CHAPTER 6
"But we left, we're out. He can't hurt us from here, can he?"
River shrugged. "I have no idea, but he has as much power as you do with these people, except his power is spread over hundreds of people. He has alliances with the leaders and therefore their packs as well."
I glared at him. "I officially hate your dad. No offense."
"None taken," he took my hand and wiped away the blood with his shirt.
"How did he do that? The thing with the window?"
We both looked over at the window, the crack looked normal, but a one sharp piece sticking out could have caused the wound if I had traced my hand on it in the snake pattern.
"Did I do that?"
"Yeah, you... " The door opened, and Gav walked in seeming surprised by River.
"Eden, when did you break your window?" He gave me a weird look.
River and me shared another look. "When was the last time it wasn't broken?"
"Yesterday, when I came in here to clean the room up. By the way, did you get Dad's dagger?"
I shook my head. None of this made sense. The window wasn't broke yesterday, I had mindlessly cut my finger in the shape of two snakes intertwined. What was going on? "Yeah, the uh, necklace, one."
I was going crazy, wasn't I? I sat down on my bed and played with the necklace, running my fingers over the words. "I'll come back later when you don't have any guests, but, uh, Jennifer's outside of your door."
Gav walked out and Jennifer came in. "I saw what happened at dinner, what exactly did he say?"
I smirked. Typical Jennifer, oblivious of the world around her, but can figure it all out in two words. "He called River a mutt, I was about to murder him-"
"Okay, River, it's girl time, get out." He sighed, but seeing it as a war he would not win, he got out. "So, what's this with you protecting him, he is your dad's killer right?"
"No, but he's related to him. And, Cole cannot talk to anyone like that-"
"So, when you said, 'Mess with the ones I love, and they'll never be able to recognize you,' did you mean River?"
I glared at her. "No, I meant Colton and you and Arion and Drex. River's my friend, I don't love him, I just met him." Even as I said the words, I doubted them. "You can't get attached to someone you barely met, you don't know when they'll be gone."
Jennifer shook her head at me. "You can't pretend to be tough, when everyone can see how you're acting. Now, I would hope that my best friend wouldn't lie to me, but if what you said was true, then why's he here? Why is that little boy, Colton, here? And please tell me that when you first saw me, you didn't think about turning around and leaving me in the cold, because if what you said was true then not a single one of us were trusted by you when you first met us?"
I swallowed, careful of my next words. "That's different, I know you guys-"
"So you grew up with all of us ever since you were a child? Before your dad died?" I was speechless. "Hm, thought so. Now, Eden, I know what you meant and I know that you trust me now, and if hold it against River that he was a Wolf, I'll smack you. What was Arion?" I couldn't meet her gaze. "And you let him without a second thought. What did you tell him when he wanted his tattoo removed? Keep it, it makes you tough, shows you were a fighter. Drexel wanted to keep him at the bottom of the food chain, but you brought him to the top, and he sits next to Drex as his right hand man now. Not a single one of the others has the exact story they can tell, you wanna know why? You took pity upon Arion and Drexel took pity upon all those Sheep out there. You took pity upon a Wolf. But you can't bring yourself to even admit that you like River? Come on, girl, we all see the way you look at him. Even Drex, who is currently shouting at River to not hurt you. You admire the way he's tougher than you, that it doesn't look like he's faking it. Just say it, Eden, and I'll shut up and we can talk about something else."
