Born to Change [Completed]

13: The Pack's Going Crazy and I'm Ignored

"Is he okay?" I hear people whisper as I cross the dining hall. I sit in my usual chair and see that Will's not in his. I sigh. It's been a week and the pack has been falling into shambles without Will's careful guidance and judgement. Travis and Leo are doing their best to keep everything in order but they could only take so much work. Hunter and Jace try to help them, but it's not an easy feat. Me? I don't have the heart to help them. I still blame myself for Layla's passing even though no one knows. Even while Layla's funeral yesterday I cried a river.

I eat breakfast half-heartedly even though they're serving pasta. To be honest, no one's actually been in a good mood lately. The loss of Layla has affected the whole pack as she was their Luna. And not to mention Will's mate. Will is very well-respected in his pack as well as in others too because he was fair. That probably explains Will's inability to rule over his pack.

I've heard about mates. They said that if you meet your mate for the first time you'll immediately fall in love with them. But it's also painful to be without them. Usually if one loses their mate they go hysteric. Will's not an exception.

I play with my food while I think about mates. Wonder how it feels to have a mate? Your other half?

I sigh and rise from my seat. This is getting nowhere. I have to see Will.

"Will?" I enter his room and see he's in bed, not asleep but staring at the ceiling. I look at him and he looks like he aged thirty years. Layla's passing really has affected him.

"Will? I'm so sorry," I start to tear up. I sit beside him in a chair and hold his hand.

"Shhh. Don't be. It's not your fault," he whispers. If he can talk to others now then he must be feeling a bit better.

"It is Will, don't you see? If I hadn't called you then you would have seen the attack. I'm sorry Will, I'm so sorry."

"You were overjoyed to see me. Don't blame yourself, the fault is on those rogues." He finally faces me and I see his blood-shot eyes filled with grief, longing and sadness.

"I'm sorry Will. I really am." My words are muffled as I put my face on the bed.

"I'm sorry too." I raise my head.

"What do you mean you're sorry?" I ask while trying to wipe my eyes.

"That I can't be alpha of this pack anymore." His voice cracks when he says that, he loves his pack as much as he loved Layla. No, loves.

"What? No! You're a great alpha," I exclaim. I start to blab a long lecture about how he's a great alpha but he interrupts me.

"Sorry, but I can't do it without my Luna. Without Layla." With that he closes his eyes and falls asleep.

I let go of his hand and barge out of his room and find Hunter's bedroom.

"Hey Elle--Hey, what happened?" His eyes show worry as I sit on his bed.

"Will happened," I say face-down on the bed.

"He talked to you?" He sits down beside me and hugs me. I hug him back and lie on his lap, still sobbing. I nod.

"What did he say?" He strokes my hair.

"H-he said that he's sorry f-for not being able t-to be Alpha anymore," I cry out. I feel Hunter stiffen and I look up to see his eyes glaze over. Must be mindlinking the others.

A few minutes later the door opens and Travis, Leo, and Jace enter.

"Is it true?" Travis crouches down beside me.

I nod, not being able to speak.

"Could you tell us what happened?" Jace gently asks.

I nod again and sit up. I recall the syory, not leaving out when I was apologizing for Layla's passing. Hunter pats my back the entire story and hugs me again at the end. He's like a big brother of mine, always there to protect me.

"Travis, I think you should step up to be Alpha," Jace concludes.

"No I can't, I don't have actual Alpha blood in me," he says sadly.

"But what about Will's brother?" Hunter suggests.

"Will has a brother?" I ask, my voice muffled from behind the pillow my face is in.

"Yeah, I didn't think of that. We should give him a call."

"Will has a brother?" I ask again.

"Come on," I hear Travis say.

"Will has a brother-- Oh dang it nevermind." It seems like no one would ever talk to me.

I look up in time to see Leo leave with Travis. Jace stays back and pats my head.

"I'm really sorry you lost your Luna," I say, my voice still muffled.

"It's not your fault, Will was right about that," Hunter assures me.

"But it's eating at me!"

"What?" Jace asks.

"The guilt!" I raise my head and hands up in exasperation.

"Ah, the pointless guilt. Everybody feels it. Haven't you noticed the other pack members? The reason why they're--we--are feeling down because they could have saved their Alpha and Luna," Jace states with sadness evident in his voice.

"What? That's jank. They didn't know that Will and Layla had returned. And most of them are hiding anyway for their safety," I complain.

"That is exactly what we're telling you. "

"But I was there! I saw it with my own eyes," I say, starting to tear up again.

"But you didn't know," Hunter whispers. "Who would know that the rogue was going to target Will?"

"Still!" I huff and rub my face on the matress.

"If you get any mascara there I swear I'll make you do the laundry of every single wolf or hybrid here," Hunter warns and I look up to see him smirking.

"You know I don't wear makeup," I say to him.

"Oh right, what was I thinking?" He feigns shock. "I just thought that you would turn into a girly-girl overnight, but I guess no luck!"

I slap him on the back of his head and he laughs. "There's the old feisty weird Elle!" I'm too much of a wreck to even think of a good comeback.

"Piggyback ride please?" I turn around and raise my arms. Hunter shakes his head no and I pout.

He sighs and picks me up. I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes.