Shadows Of The Pack (Aria and Knox)

"Hey."
Kira looked up from the plate in front of her at Tyler.
She placed a small smile on her face, "Hey."
"Are you not hungry?"
She blinked, "What?"
"You have been playing with your food for the past ten minutes."
"Why have you been watching me for the past ten minutes?"
He grinned, "Because you have really pretty hair?"
She rolled her eyes, "Please. I don't think Shana and Sophia would like me talking to you. They specifically warned me against you. Well all male wolves in particular."
"And you are going to listen to them?"
Kira clicked her tongue, "Well yes. They did bring me here plus unlike what my mother said, the wolves here have been really nice this past week."
"You are right. It has been a really uneventful week."
Kira pushed her chair backwards standing to get feet.
"Kira, what are you doing?"
"Taking my plate to the sink. I'm done eating."
Tyler stood up, took the plate from her and then dragged her hand.
"Hey what are you doing?"
"Lydia will take care of it. She is super nice."
"It doesn't matter. I still want to do it and why are you dragging me outside?"
"You have been here one week and you haven't even seen the pack ground. I'm giving you a tour. It will be better in our wolf forms."
Kira looked down at her feet playing with her fingers."I can't shift."
"Oh. How old are you?"
"I'm fourteen, almost fifteen."
"Well I just turned seventeen and I didn't wolf out until last year.
Kira raised her head, her eyes brightening, "Really?"
"Yes. Come, we can just walk. Plus then I get to see your pretty face even longer."
She blushed following him behind.
Tyler took Kira round the pack.
"It's really big and all of it belongs to Knox?"
Tyler nodded.
"Were you born here? Have you always been a member of the Nightshade pack?"
Tyler shook his head, "No. My sister and I came into the pack three years ago."
"Why did you leave your old pack?"
"Jamie and I lost our parents when we were little. The memories just became too much. Everyday just hurt being in the same place as they used to be. Then Jamie wolfed out for the first time and almost killed a pup."
"They banished her?"
"No. But they treated her like she was dangerous. She became an outsider in the pack. I hated seeing the hurt in her eyes. So when I turned fourteen I told her we were leaving."

"I didn't know exactly where we were going. We just packed our bags and never looked back. We entered Knox's territory by accident."
Tyler laughed, "Knox's wolf found us. I don't think I've ever been that scared. His wolf is the biggest and scariest wolf I have ever seen and it looked like it was going to tear us apart. It lunged at us and Jamie stepped in front of me to take the hit. The wolf stopped, studied us then transformed."
"Why did he stop?"
"Jamie stepped in front of me. She would have given her life to protect me. Ryder told me when Knox brought us back to the pack that there was nothing more important to Knox than family and if a wolf could give her life to protect another wolf, then they understood what family was. And so we have been here ever since. It's not a very big pack but we are a family."
Kira smiled as Tyler finished his story.
"So where is your sister? Tyler waved his hand dismissively, "She is somewhere. Jamie is such a pain always bossing me around because she is older. I can't wait to be eighteen."
"What would you do?"
"Whatever I wanted. I would first become a sentinel and protect Knox. He is the kind of wolf I want to be when I'm older."
Kira giggled, "That's so cute."
"No it's not." Tyler puffed up his chest, "It's manly."
"If you say so." She rolled her eyes then stopped, "Why are we going into the woods?"
"There is something else I want to show you."
"Okay?"
"Come on Kira."
"I don't think Shana would be happy with me leaving the pack ground."
"We won't be long. I will just show you and we will leave. I promise."
Kira stood reluctantly for a minute before she entered the woods with Tyler.
 ************
"Nothing has happened in the past week. No answer from Nikolai. No attack. It's been too quiet. Like the quiet before a storm."
Knox raised his eyes from the maps in front of him to look at his beta, "Why are you worried?"
Ryder titled his head, "Because there was a threat of an attack on our territory and they haven't made a single move in a whole week?"
"Don't worry Ryder. They are not going to attack."
"How do you know that?"
Knox sighed pushing away the maps, "I sent that invitation to test Nikolai. See if he was confident enough to face me without an army of wolves. He didn't come, which means one thing. Just like when we were friends, he is still a scared wolf putting on an armor so people won't see what is behind."
"So he won't attack."
"That's not what I meant Ryder. He will attack but definitely not now and when he does" Knox wolf growled, "I will pull out his heart personally."
"What about your vow?"
"Nikolai stopped being family a really long time ago."
There was a pause in their conversation.
Knox walked to the edge of the study. He folded his hands at his back staring out the window.
His wolf immediately picked up her energy. He watched her throw her head backwards laughing at something Shana said.
The three she wolves sat under the tree. Aria and Shana were conversing while Melody sat quietly with her head bowed.
He had not spoken a single word to her ever since the incident. He felt guilty because he knew she was hurting but he couldn't bring himself to talk to her. He was still so angry. Angry and hurt.
Betrayal seemed to be the new trend. Well technically, it was something he had known for the longest of time.
Ryder walked to his side, sharing his view, "Have you talked to her about it yet?"
"No."
"When do you plan to tell her that you are mates?"
"I need to understand how she has a mate first."
Ryder nodded his head in understanding, "What about Shana and Melody?"
"What about them?"
"Shana said Sophia's brother who is the Alpha has no problem with forming an alliance. A pack of witches and wolves? That would be really good for us and then you haven't said anything about Melody. Her banishment. Her'', Ryder laid emphasis on it, "Mother."
"I'm still thinking about the alliance."
"Is it because of Sophia? You would feel guilty knowing how you've treated her?"
Knox glared at Ryder, "Don't you have anything else to do other than interrogate me?"
"I'm your beta Knox. It's my duty to make sure that you make the best decisions. No matter how hard they might be. The alliance would be good for us like I said and you can't leave Melody in stall. Blood or not, She is your sister."
Knox sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I know."
"If she had told you first, you would have done everything possible to get her mother back. You can still do it now. Lydia said she is not eating and most times she is crying."
Knox sighed again looking at the she wolves.
"I know. But I'm just so angry at her. She could have come to me from the very beginning."
"Yes. But if you don't do anything and something happens to her mother, you will regret it for the rest of your life."
Knox's wolf paced. He knew his beta was right and he was excited. He had been hungry for Julian's blood. It was finally time to get it.
"Okay. I will set up a meeting with him. Try to be civilized and if he refuses to see reason then I will give my wolf what he wants."
"Good. Now go talk to your sister."

 *****************
Melody tried to listen as Shana and Aria talked and laughed but every word just went through her.
She didn't understand how they could forgive her so easily. She didn't deserve their forgiveness.
Most wolves in the pack were icing her out, Sarah being the leading wolf.
Her fate was still unknown as Knox had blatantly refused to talk to her. Whenever they were within the same distance, he looked through her like she didn't exist. Her wolf slept most of the time, ignoring her.
She knew she had messed up but the hurt she was feeling was overwhelming and the worst of all, it had all been for nothing. For all she knew, her mother could be dead.
A tear escaped her eye and she cleaned it. From the corner of her eye, Shana saw Melody sniffle.
She communicated with her eye to Aria and together they turned to face Melody.
Shana grabbed her hand, "Mel, you have to stop crying. Everything is going to be just fine."