Souls Entwined

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four
Elle's POV

'The Umbra pack has been scrutinised for months for their actions against human Elliot Clarke. But, as we reach a year since the events took place, we have to wonder what has come of the pack that was once one of the fiercest modern-day packs.'

The reporter wore a baby blue pantsuit with a white blouse tucked into her slacks. Her dark hair was twisted into a low bun at the nape of her neck, and the only piece of jewellery she wore was a wedding band. She was a news icon and beloved by the nation, but I had instantly hated her the first time I'd met her.

Meeting Hana Daugherty in person, for the first time, during my trial had cast her in a bad light. Daugherty had hounded me on the courthouse steps as Kaden and my attorney bracketed me on either side. Try as they might, they hadn't been able to keep every newshound away from me, so I'd stuck with the practised phrase, no comment, and tried stepping around her. Her persistence had been almost commendable.

The two dozen times I had seen her since had all been on the news. She made me want to throw something, but I knew it wouldn't reach her, and Pop's anger at a broken T.V. wasn't worth it, so I kept my hands tucked under my legs as I watched in stony silence.

She was one of several sensationalists who had landed themselves in front of the media. With these sorts of people, it was easy to know where they stood in the great debate of humans vs werewolves. There shouldn't have been a debate, especially since we signed the treaty sixty years ago, but fear was a big motivator.

Hana Daugherty believed all werewolves were dangerous and cut from the same cloth. But, of course, she only ever appeared on screen when a werewolf made a mistake or when one turned rogue or did something illegal. I had never seen her comment on the good things werewolves did for humans.

She went on and on, making it seem like every one of the Umbra pack had done the human race a big injustice. Of course, most people watching from home would believe her, considering this was the type of news they tuned into, and that was the biggest injustice of all.

The creak of a chair had me glancing towards Pop, who watched from the dining room, his hands curled over a piece of wood. Across his lap was a sprinkle of wood dust, and a variety of worn-down sandpaper littered the table. Nanna would smack his head if she saw him, but he was safe until she returned from driving Brent to a swim meet his girlfriend was in.

'How was your trip?' He grumbled, his eyes furrowed as he tried to get the desired smoothness.

I shrugged even though he wasn't looking. 'It was okay. I learned a lot, so it felt worth it.'

I didn't feel like explaining everything that happened with Kaden, so I didn't say much more, but clearly, the first question had only been an interlude to what was to come. He cleared his throat to let me know he wasn't done, and I dragged my eyes off the screen to look back at him. 'Your Nanna and I were wondering what your plans are. You seem to be getting closer to that boy.'

I stifled a laugh at the idea of someone calling the Alpha of the Vermiculo pack a boy, and then my stomach started to fizzle at the suggestion behind the question, and I shot to my feet. I stood there for a moment, a sudden storm filling my senses. Everything was muffled. The sounds, sights and even my skin felt like static as I tried to drag air into my lungs.

I didn't know what to do. Then, rocking forward a step, I felt the familiar creak of the old wooden floorboards, and a slight pang of missing something hit me straight in the chest, even though I wasn't going anywhere.

Pop didn't say anything, and Hana Doughtery droned on, a monotonous sound in an otherwise tumultuous cacophony. It was all too much; the heavy stare from across the room; McKenzie's music playing with thumping bass; the sound of a car alarm going off down the road; even my jacket felt scratchy against my skin.