell him.

  "They would try to kill me first if they are supernaturals. I imagine the prince of vampires would be good bait for my father," he tells me.

  I can't help the chuckles that come out. "Prince of vampires, I like that, it's funny," I say.

  “I agree, it sounds like something out of a porno. ‘The Prince of the Vampires and the Sexy Human, Part One’,” Alex says with a laugh, and I laugh with her.

  "You’re seriously crazy," Wyatt grins down at me.

  "Maybe, but you like me." I shrug.

  "You’re right I do, I have to go and talk to my father. I might be able to persuade him to leave you alone," he tells me.

  "What would he ask from you to do that?" I ask, worried about what Wyatt would do to keep me safe.

  "I don't know," he says, pulling away from me.

  "Please stay in today, the place is guarded against my kind. I need to take Drake with me, and Alex should come, too. I'll have to Skype him at home, and he will want to ask them about you," Wyatt tells me. I hold in the chuckle at the idea of the King of vampires on a video chat.

  "I will stay here and wait for you to come back." I smile at him.

  "Promise me?" he asks, watching me closely. I don’t know why he is asking me, he looks so serious.

  "I don’t have anywhere to go as I’ve missed class," I say, having the feeling I shouldn’t promise him anything. Wyatt’s eyes glow before he walks out. I hear Alex follow, with Drake not far behind them. They shout bye to me as the door slams shut.

  My phone rings again as I groan, falling to the sofa. What the hell have I gotten myself into?

  There are two loud knocks on my door, which instantly makes me tense up, expecting the door to be slammed open. I remember Wyatt’s words about the place being protected and take a deep breath. The men from earlier can’t get in here. I probably don't want to know about how it's protected.

  "It's Katy and Harris. We’re not going to hurt you. Not like some crazy ass bitch we know!" she shouts through the door, and I pray my neighbours didn't hear the teen shout that.

  I swing open the door to two worried faces before I get a face full of brown hair as Katy hugs me.

  "I heard what that skank did to you. Don't worry, Jaxson will deal with her. There’s no way he would let her get away with trying to kill you," she says into my ear.

  "Are you okay?" Harris asks from behind her.

  "Yeah, come in." I nod, looking away from him. Should I tell them to stay away as well? I don’t think I can choose between Wyatt and the wolves who all feel like family to me now. Katy lets me go to walk into my kitchen and straight to the fridge.

  "Ohh, you have the good stuff. Our mother is on a silly diet, and our dads just agree to everything she says." She pulls out Alex's chocolate milkshake and some lemon drizzle cake I made earlier this week.

  "Katy, you can't just walk into people’s houses and eat their food," Harris starts shaking his head as he sits on my sofa.

  "It's alright," I smirk at Katy.

  "She isn't anyone, she is pack," Katy says, with a mouth full of cake.

  "Katy, at least try to be a girl for once. You have cake on your dress," Harris groans.

  "What are you here for? Not that I mind seeing you," I change the subject as Katy glares at Harris.

  "You weren't in class, and I was worried,” he takes my hand and gently squeezes it.

  “This one hid in my back seat, hiding her scent. That’s an annoying trick she has," Harris mutters.

  “It’s cool, and you know it. I’m the master at hide and seek in the pack since I got my powers last year.” Katy laughs.

  “How did you know I was coming? I didn’t tell anyone,” he asks Katy.

  "Well, I overheard you were going to see Winter, when you were shouting at Jaxson," Katy admits.

  "Why were you shouting?" I ask, and Harris blushes a little.

  "I felt he should have protected you better, we all see how he looks at you, and you at him," he tells me. I go to correct him, but he shakes his head.

  "It’s obvious you guys want to be doing the horizontal tango." Katy winks at me, as she hangs her legs over the side of my chair in the lounge.

  "Katy, God, you shouldn't even know about that stuff," Harris groans at her.

  "I'm fifteen, not ten." Katy rolls her eyes at his horrified face.

  “Still, just no.” Harris shakes his head.

  “I’m the only teenaged girl in our pack. There are five teenaged boys my age. What do you think they talk to me about?” Katy laughs as she winds her brother up.

  “I'll tell our dads, they will help me sort that problem out,” Harris says.

  “Fine, whatever.” Katy waves a hand at him, a faint blush on her cheeks.

  “Do you have different dads then?” I ask.

  “Well, maybe, we don’t know. My mum has five mates, and they are all our dads. I told you we have a low rate of girls being born. There are ten girls in our pack and forty-eight guys. Not all of them are mated, but most share one mate,” he says. I’ve never even thought about being with more than one guy, but mating five? That’s a new thought, a damn scary one.

  “Okay, I’m not judging, but how does it work?” I ask.

  “They all love my mum, and she is the boss of them. I’ve never seen them argue, and they were all friends for years before they started dating my mum,” Katy tells me.

  “It works,” Harris shrugs.

  “So, how were Jaxson and Esta chosen to be mates?” I ask.

  “This is where it gets complicated. You explain; I need to eat more. The sugar in this place and I need to get to know each other,” Katy tells Harris seriously as she opens a bag of strawberry laces. Harris just shakes his head as she continues to eat her cake and laces at the same time.

