>I sat on my bed, my heart about to beat out of my chest."What just happened?" I was so confused. What was all that about?I thought he broke up with me because of Claire. Then why did he kiss me? If that could even be qualified as such. I placed my muffin aside, my brain was in overdrive."Xavier!" I whined to myself. Why was he doing this? Did he get kicks out of watching me squirm for him? He wasn't that kind of man, was he? I had barely known him for a few months, but they had made me feel like I knew him for years.I sighed but suddenly got cautious when a double-knock sounded on my door. It was past midnight. Who could it be? I was sure Maisie was asleep and if she needed to see me, she'd use the joined balcony. Could it be Mr. Smith? Maybe he found out that I was sneaking around in the kitchen.I slowly walked to the door.With my hand on the handle, I stilled. What if it was John? I was ready to expect the worst from him."Who is it?" I called out, without openin

>Claire took her time blindfolding Xavier.Then, she put me, Alyssa, Herself, and Maisie in line. I wanted to refuse but that would've been suspicious, so I stood silently as Xavier started from Maisie. It didn't take him long to recognize her. I don't know how he did it, but I was in no place to question it.Next was Claire and the moment he touched her face, her name escaped his lips. She smiled wide in triumph at being recognized so quickly. I felt another stab in my heart, along with a doubt. Maisie and Jacob wanted me to fight for Xavier but seeing him Claire, I didn't know how was I supposed to compete with their relationship. They had known each other for the most part of their lives. How could the few months that I had would compare to all those years and memories that they had? But then, why did the thought of giving him up hurt so much? Why did I feel like I couldn't breathe if I wasn't around him? Why did I feel like strangling her perfect neck every time she

>It took me a few minutes to gather my bearings and decide that Claire Devereux was indeed right. It hurt but it was the truth. It had been glaring at me from the start. Xavier and I didn't belong with each other, not like Claire and he did. It was better if I just focused on getting my Dad free and making sure that John paid for everything. I marked the spot where I had to reach on the map to find a road that could hopefully provide me with a hitchhiking possibility."I will call Maisie later. She'll apologize to Jacob on my behalf." I told myself as I walked through the winding non-existent paths in the woods. 'Should've brought some water.' I told myself as I panted due to my human-like weaknesses. I loathed how weak I was without a wolf. Why did I not deserve a wolf? Maybe if I had one, I would try and be worthy of Xavier. Be a true Beta.I hated how pathetic I was to love and give up on it. But I never stood a chance in front of Claire Devereux. I sighed and kept

>After the way he blamed me for almost being murdered, I refused to say another word to him as we trekked back to the Hill House.I wanted to tell him why I was there in the first place. I wanted to show him how unfair his trust in Claire was. I wanted him to know that he won and I had given up on us. But the way he defended her while blaming me, made everything pointless. Why did he save me if I was such a liability? Or maybe he would've done the same for anyone in that situation. I guess we would never know. I imagined what my wolf would say to me in this situation if I had one. I had heard that the wolves share a part of our psyche, are versions of ourselves, and are our only friends in tough times. Would my wolf blame me for letting myself cornered too?As we exited the woods, I was behind Xavier and nobody saw me at first.Claire rushed to him and hugged him tightly, "Xavy, where were you? I won! I found the treasure. Wanna know what it is?"But as they parted she n

>I had been in my room for the rest of the day. Maisie was with me."Why didn't you tell me any of this before?" She massaged her temples.I had told her everything. The whole truth from the start. I was in a vulnerable state and when she started asking questions, I broke. I needed someone to trust. Besides Dad, she was the only one I had. I told her about Xavier, my contract with him to save Dad, and to gather evidence to put John in front of the Werewolf Council. He had to pay for his sins."What was I supposed to say? And honestly, I was hoping for it all to be over sooner. And I definitely didn't expect for Claire to return." I shrugged."Well, better late than never." She looked at me determined."What do you mean?" I asked confused."I mean, I am with you. All in. You are right. John needs to pay and I will help you however I can." She was the reason I had stayed sane for as long as I had.Her conviction made me smile in irony as I asked, "And what do you have in mi