Ella’s POV “Did you see the body?” Brianna asked, curiously and also sounding horrified at the stime.
“No, of course not,” | answered, shuddering at the thought. “But | saw the gurney; her body was covered in a sheet.” “I bet it was gruesome.” “Bri!” | scolded.
“What?! I'm just saying that her heart was ripped out and she was drained of blood. It sounds gross.” “I'm aware of that, Bri,” | said, rolling my eyes. “But she was a person like you and me. She deserved better than that.” | felt drained and sad thinking about poor Merida.
“I'm not saying she didn’t,” Brianna said softly. “Have they looked into Alex?” “He might be an asshole, but | don’t think he'd kill someone,” | told her, shaking my head. “At least not like that.” “I thought | knew him too,” she murmured. “But he ended up being a fake.” “How are you doing by the way?” | sat curled up on Colton’s couch, clutching the phone tightly in my hand and close to my ear. | called Brianna shortly after Colton had left. It was now nightfall and Colton left when Headmaster Prescott called him.
“I can finally get out of bed,” she said softly. “It doesn’t hurt as bad. My wolf is still sleeping though.” “I'm so sorry,” | said to her, feeling my heart hurting for her. | couldn't even imagine what she must have been going through.
“It's not your fault,” she said a little bit lighter. “I also don’t want you to feel bad that Alex is your bodyguard.” “If I had a choice—" “I know,” she assured me, stopping my words suddenly. “Trust me, | get it.” “Have you been eating?” “Here and there,” she admitted. “My mother is practically forcing food down my throat.” “I heard that it gets better,” | told her; which was the truth.
There were a couple of girls in the pack who were rejected by their mates and though it was difficult at first, over tthings seemed to have gotten better for them. | hoped with all my heart that things would get better for Brianna.
“Thanks, Ella,” she said kindly.
| wanted to say something more to her, but the loud sounds of a police siren stopped me. My entire body froze as the blue lights of the cop car shined brightly in the night air. | quickly stood my feet with a pounding heart.
Colton had a faint view of the parking lot from his house and when I looked out the window, | saw the cop cars pulling into view.
| furrowed my brows together, completely forgetting that | was on the phone with Brianna.
“Ella?” She said for the third time. “What's going on? Is that a cop?” “Bri...can | call you back later?” | asked, keeping my eyes fixed on the cop cars. “I think something is about to happen.” “Yeah, keepupdated,” she said just before | hung up the phone.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt| swallowed the lump in my throat as | tried to see what was happening. With my Volana abilities, it was easy to see in the night, but those bright siren lights made it difficult.
| imagined the lights on the sirens dimming and adjusting to benefit my sight instead of working against my sight. | felt my wolf illuminating her powers as those lights dimmed and my vision cleared.
| was able to see a couple of cops standing outside their cars as Detective Sanchez walked across the parking lot with Headmaster Prescott walking behind him. She looked grim and | couldn't tell the expression she had on her face other than that.
Continuing to watch them, | saw the two officers that were with the detective, walking a distance behind them.
They were each holding the arms of someone that | couldn't see clearly because the officers were blocking him from sight.
My first thought was, “Is it Colton?” And that thought alone made it difficult to breathe.
But then Colton cinto view, and he was walking behind them; his expression was hard. | didn’t like seeing him like that. Val wanted so desperately to go to our mate and comfort him, but | knew we couldn't do that. Not yet anyway.
When they reached the cop car, one of the newly arrived officers began speaking to the person | couldn't see.
The officer had a pair of silver cuffs in his hands and motioned for the two officers to turn the person around.
As soon as they spun him around and started to cuff him, | saw his face clearly. My heart fell deep into my stomach, and | thought | was going to get sick at any moment.
It was Scott.
Why was Scott being arrested? | felt a wave of dizziness wash overand | found myself unable to stop my feet from moving in their direction.
I ran toward the door and flung it open, allowing the cold night air to chill my body.
The shadows emerged from the ground and covered my body, allowingto blend in with the night and hidefrom any onlookers. | was sure that there were a bunch of students and faculty that were watching.
I ran toward the direction of the parking lot; tears threatening to spill from my eyes. Colton cinto view and as he continued walking in the direction of the police officers and Scott, he froze.
He knew | was approaching; he could feelnearby. But | didn’t stop near him; | ran past him and toward Scott who hadn't noticedyet. | couldn't see his face, only the back of his head as the detective read him his rights and Headmaster Prescott stared down at him with such disappointment on her face.
It hurt my heart.
Scott might have done a lot of wrong in his life, but he wasn’t capable of something like this. | knew in my heart that he wasn't.
“Ella!” | heard Colton shouting as he ran after me.
Prescott turned her attention to me, and her eyes widened in shock.
“Ella, what are you doing—" “Stop, you can’t arrest him,” | panted, stopping beside the cop who had his hold on Scott's arms.
Scott turned toand | saw this void in his eyes; it was a darkness that gavea chill and madefreeze. It was unrecognizable and he looked back atlike he didn’t know who | was.
“Scott here just admitted to the murder of Merida,” Detective Sanchez told me; my heart fell deep into my stomach, and | suddenly felt like | was about to be sick.
I didn’t bother looking at Sanchez; my eyes remained on Scott.
“You didn’t kill anyone,” | told him, reaching my hand out to him, but he coiled away from me, makingdrop my hand to my side. “Scott...” “We need to take him to the station,” one of the officers said, opening the back waiting police car. “It’s not safe for him to be here. He's a dangerous criminal.” “No, he’s not,” | said through my teeth, glaring up at the officer. “He didn’t kill anybody.” “Ella, he confessed—" Prescott tried to say.
“I don’t care; he’s lying,” | quipped.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“Let them take him,” Colton said from behind me; | turned to look at him through my unshed tears.
He looked stern and very mature, but | couldn't believe what he was saying right now. Was he really going to take their side over mine? He kept his eyes locked on mine; unwilling to break the eye contact.
“I don’t know what's going on, but I know in my heart that he didn’t do this to her. He wouldn't have...” | said, hating that my tears were no longer hiding behind my eyes, but now spilling across my cheeks.
He opened his mouth to say something but then Scott spoke first.
“Let them take me,” Scott said through his teeth, makingturn to face him. “I'm a cold-blooded killer and I'll do it again. | killed that girl, and I killed those gammas too.” “What gammas?” | asked, furrowing my brows.
“There were a couple of gamma warriors found dead in the boy's dormitory,” Detective Sanchez explained.
“Scott confessed to killing them as well.” “It's a lie,” | said, shaking my head. “It has to be.” “Why would he lie about something like that?” Headmaster Prescott asked; | could tell from her voice that she was trying to be reasonable.A growl escaped Scott as he struggled to break free from the cuffs that bound him; he was animalistic and unlike himself. Instinctly, Colton grabbed my arm and pulledtoward him and away from Scott's reach.
The officers surrounded him, trying to get him to calm down enough to get into the cop car. Detective Sanchez just shook his head while Headmaster Prescott looked remorseful.
Just as the door of the cop car opened, | stepped out of Colton’s hold.
“Scott, wait,” | said, rushing toward him. They all froze, and Scott looked at me; he was breathing heavily through his nose like a bull. | stepped close to him and looked deep into his unnaturally dark eyes.
Something was seriously there. He wasn’t himself. He wasn’t there.
| remembered that Sarah had manipulated his mind in the past, but | had never seen him like this before.
The more | looked into his eyes, the more he seemed to have relaxed, and | saw a flash of his normal eye color as if he was fighting against whatever was claiming stake to his mind.
| whispered in a voice that only he could hear, “What has she done to you?”