I pulled Dylan's clothes off of me, setting them down neatly at the end of my bed, not wanting to get questioned from my father. I slipped a plain T-shirt over my head, also slipping on a pair of black jeans, buttoning them up securely around my small waist.

I sighed, pulling my hair into a cute ponytail, brushing my fingers through my wispy side bangs a few times. I doused myself in my least favourite perfume, wasting it, ensuring that no scent of Dylan remained. Dylan's scent comforted me, but I didn't need my father suspecting I had slept anywhere else other than Gia's, knowing he'd never let me out again if he knew I had lied.

I flung my bedroom door open, only to bump into a solid chest. Looking up, I saw my smiling father, his pearly white teeth glistening.

"Oh my God, hey Dad," I laughed, taking a step back.

"Hey, how was it? Did you have a great time?" my father asked, pulling me in for a quick hug.

"Yeah it was good."

"You didn't get too drunk did you?" teased my Dad, pointing at me accusingly.

I shook my head, chucking. "I barely drank," I lied, hoping my father would let it go, not needing another lecture today.

"Wow, well lunch will be ready in a minute. Do you mind going and helping Jared set the table?"

"Sure," I replied, making my way down the stairs to see Jared placing the plates down neatly at the dinner table.

"Can you get the knives and forks?" he asked.

I nodded in return, quickly grabbing them from the drawer as my father opened up the oven, pulling out whatever masterpiece he had created this time.

"I hope you're hungry, because Chef Patrick Mason has done it once again," my Father joked, plopping the dish in the middle of the table, causing my stomach to growl. I was starving, and I definitely needed some food after last night.

As we dug in, Jared continued to smirk at me whenever Dad brought up last night, so I shot him a glare, shaking my head, telling him to leave it, causing him to laugh.

"You kids know something I don't?" asked Dad, raising his eyebrows.

"No, he's just being annoying," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"It's what I'm best at," laughed Jared, wiping his mouth with his sleeve, dropping his knife and fork down onto his empty plate.

"You two should go and grab your jackets. The announcement is in about twenty minutes, and I want to get there early to get a good spot," said my Dad as he cleared up the empty plates.

"Announcement?" I asked, confused.

My father looked at me, shaking his head. "Yes, the announcement Alpha Paul is making today in the ceremony hall. I told you about this last week Clara."

"Oh, yeah, of course, I must have just forgotten," I replied, waving my hands in the air.

"Do you know what it's about?" asked Jared, wheeling his way over to my father as he washed the dishes.

"The rumour is Alpha Paul is paying some top Alpha to come and train our fighters. Apparently he's pretty experienced."

I furrowed my brows, looking over at Jared who had cleared his throat awkwardly, dropping his gaze. "Why would he need to do that?" I asked.

"For the safety of the pack Clara. It's no secret that our fighters have lost motivation recently. They're not as skilled as they once were," replied my Dad.

I watched as Jared wheeled out of the room, his head low as he sighed, causing me to cross my eyes, watching him disappear round the corner, heading to his room.

"I'll go grab a jacket," I mumbled as my eyes lingered on the hallway that Jared had turned around, drawing my bottom lip into my mouth as I sucked on it questionably.

I ran up the stairs, slipping on my black teddy coat, snuggling into how soft it was. My eyes scanned my room, settling on Dylan's clothes that were neatly placed at the end of my bed, images of him rushing through my mind. I didn't know when I was going to see him again, and it was making me anxious, especially since we hadn't shared information, so we had no way of contacting each other.

"Come on!" yelled my Dad from downstairs, causing my daydream to burst. I shook my head to myself as I ran down the stairs, and pulling on a pair of shoes.

"Jared, come on!" I called, causing my father to sigh to himself as he looked at his watch.

"You go ahead Dad, go and get a good seat. We will meet you there," I said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah, go," I assured him, waving my arms in the air as my Dad smiled, making his way over to the ceremony hall. "Jared!" I called, making my way down the hallway, stopping in front of his door. "Jared, it doesn't take that long to put on a jacket."

He didn't reply, causing me to scowl. I knocked, waiting for a reply, but I didn't hear anything. "Jared, I'm going to come in if you don't answer the door."

