Torn

Chapter Twenty-Four

"He's a jerk, he always has been. Don't let him get to you" Mason tried to calm me down but it just wasn't working.

No one understood how I just put up with all the crap Jorge put on my plate; how I let him insult me and yell at me. But they simply didn't know him like I did. He was a good person at heart but lately, he's really been pushed beyond his limit.

And while he didn't have a lot of buttons that would make him snap, mentioning our parents was one big one that set off a series of smaller ones.

Mason pushed that button and Jorge just couldn't stand it.

"Come on, we've got to go" Dean tugged my arm. I wiped away the tears and nodded.

Right now I couldn't concentrate on the loss of my brother. I had to think about my pack and their safety.

Most of the pack was already done with putting all their worldly possessions in a tiny car. A few were simply doing small things that were habit like locking the front door securely or sweeping the front porch for the last time.

Gina had been in charge of texting the directions to Dean's property to at least one member of each family. The messages were set to delete as soon as they got to the pack house. Sure, it was a pretty dumb way to get hundreds of people to the same place but we couldn't take any chances.

Suppose that we handed out small slips of paper with directions on it? Suppose a Hunter finds it? We'd all be doomed.

And what if a pack member leaves it here on purpose? Anything was possible.

And I wasn't taking any chances with my pack's safety.

The sounds of people getting into their cars was near deafening. We got into our own car, Mason going in back with me. Dean was driving because, obviously, he was probably the only one with definite knowledge on how to get there.

"Alright. Let's get this show on the road" Dean forced a grin at us and set off. I watched my home disappear from the back window.

I would probably never see it again. But I would mourn later.

Jack took so much from me, from all of us. He would surely go down in history as the worst alpha we've ever had. With his stupidity, he risked all of our lives and he cost us our homeland. I despised him for it.

But now, hopefully, our problem would be solved.

*****

The journey to Dean's pack was long and tiring. Dean had to drive the whole way because I was near passing out in the back seat, with absolutely no knowledge of how to get there, and Mason was too busy snoring the roof off the car.

Charming, I know.

"We're almost there, I swear" Dean peered at me from the rear-view mirror. I nodded sleepily, shivering from the cold that the heater couldn't touch in the back seat.

"You said that an hour ago" I reminded him. He gave me a small smile.

"This time I swear I mean it" he promised.

"Where will Mason and I stay when we get there?" I asked, realizing that this was the only thing we hadn't covered beforehand. He looked at me in surprise.

"You would stay in the pack house of course. With me" his eyes, reflected in the mirror, stared into mine so intently, I couldn't look away.

"Meh" Mason rolled over in his seat and yanked me to him. I yelped in surprise. He smacked his lips sleepily and promptly went back under. With this move, he warmed me up and broke the intimate moment with Dean.