Chapter 5

Secrets can keep people safe... but they also cause pain

I don't why I hadn't just come here in the first place. After leaving the california pack, I thought about heading East once again. Going through many packs, I ended up at the pack I've known to be great people... The Tennessee pack, if I had headed East in the first place... I wouldn't have had been on the road for the past month. And being here, made me feel as if I was home.

   John Jameson is the leader of this pack, a family friend as well. Going back a few centuries our families were descendents of the Washington pack, the pack had been going through difficult times and instead of staying... my family as well as Jameson's left so they could expand their power, while my family chose to stay in the hunting business, they joined the Sioux pack, Jamesons family on the otherhand, created the Tennessee pack. And instead of following in the steps of other wolves, they stopped hunting and got into business with humans, they gained much profit and became one of the largest packs in the U.S, but they also grew weak. Without the constant training for the hunts they grew slack, sat behind desks thinking of ways to gain profit, and due to the weakening of the pack, the beasts we hunted came for them. This is where my family came back into view, we grew in strength following in the old ways, when the Tennessee pack was faced with a killing problem, they called us.

   We became their protectors, not only my family... but others too. It was easy money, I've worked a few times here in Tennessee and have always been welcomed. It's been a few years sense I've last seen this place, not much has changed, when I entered the packs home base I was greeted by smiles and handshakes as well as some sympathy due to my exile. When I finally got to John, he already had a speech for me.

  Slade... great to see you again my boy, how long has it been? Three-four years?

Good to see you to John, and I'd say that's about right... I've been busy, if I had the time, I would've visited more often.

   Well is great that you finally came this way... even though it due to your exile... how you holding up

I've been better John, it's tough not having a pack ready to help me if I needed it, buts that why I came here...

   John embraced me and told me I was always welcomed here... but due to my exile and the mark of the exiled that will always be with me, he couldn't "accepted" me into the pack. I was fine with that though, as long as I had a place to stay, and a pack on my side, I was fine. While John was explaining new things about the pack did I notice his daughter sneak into room... Lena

   Lena? Is that you, jeez you look completely different, not the runt of the litter anymore I see

   She looked my way and smiled.

   You've always had a way with words Slade Jackson... it's been to long.

   She came in and gave me a long embracing hug... the last time I was here, John was planning on giving his daughter to me as a token of his gratitude to my family, a planned relationship is what I had seen it as. While Lena was ready to become mine and take the Jackson name, I denied the offer. At first John had been upset with me and Lena heartbroken... but after awhile I was able to earn there respect again. Now seeing Lena, I thought I had made a mistake when denying the offer. She was average height for a girl her age and had long blonde hair that fell around her shoulders, her eyes were hazel holding hints of yellow, but really stunned me was her wolf form.

   The color of our wolves have always intrigued use, the most common colors among the wolves are black, brown, and blond... but there are three colors that are rare... grey, white, and red. Lena's wolf is grey, the most common among the three. But all wolf forms have something on them that tell of the human form, Lena's has blonde strips among the grey fur, and the eyes... they turn yellow giving a gentle look to her wolf, I have always loved her wolf form. And her scent, was of a cherry blossom tree. But there was something different, not her scent, but a scent lingering on her, the scent of death.

   She was the one that imprinted on the boy back in California. I pulled away from her and looked her dead in the eyes

   The scent of death lingers on you... what have done...

   She seemed to know what I was talking about and ran off, but I followed her and held her against the wall.

   Slade... how do you know about Lucas?

   So that's the boys name, now I know what to call him when I see him again and lock him in a coffin where he belongs

  You don't know where I was before this?.. I dropped by california before coming here, and during a fight between the pack and some vamp's I met that walking skumbag, have a great chat with him as well...

She looked at me in horror

   Slade did you k-

No I didn't kill him, you imprinted on him and due to pack law... I couldn't kill him.

She looked relieved with that answer but still tense.

  Why Lena, of all people you could choose, you chose the living dead...

Don't look at me like that Slade... I've been alone ever sense you denied my father's gift... I would've been yours but you said no. You think my father stoped after that, he arranged so many more and I hated them all, I wanted you, but you wouldn't have me... So I decided to end It all, but before I could... Lucas showed up. He stoped me from killing myself and I fell in love with him.

  ... I didn't know it got that bad after I said no...

Tears started to form in her eyes...

   It did... you wouldn't have me... but Lucas does want me, so there's my reason as to why I'm dateing a boy like him

I realized I was still holding her against the wall, so I let her go.

   Have you told your father...

   No... he wouldn't allow it, like you... he thinks of them as desieses.

Her father needed to know, even though I agree with her, he needs to know... the father is give an approval of the boy if he's not a wolf like the girl...

   You need to tell him, it's the law of the pack... no matter what he says, you will listen to him...

Tears started running down her cheeks.

I can't Slade... I just can't

If you don't Lena... then I will. It's better if here's it from you and not an outside source... besides, he will probably want an explanation as to why you ran off like that.

  I left her to think about it and told her she has till midnight to tell him. And if I find out she didn't tell him, then he'll here it from me first thing in the morning... And it would not end well...