Inescapable Love

Chapter Twenty: New Recruits

I felt ashamed of what I had done, and embarrassed at the fact that all of Chris' pack knew about my repulsiveness towards his rules. I hung my head and ran in the back of the pack, since Chris said we were going to David's house. Apparently Mark and Jordan would be waking up soon.

Don't feel bad. His voice said, and I looked up and saw that he was running beside me, when he should have been running up front.

Sorry. I replied softly, feeling him nuzzle my neck affectionately. I would have blushed, had I been in my human form.

Come run with me. He urged, nudging me towards the front. With a sigh I gave in and sprinted with him to the front position, seeing how much happier he was in the front rather than the back.

Once we finally got to David's house Chris ordered the other wolves to go back to school, except for me. He said he didn't want me in school without his protection when Adam would surely be there. Despite what he said, I knew it also was partially because he didn't want me to talk to Katherine and give her anymore suggestions, but I didn't voice it. I didn't want to argue with him again.

I was kind of nervous as I watched the two boys twitch in their sleep. I didn't know how they would react when they woke up, but Chris seemed to be at ease. I didn't trust the situation enough to phase back to human form, so I paced around the yard as a wolf, occasionally throwing glances at the boys. I could tell they would wake up soon, but I was more curious about how Chris would introduce them to their new life. A low whine slipped between my teeth as I passed Chris, and he reached down and brushed his hand against my fur.

"Phase back." He suggested. I quickly shook my head and he chuckled.

"You might scare them if they wake up and see a random wolf." He reminded me. I huffed in annoyance and then let my form shimmer so that I stood next to him in human form. I stood close to his body as my hand gripped his arm.

"Why are you so afraid?" He asked, pulling me closer to his body.

"Have you done this before, besides with me?" I asked softly, realizing after I said it that it was a stupid question.

"Of course I have. How do you think I got my pack?" He asked with a smirk. I just blushed and looked down as I felt him trail his hand lightly up and down my arm.

"Look." He whispered in my ear, nodding his head towards the two boys that sat huddled in the corner. My gaze focused on them as I saw the first one stir; Jordan, I suspected. He looked like a Jordan to me. Chris dropped his arms from around me and walked over to the slightly younger boy. I saw the boy cringe, and then cower down in fear.

"W-What are you?" he asked nervously. Chris stopped a few feet away from him, letting him have his space.

"My name is Chris. I'm a werewolf, just like you." he said calmly. The boy's eyes widened and he shook his head.

"I'm not a werewolf!" he shouted, his voice shooting up a few octaves. Chris smiled slightly in an apologetic way.

"You are now." he mumbled.

"How? I only remember a bunch of guys from school walking up to me. One of them turned into a wolf and knocked me out. They didn't bite me!" he said, trying to reassure himself.

"You're right. They brought you back to me when you were still knocked out. They didn't bite you. I did." he said, flashing his sharpened canines.

"W-who are you?" Jordan asked nervously.

"I'm the alpha. The alpha of the pack you are now in." Chris said in an authoritative voice. Jordan's eyes darted back and forth like he was debating on whether to run or not, but then his eyes landed on me.

"Who's she?" He mumbled. Chris snarled loudly, causing Jordan to jump back a few inches.

"Don't look at her." He growled protectively, shielding me from the younger boy's view. My heart skipped a beat at his possessive nature, and I blushed furiously, trying to ignore the fact that Jordan was probably freaked out by all of this.

Right before Chris could say anything else, another groan drew our attention to the other boy that was now waking up. Chris cursed under his breath and then turned towards me.

"Miranda, watch Jordan while I explain things to Mark." He muttered, walking over to Mark and grabbing his arm as he helped him stand.

"Where am I?" Mark groaned, his eyes squinting into the sunlight.

"Follow me and I'll explain." Chris ordered, keeping a firm grip on the boy's arm as he dragged him into the woods and out of sight. I felt Jordan watching me, and I turned to see that his eyes were still wide with fear, and his limbs were shaking slightly.

"What's wrong?" I asked, hoping I could help.

"What's wrong?! You ask me what's wrong?! I wake up in a random place, the last thing I remember was being knocked out by a guy that TURNED INTO A WOLF and then this scary guy with fangs is trying to say he's my alpha and I'm in his pack. So how bout you tell ME what the hell is wrong?!" He shouted loudly, his eyes beginning to glow.

"Calm down!" I said, automatically freaking out when I saw his canines sharpen. Shit, how did I do this? I knew he couldn't phase yet without Chris, but I also knew that if he didn't calm down he would figure out that he had sharp teeth and glowing orange eyes. That wasn't really a good thing, considering he was already scared out of his mind. I walked up to him and placed my hands on his shoulders, slowly leading him over to the corner and sitting down. He sat down with me and I made sure he was calm by seeing that his eyes had faded back to their normal color.

"Look, I know Chris can be a little intimidating, but what you are now is what you'll be forever. So you have to get used to it. Don't worry about the confusion, you can ask me or Chris anything and we'll explain." I said reassuringly.

"I'd rather ask you." He mumbled.

"And why is that?" I asked, confused.

"You look nicer, and prettier. And less scary." He said with a smile, staring at me happily. I blushed and looked down, folding my hands together. Chris was intimidating? I didn't think so, at least, not when he was in a good mood. And when I had first phased, he hadn't acted like that towards me. Or maybe that's just because I'm his mate...

"So who are you then?" He asked curiously.

"I'm Miranda Williams." I said absentmindedly, my mind still on Chris.

"Why are you hanging out with 'werewolves' then?" He asked sarcastically, letting me know he still didn't believe the whole werewolf thing. I chuckled when I realized that he didn't think I was a werewolf. I turned towards him and smiled, showing him my sharp teeth. He yelped in shock and leapt back, the fear in his eyes instantly returning.

"I won't hurt you." I said quickly, but he never dropped the uneasy stare he had fixed me with. I sighed and just sat there with my arms crossed, staring at the ground. Finally, I heard him walk slowly back to my side and sink down onto the ground beside me. He glanced over at me and then stared down at his hands.

"Where is my scar?" He asked suddenly. My attention was drawn back to him as he flipped his hand over, examining the skin there.

"What scar?" I mumbled, uninterested

"It's just that... I've always had a scar on my hand, right here." He pointed to the back of his hand, where his light skin was smooth and unmarked. "And now it's gone." He continued, shock still apparent in his tone.

"It's because you were bitten. You're not human anymore, and any marks you had in your human form, aren't there now." I explained, trying to word it as best as I could.

"So can I, like, turn into a wolf?" He asked, seeming embarrassed to have wondered such a thing.

"Of course. But Chris has to teach you how to do it. He's probably teaching Mark right now, but he'll be back for you." I said, staring into the woods and trying to see Chris. When I couldn't spot him, I sent a mental message to him in my head.

Where are you? I asked, glancing over at Jordan as I sent the though to Chris. He was oblivious as he still tried to process all this. He had no way of knowing that I was currently talking to Chris.

I'm in the woods with Mark. Is Jordan okay? He replied a few seconds later.

Yeah, can we come meet you guys so you don't have to explain twice? I asked, crossing my fingers hopefully.

Sure, that's a good idea. We'll stay here so you can find us. He responded, and I stood up, looking back at Jordan.

"Let's go." I ordered, causing him to snap his head up in shock.

"Go where?" He asked nervously.

"We're gonna teach you how to be a werewolf."