  “Alphas aren’t known to share. In my mum’s group, there isn’t a leader. They are all the same level of dominance or close to it, anyway. An alpha would control any other mates and would see them as a constant challenge. If his mate took another mate, he might kill him, so it has never worked. The other mate would have to be as strong as Jaxson, and therefore Esta was chosen just for him. She agreed not to take any other mates,” he tells me.

  "What's the prophecy?" I ask, remembering the argument Fergus had with Jaxson. It seems it's the reason I'm told to stay away from them.

  "How did you hear about that?" Harris’s normally pale skin goes paler. Katy looks up, with a strawberry lace hanging out of her mouth.

  "I overheard Jaxson and Fergus arguing," I tell them both.

  "We can't tell you, the alpha has us all under an oath," Katy says, also looking pale as she eats her food. For all our sakes, I change the subject, even if it pisses me off.

  "Back to Jaxson, he couldn't have known Esta would attack me," I tell them both, it’s not like we planned that kiss.

  "Yeah, he should have. Esta is his intended mate, and he isn’t meant to w
ant anyone else. They should have mated years ago, but he just strings her along," Harris growls. I widen my eyes at the jealousy on his face before realising that maybe Harris likes Esta. I guess it’s possible with so little women in the pack. Harris must have grown up with Esta. I don’t know her well enough to know why he would like her. My experiences of her are all shadowed by jealousy.

  "What does that exactly mean?" I ask.

  "They were chosen for each other when they were born, by a local witch," he says, making my stomach feel sick.

  "So, they are soul mates," I finish for him.

  "Not always, the witch isn’t always right, and I know she was friends with Esta’s parents. I think they paid her to make that choice," Katy says, frowning at my heartbroken face.

  "But, sometimes she is right. I could have been getting in the way of something that’s meant to be," I mumble. I remember Esta’s heartbroken face, and something I haven’t felt much of before appears: guilt.

  “No, Winter. Jaxson could have mated her when they both turned eighteen. Jaxson is twenty-four now, and he still hasn’t even tried a relationship with her. If that’s destined to be together, I call bullshit,” Katy says.

  “I still can’t ever be with him, can I?” I ask them, looking out the window as I do because I can’t see anyone’s face when they tell me the answer.

  "No, you can’t. A human wouldn’t survive a mating, and his wolf would be too jealous to live without trying to mate you. Vampires, witches, and angels can mate with humans, but we can’t. Trust me, it’s been tried, but it always kills the human. If they don’t mate, the wolf will go crazy and try to kill anyone that looks at their human," Harris says before Katy can say anything more. Not wanting them to see how hurt I am, I stand up, moving some blankets around and picking up some cups. I should send them away before Wyatt finds out and makes them stay away. They both watch me as I take the cups to the kitchen and come back.

  "I should stay away from the pack, I think it's for the best. I'll tell Jaxson, but I think you should leave," I tell them. Katy’s face drops at my words.

  "You’re still pack. Jaxson will mate fully with Esta soon, and then it will be okay." Harris sounds as heartbroken as I feel. One look at his face shows me how much he struggled with those words.

  "Leave, Harris, please." I choke on the last words of my sentence. I can see it’s hard for him, but this whole night is feeling like someone is banging a hammer against my heart.

  "Winter," Katy tries to come to me, but I shake my head. I see from the corner of my eye Harris pulling her out of my apartment. The shutting of the door slams the final nail in the coffin, and I burst into tears, sliding down onto the floor.

  Seventeen

  Winter

  The rest of the night, I spend half sleeping on the sofa and half crying. My phone rings a few times from Jaxson and Wyatt. I can't make myself answer either of them. When the morning sun lights up the room, it burns my dry eyes. I know I need to go to university today, I only have two days left, and I missed all of yesterday. I pick up my phone and read the messages from Wyatt, saying that he is picking me up in an hour for class and to call him. I don't call, but I force myself off the sofa, leaving my misery behind to shower and change. Once I'm dressed in a turtleneck sweater dress and black knee-high boots, I throw my laptop and class work into my bag. Wyatt doesn't knock, so I'm in the kitchen eating a breakfast bar as he strolls in. His gaze descends my whole body before meeting my eyes, and I can almost taste his anger.

  "You had a wolf here, I have smelt a wolf around you for ages, but not in your home. Don’t you know not to invite the big, bad wolf into your home?" he remarks, his fists tightly clenched as he strolls forward. I almost feel the anger in each forceful step until he is standing in front of me, forcing my gaze to look up at him.

  "Do you have any idea how worried I was when you didn't answer?" His gaze is trying to hide the pain that is clearly etched on his face.

  "I'm sorry." I place my hand on the rough stubble on his cheek, and he leans into my touch.

  "Sweetheart." He sighs before leaning down and kissing my forehead. “I’m scared that he will hurt you again. I don’t want to see your bruises anymore. I brought this cream for you.” He passes me a white tub. My ribs aren’t too sore, I must not have hurt them as bad as I thought. I’ve always healed quickly growing up, so I’m not worried.

