Chapter 15: Chapter 15

It was early when Mark woke me up the next morning. When he said we had to leave early to drive to the place the meeting was, I hadn’t realized he meant the middle of the night. Everything was ready for the trip already, thankfully, so all we had to do was get in the car and go. Scythe and Rie climbed into the back seat automatically, giving me the front seat. I didn’t object, partly because I was too tired to and also because I wanted to sit closer to Mark.

“Is Doctor Zayla coming?” I asked after a yawn had escaped my lips.

“No,” Mark said. “I thought it was best for her to stay with the pack in case anyone gets injured. I’m already leaving them on their own, so I don’t want to leave them without all of their resources.”

Mark’s face was tight, and it suddenly hit me how torn Mark had been about this decision. He clearly cared for his pack members, and he was prioritizing me and my safety at the moment. That hadn’t been easy for him to do. I reached over and grabbed Mark’s hand and squeezed. I hoped I could comfort him, even if it was only slightly. He looked over at me and smiled softly. He squeezed my hand back.

Snoring poured in from the back seat, and I glanced behind us to see that Rie and Scythe were already fast asleep. “How can they possibly sleep so fast?”

Mark shook his head. “There’s a reason I’m the one driving, and not them. All they have to do is close their eyes, and they are out. They are like children.

“In more ways than one.” I quickly shut my mouth, not intending to say that out loud. I carefully looked at Mark to see his reaction.

Mark just laughed. “Yes, those two argue with each other more than I’d like. They both have their set ideas on how things should be done.”

“Doesn’t that get exhausting?”

Mark shrugged. “I think it’s good. They both support the pack in different ways. I don’t know what I would do without either of them.”

Mark pulled out of the driveway, and the car fell silent after that. I tried to stay awake for as long as possible to keep Mark company, but it wasn’t long before sleep overcame me. I woke up to the sound of a hushed conversation. I didn’t open my eyes right away because something piqued my interest.

“Mark, are you sure this is the right thing to do?” Rie asked.

“Rie, we’ve already discussed this.” Mark wasn’t harsh in his whispers, just firm.

“I know, but you fought so hard with Jori. You sacrificed so much, and now you are just going to give him the last thing you were able to hold onto.” Rie was worried.

“It’s not the last thing,” Mark said quickly. “I have you guys, and now I have Adira.”

This time it was Scythe who replied. “Rie has a point, Alpha. There has to be another way. You can’t give Jori what he wants, not after everything that happened.”

“That’s enough. This is not up for discussion.” Mark’s voice slipped out of a voice and into his alpha tone.

My eyes snapped open, no longer able to pretend to be asleep. I adjusted in my seat and looked over at Mark.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Mark asked. He bit his l*p, and I wondered if he was nervous if I had heard their conversation.

I shook my head. “No, it’s fine. How long was I asleep for?”

“A few hours,” Mark said.

I looked at the scenery outside of the car, and I didn’t recognize the area. It was flat compared to the mountainous region our city was in. It looked plain and boring, like a long summer day coming to an end.

“Do you want someone to take over driving for a little while? I’m sure you are tired.” I felt guilty for falling asleep for so long while Mark did the hard part of the drive.

Scythe leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the back of my chair. “Don’t worry. I will be taking over when we stop for gas.” Scythe ruffled my hair before sitting back.

I looked outside again, mulling the conversation the three of them were having a few moments ago. What could Mark be giving up for me? I hated the idea that he was sacrificing even more for me, when he didn’t even know me that well. I hated that I didn’t know what he had already sacrificed either. I hated that I was going into this situation in the dark. I would have to find a time to ask Mark about his history, because I was tired of not knowing. I wanted to respect his privacy, but something told me that he wasn’t going to tell me unless I asked.

I deserved to know the truth about him. If this was going to work out between the two of us, I needed to know what we were getting ourselves into with this meeting with his former pack. More than anything, I wanted to know why it was his former pack. Was he kicked out like me, or did he choose to leave?

