37 “A lot of things…”

'Sunglasses?' He asked staring at her. She was still covering her eyes with her free hand.

He cleared his throat, "You got a pair of sunglasses?"

Beta Shore shot him a glare through the rearview mirror as he reached into the glove compartment once more. He handed him a pair of glasses and James handed them to the human. She snatched them from his hands and shoved them onto her face.

She took a few deep breaths then finally raised her head to look at the scenery outside.

He clenched his jaw. She seemed to have many secrets behind those hollow yet shrewd eyes.

He wrote once more on his hand and showed it to her. It said, "What did he mean by 'Alpha sent you'?"

She turned to look at him, her eyes hidden by the glasses, her lips were pressed together and her brows were relaxed. Unreadable.

She took the pen from his hand and began writing in the back of her hand. Finishing, she showed him, "Why do you think I'm here?"

His brow furrowed, he wasn't sure why. Because she wasn't safe at the Pack? But Alpha and Beta were there. He recalled Alpha saying that his brother liked her. He pondered this for a few moments.

"How well do you know Alpha Kratos?" He asked, moving to write on his wrist now.

She paused, her fingers tapping slowly. Taking the pen from his hand he couldn't help but notice how small hers were, almost like a child's compared to his.

"We have an understanding." She answered, showing her thin wrist to him.

He frowned, "What kind of understanding?" He was running out of arm space. His handwriting was a little large.

She paused again, he could almost hear her thinking. He wondered how much she actually thought.

"A mutual one." She answered, her scarred arm placed in his line of sight. He ignored the jagged pink scar that looked only a day old and grasped the pen in his hand.

"Then why am I here?" He asked frustratedly.

She took the pen. While she scribbled on her scarred arm he looked out the windshield and saw that the Beta was turning onto a side road.

"Hey, where are you taking us?" He asked darkly.

"Where you want to go."

James clenched his jaw. Not the answer he was looking for.

The human shoved her pale forearm in his face, "Because Thresh wants you to protect me."

He huffed. Running his tongue along his bottom teeth he reflected bitterly, 'She needs protection. But she doesn't want it.' He stayed silent. Not even bothering to get angry at her use of Alpha's name.

The car drove along the backroad, keeping with the train of one vehicle in front and one in back. The others had broken off on the highway.

Dusk began to descend, the trees now being wrapped in shadows. The snow flowed softly from the headlights.

The SUV hit a large rock and the human gasped, her whole body tensing.

He looked at her, her hands were clenched and her breathing was laboured.

"What did we hit?" He asked the Beta.

"Nothing. Why?"

James huffed, "How soon till we're there?"

"A few minutes." He answered tiredly.

James inched over to the human and she jumped, gasping and beginning to pant desperately.

She looked at the window and he saw a glimpse of her eyes beneath the lenses. They were wide and infused with fear.

He glanced out the windshield then at her again.

"What's going on back there?" Beta Shore asked, glancing through the rearview mirror.

'Wish I knew.' James muttered in his mind. He assumed that it might possibly a flashback. This was not good timing. But his wolf was concerned, he was annoyed at the fact Beta Shore was there. He wanted to be alone with the human. James blinked back the strange feelings.

He thought back to when Malcolm had helped e bring her back from her previous flashback. Each time she'd had one since he'd let her deal with it, but they were about to meet with the Alpha of another pack.

He swallowed back a bitter flavour in mouth and told himself that it was for the good of his pack. Despite his wolf's nagging him to comfort her.

"Brooke." He said in a hushed voice.

She tensed and closed her eyes. Her jaw clenching with enough force to draw blood from her tongue. A strangled sound arose from her throat.

He realized she was containing a scream.

He looked up and saw a gate ahead.

Looking back she was bent over, breathing hard as strangled gasps worked their way past her lips.

He had no idea what to do. His wolf was telling him to embrace her, but the thought made him roll his shoulders in… discomfort? He couldn't puzzle through his wolf's thoughts or his own.

He wracked his brain for any information that Gloria or Malcolm might've relayed to him. All that came to him was that he was to try and bring her back.

"Brooke." He tried again. She blinked and clasped his hand, squeezing harder than he'd thought possible. It wasn't quite painful but it was hard enough to distract him from the fact that they'd arrived at a large snow covered house.

As the car stopped she jumped and let out a small shrill gasp. Her nails dug into his hand and he hissed in pain, but he could see that she still was ignorant of her surroundings.

"Brooke." He pressed again, squeezing her hand back.

She gasped and looked at him, "Yeah, come back." He felt ridiculous telling her this but he remembered Malcolm saying something similar.

She audibly swallowed and bowed her head, holding it in her hands. His wolf whimpered. He didn't like seeing her in such pain. But James pushed the sound back and the longing feelings away. Those emotions were reserved for his mate. And she… was gone.

Darkness covered his heart.

He looked outside and saw that they'd arrived at what he could only assume was their destination. Beta Shore had left the car sometime during her flashback.

He didn't quite know where to go from here. Was he to wait for Alpha Kratos to tell him to come out…? 'No,' He decided, 'I'll just walk out there and say why I'm here.'

Looking back at the human he discovered she was still bent in half.

"What exactly did you see?" He couldn't help but ask, his wolf perking up tentatively at the question.

She raised her head slowly to look at him. He was about to turn away when she spoke, her voice a subtle, almost choked whisper, "A lot of things…"

He hid the conflicting emotions that arose in him from that statement. Sliding out of the vehicle he waited to help her down.

She moved slowly, her hands shaking. He caught her ice cold fingers and held them as she stepped out of the SUV. He could see that her knees had weakened with the impact of her feet hitting the snow.

He tried to keep her standing by gripping her arm. A strangled wince sounded from her. He immediately let go and she grasped the car door, her hands still shaking.

"Brooke! Where are you darling? It's been too long." A loud voice called from the front steps. The two doors were wide open revealing an interior of a rather rich and lavish design.

A Lycan stepped down, his hands casually placed in his pockets. James's head raised as he registered the man's status as an Alpha. His brown eyes narrowed as the Alpha's bright blue eyes levelled with his.

His mocking lips curved into a smile even more mocking, but his eyes then flickered with confusion as he looked at James, then around him and the human. Running a hand through his styled black hair he looked around one last time with a calculating gaze. 'Just like the human.'

The Alpha levelled his vibrant eyes on the two of them.

"Say, Brooke. Where's your mate?"