The Secret One

14

Chapter 14

Waking up, I feel uneasy. I stand up and throw my hair into a ponytail. The house seems quiet. Anya and Jake are gone training. I decided to give myself a break today. I was walking down the hallway. I turn to go into the kitchen. I pour myself a glass of chocolate milk. Closing my eyes, I let out a breath. In the corner of my eye, I see a note on the table. I walk over to it and pick it up. It is folded over once.

*Let the chase begin*

Everything in me stills. I drop the glass. Hearing it beak, I dart around, looking in every direction. My breathing goes ragged. Jake. Find Jake, still in my night clothes. I take off running. The pack house is coming closer in view. "Jake! Jake!" I cry out, making everyone's head snap at me. Jake comes running from the middle group, looking concerned. "He found me, it's over. I am dead!" I pant out. Jake gets to me and grabs my shoulders, "Ruth, calm down. What happened?"

Panic begins to set in. My heart beat. I hear my heartbeat. I started to claw at my chest. I am dead. "Ruth!" I hear Jake yell. My eyes snap to him. I lift my hand to show the piece of paper. Jake hurries and grabs the piece of paper. He reads it. "This can be anyone," He tells me. No, I know, Waylen.

"His favorite game was chase Jake. I shift," Everything clicks. My smell traveled. Jake's land is vast. We may have run at the edge. Jake, realizing this, grabs me into his arms. Everyone watches, "You are safe. Do you understand me? I will die before you go back there," Jake of course says. He grabs my face with both hands and kisses my forehead.

"From now on, Ruth and I will stay in the pack house. Sloan, you are on 24/7 watch of Ruth," Jake announces to everyone. I will not be alone. The dark rooms haunt my mind. I can't go back. I feel Tegan retrenching back into my mind. My head hurts. Everything feels heavy. Voices are heard. I try to reach for Jake, but everything turns black.

"What made her pass out?" I hear Anya ask. I blink my eyes to find that I am back in the room where this all started. "I believe from the stress put on her all at once. That was her mind's way of protecting her." I see Izzie, Jake, and Anya talking in the corner. "I can hear," I slowly say. They all turn to face me. Jake rushes over to me and pulls me from the bed onto his lap. "Are you okay?" He darts out. I nod my head yes and smile at him. "I feel tired, but after that, I am okay," I reassured him. They all three ease up. "I already moved our belongings into my room in the pack house. I put two beds into my room just in case you wanted space," Jake notes. I smile at the thought of two beds. Even though there might be a war coming. Jake is still trying to protect me. "I also moved in. I'm right next store to your room," Anya adds. "Sloan and Jameson are also now in the house." Jake fills me in.

"Here is the scary thought: We weren't alerted when someone entered the pack lands. So, is it someone inside?" I say out loud. This makes Jake stiff. Is someone a mole from the inside? There can't be. I would have been brought back to him by now. He would have come for me. Waylen may be that good. Maybe he came in and left the haunting note for me to find. My mind wanders through all the possibilities.

"I will check the footage," Jake leaves the room without a second glance. Anya helps me off the bed. We walk into Jake and me's room. "I want a bath," I tell Anya. She nods but doesn't say anything. She leaves the room, but then Sloan appears. "I will be waiting out here if you need anything, Luna," Sloan informs me. I smile and close the door. Running the hot bath, I run soap under the tap to get bubbles started. Bubble baths were always my favorite growing up. Mom always made them smell like roses. I sink into the hot water and close my eyes.

The bathroom door creaks open, making me jump and grab onto the tub's sides. "Sorry, little one didn't mean to scare you. I have some pictures I would like you to look at," Jake tells me, coming closer to the tub. "You couldn't wait till I got out?" I laugh, making his cheeks tint red. "Is this Waylen?" Jake asks, slowly handing me the black and white picture. I stare at it. I cannot forget that face anywhere, but it's not Waylen. His brother Kyle, though. That is the man in the pictures. He was always sly. Brilliant, really smart. "Kyle, Waylens' brother, but I don't know the smaller figure," I tell Jake, pointing at the other person in the picture. He bows his head in defeat. "I don't know either. I think it is someone helping Kyle with the notes," I rub my wet hand over him, "We got this, right?" I question Jake. "Of course we do,"