Chapter 19: Your Pack

Things felt different for the rest of the drive after opening up to one another. It was also because he had comforted me when I needed it. I felt closer to him than ever before. Zander had more to him than I had originally thought. He actually was a person that I wanted to learn more about.

As we got closer to the pack, Zander seemed on edge. I wanted to make sure Zander wanted to return to his old pack. My heart hurt to see him look so stressed.

I spoke up and asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

He clenched his teeth and said, “Yeah I’m sure. I need to figure out who killed my parents. I can’t back out now.”
“But...” I was cut off by his annoyed tone.

“Just drop it. You can’t change my mind. We’re almost there. I can’t turn back to the Full Moon pack.” He added, “You were the one who wanted to come with me. I never told you that you had to come.”

It was quiet for the rest of the trip. Zander being tense made me feel crappy too. Our trip had been a really nice one until we got closer to his old pack. He must’ve hated them thoroughly to have such a bitter reaction to returning. But his parents were killed within this pack, so he had good reason.

Zander had no happy memories of being with them. I’d feel the same if I was him. Zander didn’t deserve to have this tragic past. I wished we could go to the past and undo his parents’ death.

I was shocked when I learned that Zander’s old pack was lead by Ash’s dad. I had had hours to think about it in the car, but I couldn’t remember Ash ever mentioning this to me. It dawned on me why Ash would keep that from me.

Finally, I understood why he was hostile to Zander that first date long ago. He knew the truth and kept it from me. I felt hurt by his big secret but knew why he didn’t tell me.

Zander parked in the long driveway of the Wisteria mansion and turned to face me. “I’ve got to warn you about something.”

What was he talking about? This was Ash’s pack. I was treated like an honorary member because of our engagement.

I asked cautiously, “What’s there to warn me about?”

He sighed and said, “Not everyone is like Ash. There are some members who are horrible people.” Zander put his hand on my cheek and said, “I don’t want you getting hurt by what you thought his pack was like.”

It was hard to believe his words, but he spoke in such a serious manner. I knew in my gut that he wasn’t lying to me.

Zander unlocked the door, and I got out of his truck first. He stayed there for a few seconds with an uneasy expression stuck on his face. I’m sure he hated being back at his original pack.

Ash’s dad Maurice came right up to me and pulled me into a warm hug. He said, “Welcome back Cleo. Since you came here, we’ll have to have a grand feast in your honor.”

“You don’t have to do that for me, Maurice.”

“It’s not a burden. I want to do this for you.”

He didn’t greet Zander immediately and looked at him as if he was a bug. There was clear hatred in Maurice’s eyes. It didn’t seem to bother Zander, but I noticed his shoulders had tensed.

Maurice ended up turning to face Zander. “I see you’re back again Zander Underwood. I thought you’d never return here.”

Maurice almost sounded sinister from how I heard him.

Zander simply replied back, “Yeah I’m just passing through. Don’t worry, I won’t stay long.”

The Alpha didn’t respond and walked off towards his head Beta. I felt their tension when they were talking. It gave an eerie chill up my spine. I hoped that Zander wouldn’t up fighting anyone while we were here. Maybe I needed to keep an eye on him to keep him out of trouble.

One Beta led us to rooms that we’d stay in. I was led to another fabulous suite. This one was larger than the Full Moon pack’s.

The bed was a queen sized one and had layers of embroidered pillows neatly resting against the regular pillows. Then the dresser was painted a bright white and had gold knobs. There was even a large walk-in closet decked out with elegant and sophisticated dresses and shoes.

I went back to the closet and checked if any dresses were my size. It was like this whole room was made for me. The dresses turned out to be my size, which Ash would know by our months spent together.

I pulled out a gorgeous blue dress that had an A-line cut. A tulle skirt gave the dress life and movement, while beaded sequined bows added some sparkle. The dress would probably be a few inches from being near my ankle. I was a taller girl but only 5’6.”

I went to the bathroom and changed into the dress. After looking in the mirror, I got out my curling iron I had packed in my luggage. I curled my hair and reapplied my lipstick and massacre.

Shortly after, I left for the ballroom where feasts were held. I didn’t want to keep the Wisteria family waiting. Not that I knew if Ash was around or not.

When I got to the large ballroom, Zander stood there looking stiff in a black and white tuxedo. He looked so handsome and fancier than I had ever seen him before.

I approached him and said, “You clean up nicely. I didn’t know you could pull off a tux.”

Zander laughed and said, “I could say the same about you. You look like a queen.”

I bit my lip and said, “Thank you but you’re just being nice.”

“I’m not just saying it to be nice. Take the compliment princess.”

We were interrupted by a girl who came up to Zander. She said, “Why’d you bother to come back? We all thought you were gone for good.”

Another guy added, “Yeah we never wanted you to come back. You’re a disgrace to this pack.”

I wanted to punch both of these people. My fists clenched tightly. Zander laid his hand over my left fist and uncurled it.

He looked at his former friend and the girl and said, "I’ll be gone before you know it.”

They walked away from us while whispering. I turned to face Zander, and he looked so ticked off. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. I hoped we’d get what he needed and leave there as soon as possible.