Part of the Plan (Book 2 in the 'part of' series)

Chapter 38 Meetings and Messes

Chapter 38 meetings and messes

Emi's POV

It was strange leaving school with Harlow, we usually just went our separate ways. This time, Karim picked us up from the gate in his car and we were off into the woods. It was unnerving but we tried our best to make it as bearable as possible. The thoughts about what the meeting could include hung around my head all day.

"They're going to recognise us." I mumbled to Karim as we followed Harlow into the packhouse. Karim shrugged and sighed.

"We can't do anything about that." He mumbled back to me. "We just have to hope that they don't." I didn't completely understand why we were going there. I just went with whatever they thought would be best. I felt like a headless chicken. I put my arm in front of Karim, halting us both in our tracks.

"You didn't tell me what you found." I pointed out softly. He looked towards the ground with guilt in his eyes. "You know you can tell me." I didn't want to seem pushy but this was my cousin I was talking to. He had been there for me through the past nine years. I had hoped that we had built enough trust through that.

"Don't you want me to just send the photos-" I gave him a stern look and a shake of the head. "My father was Travis' beta." My eyes widened and my mouth ha dropped open in shock.

"But that means that-" He nodded solemnly and I wrapped my arms around his neck, having to go on my tip-toes to do so. "I'm sorry Karim." He hugged me back awkwardly with a chuckle.

"It's alright. Doesn't give us any answers and leads to more questions." He was trying to be brave and pretend like it didn't phase him at all. I used to scold him for that when we were younger, as it meant I could never tell what he was actually thinking.

"You guys ready?" Hollis asked as he hung out the door. "Oh I ruined something." He looked between the two of us with a small grin on his face. "Leaving in five." He nodded before heading back into the house.

"He seems jolly." Karim said with a tinge of sarcasm. I chuckled and followed him into the packhouse where Harlow was already waiting in the kitchen, wearing more comfortable clothes. " Who's coming with anyway?"

Ralph popped his head into the kitchen from the back door. "Aiden, Harlow, me, you two and Lathen." Randall was standing next to the sink and was leaning on the counter, facing us. He had a plate and tea towel in hand.

"Dad woulda went instead of Lathen but someone's gotta stay here." He chuckled as he looked towards the hallway. "Good luck, i'm sure you have more socialability in your little finger."

Ralph gave a smirk and entered the kitchen, Aiden holding his hand. They walked through the house, pushing gently by us and waiting by the front door. "Ready?" Lathen came down the stairs and looked towards us all. We each nodded and started to follow Ralph and Aiden. I didn't fail to notice that Harlow kept rather close to Karim. "Randall, you're doing dishes after dinner tonight for your wonderful comment."

Laughter was heard through the house as Randall winced and nodded. We were walking to the meeting area. I didn't mind it too much today, I wasn't really one for hiking. My stamina wasn't very high. I tried my best to keep up with the others. Emi and Karim were walking on each side of me. It gave me some reassurance that we won't get lost.

Lathen went ahead of us, into the other pack's territory. I wasn't sure how any of it worked so I just stood where we were told to wait. We were silent, only the sounds of nature filled my ears. I could also hear the breathing of the two beside me, it was a steady rhythm even if it was rather frequent due to nerves.

"Hello again." A man appeared out of the woods. A man who was extremely familiar to me.

"Mr.Buckthorn?" Came from my lips before I knew it. The man looked at me with a lot of surprise. It couldn't have been him but they looked so alike. This man's beard was longer and he had a lot more muscle than my science teacher.

"Been a long time since anyone called me that." He chuckled and crossed his arms. "I think I know who you're talking about. How'd you know him?" He raised an eyebrow. I looked towards Emi. Confusion met with a ribbon of hostility as he spoke directly to me.

"He's our teacher." Emi said rather slowly. She looked how I felt on the inside. "You twins or something?" The man had scoffed when she said that he was a teacher.

"Of course, he'd choose to be a teacher." He shook his head. "Yes, exactly what you said. I'm Liam, the cooler one." He grinned slightly and cleared his throat. "Although I'm sure you're not here to ask about my family tree." He turned his head rather sharply towards Ralph.

"Yes." Ralph stepped forward. "We've discovered a lot recently. In relation to Travis and his pack." Liam stepped back slightly and raised an eyebrow, he bowed forward, gesturing for Ralph to go on. "We know that he's got more humans and wolves on his side than we thought." The words were carefully chosen.

"Is that so?"He moved one hand up to his chin in thought as his eyes wandered over us. I didn't like how he was talking. "Do you know how many?" I shared a worried look with Emi, we were practically being ignored at this point, he didn't really seem to care too much about us. It was at this moment, I realized that Karim had grasped my hand in his. I noticed as his grip tightened around mine.

"No clue about the wolves." Aiden muttered. I was impressed at how he was even talking right now. "Though there's about a hundred humans." Liam seemed satisfied with the answer.

"Humans aren't much of a threat." Then out of the shadows came a lot more wolves. Karim's hand got even tighter, I thought that my circulation would be cut off. Emi gasped slightly and moved slightly in front of me. "Especially in comparison to werewolves."