Chapter 16

From my last A/N I mentioned joining into a competition to possibly get this book published. It will be a lot of work for this to happen, and I will need to post at least two chapters a week to finish the book before August 16th.

After that you, my amazing fans and readers will be the soul way for me to survive into this competition.

Wish me luck everyone!

And either or way if I win or don't win, YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!

This chapter I will also be dedicating to @GraceAnn7. Grace was the last member in our competition and had been awarded a tie for third place. Grace tied for third place with another member in the first competition and kept trying her hardest. We were glad to have her in the competition. She is a great competitor, and we hope to have her again. Please go check out her work! :D

1Blossom

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Chapter 16

~Josiph~

“Do you think he will attack us soon?” Derek asked. I could see him still staring off in the direction of the forest. His nose crinkled up in disgust with growls still reverberating deep in his throat.

“If the signs are anything to go by he will attack before the next full moon,” I answered taking a deep breath and looking back in the direction of the forest before I went on, “he’s already trying to claim the pack as his own, and will end up claiming a fight with me to gain the pack’s loyalty.”

“What are we going to do until then?” he then asked. I could feel him staring at me waiting for an answer.

“After this full moon is over I will need to talk to Lucas and Kiana about Lucian. We will need to know everything about him. His weaknesses, his strengths, and even how his wolf moves.” I stopped looking back over to the blue house where Lucas, Kiana, and Steve were living before going on, “It will be our only chance if we want to make it out of this alive.”

“Do you think they will tell you?”

I smiled sadly walking away from the house and forest. “If Lucas's love for Kiana is anything to go by, he will.”

“What about you?” Derek asked walking beside me.

I looked directly at him as we walked further and further down the street. I knew what he was asking and yet I couldn't answer the way he wanted me to. “My family is my pack, and I need to protect them first, if nothing more.”

“And Lucas?”

I attempted a laugh but it came out more like a grunt than anything else. “Lucas is here to protect his family.”

Derek nodded contemplating on what to say before actually speaking. “Yes, he’s here to protect his family, but have you forgotten you are his family now as well.”

“Not the same kind of family,” I whispered, stopping just at the outskirts of where the Full Moon festivities were taking place. Many in the family had already gone home including Trish and Hank, but those who remained sat around a bonfire laughing with family and friends.

“You're right. You’re more than just family to him,” Derek said. “I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you, and even when he talks to you. I can see it in the way he smiles, and the way he breathes. He might not show it in his actions, but he shows it in every other way he can,” he finished before walking away completely and going back to the party.

I watched as his retreating form take a seat next to some family and friends as he joins in on their conversation as if he had been there the whole time. After he had been seated I took my own retreat to the alpha house where I found my mother and father speaking to Hunter and his family.

“Hey guys,” I said after closing the door after me.

“Hey,” Hunter said sadly tilting his head down to the ground as he spoke. His voice caught a little just at the single word so I knew he had been crying. Behind him stood his father, a big beefy man my father had watched grow up until his change at twelve years old. He had his hands gently on Hunter’s shoulders in comfort but also in his way of protecting his son. Hunter's mother on the other hand stood next to my mother. She’s a gentle woman who worked with children in the human world as well with children within the pack world, and had been talking quietly to my mother before I had come over. Now, she stares at me, her eyes watering with unshed tears.

“What's wrong buddy?” I asked walking up to Hunter and ignoring both of his parents as I put my hand gently under his chin getting him to look up at me. As expected his eyes were filled with tears and his breathing was raspy.

“Are the rumors true?” he eventually asked softly.

“What rumors?”

Hunter took a deep breath before speaking again, “That if I didn't take form this full moon I would be kicked from the pack?” he asked just as his voice cracked and tears rolled down his cheeks. It was the first time I had ever seen or heard Hunter crying since I found out about him not being able to transform into his wolf, and he wasn't the only one crying. Diane was also crying beside my mother and father.

