I raced back to the car as fast as I could, telling Noah and Kayla to come 15 minutes later so I could prevent something from happening that would paint the scene red.

"Aiden?" I called my voice a mix between a yell and pant. I walked further into the house and half-climbed the stairs, my neck twisting to catch sight of someone. Anyone. "Aiden? Is anyone here?"

"Geez, I think everyone heard you," Daniel exited his room.

"Daniel." I barked, "where's Aiden? And Diego? And Nina?"

"What's up little A?" He smiled at me, but I had no time for sweet talk right now. I needed to get to Aiden and Diego before Noah did; who knows how they would react.

"Daniel, please, just tell me where they are."

"They're all in the kitchen." I followed his eyes and nodded, racing to the kitchen. I burst through, panting, my eyes widening as I saw Emma sitting by the table. Her eyes lifted to mine as soon as I entered, but they remained void of emotion. How they hell did she reach here before me? I broke the speed limit twice. Werewolf advantages, I grumbled.

I thinned my lips, feeling guilty about what I was about to do. "Aiden?"

"Yes April? You were screeching my name all over the house." I grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to turn and looked him square in the eye.

"I need to talk to you." I said seriously.

"You're trying to seduce me? Right now?" He raised his eyebrows and was met with chortles from Beau.

"Shut up," I was met with an upturned smile. "Please?"

Now, he looked concerned. "Sure, come on."

I quickly slid the door open and slipped out, waiting before Aiden exited after me and then slammed it shut. "Geez, calm down, Ap. What's going on with you? You look like an escaped gorilla looking for a way out of the zoo."

"Charming," I dropped my gaze, my stomach suddenly knotting at the prospect of what I was about to do. I looked up at him and my breath caught in my throat, my mind muddling as he grinned lazily at me.

"Aiden I need you to promise me something."

"What is it?

"First promise me." I urged.

"You're freaking me out more than usual... which I didn't think was possible. What's going on April?" He hooked his arms around me neck lazily, fingers tangling in my hair as he dragged his hand through it gently. I forced myself to not crumble at the sensation.

"Promise me something."

"Okay, okay, I promise. Now what is it that I promised to?" He said with a faint trace of amusement lacing his voice.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "You'll promise me that you'll listen to me, you won't get angry and you'll stop if I tell you to stop." I rushed my words so that they ran into one another, but Aiden seemed to understand because he frowned.

"It sounds like a dictatorship."

"You'll promise me that you won't let your werewolf side take over. You'll listen to things and let... let people speak before acting."

He hesitated again. "Please."

"It's that important to you that I promise these lame, out-of-the-blue, cheesy pieces of shit?" I nodded. "Is there a reason you want me to promise you these things?" I nodded my head. "And I haven't done anything wrong? Have I hurt you?"

"No!" I said quickly, leaning into his touch. "You have never hurt me, Aiden." I confirmed, cupping his face and kissing him sweetly.

Then, I came back to my senses. "But I need you to say you promise. The actual words. Swear it, pinkie swear it." I reprimanded, jerking my pinkie finger out. One of his dark eyebrows rose as though to say seriously? He removed his hands from where they were now gently massing my hipbone to do so.

"I promise." He bowed slightly, grinning. My muscles loosened slightly; I had his promise – he couldn't break it now. He wouldn't act out against Noah – not whilst I was here.

Then, the door burst open.

A red-faced Diego stormed through, followed by Nina, her cheeks tinged pink. They were closely followed by Noah and Kayla and then after them, the rest of the gang. Already, I felt Aiden stiffen by my side and his hand on my hips tightened, not uncomfortably so as he drew me behind him.

"Aiden. Did you know about this?" Diego spoke through clenched teeth.

"What the hell's going on?"

"He," Diego pointed a finger towards Noah, "happened."

"Noah, what the fuck do you think you're doing here?" Aiden turned his attention to Noah next and I felt my stomach clench at his unforgiving glare. I thought they made up when I was in my coma? Well, that was what I was told at least.

"I – I need to tell you something." Noah choked out.

"I'll tell you Aiden. This – this bastard caused Nina and April's accident." Diego managed to spit.

I turned to Aiden, shock exploding through my body. "No," I whispered, my eyes widening as I registered Aiden's reaction. This wasn't how it was meant to play out. Noah was meant to tell him - to explain to him! His eyes widened, flickering to me and then to Noah and then Diego. Though he tried to hide it, I could never forget that sheer look of disbelief that crossed his face before his lip curled back.

