Kanin

Everything and everyone changed around me in a matter of two quick seconds. For a moment, I could have fooled myself into believing that I was surrounded by humans. Not anymore. Everyone around me was suddenly straddling the line between control and their wolf sides. They were all now sporting a set of blood red eyes and pointed ears. Arya’s family had their fangs on full display. I looked down at Aaron’s hands and saw that his claws had slid out. I took a step back, my body colliding with another. I heard a sharp growl come from the person behind me: Tyler.

My body was shaking with fear at the sight around me. I hugged my arms to my body and tried to be as small as I could. This was not good. Werewolves were wild creatures with a thirst for blood. And I was the only human around.

My eyes suddenly found Jax standing before the pack. His eyes were so blood red that he barely had a pupil. Like Aaron, his claws had slipped into place. He was breathing deep, his chest rising and falling rapidly. I’d only seen Jax lose control once: in the back yard after I’d gotten angry with him. Right now, he looked on the verge of losing that control that he tried so hard to maintain.

Suddenly, I heard a howl rip through the woods around us. Jax’s pointed wolf ears pricked at the sound. He suddenly crouched low to the ground, his claws digging into the muddy earth. He let out a howl in return, so loud I reached up and covered my ears.

I shifted my eyes from the alpha towards the opening of the clearing. It took a moment for my vision to adjust, but I saw dark figures walking towards us. They looked like nothing but shadows until they stepped into the moon light.

The first thing I noticed was that we were largely outnumbered.

The second thing I noticed was the women that led the pack. Fear instantly sliced into the pit of my stomach. She had dark, mocha skin and wild, bushy curls. Her eyes were blood red like the wolves that surrounded me now. She was wearing a tight tank top that hugged to every curve she had and even tighter leather pants. She was smiling a toothy smile that showed her fangs: sharp and deadly. She ran a tooth over one of her pointed teeth.

Around her was a pack that looked even deadlier than Jax’s. The men were all built like Trent and the women all looked like they would have no problem killing me. When I looked back at Jax and his pack, there muscles were coiled tight. They were ready to attack if they needed to.

I saw Jax push through his pack and step towards the other wolves. The dark-skinned women stopped six feet away, keeping her distance. Her wolves prowled behind her, hungry eyes sizing up their so-called allies.

The women, who I guessed would be Keera, locked her eyes on Jax. She sized him up as well with predator eyes. ”Jaxson.” His name was almost like a growl off her bright red lips. Her gaze roamed over the other wolves around me: from Cade, to Arya, and then they stopped on me.

Goosebumps settled over my skin and a chill laced its way down my spine. A cold sweat worked its way over my body. I was paralyzed to that spot in the mud. Her eyes were like literal weights on my body that kept me from moving. ”Ah.” She hummed, cold eyes sliding over the length of me. ”You’re Kanin Abbott.” It wasn’t a question, but I felt like I didn’t live up to her expectation. She was probably expecting more from me.

I couldn’t get my mouth to move, to reply. I could see Jax out of the corner of my eye, his body as tense as ever. His fingers curled into fists as Keera spoke to me. He didn’t look happy, but that wasn’t anything new for him.

“You look just like someone I knew a long time ago.” The female alpha said, closing the few feet between us. She reached up and ran one of her clawed fingers down the side of my face. She let out a small laugh. “You have her hair.” Her fingers pushed my dark hair behind my ears.

Something told me she was talking about my mother.

How did she know my mother?

Again, no words came out of my mouth to question her.

“Keera.” Jax growled from beside me. A warning.

“Oh, shush, handsome.” Keera chuckled, a sound laced in venom. Her attention never wavered from mine. She kept her claws buried in my hair at the back of my neck. “Your mother, what a feisty young thing. Do you have her attitude as well? That would be fun.”

“Keera!” Jax came again, this time his voice distorted. ”Don’t.”

