Chapter 4: Keeping Secrets
Fay was reluctant to get up. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it was trying to break out of her chest. Her palms were covered in a sheen of sweat and a lump was swelling in her throat.
She looked between the two men once more and realized that they were both watching her intently.
Here goes everything, she thought to herself as she got up, not wanting to raise their suspicions even more.
To her delight, Tybalt got up as well, and he followed her into the room. The two of them took a seat at the large oak desk in the center of the room. It only took a moment for Elias to join them.
The expensive leather of his chair groaned as he took his seat.
Fay could only imagine that his enemies must’ve made the same sound as their lives slipped away. It was a terrible thought that only had her panic rising even more.
“Thank you for coming here today,” Elias said, his soft smile throwing her completely off-kilter. “It’s so good to see you again.”
“I… uhm… hi?” Fay stumbled, unable to put a proper sentence together.
“Hi,” Elias said with a chuckle. “Welcome to my office.”
“Am I in trouble?” she asked shyly.
Elias’ brows furrowed in confusion as he tossed Tybalt a killer look.
Fay didn’t know what to make of his reaction, but something compelled her to protect her new friend.
She moved a little closer to Tybalt, not knowing how that would help, but hoping it would. Elias turned his head to the side as he watched her movements, leaving Fay bewildered.
Tybalt gently pushed her chair back to where it was, and the tension that knotted Elias’ shoulders seemed to disappear.
“No, you’re not in trouble. I just want to ask you a few questions,” Elias said as he opened the file that was laying in front of him. “What happened at your old pack that forced you to leave?”
“The Alpha’s children didn’t like me very much…” Fay said, her voice barely a whisper. “They bullied me for years but there was nothing me or my parents could do about it.”
Fay’s eyes fell to her lap where her hands fisted her dress.
Her guilt was gnawing at her just as it did when she was rehearsing this story with her father, but this time it was a million times worse.
Even though most of her story was true, she still felt like she was lying to the Alpha in his face, and it didn’t sit well with her. She could taste the bitterness of her lies each time she spoke.
“What pushed your father to act?” Elias asked, and his soft, honeyed voice had such a soothing effect on her.
“That night the bullying was worse than ever before… The Alpha’s daughter pushed me…” Images of that night flashed through Fay’s mind, bringing tears to her eyes. “I nearly fell into the fire…”
“Hey, it’s okay,” Elias said as he took her hands in his.
It was only then that Fay realized he’d moved to her side of the table, that he was sitting right in front of her.
She looked up at him with big, teary eyes. “When Luke tried to stand up for his sister, my dad lost it. Things got physical between them and we were forced to leave so we could save his life.”
“Why were these kids bullying you?” Elias asked.
It was the one question Fay was hoping to avoid, because she didn’t want to lie like that.
She didn’t want to be caught in the midst of her deceit, but she made her father a promise and she was hell-bent on keeping it.
Her eyes dropped once more, as she whispered, “No one ever knew why they did what they did… We all just assumed it happened because I was the weakest in the pack.”
Elias leaned closer to her and gently pushed a strand of her long, dark brown hair behind her ear. “Is there anything you’re not telling me?”
Fay shook her head, not wanting to let more lies pass her lips.
“I promise you that no one will ever hurt you again.” He pinched her chin, forcing her to look up at him. “If anyone tries, I’ll rip them apart.”
Fay was stunned by his words. They were so strong and they touched her so deeply that she felt compelled to believe him. She wished that they were meant exclusively for her, but she knew it simply wasn’t the case.
He was an Alpha, a man who swore to protect every single member of his pack, so he was just stating a fact.
Fay knew it would be best for her not to think much of his words, so that was exactly what she did. She brushed them off.
“Thank you, Alpha,” she said with a forced smile. “I promise I’ll tell you if anything goes wrong.”
With a satisfied nod, Elias let go of her hands and got up. “Then it’s time for me to formally welcome you into the pack.”
“What does that mean?” Fay asked hesitantly.
“We’re going to have a small ceremony, nothing too serious, in which we’ll create a mind link with one another,” Elias said as he dug through his drawers.
It took him a couple of minutes to gather everything he needed and when he was ready, he took a seat next to her. Elias took Fay’s hand in his, raising her palm.
“I’m going to make a cut over here,” he said as he dragged his finger across it. “It will sting, but I’ll be right here to make sure you’re okay.”
Fay froze when she heard the word ‘cut’ and her hesitation returned with full force. She never had to do that with her parents so she didn’t know why she had to do it with him.
But as they sat there, with his hand gently cupping hers, Fay felt something. There were sparks passing between them, a strange current flowing from him into her.
The odd sensation had her heart beating like it was in overdrive, and suddenly she felt really hot.
Fay looked up at Elias, but he didn’t seem to be experiencing the same thing she was. It must be because of my stupid crush, or whatever it is, she thought to herself.
With that, Fay brushed those feelings off. She squared her shoulders, determined to ignore them.
“I’m ready,” she said with a firm nod.
Elias gave her a proud smile and quickly slid a dagger across her palm. He pushed her fingers closed, allowing her blood to drip into the bowl beneath her hand. Once he had enough of her blood, he bandaged her hand before repeating the actions on his own hand.
The two of them shared the crimson liquid, and Fay instantly felt the mind link forming. It was an astonishing feeling, but Fay knew it was just another part of the process.
Every pack member had a mind link with the Alpha. She was no exception
***The next morning***
“Are you ready for your training?” Melanie asked as she woke Fay up.
“Hmmm… What training?” Fay asked, rubbing her heavy eyes.
“You’re an official member of the pack now. That means you’ll have to train with the female warriors on a daily basis,” Melanie said in a stern tone that left no room for arguments.
But it wasn’t her voice that had Fay shooting upright, it was her words. Fay was not expecting to be training with female warriors! She wasn’t expecting any training at all!
How on earth was she supposed to keep her secret if she was on the training grounds? It wasn’t like she could go up against a she-wolf in her condition.
Fay rested her face in her hands, wondering if things could possibly get worse than they were.
“Don’t you think my wolfless state might get revealed during the training?” Fay asked as she dragged her fingers down her face.
“You worry too much, darling,” Melanie said with a reassuring smile. “I’m one of the she-wolf trainers, remember? I won’t let things get to that point.”
Fay knew her mother was right. She was just overreacting, but her father’s constant reminders about keeping a low profile really had her on edge. She had to keep her secret hidden, which was getting harder by the day.
After a quick shower, Fay and Melanie made their way to the training grounds, where the rest of the girls were waiting.
“Okay, ladies!” Melanie started, looking at each of the girls in front of her. “The aptitude test will be taking place next week and, as you know, everyone has to participate.”
“What about newbies?” one of the girls shouted, tossing Fay a look. “Shouldn’t you explain the test to them?”
Melanie let out a heavy sigh. With a shake of her head she said, “The aptitude tests are done annually to assess everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. It helps us to establish what role each person in the pack is suited for.”
“So we’ll spend the next week training for that?” the girl asked arrogantly.
Fay could see that her mother wasn’t enjoying the constant interruptions, and, frankly, neither did Fay. This girl reminded her of Vanessa and she was in no mood for another run-in with their kind.
“So now you know Cassidy,” Sabel said as the two of them took their sparring positions.
“Oh, now I know why I don’t like her,” Fay joked.
Sabel giggled and took her place opposite Fay. The two girls started their session of hand-to-hand combat training, not paying much attention to what was happening around them.
But as Fay was about to attack, she received a full-blown kick to her ribs. The force was enough to send the air rushing from her lungs and her body plummeting to the ground.
When she managed to clear her vision, Fay saw Cassidy standing a few feet away with a smug smile spread across her cheeks.
“Come on, new girl, fight back,” Cassidy taunted.
“Back off!” Sabel said as she positioned herself between them.
Fay struggled to her feet as her stubborn streak took over, and she walked up to Sabel.
“Let’s go practice somewhere else,” Fay said while trying to pull Sabel away.
“You’re just another weakling who has no place in this pack,” Cassidy scoffed.
But Fay didn’t pay any attention to her. She just hooked her arm with Sabel’s and the two girls turned to walk away. As they were walking, someone grabbed onto Fay’s arm, pulling her back.
Of course it was Cassidy. Fay didn’t expect any better from someone like her. But luckily Fay had Sabel at her back and that was something she was extremely grateful for.
“Aren’t you going to stand up for yourself?” Cassidy asked as she pushed Fay back.
“I don’t want any trouble,” Fay whispered as she turned to leave.
“Well, you’ve got it,” Cassidy said, shoving Fay once more. “I’m the main bitch in this pack, new girl, so you better watch your back.”
