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Chapter 6

Chapter 6

“Love isn’t supposed to make sense. It’s completely illogical.”

Jennifer Smith

Scarlett’s room was just as cramp and bleak as she’d described it in the book. There was a single twin bed with a thread-bare blanket, and one nightstand full of the few belongings she had.

I’d come up here with the intention of knocking some common sense into the girl, but seeing – actually seeing – how her pack forced her to live felt like someone had knocked me over. Maybe Scarlett didn’t need to be smacked with anything. She’d had enough of that her entire life.

So, instead, I found myself standing in the doorway, unsure how to navigate the situation. She was sobbing on the bed, her face in her hands, when I walked in.

It took her a moment to register my presence, but when she did, her eyes widened and she sat up immediately. “Oh, I didn’t see you there,” she said, immediately wiping the tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry if you needed something, and I wasn’t down there. I’ll get right on whatever it is you want!”

My heart clenched.

This poor girl.

“No, no,” I said, “I don’t need anything from you.” I shuffled awkwardly. “I guess I just wanted to see how you were after all that. It looked kind of brutal.”

Her face fell for a moment before her eyebrows suddenly furrowed. “Wait,” she said, “You’re the human, right?”

“Is my human awkwardness that obvious?”

“No, no, of course not,” she shook her head, as if afraid she’d really offended me. “I just heard some of the other pack members talking about you. They said they found you lying in the grass last night, talking all this nonsense about kidnappers.”

I flushed, “Yeah, well…it was a confusing time. You try waking up surrounded by a bunch of beautiful people, most of them shirtless.”

This time, she flushed, “Oh, I didn’t mean –”

“I’m just messing with you,” I said, “Anyway, I really just came up here to see how you were.”

“Me?” Scarlett asked in disbelief. Like nobody had ever bothered to check on her.

And they probably hadn’t.

“Yeah, you,” I said, taking a hesitant step into the room. It felt like I was a wolf dealing with a cornered deer who’d bolt if I moved too quickly. It was ironic, considering I was the human and she was the wolf. The roles should’ve been reversed.

“Oh, you don’t need to trouble yourself with me,” Scarlett stammered, “I’m –”

“Totally heartbroken,” I cut her off, “You don’t need to pretend you’re fine. I’m not one of your idiotic pack members who's going to smack you around if you say how you really feel.” I gestured to myself, “I’m human, remember? Even if I wanted to hurt you, I couldn’t.”

Scarlett looked at me warily before she said, “Even if that’s true, why do you care how I feel?”

“I may not grow fur and claws, but we’re both people,” I told her, “And I just watched you get humiliated for no reason by that ass –”

Scarlett was on her feet in a minute, her hand pressed over my mouth and her eyes as wide as saucers. “You can’t call him that!” She whispered.

I pried her hand off my face. “What? An asshole?”

The fear on her face only increased. “Yes!” She hissed, “He’s the Alpha now! If he hears you say that, he’ll hurt you. He’ll hurt both of us.”

Scarlett did have a point.

I could think Asher was a selfish asshole as much as I wanted to in my brain, but if he heard me say it out loud, I’d be screwed. I was no match for his supernatural strength, and even if Scarlett was technically stronger than anyone here, I doubted she’d back me in a fight.

“Okay, okay,” I reassured her, my voice low, “But you get my point. What happened down there…you didn’t deserve it.”

“Yes, I did,” she said without hesitation, and then she bowed her head. “Alpha was right. I don’t deserve to be his Luna, I’m…nothing.”

“Don’t do that,” I said, and I had to resist the urge not to shout. “Don’t bow your head and tell yourself that you deserved that. Nobody deserves that.”

My encounter with Aiden replayed in my brain. Perhaps that’s why I was so fired up about Scarlett – my own rejection was still a fresh wound.

“You don’t live amongst werewolves, so you don’t understand, but I do,” she replied, “I do deserve it.”

“No, you don’t,” I said firmly, and then I tilted her head up until we were eye-level. “And I understand more than you think.”

I took a deep breath. I’d given her compassion, but if I really wanted her to see things as I did, maybe I needed to use facts. Logic.

