Chapter Twenty-Five

The next morning after Sally and Apollo’s breakdown, it was the beginning of the Christmas Holidays - which meant a much needed break from school. Obviously I had nowhere to go, so I stay at college, and the Alpha and his crew as well.

When I woke up, no one was in the room - probably training or something - but this time, I was irritated, because I needed to talk to them all, and especially Fred.

I went to breakfast and the hall was half empty. Greg was sitting with a few others so I sat with him, not after I sent a quick look to the humans’ table, Charlotte sat there alone, and I knew why; the others had hmes to go back to, and the orphanage in which both of us grew up in didn’t accept residents eighteen and above.

“What’s up?” I asked Greg, taking my head off my ex-best-friend.

He shrugged. “Not much,” he replied, “at least no in my life.” He glanced at me meaningfully.

I chuckled, embarrassed. “Yes, well, it’s not my fault my life is pretty, um, hectic,” I murmured. “Listen, do you know where Fred is?”

“He went out with Apollo and Strider to meet Adria and Louis who are now in town,” Greg replied, “why?”

“I need to talk to him,” I said, then frowned, “and who are Adria and Louis?”

“They’re Seers.”

I blinked, staring at Greg blankly. I was sure he was laughing at me or something like that, and I waited for the punch-line, but when it didn’t come, I arched an eyebrow. “Seers?” I asked in disbelief.

Greg glanced at me. “Yes, Wayne, Seers,” he said, “haven’t you heard of them?”

“Not heard of Seers or these two in particular? Because I know nothing about both,” I said, confused.

Greg sighed, like it was such a drag simply talking. “Seers are humans who were born with the ability to see either the past or the future, and very rarely both. Adria is an All-Seer, while Louis has only backsight.” Greg suddenly glanced sideways, and I saw Melinda Monroe approaching our table with a plate of food and settling down. She was one of the Guards, and she beautiful, like all werewolves were, but there was something about her that made my stomach crawl unpleasantly. It wasn’t about her looks, but something inside her that simply caused me slight distress, and I couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

I didn’t get to talk to her, and I only saw him in passing. But now, when it was just her, Greg and me, I felt this unpleasant something when I watched her. It could be intuition warning me about her or something like that, but it mattered nothing - I didn’t want to judge people just by gut instincts, because I knew sometimes those could be wrong.

“Good morning,” Melinda said with a smile, “how are you today, O’Brien, Wayne?”

“Everything’s great, Monroe,” Greg nodded toward her with a rare small smile on his face. “I’ve just explained Wayne about the Seers.”

I nodded. “I’m still surprised there are more types of, um, creatures in the world,” I said.

“There aren’t many of them,” Greg told me, “less than a percent of the population, actually, and this is why we treat them carefully and respectfully, because of their slight numbers.”

Melinda laughed. “I see you don’t know many things about our world, Wayne,” she said, and a certain spark in her eyes made me shiver a little. She really rubbed me the wrong way.

“That’s why I’m here,” I said quietly, “to learn.”

The rest of the meal passed in a small talk between the three of us, and when it was time to leave, I decided to wait for Fred in our room. I picked up a random book from the library and passed the time reading until he was back. All three returned an hour before lunch, and the moment they entered the room, I ignored Strider, who came to talk to me, and Apollo, who sent me an inscrutable look, and made a bee-line to the third man. “Fred?” I called the Alpha, whose back was to me.

He turned around. “Yes, Angela?”

“Can I talk with you? Privately?”

If he was surprised by my request, he didn’t show it. Instead, he nodded, and I opened the door, walking out with him by my side. I led us in silence toward the front yard, which was deserted, and took him to one of the empty benches, on which we both sat.

I decided to get right to the point. “You hurt Sally.”

It was clear he didn’t expect that, because he glanced at me with his eyes wide a little. “What?”

Oh no, here we go, Tempest murmured in my head but I ignored her, feeling a spark of anger lighting up inside me. “You broke up with her yesterday,” I said accusingly, “and you broke her heart.”

Fred’s face was blank. “I don’t see how does that concern you.”

I didn’t know why, but his words cut like a knife through my heart. “It does concern me, because yesterday she fell apart in my arms, crying her heart out!” I said, my voice rising.

“Calm down, Angela,” Fred’s voice was two octaves lower, turning more dominant, like a commanding Alpha’s voice should be. “What’s between Sally and me is none of your concern.”

And again I felt my heart aching - and I didn’t get why, dammit! “How could you break her heart like that, Fred?” I asked hotly. “I thought that you, out of anyone here, would be a little more considerate, or at the very least sensitive!”

