IN NEED OF MAJOR EDITING.

ENJOY!

DON'T HATE ME TOO MUCH.

MUAH

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Abigail was doing much better. She was a little sore and she had a fever, but her health was improving gradually due to her werewolf abilities. She felt like she owed me her whole life, but it wasn’t in my best interest to look for something in return. I was the type to do favors for people because it was right – not because I was looking for a grand prize at the end of every good deed done.

Beau was proud of me for discovering a way to connect with my healing abilities. His training had also become more challenging. However, I succeeded at most of the tasks he gave to me.

I’ve also discovered a new ability.

I tried it out on Abigail and her fever had gone down gradually. Beau was practically jumping up and down in excitement at my rare power. Apparently, I had the ability to better an illness, but only to a certain extent.

After the thousandth time of reciting the words repeatedly, my throat was as dry as sand paper. I ended our training and headed for the kitchen.

I went straight for the cupboard, reaching up on my tiptoes. In times like this, I cursed my short height. I smiled in victory when the glass cup was safely in my hands.

“Hey,” a female greeted out of nowhere. I jumped a foot in the air, startled. I turned around, clutching the glass to my chest.

“Oh, hey,” I said awkwardly when I saw Hayley sitting at the kitchen table on her cell phone.

“Sorry I scared you,” Hayley apologized, putting her phone down.

“Oh, no,” I waved off. “I just didn’t see you there. I was focused on getting myself a drink. My throat is as dry as the Sahara desert. Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thank you,” Hayley said politely. “I’m just waiting for Weston to come down.”

I sit down on the seat across from her. Although it was extremely awkward, it was rude for me to leave Hayley here by herself. I took a sip of my water, feeling the cool liquid slide down my dry throat.

Hayley’s phone dinged, slicing through the awkward silence like a knife.

“Sorry,” she said, lowering the volume of her phone. “I’m texting my mother. It’s been a long time since I’ve talked to her. My parents are divorced.”

I was quite shocked with how easy it came from her lips. She didn’t seem the slightest bit embarrassed that her parents weren’t together anymore.

“It’s alright,” I said. “You should talk to your mom. I’m sorry to hear about your parents’ divorce.”

“My parents were divorced too,” I added when Hayley didn’t say anything. It surprised me that I was being open with her. I guess it was because we had something in common and it was the only thing to talk about. I’d rather say the most embarrassing things than sit here and stare at her while there was an awkward silence between the both of us.

“They were? So they got back together?” Hayley asked, folding her arms on top of the table.

“Not quite,” I said, shaking my head. I couldn’t believe I was sharing so much of my life with this stranger. “My dad died about fifteen months ago.”

Hayley’s eyes widened, her lips frowning. She was pitying me. I usually hated being pitied, but I’ve gotten used to it. “I’m so sorry, Danny,” Hayley said sincerely.

“I still don’t know how to respond to that,” I answered honestly, laughing. “I don’t know whether to say ‘it’s okay’, ‘thank you’, or ‘I’m fine’. Nothing relatively fits.”

“Tell me about it,” Hayley laughed too. “Every time I hear that, I don’t know what to say.”

“So, you live with your dad?” I asked.

“Yup,” she says, popping the p. “They divorced when I was eleven. Ever since then, I stayed with my dad. I would talk to my mother occasionally. Usually, I visit her at New York City over the summer. I love small towns. Big cities overwhelm me.”

“I used to live in the city,” I laughed. “I moved to this small town two years ago. Fourteen months ago, I moved to another small town with relatives. I kind of like cities. They keep you busy. It helps you forget all the problems you’re having. I’m attached to Huntstown though.”

“I grew up here,” Hayley explains. “All my family and friends are here. I’m afraid of letting that go.”

“You must have a great family,” I smiled.

“So, forgive me for asking, but why did your parents have a divorce? You don’t have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable.”

I pursed my lips. After a couple of seconds, I simply say, “He found out some things he wasn’t supposed to and found a whore half his age.”

“Oh,” Hayley exclaims. “That’s tough!”

“What about your parents?”

“Reconcilable differences.” Hayley smiled. “They just lost feelings for each other.”

“Oh,” I simply said. It must be hard for a kid to see their parents divorce just because they actually didn’t love each other. “Are you an only child?”

“Yes. What about you?”

“I have an older brother. He’s twenty one. He got married when he was only twenty, but he’s pretty sure that she’s the one,” I said proudly. It was always second nature for me to brag about Darren.

