Kim hated acting. He hated anything that had to do with pretense. He had always been very straightforward and that was one of the reasons why Jeff had put him in charge of the sentinels. They didn't like each other very much but Jaime trusted him. Jeff knew he was loyal and honest so what better wolf to patrol your surroundings than one who would never lie to you or betray you? Kim frowned at the thought of lying to Jeff but he couldn't risk angering Pascal. He knew very well that the voice he had heard speaking through Jake was Pascal's. He had never seen him but he had heard so much about him. Pascal the legendary, the fiercest alpha king ever, the first to take down a whole colony of humans singlehandedly and also the first to eventually get married to a human. That became his downfall as she calmed him down. A werewolf was never meant to be calm. Werewolves were not to be tamed. But Pascal fell in love with the human girl and cut all ties with werewolves. He paved the way for werewolves to live in harmony with humans and eventually more werewolves started mating with humans, leaving their own she wolves unmated, polluting their sacred blood with the evil blood of humans. Pascal was too much in love with his human bride to notice that his half brother, Lartes Cross had started rising. Lartes was the shy Lycan, the little boy that Pascal always protected and legend had it that Lartes had killed the Cross family and all the werewolves left on earth. Only a few packs knew how to hide their scent. They had managed to survive, passing on their secrets from one generation to the other, building a fortress and waiting for the day they would be strong enough to take their revenge on Lartes. Kim could swear that he had heard all those tales from the elders more than a thousand times and every single time they started with it again, telling the pack how one day they would return to their former strength, how they would eventually form an alliance with the few packs left scattered across the earth, how they would eventually crown Jeff as the new alpha king and how they would defeat Lartes in the end, he saw the sad looks on their faces and the doubt in their voices and he knew one thing for sure: the elders were lying to the pack. They knew that Jeff was no king. Jeff could never become an Alpha King. He couldn't even stand Gonzalo who was an Omega in his pack. How was he going to defeat Lartes?
How was he going to unite all the werewolf packs left in the world when he couldn't even unite his own pack? Kim could only sigh and walk away whenever the elders started their tales again. He couldn't blame them of course because like them, he was just waiting to play his part for the pack and die a peaceful death. He didn't care about titles. He didn't care about being an Alpha or partaking in suicide all in the name of fighting for their former glory. If he was going to die, he was going to die protecting Ella. Ella was his last hope in the world. His last ray of sunlight. His last fresh breath of air. And since the day he knew her, his life became a little less sour. At least he now had something to live for. He had planned on waiting out a few more years before breaking out. He would run away with her to the farthest part of the woods and they would raise their own pack there, all by themselves. He had ventured out there, alone on one of the Sentinels border patrol and he loved the environment. It was serene. Peace and quiet was all he wanted. He didn't want to play a part in unnecessary dramas but apparently, he was going to. In fact, he was going to play as the friend of the protagonist in a drama that involved lying to the Alpha, Jeff. How was he going to tell Jaime that three of his sentinels died on patrol? Who killed them? A seventeen year old wolf that was shivering and kneeling at every command? Or a sixteen year old Lycan girl he had captured and tied up? Lying on the floor, he was still reminiscing the events of the last thirty minutes when Jake jerked up.
"My..my..King," he stammered, struggling to stand up. He had stopped bleeding already but he was still weak.
Jake stared at him like he was mad. How was the same person that had threatened to take him to their alpha some minutes ago now calling him a king?
"Please," Jake pleaded. "I promise I won't go around causing trouble. I would do everything you ask me to do. Just take me to your pack. You know it's dangerous for me out here."
"You..you..you would do everything I say?" Kim stammered, finally standing up. "Everything?"
"Yes," Jake replied hopefully. "I'll do everything you say. I'll be your servant if you want. I can do your dishes and many more."
Kim stared at the dead bodies of his comrades on the mud. "I don't think so," he shook his head. "You can't be my servant. But you can be for someone else."
"Anything you want," Jake knelt down. "Anything at all. I would be his servant."
"Stand up you idiot!" the voice roared in his ears. "You are a King!"
"Not again!" Jake sighed. "Now is not the time, please."
"You should listen to him more often," Kim shrugged. "Please stand up. I've broken enough bones for one day."
Jake stood up reluctantly and immediately he was up, the voice stopped. He turned to Kim, afraid that he would have changed his mind.
"Are you still taking me to see the Alpha?" he asked hopefully. He did his best 'puppy eyes' and when Kim nodded in the affirmative, he howled so loud and jumped so high in the air that Kim was scared the Alpha King's son had gotten lost in the clouds. Jake landed finally and fell to the floor.
"Uhm.." he stammered. "Sorry about that."
Kim sighed in exasperation knowing his life was about to turn upside down. "Follow me," he said. "I'll tell you the condition on the road. We're a long way from home."
"What about her?" Kim asked turning to the girl that lay bound on the floor.
"She would die there," Kim replied not even looking back. "Let's go."
"Let her go," Jake said.