“You want to know why Asher and these people have spent all these years treating you like garbage?” I asked.

“Because I’m –”

“Because they’re jealous of you,” I cut her off, “And when given the opportunity, some people like to punch down. They take out their envy and their jealousy by trying to make you feel like you’re nothing, even though you’re not.” She opened her mouth, but I was on a roll. “And before you tell me that you’re ‘nothing’ again, let me tell you how I see it – as someone who didn’t know any of you twenty-four hours ago. That boy that just rejected you down there? He’s nothing but a selfish brat who’s everything handed to him his entire life. You’re not lucky to be mated to him. He should consider himself the lucky one.”

“Lucky?” Scarlett shook her head rapidly, “But he’s the Alpha. I’m the pack’s omega.”

I’m not sure why I said what I said next.

Maybe it was all the adrenaline pumping through my veins, or just the frustration of it all finally boiling over. But as I stepped closer, I narrowed my eyes and said lowly, “Now, you and I both know that’s not completely true, Scarlett.”

Her eyes grew wide again. “What do you mean?”

I spoke so quietly that I almost didn’t hear myself, but I needed to keep this conversation private. “You turned eighteen a couple of weeks ago,” I murmured, “You shifted for the first time, and realized you’re not the powerless omega your pack has tried to turn you into. You’re a white wolf.”

Her jaw hung open, and she took several steps back from me. There was fear in her eyes now, and I knew I had to tread carefully. “How do you know that?” She whispered harshly.

I paused.

How did I know that?

I’d been so focused on calling Scarlett out on her BS that I hadn’t thought to come up with an explanation as to why me, a random human, might know her secret. There wasn’t a feasible lie for this one.

But since I know her secret, maybe I can tell her mine.

Plus, she might be able to give me a lead on getting back to the real world. She’s the book’s main character, after all.

“Okay, so here’s the thing,” I told her quietly, “I’m not…from here.”

She furrowed her eyebrows. “What do you mean? Do you come from another country?”

“A little bit farther than that,” I corrected her, rubbing the back of my neck anxiously. “More like…another world.”

Even sweet, trusting Scarlett looked skeptical at that answer.

“I know it sounds crazy,” I told her, “And I don’t have a logical explanation for it, but here’s what I know. Last night – or what I think was last night – I was sitting in my house with my friend, reading a book.” I took a deep breath for this next part. “Your book. Like the book of your life.”

Scarlett’s eyebrows shot to the sky and she began shaking her head. “Okay, so you’re insane. I need to tell –”

I stopped her before she could take a step. “Let me finish,” I said, “You’re going to want to hear this.” The desperate look in my eyes must’ve convinced her because Scarlett snapped her mouth shut, and let me continue.

“In my world, wherever that is, your life is just a story. A book that my friend convinced me to read,” I said, “That’s how I know your secret – I read it. It’s how I know your parents died when you were a baby, and you’ve been mistreated by your pack ever since. It’s how I know, when you were sixteen, Shellie Henderson poured strawberry milk on your head during breakfast, and the entire pack laughed at it. It’s how I know, the night of your eighteenth birthday, you went out in the woods alone and shifted into a white wolf. The first one seen in centuries.”

Scarlett’s mouth hung open in shock, but I wasn’t done yet. “Oh, and I also know that on that night, you swore to yourself that you’d never tell anyone. You still think your white wolf form is a mistake, something that you shouldn’t have.”

“I-I d-don’t…” Scarlett stumbled over her words, and I could practically see the gears turning in her head. Looking for another explanation that would explain how I knew these things.

“You have supernatural senses,” I said, “Listen to my heartbeat and tell me if I’m lying about this. Am I?”

Scarlett did as I asked, and her entire forehead creased as she said, “...no.”

“See?” I said, “It sounds crazy, but it’s the truth. The only other way I’d know those things was if I was the most dedicated stalker in the world or a witch, but you know my scent. I’m human.”

“But how?” Scarlett asked, “How would I be a book in your world? And how would you get here?”

