I sat at the dining room table, my thumb resting against my lip. I was focusing on stress on not biting at the skin. I was in charge of conducting Will's formal interview. There was no denying that I was nervous. Aaron sat beside me, silently. He had volunteered to make sure I covered all the topics.
Free of restraints, Will walked into the dining room. I could see Scott and Kurtis outside the room, leaning against the doorframe. Will's guards. Will sighed, looking at me as he sat across the table.
"I'm sorry I stabbed you with a needle," I said, crossing my arms. I don't know why I was trying to lighten the mood.
"Hurt a lot," Will mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck like he could feel a lump. However, he smirked while looking down. He wasn't mad at me.
"We should start," I said, clearing my throat, "what do you remember telling Carrey?"
"About what exactly?" Will leaned forward on his elbows.
"Anything. Yourself, the Pack, anything he could consider useful."
Will shrugged, "I didn't say much about the Pack, nothing that isn't public knowledge. I told him my history, and how I came to the Pack."
"Why did Carrey keep you around? What made your words so unique that he chose to use you?" Aaron asked. If it was under any different circumstance, the question would have sounded offensive. The words were still harsh. Will's mouth only moved a little, staring at Aaron as he thought.
"I assume it had to do with certain opinions I have about the Pack that he agreed with. Maybe he thought he could change my alliance."
"Meaning?" I asked, internally cringing at the severity of my tone. I wasn't comfortable interrogating anyone, especially a Pack brother. It didn't matter if he deserved it or not.
"We use some tactics that," Will muttered, shrugging, "have changed since I was thirteen. Not all of them I agree with."
Will stared at his hands, tapping his thumbs against each other. He was uncomfortable too. Aaron and I looked at each other, seeing who would press forward. I nodded once, and he took a loud breath.
Aaron leaned forward, "Will, I get it. You're embarrassed you got caught talking to Carrey and basically, helping his cause," he paused, "you don't need to be embarrassed though. We've all thought at one time or another that it wasn't ideal around here."
Aaron's words made Will look at him, surprised. Will's eyes flashed with confidence. He was desperate to believe Aaron's admission. I knew Aaron was lying though. He'd never doubted the Pack or my father. If there was a glint of possibility, it never would have led to him working against the Pack. Aaron's unwavering faith was installed in him from birth.
Will cleared his throat, his voice coming out a little stronger, "I told Carrey that I thought the choice of making the Pack more accessible to the rest of the world meant giving up our rights as werewolves. We can no longer do what we pleased or self police with confidence. We'll be forced to consult others on everything. We're throwing away what's sacred to the Canadian Pack werewolves."
I wanted to ask Will why he never brought this up, but it wasn't hard to guess. Charlie would have listened with no judgment and say he'd consider Will's thoughts, but it was a decision years in the making. The changes were being made by the Alpha's children. It meant we sat higher in the Pack's hierarchy than Will. When the concept was first brought up by my father, the Pack supported the idea. It was before Will joined the Pack at thirteen years old. Once everyone found out about his doubts, Will would be under scrutiny for future rebellious actions. It wasn't worth it at the end of the day, if he wanted to live a peaceful life. Though it seemed reality ended up the same way.
"What did Carrey promise you for helping him?" Aaron asked, noting I wasn't continuing the questioning.
"I didn't exactly help him. I was just an extra body around most of the time."
"What do you mean, an extra body?"
"I was brought along when Carrey would recruit different Abilities to support his cause. No one seemed to recognize me or acknowledge me."
"Did you receive compensation?"
Will shook his head, "the only thing close was saying that he'd return everything to how it was before."
"How was it before? Referring to three hundred years ago when there was no Pack?" I said, prodding into what Will knew with an irritated tone in my voice.
"I was never told by Carrey about a plan to remove the Pack. I only heard that from Charlie."
"Did you approach Carrey once you heard that he planned on disbanding the Pack?"
"Yes. Carrey said I should've expected it, that the world would need to be burnt to the ground for it to rise up again."
Aaron and I glanced at each other. The words rang a reminder of the fire.
"What did you know about the murders?" Aaron asked, no emotion in his voice. Aaron was good at interrogating people and keeping himself together. I should be taking notes.
"Carrey let me know he was planning 'drastic actions'" Will used air quotes, "but nothing specific was said to me. I didn't know he was planning to take any lives."
