Chapter 17: Chapter 17

Alpha Hughes and Philip go at it for what seems to be hours. Tears well up in my eyes. Emily sees me and rolls her eyes. "Why are you crying?" She whispers to me. "I-I don't k-know, I'm j-just scared. I g-guess." I shrug.

"Well, quit it. If you want to be seen as a fearless Luna, which right now looks impossible, you need to realize you don't have time for crying."

With that said, I try my best to get myself together. Goddess, I am such a mess! "Are you done with that sentimental shit?" Emily says, as she fixes her blouse. "Yes, I am." I respond.

"Where are we going now?" I ask anyone with an answer.

"We are stopping at the pack house to get your clothes and then you're gone." Alpha Hughes answers. "What? I don't even get a day to relax!" I yell with astonishment.

Alpha Hughes grabs my shoulders like I'm five and says, "Would you rather stay with me and end up dead? Or, go somewhere safe and end up dead for any other reason?" My options at this point seem limited.

I have spent too much time away from my mate and it's taken a toll on my health. As bad as he is, I missed him a lot. My body ached for him. Even if I would never admit it.

On the other hand, I don't want to die like that. I don't want to be brutally murdered. I want a peaceful death. Slow and painless. But can my body bare to be away from my mate any longer? Can I really hurt myself like that? Who knows how long it will be until it is safe for me again? Why would I put myself in danger?

The reasons for staying and leaving are dancing around my mind like my head's a ball. Goddess. When did my life become this way?

You can run, but you can't hide.

I hear the voice of Michael whisper in my head. Are the mind-invasions happening again? "I can't leave." I whisper. "You don't have a choice, Samantha." My name sounds amazing when he says it. I find myself more attracted towards him. Lust. I want him. I want him.

My heart speeds up.

All I can imagine is, him shirtless taking my purity away from me. Like it's as easy as stealing candy from a baby. I move my hand up and trace it back down his arm, slowly. Seductively. I can see it's working. Alpha Hughes seems to be fighting between business and pleasure.

I'm all for pleasure.

I look at his lips. They're plush. I have never kissed anyone before. Maybe now, I can change that. I start to lean. My chest rises and lowers when I inhale and exhale. Alpha Hughes stares at me like I'm a puzzle piece.

"Samantha, we can't and we won't." Alpha Hughes whispers in my ear. I blink a few times. What have I done? This is so embarrassing. "I-I..." I'm at a loss for words. I guess being away from my mate did effect me. I haven't experienced that much lust since I first saw Magic Mike.

I need fresh air. "Pull over." I mutter. Alpha Hughes looks at me like I'm insane. Maybe, I am. "What? Are fucking crazy! Michael and Markus could be right behind us." He states. "Pull over." I say louder. Alpha Hughes rolls his eyes at me. "No, Samantha, we won't." He refuses to oblige. "PULL OVER NOW, ALPHA Hughes!"

The car comes to an abrupt halt. "Are you fucking happy now? The car's fucking stopped!" Alpha Hughes practically flips a table. I send him a glare and walk out. Emily follows.

"That was pretty badass." She says.

"Yeah, I guess." I shrug.

"You seem different."

"How so?"

"Tougher? Not much though."

"Thanks...?"

"Yeah, yeah, no problem. Anyway, what was that?"

"What was what?"

"That major porno crap."

"Oh..."

"Listen, I get it. He's your mate, it happens-"

"I don't like him."

"That's not true-"

"It is! It's just the mate bond. I don't know what it was. I was all of a sudden needy."

"You were more than needy. You were full-on hormonal teenage boy horny."

"I was?"

"Yes, it was like watching a movie with Channing Tatum or something."

"What does Alpha Hughes think now? That I like him?"

"I don't know. Do I look like a mind reader?"

"No-"

"There's your answer. No. He doesn't think you like him."

"That's good-"

"But I do."

After that Philip comes out the car and tells us it's time to move forward.

Emily and Philip sit together. Philip is whispering in her ear, Emily giggles at whatever it is he is saying. Alpha Hughes sits two feet away from me. Guilt fills my veins. I am such a mess.

My stomach growls. I've been so caught up with Michael drama, that I forgot about my hunger. I haven't eaten in about two weeks. "Chick-Fil-A?" Alpha Hughes offers. I laugh and nod in response, "Yes, that would be nice."

I munch on my Chicken Burger. "Is there anything you can remember that we can use against Michael and Markus?" Philip brings up while he sips on his Diet Pepsi.

"Other than Markus's obsession with me, no." I think aloud. "Markus has an obsession with you?" Alpha Hughes gets territorial. "Yes, his plans were to take me as his mate if I didn't end up dead." I explain. "Bastard." Alpha Hughes mutters under his breath.

I don't react to him. "That's it." I whisper.

"Maybe we can use her. We can use her to lure Markus and Michael in." Philip thinks. "No. Hell no. You are not putting my mate with another man. Especially, our brother." Alpha Hughes spits out.

"I don't see any other way to kill them. If we attack again, they could easily take us out. We need more warriors. In the mean time, we can make sure Samantha and Markus get close to each other while he falls in love with your mate, we advance our protection. We train harder, diet better. Three months." Philip comes up with a remarkable plan.