“I’ve got the same questions, trust me,” I said, “If I was going to end up in a fictional world, why couldn’t it be a cool one? Like Marvel? Or Star Wars? I could be flying around in a spaceship or hanging out on another planet right now!”

“My life isn’t fictional,” she retorted, “While I can’t explain why it may appear that way in…your world, I can assure you that this place is very real.”

“I don’t doubt that it’s real,” I replied, “But regardless, I have no plans to stick around. I’ve got to get back to my real life.” I paused to look at her, “I don’t suppose you know anything about interdimensional travel, do you? Like traveling between worlds or dimensions?”

“Why would I know anything about interdimensional travel?”

“Well, I don’t know,” I said, “Maybe because you’re a werewolf, which means your world must have some magic in it. Plus, you’re the main character of the book, so…”

Scarlett blushed. “I am?”

“Yeah,” I shrugged, “I told you. The book is about your life. It starts the night you find out you’re a white wolf, and then follows you after you get rejected by Asher.”

Her face dropped, and I almost regretted bringing up the rejection. “What happens after that?” She asked, “Do I ever recover from…what happened downstairs?”

I opened my mouth to tell her, but I paused.

If I really was in this book, then telling Scarlett her future could mess up the plot. She might make decisions based on what I tell her.

But I’ve already messed up the plot just by coming up here to talk to her. In fact, you could argue that things began to go off-course the minute I showed up in this world.

And would it really be so bad if she made some different decisions? God knows this girl deserves better than the man-child partying it up downstairs.

“You sure you want to know?” I asked her.

She nodded, a determined look on her face.

“The truth is,” I sighed, “After the rejection, you’re really sad for awhile…and Asher goes out of his way to make you feel as awful as possible. He even tries to make Shellie his Luna…which she’s terrible at.”

Scarlett looked devastated. “Shellie? But she’s…”

“Your biggest bully?” I finished, “Yeah, Asher doesn’t even pretend to care about your feelings, but things take a turn when you shift one day and Asher accidentally sees you’re a white wolf. Once he realizes you’re actually powerful, he changes his tune pretty quickly and takes back the rejection.”

For the first time since our conversation started, I watched her eyes fill with hope. “Asher takes me back?” She asked, “He becomes my mate? That’s amazing!” She glanced at me, “Why didn’t you start with that?”

“Amazing?” I scoffed, “He bullied you for years and publicly humiliated you. The only reason he even takes you back is because he realizes you could be of use to him. It’s not because he suddenly loves you or has seen what a great person you are.” I couldn’t help myself from telling her more. “There’s hardly any groveling either! Even once you’re mates, he doesn’t do anything to correct his past behavior. He’s still friends with all the same people who treated you like trash for years, and he takes no real accountability for all the hurt he’s caused.”

That seemed to give Scarlett pause, and I hoped that my words were sinking in.

“And you want to know the worst part? You just accept it. You take the crumbs he offers, and treat them like a five-course meal,” I told her. I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, “Listen…I know you’ve been treated terribly your entire life, made to feel like you’re nothing. But you deserve better. And I know I’m a stranger from a different world who’s opinion doesn’t matter to you, but…”

I swallowed, trying to find the right words to express what I wanted to say. “You’re stronger than you know. And maybe I’m totally fucking up the plot by telling you any of this, but I feel like you deserve to know that there are better things out there. If you stay here and take Asher back, I don’t think you’ll ever live up to your full potential. You’ll turn into the weak and powerless wolf he’s always tried to turn you into.”

Scarlett looked wobbly on her feet as she took a few steps back toward the tiny twin bed, and sunk into the creaky mattress.

She was silent for several moments before she quietly said, “What would you do?”

“What do you mean?”

She tilted her head to look up at me with watery eyes. “If you were in my position,” she clarified, “What would you do?”

“Probably get the hell out of dodge,” I told her without hesitation.

“And leave my pack behind?” She shot back, “These people are…”

“Are what?” I cut her off, “Your family? Hardly. You could leave here and have a fresh start. Find people who treat you like a human being. That’s what I’d do.”

She didn’t reply.

Tension hung in the air for several minutes as Scarlett sat on the bed, ringing her hands together.