"Why didn't you leave after you saw the pictures? Come and tell Charlie what you knew?"
"I confronted Carrey about the murders. I told him that I didn't want to be a part of his plans if that is what he was planning. Carrey insinuated to planting evidence to incriminate me for the murders."
I knew if Charlie was presented with a case against one of our Pack members, he'd have taken it seriously. It would be hard to accept anything Will said in his own defense if Charlie was given evidence. It didn't help that we'd never be able to see the bodies of Bill and Michael.
"What about Tony?"
"Carrey told me he was planning a kidnapping, no one would get hurt and it was only to make another statement. I only found out it was Tony when he hadn't shown up with his brother."
"Why was Tony the one who was kidnapped?"
Will shrugged, "easy access at the airport, I guess. It would be too hard to grab anyone living on the property."
"The decapitation?" I said, my jaw tightened.
Will held his hands up, "I swear, I didn't know that was happening. I believed what Carrey told me. I was just as shocked as you when that box arrived."
I bit the end of my tongue, wondering what else I could ask. If what he was saying was true, Will wouldn't know anything about the fire either.
"Did you meet any warlocks while you were working with Carrey?"
"No, I only saw the other werewolves," Will answered, and I nodded my head.
"Right now, it doesn't matter how the spell was put on you. We'll discuss that afterwards. You've had moments when we've noticed that you were more violent than normal," Aaron said, "this spell seems to explain why."
"Violent?" Will became confused. His thumbs stopped fiddling as he focused on Aaron.
"The first time we noticed was during a sparring match between you and James, and you attempted to beat him unconscious. I know you two have your problems, but you've never reached that point."
The confusion on Will's face deepened, almost turning to shock. He looked between Aaron and me. His reaction appeared to be genuine.
"What are you talking about?"
I reached my hand across the table, the tips of my fingers lightly touching his hands.
"Will, you're my friend and I'm really sorry that I didn't notice you were being affected by a spell. There's more I could've done if I knew."
Will's eyes shifted, the white of his right eye beginning to look different. I glanced at Aaron. His eyebrows were scrunched together, staring directly at Will. I wasn't imagining it.
"Will, do you feel okay?" I asked, wrapping my hand fully around his. Will turned his head to look out the window and from the reflection of sunlight, the blood seemed to thicken in his eye. He shook his head, taking a deep breath. His hand curled into a fist underneath my palm.
"Scott, Kurtis," I casually called, my eyes not leaving my friend. Will's head snapped to focus on me and my hand yanked back in surprise. His dilated pupil was the only thing that hadn't changed on his eyeball. Scott and Kurtis walked into the room, eyes on Will. Their shoulders were tense, prepared for a violent outburst. Will turned to them and Kurtis's head jolted back. He was shocked by Will's change.
"Could you two please take Will back downstairs," I said calmly, "I think he needs time to relax. Please have Lawrence give him a quick checkup. I'm going to ask you to not leave him alone for his own safety."
Will watched me as I spoke. I felt like prey, waiting for him to leap over the table at me. Scott placed a hand on Will's back. Will stood up abruptly, knocking back his chair and followed Kurtis out of the dining room. Scott exited behind him, after shooting us a look of concern. My jaw opened, looking through the empty door frame.
"You did see that, right?" I asked, turning to my godfather.
Aaron nodded, "I don't know where that came from."
"Was that from the spell?" Aaron shrugged, just as clueless, "he didn't even notice."
Aaron rubbed his mouth, staring at the table. We were both silent, playing over the change in Will we'd just seen.
Aaron and I looked at the movement at the door. Charlie stood, watching us. With no facial change or indication, he walked away. Knowing it was an instruction, Aaron and I left the dining room. Aaron shut the door to Charlie's office. Scarlett already sat at Charlie's desk, looking at us. She had a small fabric bag in her hand. I had the matching one in my pocket. It was a spell, giving Scarlett the ability to see into the room I was in.
"Did you see his eye?" I asked, sitting in the chair next to her.
She nodded, "yes, I did. I should've warned you about the likely physical changes that can happen with more intense spells. I didn't expect it to happen during your conversation though."
"What does that mean?" Aaron asked.
Scarlett glanced at him then my father, "it means this spell won't be as easy to get rid of as I hoped. It's going to be painful for him to remove because the magick is holding on tightly."
