Chapter 14: Exposed

Time stopped.

Cole held Brian in the air. Black eyes. Sharp claws. Looking like a monster.

The officers reached for their guns.

"Cole, let him go!" Alex's voice was loud. "Now!"

Cole's eyes flickered. Black to brown. Back to black again.

He was losing control.

"Please," I said quietly. I stepped closer even though everyone else backed away. "Please let him go."

Cole's eyes found mine.

Slowly, the black faded. The claws disappeared.

He dropped Brian.

Brian fell to the floor. Gasped for air. Crawled away from Cole.

"What the hell are you?!" Detective Morris had her gun out now. Pointed at Cole.

The whole pack moved fast. Made a wall between Cole and the cops.

"Everyone calm down," Alex said. His hands were up. "Let's just take a breath."

"That man just grew claws! His eyes turned black!" One officer was shaking. "What is this place?"

"A gym," Andres said. "Just a gym with really good special effects."

"Special effects?" Detective Morris kept her gun up. "You think I'm stupid?"

"I think you're scared," Stacey said. "I get it. What you saw was scary. But there's an explanation."

"Then explain."

No one spoke.

What could they say? The truth would sound crazy.

"Contacts," I said. Everyone looked at me. "Cole wears special contacts. For intimidation. And the claws are fake. He uses them before training to scare people. Make them work harder."

It was a terrible lie. But it was something.

Detective Morris stared at me. "You expect me to believe that?"

"What's more likely?" I said. "That he's a monster? Or that he uses special effects for his business?"

She didn't answer. But she lowered her gun a little.

Brian stood up. His face was red. "You're all crazy! That wasn't fake! I know what I saw!"

"You saw a man stop an attacker," Alex said. "You went after Lita. Cole stopped you. That's all."

"He had claws!"

"Prove it," Andres said. "Show us these claws."

Cole held up his hands. Normal hands. No claws.

"I saw them! They were real!"

"You're hysterical, Mr. Mitchell," Detective Morris said. She sounded unsure though. "Officers, take him to the car."

The officers grabbed Brian. He fought them.

"No! You don't understand! These people aren't human! They're monsters! They killed James!"

"That's enough." One officer pulled him toward the door.

Brian kept screaming. About monsters. About wolves.

He sounded insane. Which is what the cops probably thought.

Detective Morris put away her gun. But she didn't look convinced.

"Miss Dillard, come to the station. Give an official statement about the abuse."

"Okay."

"Mr. Hartman." She looked at Cole. "You too. Answer questions about what happened."

"Of course." Cole's voice was calm now. "Whatever you need."

We walked to the door. Alex stopped me.

"You don't have to go alone."

"No. Stay here. Make sure everyone's okay." I looked at the pack. They looked scared. "Make sure they know this isn't their fault."

"It's not yours either."

"I brought Brian here. I exposed everyone."

"You saved us," Stacey said. "That lie about contacts was smart."

"It won't work if they investigate."

"Then we make sure they don't," Andres said. "We clean up. Get rid of anything that proves what we are."

Detective Morris called from outside. "Miss Dillard? Let's go."

I followed her. Cole walked beside me.

Brian was in a police car. Still yelling. Pounding on the windows.

"He'll keep talking," I said to Cole. "Keep telling them what he saw."

"Let him. The more he talks, the crazier he sounds." Cole opened the car door for me. "Just stick to the story. Special effects."

I got in. Cole got in a different car.

We drove away. I looked back at the gym.

The pack stood outside watching.

They looked scared.

Because of me.

At the station, they put me in a small room. Detective Morris and a camera.

"This is being recorded," she said.

"Okay."

She sat down. Opened her notebook.

"When did Brian Mitchell first hurt you?"

I told her everything. More details this time.

The first slap. The first punch. My broken wrist.

My mother ignoring it. Susan giving pills instead of help.

James trying to save me. His death.

I talked for over an hour.

"These are serious things you're saying. If we investigate and you're lying..."

"I'm not lying." I pulled up my sleeve. Showed the bruises. "Why would I lie?"

She looked at the marks. Her face got hard.

"You wouldn't." She closed her notebook. "I'm recommending charges. Assault. Battery. Stalking. Maybe more after we investigate your brother's death."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. Your family has money. This will be hard." She stood. "Are you safe? Somewhere to go?"

"Yes. The gym. I'm staying there."

"With Mr. Hartman."

"With everyone there. They're helping me."

She looked at me carefully. "What Mr. Mitchell said. About them being monsters. Not human." She paused. "Any of that true?"

My heart stopped.

"He's crazy," I said. "Obsessed. He can't accept that I left. So he makes up stories."

"The claws? The eyes?"

"Special effects. Like I said."

"You're sure."

"I'm sure."

She didn't look convinced. But nodded.

"You're free to go. We'll contact you about the charges."

She took me to the waiting area.

Cole was there. He stood when he saw me.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Fine. They asked about the claws. I said the same thing."

"Did they believe it?"

"Doesn't matter. No proof either way." He touched my back. Led me outside. "Let's go home."

Home. The gym was home now.

For the first time, I had a real home.

We got in his truck. Started driving.

"Brian's being held 72 hours," Cole said. "Psychiatric evaluation."

"Good."

"You did good back there. The lie bought us time."

"Time for what?"

"To prepare. Make sure there's nothing that proves what we are."

We drove in silence.

My phone rang.

Unknown number.

I answered.

"Lita Dillard?" A woman's voice. Cold.

"Yes?"

"Margaret Chen. Your mother's attorney. Your mother wants you to know something. If you go through with charges against Brian, she'll cut you off. No money. No tuition. Nothing."

My stomach hurt.

"She's also prepared to have you committed. Psychiatric hold. She has statements from your therapist about your aggression."

"She can't."

"She can. And will. Unless you drop the charges and come home. Today."

The line went dead.

I stared at my phone.

"What?" Cole asked.

"My mother. She'll have me committed if I don't drop the charges."

Cole's hands got tight on the wheel. "She can't."

"She has a therapist who'll say I'm unstable. Pills I was prescribed. She can do it."

"Then we fight."

"How? She has money. Lawyers. Power. I have nothing."

"You have us." Cole pulled over. Looked at me. "You have the pack. We don't abandon our own."

"I'm not pack. I'm not a wolf."

"You're my mate. That makes you pack." His eyes were strong. "We'll fight for you. All of us."

I wanted to believe him.

But my mother was powerful.

And I'd just started a war.