La Lune // Bastille (ON HOLD)

- 22 -

Kelsey

I got back to the house long before the others. Not having anyone to tie me down, I just ran. The feeling of wind through my fur was exhilarating. I loved it. It's not a feeling I'd ever really gotten to experience before.

But as soon as I got home, the crushing weight of the situation hit me. Dan was unconscious and I don't know what's wrong with him, not to mention my mom was just kidnapped and nearly killed. How could we ever be safe again? How could things possibly go back to the way they used to be?

The next ten minutes were spent pacing around the house trying to come up with a plan for the future. Thankfully, my thoughts were interrupted by the door flying inwards and Kyle came rushing through, carrying a still unconscious Dan in his arms. I followed closely after him into the bedroom, where he laid Dan on the bed.

"Has this ever happened before?" I asked him and silently walked to the opposite side of the bed from Kyle.

"No, not that I've ever seen. But I've only known him for a few years," Kyle shook his head, barely looking up to meet my eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you guys. You have nothing to worry about," I bowed my head and looked at the bedsheets for a moment. "I'm not like my old pack. They believed in killing for fun, but I didn't. So I ran away. That's why they're hunting me down. They think I want to come back to them and that my mom brainwashed me," I looked back up at him. Will and Woody stood behind Kyle in the doorway.

"Really?" Will asked.

"Really," my mom stumbled between Will and Woody and sat down in a chair. Rose followed closely behind her.

"Is he alright?" I asked Rose quietly as she settled next to Kyle.

"He'll be fine. Kelsey, stop worrying and calm down. This is a normal human emotion. Sometimes, when things are too much for their brains to process, they faint."

"Are you sure?" I asked as Lexi's face appeared between Will and Woody.

"Yes," she answered. Will and Woody turned and made room for Lexi to slip between them.

I relaxed a little, it was reassuring knowing that Dan was going to be alright. I guess I'm not used to being around humans, so I still don't know how they cope with things. But this makes sense now that I know fainting is a coping mechanism.

"Listen, Kelsey," Lexi started to speak. I frowned inwardly to myself. I knew what she was going to say next was not going to be something I liked. "I don't think it's the best idea for you to be sitting beside Dan when he wakes up."

"But..." I started to protest.

"No buts," Mom said sternly. I turned to her. Rose was busy patching up her wounds and healing her life threatening ones. "You know you're the reason he's out like this. If you want to somewhat salvage whatever relationship you might have had, get out of this room before he wakes up."

I felt my ears flatten against my head, much like a dog's would when you scold it and it knows it did something wrong. She's never been this harsh to me, but I honestly don't blame her. All of this is my fault. The whole reason that Dan and the guys are caught up in the middle of this is my fault. If I hadn't have stopped in the middle of the walkway at that music festival, they never would've met us and we never would've offered them a place to stay. They'd be back at their homes in England, happy and blissfully ignorant to the way the world truly is.

"You're right," I nodded, "I'll be in the living room if any of you need me." I left without another word.

I sat in silence on the floor where the couch once was and twiddled my thumbs. It seemed like forever before Lexi came down the hall and sat with me. She, too, sat silently with me for a little while before she broke the silence.

"Your mom told us about what she saw while she was there," she looked over at me, a depressed look in her eye.

"What'd she say?" I asked, surprisingly interested in the conversation.

"She told us the reason Mason didn't kill her right away. He wanted you to suffer."

"What?" I was fully invested at this. "Why?"

"She said that Mason wants you to have a sense of punishment for leaving the Pack. He told your mom that you could rejoin, but you would be the absolute lowest member."

"That sounds like so much fun," the sarcasm that dripped from my voice pooled around us. "I don't understand. Why didn't he just kill her when we got there?"

"I don't know. Maybe because she attacked first and then you kind of jumped in," Lexi shrugged. "The point is, we're safe here for now."

"Yeah, for now," I frowned and turned to look out the window. It seemed as if the sunlight itself was taunting me. The contrast between light and dark from within the house was almost sickening.

"We'll figure something out, don't worry," Lexi put a hand on my knee, trying to reassure my restless thoughts.

Kyle walked out then, before I could say anything in response. He glanced nervously in my direction as he approached. But his eyes fell on Lexi, who nodded and made a face. Kyle visibly relaxed and sat down next to her.

"How's it going out here?" Kyle's voice read smooth, calm, and collected, but his body language read the exact opposite.

"It's going, I guess," I shrugged.

"I heard you talking about what your mom said," Kyle began, his voice shaking as if he was unsure of whether or not he should continue. "Is everything alright?"

"About as alright as I can be right now," I frowned and looked down at the floor. "We're just trying to come up with a plan of how we're going to keep each other safe."

Kyle didn't say anything, but he nodded in response.

Excusing myself, I stood up and walked out of the living room. The air around us got heavier as Kyle sat down. I don't blame him, it comes with the nature of what I am. A werewolf can't sit civilly and have a nice conversation with humans who know what we are. It's simply not possible, unfortunately.

I stalked back to my room in the back of the house, hoping for some peace and quiet. There was something about the loneliness and solitude of my room and being alone that's always been comforting to me.