Charlie sighed, and crossed his arms. His eyes focused on the wood of his desk before moving his focus to Scarlett. She never stuttered under his gaze.
"Tell your aunt to be prepared when she gets here. We don't need to worry about Will when we should be focusing on Carrey."
My father was angry with Will. He felt the betrayal but wouldn't leave Will with this debilitating spell on him. After all, Will had been part of this family for twelve years. What would happen after the spell was gone, I didn't know.
Shutting my eyes and flopping back on the couch, my body begged me to relax after talking to Will. My emotions and thoughts were jumbled. I felt bad for him being under someone else's control, but at the same time, Will was in this position because he spoke to Carrey. I was disgusted too. He'd mourned with us, knowing he was a part of the orchestration. I let out a groan, my arm over my face. My mind was running and I couldn't get comfortable. Shifting on the couch, I faced my body towards the fireplace, trying to find comfort in the warmth.
Footsteps approached the sitting room and stopped at the door. James stood at the door, staring down at his phone. His eyebrows were scrunched together as he read the screen.
"What's the matter?" I asked, dropping my arm back across my eyes.
James cleared his throat, sitting across the room. The springs of the couch complained under his weight.
"Daniel called me."
I fully turned my attention to him, analyzing his expression. James seemed confused, still staring at his phone screen.
"And?"
James opened his mouth, then closed it, holding his phone out. I put it to my ear, waiting.
"James, it's your father. Now would be the best time to say I'm sorry for the loss of your friends. From my memory, Tony was a good kid," Daniel cleared his throat into the phone, "look, I'm going to take off. I know I said I'd be around but it's not going to work out. Things with Mack have begun to fall through. I'll call you when I get a chance. I don't know when that's gonna be. I'll see you around, kid."
The message ended and after I handed the phone back, I could hear through the speaker that James deleted it.
"Have you tried to call him back?" I asked, sitting up slowly.
James nodded, "number is disconnected."
I bit the inside of my cheek, thinking. I didn't know what I could say to be helpful.
James glanced up at me, "you can say it."
I shrugged and stood up, adjusting my shirt, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Ashlyn, come on. You told me he was going to leave. You were right, okay?"
James sounded deflated. It was a sad sight.
"I'm not saying 'I told you so'. This isn't easy on you, though I don't know how you didn't expect it," I said the last part quietly, sitting on the arm of the couch.
"That's pretty much saying it in a lot more words. I should call him and find out why he left," James stood up, rubbing his face.
"What do you mean, call him? You just said that his phone number is disconnected."
"Yes, but that might be so Carrey can't get a hold of him or track him. He'll need a whole new alias, phone number, credit card, all of that stuff. I can look for it."
"If he's left Carrey, there's a reason. You should let him go, and let him figure out whatever it is he needs to. It could be dangerous. Carrey could be looking for Daniel and you tracking him will just lead Carrey right to him."
James shrugged, "I want to know. Maybe I can help him."
"You shouldn't help Daniel do anything. He was in your life for three months, and only brought negativity. Not to mention he rarely spoke to you. How can that make you want to do anything for him?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"He's my father," James scratched the back of his neck, "and we did speak a few times actually. We talked on the phone once."
"Who initiated that conversation?" The answer wasn't hard to guess but I needed to hear him say it out loud. So did he.
"I did," looking ashamed as he said it but he sat a little straighter, "I'd do it again though."
I threw my hands in the air, standing up, "I'm done. I don't have anything left to say about this. I feel like I'm watching you run in circles and I'm the one getting dizzy."
I began leaving the room, but James grabbed my wrist. He pulled me to a stop. It was a begging move and it bubbled frustration in me.
"Ashlyn, wait- "
I yanked my hand away, turning on him, "no James. This is pathetic! I'm exhausted watching you chase after Daniel's tail like he's some great person. Daniel killed Bill and Michael. That's not a guess or a jaded opinion of him, that's a fact. He literally told me," I put my hands together, shaking them at him in anger, "your father, the man you're so quick to help him adjust to a new life on the run from the Pack and Mack Carrey, killed two of your Pack brothers by shooting them and then slashing their guts. I have no doubt in my mind that he decapitated Tony and I'm sure if you asked, he would tell you. He didn't sound shameful when he told me about Bill and Michael. He won't sound shameful about Tony."
