Alex’s pov:
Camelia had agreed to help the pack, and had settled yesterday in a cabin near the lake. The fridge was full, and she would lack for nothing while she stayed at the pack.
When I met her in the morning, after exchanging greetings, she said in passing, “I am not doing this for the pack, Xander.”
Her words, which should have shaken me up a little, only brought a smile to my face.
This was Camelia we were talking about. She used to be a dear friend, up till the moment she awakened her powers as a witch which we hadn’t even known she possessed at the time. Indeed, upon losing her parents at the age of 2, she had been adopted by a human couple, and had lived as such till the age of 17 when she came into her powers.
“Don’t be like that, Cami,” I told her with an easy smile, shaking my head gently in mild disapproval.
The pack members wouldn’t like her words, and neither would Jade.
A faint smile appeared on her face before she said softly, “I met your mate yesterday.”
“Jade is wonderful, isn’t she?” I let out proudly, my smile broadening at the mere mention of her.
“She is seemingly quite the wonderful woman to have you all wrapped around her little finger,” she retorted with a teasing smirk, her deep blue eyes crinkling with mirth.
“Well, she is my luna,” I nodded at her, not in the least bothered by her comment.
“Indeed,” she offered me an awkward smile, and it made me question my decision to bring her in for a moment there, but I quickly dismissed the questions.
Camelia might be a witch, but she was a friend first and foremost or rather used to be a friend till I turned 18.
We had not kept in touch since, but I remembered a time when I was wrapped around her little finger, thinking she might be my mate. At the time, Camelia was witty, and admittedly stunning too. Many guys pursued her, but she never bothered with any of them, choosing to stick to me instead.
The day she came into her powers, Trevor and Luc had been around, and saw first-hand the effects of her snapping. And that might be one of the reasons why they weren’t fond of her.
“How have you been?” She asked with a tender look and an indulgent smile on her face.
“I have been well,” I gave her a smile, “and if it weren’t for the impending war and the recent attack on the pack, I would have been even better.”
She nodded, mirrored my smile, and kept mum.
As we walked side by side to the lake, I explained to her the reason why we needed her help. She listened to me with rapt attention and didn’t breathe a word for a moment.
“I see,” she said once I was done with the explanation, “I will do my best to assist you.”
I beamed at her, almost unable to believe she was willing to help, no questions asked.
But then again, it was too good to be true, and I should have been wary of her. She was a witch after all. And witches tended to be cunning, and different shades of manipulative.
** ** ** **
Jade’s pov:
Alex disappeared shortly after training ended, and Luc soon told me that he went to meet Camelia to have a few things sorted out.
My mouth began to feel dry at once, even as I fought the urge to scowl. Although I trusted my beloved mate with every fiber of my being, I didn’t trust the witch one bit.
Trust Alex, my wolf told me in a sweet tone of voice.
I do trust him, I retorted. But she’s a witch. Who knows what she could or would do?
Alex wouldn’t put the pack in jeopardy, she said in a tone of finality.
Agreed, I sighed, and I soon tried to relax.
Before long, I was too busy to mind the peculiar friendship. Indeed, we were getting ready to have the allies over in a couple of days Alpha Kade and Alpha Ian.
The omegas were busy around the kitchen and I, to distract myself, wanted to lend them a hand. Only they didn’t allow me to.
One of them even mustered up the courage to speak up openly, “We take pride in what we do, Luna Jade. Please allow us this satisfaction.”
Another soon went on, “Surely, you must have other more pressing duties.”
I nodded at them and fought the blush that threatened to creep under my skin, “You’re right. I trust you to do a wonderful job, ladies.”
“Yes, Luna Jade!” One of them cheered and the others followed.
Despite everything I did to keep myself busy, the unease lingered in the back of my mind.
I could understand that Alex had a past, a past where I didn’t belong… but when that past resurfaced so abruptly, and threatened to disrupt my peace of mind, I was peeved to say the least. Indeed, I wasn’t given the chance or the time to get used to it, and I felt a bit insecure which should be normal, as long as I didn’t act on my desire to take out the woman.
It was kind of unsettling how not even Jessica affected me so, and yet Camelia whom I barely knew did. But then again, it could be because Alex didn’t bother explaining to me the true nature of their bond.
And in the end, dismissing my instincts turned out to be quite the mistake.
When I heard Alex calling Camelia Cami, I knew then and there that the witch would be nothing but trouble.
Trevor caught me staring at the two of them with murder in my eyes, and he quickly said, as he grabbed my hand, pulling me away from the scene, “Your murder intent is seeping, Luna Jade.”
“That’s because murder is all this Cami inspires in me,” I retorted bitterly, putting emphasis on the Cami part.
“Luc and I weren’t too eager to bring her in, but the pack is in an unprecedented danger,” he said in a soft tone of voice. “On the plus side, the alpha has given us you and I his permission to flee the pack should you be in danger.”
“I beg your pardon?” I raised an eyebrow at that. “He wants to get rid of me so he can be with his Cami?”
“No, Luna Jade, please don’t put words in my mouth,” Trevor said in a panicky tone of voice. “It’s just that your safety is his top priority, and somewhere deep down, he knows that the witch, whom he used to have as a friend, is not to be trusted.”
I inhaled deeply and tried to calm my raging emotions but to no avail…