Wolf #1: The Pack [COMPLETED]

Chapter 22

Warning: Mature Themes

Chapter 22

You mustn't tell anyone about being the Prophet. Not even Jace. Not even Mira or Ilya.

Mallory's words echo in my head even as I sit beside Rachel. We're watching a movie, but I haven't done much but stare at the screen. All I can think about is the vast amount of information I have suddenly find myself in.

I'm a member of the Breccian Pack. So is Jace, Young-Jae, Abel, and Rachel.

Mallory is their pack healer. Mira and Ilya are the ones in charge—the Alphas. Jace's father, Aiden, is their Beta.

There are two kinds of Wolves—the werewolves and the lycans. That splits up even further; some lycans go onto joining The Order of the Huntress.

And apparently I'm some oracle. At least it explains the dreams, I think with an anxious laugh. It's good to know that I haven't completely lost it.

"You good?" Rachel glances over at me. The credits are rolling on the T.V. and she laughs, "I don't think I've ever seen someone be so quiet while watching Monty Python."

"Sorry," I smile, "I...I had a lot to talk about with Mallory. It's really caught me off guard but...it also makes sense." I laugh when Rachel only tilts her head in amused puzzlement, "Sorry. I'm not making much sense after all."

She grins and turns toward me, "You're fine. I heard that the Alphas visited you as well. Your nerves must be fried."

"You have no idea," I chuckle, "Is it normal? The way that I act around Mira and Ilya, I mean. It's just that...they're so intimidating. I feel like I can't breathe around them."

"It's usually what happens when Wolves are around Alphas," She shrugs, "It happened to all of us when we first shifted. Even humans feel it to a certain extent. The stronger your Guide, the easier it'll become to be in their presence. It's what sets Betas so high above the other ranked Wolves—they're born strong and with the ability."

I look down for a moment. Rachel shifts, like she knows I'm about to say something shocking and she's preparing herself. When I look up, I blurt it out.

"I'm not human, Rachel. I...My family...are lycanthropes," It feels surreal saying it. The word holds no meaning for me, although it seems to pack quite a punch for all the Wolves. Rachel stares at me, her lips opening and closing like a guppy.

"Uhm...holy shit," She stands up from the couch and begins to pace. She looks back at me and then back at the television, "I---really?"

"That's why your Alphas wanted to talk to me."

"I just...you don't have a Guide—that's what we call our animal spirits, in case Mallory didn't say. Did she say anything about that?" Rachel seems to be having as much trouble as I am grasping the information. She stops dead in her tracks and turns around with an apology written all over her face, "Your sister...I'm so sorry, Amelia. This means that she was likely murdered, after all."

Before I can say anything, the door creaks open. We turn and see Aiden and Jace traipse inside. They don't seem to have heard anything we had been discussing, and only nod as they go to their bedrooms to change. They're covered in dirt and I can only assume that they have been on a patrol.

All week, Aiden has taken to ignoring me. I suspect that he feels just as uncomfortable around me as I do around him. That, or he's like his son and hates humans. Joke's on him.

I stare after Jace. Even though it's only been a few days since I last saw him, it feels like decades. I don't want to take my eyes off the broad expanse of his back, but I force myself to look away before he turns around. I feel his eyes on me for a brief second, and I pointedly stare at the television. And then his bedroom door clicks close and I feel my muscles relax again.