Chapter 39: A Warning

The next day Zander and I started heading out towards our pack. We left the luxurious cabin behind and made sure everything was where it originally was.

I was going to miss the cabin and time with Zander. We had good days together, and all my worries were out of my mind. It was like we had our own little world where we could do what we wanted. I had missed getting to do what I desired instead of doing Alpha training.

Breaking out of my thoughts, I looked at the cabin a final time and mouthed “goodbye.” Zander took a lingering look on our temporary home and dared to look at me for a brief moment.

It would probably take two days if we used our wolf forms to get there. I missed my own bed to sleep on. Not that the cabin bed was bad over the last few days. But I also missed my parents and Ash, despite the secret he had hidden from me.

Zander wouldn’t look me in the eyes much as we traveled with our few possessions. The trip was pretty quiet.

I figured he still felt crappy about my rejection to his proposal. There was nothing I could do to fix things with him. It was unfortunate that we couldn’t be just friends anymore. We had done things that friends couldn’t take back. Plus, we loved each other. I didn’t love my friends like I did with Zander.

I shut off my thoughts and stopped to take a break from walking. My ankle was completely healed from the break, but I was a little tired. We had been walking for quite a while.

Zander sat beside me on a log in the woods. He gave a thoughtful look and turned to look at the tree closest to us. Was he really giving me the cold shoulder? I thought he was more mature than this.

I moved closer to him and asked, “Why won’t you talk to me?” I folded my arms over my chest and added, “You said you’d stay by my side even if you aren’t with me. This isn’t right.”

Zander’s gaze landed on my face. He sighed and said, “I want to but I’ve got nothing to say. You’re going to stay with Ash. It’s hard to be around you now.”

“It doesn’t have to be. We can still be friendly to one another.”

Zander shook his head and scoffed loudly. “Yeah like I can do that. Cleo, we slept together. I can’t just talk to you like you mean nothing to me. That night was one of the best I've ever had.”

His words struck a nerve in me. Zander was right. We couldn’t act like nothing had happened between us. We had crossed a line that couldn’t be undone.

Part of me wished we could undo what we had done in the cabin. Feelings for him just strengthened while we were together for so long. When I was with him, I almost forgot about my promise to Ash. My thoughts had to be stopped, so I tried to clear my mind.

I took out a bottle of water and drank a few sips. Zander wouldn’t look at me again and stared off in the distance. My heart yearned for him to not be so upset. I couldn’t make him happier.

Zander would remain always a little bitter about his rejection. I couldn’t make us back to how we used to be. I missed his teasing and flirting with me. It was too late to restart our relationship.

I got up and stretched my arms and legs. Zander hadn’t moved an inch and glanced at me before
looking away. I glanced back at him which made my heart feel like it was burning inside.

I started heading to the path when my phone rang and startled me. I checked the caller ID which said it was my friend Megan. It had been a long time since I heard from her. I got up and walked away from Zander to answer the call.

“Hey Megan. What’s up?”

“Cleo, where are you? I tried calling the Wisteria pack but they said you had left.”

“Sorry about that Megan. I am on my way home, but I had to take a bit of a detour. I promise I’ll be there soon.”

“You better be,” said Megan.

Something in her voice made me suspicious. “What is it?” I asked, “Has something happened to my parents?”

Megan paused and said, “It’s Ash. He’s been acting kind of suspicious recently. He’s been coming to our pack a lot while you aren’t here, even when he doesn’t have any Alpha training scheduled.”

Why would Ash go there when he knows I’m gone? I wondered what he was doing. Maybe he was hanging out with my parents and talking about our future. I’m sure nothing unusual was occurring. I thought about what to respond and answered my friend.

I said, “Do you know why he’s there so much? He hasn’t been in contact to tell me anything recently.”

Megan took a deep breath and said, “I have no idea. But he’s been acting secretive about something. I don’t like it.”

Ash had never kept anything from me before. I trusted him to not hide secrets from me. We had a good relationship, and I had always been honest with him.

“Thanks for telling me. I’ll have to find out what’s going on.”

“Yeah you should. That man is being shady.” Megan added, “I always knew he wasn’t the golden guy everyone else made him out to be.”

I felt guilty because I used to think Ash was almost perfect. It was when we first started dating, and he did all the right things. I shoved the thoughts away, so I wouldn’t keep Megan waiting too long.

I cleared my throat and asked, “Is that the only news or is there more about Ash?”

“Yeah it is. I’ll let you go now. I hope you get back here safely.”

“I'll see you when I get back.”

I wondered whether I should tell Zander but decided against it. He didn’t need a reason to hate Ash even more. Besides, it wasn’t his business if Ash was keeping thing from me. It was between Ash and me. I had to deal with Ash on my own.

Ash acting this way made me a little ticked off. He used to tell me that he’d never keep something from me. I guessed I fell for his huge lie back then. My trust for him wouldn’t be as strong after this stunt.

I leaned against a tree and absorbed what Megan told me. Ash wasn’t being his usual self and being secretive. I needed to get back to the pack more urgently than before and find out what he was hiding from me.