Chapter 9

*****

*Jayden*

"So, where are you off to?" Brent asked me as he took a sip of his beer.

'Don't tell him.' The first time Corey ever links to me and that's what he says, it sounded like he was commanding or ordering me not to.

"The Peaks." I completely ignored him and tried not to shiver when I heard his wolf growl angrily in my head. I was definitely going to get killed soon...

"The Apocalypse Peaks?" He asked surprised, "Why?" He asked.

'I'm not joking, Jayden. I swear to God if you don't shut up...' Corey's voice popped into my mind again warning me. I glanced across the restaurant to see him in the corner with Sean who shook his head at me telling me not to answer the question. I guess I shouldn't have told Brent where we were going, but Corey couldn't tell me what to do. Especially without being polite about it. Did he think just because he was a Beta he could just order everyone to do things?

"I've got family there." I shrugged.

"Family? You Inferno wolves have a pretty weird family then." I stopped drinking my Coke and looked at him.

"I didn't tell you that..." I mumbled. I could not remember having told him about which pack I was part of...

"Didn't tell me what?" Brent asked.

'I told you.' Corey's angry voice popped into my mind again. 'I told you he was using you.' What he said made me feel somewhat cold. I swallowed as I stared back at Brent. Right.

"Don't be like that, Corey. He didn't know." I heard Sean hiss.

"He should have, I did," Corey replied.

"Are you sure? I'm definitely sure you told me, Jay." Brent's voice drew me back to our conversation and I shook my head slowly.

"No, I really don't think I did." At that, he very graphically described how I told him. Yesterday, when we left the restaurant and I was still sipping on the soda he had bought me. I knew exactly what he was trying to do, so I nodded. "Yeah... I remember now." He was clearly lying. The only reason he had described the moment so graphically was because he was trying to make me think that I remembered it, but I knew it never happened.

'What? You told him?' Corey linked me.

I ignored him only because I was trying to understand why Brent knew about my pack.

"Right," he smiled, "So, you're travelling with friends, right? You mentioned Kaden... Izabella... Where are they?" Now I definitely knew he was lying. There was no way I mentioned them.

"I am travelling with friends but I don't know who you're talking about," I said furrowing my brows in confusion.

'Why did he specifically mention Izzy and Kade?' For once, Corey's voice in my head was calm, normal.

Brent chuckled. "Don't play dumb, Jay. You know who I'm talking about." He said. I bit the inside of my cheek but tried to hide my nervousness and also the fact that I was hurt because Corey had been right... and I should have known.

"You know what? I-I've been feeling really sick, maybe that's why I don't know what you're talking about? So I'm going to go –" I got up but he caught my wrist.

"Let me walk you to your room." He smiled at me.

No. He lied. I didn't trust him – not that I trusted him all that much to begin with, I mean I only met the guy yesterday. I shivered at his smile. There was something about it...

"It's fine," I said attempting to pull my wrist from his hand but he only tightened his grip.

"I insist." He said. He wasn't going to give up.

'Sean says let him walk you.' Corey didn't sound too happy about what Sean had said and since I did not hear Sean speak I figured they had been linking to each other, but Corey's tone was probably just my imagination, myself trying to make it seem for one second like he cared about me.

"Okay," I said. Brent nodded placing money on the counter before we walked out. 'Corey?' I tried to link to him but he was either ignoring me or we were out of range. I didn't know which one. Usually I would say the first though, given the situation, I would choose the latter but then again, the situation wouldn't make him suddenly care so I would say the first again...

Brent still held onto my wrist with a softer grip as he led the way to the elevator. I felt uneasy as we stepped into the empty little room before the doors closed and he clicked a number to a floor that was higher than the one I was on, and the one his room was on.

"Uh... You got the wrong –" I reached out to press the right floor but he caught my wrist.

"Where is she, Jayden?" He asked. Izabella? He had mentioned her. No. He couldn't possibly know about her blood. Somehow, Izabella's blood could heal other wolves and make them stronger, it was something Inferno and Galaxy tried to keep very quiet about in order to prevent threats to her or our packs.

"Who?" I asked feigning confusion.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about. Now I know those two guys in the corner of the restaurant were your friends, your mate and her mate? And I know they're going to come looking for you so you should answer my question right now or I'm going to kill you." He said. I glanced at the door. Only the third floor and we were going up to the twenty-first. Maybe I could stall? I cried out when he slammed me into the mirror, his arm across my neck pinning me against it. "Answer the fucking question." I was frozen against the mirror on the side of the elevator unable to make a sound, "It's a shame, I really thought you were kind of handsome." He said running his finger across my jaw before his arm pressed further against my throat. "Where is Izabella, Jayden?" He asked.

