18

Warning: This story had violence and abusive themes. Read with caution and at your own discretion.

"You just need more rest." Vincent said as Ada pulled her shirt over her head.

"I will get some rest when this is over. I sleep at night and I eat three meals a day. For now that is all I need. I can't slack off in my job. The moment I do and I fail." She replied to him as she turned to face him. He was clearly unhappy with her way of thinking.

"You are not going to fail at anything. You have nothing to prove." He tried to reassure her but Ada sighed.

"Yes. I do. Most of the pack still thinks that I'm with the rogues. I have done everything I can to prove I'm in this with you. All of you. Its not enough. The moment I do a single thing they dont like, I'm just the rogue that doesn't belong." She explained and it was clear Vincent knew what she was talking about.

His eyes dropped to look at the bed and Ada walked around it and to his side. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself against his body. He relaxed in her arms and she leaned her head against him as she deeply inhaled his scent.

"The rogues will attack soon. Once we stop their plan, I will rest. I promise. Zack and Jessie can take over for me." She told him. This seemed to placate him, so she pulled away and she made her way outside and to the training area.

Three days is how much time she'd spent training everyone who was willing. She could not afford to be easy on them, and of course it was getting to ma y of them. Mostly on those in her pack. The others knew what she was, but because they had witnessed her killing the rogues, they trusted her more.

She met Zack outside and he fell in step beside her. She had become used to him or Jessie with her at all times. They had become brothers to her.

"Is he still bugging you about resting?" Zack asked and Ada responded with silence. Zack grinned and nodded his head.

"He's worried about you." He pointed out and Ada nodded her head.

"I know. But the training needs to be done. They have to learn to combat the rogues so the casualties are less than they would otherwise be. Rogues almost always fight as wolves, but everyone will be ready for a war. No matter the form they take." She sighed gently, stopping when they got close to the grounds.

"I'm worried that everything I'm doing won't help. I've done everything I can to prove that I'm with you all, but I'm still treated like I dont belong." She did her best not to look at her. Expressing her fears was not easy. It showed weakness and weakness to the rogues was a death sentence. If you were weak, you were useless.

Zack placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to look at him. She still avoided his eye and he ducked his head until she had no choice but to look at him.

"You are part of this pack. Most of the younger wolves already trust you. The other two packs trust you. If everyone else contiunes to reject you, they will have to contend with us." He assured, though Ada did not feel confident in what he was saying.

"Right. I will believe it when I see it." She countered and they both made their way toward the training ground. It was packed, as always, but she saw a face she had hoped not to see. The father of the girl that tried to kill her twice. He looked like he was barely controlling his rage. He was not someone she had ever wanted to see again.

Before she could say anything, he strode forward with an anger filled stride, but before he could even make it to her, Zack and two males from the other packs stopped him.

"What did you do with my daughter?" He demanded, leaning forward against the arms that were pushing and pulling him back.

"Where is she?!" He roared. Ada could see that he was in pain and it woke her own anger. She took in a deep breath and let it out slow.

"I dont know where your daughter is. After she tried to kill me again she was taken away to speak with the Alpha." Ada explained, but his face turned red and he looked as if he might shift at any moment.

"Liar!" He shrieked, steuggeling against the others to try and get to her.

"What did you do with her?! Where is she!? Give me back my daughter!" Rage and anguish filled his voice as he thrashed and fought against the others. They pulled him back and away, eventually dragging him out of earshot.

Ada sighed, then turned to those gathered. The atmosphere was thick and awkward. She smiled and clapped her hands once, getting their attention.

"Alright! Break up into teams of ten!" She told them, watching as everyone did as asked. All she could do was move one and make sure that everyone was as prepared as they could be.

Ada saw more and more of that man after that. She was never alone, so whatever he had planned could not be carried out. Still, it made her look into his claims. Tje girl was supposed to face punishment from the Alpha, but she never went home? Her family was not informed? It worried Ada. Why would the Alpha not tell the girl's family about what she did and why she had to be punished.