Keera snapped her blood red eyes to Jax. She watched him for a moment. Her hands finally left my hair. She stepped back from me. A small laugh slipped from her lips that soon turned into a bellow. “Oh. This is good. This is good! You haven’t even told her, have you? Why am not surprised?”

“Told me what?” I questioned. My voice sounded thick with frustration. I felt a surge of pride in my belly at the fact I was able to muster up a string of words. I was even proud of myself that I didn’t sound like a frightened, little child.

“That would be too easy now wouldn’t it, pet.” Keera cocked her head to the side. “I think I’ll watch how this plays out.” She rested one clawed finger on her red lips then pointed over at Jax. “I am curious on what angle you’re playing at though, Handsome.”

What was she talking about?

“Keera, this has nothing to do with you.” Jax bit, his fangs in full view now. “Let it be.”

“Oh, but I think it does.” The female alpha laughed once again. “We have this thing called a treaty, young alpha. I am quite sure you know what I’m talking about. It was your grandfather that created it after all.”

“Don’t speak about the treaty to me.” Jax was beyond angry now. “I keep to it better than you do.”

Keera stepped closer to Jax, smile stretched wide across her fangs. “Then you know that we share these lands equally. Which means we also share judgement and punishment equally.”

Punishment?

“What does it even matter to you, Jamison was one of ours.” It wasn’t Jax that spoke this time, but Cade. I just now noticed that he was standing right beside Jax, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were bright and red. His claws were protruding from his fingers. His body shook against the monster that wanted to be released.

Jamison?

“He might have been, yes, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to see judgement passed to those that need it.” Keera’s eyes studied Cade and then Jax again. Her focus slid to me again, “It’s especially juicy that this little pet here has anything to do with it. It’s a small, small world.”

I was so confused. What did I have to do with any of this? My father, yes, but me? How?

“And what would you suggest we do then, Keera?” Jax challenged.

Oh no, don’t ask her that!

I wanted to scream, cry, curse, but nothing came out.

I was going to die and I felt like Jax was giving her permission to kill me.

“Let me kill her, Keera.” Came a dreadfully familiar voice. My eyes snapped from the alpha before me to a taller figure on her left. Ean.

Oh, crap.

No!

I was so dead.

The women focused her attention on her wolf, her lips quivering in a brighter smile. “Yes, that does sound tempting.”

I couldn’t bring myself to meet Ean’s hungry eyes. He had his hands shoved into the pockets of his black jeans and his shoulders stretched wide across a blazer. His shaggy hair was pushed back from his face and his red eyes wouldn’t stop staring at me. “I think I’d rather enjoy killing you.” He lazily made his way towards me, circling me like I was prey that he wanted to devour. “I did say I’d see you around didn’t I, Little Red?” I was hoping he wouldn’t be right about that. “I said I had no interest in you that night in the woods, but seeing you standing here, I think I was lying.” His eyes slipped to Jax’s. “Especially if it means getting to piss off lover boy over there.” Suddenly, his hand shot out so fast that I didn’t have a chance to react. He grabbed my throat in one of his large hands, his claws digging into my skin. I yelped, reaching up to try and pry his grip from my skin, but he wouldn’t budge. Ean leaned into me, his chest tight against me. “You look absolutely delectable tonight, Little Red.”

I felt the earth tremble as Jax howled and jumped towards us. He was on Ean like a flash of lightening. He gripped Ean by the shoulder and hurtled him backwards. No one moved. It was so silent, save for Jax and Ean, that I could probably hear a pin drop. I watched Ean come to a halt behind Keera, flat on his back and enraged. Ean jumped to his feet, ready to attack again, but Keera stopped him.

“Tell your lap dog to back off, Keera!” Jax commanded.

Someone was holding me steady as I fought to pull air back into my lungs. My vision was blurry and the edges were smudged in black. My knees wobbled, threatening to buckle. Once the earth stopped spinning, I let my eyes focus in on Jax again.

