24 | Factions

This town was hazardous to my health. At this point, it was either going to be the stress or being a murder that was going to do me in. I had been running around all morning for Vanderville's. Helena had given me a laundry list of tasks that she needed to be completed by the end of the week. Apparently being out "sick" had only meant that I would be required to work twice as hard to make up for my absence.

Honestly, all of this was making me miss my old life. It had been so much easier, nicer—safer. I missed the beauty of the art and culture that surrounded it. My whole career was shot to shit and there wasn't much I could do about that. I just had to pick up the pieces of my life and try to make sense of the mess.

It was hard to believe that I had been so naïve before Twin Peaks. There had been so much of the world hidden from my view, a world deeply connected to me. I wasn't comfortable knowing the things I now knew, but at the same time, there was a sliver of me that finally felt at peace. I had been searching my whole life for a place I belonged because I'd always felt like an outsider everywhere I went. I mean, maybe that was the blight of every young adult trying to find their way in a chaotic world.

Speaking of the chaotic world—I had been called in by Mary-Beth's school. There had been some kind of issue on campus that required my presence. I knew it couldn't be anything good, and it was coming at the worst time. It had interrupted my flow of work and elevated my stress levels. I hoped that it was simply an attitude problem, but all I could think was that she had shifted in front of a bunch of kids—that's the last thing that we needed at this moment.

I parked my truck in the parking lot outside the campus, sitting for a moment in the silence. I rolled my shoulders, hoping to relieve the tension that had been building. I'd known it was a bad idea to let Mary-Beth go back to school and I'd still let myself be persuaded against my better judgment. This was all Callum Wolfe's doing. I'd let myself get wrapped up in him that I'd lost all my good sense. I heaved an irritated sigh as I grabbed my keys from the ignition and got out of the truck. I spotted a familiar form, frowning.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed at Cal as I made my way up the stairs to the entrance of the main building of the school. I had done my best to avoid him since our kiss and I had done so well at accomplishing that task. Now, I was beginning to think that the only reason I had been able to avoid him is that he had allowed it.

He arched a brow as he opened the door for me, "Roxie called me. Told me that Mary-Beth was in trouble. I came to check in on her."

I scrunched up my nose in irritation as I passed him, "Yes, well I think I can handle this on my own, Cal. I'm her guardian after all. I can take care of these things without you. I'm not completely inept, no matter what you may think."

He ignored my dismissal of him, falling into step beside me, "I've never thought you were inept." He replied casually. I glanced up at him, a little surprised. I had figured he thought I was completely incapable of basically everything I did. He had a way of making me feel small and insignificant next to him. "Maybe, a little impulsive and careless."

"And there it is." I mumbled, "What is it you think you can do that I can't? Look what's already happened, something that you suggested. She's been back to school for one day..." I glanced toward Cal with a meaningful look. He was going to have to take as much responsibility for this as I was.

"Don't say it, Lucinda." There was a warning in his tone. One that told me he was on edge. I pursed my lips and said nothing. I didn't need to say "I told you so." because I was certain he had played the words in his mind already. I walked quietly beside him as we navigated the hallways, getting looks from a few curious students passing between classrooms.

Roxie was waiting near the office, arms crossed over her chest. She gave us a nod as we approached, pushing away from the wall, "Uncle Cal."

He gave her a stern look, "Why aren't you in class?"

"I wanted to make sure that Beth was going to be okay." She looked at me for a moment, "You just missed the Vanderville's. They looked ready to do some serious damage."

I frowned, "The Vanderville's? What are they doing here?"

Roxie nodded, "Beth and Avery got into a fight. Didn't the school tell you that when they called?" My stomach churned at the news. I was both angry and terrified. I knew that letting her come back to school had been a mistake. I wanted my sister to have a normal life, but the truth was she wasn't normal. Now, she had gotten mixed up with the wrong people.

"I told you to keep an eye on her." Cal's voice dropped low.

I noticed the way Roxie avoided his gaze, "And I did. That's why you're here—and Avery is still breathing." She finally made eye contact. "Beth was a beast out there. They're probably still cleaning Avery's blood off the lockers."

I felt the color drain from my face, "Dear Lord..."

"Get back to class. I'll talk to you about this later." He dismissed her.

"Yeah, whatever." She gave me a quick look before sauntering away from us, mumbling under her breath.

"This is bad—really bad. What are we going to do?" I didn't know what we were walking into. I knew we were in trouble though, all of us. There were secrets in this town that were meant to be kept that way.

"Just let me handle it." He grumbled.

I needed more than reassurance. I needed to know we were going to make it through this day alive—hell, that we'd make it out of this school alive. I should have left when I'd had the chance. I should have packed up our shit and driven as far away from Twin Peaks as I could get. My hand trembled at my side, "We need to get ahead of this. We need—"

"Lucinda!" He snapped my name in my ear, startling me out of my panic. I turned my face up to meet his heavy look, "I will do what I need to do to keep you and Mary-Beth safe. So, what you need to do is trust me." It was both a command and a plea. I pressed my lips together, giving him a nod. I didn't know if I could simply trust him like he wanted, but at the moment I didn't have much of a choice. His hand came to rest on the small of my back, urging me forward toward the office.

"I want something done about this." I heard Helena's voice, ringing sharp, "She attacked my daughter without cause—could have killed her. I want her punished to the full extent of her crime."

