"Why are you mad at me?" I finally asked Chase. I still laid on the bed on my stomach. Ice packs had been on me so long that I was going numb. Chase was tracing his fingers lightly over my back without any wound. I was trying to find out why since he's the one that willingly stayed here with me even though he was clearly pissed at me.

"I'm not," he informed. I looked up and over to him. He was sitting on the bed so it wasn't very hard for me.

"You're lying," I accused. He sighed because he knew I was right. "Your eyes tell on you."

"I've noticed," he muttered. His eyes flashed to mine.

"So then why are you so pissed off at me?" I asked again. "I didn't even do anything."

"Not anything in your control," he assured. I gave him a confused look as he looked away from me now.

"Are you acting like this because of the full moon or just because?" I asked.

"What do you know about us and full moons?" he asked, avoiding my question. His eyes locked to mine.

"Tori said that you guys' genes go crazy and then Billy said your animal side takes over," I answered.

"When there's a full moon, our tempers are easy to lose if we don't know how to control it," he started. His voice was low and he no longer looked at my eyes, but he continued tracing circles on my back. "Tori was right when she said our genes go crazy. Nature just has a way of testing us. Billy, however, hit the nail on the head. We're beasts," he continued. "Our bodies try to turn into the predators that we are and show no mercy if we're not trained for it. Even if we are trained for it, it takes a great toll on our emotions and reactions."

"Is Wes trained?" I asked with a broken voice. His eyes flicked to mine.

"Yes," he answered. "But he still has his ridiculous temper."

"So do you."

"It's different," he insisted.

"I don't see how," I replied. They both fought. They both called names and knew how to hit below the belt.

"That fight from earlier is proof," Chase stated. "He phased when he didn't need to. He let the wolf control him."

"You phased too," I reminded.

"I half-phased," he repeated my thoughts. "It's different. It's just an increase in extra abilities. Unlike Wes, I can control myself and I phase only when I need to."

"And when is that?"

"You don't know anything, do you?" he asked. I shook my head. Obviously. He was part of the reason as to why I didn't know anything considering they barely trusted me in the first place. ""There are three reasons to why we exist. I'll only fully phase for two of those."

"What are they?"

"You'll find out," he shrugged. I scoffed and rolled my eyes. Was he teasing me for my non-knowledge? I wanted to know about werewolves. It seemed like Chase wasn't even comfortable with even being one in the first place. Maybe he was bitten without wanting to be...just like Tori's brother.

"Chase, how many people in this pack were bitten into a werewolf?" I asked.

"At most seventy five percent," he answered. That was a lot. I gulped. "But about seventy five percent of that seventy five percent actually wanted to be werewolves, so it's okay for them I guess."

"But what if they didn't want to be?" I asked. "Like Tori's brother."

"They don't have a choice if the bite already happened," Chase said.

"Tori's brother had to leave his whole life just because of the change that he never wanted," I recalled. "Why? Can't you just choose not to phase?"

"He has to train in order to do that. He's a new werewolf...bitten new werewolf without will. He wasn't prepared for anything so he has to try a hell of a lot harder than someone who wanted to be one," Chase answered. "But Tommy's trying...he trains a lot only so he can go back home where he won't try to kill anyone."

"He tried to kill someone?" I asked, sort of scared.

"No. But it doesn't mean it can't happen," Chase replied. I started to calm down. What if someone here has actually killed someone?

"Have you ever—"

"No," he interrupted. "Like I said, I only phase for two reasons. None of them have resulted in me killing someone." The way he spoke made me believe otherwise. I didn't know if I trusted him. Although he was informing me way more than anyone else I'd talked to about the werewolf topic, he seemed shady. "Yet," he added. I looked over my shoulder at him. He smiled slightly. "Just kidding."

I grimaced because I felt like I had to accept his words as a joke in order not to freak out about the very real possibility of him actually killing someone.

"If I ask you something, will you give me your honest opinion?" he asked.

"Sure, I guess..."

"Are you afraid of us?" he asked.

"Honestly...yes," I said, even though I had told Wes the opposite. "I don't understand any of you guys and your mood swings just as teenagers, let alone werewolves. I don't know what the hell you're capable of as werewolves after all of that so yeah...I'm a little bit scared."

"Good," he said as he locked eyes with me. He didn't say it to be funny. He said it with a straight face. "Werewolves are dangerous so I rather you be cautious than messing around."

"Then why'd you guys drag me into this shit?"

"You dragged yourself into it," he restated.

"How?!"

"You were born," he shrugged.

"Yes, because when I was a newborn, I swore to myself that on my birthday, I'd totally intend to get shot and then days later be mauled by my boyfriend," I said sarcastically.

"Not my fault," he responded. I glared at him with an expression-less face. I sighed and face-planted into the soft pillow. "Sorry for your shitty birthday. I'd feel worse, but you're so young so you'll have more birthdays to celebrate hopefully without as much turmoil."

I rolled my eyes at his back-handed apology, but just accepted his passive way of wishing me well.

