Chapter 26

I felt like my heart was about to fly out of my chest by how much it was pumping as I walked away from Knox. I stumbled over my feet as everything that has happened sunk it; I slumped down into the couch.

Why, after I left for two years because he rejected me, is Knox being nice towards me? First he tells me that he wants to be with me, then doesn't even look at me when I talk to him yet lets me borrow his best car, then just now says that he wants to get to know me!

I just couldn't get the idea through my mind that maybe he actually wanted to try things out, it just wasn't Knox. He has been sleeping with someone three or four times a week! He definitely wasn't ready to date seriously and frankly I didn't want to be with someone like him anyway.

And I have Archer, who is always there for me and loves me. I could see a future with Archer, and I felt comfortable with him. We were stable.

I have to find a way to get the separation between Knox and I to be complete. It sure as hell wasn't going to progress if I kept talking to Knox, in fact it will probably reverse. That scared me, I have come so far and I was not going to start over with it.

"Dinner is ready everyone." I heard Knox's deep voice ring through the room, I inwardly groaned at my liking towards it.

I slowly got off the coach and saw Archer come through the crowd of around twenty people and stop in front of me. His black hair combed and wearing a grey hoodie with jeans.

"Hey babe" He kissed me on my lips then pulled me into a hug. Unintentionally, my eyes flickered to Knox. He was glaring at Archer and he looked incredibly sexy. I inwardly slapped myself for looking at him. I quickly looked away, closing my eyes.

"Hey" I smiled as soon as we pulled away.

"So what have you been up to today? I haven't seen you at all!" He slung his arm around my waist as we walked toward the dining room.

"I know I missed you!" I said kissing his cheek, careful not to look at Knox, who was staring at us just a few feet away. "But I went and saw family and friends." I smiled.

"How did that go?" Archer looked down at me with worry. He knew how things were left before.

"Really well actually, my dad is doing great and my mom and her mate have a baby on the way." Archer's worried expression turned into a smile. I continued, "And my best friend, Martie and her mate Colby, are going to get married." I said

"Really? They're going to get married?" Archer said with his eyebrow arched.

Usually werewolves didn't get married in the human sense, we had our own ceremony that meant more to us called Mating. The mating ceremony is not when mates mate, but a ceremony where family and friends come to celebrate the love that the mates have for one another. But there were still some of us, like Martie and Colby, who liked the human marriage better. No one really cared which ceremony mates chose to go through with, but it was still a shock when werewolves did a human marriage.

"Yea, ever since we were little, Martie has loved the idea of marriage. So I am not surprised that she is getting "married"." I laughed.

"Huh... I have never known mates that went with marriage." Archer said.

I just made an up and down motion with my shoulders as we walked into the dining room. The long light wooded table had more than enough space with about thirty chairs tucked in. The room looked very modern with light blue paint and white lined windows that covered two of the walls.

Kara, John, and Porter walked into the room with Courtney wrapped in Porter's arms. They all sat on the left side of the table so I decided to pull Archer over with me. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Knox take a seat at the head of the table and a curly headed boy sit next to him, I assumed the Beta.

I said some hellos to the people that I recognized, including Landon, that I was sitting close too, but Steve came into the room quickly with a line of four people behind him carrying platters in their arms.

"Thank you for dinner Steve." Knox said my gaze shifted to him as he spoke.

His dark brown hair had fallen into his eyes as he smiled at Steve. His straight white teeth showed off the tan on his face.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

Archer grabbed onto my hand from under the table and whispered into my ear.

"I'm freaking starving." He chuckled.

I nodded my head in agreement and laughed. "Me too, I haven't eaten all day!"

Just as I finished talking, Steve started saying what he had prepared.

"Tonight, I made chicken noodle soup, steak, mashed potatoes, a garden salad, and salmon. Enjoy." He sat down next to Knox.

I laughed at the randomness of the food, but quickly filled my plate with everything.

"So," I looked up to see Erica, a girl that is three years ago looking at me and the other protectors. "What pack are you guys from?"

"Farkas pack." I replied smiling at her nicely.

"Cool! How was it changing from this one to that one?" She asked, directly looking at me.

I felt everyone's eyes on me, including Knox's, and felt slightly nervous.

"It was actually really easy. The Farkas let me into their pack the very second day that I left yours. They were all very welcoming. I actually met Archer right when I got there." It was a poor attempt at trying to bring the attention away from me.

"That's great, is everyone close there?" Erica asked.

"Yeah, I guess." I nodded

"Knox, isn't the Farkas the pack that you came from?" A man with blonde hair and brown eyes named Seth asked. Everyone turned their heads toward Knox.

I looked up to find Knox staring at me and not replying. I turned my gaze to my lap and felt my face blush furiously.

I heard a thump and looked up to see Knox rubbing his head and glaring at the curly headed boy. He cleared his throat and spoke, "Um yea, I was part of the Farkas. They are a great pack." He nodded his head then quickly shoved food into his mouth.

