NightStar Summit

11. Let Me Tell You A Story

I walked back into the cafe and sat down in the chair across from Kat. I knew I had to head home soon, but I really didn't want to because I had no idea when I would ever get another opportunity like this again. I don't think I would ever be able to leave home again for awhile.

"Is everything ok?" Kat asked and she seemed just a tad bit broken by it.

"Yeah it was...my uncle," I lied, "There's a family emergency and I have to go home soon."

She shifted her gaze down to the pastry in front of her, "Oh."

I wanted to think that her feelings for me were pretty much the same that I was feeling for her, but at the end of the day, she wasn't a wolf and no one really knew what a wolf/human mate bond felt like. She really did look disappointed though so I felt pretty good about there being some sort of attraction present.

"Guys say that all the time," her eyes fixed back on me and now she looked angry, "You don't have to lie about your family to get out of here. Just tell me how you feel upfront and I'll stop bothering you."

I was shocked.

She took that exactly every way she wasn't supposed to.

"Kat, no," I shook my head, "Trust me, there really is no place I want to be more right now than I want to be here. I wouldn't leave if I didn't absolutely have to," I sucked in a deep breath, really thinking about what I was going to say next. I didn't want to be rejected but nothing ever happens if you don't throw yourself out there, "I like you...a lot."

Her lips twitched up into a smile as she scooted her chair out and stood up, "I like you too...a lot," she said in a joking, almost mocking way. "So then you're answering my question?"

"What question?"

"Are we going to go on a real date?"

It was hard to say yes to because I didn't want to agree to it and then never be able to show up because I had other obligations at home. She wouldn't understand that. But I couldn't say no and then have her think I was lying.

"Um...yeah...but it might have to wait awhile."

She looked upset again as she took her seat, "What do you mean? How long is awhile?"

"I don't know. I don't even know if I'm going to be in school much longer," I slumped in my chair, "I have family duties." She looked confused beyond words and I couldn't do anything for it to make any more sense to her, "I really have to go now though."

I could feel a lot of things from her. Anger, sadness, confusion and now disbelief. She didn't believe that I liked her, I could tell. Hell, I don't think I would have believed me either if I was her.

I had to think of something to get her to trust me and the most basic teenage idea came to mind, "Give me your number. I'll text you. I promise."

It was a promise I wasn't sure I could even keep. The phone wasn't even mine, it was my dad's and it was used strictly for emergencies when he was away. No one ever used phones at home because there was no goddamn reception up there. I'd have to run all the way down the summit if I wanted to text her and that was by no means a small feat.

It was something I was willing to do though if it gave her some peace of mind.

She perked up a little bit, "Ok."

~~~

I walked Kat home and then made my way back home myself. I was immediately greeted by several people, many of whom seemed surprised that I even came back in one piece.

"Colton," I turned around at the sound of Cameron's voice. He looked somber as he motioned for me to sit down in one of the wicker chairs outside of the Pack House. "We got some news...about your father."

The way he said that with the way he was already looking, I could tell this wasn't about to be some joyous bit of news. My heart sunk as rage built up inside of me. I had already lost my mom, I wasn't ready to lose my dad too.

Cameron pushed me down into the chair as I was about to walk away from him. I didn't know why we were just standing here if my dad was in trouble or already dead.

I could have ripped Cameron's throat out for making me sit here, but I needed this last piece of information from him, "Well, what is it?" I snarled, the wolf inside of me ready to kill.

"He's alive but likely not for long. Alpha Sam couldn't stress that enough."

I pushed him away from me with so much force that he ended up falling on the ground. "Why are we still here? We need to help him!"

"Colt, you need to stay here. That's exactly what they want and you know as well as I do that if you walk into that Pack, you're not coming out. You're strong, but you're not stronger than hundreds of wolves. They'll kill you," he paused, appearing to be thinking of something else to say to get me to stay here. "You need to step into the Alpha role here and Alphas don't act on impulse. That's what your father did and look at where he is now."

I was always in charge while my dad was gone, but I was never called an Alpha out of respect for him. Cameron wanted me to fully take over now as if my dad was just some lost cause to us.

"The Elders have already started arranging your Induction Ceremony for tomorrow night. I trust you know what all that entails."

Of course I did and I couldn't have been more thrilled about it right now. Whenever a new Alpha was inducted, the Elders gathered up other wolves whom had come to them with concerns about the new Alpha. Those wolves are to challenge the Inductee in a fight, either one on one or all against one, depending on how the Elders were feeling. I wanted to kill someone right now and that would be the safest way for me to do it.

I'd never lose.

KATARINA

I invited Sadie over as soon as she got out of school. I needed to talk to her about some things and it would be easier to have her here instead of calling or texting her. We both sat on my bed watching old Family Guy episodes and honestly, it felt like the good old days.

"Sade, I want to talk to you," I said, knowing full well that I had probably just ruined this moment. She was about to get angry and defensive, I could tell. "And I really really need you to be super honest with me."

She raised an eyebrow curiously, "What?"

"Why do you hate Colt?" I blurted the words out quickly.

She rolled her eyes and leaned her back against my upholstered headboard. "Kat, I want to tell you, I really do but I don't think you'll ever understand how much trouble I could get in. You wouldn't believe anything I said anyway."

"Oh my God, please just tell me. Why wouldn't I believe you? We're best friends, why would you ever lie to me?" I looked down at my phone, hoping to see a text from him but instead I only saw an empty lock screen, "We're going to be hanging out, so I need to know these things."

She looked both shocked and disgusted at my words and I honestly expected nothing else from her at this point, "Fine. But this is going to have to be a two parter. I'll tell you the story which I know you won't believe, but then I can show you. You just have to bare with me that long, ok?"

I nodded and urged her to keep going.

"Do you remember how we went hiking with my parents and we ended up getting separated from them and ran into wolves?" I nodded again, "We were getting too close to NightStar Summit. Did you ever wonder why I got chased off by one of the wolves but you got to stay there with the other one?"

"I honestly never thought about it."

"Werewolves are real, Kat and I'm one of them."

My breathing hitched in my throat and I felt like I was becoming dizzy. Werewolves were what?

She didn't even allow me a moment to myself before she started speaking again, "Here's the real kicker too, so is Colt. You feel a crazy wild attraction towards him that you've never felt towards anyone or anything and do you know why? It's because you're his mate. Colt's dad is the Alpha of the NightStar Summit Pack, consider it like royalty I guess. Colt didn't kill you that day for trespassing because of the mate bond and oddly enough his dad decided to respect it. I used to live with that pack before my family got kicked out. Now we're rogues with big targets on our backs because of them."

"Can you take me there?" I asked. I wanted to see these wolves for myself and if I wasn't killed before I figured I probably wouldn't be killed now.

"Of course not. I got lucky the first time. I'll never get that lucky again and neither will you. So help you god if one of their hunters see you before Colt does. You'll be killed on the spot."

"Sadie, please."

She gave me an angered look, "Fine. We'll go tomorrow night."