Chapter 68 68

Chapter 68 68
Emma

“I have to agree with Jake on this Hannah.” Tom chimes in, surprising both Hannah and me. “The forest is huge which will mean that you’ve got more space to cover, placing more wolves out there than you could just have along the border.”

“More wolves means greater protection.” Hannah counteracts, annoyed that Tom would side with Jake over her.

“And what happens if Quinton doesn’t use the forest to access the pack? What if he just drives up and enters from the parking lot?” Tom poses a new scenario that we can all tell that Hannah didn’t consider. “With your warriors along your border, it would prevent anyone from entering by car.”

“Fine, I’ll move them back to the border.” Hannah huffs and clenches her hand in a fist that she uses to hit the side of the armchair. “Happy now? You got your own way.” Hannah snips at Jake.

“This isn’t about me getting my own way Hannah, it’s about what’s going to keep the pack safe,” Jake replies, throwing his hands up.

“As if you care about the pack, you’re the one who put us in this position in the first place,” Hannah yells at Jake so loudly that I jolt, startled.

“I am not responsible for anything that my father has done.” Jake defends himself, matching her volume.

“Well, you were both screwing the same whore.” Hannah screams, leaping from her chair and pointing at Jake. “Alexander’s death is on you because you couldn’t keep your dick in your pants and allowed a vampire access to our land.”

Silence falls upon us all, heavy and thick as the weight of Hannah’s accusation hits Jake hard. He looks gutted and I know that he did bad by Hannah but I don’t believe he deserved to be blamed for Alexander’s death.

“You’re right.” Jake agrees after the longest stretch of awkward silence I’ve ever endured. “I am responsible for Alexander’s death, I did allow Angelica to access our land.”

You’d think Hannah would be pleased that Jake admitted she was right but it just appears to rub salt into a very open wound.

“Do not speak her name in my house,” Hannah commands him in a very low, frightening tone that sends a shiver down my spine.

“Hannah, I am sorry for what I did, to you and to the pack. If I could go back and change it I would but I can’t, all I can do is try to make amends here.” Jake pleads with her, guilt spreading across his face. “It destroys me inside to know that you slept with someone else so please know that I do understand what you’re feeling.”

Jake’s revelation, that Hannah has slept with someone else, leaves me completely shocked, with my mouth wide open. I’m in no way judging her for doing it but I just didn’t expect this. She’d been so angry and hurt when she discovered that Jake had been sleeping with Angelica before she arrived and I now knew how much of a huge deal it was to sleep with anyone other than your mate.

“How dare you,” Hannah screams at him, her cheeks burning red and her eyes bulging as she stares Jake down. “How dare you broadcast my private business?”

If we all thought she was pissed before then that was nothing compared to her new level of rage. She looks like she wants to tear Jake apart and set the pieces of him on fire. In a way, Jake is lucky that Tom and I are here, with him, it may be the only saving grace for him right now.

“You broadcast your own business, Hannah,” Jake yells at her in frustration. “Did you not think that it would get back to me that you’re planning to go out tonight, during the full moon? Serena told Louisa about your plans to go to Icebergs.”

Like a child who has been caught doing something they knew was bad, Hannah sits back down in her chair, embarrassed that her plans for the night were exposed to Jake.

“Hannah, is this true?” Tom asks her, his hand tightening around mine. He’s not happy, I can tell but he’s keeping himself together, unlike Jake and Hannah.

“You know what? This is no one's business.” Hannah yells, getting very defensive. “I don’t have to answer to either of you.”

“You’re right, it’s not our business.” Tom agrees with her but doesn’t loosen his grip on my hand, which indicates that he’s not done with this argument just yet. ” But you’re not marked which means that any wolf, from your own pack, another or even a rogue, could potentially attack you during the full moon. My concern here is for you and your safety.”

“Plus you’re going to go through your first heat tonight,” I add, gently, so that Hannah knows I’m not attacking her, I’m more concerned. “You have no idea how that may affect you.”

“If it even does affect me,” Hannah mutters as she stares at the floor.

“You can not go out tonight Hannah, you’d be putting yourself in danger,” Jake warns her but she shakes her head defiantly.

“Who the hell do you think you are? You can’t control me. You can’t even control yourself.” She bellows at Jake.

“Fine, go out tonight, in fact, why don’t you put on that silver dress again, I’m sure it won’t make you a target to any wolf that is prowling around,” Jake yells back.

“My silver dress?” I ask Hannah, getting irate that she’s taken my favourite dress and worn it in front of Jake, possibly done even worse than that by the sounds of it. “You took my dress?”

I don’t know why I’m so furious that Hannah took my dress, it’s not like I wouldn’t trust her to take care of my possessions but I’ve never been in this situation before, where someone just takes something without asking and this has irked me.

“I borrowed the dress.” Hannah tries to correct me, coldly. “I didn’t think you’d mind, considering I let you borrow my body for 10 years.”

“Enough,” Tom yells, standing up to drive his point home. “If you want to continue to act like pups then you can do it without me. I’m not putting Chisholm at risk any longer by aligning my pack with Tingira.”

Tom storms out of the cottage and I follow behind him, struggling to keep up. He unlocks the jeep but doesn’t open the passenger side door for me, as he usually does. I still get into his car, unsure if he even wants me there but not wanting to stay in Tingira without him.