I allowed ten seconds to pass, sighing to myself as I pushed his door open, peeking in. Jared wasn't facing me; his wheelchair positioned so he could stare out the window.

"Jared?" I asked, causing him to let out a big sigh.

"Go without me," he mumbled, his head still hanging low.

I shook my head, confused. "What?"

"I'm not going," Jared stated, shaking his head.

"Jared, you-"

"I wanted to be a fighter Clara!" interrupted Jared, spinning his wheelchair around to face me, his eyes filled with sorrow. "All I ever wanted to be since I was little was a fighter, and now some top Alpha is going to come and train ours? That's my dream!"

"I know-"

"I wanted to add something to this pack. I wanted to have a purpose for being here. I wanted to make Dad proud, and...Mom," mumbled Jared, focusing his gaze behind me.

"You do-"

"There's nothing you can say that can make this better Clara! I know you're just trying to help, but nothing is going to change this! I'm stuck like this, forever."

Jared chewed on his bottom lip, wiping at his eyes that were watering slightly. "I'm just a handicapped waste of space."

"Hey," I growled, kneeling in front of him, shaking my head. "Listen to me, you are not a waste of space! You're my only brother, and Dad's only son! You're special Jared, and we love you."

"What do I add to this world Clara?" asked my brother, a single tear dribbling down his cheek as he gazed into my emerald green eyes with his stormy grey ones.

"Love," I replied, smiling at him. "And I would love if you would come to the announcement with Dad and I, but no pressure."

Jared laughed, wiping his eyes. "You really want me to come?"

"Only if it's not too much," I shrugged, causing Jared to smile, nodding.

"It's a little much," he stated. "I think I'll skip this one."

"Okay, I'll see you after, okay?" I raised my brows at him causing Jared to nod, sitting back in his wheelchair as he watched me leave, making my way over to the ceremony hall.

I rushed in, scanning the crowd for my Dad, my eyes settling on as he waved at me from the second row.

"Nice spot Dad," I laughed, causing him to grin.

"The perks of being on time," he teased.

I looked around the bustling hall, filled with excitement and angst. "Wow, people are really excited about this."

My father nodded. "Well, we don't get visitors very often, I think people are really looking forward to it. Hey, where's Jared?"

"Oh, he wasn't feeling well, so he hung back." I lied.

"Settle everyone!" Alpha Paul's voice boomed through the microphone as he made his way on stage, causing everyone to quieten down and take their seats. "Well, the news has been spreading like wildfire, so there's not much need for a full explanation, but I'm sure you're all well aware that our fighters have been struggling lately with motivation and strength. I've invited an Alpha who has top fighters to come and train ours for quite a large fee, so this needs to be taken seriously. He will be staying for a week, or until he is satisfied with the progress the fighters have made. I need everyone to treat him with respect if you come across him, but most of the time he will be training. I just wanted to make everyone aware of our visitor. He will be arriving tomorrow. That is all, thank you."

The crowd parted, exiting the ceremony hall as Alpha Paul left the stage. My father turned to me, pointing over at Gia who was rushing over to me, smiling.

"Hey Gia, how was your birthday?" my father asked.

"Great thank you Mr Mason. I really feel like an old lady now," replied Gia, causing my father to laugh.

"I'll meet you back at the house, Clara."

I nodded at my Dad before he made his way through the bustling crowd, giving me one last smile.

"This is so exciting! We needed more eye candy around here!"

I rolled my eyes at Gia's comment, causing her to shove my shoulder gently.

"Hey, not all of us can have an Alpha mate!" she teased, making me smile sadly.

"Can you please not mention Dylan to anyone yet?" I asked, looking at her sheepishly.

Gia furrowed her brows, biting on her bottom lip. "Yeah, sure. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Jared's just not feeling great at the moment, and I don't want to add anything else into the mix." I replied, shrugging.

"Yeah, of course," said Gia, smiling at me. "I need to head home though, so I'll see you soon."

"Okay."

"Oh, and Clara? You need to lay off the perfume, you're burning my lungs!" teased Gia, winking.

"It's not my fault!" I yelled after her, shaking my head.

"Yeah, okay."

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