It's been 3 days since the....incident. The day I blacked out because I heard the word 'vampire'.

I've missed Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of school. My grades sky rocketed.....

....just, the wrong way. Apparently there was like 17 gazillion tests and I missed all of them. Ryder says it doesn't matter because we can just get the teachers to change our grades since he's the Alpha.

I don't want to cheat though. My mom always told me to never cheat because if you do, you'll never know if you could've done it.

My mom.....she's been on my mind alot. I've been in my thoughts alot these last few days. Trying to figure out how what happened that nightmare of a day.

So far,

Nothing. Fudging nothing.

I've barely been sleeping because the thing haunts my dreams. Everytime I close my eyes it appears.

My appetite has vanished into thin air because all I can think of when I see a meal is the maroon puddle that my own mom had layed in.

I'm trying to keep everyone from worrying by joking about it but they still seem worried.

Ryder and everyone has been having brain conversations alot now. I feel like all the important stuff is said telepathically. Do they not want me to hear?

What if they got some information about the vampire, if it even is one, and they're afraid to tell me.

Does Ryder not tru-

"MARIAH!"

"Holy Sheep!" I yelled as I flinched and hit my head on the top of the car. I looked over, rubbing my head, and saw all my friends were out of the car and waiting for me.

The sad, empathetic looks on their faces made my stomach turn. I hate empathy. People gave me so much empathy when my mom died but no one knew what was happening.

"Are you okay!?" Ryder asks frantically, coming towards me. I stepped out of the car, almost falling in the process, and walked the couple feet to my friends.

Ryder grabbed my forearm and looked at the top of my head. He seemed mad but instead just kissed my head.

I smiled up at him and he returned it. As soon as we started my thoughts returned.

I looked up to see my friends all looking at each other with worried faces as their glassy eyes returned.

Another brain conversation. I know it was called mind linking or something, but I liked brain conversation better.

I watched them as they seemed to be having a really important talk. Shouldn't I be apart of this? No...Ryder would tell me if he thought so.

"Ryder?" I asked him. His head immediately turned to me. He scanned me, as if looking for injuries before he answered.

"What's up babe?"

"Is everything alright?" I questioned. He bit his lip for just a second so I knew it wasn't.

"Of course Mar." He told me, then placed a kiss on my temple. I felt the familiar tingles spread through me, and just for a second everything faded.

My worries, my fears, my exhaustion, everything. But as soon as my mate pulled back the barriers opened and I was flooded with unwanted thoughts once again.

I lifted my eyebrows in a "are you fudging sure?" Type of way. He bit his lip again and I knew he wasn't telling me something.

I just had to figure out what it was.

Our group of 8 walked down the crowded hallway to our lockers. When we reached them, Bryli and Damien, along with Nate and Rylin waved and headed to their first class.

I followed Selena and Ethan while holding Ryder's comforting hand as we headed to math.

I pulled back a chair in the corner and I saw my friends surround me. I turned towards the clock and saw the time.

8 fudging 45. Just then Selena spoke up.

"How did they expect students to do math in the morning! It's practically daybreak! Oh, look! I think I see the sunrise! Like, jeez!"

I chuckled at her spot on statement and saw the room laugh with her. Ethan looked proud as he leaned against the desk she was sitting at.

I walked over and sat on the desk Ryder was sitting at, swinging my legs and looking around.

I was met with alot of glaring girls. Damn. I don't know what came over me, but it had something to do with the devil twins, and how much these girls reminded me of them. Or it was the whispers.

"She's not even that pretty"

"They're probably just fucking"

"She probably paid him"

I looked around, meeting the eyes of every jealous girl, leaned down, and firmly planted my lips on my mate's.

He was shocked at first but quickly kissed me back. For a second I was scared he was going to reject me in front of all these people, but he seemed to be doing quite the opposite.

I felt his tongue slide over my lip, just as the door opened. I jumped back, flustered and breathing heavily, to be met with the teachers stare.

I cleared my throat and hopped off the desk I was sitting on. I walked the couple steps to mine and plopped down.

I saw everyone staring between me and Ryder in disbelief, disgust, or sly grins. I'm guessing the disbelief were the other humans, the disgust, Tyson's pack, and the grins, Ryder's pack.

I looked out the window when I heard the teacher start talking about the cubed, 3/17 of a letter or some fudge like that.

My mind wandered as thoughts flew around.

What was Ryder not telling me?

Was it important?

Did he not trust me?

Was it about my mom?

Am I gonna tell him the rest of what happened that night?

Do I trust Ryder?

Will he leave me once he knows?

How was I gonna figure out what my friends were talking about?

What is their secret?

I looked over at Mar and saw she was staring out the window, her leg bouncing up and down at a fast pace.

The bell rung and instantly kids started moving to get up and away from math that now has numbers and letters.

My mate was still staring out the window, deep in thought. She's been doing that alot lately.

Just, sinks into her own mind and it takes alot of work to get her out of it. Mar hasn't been eating or sleeping that much.

Her normal tan skin is paler and her eyes have purple bags. Mariah's hands constantly are shaking from fear or anxiety, I don't know.

She tries to distract us my joking, like saying Ethan and Selena's late night "talking sessions" (as they claim it is) made her lose her appetite. Or how she's secretly nocturnal.

Like, baby, last time I checked, I wasn't mated to an owl.

Me and everyone have been communicating alot through mind-link these past few days for Mariah's sake.

Back at the pack, there've been rouge sightings all along the border. I don't know what they're doing but it's definitely not good.

Apparently they stay just out of the pack borders, then pace around for a few minutes, then just......leave.

I'm freaking out. I don't know what they want. I'm going to bring it up at the Annual Alpha Ball.

The ball is an event the werewolves hold so that Alphas from all over the country can talk about their packs, without the chance of being killed.

The ball is going to be held in about a month. I'm trying to avoid the subject with Mar because she's already going through so much.

I know I'll get an earful about it later from her but I can't help it. Mariah's unhealthy state is putting me and Luca on edge and if she were to get any worse something would happen.

Something as in Luca taking control and forcing her to eat and sleep, completely ignoring the Alpha duties.

My questions still run through my head.

"How did Mariah protect herself that night?"

"What's she hiding from me?"