"Someone pick up the damn phone already." Nina hissed.

"Okay wait, April why didn't you pick up the phone?" Emma turned to me expectantly.

"How many time has Kayla rang?" Nina snapped as the phone stopped vibrating. She looked as though she wanted to jump into the screen and strangle our good-turned-bad best friend herself.

"I found it suspicious that Kayla of all people was ringing me and I wanted you guys here for moral support in case... In case, I don't know, said something I couldn't respond to. She's unpredictable. " I paused, aware of how childish it sounded out loud.

"So you called us into your room so we could pick up together and see what Kayla has to say?" Emma said slowly, voicing my thoughts out loud. I nodded hesitantly.

"April I think you should pick up – Kayla rang you for a reason. Put it on speaker though." She reasoned.

I pressed the answer button and put it on speaker, dropping it onto the bed and jumping away like it was poison. In a way, maybe it was poison – Kayla's words and thoughts had become poison lately. All of because of Noah – my jaw clenched at the sheer thought of him.

A pause. "Hello?" Kayla's voice came out muffled and crackly, a hint of annoyance seeping through the line. Me and Nina exchanged uneasy looks.

"Hey," my voice was soft.

"Finally, I thought no-one would pick up after the fourth ring. What took you so long?"

"Um, technical difficulties."

"Are you alone?"

"Nina and Emma are here too – you're on speaker." I admitted.

"Well I didn't call for chit chat. I just called to say that I know about you and Aiden April." My eyes widened, mouth dropping ever so slightly. Did she know we kissed? "You're mates now and have been accepted by the Silvermoon pack," she spat the last word with so much venom.

"Noah has to deal with a lost brother whilst you all laugh and celebrate. It's not fair on him. I also called to say to stop texting me –" I paused, remembering the desperate texts me and Nina had send her. "Things aren't as they used to be anymore. My loyalty is with Noah's pack now. I don't need you anymore so please stop texting – I only called to tell you this because I'm sick of it."

"Fuck you Kayla. After all we've been through and you think some lame ass jerk-turkey is suddenly the bane of your existence. What happened to the Kayla who cared about being independent and not needing a guy to rely on? What happened to the Kayla that vowed to never leave us?" Nina let out a scoff. "And now look at you - pathetic, love sick fool, unable to think or act on her own."

A sharp intake of breath sounded from the line. Before Kayla could speak, I intervened: "I agree. You two were my family when I came to America. We promised we'd never turn our backs on one another – we were like sisters and you're just going to change for Noah?" My words became angrier. "Why? This isn't you Kayla – you're not spiteful and stupid. You're... you're so much more."

"Don't. Don't try to guilt trip me. I've changed, people change and you can't change that about me, so please just stop. I'm done with you." With that, a few minutes of deadly silence echoed throughout the room. I could have sworn I heard a sob from the end of the line, before the sound of beeping signalled the end of our friendship.

"Shit." Emma cursed softly under her breath at the conversation she had just witnessed. Sensing we weren't going to move anytime soon, Emma picked up the phone and silenced it. Nina's expression was hidden – her head was ducked, almost as though in shame, her breathing jagged. I could tell she was trying hard not to cry but I knew better than to comfort her – she always felt the need to protect everyone around her.

"Well..." I struggled to lighten the mood. "That... was bad."

"She's a bitch," Nina's voice was barely audible as though she was muttering the words to herself. Me and Emma turned to her in unison, surprise masking our features. "She is a total bitch. She's gone bad and she's not coming back April. What's the point of trying anymore?"

I was taken aback by her words. Give up? On Kayla? "Look, she may have gone bad, but I'm not giving up and nor are you. You and I both know we're secretly hoping for a miracle that she'll come to her senses – we'll talk to that fucktard Noah sooner or later." I said firmly, pacing the length of the room as I spoke.

Emma made a noise of protest. "Guys, I think I should point out just one teeny, tiny thing," Emma began, her cheeks flushing. "I don't think Aiden and Diego would let you anywhere near Noah let alone Kayla – he's pretty dangerous right now and I think I would agree with them."

She shifted uncomfortably under my glare. "I don't think Diego and Aiden have any right telling us what we can and can't do." No-one owns me.

"Well... you're mates and mates don't let the other one do something completely insane. Nor do friends." Emma argued. "And since you guys are human, you're weaker and more vulnerable."