"Don't think I won't return the favor on your eighteenth birthday," I threatened emptily. "Even though that makes you old to be a junior, I guess it's still important enough to be significantly ruined."

"Are you kidding me? You think I'm scared of you?" he laughed. "Plus, I'm young as a junior for most teen werewolves so you can calm down with your age shaming."

"What do you mean?"

"Um living forever in the same body with minimal aging in a werewolf family?" he prompted. "I have forever to finish school. I'm glad my parents didn't decide to home school me and then send me off to freshman year as some seventeen-year-old."

"What happens when you're older and people ask about why you look the same?" I asked.

"I will cross that bridge when I get to it," he shrugged. "Some people take advantage of the whole aging thing and I think it's stupid. Why purposely flunk your classes to have to sit through another year of the same curriculum?"

That reminded me of the boy on the porch that said to Eli that he could repeat his grade level year after year after year.

"That's stupid..." I commented in agreement. Chase started laughing and I gave him a confused look.

"Tell that to Wes," he said with a smile. "Wes flunked two of his grades."

Well...Wes never seemed to not amaze me with his stupidity. I kept quiet, but only because the words I tried to form weren't escaping my lips as Chase still laughed.

"But he's still only seventeen just like you," I reasoned.

"He's about to be eighteen," Chase informed. "His family didn't think about him ever phasing since they hadn't, so he started school early and then he first phased in middle school and flunked seventh grade getting adjusted and then he flunked freshman year at our old school for no reason."

I wondered how Chase and the others were in the same grade then or again how they ended up at my school just this year. But I didn't ask. What I was focused on was the fact that I didn't know anything about Wes, not even his birthday. I faced the headboard and chewed on my lip. Chase stopped drawing on my back and I snapped my head to him.

"When can I see Wes?" I asked him. His eyes had been a shade lighter, but darkened at my question.

"Probably not until—"

"Right now," I heard a familiar voice say. I turned over my shoulder and saw Wes walk in with a new pair of shorts and no shirt. He strode over to me and then cupped my face to kiss me until he was pulled away.

"Knight, you know the rules," Chase said to him.

"F*ck the rules," Wes retorted.

"Say that to Billy," Chase hissed.

"F*ck Billy too," Wes responded. "I choose when I can or can't see my own girlfriend."

"And now's not the time," a new voice said. I strained to look back and see Billy nonchalantly leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed. Wes stiffened and stood up straighter. "Chase is right, you know the rules."

"What's the difference in seeing her now and tomorrow? Because I am going to see her tomorrow," Wes replied.

"Have you seen her wound?" Billy asked. "I bet you haven't taken a decent amount of breath since you even got in here. Once you do, you're gonna go crazy, so I suggest you leave."

"Or what?" Wes challenged.

"Or I'll make you leave," Billy retorted. He was nice and sweet earlier, but now he was menacing. Wes looked back to me and reached a hand to my left side to pull my remaining fabric up to challenge Billy's words, but Chase stopped him.

"Don't," Chase warned. I didn't want him to. I didn't want to be shredded alive by my wild, animalistic boyfriend. Nor did I want the nice ice to leave from the deep cuts. Wes and Chase locked eyes and he took his hand back. He gave me an apologetic look before turning around to leave. Chase walked him out, but Wes stopped at the door. He turned back to me in silence. He took a deep breath in and out and then he half-phased in front of me. Black hair trailed down into side burns beneath his long hair that thickened out along with hair that traveled down his nose. It spread across his chest and down his arms and hands—which contained long claws. His eyes were neon blue and four canines lengthened in his mouth that growled at me as they bared fiercely in a scowl. He flinched toward me, but Chase grabbed his chest and pushed him so hard that Wes flew out of the room—Billy stepped out of the way and rushed to stand as a barrier between my bed and Wes—and I heard as Wes' body hit something in the hall. He groaned.

"That's it," Billy roared angrily before stomping to the doorframe. "Chase, shut this door and lock up. I need to talk to Wes alone..."

He sounded threatening when he said that as he exited. Chase nodded after him and shut the door. Chase sat down at the foot of my bed and he pulled me up without causing me much pain. He lightly tugged me into his side and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"Calm down," he whispered into my hair. I just realized that I was breathing quickly and I'm sure that his wolf senses could hear my fast heart beating like a pair of hummingbird wings. I slowed my breath and calmed down in his grasp, not noticing that our heartbeats were now synchronized.

"What just happened?" I asked into his chest. I'm not going to lie. I feared for my life.

"He decided to risk your life for his pride," Chase answered. I pulled away from him.

"What?"

"When a wolf attacks and smells blood, they think their prey is now weak, so naturally the wolf will proceed in its attack. Even if we're in human form, we can smell blood and remember one memory about hurting whoever it is, and then we'll...proceed...with our attack. It doesn't matter that Wes is one of the best trained here."

"So he could've killed me?" I choked out. Chase took me back in a hug, but even though he squeezed tighter than last time and it pressured my back, I felt safe.

"He could've," Chase admitted. "But as long as I'm here, I won't let that happen."