“Angel,” his tone was warning, his face dark. “Don’t meddle in this.”

I was stunned he was closing himself off to me like that. “But - “

He stood up. “Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?” he cut me off sharply. I stared at him, shocked that he was so serene, as though anything couldn’t get to him. “If so, then there’s no point in this conversation.”

And he just turned and left. I felt the blood rushing up to my head, and I shouted at his back, “I thought you didn’t like hurting people, because you are the Alpha of the Millennium and you’re a good person! It’s clear I was wrong!”

My words made no impact, because he didn’t stop, didn’t turn around, and kept on going. To my shock, he got out a cigarette from the pocket of his coat - since when did he smoke? - and put it in his mouth. My mouth was agape, and I was rendered speechless.

Finally, Tempest said in my head, amused, someone who can put you in your place.

“He didn’t put me in my place!” I snapped, my face reddening.

Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better, Tempest laughed.

“Argh!” I growled, frustrated, while Tempest went on laughing, the moron. If she had a body, I would’ve choked her. The thought only made her laugh even more to the point of snorting.

Stupid Spirit!

At dinner that night I sat between Apollo and Strider. I was still fuming because of Fred and the way he shut me down - Argh! - but Strider managed to put me out of it by talking about silly things like only he knew how. Apollo was quiet on my other side, but listened to the conversation as well. The other wolves at the table found it strange that Apollo sat next to me - they were already used to Strider being there with - and I was surprised as well that he took a seat where he did. In fact, from time to time, I even caught him smiling a little when I said something or laughed. I wondered what was going on with him - and with Strider, who seemed like Christmas morning came a few days too soon every time I cracked a smile from a joke he told.

Meanwhile, I saw Greg was in a deep conversation with Fred - which made me want to hit him! - and Cora was chatting with Melinda. Maria and Albert, who joined us for dinner this time, were talking to Sally, who seemed like she returned to herself, smiling and laughing in her own way, but I caught her a few times sending longing gazes toward Fred that no one could miss, and that made me even angrier with the Alpha.

But what surprised me the most was that Megan, Strider’s ex-lover, and Samantha,weren’t speaking to each other, and Brom sat between them. The two were sisters, I’d learned earlier, and they were always on good terms. “Did they fight?” I blurted the question, cutting Strider off mid-sentence.

He arched an eyebrow and looked where I did. Realization lit up his face. “You can call it that,” he said quietly.

“What do you mean?” I asked, curious, and my mind finally on something other than Fred fucking Rhodes.

“You should really stop with this sticking-your-nose everywhere tendency you have there,” Apollo murmured under his nose, but the words weren’t said meanly; in fact, I could hear the amusement in his tone. I’d never heard him make a joke - and it made my heart sag in relief, seeing that he went back to himself, only an even better version of himself.

Strider sent him an irritated look, but replied to my question. “Brom is courting Megan, and Sam doesn’t exactly approve.”

I waited for him to add something… But when I realized that was all, disbelief took hold. “Why does it matter to Samantha if Brom is courting her little sister? It’s not like it’s taboo for people to be together.”

Apollo gave me a little evil grin that I already knew - but this time it had a playful edge that it didn’t have before. “Sam’s jealous, because her little sister found her Mate.”

It took me a few moments to digest what he said, and then I returned my gaze to Brom, Samantha and Megan. Now I saw what I didn’t see before; Brom holding Megan’s hand, and Samantha’s expression was full of burning envy and sorrow. “Oh,” I murmured, staring at Megan and Brom. They really looked good together, now that I thought about it; Megan with her long dark hair and clear blue eyes, and Brom with his dark eyes and curly hair. “Are you jealous too?” I found myself asking.

Apollo and Strider exchanged odd looks. “Jealous of what?” Strider asked.

“That they found someone to be with for the rest of their life,” I explained quietly.

Apollo shrugged. “It’s irrelevant to me, because I’m not a werewolf.”

“And I probably won’t ever find my Mate,” Strider said with half a smile, “so no, I’m not jealous.”

There was logic there; after all, only ten percent of the werewolves population found their One. And for some reason, the longer I thought about Brom and Megan, my eyes found their way to Fred, whose face was as serious as it always was, his reddish eyes focused on Greg, his brown hair full of natural highlights reaching his neck, and I couldn’t help but wonder who would be the lucky girls that would capture his heart during his immortal life.

And I forced myself to believe that the little pang in my chest wasn’t related at all to jealousy.