“That’s cute,” Hayley smiled genuinely. “What about your mom? What is she like?”

“She’s wonderful,” I said honestly. “She’s truly a super mom. She does everything for us. She owns her own business. She’s a fashion designer.”

My mom does truly do everything for Darren and I. She would literally take bullets for us. Talking about her made me want to cry. I was proud to be her daughter.

“That’s so cool,” Hayley exclaimed. “My dad owns a business too, but it’s just a small shop in town.”

“What store?” I asked, sipping my water.

“The Big Shot,” Hayley replied. I choked on my water, looking at Hayley with wide eyes. “Yeah, I know. He sells guns for a living. It’s something I’m not so proud about.”

“Your dad is Henry?” I asked alarmed.

“You know him?” Hayley asked suspiciously.

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve heard about him around town. I heard he’s a sharp shooter,” I lied.

Did Weston know Hayley’s dad was a hunter? Did he know he was the one who created those vile weapons? If Hayley found out what we were, we’d be dead in a second. Would she nark on her boy friend? Was she undercover? She seemed sincere and clueless. Why the hell was the world so screwed up?

I’m so confused.

“Yeah, he is pretty good with the guns,” Hayley agreed.

“Did Weston meet him yet? I know Weston’s into guns,” I lied again. I wanted to know if Weston knew what he was getting himself into. I couldn’t stand to see him hurt.

“Yeah, Weston and my dad get along pretty well. Weston’s my dad’s favorite. My dad teaches him how to shoot at the ranch sometimes,” Hayley says happily while I was anything but happy.

My palms started getting clammy and my blood ran cold when everything started to click into place. The weapons I found in Weston’s room. The shootings he practiced with the one and only creator of the vile weapons – his girl friend’s dad. The werewolves that were teaming up with the hunters. The reason why he was putting his pack in danger because “he didn’t want to give up something that was excessively valuable”. The reason why he didn’t want to give me an answer when I asked him what the hunters and rogues wanted. It because he didn’t have an answer in the first place. It was all lies.

I felt my fist clench under the table, my heart aching at the hurtful truth. My eye twitched as I replayed the painful discovery in my head. There was no way Weston was betraying us, right?

Maybe I was over thinking the situation. Maybe I was assuming things once again. There was only one way to find out the truth and I knew how I was going to get my answer.

“I should get going,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. I plastered a fake smile. “I almost forgot I had a meeting. It was nice talking to you, Hayley. See you, later.”

***

“Kid,” the familiar raspy voice shouted happily. “Long time no see! Where’s your brother?”

Ron beamed at me, fixing the faded blue cap on his head. I smiled back sweetly, putting my hands on the counter. “He’s watching my sister,” I lied.

“Has he changed his mind?” Ron asked excitedly.

“Nope,” I simply said, shrugging my shoulders.

Ron’s face fell a little, before he smiled widely again. “So, how can I help you?”

“I was wondering if I could get a list of all the hunters in the group,” I said sweetly, praying he wouldn’t ask any questions.

Today just wasn’t my day.

“Why?” Ron asked suspiciously, his furry eyebrows knitting together.

I mentally groaned. He was making this harder than it was supposed to me. My fake smile grew wider.

“Well,” I stalled, trying to find a good excuse. “My brother and I are planning something and I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

“Surprise?” Ron asked like a child on Christmas. He was so gullible. I almost wanted to laugh at him.

“Yup,” I winked. “We really appreciate what you men do. You risk your lives for the citizens of this town.”

Gag.

“Oh,” Ron smiled bigger, jumping up and down in excitement. I knew what he was thinking. He actually thought that we were going to do something special for them. “Well, I’ll be back. I’ll print out the names for you.”

I waited impatiently as he printed the names. I paced around the front, feeling my stomach clench uncomfortably. Should I go home and mind my own business?

Hell no. We all know how stubborn and nosy I was.

“Here you go,” Ron said cheerfully, placing the sheet of paper in my sweaty hands. I muttered a thank you, holding the paper that held all my answers with a light grip. It felt like a ticking bomb in my hand. Walking out the front door, Ron yelled, “We’ll see you soon, kid!”

I rolled my eyes.

Climbing into my Land Rover, I closed my eyes and drew in a shaky breath. This was it. My hands were trembling as I read the list of names on the white sheet of paper.

Henry Price

Ronald Higgins

Paul Kearny

Samuel Walker

Fred Abbot

Weston Marshall

I threw the sheet of paper with disgust and shock, tasting the bile in my throat.