Chapter 47: The True Betrayal

Tyler

Following Lucy's scent was actually easier than I had thought it would be. She seemed to have moved in a straight line from the school. I carefully traced her footsteps, keeping my ears peeled for her.

I saw her much earlier than I was expecting. She was crouched next to Natasha, a second grader. I didn't know she was friends with her but they were getting along quite fine. A huge, excited grin was on Natasha's face while a fond smile rested on Lucy's as she watched the child.

I had never seen that look on her, and it made my heart flutter.

There was nothing to worry about after all. She was just playing with a child.

I knit my brows, however, when I realized how deep we were in the woods. I knew Natasha had not come with Lucy, or I would have picked up her scent too. She had come alone.

We have a rule against unshifted wolves wandering around the woods alone. So why did she come here?

Lucy grabbed the child's hand and pulled her quietly to her feet. Placing a finger over her lips, she carefully stalked along. Natasha followed her lead without question.

I frowned and smiled at the same time. She was really good with kids to keep little Nattie quiet this long. I nearly laughed at that.

I followed them from a distance.

Lucy crept slowly forward, always watching to see that Nattie didn't step on a dry leaf or twig.

Maybe they are playing at hunting.

I smiled.

The two slowly stepped into a clearing. On one end, there was a small cave with a wooden door. I remembered hiding out in there with Lexi, Jayden, and Trisha when we were small kids.

That's when I noticed the bird.

The very beautiful, alluring, very blue bird.

The bird which watched the two placidly with one black eye and one greenish grey eye.

The bird.

Or, more precisely, the bird shifter.

The anger gripped me again. I growled as lowly as possible when with a smile, the traitor pushed Nattie towards the shifter. Zio clamored inside me to come out and kill them both.

I'll rip them to shreds for hurting my pack! he snarled in ferocious rage.

I balled and unfurled my hands repeatedly. I felt my claws come out as Zio pushed for control.

The shifter decided to change forms. From a chicken-sized bird, it changed into an almost human looking creature in black clothes.

Lucy gasped, her arm yanking back the child. Natasha screamed.

"We meet again," the creature said, smiling wickedly at Lucy.

Zio growled.

"Donovan?" she said, staring at it.

"It's a shifter!" wailed Natasha.

Lucinda snarled a vicious snarl that ended in a growl. She stepped back a few paces, and dragged Natasha with her. Backing up against a tree, she growled again.

The thing laughed. "Give me my prey, foolish girl. I have nothing against you."

"Come and get her then," Lucy dared it, pushing Natasha behind her. Her eyes were actually glowing, emitting a strange, pale golden luster.

Her wolf's eyes.

"I will kill you," it said calmly.

"Before you touch her," she finished. "She is of my pack; she is not yours for the asking."

The gray-green eye darkened. "So be it," it snarled. It raised its fist in the air, and there appeared behind it several replicas of itself. But I could see that they were merely illusions meant to confuse her.

Something snapped.

As growls shook her body, more and more skin became darkened by fur sprouting all over her body. Her clothes tore to shreds, her bones rearranging themselves. In about three seconds, where Lucy was before, stood a large blonde wolf with reddish ears. It still shook with growls and the paws dug wicked-looking claws into the ground.

Lucinda had shifted.

She howled.

The shifter attacked with all his illusions. She bit at the foot of one of them. Her jaws snapped over clean air and the force threw her into a somersault. The real one brought up his  foot to kick her flank.

Before he could, with inhuman speed I was there. My foot crashed into his chest and sent him reeling back into a tree. I growled.

All the fake ones disappeared and it was just him. He looked up at me and fear suddenly reeked in the air.

"A-alpha," he said cowering. "Brethren!" he called shakily.

Five other shifters showed themselves. Each one had some animal references on them, but they were all shifters and all looked wary.

"Come on," I dared.

Six shifters. Five with undetermined powers.

A fair fight if you asked me, commented Zio.

I chuckled.

A hand suddenly grabbed my arm and dragged me backwards. I knew from the electricity I felt who it was.

I didn't take my eyes off the shifters. You don't if you want to live.

I was pulled into the tiny cave. I could tell because of the crude door that Lucy slammed shut and barred.

Her back looks wonderful with just the hair to cover it...

Of all times to be thinking such thoughts Zio! I grumbled, turning around reluctantly.

"Tyler," I heard her voice. It addled my brain knowing that she was right there behind me stark naked. "Were you really going to fight all those shifters alone?"

"Yes," I said with difficulty.