It was silent for a moment until the curly headed boy spoke, "My name is Oliver by the way, I don't think I have met any of you yet. I'm the Beta. " He looked at the protectors and smiled.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kara." Kara replied and smiled respectfully.

"I'm John." John waved

"Porter" He did a weird head nod. I just rolled my eyes and scoffed.

"My name is Archer." Archer said.

"And I'm Hazel." I said and waved.

"Great to meet all of you, thanks for coming. Hazel, you were part of this pack?" Oliver smiled.

"I was two years ago" I nodded.

"May I ask why you left?" Oliver pushed.

"No reason in particular," My eyes flickered to Knox, who was staring at his plate. "Just wanted something new." I added.

Dinner went on in mostly silence with the occasional discussion on a movie or latest change in someone's life.

After dinner was over and everyone had put away their dishes I decided to go to my favorite spot on the Light Moon's territory. The garden.

I walked outside and saw the huge shrub maze entrance and started venturing through. Pushing away the feeling I got when I passed the spot that Knox rejected me by, I walked through easily.

I got to the middle of the maze and was welcomed by the smell of flowers and water. All the colors varying from blues to reds, greens to purples overtook most of the space. Lying in the middle was a huge fountain made of grey stone that had stone benches surrounding it.

Walking toward the bench that I remember as my favorite, I touched the flowers as I walked by. Taking a seat, I closed my eyes and listened to the water of the fountain.

Maybe two or three minutes had passed until I smelt that amazing smell. Just after I did, I felt a presence sit next to me on the bench.

"Hey" was all he said

I slowly opened my eyes to see Knox looking down at me with his dark blue eyes and his dark blue hair falling into his eyes.

"Hey" I replied and closed my eyes again.

"What's your favorite color?" I heard him speak.

Ok, him talking to me is exactly not what I needed him to do. I inwardly rolled my eyes and let out a sigh of irritation

"Blue" I said opening my eyes a second time to see him leaning on his arms that were on the edge of the bench behind him

"I don't know if I have a favorite color." I replied as if I had asked him. "Do you have a favorite band?" He asked a couple seconds later after I didn't reply.

I stared at the fountain that was in front of us. "Why are you out here?" I asked suddenly, ignoring his question.

I looked at him to find him staring at me calmly, "I wanted to talk to you." I replied sweetly. "Do you want me to leave?" He looked at me like he was looking into my soul.

I thought about it for a minute and realized that I didn't want him to leave, I don't know why but I just didn't.

"No, you can stay." I said making eye contact.

He looked just about as surprised with my answer as I was.

"And no I don't have a favorite band. But I do like alternative music a lot. Do you?" I questioned

"I like alternative music some, but I really love rock." Knox said smiling. His smile was so cute; he had a slight dimple on his left cheek which made him even more charming.

"Do you have a favorite movie?" I asked him this time.

"I like the James Bond movies, and mostly any action in it." I had to roll my eyes and laugh at his answer.

"What's so funny?" Knox asked with a glint in his eye of amusement.

"That is just such a typical answer of a guy." I said laughing.

"Hey! They're good movies!" Knox laughed

"I know they are, but it was just funny." I finished laughing and smiled.

Knox chuckled but then it grew silent. Not the awkward silent, but the comfortable sitting on a bench kind of silence.

"So do you forgive me?" Knox asked after a couple moments.

I stared at the fountain as he asked this.

Did I forgive him? I feel like I do, but I didn't want him to get the wrong impression. Oh well, might as well take a chance.

"Yea I forgive you." I replied looking at him again.

His face looked relieved and he scooted closer to me.

"But," I said quickly, "that doesn't mean that we are together. It means that we can be friends." I watched his face drop but he quickly pulled himself out of it.

"Oh yeah, that's all I want anyway." He said nonchalantly.

"Good. Because I am in a good relationship." I reminded him.

"Why are you even with him?" He said with sharpness.

"Or do you mean why aren't I with you?" I said with a little bit of humor.

"No, god. I mean why are you with him?" He said more seriously. Gazing at me intensely.

"Because he is a great guy and he is always there for me." I said pulling my legs onto the bench and sitting cross legged.

Knox's face looked angered but he didn't say anything else.

"Well I'm going to go back." I said standing up.

"I'll walk you." Knox stood next to me.

I started walking with Knox by my side but neither of us started a conversation.

Once we made it to the mansion and we were about to go our separate ways, Knox pulled me into a hug.

I stood stunned for a moment and just felt the heat and electricity flow between us as he hugged me, but then I quickly jumped away realizing what was happening.

"Goodnight Knox." I said walking backwards and looking at him as he looked at me with a look that I had never seen before.

"Goodnight Hazel." He replied and waved as I turned around and fast walked to my room.

Once I got there I noticed Kara was fast asleep so I just changed into my pj's and jumped into bed.

I let out a long sigh. That was a close one, I'm sure that hug just backtracked the separation a whole bunch. I have to be more alert around him.

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Hey guys!

Sorry for the long wait on this chapter, time flew by! I didn't even realize how long it had been since I posted a chapter, please forgive me haha!

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