Kim turned and stared at him. He was not sure if it was Jake talking or Pascal but he couldn't risk it.
"As you wish," he grunted. He walked up to her, loosened the ropes and watched as she bolted away into the dark.
Jake smiled in satisfaction and followed closely as Kim started off, deeper into the woods. The trees were taller there and they cast dark shadows upon the ground, making it hard for Jake to differentiate them from the puddles of water that seemed to be everywhere. It was already past 6 a.m. in the morning but it was very dark. A few times, Jake had to pretend he was practicing a very high pitched song because he had screamed at almost every bat that swooped down close to his head. Kim ignored him all the while and walked on and Jake was all the more scared. What if Kim was taking him somewhere quiet to kill him and dispose his body off? Jake pushed the thought away and decided to start a conversation with his new friend.
"So…" Jake started. "Does this mean that we're friends now?"
Kim stopped dead in his tracks. "What?"
"Nothing," Jake replied quickly. "Let's keep moving."
Kim frowned and walked on, hoping the boy would shut up. He was thinking of how best to present it to him. How was he going to make a 17 year old talkative successfully play the role of a rogue wolf from another pack? Kim. knew very well that Jeff could discern lies. Jeff sucked at many things including fighting and ruling but he could tell a liar and he had one punishment for those that lied to him – execution. Of course, Jeff never bothered verifying any of the news that Kim gave him as Kim was one of his most trusted servants but still. It all looked too suspicious. Three sentinels dead and the appearance of a rogue wolf. And with Jake's big mouth, anything could happen. He could wake up one morning and decide to wow the pack with tales of his father, the Alpha King from a hundred years ago and that would be the end of their little drama. Jeff would have the two of them executed in minutes. Kim knew that all the odds were against their survival but he had no choice. He couldn't risk angering Pascal or Jake since the both of them spoke through one body. He just had to try. He was still thinking of how he was going to tell Jake everything when he spoke up.
"So you've always kept your hair short?" Jake started. "Unlike you Koreans."
"What now?" Kim frowned and turned. Jake stared at his jet black hair that ran down his neck and shrugged.
"I've seen a few Koreans," he said, his mind briefly drifting to the faces of the K-pop stars he had seen on those photos in Ana's room. "They hardly ever keep their hair this long. What's with yours?"
"I don't know," Kim replied coldly. "Walk faster. You're slowing us down."
"I think we should be walking slowly," Jake suggested. "Considering the fact that you've not yet told me this 'plan'. I might need time to get it in my head."
"Finally," Kim rolled his eyes. "You're saying something useful."
Jake frowned at Kim's assessment of him and Kim turned to face him.
"Walk beside me," he said. "And listen carefully."
Jake hurried to his side and looked up at him as they walked side by side. He wondered how old Kim was. He looked to tall to be anything less than twenty.
"I'm listening," he said finally.
"Good," Kim nodded. "First of all, your name is Summers"
"My name is Summers?" Jake frowned. "Can't be. I'm Jake Cross. I can't lie about my name."
"Shut up and listen to him!" the voice roared in Jake's ears.
"Then I can't take you with me," Kom grunted and started off.
Jake stood contemplating what to do and Kim who was already a distance away, hoped Jake changed his mind and agreed to the plan. He knew he had to take Kim with him no matter what.
"Fine!" Jake shouted running to meet him. "Summers it is."
"Good," Kim smiled. "You were banished from the Eastern pack by the alpha, Carl."
"I was banished from the Eastern pack by the alpha, Carl," Jake repeated.
"And that would explain why you would walk into Jeff's palace shivering," Kim smiled. "Now shiver let me see."
Jake shook his head violently like a demon possessed rag doll and his teeth clattered together as he shook.
"You know what?" Kim frowned. "Forget the shivering part. Walk in normally. Take my jacket." Kim pulled his leather jacket and threw it on Jake's shoulders. "There. That should explain why you're not shivering. Or not? I don't think Jeff would care much about that."
"So what next?" Jake asked.
"The hardest part for you," Kim grunted.
"And that is?"
"Shutting up," Kim replied. "You have to keep your mouth shut. Don't speak except someone speaks to you. And never say a word about your father, Pascal."
"So you believe me?" Jake frowned. "You know who I am."
"No I don't," Kim lied. "Just trying to keep you alive. A word about your father and I tell you, Jeff would not care if you're a bloody liar or not. He'll order for you to be ripped apart, flesh and bone."
"Understood," Jake sighed.
"Good," Kim muttered, staring at his phone intently. "I've done my part. I just texted the leader of the scouts of the Eastern pack. He has promised to confirm your story in case Jeff face times him to ask. Jeff and Carl are not the best of friends so Jeff won't ask Carl a thing."
Jake frowned. "Werewolves have cell phones?"
Kim ignored his question and held his hand firmly. "We've arrived." Jake looked up and saw that they were at the foot of a very huge cave.
"Now let's go win ourselves some acting awards," Kim added.
And with that, he shoved Jake into the cave.