I spoke up. "Diego, you need to let him explain – please. Don't do anything rash. Just hear him out, please."

"Diego, what do you mean?" Aiden ignored me although his hands never left my body and turned his attention back to Diego.

"What I mean is that Noah was that supposed 'fox' who ran across the road and caused Nina and April to nearly die! Nearly die." He repeated again.

"You didn't let me finish explaining!" Noah intervened, his voice thin.

"Is this true? Did you cause their accident?" I was scared – I was scared at the calmness that settled in Aiden's voice. It was like the seconds before a bomb, the horrific anticipation before those final few seconds ran out.

"Why would I lie?" Diego shot back.

"Noah, I asked is this true?" Aiden repeated again calmly.

Noah's hazel eyes stared down at the ground, his body motionless. Kayla stood behind him, one hand placed upon his shoulder. "Yes." He whispered.

Silence fell over us.

"Shit man." I heard Daniel mutter in the distance – I glanced up and found Daniel leaning at the patio door, his muscles crossed his chest, a look of utter horror plastered across his features.

I hesitated, before taking a large step forward so Aiden's hands fell away from me. "That isn't the full story. Noah, tell them what you told me – you didn't want this anymore than we did. Tell them." Noah's eyes remained hooded, his body immobilised save for Kayla's soft sobs shaking him. "Tell them – you didn't mean to do what you did, it was grief. Anger. But you're not evil, tell them, Noah! Say something!"

"April, stop. Just leave it, please." Noah whispered. I felt Aiden flinch behind me as he spoke my name.

"Don't fucking talk to her." Aiden growled, pulling me back roughly. Oh crap.

"What did you tell Diego?" I asked in horror – he sure as hell didn't explain the full story. He probably only had time to tell him that one fact, the one murderous fact that had caused the hairs on everyone's arms to rise.

"He told me enough." Diego snapped.

"You knew about this? You knew he tried to kill us? And you didn't say anything?" Nina spoke up quietly.

"I-I only found out, Nina." I stuttered, my eyes widening at the look on her face – I'd never seen her look at me that way before.

"You still knew though. And you didn't say anything. You knew Noah tried to kill us and you kept it to yourself. Because you're too important to let other people know? To let me know?"

"I only found out Nina! I came straight here! What? Did you expect me to scream it at the top of my lungs when I entered the house?"

"You should have." Diego spoke, his eyes shimmering – a ring of amber ran around his iris – I started and flinched slightly. His werewolf side was emerging. His pupils were dilated, no longer emerald but a dark, mossy green – they type that screamed predator.

"Noah needed a chance to explain himself; he needed to say it." I whispered, bile rising in the back of my throat at the thought that I was being blamed for this.

"He tried to kill you and you're defending him? I could have lost my mate, April. Aiden could have lost his." Diego shook his head.

"He explained himself to me. He can explain himself to you too if you'll just listen." I responded, my eyes levelling with Diego's frighteningly animalistic ones.

"Go on then Noah. You have 30 seconds to give me an excuse for not ripping your head off right now. Talk. And that emotional shit you pulled on April won't work on me," he shot me a disgusted look. "You tried to kill my mate. So don't think I'll cry over your goddamn brother – I swear I'll –" he started forward viciously but Beau and Daniel were by his side in an instant, arms grabbing at him, pulling him back.

Their lips were snarled back, canines glinting in the minimal light, but their eyes flickered to me and reading my expression, tightened their grip on his shoulders. They didn't like what they were doing, but they were doing it for righteousness, thank goodness. "Diego. No. Let him talk – I want to hear him talk."

"I will kill him, Nina." Diego growled, his voice raising – out of the corner of my eye, I felt Carlos stepping behind Noah, his arms folded across his broad chest as he looked down upon him like the dirt upon the bottom of his shoe. I felt my heart tug; no-one deserved this, at least no-one who looked quite so like Noah in that moment. He resembled a broken puppy lying in the corner, surrounded by bigger things – crueller things that had him trapped. But don't they have every right to do so?

"Let him talk." Nina repeated though her voice was now level.

"Please, Diego – let him – us, explain," Kayla pleaded.

"I knew you hated us, but I didn't know you hated us enough to want us dead, Kayla." Nina shook her head. It struck Kayla hard, but she maintained her composure and slipped her hand in Noah's and squeezed.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

Aiden. His name rang clearly through my mind and my head whipped around to his direction. He was there, silent and observant as ever, his expression closely guarded. I reached for his arm and he allowed me to take it, unresponsive. Truthfully, I was expecting the worst reaction from him – instead, he didn't confirm my worst fears. He was just... standing.