James looked at me, his eyes flickering between mine. His jaw shifted before he sighed, "if he did those things, I'm sure it was to keep himself protected. Carrey is more dangerous than we know, especially if he's able to convince multiple people who only look after themselves and a Pack member to join him. We both know Thompson and Malik are dangerous, just look at the things in their files and the crimes they have committed. Will's dangerous in his own right. We've trained with him. The person in charge of all of those men would be more dangerous than all of them."
"Your father is his own person. You're trying to tell me Mack Carrey is so powerful and deadly he can manipulate your father's personal morals and beliefs into killing three men. One of which he knew, he spent time with when he was a child. Carrey forced your father into becoming a murderer? And to protect himself, he did it?"
James and I were face to face. I could feel his huffing breath against my face. Now it's silent, I realized we'd been yelling at each other.
"Will didn't walk away from Carrey when he found out about those murders and he was closer with them than my father was. How are you not angry at him?" James asked.
"I'm furious with Will. I can't believe what he chose to do. But he's under a spell that changes who he is! I think that gives him a bit of leeway over some of his decisions, especially in the presence of Carrey. Will is also easier to manipulate. He's a human at heart. He doesn't understand everything down to a genetic level."
"What if my father is under the same spell? Maybe he needs the same help that we're so willingly giving to Will."
I smirked angrily, "fine, if Daniel is under the same spell that Will is, I'll give him a bit of doubt to his actions," I ran my hand through my hair, "I still don't understand how you want to look for him. He's left you with no explanation again. He didn't ask if you wanted to go with him. I don't know how you want to try to make a relationship with a man who's too selfish to commit to his own son."
"I don't have to explain this to you. I don't owe you anything," James said between his teeth.
I let the bitter smile stay on my face. He said it in the tone of a five-year-old having a temper tantrum. I took a deep breath, trying to let logic and rational take over my words.
"No, you don't but you want to. You don't want to be alone or doubt yourself. You want my approval for this decision because that's what you always do. That's what we both do. I'm not giving it to you though," I looked James in the eye, and my emotions continued winning over my logic, "I won't do it. I care too much to watch you destroy yourself over him. I'm stepping back."
Something flashed in James' eyes and it felt like he emotionally dropped to his knees.
"What do you mean stepping back?"
It took me a second to swallow the lump in my throat, "I mean, I can't be worrying about you right now. I need to concentrate on what Charlie needs from me. I can't have you in my mind trying to find a way to accommodate him and possibly stop considering Daniel a threat because it's what you want. I can't make it an option because I know I will. I need to be able to focus on the Pack and what's best for everyone. Daniel isn't a part of that. He's done his best to destroy this family. I'm sorry."
The last two words cracked out. I left, trying to walk calmly to the stairs. Footsteps thudded against the hardwood floor. His hand gripped my elbow, sliding down to my wrist.
"Ashlyn, wait. Are you," I shut my eyes, hearing his voice stutter, "what you're saying…"
He didn't know how to form the words, but I knew where he was going. I faced a very panicked James.
"Yes. I know we aren't dating or anything but whatever we've going on, I can't continue. Not with you on this rampage, destroying who you are just to run after a dream of what your father should've been. I love you, but I'm not going to break myself in half to help you."
I tried to continue up the stairs but was jolted to a stop when James' grip tightened on my wrist.
"Stop, please. How do you go from being supportive to abandoning me like this?" I let out a ghost of a laugh, "I need you while I figure this out. You're -" I heard him stutter again, "you're everything. Ashlyn, please."
The tears rolled down my face violently, a sob fell from my mouth, and my head dropped towards the floor. I weakly tugged on my wrist, but James still wouldn't let go.
Footsteps came up the basement stairs and I started cursing in my head, not wanting anyone to come across this situation. Though I'm sure everyone has heard us. I turned grudgingly and saw Tyler standing behind us. There was sympathy on his face, and I was tempted to slap him.
"Dad wants to see everyone in the dining room. I've sent out a mass text."
I walked down the stairs, my wrist still anchored to where James stood. He wasn't letting me go any further from him.
"Give us a minute," James's voice was full of panic.
I glanced down at James's hand tightly wrapped around my wrist. I could see he was shaking. I moved up to his face. He was already staring down at me. He was terrified and looked like he was on the verge of crying.
"Let go of me," I said, my voice weak and ready to crack.
