3: Bickering

CHAPTER THREE

If Collins had not been in love enough with her already, right now he would have been swimming full deep in the feeling. He was not the only one awe-struck by this version of Nadia as the rest of the members of the pack who had gathered, wore the same mortified expression. However, what took the prize was seeing his father looking completely defeated. Maybe it was not such a great feeling considering he was his father but the old man had barely been a good father figure to him and it only blew up after he married Laila. He’d taken that as a way to finally openly hate him and even written him off the family will. His mother, the former staunch Luna of the pack, had just sat there in silence even when he begged her to stand up for him. He’d wanted to believe that his mother perhaps had no choice but still, how could she just sit there and not even stand up for him just once? Instead, just like his sister, they had looked away like he wasn’t that important to them. Then he’d given up on the family, accepted his fate and dedicated his life to his pack and his own business.

“Time is ticking,” Nadia spoke, impatience ringing in the thickness of her voice as she glanced at the rest of the members of the pack.

They all parted ways and Collins walked through, right past his father with Nadia, Miranda and Sasha following him at par.

“Sasha I-“Danny started when the Sasha brushed right past him without as much as a glance. She went ahead, ignoring him while wearing a neutral expression. Danny however was very much persistent as he quickened his steps, grabbing her wrist and ultimately pulling her to a stop.

“What?” she snapped, facing him.

“Are you mad at me for something?” he questioned; his voice dropped down to a whisper.

She stared at him, eyes filled with disbelief. He was asking her if she was mad at him? Was he an idiot or was he choosing to play one?

“Collins is much more of a man than you’ll ever be,” she said, shaking her head.

“Okay. So you are definitely mad but what’s with the insult and that too with my best friend? What exactly did I do to make you this pissed off at me?” he was persistent and if it were some other times, it would have warmed her heart.

“Just a few hours ago I was tied up in that fucking basement and you grilled me like I was some criminal. You give me signs that maybe you like me in some way but the next thing I know, I have to deal with the fact that the Pack comes way before me,” She shook her head, almost as though in self-pity.

“Wait, this is about that? I didn’t even kidnap you. Collins did,” he countered rather defensively.

“Yeah, Collins did kidnap me but how he grilled me for answers was way different from how you did it. He was scared for Nadia but as for you, it was like you only grilled me so bad because since Nadia is apparently a weapon to your kind, my association with her makes me some sort of criminal. So excuse me but I do have the right to get mad at you,” she explained.

Danny was ruggedly handsome and could make her wet with as much as a simple seductive look in his eyes and maybe she wouldn’t mind one hot round with him if she wasn’t so damn mad.

“Sasha,” he whispered rather dejectedly, “I was just doing my job like Collins demanded,”

“Own up to your fucking mistakes Danny instead of blaming someone else! Do you really think that if Collins kept using his responsibility as the Alpha of the pack, he and Nadia would be together right now? No, because as much as its hard, he knows the pack is important to him and so is Nadia. And you know what happens when you choose someone who genuinely likes you? Then they have your back just like Nadia had Collin’s back!”

“I’m so sorry, Sasha,”

“Well, you can stick it up your ass. It was just sex anyway, right?” she shook her head, walking inside the house while at the same time hoping he’d come rushing after her. Except it never happened. The douchebag just remained outside, staring at her disappearing back. Ugh! Did that stuff only happen in movies or what?

“Sasha,” Nadia called her the moment they walked into the living room of Collin’s house. Miranda, Collins, Nadia, the other two deltas apart from Danny, Ethan and Jaden were sitting conversing in low tones.

“Sorry about that,” she apologized, sitting down next to Jaden.

“No problem. Its going to be hard to unite all the packs in town when the attack could happen anytime soon. The witches won’t be arriving until tomorrow,” Collins summarized the entire situation.

“Can’t the witch just do some of her magic or something?” Jaden question.

“The witch has a name and no, my magic is drained because of time freeze spell I did earlier on tonight, you scrawny-looking dimwit!” Miranda snapped bitterly. She hated it here and knowing that most people in this room were actually werewolves, made her even madder. She couldn’t just forget that she lost her entire family to these heartless people.

“Scrawny looking dimwit? Excuse me but I’m pretty sure my very well-built body is the kind the last man you fucked, dreams of. And dimwit, really? I’m a fucking doctor,” Jaden snapped back.

“You wouldn’t know the last guy I fucked and trust me, he is-“

“Quiet both of you! I get that we are from very different sides but battering among us right now wouldn’t solve a damn thing. What we need are strategies and not bickering between two grownups!” Collins thundered, his voice echoing in the quiet room. Miranda sent one dirty look at Jaden before changing the focus on Collins.

“But we need the other packs,” Ethan reasoned and he was right. Even with the other packs, the numbers would probably not help much but the odds were better than them just being alone.

“Six packs and God knows we could be attacked any minutes now. How am I supposed to get the packs together?”

“You just need to convince Xander,” everyone looked up at the entrance of Danny as he went on to clarify,” Many times, you’ve gone over and over about how he has influence on the other packs. If someone can get the other packs to join forces with us in just a matter of few minutes, then it would be him,”

Several murmurs of agreement echoed in the room.

“That little pup would rather eat grass than join forces with me. He still won’t forgive me for last time when I backed out last minute,” Collins shrugged.

“Then we pay him a visit now. You as the Alpha, me as the supposed weapon of destruction, Miranda as the witch, Sasha as the human and two of the high-ranking wolves. If we show solidarity and insist on the danger befalling this town if my brother were to set foot in it, he’ll have no choice but to drop his pride and join us,” Nadia explained.

“Then it is settled. Ethan and Danny, you’ll be the high-ranking werewolves joining us,” Collins instructed turning to the other two deltas, “Keep the rest of the pack calm and also make sure they are aware of what is going on. Lack of transparency would only make them paranoid more than they already are,”

The deltas nodded in agreement. Collins had to admit that the time limit was making him anxious and being the Alpha meant he couldn’t show any sign of weakness especially not at a time like this. It was killing him to have to remain this strong and act like he wasn’t scared of the approaching doom.

“Aright, lets get going. Time really is of the essence here,” he explained. It was almost two in the morning and given the strenuous patrol his father had subjected the pack members, most of them were dosing off where they stood or sat. He was drowning in self-guilt for being that neglectful of his own pack and if they ever made it out alive, he’d make up for all of it. If his mother was here, she would have frowned on his negligence, called him out on the council and probably given him a good slap on his cheeks.