"What if he doesn't believe Samantha wants him?" Emily brings up. "Then, we're practically screwed. Markus is passionate and intense. He will for sure ask you to do something drastic. Like, to kill me or to mate with him. You will tell him that your wolf doesn't feel ready. You will need to convince him that you're in love with him." Alpha Hughes rubs his eyes.

How do I convince him I love him?

I can't even love my own mate, so why should his brother be any different?

Markus and Alpha Hughes are like the same person. Both kill for sport. Loving Markus would be like loving Alpha Hughes. That's something I am unable to do.

We are all sitting in Alpha Hughes's office. "Okay, so you're saying that we have to fool him?" Dean attempts to understand the plan. "Yes, exactly." Emily exclaims. "Hm," Dean scratches the back of his neck, "What if he doesn't work? We will need a Plan B." Dean states.

"Yes, we will. If it doesn't work out, Samantha, kill him then and there." Alpha Hughes says easily. "K-Kill him? KILL HIM!" I object. "You will do as I say, Samantha. I am your Alpha." He stands up in fury. "I-I can't k-kill h-him. I c-can't even k-kill a f-fly." I stammer. Oh, my goodness.

Killing isn't going to happen. At least not by me! "Listen, Samantha, if you want this to work, you're going to have to do what we tell you. Whether you like it, or not." Alpha Hughes finalizes. I sigh in defeat.

"How are we going to find him?" Dean asks.

Alpha Hughes thinks for some time, then his eyes light up. He has an idea. "Chelsea." He whispers. "What do you mean-" Alpha Hughes cuts Philip off. "Samantha and I pretend to fight, we say that we hate each other and I'll reject her as my mate. Chelsea's nosy ass will hear and she'll run to Markus and tell him the good news. Unfortunately, I'll be stuck with Chelsea and you, Markus. And if this all goes well, the traitor and my dear brother will die."

I gulp. The plan seems bulletproof. "What if Chelsea plans something else? Like what if she's insane and tries to kill Samantha after she hears the news? That girl has already proven herself crazy. We need to be ready for anything." Emily warns. She is right. I wish I thought like her. I look over to Alpha Hughes.

He looks calm. I wonder how he can be so easy-going in a situation like this. I wonder what he's thinking. His brain is something I fear, yes, but it also holds all the answers to my questions. What if Alpha Hughes knows something about all of this, but he isn't sharing with anyone?

I get a weird feeling in my stomach. Like, I'm not alone. I know I am not alone. It's a feeling that I'm not only myself, like someone else is sharing my body with me.

Relax, darling, it's all going to be fine.

It's the voice again. The one I fear. It first attacked me on the last day of the Mating Ball. Since then, it's visits have been occasional. Not often. They come when secrets are being shared. They know our plans. They're in my head. Listening to what I'm hearing. Our plans are spoiled.

Maybe they were bulletproof, but Michael uses knives.

I decide to tell them. "Alpha Hu-" He cuts me off. "One second, Samantha." He says slowly. I huff and try again. The same thing happens. "Please, can you just-" And again. "Samantha. I am trying to think." He states. "I-I know, but there's something I should tell-" He's on a roll! "Can it wait?" He questions me with an attitude.

I mutter under my breath. "Well-if-you-want-Michael-to-kill-you-you-know-it's-cool-I-don't-care." I say quickly. "Sam, what did you say?" Dean asks. Alpha Hughes growls at Dean, because of the nickname. "Don't call my mate that." He threatens Dean. I give Dean a sympathetic glance, he rolls his eyes at Alpha Hughes. Alpha Hughes doesn't catch it.

"What were you saying, Samantha?" Alpha Hughes asks through clenching his teeth. "U-Um, Michael, h-he's back in m-my brain. He knows our p-plans." I mutter. Everyone in the room hears. Groans and muttered swear words are let out.

"Shit," he whispers, "Samantha, from now on you can't be apart of any of this. We can't risk anything." It makes sense. I could put their lives at risk.

"What? No! Jack, we can't just exclude her.

There has to be a way we can still tell her what's going on without Michael hearing." Emily protests shaking her head. "Samantha, please," I look at my mate, "leave." I sigh and I get up to leave. My 'I'm sorry' is barely heard as I'm directed towards Alpha Hughes's room.

I look up at the ceiling. I wonder if Michael can hear my thoughts and feel my emotions. I feel confused and dumb. I feel dumb because Michael and Markus are always one step ahead of us. I feel confused because I considered Elizabeth as an ally, a friend.

I roll over on my stomach. The door opens.

"Shit, Samantha." Emily whispers.

"What did I do?" I look alarmed.

"You got his bed all dirty. Hurry, get in the shower. I'll clean the sheets before Alpha Hughes comes up. Oh and we are having a late lunch with a few other Alphas from surrounding packs to work on security patrol. So, I'll pick out your dress for that." Emily informs me.

"But I can't-" Emily cuts me off.

"Awhile ago, I met a witch who knew how to temporarily stop the mind-invasions. You just need to inhale sage. But not too much, you could die." She explains. She hands me a bag of the herb and I retire to the shower.

You know, Samantha, I thought we'd have been a very nice couple.

Markus is in my head, listening to my thoughts. I despise him. Get out of my head, Markus, I think.

Not yet, love, the fun's just begun.