"No. We need to talk about this," his voice was catching in his throat. The fact he was getting emotional made me feel worse. I had to stick to my convictions though. I wouldn't be able to think clearly in this dangerous situation if I had James holding my heart. I placed my free hand on top of his and clutched onto it.
"There's nothing else to say," I whispered and with a bit of strength, I yanked his hand away and practically ran to Tyler. Tyler placed his hand lightly on my back and silently led me into the dining room. I was grateful for it. Not only could James try to stop me again, my vision was starting to blur.
The table was almost full. I kept my head down, walking to the empty seat beside Chrissy. She instantly saw the distress on my face and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. My jaw shook and I forced it to lock, a sob bubbled at my lips. I didn't want to draw any more attention to the situation they'd just heard. Tyler placed himself in the empty seat on my other side. He lightly patted my knee but didn't look towards me.
I focused on controlling my breathing, praying this meeting would end quickly. I just wanted to run away and cry. James entered the dining room. His face was twisted around whatever emotions were going on in his head but as he looked around the room, I saw he was lost too. I knew what he was feeling. James stood at the door, his eyes resting on mine. Immediately I looked back at the table. I couldn't handle the weight of his gaze, the begging in his eyes. I curled my body closer to Chrissy who wrapped her arm around my shoulder.
James sat down at the far end of the table, farthest away from me. Cora was the last person to come into the room. She looked tired, her age creeping onto her face. It was obvious Cora was not taking this situation well.
Charlie placed himself behind his usual chair. I focused on my father, composing myself. Charlie barely glanced at me as he cleared his throat, turning everyone's attention to him. I knew he would ignore the household disturbance that'd occurred minutes ago.
"After discussing with Scarlett her knowledge of the spell that was placed on Will. Hearing what Will has said about being around Carrey, I've made some decisions. We're going to get in contact with Mack Carrey and Daniel Blake. We need to find out what situation Daniel is in," Charlie glanced at James when he mentioned his father. I knew Charlie was referring to a specific part of the conversation, "James is right. Daniel could be under the same spell Will is under. Whether he is or not, we will make judgments from there."
"Nice to know a person can have a private conversation in this house," James mumbled, picking at an invisible spot on his arm. I hated that I agreed with him.
"If you weren't screaming, maybe it would be a private conversation," Chrissy snapped, rubbing her hand across my back. James didn't respond, continuing to look down. I caught small smirks growing on some of the other wolves' faces around the table. I knew they were in support of what Chrissy said, but it was still embarrassing. Charlie's face twitched but he never cracked a smile.
"Anyways, afterwards we'll figure out how to deal with Carrey," Charlie said, "we're going to move forwards with this situation in a more manipulative and physical way. From now on, we've got to start making plans only to keep ourselves safer. We've had a passive and satisfying defense this far, but I feel we may need to start lowering ourselves to their level."
I cleared my throat, "I don't know if you heard but you won't be getting a hold of Daniel easily."
My peripheral vision caught James' head turn to me. I kept my eyes on my father, my eyes burning from forcing the tears back.
"Why is that?" Charlie asked, his eyes going from me to James.
James cleared his throat, "Daniel called me earlier. He's disconnected his phone and gone into hiding. Something to do with his relationship with Carrey."
Charlie looked at James, tapping his finger against the chair's arm. Charlie glanced at me for a moment then back to James. I couldn't read his expression, his Alpha persona was intact.
"Alright then. Scarlett's aunt will be here either tonight or tomorrow. I want everyone to be presentable. No horse playing around or making a mess. Some witches can be very uptight and serious."
Brandon snorted from further up the table, "don't let Scarlett hear that. She'll deny it but probably would set your hair on fire at the same time."
"I hope she overheard that," I said, glancing at him. Brandon winked at me.
"If you're needed tomorrow or any time when it comes to dealing with this situation, I'll let you know. From personal experience, witches can be very personal and private when it comes to their magic," Charlie said.
"Dad, how much experience do you have with witches?" Drew asked, a suggestive tone in his voice. Aaron started to chuckle, covering his mouth. Charlie sent a friendly glare his way. Scott and Lawrence joined in on the laughter as well, causing Charlie to begin. My siblings and I looked around the table at each other, eyes wide.
"Okay, we need to hear this story," I said, shifting in my chair. My mood lifted from the potential story to come. Through his laughter, my father said, "meeting dismissed."