“Of course not,” I replied. “I know things have been real difficult for you and your family with you not being able to transform. I mean it would upset any teenage boy or girl whose whole life revolves around becoming a wolf. However, we have another plan, and hopefully within the next full moon you will be running with the rest of the pack. Maybe even sooner than that.”

“What plan is that exactly?” his father spoke up behind him.

“Do you remember that new girl, Kiana who came in with Lucas a couple of weeks ago?”

“Yes.”

“Well she has opted for working with Hunter for the next couple of weeks.”

“And how exactly is she supposed to help Hunter?” Diane asked, walking over to stand next to her husband and son. “We had the best doctor working with him for over a year and she couldn't even help him. How is a runaway supposed to help him?”

“Even if she isn't able to help Hunter at least she is willing to try, and he needs all the encouragement he can get if he wants to transform into his wolf,” I explained to them. “When you two go around talking about how there’s no hope for him, it doesn’t help the boy, it only makes it worse for him.”

“We do no—” Diane replied angrily, her voice rising as she spoke. She even took a step toward me in anger. She only stopped speaking when her husband had grabbed her hand pulling her back beside him.

“We do honey,” he said softly, waiting until she looked at him before going on, “Ever since his first attempt at transforming failed we started talking about how there’s no hope. It’s no wonder the rumors started in the first place, and why Hunter always seemed to want to go to the doctors rather than stay home with his family.” He stopped to look directly at me again. “Do you really think Kiana can help?”

“I do,” I answered. “All we can do is give her that chance. Let her prove it to us.”

“Alright. We’ll give her a shot then,” Zach said, “When will the first meeting be?”

“I’ll be talking to her today about that actually, but we’ll start as soon as we can.”

“Thank you,” Zach said just as his son said, “Thank you for not giving up on me.”