She was with Jessie as they went to see the Alpha. He was always in his office around midday, so she planned on asking him. Jessie was confident that the Alpha would clear up the mess quickly and they could tell the man. He clearly needed answers.

Ada knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

"Alpha! I need to ask you something." She called through the door. There was still no answer. Ada reached down and tried the door. It was unlocked. She looked at Jessie who shook his head, but she went inside anyway. There was no one inside.

"He's always in here at this time." Jessie said as he poked his head in. Ada walked in and looked around.

"It looks like no one has been in here for a while." Ada said to him. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably and she pushed Jessie out the door and closed it.

"I dont like this." Ada grumbled, Jessie nodding in agreement.

"I can't even talk to the Alpha through the link. Something is up." He sighed. They shared a look before walking back out of the house and toward the training grounds again. They were meeting Zack and Vincent, but Ada didn't want to tell them anything yet.

"Hey Jessie. Don't tell Zack and Vincent we went into the alpha's office, okay? We dont know what's going on and I dont want to buy them with something that might be nothing." She said and she looked at him, seeing the grin on his face.

"Of course. Our secret. We can be secret detectives together." He winked at her, Ada unable to stop the grin that came to her face as she rolled her eyes.

They ate lunch and went about the rest of the day. Later that night, after Vincent had fallen asleep, Ada snuck out of the house to meet Jessie in the orchard.

"What do you think is going on?" Jessie asked, Ada shaking her head.

"I don't know. That girl is missing and the Alpha cant be reached. Something is going on... Let's see of we can find her scent." Ada said to Jessie and they both shifted.

Jessie lead Ada to the house of the girl and they picked up her scent. It was weak, meaning she had not been there in a long time. They had something to go on though.

They ran all over looking for traces of her scent. They found it in places she frequented, but oddly none of it at the court house. She was supposed to be brought here to get her punishment for trying to kill Ada. Her and Jessie shared looks.

They continued their search until Jessie stopped someplace at the very back of the compound. He circled around an area before they shifted back. It was cold, but they were running on adrenaline.

"I can smell old blood." Jessie said to her. Ada felt her stomach twist up painfully and she felt sick. She looked at Jessie, then the wall.

"This is where I jumped the wall to find the rogues." She said to Jessie, who now looked as worried as she did. They jumped the wall and shifted again. They followed the smell of the blood until they came to an area covered in deep snow in the forest. Jessie sniffed around before they began to dig in the snow.

They shifted back and stood up as they looked at one another, then back down in the snow. It was a body. Her body. The girl had been ripped into with wolf teeth. Her arms and neck were torn open. Her eyes were still open and she stared blankly up at the sky. Her skin was pale and she was frozen.

"She was killed by a wolf." Jessie said, clearly in the verge of panic. Ada stepped over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Stay calm, Jessie. Breath. We have to keep this quiet." She told him Jessie looked at her.

"Someone in the pack did this. Oh God what if the Alpha did this?" He groaned, almost on the verge of tears.

"Jessie! Calm down. I dont think he did. But something happened. We cant tell anyone about this yet. Not until we know." She said and they both looked down at her.

"What about her?" He asked.

"We have to leave her here for now. The cold will preserve her body. She can be brought home when we figure out what's going on. For now we have to let whoever did this think they are getting away with it." Ada replied.

They buried her body again and headed back home. They had a lot they needed to figure out. Who had killed her? Why was the Alpha and Luna no where to be found?

This was all a bit much. With war looming Ada wondered how all of this fit together. The dead girl, the alpha, the war. Ada felt sick as she slipped back into bed with Vincent and cuddled into his arms. He pulled her against him and she inhaled his scent deeply. It helped her calm down and clear her head.

She could not tell him about this yet, but she knew that she was not going to be able to keep it a secret from him for long. Jer and Jessie were going to have to work fast. Something told her they didn't have much time.