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“Your coven almost killed Felix, if I remember correctly. I took him to the hospital before he died of an infection because he didn’t know how to take care of his injuries. This pack took him in and gave him fluids, and you were god-knows-where while your brother needed you.” All my anger for the situation comes pouring out. I am angry at their terrible coven for abusing its members, at Elise for not having a heart, and at Jaxon for being so strict with Felix. All of my feelings are coming out of my soul.
“It’s not a matter of ‘us versus them.’ The lines have already been drawn, Elise. Right now, it’s a matter of ‘what is right versus what is wrong.’ I know you and your coven don’t have any morals. I know you say you don’t have a conscience, but you do have a heart and a brain. Don’t let your coven hurt innocent people.”
I can see the walls in her mind starting to fall apart. These were the same walls that Felix built to keep other people’s feelings out. It’s possible for them to try to convince themselves that they don’t care about how others feel, but I know it’s not true. It’s in our nature to care. I can see the first signs of that care. I know she can feel it, and so will Felix.
“Why did they make you hurt me?” I whisper. I let a tear fall without saying anything. I don’t try to ignore or wipe away the deep sadness I feel. I let the “emotionless” witch feel my pain.  “They hurt Felix. Don’t let them get away with it. Please help me.”
There is silence after my short speech. No one moves. No one talks. We all just listen and hope that Elise will change her mind and help me. She’s the only one who can help me. When she looks me in the eyes, something in her breaks; she nods stiffly, her jaw clenched. She pushes Felix away as soon as he hugs her.
“Wow, when did you become so huggy?” She tries to hide her smile, but it’s clear that she’s happy for the affection.
Jaxon smiles and hugs me tightly. He smells me. Even after I turn back around to Elise, his fingers are still playing with the ends of my hair.
“Thank you,” Jaxon says, his voice full of emotion.
She points a finger with a ring on it at Jaxon’s face, and in any other situation, I can see her losing that finger for the gesture. But he’s so relieved that he doesn’t seem to care.
“I’ll help you, but you can’t come at us like that again. It’s creepy and sad.” She crosses her arms and rolls her eyes. “And if we really felt threatened, we could have easily blown up this whole room.”
“Not the best way to build trust,” Jaxon says as he squints at Elise. He seems to have gotten over the whole relief stage and is now just angry with the two.
“I have to keep your mutts on your toes,” she says with a grin, and Jaxon sends a low growl through the room.
Elise sits on the couch and doesn’t pay attention to him. She tells everyone else to sit down while she makes the room hers. She lies down on the couch and takes up the whole thing, leaving only enough room for Felix to have half a cushion on the end. I sit on the couch across from hers with Jaxon on one side and Williams on the other. Jaxon sends most of the pack guards away, but he keeps his Beta, Gamma, and three other pack guards he trusts. Thank goodness it’s not Thing 1.
“Okay, here’s what I know. The plan was to wait until Calla was alone and most vulnerable. Anyone could take her at any time of day, but they want to do it when they know they have time before anyone from the pack tells you.”
A stiff nod is the only sign that Jaxon is thinking about what he just heard. His pupils are a little bigger than normal, but he’s staying calm even though Elise is talking about how I’m going to be kidnapped.
“Calla has a shift at Cafe on Thursday night. The plan was to grab her as soon as she went to the back storage room to put her things in her locker. This way, any pack guard would have to wait about ten minutes before they think to check on her.”
Just thinking about this makes my breath stop. The coven planned to kidnap me and probably kill me four days from now, on Sunday. They also know when I work and what I do for a living. They’ve really put a lot of thought into this. Just thinking about the awful things that could happen makes me panic. The vampire did something that scared me. Felix’s spell was terrible. What else could they do?
Jaxon’s hand rubs my back in a way that makes me feel better. He whispers sweet things to me while leaning in so that his mouth is only a few inches from my ear. Ezra keeps asking for more information about the plan, but I’m not even paying attention to what he’s saying. Fear is the only thing my mind can think about.
This is true. The coven’s threat is real, not just a fantasy. It’s not just Jaxon being too careful or an idea that Felix came up with because he was suspicious. It’s really happening.
Jaxon keeps comforting me, and eventually I calm down enough to lean against him and close my eyes. I trust the supernaturals in the room who are still talking about strategy.
I put my life in their hands. That’s all I can do now.
Things are very tense around the pack house. Jaxon and I got into a fight about going to school on Monday. Of course, he wanted to keep me safe and sheltered in the pack house before the coven members planned to attack. Of course, I wanted to keep living my normal life and keep up appearances by going to school.
It is very important to me to get an education. I still want to be a social worker and work in psychology to help kids who are having a hard time at home in the long run. This threat doesn’t change any of that.
Of course, I won the argument. I think Jaxon knew that I had to go to school like normal to trick the coven members into thinking we didn’t know about their plan to kidnap us. He probably agreed to it because he knows I have goals for my future and he always wants me to be happy.
There were twice as many guards following me to class. I love my psychology class, but the midterm coming up isn’t even on my mind. Instead, my mind goes from Kohlberg’s theory of moral development (which is ironic, I know) to the chaos of my life.
After class, I take Skyler and the guards to the cafe with me. I had to text Jaxon for “permission,” but he thankfully “allowed” me to go. I really don’t like the idea that I have to ask him before I do something, but I get where he’s coming from. He knows more about the risks of the supernatural world than I do, so I’ll let him take charge until this threat is gone.
When Tuesday comes, I get nervous about the plan. There are only two days left until the plan goes into effect. I won’t be going when my six o’clock shift starts. Elise will wear a brown wig, which she rolled her eyes at because it’s not her color, and she’ll come in for my shift. There will already be two pack guards inside Steamy Bean Cafe at that time. Elise will use a spell to stop anyone who tries to take me. Then we can ask them more questions and, if all goes well, keep the coven from coming after me.
I don’t want anyone to get hurt for no reason, but I think the coven will need to be forced to see that the pack is too strong to attack. I know that Jaxon will do anything to keep me safe. He won’t leave anything to chance, and it worries me how far he’s willing to go to keep me safe.
As I write down answers to my calculus homework in my notebook, it’s a dull Tuesday afternoon in the pack house. We’ve been learning about limits, and to be honest, all of these hard equations are pushing me to my limit. It’s not too hard, but it’s boring work that I don’t feel like doing right now.
There are four other high school students and me sitting at the kitchen table. I can see Ezra through the window from the table. He’s teaching other werewolves how to fight. I wish I could see Jaxon, but I know he’s busy visiting other places today. He took his Gamma Williams and some of the best warriors from the pack with him to get support for our pack, the Blackthorn pack.
Yesterday, I learned that this pack did have a name. It’s a little embarrassing that I called myself the Luna of a pack without even knowing what it was called. I guess I should have thought about that, but all of this werewolf stuff is new to me. What do you want me to know?
Jaxon told me that once this threat is over, I will be taking “Luna classes.” A few older people will teach me everything I need to know about being the Luna of a pack, such as how to deal with territory disputes, make money deals, and follow pack traditions. Just thinking about all the information I needed to learn made my head feel like it was going to explode.
I’d do anything for Jaxon and this pack, so of course I’ll take the time to learn it all. It’s just a lot to take in. I still have to worry about my family, my job, and my college classes.
That’s why I’ve reached my limit. This threat is really getting to me, and I don’t know how much longer I can pretend that I’m handling these things in a healthy way. I have to let Jaxon know that I’m freaking out a little bit because we can feel each other’s feelings. He must know how close I am to blowing up, even though I try to hide it with smiles and nods.