"Oh Tyler," she sighed. She really needed to stop saying my name like that. I heard her clear her throat. "Uhm, anyway," she murmured, "thanks for coming. I don't think I'd be okay if you hadn't come."

I just nodded. Then, before I ran mad, I unbuttoned and shrugged off my shirt, passing it to her.

"Th-thanks," she muttered, her voice faltering, and I couldn't help smirking.

"The girl has fainted. Do you have your phone."

Oh.

I had totally forgotten both the child and Lexi. I slipped it out and called her.

"Yes?"

"Come out here to the little cave. You remember?"

"What cave?"

"The cave," I snapped. "Our hideout when we were kids. There's going to be a small fray and we have an unconscious young wolf."

"Small fray?!"

"Bring a team," I said.

"A whole team?! What's going on Tyler, you better—"

My battery died.

Nor was I sorry.

"Tyler?"

God damnit.

"Mhm?"

"Do you think the kid will be fine?"

"Sure. Though I can't say the same if I hadn't come along."

She tinkled a laugh. "The shifters are trying to break the door down," she said. After a pause, she added, "Why were you here anyway?"

"I was following you," I told her. "You left the school through a window. Besides, I saw you talking to that shifter the other day."

Silence.

"Oh," she said with a dry chuckle.

Then whatever dam she had been holding up crashed down, and she vented.

"Is that what you think this is? You really thought... That I would betray you? After everything? I've been here for nearly half a year, trying my best to fit in! Your dad set Lexi to watch me, but she befriended me instead; that's why I helped her when she needed it. Even when she didn't trust me, she kept an ear and an eye on me all the time, she still liked me as me, and cared, so I stood in for her when I could, to balance the boat. But everyone else was still skeptical about me. Your mum, your dad, Jayden, Trisha, Dylan... I swallowed it all because I thought that maybe after enough time they would accept me as one of them. But it was hard: ignoring the suspicions of everyone in the pack who knew my situation. Everyone... except you, Tyler. You were the only one who I had never caught giving me a side eye, who I had never caught glancing at the shadows when you were around me. I thought... I had finally found someone who wasn't biased about me already. I thought we might be genuine friends without me having to prove something first. You were the first person my wolf accepted with no qualms. Even now I don't know why I trusted you. I thought we were okay; but no! The moment I am seen with one of your enemies, I become an opponent. A target appears on my back. I am branded a spy. I thought we were past that stage! I thought it was okay to start forming personal relationships with the people I lived with! Only to find out... You were no more open minded than your dad."

I couldn't speak. My mouth was dry and her voice sent pangs of guilt through me.

"Tell me, why don't you trust me yet, Tyler? I've been alone with Lexi, I've been alone with Luna, I've been alone... with you, Tyler. If I wanted to hurt this pack I would have just attacked you when your back was turned— like it has been often enough. Why do you think I didn't? Did that even cross your mind?

"You know I believed in us, Tyler. I somehow believed, that you were the one person who wouldn't place a condition on me."

Her voice faltered as she continued to berate me.

"I thought it was okay to just be me with you. Was that too much to ask? If I had known, I would have just left. I would have disappeared and left you in peace. But I somehow believed that... that it wasn't a mistake. That I was supposed to meet you and my attraction to you was okay. I thought I had actually made it out of a very shitty past and gotten to experience what the writers of those cheesy romance songs or books experience. Because I saw it. My heart jumped when I sensed your scent. I smiled whenever you texted me. I missed you whenever you weren't with me. I found peace in your eyes; it was beautiful. When I was asked to leave you alone I fought back. And I got trouble from that but you saved me. And when we would kiss— it felt real Tyler! That point when you're thinking: it doesn't get much better than this. Cloud nine, you know? Well I guess I was wrong then.

"Can you tell me one thing, Tyler? Just one thing. Was it real? Was everything between us... Just a sham? Did you really love me, like you said you did?"

Before I could formulate a reply, she continued,

"No, on second thoughts, don't answer that. I don't want to hear it. It's bad enough knowing it already. Because love is the failure to put a price on someone. Unbeknownst to me, all this time I've been walking around with a price tag," she added bitterly.

"Lucy," I began, turning halfway before she shoved me back.

"Don't turn around," she snarled. "I bet I disgust you. The little traitress, huh? And don't you dare call me Lucy ever again. As soon as we get out of this, I'm leaving, and you can forget me just as soon as you please. I'm done with you and yours, Tyler Dean Payton."

*Veli*