"Why did you make me promise you those things, April? That – that wasn't fair." He sounded so broken that it made my heart ache. "You know I have to break them, right? I have to." I squeezed my eyes shut, willing hot tears away.

"Aiden, if you do that, you break my trust." I whispered.

He groaned in frustration and stepped away from me, leaving me in the cold. Now, his pity turned into fury and he glared at Noah with such hatred that I felt myself flinch away from him. "You," he spat. "If you think that you're leaving from here that easily because I promised April that I wouldn't kill you, you're mistaken. You may have won her pity, but not mine. There's worse things than death." He spat venomously. He began walking towards him, Diego flanking him to his right, their eyes no longer human, no longer showing emotion.

I don't know what spurred me to do it, I didn't even know I could move that fast, but I had jumped in front of the two advancing boys, my back to Noah, holding out my arms as though to ward bad spirits away.

"Get out of the way, April."

"No." I said firmly, shaking my head. "Diego, I know you're angry now, bu-"

"Get out of the fucking way, April." Diego was scaring me and I felt myself draw back – Aiden had paused, his expression changing back to human, but Diego was less than a metre away and gaining. "I can get around you, and I will. That bastard is mine."

"Diego." Aiden's voice was sharp. "Stop moving. And don't fucking touch her." I was frozen – I had never heard Aiden speak to his best friend like that. My heart hammered in my chest and I kept my eyes trained on Diego's with trepidation. He had stopped moving, his head tilted to one side, assessing me with unrecognisable demonic eyes.

He took one step back and I moved away, my legs feeling weak. You could have cut the air with a knife, it was so thick with tension. Beau had grabbed my hand and dragged me away from the confrontation and towards Aiden. I looked at him, my expression sorrowful, but Aiden kept his eyes trained ahead. Instead, he said: "I can't talk to you right now, Ap. How could you defend him like that?"

"I-I'm sor-"

"Ap, I know what I promised you. But I-I can't be here right now with him knowing that I can't rip his fucking eyeballs out of his sockets." He leaned his forehead against mine, but his touch felt stiffer, colder. And then he turned to leave.

******

After the confrontation, I turned to go upstairs to my room. I was practically banished from the scene, Beau giving me a look to say I'll sort things out here. I didn't want to talk to anyone all night, but Emma had cajoled her way in and gave me the tightest, more comforting bear hug as well as an update on what had happened after I left.

"It wasn't as bad as it could have been. Diego's punched Noah a few times. I think he might had broken a rib. He has a good right hook. Got him right in the face. Maybe Kayla's pretty boy won't be so pretty after all." Her eyes dimmed, indicating she wasn't taking pleasure at the thought. "Daniel's raging to take a go as well."

I winced for Noah. "And Nina? How did she take it?"

"She took it better than Diego – angry of course. But she gradually forgave him when Noah was explaining his guilt. I think it's because Kayla began to cry; truthfully, I feel like killing that bastard myself, but I understand him. Kind of. In a messed up way. I know where that twisted grief comes from – I know we all have it within ourselves to feel such hatred. But I would never have done what he did."

My shoulders slumped dejectedly. "Why did everything have to be ruined? As soon as one thing goes right, something always goes wrong."

"You're right, everything is ruined. Things were so nice and dainty when you were in a coma, right? Things were perfect when Noah had hidden that secret for 6 months. Things were great when we found yours and Nina's bodies stone cold and nearly frozen in the back of an ambulance. Things were grand when Aiden sat by your bed side day and night, waiting. Everything was so nice back then." I raised my eyes in horror, my mouth parted in shock at her words. She shook her head and her eyes softened. "Nothing was good back then – this needed to come out, April."

I shook my head and choked out: "I know. I know everything was never good. But after my coma... life felt good again. I was happy. And now... everyone hates me – or is at least, annoyed by me. Aiden's gone, Diego's pissed, Nina's never going to be okay with this-"

Emma cut me off gently. "No-one hates you, Ap. We're just confused. Confused that you're so... so damn well okay with this."

"I wasn't okay with it. I'll never be okay with it. But I don't want Noah dead – ever heard of an eye for an eye makes the world go blind?"

"Yes, but he tried to take two eyes – yours and Nina's. And I'll never forgive him for that."

"I know." I replied truthfully. In the end, Emma stayed with me, urging me to get some sleep so I could face tomorrow with some dignity and rest.

"You know, Aiden will come back – he's left before, but he'll come back. For you he will. Always."