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to calm my thoughts. There was no use in wondering about what could have happened. I would just have to ask Mark point blank.

When I opened my eyes, I saw the sun starting to peak over the horizon, and it was breathtaking. I had never seen the sun rise above a flat land with an open sky. It was practically red for the first few seconds. Then it faded to orange and then yellow. It wasn’t long before the sun’s brightness took over the sky, and I couldn’t look at it for any longer. The whole thing had felt so fast, and I had to blink a few times to wipe the flash of yellow out of my eyes.

After a few more minutes, we stopped at a gas station to refresh, grab some snacks and switch drivers. I was going to sit in the back seat with Mark, but Rie insisted I take the front seat still. It wasn’t long before we were back on the road. After a few minutes, I glanced back at Mark.

“He’s out,” Rie said. “He must’ve been tired.”

“I don’t think he has slept much recently,” I said. I know he had been waking up early with me for work, and I doubted he went back to sleep after. His job as an alpha surely kept him busy.

“He cares about you a lot,” Rie said. “Please don’t hurt him.”

I pulled my lips tight, my chest churning. “I don’t want to hurt him.”

“Good,” Scythe agreed. “We only want positive things for Alpha. We want positive things for you as well.”

I nodded, feeling uncomfortable. I loved that Mark’s pack was so supportive of him, but I got a feeling that if things went wrong, they would blame me in an instant. I understood it, because that’s how packs were. I was the outsider who could hurt their alpha. I didn’t have anyone on my side. I slunk down in my chair, starting to question everything.

–

Mark was driving again now, and I was grateful that the end of the trip was near. As we started nearing the city the meeting was in, I started recognizing the city we were going to, which put me on edge. It was near the city I grew up in. I would often come to the city with friends for day trips to experience some of the things we didn’t have in our small town.

“I recognize this city,” I said quietly, feeling extremely on alert.

“Have you been here before?” Mark asked.

“It’s near the town I grew up in.” My chest felt tight, thinking about accidentally meeting my family here. It was a big city, so the chances were small, but I hadn’t even come near my old town since I was kicked. In case my family’s threat was real, it wasn’t worth the risk of accidentally meeting up with them.

Mark reached over and placed his hand on my thigh. He could sense my worry. “I’ll be by your side while we are here.”

“How long has it been since you’ve been here?” Rie asked.

“Almost four years,” I said. I tried to remind myself that I would be fine. The chances would be too small to run into them now of all time.s “Did you ever plan on coming back here?” Rie asked. I hadn’t told anyone else my story, so I didn’t blame her for being curious.

“Never,” I said. “I don’t have a relationship with my family anymore.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Rie was quiet after that, and I was used to that kind of reaction. Not many people knew what to say when they found out there were issues with my family.

We took a few turns on surface streets until we pulled into a neighborhood that looked old. All of the buildings were made from red brick and looked like they were at least a hundred years old. They were well maintained, despite their age, and the yards were filled with greenery. The area looked amazing and seemed like it held its own history.

After a few more minutes, we pulled up to a house that could have been a museum. It looked quaint, despite its size. Green vines climbed up the front of the building that was several stories tall. A large wooden door held the entrance to the building, like it’s own secret that only a select who would be allowed to know. The building thrived with energy, and I could see children running around, happy as can be. If this was where Mark grew up, it seemed like a joyous place. It made it more difficult to imagine what had happened.

I looked over at Mark, and both of his hands were gripping the steering wheel with a death grip.

“It’s not too late to turn back,” I said.

Mark shook his head and let go of the steering wheel. “We’ve come this far. There’s no turning back now.”

“We’ll be right by your side, Mark,” Rie said.

“Your trusty sidekicks are here to kick butt!” Scythe added.

This made Mark smile. “I don’t plan on getting in any fights. We would be at a major disadvantage. But if anything goes wrong, I’m happy you are here with me.” He turned to me. “Are you ready?”