"We will sort it all out Mrs. Vanderville. I assure you. Now, would you please lower your voice school is still in session—" A soft voice floated through the small cracks in the door.

"I will not lower my voice—"

"Helena," Bradford growled her name, silencing whatever words she was about to spew at the poor woman trying to contain the situation.

I sucked in a deep breath and pulled away from Cal's guiding touch. I opened the door to the office, and stepped into the room, Cal pressing in close behind me. I shuddered at the heat of his body rolling into me, doing my best to banish the memories of the kiss we had shared a couple of days ago. Now was not the time to take a stroll down memory lane. I took a subtle step forward to put a little space between us, needing a clear mind.

The room was chaos as the Vanderville's were giving the woman in the pencil skirt an earful as she tried to calm them. I spotted Mary-Beth sat up in a chair on the far side of the small room, holding a paper towel to her mouth. Beyond her busted lip, I could see a bruise and swelling on her chin. There were deep grooves cut into her arms like she'd fought a mountain lion and not a person. They looked like someone had taken a moment to at least try to clean them to keep her from bleeding all over the floor.

"Oh my god—" I rushed to her side, grabbing her face lightly, "Are you okay?"

She pulled around from my touch with a wince, "I'm fine, Luce." Her gaze flickered toward Cal who I knew was still standing by the door where I had left him. I noted the way she dropped her eyes quickly in shame.

I heaved a sigh, my skin rippling with my agitation, "What the hell happened, Mary-Beth?" I questioned in a low voice.

"I'll tell you what happened—" I turned quickly to see Helena, blonde hair and wild eyes, "Your sister attacked my Avery, nearly killed her! She had to be rushed to the hospital." I stiffened at these words and the rage written on Helena's face, "I will see her punished for that." She wanted to sink her teeth into my sister.

I swallowed, taking a step back and placing myself directly between Mary-Beth and Helena. I was more than terrified. I mean what could I really do against a beast like Helena? If she wanted to get to my sister there wasn't much I could do to stop her, but I could at least slow her down. It would give her a chance for Cal to save her. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened—but my sister would never have done something like this without being provoked. She may have a terrible attitude but she's not violent—"

Helena let out a low growl that swallowed up the rest of my words. She took a step in my direction, and I tensed. Thankfully, Bradford grabbed hold of her arms, pulling her to his side—anchoring her there.

Cal stepped forward, coming to stand beside me. The tension in the room made it hard to breathe. It was like there was an invisible hand reaching through my skin, muscles, and bones, and gripping the innermost part of my being—choking it.

"I should've known you'd be behind this—" Bradford remarked calmly, lips twitching with a tight smile. It wasn't friendly, but more like a smile, someone would only give to an elusive enemy.

"I'm not behind anything." Cal replied calmly, his stance relaxed in spite of the situation, "This is simply a squabble between juveniles—I think we can all understand that."

Helena barred her teeth at us, "I will have that child's blood, juvenile or not."

I sprang forward outside of my conscious effort. Something else possessing my body. A violence I'd never known singing through my veins. I reached out for Helena with clawed fingers, seeing red—seeing—no...wanting her death at by my hands. Only Cal's arm encircled my waist before I could make contact, pulling me back against his body. A vicious, animalistic sound resonating deep in my chest, "You come near my sister and I'll kill you. I'll rip your fucking throat out!"

Bradford grimaced but held tight to his wife as she thrashed in his arms, "A mother's nature to protect her young—" A clear dismissive attitude toward our response to one another. "However, my wife is correct. There will be punishment for this behavior. Mary-Beth is one of us, living in the territory governed by me. I do promise though that it will be a fair punishment. She will live." Cal tightened his grip on me, breathing in deeply as if he was also trying to keep himself calm through this interaction.

My eyes rushed wildly around the room, noting that the woman from before was standing silently, shoulders tensed. She was either one of the pack or she was someone who knew the secret—either way, she was subject to the rule of the alpha. I clenched my teeth. I would never let these people lay a hand on my sister. Cal dug his fingers into my skin, almost to the point of pain, "I appreciate your willingness to be fair. However, I will deal with Mary-Beth—"

Bradford's eyes narrowed, "She is subject to the laws of this pack while she is my territory, Callum. You know this."

"I do. I also know, this only your territory because I allow it to be." Cal's words were calm.

"What is this?" Bradford snapped. His calm façade fading quickly, "You gave your title to me—"

"I changed my mind." Four words. Simple words, that had been said many times before—suddenly changed all of our lives forever.

Bradford tossed his wife to the side, striding forward until I could feel his hot breath on my skin from where I was poised in front of Cal, "What game are you playing at Wolfe?"

He stood firmly behind me, "Things change. People change. I thought you were the best choice for this town. I see clearly now."

"You might want to rethink what your doing—"

"I've already thought it out. I know what I'm doing." Cal pushed me behind him, stepping up close to Bradford, "These two are under my protection—as their Alpha. If you have a problem with them you'll have to go through me."

Bradford smiled cruelly, glancing at my sister and I, before turning his gaze back to Cal, "You have no idea what you've done. I'll give you a little more time to think this through clearly—because unlike those that have come before me, I'm a merciful Alpha." I reached back behind me, grabbing hold of Mary-Beth's hand. I had to trust that I'd made the right choice in turning to Callum for protection because it looked like we were going to need it. I only hoped that he truly did know what he was doing, because if not I had a feeling that we were all in trouble.