I had a feeling she wasn’t going to reply.

Oh, well.

I’ve done my part. If Ava was here, she’d probably tell me I was being too cold or I needed to be more compassionate, but the girl should know what she’s in for.

When I get back to the real world, at least I’ll know that I tried…even if she doesn’t do anything.

Eventually, I sighed, and with a final glance at Scarlett, left the attic.

I’d wasted enough time here – it was time to get back to the real world. I still had no idea how to do that, but I figured finding some human civilization might be a good place to start. At least I’d be around people who wouldn’t tear my throat out if I pissed them off.

Logic told me that if I’d ended up in another world or dimension or whatever this was, I couldn’t have been the first. Somewhere, there had to be someone who knew something. I just needed to find them.

Fortunately, the downstairs was relatively empty. Asher, as well as the rest of his pack, were having a giant bonfire outside to celebrate his coronation. It seemed as if they’d all forgotten about me.

Without getting too lost, I managed to find my way into the kitchen and steal some canned goods, a bag of cheese danishes, and some water for the road. I had no idea how long the Crescent Moon territory extended, so I’d need to be prepared to spend at least a few days hiking.

Great. My least favorite activity.

God, why couldn’t I have been transformed into a werewolf for this? If I was going to end up in a werewolf book, you’d think I’d gain some werewolf powers.

Instead, I’m stuck as a helpless human.

When I was done, I packed everything up and slipped out the front door.

As I headed for the tree line, already dreading the long walk ahead, a familiar voice echoed across the empty front yard.

“Hey, wait up!”

I whipped my head around to find Scarlett darting across the grass, a small pack on her back. She moved quicker than anyone I’d ever seen, and in a blink, she was beside me.

“What are you doing?” I asked. I eyed the backpack slung over her shoulder warily.

She averted her eyes from mine, fiddling with her hands nervously. “Well, it’s just…I was thinking about what you said. About my future and what it’ll be like if I stay here,” she said meekly, “And I think…maybe I want better than that.” The last part was said so quietly that I almost missed it – like Scarlett herself was even afraid to admit that she deserved better.

But she did, and something close to pride swelled in my chest at her words.

“Well, it makes me happy to hear you say that,” I said, “But where do you plan to go?” In the book, I couldn’t remember Scarlett having any ties or connections to anyone outside of her pack.

She looked even more sheepish as she said, “Well…you’re leaving, and I just thought…”

“You want to come with me?”

She immediately began to backtrack. “If you don’t want me –”

“It’s not that,” I said, “It just took me by surprise.” Although I definitely was surprised, the gears in my head were already turning. I was heading into werewolf territory as a relatively helpless human.

Having a werewolf, let alone a powerful white wolf, to accompany me?

Well, how could I turn that down?

It only took me a moment to gather my thoughts and reply, “Your presence – and hopefully, your protection – would be very welcome.”

Her face brightened, and I added, “But just so you know, I have no idea where I’m headed. Probably to the closest human town I can make it to. You’re okay with that?”

She nodded eagerly, “There’s a human town about…twenty miles east? I know that Alpha sends men into town for supply runs sometimes. I think it’s the closest one, but I’ve never traveled there on foot.”

“Well, that makes two of us,” I shrugged.

I’d already begun turning around when Scarlett suddenly asked, “Wait! You know my name, but I don’t think I ever got yours. The pack was just calling you ‘the human,’ but I never heard an actual name.”

“It’s Elsie,” I told her.

“Like the –”

“Yes, like the Ice Queen,” I said, rolling my eyes. Even saying it aloud made me think of Aiden, and how he’d used that against me.

Scarlett opened her mouth to ask something else, but I just wanted to get off the topic altogether. The last thing I needed on my mind right now was my cheating ex-boyfriend.

“Come on,” I said, gesturing toward the tree line, “We’re already losing daylight hours, and I’m guessing you know this territory much better than I do.”

Scarlett nodded, and without further ado, we headed for the woods.

As we walked in silence, I felt something stirring in my gut – like this was just the beginning.

Something – or someone, I’d later learn – awaited me in this world.

I just didn’t know it yet.

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