Ava's POV
"C'mon Ava! That can't be all that happened." Emily whined to me for the umpteenth time, making me sigh in annoyance.
It's been over 24 hours since my awkward encounter with Jared and she wouldn't just quit bugging me for "extra details". We were both in the large kitchen of the pack house, getting the dishes done and that wasn't even enough to stop her.
"What makes you feel like there's more?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the dishes. Emily reads me well by just looking into my eyes. I find it really annoying.
"Well... You've been unusually quiet for a while now." She answered in a sing-song tone, making me scoff.
"I've always been quiet."
"I said... unusually." She said, making air quotes with her fingers.
"And you had a look in your eyes for a moment. I saw it."
"What look?" I asked, genuinely curious about what she was saying.
"Oh c'mon... don't tell me you guys weren't happy to see each other. You're literally childhood friends!" She exclaimed, before looking around warily and bringing down her voice.
"Yeah...I guess." I said, feeling my mind drift off to thoughts of Jared.
I remember how lonely and sickly he was, as a little boy. Werewolves don't really get sick but Jared was an exception, requiring one form of medical attention or another. He had a very pale skin, that made him look really unhealthy. He was always by himself until my father encouraged me to extend a hand of friendship to him. He said Jared might be better, if he had one good friend in his life and I remember being happy to help him get better. I remember seeing him laugh and giggle, as we played around in the snow. At some point, we became so comfortable and happy together that we forgot all about his illness. I then heard rumors, rumors about Jared being a bastard. I heard he was the product of an affair between Alpha Damian and an unidentified female vampire. He was a hybrid.
Hybrids are known to be notoriously short lived and weak. It was a taboo for two different shifter species to mate, as a result of the risk involved with their offsprings. The offsprings are regarded as impure and cursed. I heard Jared was one of these cursed offsprings, a hybrid whose days are numbered. It made me scared and sad for him but I didn't show it. Things had already begun to get better until Alpha Damian suddenly arranged for his son's departure to a place where he would live out his last days. Jared had fallen so ill that he couldn't walk and his father was no longer having it. Alpha Damian saw Jared as a weakness and was hell bent on eliminating him. I remember how I cried and begged my father to help my friend, to not let him be taken away from me. There was nothing my father could do. Looks like Jared didn't die afterall.
"Ugh! You do that alot." Emily groaned, rolling her eyes at me.
"Hmm?!" I asked absentmindedly.
"You were zoning out again." She said, making me give her an apologetic smile.
"Hey ladies!" Jack, one of our pack warriors called out to us, as he sauntered into the kitchen with a stupid smirk on his face. Jack happens to be a very disgusting pervert and bully. I'd walk on literal burning coals to avoid him.
He roughly grabbed Emily from behind all of a sudden, assaulting her neck and face with sloppy kisses. Emily yelped in momentary shock, trying her hardest to push him away.
I looked towards the doorpost to see that Jack had brought a couple of his friends with him and this seemed to be some form of entertainment for them. Sexual harassment of the omegas, just because they can? It enraged the fuck out of me.
Emily was soon able to shove Jack off her, running towards me and hiding herself at my back. The look on her face and her shaky breath was enough to know that she was really terrified... and so was I. Jack and his friends laughed at us like we were the funniest thing they've seen all day. He approached us slowly, trying his hardest to appear intimidating and make me abandon my friend.
"Looks like this one wants a piece of me too." He smirked, making his friends erupt into another round of laughter.
"Leave Emily alone." I said, making their laughter die down immediately. The whole kitchen went silent and I was even hearing my own rapid heartbeat at this point.
In a flash, the back of Jack's right hand, collided with my cheeks, making my head turn forcefully to the side. I felt a metallic taste in my mouth and even my vision got distorted for a little while, but I remained standing. I'm the daughter of a beta and I will not cower at the sight of a mere pack warrior. They all burst out laughing again...all except for Jack. He felt challenged. Good!
"You're so tough huh?!" He said, coming closer to look me in my eyes. I held his gaze.
"I bet your father also thought he was tough..."
I frowned, not like where he was going.
"... before he was killed like a fucking traitor." He spat in my face, making his friends cheer him with "oohs!" And "aahs!".
All I could see was red, as I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes. In an instant, I slammed my forehead right onto his nose, hearing a satisfying crunch before he fell to ground, yelling in pain. I've seen my father use that move before and it felt so good to use it on someone who disregarded his memory.
"Ava!!" Emily shrieked in horror from behind me.
Jack was holding onto his nose and writhing in pains on the floor. His friends, seeing what had just happened, wore looks of shock on their faces. However, they soon got over their shocks and started growling and baring their fangs at me. I can't shift into wolf form, so if any of them decides to, I'll be dead.
Jack got up from the floor, just as his friends were slowly advancing towards me and Emily. They all had their glares fixated on me, ready rip me apart. I knew I wouldn't stand a chance against any of them, not even Jack. The headbutt just happened to be a lucky shot and I'm sure as hell not going to be able to land another one.
"You're dead meat, Ava. You're so dead!" One of them sneered, just before charging at me.
Emily held on tight to me from behind and I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the attack. But it never came.
I slowly opened my eyes to see a the back of a tall, bulky looking ..woman? She was facing Jack and his friends without saying a word and they were already looking so scared and intimidated. Where the hell did she even emerge from?
This woman had beautiful, long locks that ran all the way from her head to her waist. Her dark skin seemed to be so shiny and flawless.
"Beat it, boys!" She said in an annoyed tone, making Jack and his friends hurry out of the kitchen immediately. They all looked like they had seen a ghost or something.
"This isn't over!" One of them shouted as they hurried away.
I and Emily just stood exchanging confused looks. Who is she and why was she even defending us? I've never seen her in this pack before.
The woman turned around suddenly, smiling down at us. One of her eyes was completely white. She seemed to be blind there but somehow she still looked very attractive. It was almost unbelievable.
"You must be Ava ." She said, making me nod wordlessly.
"Looks like we'll be seeing each other more often, little bird!" She smiled at me.