The Secret One

24

Chapter 24

The ticking of the clock is becoming louder by the second. I stand up and smash the clock to the ground. Waylen is winning; He is getting in my head. How much does he know about my new life? How far will he go? The gold flake on the wall catches my attention, showing my reflection. I am tired. Jake knows it. He is also exhausted. I am endlessly training and getting ready for what's to come. I have named Anya my next Alpha if Storm and I don't make it. Jake is confident Jason will make it out alive, so he doesn't call a third in command. My pack is Silver Heart, and Jake's pack is Blood Moon. All of our allies have backed away from the war. Not because they are scared. We asked them too. It's not their fight to fight.

My hair is thin, and dark circles have formed under my eyes. Jake tried to make me sleep, but I couldn't, knowing I lost a pack member because of Waylen. Waylen will always have control of my life. I squatted and started to pick up the broken clock on the floor. Tears fall to the floor, and I place my head on my knees. Whimpers fall from my lips. I didn't hear Jake walk in until he touched my shoulders. He doesn't pull me to him but shows me he is here for me. "You need to try to get some sleep," Jake finally broke the silence from me, whimpering. I don't speak, but I'm gasping for air.

Jake pulls me into his lap and kisses my head. "Do you want to lay down? I will lay with you," I nod, and he picks me up, leaving the clock on the floor. He places me on the bed and pulls the covers back. I crawl on the sheets. Jake kicks his boots off and climbs in next to me. He lays flat, and I rest my head on his chest, and he wraps his arms around me.

Jake's heartbeat slows down, calming me down. "I don't want to be afraid," I tell him. "Little one, I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared, too," he replies to my statement. For some reason, him showing fear makes me feel better. Jewls and Brock lost their lives because of Waylen. There is no telling how far Waylen will go. We watch as the sun starts to set. No one has bugged us for anything. The silence was lovely—a break from everything.

I woke up to Jason's voice and Jake moving me off of him. "What is going on?" I question, wiping my eyes. "Hi there sleepy one," Jason cracks a joke. I am happy he is a good-spirited person. He brings light to everything. I smile at his comment. "I was just telling Jake, Anya beat the shit out of Jameson during training," Jason feels me in. We all chuckle, and Jake and I get out of bed. Jake folds over the covers to make the bed slightly, and we head downstairs.

"And then I flipped over my shoulder! I hear Anya yell while coming down the stairs. We turn the corner to see Jameson with ice over his eye. "I am a vampire, and I took down a wolf," Anya screams happily while turning to stick out her tongue to her mate. I laugh, sit next to Jameson on the couch, and pat his shoulder. He grumbles and shrugs away from me. The front door opens and Storm comes in wet from the night rain.

Behind Storm is a man I haven't seen since I left Waylen. I stand up and back away from him. "I am not here to hurt you, Ruth," Brenden tells me, placing his hands in front of him. I shake my head and fall back into a wall. Jake doesn't waste any time in bringing his hand around Brenden's throat and slamming him into a wall. "What the hell do you want? I have all right to kill you right here right now," Jake grits out next to Brenden's ear. "Waylen," He gasps out. I lock eyes with him. He knows something. I push myself closer to him and Jake.

"What do you want?" I say, taping Jake away from him. "Waylen killed my brother Alpha. It's not just me," Brenden starts by saying, then he turns around, and a little girl walks through the door. "Brock will never get to meet her. Her name is Octavia. I tried to make it to his funeral but couldn't get away. I killed the warriors to get out. I lost everything," Brenden says while his voice breaks. Octavia raises her arms, and Brenden bends down to pick her up.

He is packless. He comes to me. Someone who was involved in my torture is here in front of me. I scan my eyes over to Jake, who is already looking at me, an eyebrow raised. His look says up to you. "Brenden, you understand why I'm scared. How do I trust you?" I ask, hoping for an honest answer. "Years you were with Waylen. I was the one that stopped him most of the time," I stopped him right there because I started to laugh. "You stopped him? Did you stop him when he was whipping my back? Or how about when I was begging to be killed?" I start by saying. I crack my neck and look at him. "I will let you in my pack, but you are a waste of space. You will do anything and everything people ask of you," I reasoned to him. Brenden bows his head and smiles. Another one gets added to my pack. Jake places his hand in front of him, and Brenden places his hand in Jake. A formal handshake. "If Ruth is willing. I am willing,"

Storm finally relaxed the first time coming through the doors. I smile at him, showing he did well. I want to be the Alpha that gives a second chance to people who have made mistakes. My life has been a mistake. I am learning. My past still haunts me when I thought I would be over it.