  “Thanks, but none of my friends did this to me. That I promise you, they wouldn’t hurt me, Wyatt.” I say and pull my shirt up. Wyatt takes a seat, watching me as I rub the green-looking cream into my skin. My skin tingles for a second, and I watch as a slight glow comes from where my bruises are.

  “What is that?” I ask.

  “It’s from Dabriel. He is good at making things for healing. I don’t know what’s in it, but it heals anything very quickly,” Wyatt tells me.

  “It’s magic?” I ask, and Wyatt nods for an answer. I pull my shirt down and offer him the tub back.

  “Keep it,” he says, and I put in on my coffee table.

  "What did your father ask of you?" I ask him.

  Wyatt moves quickly away from me, and stands next to the door. "You’re safe for now, that's all that matters," he says in a cold tone. The Wyatt I know is lost now, and he is cutting me off.

  "Wyatt," I warn.

  "I was going to drive you, but I have something else to do," he says, his eyes meet mine for a second, long enough for me to see the guilt in them.

  "Wyatt!" I all but shout into the wind, as he disappears out the open door. My worry hits an all-time high as I make my way to class and sit in my seat. Harris waves as he comes in, and I wave back, looking around for Alex. She doesn't come to class, which makes me worry more. I try to send a message to her, but she doesn't reply by the end of my classes. I walk out, not really looking where I'm going, and bump into Harris who clearly wants to talk to me.

  "Hey, Winter, or should I call you the girl that likes to bump into me a lot? I know he is an ass, but Jaxson said–"

  I stop him with a raised hand. "Honestly, I don't want to know. I have other problems now. I can’t deal with him," I say, moving around him and ignoring the voice in my head saying I desperately want to know.

  "Winter, wait," he says behind me, as I walk faster away and finally get to my car.

  "Winter." I hear the faint growl in his voice, but I ignore him all the same. He must have known he had upset me yesterday, and why do I have the feeling he did it on purpose?

  I drive away, while Harris watches with his blue eyes almost glowing. It once scared me to see them do that, but now I really don’t care. I feel like part of me has been cut off, and I’m not sure how to get it back.

  When I pull into my apartment car park, I spend way too long staring at the place I found Freddy. It was the same night I met Wyatt, and I think how complicated that whole night seemed to be. There are too many questions and fewer answers to be found in my mind, without any help. Would I change anything? I don't think I would. Wyatt is winning my heart, but I’m so scared he’s going to do something stupid to protect me. Jaxson has my heart already, but he doesn’t want it. Maybe I should just stick with my love for Freddy, the boy I’m getting so protective of. I have to remind myself to message him back. He keeps sending me funny Harry Potter memes.

  "Why are you sitting in your car?" Jaxson asks, opening my passenger door and making me jump. His green eyes hold amusement as he slides into my small car, which seems far smaller with him inside.

  "I don't know, I was thinking of Freddy," I say honestly.

  Jaxson regards me for a second, looking at the empty parking lot with me. The sun is almost shining through the dark clouds, but the place makes me feel alone with all my worries.

  "He misses you," he says finally, and I have a feeling he isn't the only one, with the way Jaxson is looking at me. He reaches out, brushing away a stray bit of hair from my face.

  "Please don't. Don't make this harder," I whisper, unable to pull away as his
finger traces my cheek to my lips.

  "Winter, I can't stay away. I need to tell you something," he says, a cold, cocky tone coming back into his voice. It’s like he needs to put up a mental barrier before trying to talk to me. I watch as he pulls away from me, with his whole body going tense.

  "I came to tell you I can't train you anymore. It's not fair to Esta. Harris will, instead, if you wish," he says. His hands tighten on his thighs, and I notice for the first time how conflicted he looks.

  "Okay, just leave, Jaxson," I say, losing any energy to fight him on this. He has already given up on us.

  "I want this to be different, but I can't pull you into my world," he tells me, looking out the window of the car. The muscles in his neck are looking tight, and the unshaved scruff on his face is begging me to tell him how I won’t leave him. The words never come out as I harden my face into a neutral expression.

  "Leave, Jaxson, I can’t be around you, and I need to see you walk away from me," I say, meeting his eyes. The green in his eyes is starting to glow as my heart breaks. I realise that I’m completely in love with him.

  "Winter, I–" he starts, reaching for me.

  "Don't," I croak out, before getting out of the car as quickly as I can. For some time, I have known I've been falling for him, but I can’t believe I realised it when he is leaving me for someone else. I can't hear what he has to say because the need to beg him to stay is too strong, and I’m not that kind of girl. No girl should have to beg a man to stay in her life. If he loved me, he would fight for us.

  When I turn around, I know Jaxson is gone. I have the feeling eyes are watching me. I turn to see the massive, black wolf sitting on the edge of the car park. It whines at me gently before bowing its head. I don't move as Jaxson’s wolf turns and runs down a nearby alley toward the woods. A long howl fills the air, and everything stills with the pain I feel in it.

  Despite wanting to spend the night suffering in misery and eating junk food, Alex and Drake come home around seven with bags of Chinese food.

  "I'm here to cheer you up. We need a sister night," she announces with a cheery grin. One she loses when she sees me on the sofa. I must look terrible with tissues all around and puffy eyes.