Lexie's POV
I blink. "Wait, what?"
Katelyn sighs, running a hand through her arctic blue hair. "Humans hate us, Lexie. They see werewolves as monsters. And Jason—he's been dealing with that his whole life."
I cross my arms, frowning. "Okay, but you're not a monster. Jason's not a monster. I mean, sure, he's got that angsty mysterious bad boy thing going on, but—"
Katelyn gives me a look.
"Right, right. Serious moment," I mumble.
She shakes her head. "The point is, Jason lost his whole pack to humans. They wiped out his family. That's why he's so... closed off. He doesn't trust anyone."
I frown. "And yet, he trusts you."
Katelyn hesitates. "…Yeah. I guess he does."
I smirk. "Sooo... you are special to him."
She groans. "Lexie."
I hold up my hands. "Alright, alright. I'll stop. But still, what's the plan? You just gonna hide out here with him forever?"
Katelyn looks away. "I don't know."
Something about her voice makes me pause. She sounds… lost. Like she hasn't really thought that far ahead. And that's so unlike her.
I place a hand on her shoulder. "Katie, come home."
She sighs. "I can't. Not yet. I need to figure this out. I need to figure myself out."
I groan dramatically. "Ugh, fine. But I'm not letting you disappear without checking in, got it? You owe me weekly gossip."
Katelyn laughs softly. "Fine. Deal."
I grin. "And I will meet this Jason guy eventually. Whether you like it or not."
She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Just... try not to scare him off."
I gasp, clutching my heart. "Me? Scare him? Please. I am a delight."
Katelyn just shakes her head, smiling. But behind that smile, I can see it. She's worried.
And for the first time, I wonder if she's in deeper than she realizes.
Meanwhile...
Katelyn's POV
I watch Lexie leave before I turn back, shifting into my wolf form and returning to Jason. I carefully avoid any eye contact with anyone else that could lurking in the woods. Although it's still kinda pointless. Alphas are following my tail, probably thinking about how I'd be a good addition to their pack.
When I find Jason, he's standing in the middle of the forest.
Jason's POV
I can smell them before I even see them.
Other alphas. Lurking in the shadows. Watching Katelyn.
My fur bristles, my ears pin back, and a deep growl rumbles in my chest. My claws sink into the ground.
I storm forward, placing myself between Katelyn and the unseen threats, my red eyes glowing in the dark. A wolf steps forward. They're brave.
I quickly snarl and bark. She's mine.
"Give her up, Jason," Omar snarled. "You know you have no hope of repopulating your pack. They were all wiped out decades ago!"
"Don't speak to me about my deceased pack!" I barked.
Mandy, Luke's beta, pushed herself through the crowd of alphas and sniffed Katelyn. "She's not even pure blood. There's no need to start a war over this female."
Katelyn's POV
I roll my eyes. These wolves know no boundaries.
A familiar werewolf, Luke, snorted. "A werewolf is a werewolf!"
Jason growled, rolling his eyes. "I have better things to do right now than to be fighting with you fools over my female!"
Rowan smirked. "Oh really? I assume it's something to do with your 'evil schemes'?"
Jason's POV
I bare my fangs, stepping forward. "That's none of your business, Rowan."
He smirks, tilting his head. "Oh, but it is my business. Because your little female here is walking around without a pack, and that makes her fair game."
A dangerous growl rips through my throat, and my ears flatten. "She's mine."
Katelyn, standing behind me, huffs. "Excuse me? I'm not an object, Jason."
I don't take my eyes off the others, my muscles tensed. "I know that, Katie." But these wolves don't understand anything except possession. And right now, the only way to keep them away is to make it very clear—Katelyn is not up for grabs.
Luke steps forward, his eyes gleaming. "You can't claim a female without a pack to back you up. That's the rule, Jason."
I let out a sharp bark of laughter. "Rules? Rules?! You really think I care about your rules?" My tail lashes, and I dig my claws into the dirt. "Anyone who tries to take her is gonna end up missing a few limbs."
Rowan chuckles. "Protective, aren't we? But the moment you slip up, Jason... we will take her."
I snap my jaws at him, making him flinch back. "Try me."
Katelyn's POV
I huff, stepping beside Jason. "I can speak for myself, you know."
Jason barely flicks an ear in my direction, his red eyes still locked onto the others. "Yeah? And what would you like to say to the mutts sniffing around you?"
I roll my eyes but turn to the gathered werewolves, lifting my chin. "I choose to stay with Jason. Not because he claims me, not because of some stupid pack rules, but because I want to."
Jenna, Rowan's mate, scoffs. "That's cute, sweetheart. But the world doesn't work like that. A lone female is always taken."
I bare my own fangs, my tail bristling. "Try it."
Jason lets out a low chuckle beside me. "That's my girl."
"I'm not your girl." I growled.
The surrounding werewolves chuckle, but Jason ignores them, his ears flicking forward as he eyes Luke. "We done here? Or do I have to start sending bodies back to their packs?"
Luke narrows his eyes, considering. Then, with a grunt, he turns away. "This isn't over, Jason."
Jason growls. "It never is."
One by one, the alphas slink back into the darkness.
Once they're gone, I sigh, shaking out my fur. "Seriously. This whole 'my female' thing? Annoying."
Jason turns to me, his expression unreadable. "It's how the world works. Now, come on, Katie. We've got work to do."
I hesitate for a moment, watching him.
Luke's words still ring in my head.
"The moment you slip up, Jason... we will take her."
I shake it off and follow him. No one's taking me anywhere.
Jason's POV
We arrive in the middle of the forest where my backup mech was laying still. Shifting back into my human form, I run up to the large wolf mech and climb in. With this mech, I'll be indestructible and I'll be able to destroy the city once and for all!