I nodded to Zach before turning my attention to Hunter. “You’re family Hunter, and I could never give up on family.”

~~~~~

A few hours before the first light would peek over the mountain, I walked down the street to Lucas, Kiana, and Steve’s house. It took three minutes before I was on their front porch knocking on their door. Within a minute Steve answered the door.

“What's up?” he asked pulling the door open.

“Is Kiana, and Lucas here?” I asked.

“Yeah they are.” He stopped moving to the side for me. “Please come in and I’ll get them for you.”

“Thank you,” I replied walking into the house just as Steve yelled for Kiana and Lucas.

“What is it now?” Lucas asked from the top of the stairs. He had a towel wrapped around the lower half of him, and when he noticed me at the bottom of the steps he froze. “You could have warned me he was here.”

“It wouldn't be as fun if I did that.” Steve grinned with a laugh catching the blush on Lucas's face.

“Yeah, well next time please do tell me who’s at the door, before you get me,” Lucas said before retreating back to his room.

Steve was still laughing when I spoke up. “You're not going to warn him next time are you?”

He smirked. “Nope.”

I shrugged, laughing. “Works for me.”

“I heard that!” Lucas yelled coming around the corner again in blue shorts and a white shirt. “What's up?” he asked walking down the stairs.

“Well, for starters, I wanted to ask Kiana when she wanted to begin working with Hunter,” I told him. “Secondly we need to talk about Lucian.”

“What about Lucian?” Steve asked before Lucas could even think up of any words to say.

“He was here last night,” I replied.

His eyes widened. “Where?”

“Just outside of the house. In the woods.”

“Are you talking about Lucian?” Kiana asked coming down the stairs.

I nodded just before speaking, “He was here last night just outside of the house in the woods.”

“He will attack soon,” Kiana said like she already knew exactly what Lucian would do and when he would. “What do you need us to do?” she then asked.

“I need to know everything about him. His weaknesses, and his strengths, as well as whatever else you can tell me about his wolf.”

She nodded. “Alright. Let’s go in the living room and we can talk there,” she said turning around and walking into the living room. Lucas and Steve followed behind her, and I followed behind them. When we got there Kiana and Steve sat on the two single chairs leaving only the love seat for Lucas and I. We sat side by side, but we didn't touch. “Lucian has a few weaknesses from what I know of.”

“What would those be?”

“I’m the main weakness for Lucian. Always have been a weakness for him because I was the girl he couldn't have, and yet at the same time the girl he wanted so badly,” Kiana replied. “He can't think straight when I’m around, but that’s the one and only weakness that I am aware of.”

“There’s another weakness he has. Power,” Lucas spoke up from beside me. “He believes that all the power should belong to him and all competition should be eliminated. His anger flares from that, and he makes mistakes easily because of it.”

I nodded thinking for a second. “Has he ever been injured in his life?”

“He broke his leg when he was seven getting caught in a bear trap some human placed down,” Lucas said, remembering that moment. “Our father found him and was able to free him before the hunters came back. It's how he came into the family.”

“Alright. That’s a start. What about his strengths?”

“Speed,” Steve said immediately. “He has always been fast in human or wolf form. He also has quick reflexes which is something he learned from Lucas’ father.”

“He’s agile too,” Kiana pointed out. “When we were younger I remember him being able to jump to the top of a tree and jump to another branch just seconds before the tree branch beneath him broke off.”

“Anything else?”

“His size. Compared to you he would look like a bear in human and wolf form. It's an advantage he had on our father, and will also have on you,” Kiana replied again. “He is also strong, but nothing compared to a body builder.”

“Well that’s a plus in some way. At least I have some resemblance of a chance.”

“Yeah well Lucian will also be expecting the obvious of attacks,” Lucas said.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning you can't do the normal attacks you learned as a cub to become Alpha. He will expect those. Instead you will have to attack differently and catch him by surprise otherwise you will have no chance at all,” Lucas said breathing deeply. “As it is, he has probably been watching you, and probably knows more about you than you would think possible so you will have to be careful when he actually wants a fight.”

“Alright. Is that everything?”

“Just about. He was careful as he grew up and knew just how to take our father down to become alpha, as well as knowing how to manipulate others to his side. Most of the time though he just used fear on the pack,” Lucas explained to me. “He killed those who defied him too, so many just went along with everything he said just to live.”

“Okay. Just one more thing I have to ask.”

“What is it?” Steve asked.

I turned to Kiana. “I talked to Hunter and his family today about you working with him. They would like to know when you would like to have a first meeting with the boy.”

“We can do the first meeting in two days, if they would like,” Kiana replied.

"Alright. I will let them know. We will stop off at their place that day and you can work with him there, or would you rather working with him here?”

“I can work with him at his house for a bit. Later though, I would like to be able to work with him in the forest.”

I nodded. “Okay that’s not a problem. I’m guessing your brother and Steve will be with you in the forest?”

“And anyone else who would like to be there. If Hunter is going to transform, I figured it would be best if his family were there, and his alpha.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I smiled, standing up from the couch. Lucas stood up just after I had. “I’ll see you all in two days then, or possibly sooner.”

“Yes, see you soon,” Kiana said standing up.

We walked to the front door where I opened it a crack before turning to face the three of them again. “You three take care, and be careful out there.”

“We will, thank you,” Kiana said, showing me out. “You too.”

“Will do.” I smiled before opening the door fully and walking outside of the house. It was still a bit dark outside, but even then I could see the faint outlining of carved wood. “Lucas,” I said, “can you turn on the porch light?”

“Um...Yeah sure. Having trouble seeing?” he asked with a laugh just as the porch lights turned on.

“Not really,” I said staring down at the porch.

“Then what’s the problem?” Lucas asked coming outside of the house only to freeze as he noticed the markings too.

“You will be mine.”

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I know the last chapter was horribly short so this chapter I tried my best to make it as long as possible. Hopefully it will fix for the lack of a chapter I had before.

Anyways, hope you all have enjoyed the chapter and please leave a comment!

1Blossom