The fact she is my brothers mate makes me hate her.. but this.. this wasnt her fault. Until i find something that says it is. Being my brothers mate is suspicious enough.

I dropped the necklace carefully inside the box and closed the lid, clutching the box to my chest i let the tears dry as i lay on Zaryn's pillow in a more numb state. More miserable but numb none the less.

Our hiding spot..

I could communicate questions i had for him. I could write him letters like teenagers do and leave them behind the loose piece of wood in the wall. That's as close as ill get to answers..

Thats when i heard it.

A bark. Zaryn's bark. A little further in the distance.

The coast was clear. Relief washed over me but i still felt on edge.

Gathering all my strength, i stripped myself of the tshirt and placed it back in the trunk. I wanted to keep it. As memorabilia.. but i had the box and the locket. That would be enough.

Once out of the treehouse, stark naked, i shifted into my wolf.. she held the box gently in her mouth as to not leave teethmarks and we got the hell out of there as fast as we could.

I never saw another sign of Zaryn again but we didnt feel safe until she had ran all the way down the forrest and up to my parents house, on the way, rubbing her fur into the earth in order to rid us of Zaryn's scent just in case.. My wolf knew what the stakes were if we got caught. We share a mind.. its just sometimes she gets a mind of her own.

I shifted quickly and ran around back, up the deck where we all kept a change of clothes for emergencies. I found my spare hoodie and basketball shorts, putting them on quickly. I sighed in relief, putting the box in my front pocket but taking out the necklace as i sat on the top step of our back porch.

The full moon overhead combined with my expert night vision, allowed me to see the beautiful intricate pattern with the anchor in the middle with a perfect view. I couldnt stop rubbing the lockets surface as my mind wandered...

Why did he say he loved me? Why so soon?Why now?

It was dumb and naive of me to meet with him the few times we did. I knew that.

I knew it would bring me nothing but more heartache if i grew attached but im a fool for torture and.. having a mate.. being close to them. Its unexplainable.

I never knew why some mates actually chose to reject their mate by mating other wolves.. it wasnt a magic rejection.. you still felt drawn to your original copy.. but after mating with a different wolf, your feelings were for them alone, despite feeling attracted to the original.

But it wasn't the same. Those feelings would never compare to your original mate. Ever.

I put the necklace around my neck with ease, letting it fall to the middle of my chest. The perfect length to hide from prying eyes. He is smart...I let out a long breath, leaning my head back as i watched the moon.. bathing in her light.

A creak of wood had my head shooting upward to see a form standing at the bottom of the stairs in the shadows. My heart rate spiked in fear until they came closer and i realized who it was.

Deacon stood there staring at me with his head cocked sideways. I frowned, sticking my head out forward.

"D? You scared me half to death. What are you doing!?" I watched as he came up the stairs slowly, seeming a bit tense. Sitting next to me on the back step, i cringed a little, hoping i was able to get most of the smell off. I could tell him anything but this i wanted to keep to myself.

"Whats up Nova. Where u been?" He sounded strange as he turned to gaze at me with a small smile.

I sighed, "oh you know, just howling at the moon... " i laughed lightly.

"Yeah" he let out a laugh. "We all heard it. Look.. im really sorry about tonight.. about my dad. But wow did you know you got Grace good?" His eyes widened as he attempted to mask his smirk.

My mouth fell open "i mean, i know i went a little crazy but ... is she..." my brows lifted in question.

Quickly he shook his head. "Nah nah.. she will heal. May have to wear a bandage for a while but no permanent damage. Zaryn's pup is fine too."

I had conflicted emotions about it all.. especially at the fact he just said zaryns pup instead of her pup.. or the pup. As if he wanted to remind me..

We sat there for a moment, just staring out at the moon. silence. I turned to face Deacon and leaned my back up against the railing, my feet out straight.

I scrutinized him for a moment bedore i spoke. "I want to talk to you about what you said at dinner.."

He glanced up at me before shaking his head. "No nova. I was out of line.. i shouldnt have said that. Im just happy to have you back now."

I flashed him a one sided smile..." im glad the ban is off our friendship too.. at least we can hang out again." That one sided smile turned into a tight lipped one. I know D is not getting along with Z right now, because of me.. but i didnt want D to be sesnsitive about the fact that i have been spending more time with Zaryn than him. It was wrong of Zaryn to ask for the ban on our friendship.. but his intensions were not out of malice. I decided to change the subject since Deacon seemed a bit more relaxed now..

"have you heard anything from my brother? I havent seen him yet." I asked, curious as to what happened between he and Grace during their talk. Deacon turned to face me fully.

"Yeah. He actually went to Doc's to see what would happen.. i think they talked afterwards." He replied in a monotone as he stared at me with a frown etched on his forehead.

"What is it, why are you looking at me like that?"

He stood, you could tell he was irritated as his hand reached up to my neck and picked up my locket, looking at it in the moonlight. I froze, instantly nervous.. i forgot to hide it in my shirt.

"When did you get this?" He eyed it a moment before his eyes flashed up to mine, something about his demeanor seemed threatening to my wolf and i didnt like it.

"Oh. Just recently. Neat isnt it?" I worried he would know where it came from. Deacon is my best friend that i could usually talk to but something about him right now.. something was telling me not to tell him what happened tonight. I know he wouldnt tell on me.. but.. something was different now.

He gave a sarcastic like laugh. "Yeah. Neat. Hey im gonna go to the pack house and take a shower. You should take one too. You stink. ill see you tomorrow. We need to talk about something." He held irritation in his tone..

I sat there staring at him blankly. "Oh, uh okay? See ya tomorrow."

Deacon walked away, a certain sourness pouring from him. I couldnt figure out whats gotten into him lately... maybe ill find out tomorrow.

But i think ive had enough exhaustion, excitement, heart ache, nervousness and confusion for one day. Time to go to bed. I can talk to Nic tomorrow and get the details.

I just hoped anxiety wouldnt take over tonight once i was alone with my thoughts...