•Ryder's POV•

It's been a few days since we went to the markets, and I've noticed Mara's been a little off. She still smiles and laughs when she's around me, but I can tell there is something in the back of her mind that's annoying her.

"You look really deep in thought." Trent says, bringing me back.

"I was." I reply, shuffling around the papers on my desk.

"What's bugging you?" Josh asks.

I sigh, "Is it just me, or have you noticed something different about Mara these last couple of days?" I ask.

"Maybe she's pregnant." Trent says.

"Or she caught this rare influenza and she's going to die." Josh joins.

I sigh again and shake my head at these idiots, "Sometimes I wonder why I chose you as my Beta and my Third."

"Well," Josh scoffs, "I've done much better than what Cam would have done."

"You don't know that Josh." I reply, looking through my notes.

"Yeah, well at least I would have taken not being Beta better." He says.

Now I do look to him, and I see Trent look too, "Why are you going on about Cam so much?" I ask.

Josh looks up and looks serious, "Because I'm sure I saw him the other day."

"Cam? Here?" Trent asks.

Josh nods, looking between us, "I'm sure it was him. He's changed a bit, but his face, it looked exactly like him."

What would Cam be doing back here?

"But we would be able to smell him if he was here. Wouldn't we?" Trent asks.

I think back to some time last week, "I saw a wolf in the forest last week." I say.

They both look at me, "Not one of ours?" Josh asks,

"No, but it wasn't a rogue either. It was like it belonged to a pack but was on our land for some reason, it also felt powerful, maybe a Beta or a Third." I say.

Trent frowns, "What area?"

"West side." I reply.

"We should get more patrols there, in case it comes back. If it was Cam, we have no idea what he could be doing. I mean, you know how angry he got before he left." Josh say.

"Who got angry before they left?" Mara asks as her and Layla come in.

"Cam." I say as I pull her onto my lap, as does Trent with Layla.

"Who is this Cam guy anyway?" Mara asks.

"Just a guy that moved." Layla replies shrugging.

We don't really talk about Cam much.

"Surely there's more than that." She says.

I sigh, "Cam was going to be my Beta."

She frowns, "Why wasn't he?"

"Because he did something none of us can forgive him for." I reply coldly.

•Mara's POV•

I look around at everyone and see their expressions hard and angry.

I realise that this probably isn't a good place for Ryder to tell me. Whatever Cam did obviously effected everyone in this room.

I stand up and then pull Ryder up too.

"Want to go for a walk?" I ask through mind-link.

Ryder looks at me and nods.

"We'll be back soon." I say and walk out the door, pulling Ryder along with my hand.

When we get to the forest, I keep our hands together and slow down a little so I'm walking next to Ryder.

When he doesn't say anything, I speak up, "Look, Ryder. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. But just know that I want to know sometime, this have obviously effected a lot of people and I feel like this is something very hard for you." I say.

He looks at me and lifts my hand up, kissing the back of it.

"You're amazing, you know that right?" He says.

I smile, "Oh, you only tell me once a day."

He smiles too, "Not enough."

I blush and look away.

"But, I'm going to tell you. You deserve to know and you're my mate, we're supposed to tell each other everything." He says.

That comment makes me cringe a little, I know Cam threatened Ryder and that's the only reason I'm not telling him about our little, confrontation.

Ryder sighs as he begins, "Cam used to be really close friends with all of us. He moved here when he was about fourteen and he just clicked in our group. He was a year older than us, the same age as my sister."

I purse my lips when I realise he's talking about his sister who died.

"Anyway, my sister, Claire, turned sixteen about a month before Cam would. When she saw him the next day, she came up to me and told me he was her mate."

I nod, a silent message to him that I'm listening.

"She was so happy," He says with a small smile, "She liked Cam for a bit before she turned for the first time."

"So did she tell him?" I ask.

He shakes his head, "She did what Trent did, waited for him to realise after he turned too."

I nod.

"After Cam shifted he came the next day and saw Claire. But, instead of running up to her or even smiling, he turned around and walked away."