I pulled away from the hug and looked at him. We went from hating each other, to...this. Chase sighed and looked away from me and something triggered in my body to know that something was wrong.

"What?" I asked. He looked up to me and sighed once more.

"I don't think you should see Wes for a while," he stated. Wow. What a slap in the face. I scoffed at him and started to pull away from him. "Alicia, the only reason I'm telling you this is because it's for the best."

"Best for who?" I asked.

"For you," Chase answered sincerely. Even though I didn't want to, I actually liked Wes and didn't want to break up with him. I scoffed again and rolled my eyes at his ridiculousness. "You've known him for what, two and a half months and he's nearly broken your wrist and mauled the f*ck out of your back?"

"'Werewolves are dangerous,'" I reasoned, repeating him. "It's not his fault and I'll be more cautious next time."

"This isn't on you. This was his fault. He chose to phase then and now," Chase spat. "He chose to let his anger get the best of him and this is what happened. You don't see me or Eli going around picking fights and phasing just because we get pissed off—"

"Are you sure? Because last time I checked, you get mad too. More often than not," I retorted. "Wes didn't choose to do that. He was pushing me out of the way so that he could tear your ass up. So that makes it your fault for pissing him off in the first place."

"Oh really?" Chase asked, incredulously. "Because last time I checked, it was you that told him you were pissed off at me this morning. If you hadn't of done that, he could've found out at school and then we wouldn't have even phased at all."

"Well SORRY for telling my boyfriend how I felt after I found out the reason that my sister now hates me because of her douche bag ex-boyfriend!" I shouted.

"That's seriously why you were pissed at me?" he asked. "You're the one that wanted us to break up! So don't act all surprised about it—"

"I wanted you to break up. That's it. Not tell her that I was the one to tell you about her cheating when I really didn't."

"I didn't even say that!" he denied.

"Yeah right," I scoffed. Chase didn't respond to me and I sat, looking forward with my arms slightly crossed to where it didn't tug at my stitches.

"I can't wait for this f*cking week to be over," he commented. I scoffed. As if I could care less what he wanted... "And you can stop with your goddamn attitude. You don't like me shouting at you? Well me either. That's why I don't want you around me on these weeks. That's why I didn't want you to know."

"Thanks," I said offensively. He was exhausting to deal with. One minute he was insuring my safety and the next minute he was wishing he could put as much distance between us as possible. I was sure the latter was due to the former, but it still hurt.

"Alicia. I mean that—"

"I know what you mean," I interrupted. "You don't want me around? Fine. I won't be around. After Billy comes in here and says I can leave, I'm gone. You won't have to worry about not wanting me around when you're pissed. You won't have to worry about me at all."

"Alicia, that's not what I—"

Then my phone rang just in time. I answered it.

"What," I stated instead of a greeting.

"Are you stupid?!" I heard a familiar voice ask. I pulled my phone away from my ear to check the caller ID and just as I thought it said before, Eli's name read on the screen, but it was Jasmine's voice.

"Apparently so," I answered.

"You should've left when Eli and I had," she scolded.

"I know."

"And then you—wait. Did you just agree with me?" Jasmine replied.

"Yes I agreed," I groaned. I wish I could just flop myself backwards onto the bed, but not with this injury. "If I went with you I wouldn't have gotten hurt, blah, blah, blah..."

"That's right," Jasmine agreed. "So...how are you?"

"Physically, emotionally, or mentally?" I asked.

"All of the above," she answered.

"Physically I feel like shit because I can barely move and I want to permanently host an ice down party on my back to keep it numb. Emotionally, I'm as pissed as ever. And mentally...well screw mentally. The other two only matter at this point," I answered in a monotone voice, yet I was serious with all of it.

"How are you and Wes?" Jasmine asked after a pause.

"I haven't really gotten to talk to him but he was in here a few minutes ago," I informed, leaving out some key details.

"So you broke up with him?" she assumed, confused.

"Nope. We're still together," I informed as I played with my hair.

"Are you sure that's a good idea—"

"I've heard it already, Jasmine," I interrupted. "A few scratches isn't gonna sway my relationship with him. So just focus on keeping your mate happy and not pissed off, because I assure you that the consequences suck."

She was quiet for a moment.

"Sorry...I'm just really mad right now," I apologized. She was still silent. "Jasmine...?"

I heard something smash in the background and I grew curious.

"Eli! Wake up!" she squealed in panic.

"Jasmine?! What happened?!" I asked, frantically.

"I-I don't know. I was walking with him and we were at his locker and he told me about you and—and he said he had to go get his bag from gym and he was taking a long time so I walked over there and—and he just collapsed to the floor," she stammered. "What—what do I do? Do I call 911? I don't know—"

Chase took the phone from me.

"Don't call 911," Chase growled. "Get him upright and try to get him to respond. I'll be there in ten minutes."

"I'm going too," I insisted. I started to get up too, but he pushed me down roughly.

"What assistance are you worth?" he spat down to me. "You'll only slow me down."

I glared at him as his eyes were back to almost black and he left. But not without locking me into this stupid room.