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“Aunt Lily? Aunt Lily? Where are you?” he heard Adria yell as she flew through the main floor, looking for Lily. Her aunt raced down the stairs like there was a fire at her heels, eyes wide and full of panic and confusion.
“Adria? I’m here, I’m here. What's going on? What's wrong? Spencer, what the hell is going on?” Spencer saw Aunt Lily’s eyes dart back and forth as she tried to hug Adria, who put her hands up to stop her. Spencer decided to take a step back. He knew she needed to get it out and hear it from her aunt firsthand.
“Tell me now! Tell me the truth. Did my father kill my mother because she was a wolf, and is he a hunter?” Adria shook her head; a look of shock and realization crossed her aunt's face. “Why? Why didn’t you ever tell me?” she demanded to know.
“Adria, when she dropped you off the day she died, I promised your mother that I would take care of you no matter what. She made me promise that you would never know about your father. She didn’t know how he would react to what you two were, where you both came from and how close our pack was. She didn’t want to take any chances of you being in any danger. She said that if anything ever happened to her, she wanted you to think he was dead so you would never go looking for him. She couldn’t believe he was a hunter, that he had such a secret of his own. She knew that, if you did go looking for him, he would kill you, and your safety was her main concern. He would have done the same to you. He would have, I'm so sorry to say. I’m sorry.”
Aunt Lily reached out for her; Adria fell into her arms and sobbed.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. You don’t ever have to worry about him. Your mother never told him about Rosewood. He has no idea where you are,” she tried to console her. Adria pulled awayand shook her head. Spencer braced himself for Aunt Lily’s reaction.
“He’s back, Aunt Lily. He’s been killing Alphas and is on his way to Rosewood.” Adria looked to Spencer, who nodded. Her aunt’s face looked horrified, as a small gasp escaped her lips.
“Oh no. No, no, no. This is bad. Spencer? What are we going to do? You have no idea what this man is capable of. He is ruthless and cunning.” Aunt Lily wrung her hands with worry.
“It’ll be okay. We’re having a meeting, and we will figure out what precautions we need to take. The safety of the pack, of Rosewood, is our highest priority,” Spencer tried to reassure her. He didn’t know exactly what they were going to do but knew to say that. He had faith in the council and his Beta to help him figure this out. It had been so long since any pack had to worry about hunters, they were all worried about what to do to protect themselves. Times had changed so much that they had no idea what to expect.
Spencer saw Adria take a step back and stumble. Quickly, he grabbed her around the waist to steady her as he slowly led her to the couch to sit. She looked pale and drained. Trying to process everything all at once was taking its toll on her. She needed to rest; take a breath, and try to relax.
“Oh, my sweet child! Let me go make you some tea.” Aunt Lily rushed to the kitchen, leaving them on the couch together.
“Try to take it easy. I know this is a lot. I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now.” He rubbed her back, trying to comfort her as she dealt with all the confusion.
“I wish things could go back to the way they use to be, where our biggest worries were our GPA and what to wear to the formal dances.” Adria sighed. Spencer thought the same; just a couple of years ago, they all had no cares in the world. The threatof a hunter seemed to have been a flash in the pan, but know it was back in full force. A force that was family for Adria.
Spencer took a deep breath as he watched her get up from the couch and walk over to the living room window. She wrapped her arms around herself and gazed out of the window. He hoped that she remembered that she still had the pack behind her. They were still her family, and she was still loved and accepted by everyone. No matter what, she would always be backed by them. They would never turn their backs on her. Especially him.
After Aunt Lily brought her the tea, Adria sat beside him again and quietly drank it. Spencer didn’t know what else to say. He was at a loss for words for the first time in his life. He knew nothing he could say or do to make things any better for her. All he could do was be by her side and offer an ear and a shoulder when she needed it. He hoped she still knew that he was there for her. He hoped that sitting with her right now proved that to her.
“I’m staying,” she suddenly said, “Rosewood is my home. This is my pack. I’m staying.” Spencer scowled. He understood where she was coming from, and he wanted her to stay, to keep her safe. But in the same breath, he wanted her as far away from here as possible so her father would never find her. He didn't know if her father knew that she was here, if he was looking for her, or if he even knew what she looked like. He struggled with his thoughts, wanting her to stay and go.
“I don’t think that’s the best idea,” he told her finally.
“Well, I didn’t ask you,” she said defiantly.
“I agree with Spencer. You look so much like your mother; he’ll know it’s you if he sees you. There’s no telling how he’ll react.” Aunt Lily set her cup on the coffee table and wrung her hands again.
“Listen, I know you want to stay and fight to defend your home, but this is different. This is unlike any threat we have ever seen and, with it being your father…” He trailed off when he saw the suspicious look on her face.
“You think that I wouldn’t fight to the best of my ability against him, don’t you?” she said in an accusing tone.
“That’s… I don’t know. I guess that’s possible.” He watched as she shook her head. He hated saying that to her, but it was an angle he had to consider. He had to look at all sides and weigh them accordingly.
“It’s not possible! Not at all. Don’t forget, I’ve never even met him. I don’t even know what he looks like. The man killed my mother, and you think that I would have an ounce of compassion for him?” She paced the living room, as he felt the tension rise in the room.
“Now, Adria, my dear, I’m sure Spencer is just trying to look out for your best interests. You have been friends for so long. He would probably like to send everyone away so nobody gets hurt,” her aunt tried to defend him.
“Don’t say that because I’m guessing you’re thinking the same thing,” she threw at her aunt.
“Adria, calm down. You've been through so much today that I don’t think you’re thinking straight right now, and I don’t blame you for that. You need time to clear your head,” he tried to reason with her by using a little bit of his Alpha tone to get her attention. He saw her take a deep breath and sit back down.
“You’re right. I’m sorry, Aunt Lily.” She rubbed her face with her hands. “I’ll be okay. You should go. I know you have a lot on your plate with running the pack, and they need their Alpha right now.” She sighed. He didn’t like the thought of leaving her, but she was right; he had things that needed his attention. A lot of things. He knew she understood, but he still worried.
“Okay. I’ll come back tomorrow and check in on you,” Spencer finally said, nodding. “If you need anything at all, call me,” he told her and hugged her tightly before he headed for the door.
As he drove home, his thoughts were plagued with what to do next.
How was he going to keep the whole town safe? Should he let Adria stay or make her go?The pressure of being the Alpha was weighing heavily on him as he made it to his house.
