Chapter 46

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*Corey*

"Clara!" I called out. "I have candy! And dolls! I have Bugs too!"

I paused, waiting for some kind of sound from the little girl but got nothing and frowned glancing around. I might as well have given up; the kid was a pro at hide-and-seek. Bugs was the name of her stuffed Bugs Bunny plushie. She loved rabbits.

"I can't believe you haven't found her yet, it's so easy."

I turned to glare at Adan who was holding Luke in his arms.

We were at Joe's packhouse, having a dual-pack gathering. It wasn't very big because most of the families and friends in our packs – Inferno, Galaxy and Titan – had left for the holidays or were staying over on shared grounds. It was probably the most vacant I had ever seen the Inferno pack house, occupied mostly by my friends and our immediate families.

Luke had recognised Adan from pictures and after the first five seconds, he felt incredibly comfortable with his dad, now they were inseparable. The kid could not even speak yet, but he had an iron grip when holding onto his father's shirt if someone tried to take him from Adan. It was actually, dare I say, incredibly cute.

"I'm starting to regret Jay's decision to bring you back," I muttered.

Adan laughed. "Don't get angry at me because you're blind." He nodded upwards. I looked up into the tree above me only to see Clara jump from a branch.

"Clara!" I caught her. Instead of being the adult and telling her what she had just done was dangerous, I looked up and frowned. "How did I not notice you were up there?" I was sure I looked up into that tree already.

Clara laughed, delighted at the success her hiding had been.

"Corey."

Oh, wow... I had forgotten all about her. The realisation made me feel terrible. I had just been so caught up in Jayden recently, but I didn't mind.

"Clara, come with me, I'll make you a burger." Adan seemed to notice the immediate tension as my gaze met Samantha's. How could he not? It felt like a blanket had been thrown over us suddenly, it was slightly suffocating.

I put Clara down and Adan took her hand to lead her into the house before I turned back to the woman in front of me.

"Hey, Sam."

"You've been back for three days and that's how you greet me?" she asked.

I laughed, grabbing her hand and tugging her into a tight hug.

I felt a slight pinch in my chest, which immediately drew my mind to Jayden. Glancing around, I saw him not far away, staring at us with that pained, helpless look he used to have before we went on the trip.

'Don't worry,' I gave him a reassuring smile, 'We just need to talk. I'll find you right after I've told her about us.'

He gave a shy smile back at me and just that simple gesture seemed to make my entire body feel strangely light as my heart picked up. Knowing he was happy left me feeling a giddy sense of delight. I straightened my face, just having realised I had begun to smile back at him before I looked at Samantha.

"Uhm... Can we talk?" I took her hand and led her into the house without giving her a moment to answer. We walked silently through the halls and into an empty ballroom before we sat on the edge of the stage. The day I arrived back at Inferno seemed like such a long time ago. I frowned, imagining the lights and music and regretting the way I had spoken to Jayden when the girls brought him to me that night. "Sam –" I began.

"You didn't reject Jayden," she said knowingly.

I let some air through my teeth as I looked at her apologetically. "It's not that I don't like you – I did, a lot – but... It's like you said... the Gods are never wrong..."

"It's destiny," she mumbled.

"Yeah. I tried to fix it, and I realised I didn't want to... because I've never felt like this, Sam. He's... ridiculously nice and adorable and funny and..." I drifted, realising I was smiling again just thinking about him. Goddamnit, he wasn't even in the room. "He's just a really great person –" Speaking about Jayden made me realise Izabella was right, it was impossible not to like him.

"He's an amazing person, Corey."

"Yeah, and you know me, so you know I'm pretty lucky to have him." I really didn't think I deserved someone like him after everything I had said and done to him, but I was grateful and determined to be a better mate.

"You really are." She laughed. I smiled at her.

"You're one of the most beautiful girls I've ever met, Sam. Inside and out. And when you find your mate, he'll be one of the luckiest wolves – or humans – around. You might even be relieved we did not end up together," I said. "Though, I know you'll always have that 'what if' because, look at me, of course –"

"Shut up! I didn't come here to hear you brag," she laughed again before she held her arms out to me. I chuckled hopping off the stage to hug her

"We can still be friends, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, of course!" she said. "Let's get back. Knowing your mate, he's probably over-thinking our disappearance."

I chuckled as she took my hand and led us out of the ballroom.

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*Jayden*

The light sound of strumming as I played the guitar Corey had bought for me made me smile for two reasons. First, the sound and second, the fact that playing would now always remind me of him.

Our packhouse was practically empty, the people that had attended the gathering two days ago were now either out of the city as well or hanging out on Titan or Galaxy territory, both were moderately far away if not running there at full werewolf speed.

Joe was at Titan with the other Alphas and Betas and their families. He had tried to convince me to join them, but I told him I was exhausted. It was not a lie or an excuse. After the trip, the announcement, the gathering, and Kaden and Corey not leaving my side for a second until I had spoken to Joe, I just needed some time alone.

If anyone attacked our home at the moment – which seemed unlikely – the Alphas were close enough to get back if we signalled the alarm. It would be easy because there were emergency triggers in every shared part of the house.

I had often spent my days in my room or hidden in Joe's office when he was not working before meeting Corey. Sometimes my friends would force me to go out, and most times I could get out of it but now with there being so many other friends, it was impossible to avoid them like I used to Kaden, Bentley and Layla when I did not feel like being social.

It was fun being with everyone, but I was tired and needed time to recoup by myself. The others seemed to understand my need to be alone and had agreed to let me as long as I 'didn't go into hiding' – Bentley's words. I was glad to have a breather.

A buzzing sound drew my attention from the guitar, and I reached out for the phone to see what it was, instantly grinning as Corey's name flashed across the screen. Placing the guitar aside, I opened his message.

'You still okay?'

It made me laugh. He had asked that every half hour since he left the day before. I understood that Alphas and Betas were more protective of their mates than normal werewolves –since werewolves were naturally protective of their mates, it was just ridiculous with the Alphas and Betas – and I actually liked that he seemed to care so much. It was nice having him check up on me even if it really was not needed.

I responded telling him I was fine and that he should quit asking. I knew he was not going to stop asking, though.

Right after the message was sent, a sudden uneasiness crept over me. I stared at the message as the sent indication appeared beside it and took a breath as it was marked read and the dots appeared showing that Corey was typing.

It was not usual for me to feel anxious at random times, I knew rationally that there was no reason to feel dreadful, so I quickly brushed it off and began to reach for my guitar but stopped when a knock sounded on the door.

I opened my mouth to tell them to come in but then realised I had locked my room's door. It was a reflex action I couldn't get rid of, not that I really wanted to. I was sharing a massive house with a few hundred other wolves; I needed to lock my room's door for privacy.

The knock sounded again, and I got up.

"I'm coming, calm down," I joked. "Who is it?"

My mom was going to be at work in the city for at least another few hours, so I knew it was not her.

When they didn't answer, I guessed that it wasn't one of my friends and figured it was another pack member who had stayed in the house. They had to be looking for someone else, most likely expecting Kaden to be with me. I unlocked the door before pulling it open as I began to speak.

"Kade's not in here and neither are Bentley, Layla or –"

My body seized up as I saw his face.

"Jayden. Why would I be looking for them?"

I instantly tried to shove the door shut.

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