CHAPTER 11
Kai led me downstairs, and I noticed that many people had cleared out from the packhouse.
We wandered through the main part of the house, turning down various hallways, and for a
while, it felt like we were going in circles. Eventually, he stopped outside a door and turned to
look at me.
“I know that you like to jog every morning, but Landon told you that you can’t do that anymore,”
Kai said.
“That’s right,” I replied.
1
“Well, I’m guessing he never told you about this place.” He pushed the door open.
As I walked in and Kai turned on the light, I was astonished to see a massive gym fully equipped with all the equipment I would love to use for my morning workout.
“Holy s**t,” I exclaimed, shocked.
“I know. It’s pretty impressive. No one even uses it. So, since Landon won’t let you go jogging, he can’t really object to you using the gym because you’re not leaving the house,” Kai
explained.
“I guess you’re right. This is great. Thank you,” I said.
“Don’t mention it,” he replied, walking closer to me.
I felt a bit nervous as he walked closer to me, but it wasn’t the usual kind of nervousness. It felt almost like something I wanted. And he slowly reached out to take my hand in his.
Kai stood right in front of me, gazing down at me when we suddenly heard someone clear their throat by the door. I turned to see Hayden standing there, glaring at Kai.
“What are you doing?” Hayden asked sharply.
“Landon has stopped her from leaving the house for her morning jogs, so I was just showing her the gym she can use instead,” Kai replied.
“Well, now that you’ve shown her, why don’t you get the hell out of here and go home?” Hayden snapped back at him.
Since Hayden outranked Kai, he had no choice but to comply. Kai let go of my hand and smiled at me as he left the gym.
Standing there, I expected Hayden to be furious after seeing that, but when he walked into the
< CHAPTER 11
room, his expression softened considerably.
“You have to be careful, Arabella,” Hayden said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
+8 Points >
“I don’t know what Kai is up to, but I really don’t think you should trust him,” Hayden warned.
“Apparently, I can’t trust anyone,” I muttered, looking down.
“I know it’s been hard for you here. And while I don’t expect you to trust me after I’ve told you
not to trust many people, I genuinely believe Kai is up to something,” Hayden said.
“Do you think he’s trying to get the Alpha’s wife into bed?” I asked sarcastically.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past him,” Hayden replied.
“Thanks for the warning. I’m tired. I’m going to bed,” I said, rushing past him.
I have to admit that I felt really upset and depressed after he told me that. Someone was finally showing me some attention, and now I’m being told he probably has an ulterior motive. That could be true, but I wanted this attention to last a little longer. I felt less lonely with Kai
focusing on me.
I found my way back to my room and closed the door behind me. As I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes, I suddenly heard screaming echoing in my head.
I shook my head from side to side, trying to block out the voices, but it was no use.
I got up and went back to the bathroom, grabbed another pill, and then returned to bed.
“You can’t ignore it, Arabella. You know that,” Meadow said.
“Leave me alone,” I snapped back.
After a sleepless night, I went to the gym in the morning, took a shower, and got dressed.
Mara arrived when breakfast was ready, and I noticed a change in how she treated me since
seeing my scars. Gone was the glare; instead, she appeared more relaxed and tried to engage in small talk, asking about my life before coming here. I sensed she wanted to understand my
scars, but I kept my answers vague.
When we reached the dining hall, I was surprised to see Landon alone that morning. I took a
seat next to Hayden, while Kai was directly across from me.“I see you found the gym. How did
that happen?” Landon asked, staring at me. I looked around the table at everyone watching
me, and my eyes landed on Kai, right in front of me. I lowered my head to look at my food.
< CHAPTER 11
+8 Points >
“I was just exploring the house the other day and came across it. I didn’t break any rules; I didn’t leave the house,” I replied. Landon nodded seriously before returning to his breakfast.
I glanced up and noticed the tense looks exchanged between Hayden and Kai. Then I turned to
look at Landon, who was also watching them; he looked just as confused as I felt.
But we didn’t say anything to each other about it.
Harper then walked into the room and stood at the end of our table.
“Hurry up already! We’ve got a lot of shopping to do,” Harper said. Landon dropped his knife
and fork onto his plate, making a loud clattering noise, and looked at Harper. Getting the
attention of everyone in the dining room.
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“I already told you. She’s not allowed to leave unless I say so,” Landon snapped.
“Do you really think she’s going to have a chance to spy on anyone while she’s with me? You’re
a f*****g i***t. She’s coming with me today,” Harper insisted. Then Landon turned his gaze to
- me.
“Maybe I should just stay here. I mean, I was thinking about getting some schoolwork done,” I
said.
“What are you talking about?” Harper asked.
“I’m still in my senior year. I was going to try to call my old teachers at my previous pack and ask them to email my assignments to me,” I explained.
“I don’t want you calling anyone from that pack unless I’m there,” Landon said firmly.
“Seriously? You’re really paranoid. Well, that settles it. She’s coming shopping with me, and
you can call her teachers to get her assignments. She obviously wants to finish school, and
it’s probably a good way for her to stay away from you,” Harper snapped, walking over to me.
She pulled my chair out, grabbed my arm, and lifted me off the seat. She was surprisingly
strong. After all, I was intended to be a wolfless human while she was a werewolf, so she was
naturally much stronger than I was.
“Fine,” Landon finally conceded.
Harper and I left the packhouse and headed straight into town. I noticed that the town was
much larger than I had initially thought, but there were a lot of vacant houses and closed
shops.
“Why aren’t these places open?” I asked.
3/4
< CHAPTER 11
+8 Points >
“The vacant houses and closed businesses are because many people died in the war. Ever since the war ended, we haven’t had anyone come here wanting to join our pack. I don’t blame them for staying away. Who would want to come here with Landon’s newfound reputation?” she explained.,
“That’s horrible,” I said.
“I know. This town was incredible when it was thriving,” she replied.
“You were only twelve when the war ended. How did you see the town in its prime?” I inquired.
“Because for the first few years, everyone was still here and working within the pack. People
were going about their business as usual until Dad called for as much help as possible,” she
explained.
“I’m sorry to hear about your parents,” I said gently.
“At least our pack wasn’t attacked by the rogues who killed our mother, taking advantage of
the war,” she said, looking at me suspiciously. I just offered her a small smile.
Does she know that’s a lie? Does she know what really happened to my mother? I have no
idea how she could. I’ve never told anyone the truth about my mother’s death.
I can’t let them find out–not yet. I need to find a way to get out of here without being sent
back to Vincent. I’ve seen Landon’s warriors; they’re skilled. In my current state, I know I
wouldn’t be able to get past them.
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