36 Sunglasses

James kept his brow from furrowing at the Beta's words. When had she called him? He didn't like this.

She was still in his arms, her legs were shaking slightly but her face was emotionless—as always—as she regarded the Beta's face. Her eyes did not hide the calculative expression in them though, he could tell she was observing him tactfully.

"Well, Alpha Thresh has asked us here, to meet with your Alpha. Now-"

"I'd like to hear it from her." Beta Shore interrupted, jutting his chin towards the human. Her expression remained unchanged, but her heart did begin to pound in what he could only assume was nervousness.

"No." He ground out, "You will hear it from me. Alpha Thresh has sent me to speak with your Alpha. Now tell me where he is and we'll have no issues." He made his voice sound as threatening as he could.

His wolf was not appearing, it was rather focused on the human and not on the "rival" Beta across from them.

The Beta scoffed, "You don't get to make the orders around here. And I have strong doubts that Alpha Thresh sent you." He said scoffingly, "He sent the human." He nodded towards her and he looked down at her. Her face was the same, but her eyes were almost humoured.

"We'll move out, get to the trucks." The Beta called and he shifted into a grey wolf.

James scoffed, 'So, we're done talking then?' He thought unhappily.

James looked down at the human blandly, "I don't suppose you can walk?"

She gave him a side glance as she watched the Lycans shift and run off into the woods. He took that as a no.

He began walking after them, his strides long.

After walking through the trees for probably twenty minutes she patted his arm and indicated that she would walk. His wolf was almost reluctant to let her feet walk along the rugged terrain. But he set her down and after standing for a few moments she began walking. He stood a step behind her, his senses ever keen on their surroundings.

After walking a few more minutes they found the Lycans. Most of them were in human form and filing into trucks and jeeps. The bulk of them had somehow managed to find clothes, others had blankets or towels covering their nude bodies. And the others that stayed shifted were standing guard.

The human paused for a moment, her small form observing the scene.

He—in that space of time—noted that the Lycans all glanced at the human, then at him. All of them were confused. 'They might've seen her with Beta before.' He theorized.

She began moving and James saw that her gaze was levelled on Beta Shore. He was now dressed in worn jeans and a loose grey tank top.

He followed after her, his eyes looking for any signs of danger that could affect her.

"All right, we'll be there in a half hour." The Beta said as they got closer, his hand held a phone to his ear, "Yes, Alpha. She's here, along with the Gamma. No, a new one." James couldn't hear the voice on the receiving end of the call.

James glanced down at the human, her face was hidden from him but he could see that she was staring directly at the Beta. The Beta looked over at her, almost nervously, from time to time as he continued with his phone call.

James huffed, it was so strange. Why would he fear her? She was as harmless as a fly, and just as squashable.

"Yes, yes." The Beta said, walking towards them now.

The human had stopped between two mossy maples; the whiteish brown bark covered in think layers of the soft moss. Beneath their feet were bunches of moss and roots popping out from the packed earth. But the ground that was not under the protection of branches was covered with snow, a foot deep or so.

Next to them was the dirt road with the multiple vehicles parked and now filled with Lycans. All of them were waiting for their Beta's signal to move out.

"I remember." The Beta mumbled and then ended the call, now only just a few steps away from them.

He regarded both of them, his gaze lingering on each of them for a minute. James couldn't sense what his gift was, but he knew he wasn't a hunter.

Taking one last brief look at the human he looked to James, "You'll be in the jeep with my Gamma, Clyde. She'll be with me."

James's wolf immediately lunged to the surface, tempting James to shift and challenge the Beta. Unbeknownst to him he'd let out a growl.

The human turned to face him, a noticeable limp to her gait. Her brown eyes were warning and he simply scoffed and looked to the Beta.

"Where she goes, I go." He said firmly.

Beta Shore watched him with a calculating expression, his gold eyes puzzled.

Clearing his throat he gestured to the SUV behind the car in front, "Get in." He said with a sigh.

James took a step forward and walked only a foot behind the human, his frame protecting her from the Beta.

She climbed in first and sat behind the drivers seat. He climbed in next, his legs bent painfully at the cramped space of the car.

Beta Shore climbed into the driver's seat and the jeep in front of them started its engine. James could only assume that he'd mind linked the driver of that vehicle.

He looked out the window, the white trees passed slowly as the cars made their way through the back roads. As soon as they exited onto the highway he felt a small tap on his arm.

His shoulders sagged. 'She'd been quiet for the beginning of the drive.' He whined mentally. But his wolf was nearly eager to see what she wanted, and to see if he could help her.

He turned begrudgingly and saw that she was covering her eyes. His own narrowed at the sight and he waited for an explanation. Glancing at Beta Shore, who had also been silent for the drive, he decided speaking was not the best option.

Clearing his throat he asked, "Got a pen?"

The Beta gave a quick glance at him then refocused on the road, "Yeah, why?"

"Could I have it?" He asked, not answering the Beta's question.

He saw the Lycan roll his eyes but he reached into the glove compartment and handed him a pen.

He huffed and wrote on his hand, "What is it?" He showed his palm to the human and she took the pen from him.

He listened to her pulse rate and determined that she wasn't nervous. Maybe writing would be better?

After a second she showed him her palm, it read, "Sunglasses."