Jayden's POV
I sat at the top of the tree, waiting for the rest of the pack. I had summoned them to a meeting. I needed to tell them about what I had just discovered.
My mind flashed to Jovita, and each time, I tried to shake the thoughts of her off my mind, it returned.
I heard a shuffling of leaves, and in a moment Phil was beside me on the branch of the tree.
He was dressed in a casual dark-yellow linen shirt, white shorts, and white Nike Air Force. He looked boyishly handsome with his brown, long hair packed in a bun.
"How did you get up here so fast?" I asked.
"I'm an animal guy", he said with a wink.
"Where are the others?"
"They're on their way, I caught sight of Conan on my way here, though we followed different paths".
"Okay", I replied nonchalantly.
Eric and I had not spoken since the conversation about Luna. He left the house and has not returned ever since. I guessed that he was staying with one of the brothers.
It hurt a lot to think about it. Eric had been my best friend since I was born. We were born on the same day, and we became friends ever since.
In the past, we had issues and easily settled them, but I couldn't understand what made this different.
I sighed in resignation, deciding to leave him alone, he would come around when he wanted to.
Right now, my major concern is Jovita.
I knew she was mad at me, but I couldn't confront her. Confronting her would mean asking questions I knew she didn't have answers to.
I was worried about her. It was bad enough not to know who your real parents were. Compiled with not knowing who exactly you were, it was unbearable.
"What's on your mind?" Phil asked, nudging me.
"A lot".
"Wow, geez man, take a breath, you look forlorn".
"I feel forlorn", I said leaping to the ground when I sensed the others' arrival. I could hear a gasp escape from Phil.
A moment later, he was beside me.
"How did you just do that jump", he asked, looking from the tree branch we had been sitting on to the ground.
"I guess I'm different from the rest of you", I said, finally accepting who I was for the first time.
Phil looked at me like I was crazy, but he didn't say anything.
"Hi", Conan said, grinning when he joined us.
"Hey", I replied with a smile.
"Hey", Seth mumbled to me, before throwing Conan and Phil a friendly jab.
"Let's begin", I said when Eric joined us. He was with Betty I noticed.
The others looked at me, then at him, questioningly but I ignored their stares. I wasn't in the mood for another argument with Eric.
"Hey guys", Betty greeted cheerfully, throwing me a sly gaze, which I ignored. The others mumbled replies.
"Uriel wasn't after the clan or anyone else, he was after me", I said to the other brothers, ignoring Eric and Betty.
"How do you know that?" Phil asked. He was the youngest amongst us, and my favourite already.
"He dropped a hint, and I acted on it", I said.
"And what was the hint?" Seth asked in his cool, collected voice.
"He killed on our soil to attract my attention to him".
"Why?" Conan asked.
"He wants a fight with me, apparently it's a tradition of the cold ones". For now, I can't speak in much detail until I'm sure of it".
"You called a meeting when you were unsure?" Eric's rich voice spoke for the first time since his arrival. Betty mumbled something to him but he ignored her, his eyes flashing in anger.
I tried reading his thoughts but he was blocking me out. Years of practice have made it something of ease for us.
I ignored him not wanting a fight. I knew he was trying to get that out of me.
"I don't see anything wrong in him informing us, it clears the air a little", Seth said, surprising me.
I turned to stare at him, but he looked away. I guess he wasn't over Jovita yet.
"I think Jayden is right, informing the group points you in a more defined direction", Betty said.
The whole group fell silent, and all heads turned first to me, then Eric, and lastly Betty.
It was natural and right for a destined Luna to talk at a meeting with Alphas and Betas, but it was unheard of for a she-wolf to go against her mate, even if she was a Luna. They were meant to be a team.
Eric stared at me for a while and stumbled off angrily, I could see the shudders running through his body, but he wouldn't dare fight his Alpha. In reality, he was no match for me.
Seth, Conan, and Phil turned their gaze to me, waiting for an explanation.
"I have no idea what's going on", I replied.
Their gaze turned to Betty, but she only giggled and turned to follow the path Eric had taken.
"The meeting is dismissed", I said, and the others nodded, taking their leave.
I stood there watching the trees, my mind filled with several thoughts.
I sensed a presence behind the trees and turned to see Betty. She smiled coquettishly, advancing until she was a few feet away from me.
She was dressed in a short graphite-orange, body hug dress and white sneakers. Her long, curly, blonde hair was let loose, falling gracefully down her back.
In any other case, I would have considered her stunning and appealing, but right now, her presence gave me a sickening feeling, that made me want to be away from it as soon as I could.
"What do you want?" I asked in a not-so-friendly tone.
"You", she replied, her expression and her tone dead serious.
I looked at her like she had gone crazy.
Just like us Alphas and Betas, she had the rare privilege of switching mates. Her family was one of the most powerful members of our kind, and she was seen as an equally important leader, ranked above some Alphas.
"I belong to someone else, and I'd appreciate it if you took your attention elsewhere", I said sternly.
"I always get what I want", she said with a sly smile, tucking a loose strand of her long, blonde hair behind her ear.
"I guess this time is different", I said, taking off before she could reply. My wolf hated the sight of her.