I frown, "He rejected her?"

Ryder purses his lips, "Not exactly, he never said the words, which only made it worse. Usually when I mate says that they reject their other mate, the mate-bond releases a tiny bit. But because he never did that, the bond was still strong and it hurt Claire everyday. She would go to his house, try to approach him at school, she even followed him into the forest when he went for a run. But, he never even said a word to her."

I frown.

"One day, we all rounded him in the forest and asked what his deal was. Claire was hidden in the trees, we didn't want her to come so she snuck out without us knowing. Cam told us that he didn't want a mate, and that no girl was ever going to be good enough for him. And Claire heard every word.

"When that happened she came out and started yelling at him. What we didn't realise was that Cam was a traitor, he had a pack of rogues waiting to kill us. But, he didn't expect Claire to come. When she was yelling at him, he got so mad. Before we could stop Claire, we were held by the rogues and Cam was fuming at her."

Ryder looks away.

"The next minute she's lying on the ground lifeless with a broken neck." He says.

I gasp and feel dampness run down my cheek, I lift my hand and realise I'm crying.

Ryder looks at me and instantly cups my face, wiping away the tears, "Why are you crying?" He asks.

"I'm so sorry Ryder." I say.

He shakes his head, "You don't need to be sorry Mara. Cam was sick, he probably still is. After he killed Claire, he ran for it and we haven't seen him since. Losing a mate won't help either, wolves start to lose themselves if they lose a mate like that." He says.

I notice Ryder's eyes start to swell a little and I cup his face too, "Hey, I'm here now. Cam's gone and you're safe, that's the main thing." I say, wincing a little at my lie.

He blinks back the tears and sighs, "I'm so lucky to have you." He says as he pulls me into an embrace.

I see something move in the distance when I'm hugging Ryder, I look around and tense a little when I see Cam's face.

He standing behind some trees with that smirk on his face.

It's then that I realise Cam is sick, but what does he want?

He holds up something, which looks like a piece of paper and puts it on a rock next to him. He then points at me and then the letter.

I slightly nod my head and he holds that smirk on his face, which makes me shiver a little.

And then, just like that, he disappears.

Ryder releases me and looks into my eyes, "I love you Mara."

I intake a breath and look into his eyes, he seems a panicked but is keeping calm.

"I love you too Ryder." I reply.

He smiles, "Really?"

I laugh, "Of course."

He then pulls me closer for a long, sweet, passionate kiss. Running his hands through my hair, he licks my lower lip and I grant entry as he explores my mouth with his tongue.

When we pull back, I smile at him.

"I just need a minute. Meet you back at the house?" I ask.

He smiles back and nods, "Alright."

When he's out of sight, I walk slowly to the white slip of paper on the rock and pick it up gentally in my hands, like it's made of glass.

Luna,

Looks like the truth is out now, huh?

I have to commend you on how well you've done at keeping our little secret, such a good girl.

You must be wondering what the thing I want is?

Well, I'm not going to tell you. Yet.

This is just a warning letter to refresh your memory not to tell anyone.

Because we wouldn't want anything to happen to the Alpha, now would we?

Keep in touch,

Cam.

P.S. Destroy this when you get home, or you'll find that one of your friends will go missing.

I gulp and shove the letter in my pocket, looking around me for any signs of anyone. When I see the coast is clear, I quickly scramble away.

When I get home, I grab a lighter and go outside. Putting the corner of the letter under the flame, it shrivels and turns black.

The ashes may blow away in the wind.

But the words are cemented in my brain forever.

_______________________________________________________________________________

G'day!

Well, Mara and Ryder finally said they love each other!

I just wanted to say that I have started a new book! This one is not a werewolf book, but if you're interested or bored or something, it'd be awesome if you could take a look! It's called Because You Love Me.

Also, this chapter is dedicated to Sophalopagus for all the help in my books! Check out her werewolf book called The Crimson Coat. It's amazing!

Anyway, hope you've had a good week so far!

Another picture of Mara (Played by Chloe Moretz) to the side --------------->

Thank you! xx