"I-I don't know what you're ta-talking about –" I tried to move his arm so I could breathe, tears were stinging my eyes from the position I was in. I hated feeling so damn helpless.

"Really?" I cried out when his fist slammed into my stomach.

I coughed but he shoved his arm further against my throat causing my eyes to feel like they were bulging.

"I-I can't breath – p-please -" I needed air and I needed space even more than that. He was too close. I couldn't move. He laughed.

"Come on, boy. Just a place. I really don't want to have to kill you, I've grown attached." My eyes were blurring, but I knew I wasn't going to die, just keep choking.

I lifted my leg in a pathetic attempt to kick him but he just shoved it away. Of course, I understood why Corey was pissed about finding out his mate was an Omega, I had always been pathetically weak and I absolutely hated it. My pack was filled with incredibly strong wolves, and when you're constantly around other people who are so much stronger, you don't forget how different you are.

"It's really sad, we could have been good friends." I cringed as he brushed his lips against my jaw, "Goodnight." I sucked in my breath thinking he would rip my heart out or something but a huge smash had me gasping in shock.

The doors to the elevator had literally been smashed open, Brent's arm moved and I fell onto my knees coughing and gasping for air. I felt someone grab my arm and shove me out of the elevator so that I stumbled into someone else who steadied me.

"Corey! This place has cameras! Don't fucking kill him!" I heard Sean, who was holding me, hiss.

"They already saw us smash the doors open, what's a little blood?" Corey sounded worse than he did when he was insulting me, he sounded downright murderous.

"Damn it, Corey." I looked up and grimaced at the blood smeared everywhere in the elevator and Corey hadn't even shifted. "Erik isn't here!" Sean hissed, "How the fuck do you think we could make this disappear when he's not here to delete the footage?!" I stared at the elevator still stunned by the mess and felt bile rise into my throat seeing Brent's mutilated body before realising what Sean had said.

"I... Uh... I-I could hack into their computers..." I mumbled slowly, "And Trent and Kade could help me compel the humans to forget what they saw on tape." I added. I would have suggested that Izabella help too but knew Sean wouldn't want her helping even though she could use her eyes to get what she wanted like any other Amarelo type wolf could.

Corey looked at me, his eyes black. "Link to Trent and Kaden, tell them where we are, tell them to bring cleaning supplies." He said.

I nodded slowly still shaken by his actions and his voice.

-----

*Corey*

"What was that?" Sean asked from where he sat on his bed. He was done packing while I was still trying to pack my clothing properly, which I wasn't very good at considering that I couldn't fit half my things into the bag they had so neatly been shoved into back home. I had put nothing extra into it so why couldn't it close?

"What was what?" I frowned at the mess in my bag. Maybe I should just get Hayley to pack it, she was very neat and tidy.

"You know what. You went too far, Corey." He said.

"He wanted Izzy," I muttered.

"That's not why you killed him though, is it? You killed him because of Jayden. You saw him holding Jay –" He was saying.

"Shut up." I cut him off, "I don't give a fuck about Jayden." I muttered, but there was doubt in the words. I knew that, still I added, "We should have busted in there a few minutes after that asshole dealt with him."

"Yeah? You don't care? Really? Contrary to popular belief, I know you, Corey. I know you better than you think. I know you killed him becau –"

"Shut the fuck up, Sean." I cut him off shooting a glare at him.

I knew it was true though despite my wanting to deny it to even myself. I hadn't killed Brent because of Izabella, I had every intention of capturing him and questioning him so we could find out why he was after her, I wasn't going to kill him, but when I smashed the doors open and saw him holding Jayden, I lost it. There was something about how terrified Jayden looked as Brent pinned him, it didn't compare to the fear I struck in him. No, he looked absolutely terrified, like he was about to break and I just lost control for a few seconds. I would be lying if I said I regretted killing him because I did not at all. I couldn't bring myself to feel even the tiniest bit of remorse for my actions.

And after all of that, the only thing I currently felt was fear.

Yes, I was scared. Why? Because it wasn't just a part of me that lost it, I completely lost it. And for what? The guy I swore I hated! I did hate him! But then why would I kill someone for him? I didn't understand the feelings I got when he was close to me. I hated him, yes, but slowly more of me was beginning to want to protect him, to want to like him and I despised those feelings. I had to get rid of the mate bond. I needed to fix it fast, we needed to get to the Apocalypse Peaks as fast as possible.

"Corey, we gotta go." I looked to the door to see Trent.

"Yeah. Let's go."

*****