“Jamison was my wolf which means that the punishment for his death will be passed to whomever I choose.” Jax wasn’t backing down.

“We already know who was responsible, Jaxson. Wouldn’t it be easy just to end it right here and now?” Keera was toying with him, I could see it in her eyes. “Kill her, Jaxson, and I’ll leave you alone.”

“How am I responsible?” I yelled. “I didn’t do anything!”

Keera’s eyes snapped to me, “I almost forgot that you had a working voice.” Her smile dropped for a moment. “The adults are talking right now, pet. Be a good little girl and don’t speak.”

I was too speechless to disobey.

“So, what will it be, young alpha?” Keera asked again. “You know what will be done if you don’t make the right choice.”

Jax’s jaw clenched together, “I can’t.”

My eyes widened. Jax just said he couldn’t kill me. What was going on? He’d been the one that said he was going to kill me in the first place. Had something changed his mind?

Keera didn’t seem surprised, “No. I didn’t think you could.”

There was a beat of silence as no one spoke.

“I’ll give you one last chance to make the right choice, Jaxson. Kill her, or let me kill her, and you can walk away.” Keera demanded one last time.

More silence. More heated glares. More seethed rage. But no one moved.

“You know I can’t do that, Keera.” Jax answered.

Keera’s smile dropped all together. She fisted her hands tight by her sides. She closed her eyes briefly. For a moment, even the air went still around us. Nothing moved and no one made a sound.

This was it.

Keera was standing only feet away from me. Before I would have a chance, she would rip my throat out.

“You better say your goodbye’s, Jaxson.” Her voice was filled with quiet anger. She then turned her focus back on me for the last time, “Don’t get comfortable. I’ll be coming for you.” I gulped. She stepped away from us, turned on her heel, but looked over her shoulder one last time. “You’ve made a mistake here tonight, Jaxson. One you’ll never be able to forget.”

“You’re probably right, Keera.” Jaxon watched her retreat. “I’ll see you soon.”

One by one, her wolves retreated with her. Each one of them giving a heated glare as they hiked back into the woods. I watched their backs as they went, ready for one of them to turn around and attack me. I let out an unsteady breath as they all disappeared.

Except for two.

Ean stood at the edge of the clearing, staring back at me with a simple smile at his lips. The other was a girl around my age. She was strikingly gorgeous with long blonde hair and killer curves. She wore a tight leather crop top, red skinny jeans, and sky high boots. Her gaze fell on Cade first.

I watched her step in close to him, running one manicured nail down the side of his face. “I’ve missed you, Cade.” Her voice was filled with tempted desire. She reached her other hand around and ran it under the back of his shirt. I saw Cade’s adam’s apple bob. A cold sweat was making its way down the back of his neck. “How’ve you been?”

Cade didn’t answer her. I could tell it took all of his will just to reach up and remove her fingers from his skin. He didn’t say anything as he stepped back from her. But I saw the look in his eyes. He’d loved her once.

Cade had been in love.

The girl laughed before stepping towards Jax next. She gripped her hands tight around his neck, pushing her curved body against the front of him. Jealously was an ugly trait I knew nothing about until now. “Should’ve taken the deal, Jackie.”

Jax had less problems removing the leech from him, “Your alpha can’t afford me, Bevin.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Jackie.” She cooed, trying once again to latch herself onto him.

He pushed her away, “Get lost, Bev.”

She recoiled from him in a flash, “Careful, Jackie. For someone who doesn’t have a heart, yours is sure soft these days.” She gave a glance to me once, before disregarding me all together.

A look of pain crossed her pretty features for a moment before she quickly got a handle on it. She looked over at Cade, who was still sweating and looked like he was in physical pain, before she trudged off after her pack along with Ean.

So, that’s where the problem between Cade and Jax stemmed from. A girl. By the looks of it, Cade had been in love with the blonde girl, Bevin. Trouble was, Bevin was in love with Jax who didn’t return the feelings. What a cruel, cruel world we live in.