Nina's head lifted at this. "Like hell we're weak. If we want to talk to our ex-bitch-former best friend, we'll talk to our ex-bitch-former best friend."

Emma threw up her hands, shaking her head. "I don't think it's a good idea... But I understand where you're coming from. Let things cool over first, Nina. Please?"

"So join us – help us get Kayla back. No-one will have to know and since we're so 'weak'" Emma frowned at this, "then we have you with us – a werewolf." Nina explained, examining her nails calmly as though she hadn't just put Emma in a difficult dilemma.

"But-"

"No buts. This is what friends do right? They stick together and do crazy shit together." Nina emphasized on each word and I saw Emma's expression change.

"Whoa, wait a minute. Nina you can't use the friends card on Emma." I retorted, narrowing my eyes at Nina's hard expression – it was as though the vulnerable girl had disappeared and was now replaced by Nina's usual, militant self. I remembered how Emma had confided in me that she had never really had any real friends before and Nina was using her weakness to our advantage. As good as the idea was, it simply felt wrong using her like this.

"Emma, no-one has to know about our little plan for Kayla. Not Diego, not Carlos, not Aiden. It's just between us; consider it a mission." Nina whispered.

"I don't know..." Emma fumbled, her eyes darting between my shaking head and Nina's encouragement. "Okay, I guess." Emma finally managed.

"Thank you, Emma."

"This is wrong – if Noah catches us even talking to Kayla, we're dead meat."

"April, it will be fine. As long as I'm there, Noah won't dare lay a finger on us." Emma grinned cockily as she pretended to wipe off fake dust from her shoulders.

Take a walk and get your head straight. There's a chance Kayla isn't all bad...No-one is bad. No-one. Right? I couldn't help the small smile that pulled my lips upwards at the thought of getting Kayla back as a friend if our plan worked out as I walked out of the room.

"What are you smiling about?" The familiar, Spanish-American voice I knew so well said from the darkened passageway on my right. I turned in surprise and squinted to make out two forms in the dark. I couldn't help the little jig my heart did as I realized who it was.

"Aiden?" I called hesitantly, pausing to let the other figure in the darkness introduce them self.

"And Barbara," I couldn't help but feel a sharp pang of annoyance within me – why was she here?

"So what are you smiling about?" Aiden's voice sounded again – he sounded completely bored and my previous excitement lessened at his tone.

"Nothing."

"You can't be smiling about nothing," Barbara interjected.

Well done, Sherlock. Ew, what am I saying? She's no Sherlock.

"I - I just got some good news." I tried to keep my answer short, unwilling to give away any details of our plan.

"What kind of good news?" Barbara pressed, her lean figure propped up against the wall on one foot.

"It's private," I defended, getting ready to turn away from them. Why isn't Aiden even looking at me?

"So you finally has something to be vaguely secretive about – I wonder what it is." Barbara chuckled at Aiden's poor attempt at humour and I frowned at his sudden change in attitude. "Is it a new book? Or was it that lame guy you went on a date with? Well, I guess dating is out of the option now." Even in the darkness I could see Aiden's long fingers reach up to his neck and tap the area where my own mark currently lay embellished in my skin.

My fingers automatically brushed my hair aside to feel the mark throbbing under my fingers, my expression dazed and angered. It didn't take a genius to realize that Aiden's eyes were probably glowing like a hybrid of emerald and black onyx - like a wolf to its prey.

Why was he being a major ass hole? I thought being mates made you nicer. All the things I'd wanted to say to Aiden vanished and were replaced by an unrelenting annoyance.

"Now that's no way to talk to your mate," Barbara scolded.

"Oh, okay. Sorry April." He may as well have not have said anything - it would have felt more honest.

I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth together. Barbara sounded too smug for my liking, Aiden was a total jerk and I couldn't believe I hadn't already ripped his pretty little hair out already.

"Fuck you Aiden."

An interruption broke the silence.

"Hey April, the chefs are baking downstairs. You like baking, right?" I heard Cole panting behind me as he spun the corner and spotted me from the staircase.

"That's great, thanks Cole." Then, I forced myself not to look back at them as I descended the staircase.

And I didn't. I didn't look back at them. A mental, slightly disheartened cheer sounded in my head as I managed to go down with dignity and not look back.

Maybe there is not good side to Aiden – maybe the only side to him is the mean one. But then again, who am I to change that?