BXBX NOVEL Chapter 298: Seven names
«Lara?»
«Yes... Oh, it's you, Samantha! I'll be working here in the afternoon... I'm answering the phone because Roxy is out. I'll call her back. Or I can tell her to call you when I see her.»
«There's no need. I'm just calling to say that I'm sick.»
«Is that a thing for wolves?»
«Usually not. However, I had a meeting with a client this morning. And two other tomorrow. I need someone to cancel everything on my schedule for the next two days. Just tell them I'm sick; humans will believe it.»
«Oh, yes, I'll see it's done. Also, about tomorrow, Jordan handled it. We did say you were sick to the clients...»
«Good. Thank you.»
«So, you're not coming to work for two days?»
«No, I will. I'll be at the company tomorrow, but I can't meet people.»
«If you're not feeling well, it might be better to stay home.»
«I need to talk with Nate. And also with you, maybe? I don't know. But, since you're here, can you arrange it? I think I'll need an hour of your time, yours and Nate's.»
«Yes, sure. Is anything the matter? Would you two like to meet and talk in private?»
«No, I don't.»
«Okay, then! I'll see Nate's schedule and reserve an hour for you! But I don't think you need an appointment to talk with him. You two are family.»
«I'd prefer to be sure he doesn't have anything else to do for a while. It's a little... It's not even complicated, just difficult. I'll tell you everything, Lara. You also deserve to know.»
«Oh, sure. But, is everything okay with you?»
«It will eventually be. And, even if it isn't, I brought this to myself. Now I shall go. You must be busy there.»
«Don't worry. Today the pack is rather calm... Must be because of the notice.»
«Notice?»
«Yes. Nate made everyone know that we're moving to the base. We'll live together for a few days, apparently. Until things are settled. I'm curious but also a little worried. It seems something we do only for great emergencies, right?
I hope everything turns out just right.»
«I see... It's better like that. The base is safer and easier to protect than the company.»
«Nate also said that. And that only essential personnel will come to work from next week. Everyone is in a hurry to finish their tasks, so they don't have personal issues for the HR department. Feels like I'm wasting time here, honestly.»
«You'll hear about their personal problems once the war is over,» Samantha pointed out. «Don't feel guilty and enjoy your free time. You won't have any when the pack comes back. You'll wish to go back to these days, believe me!»
«Oh, that's right.»
Samantha heard a sigh on the other side, and she felt a little better. She still was linked with her pack, and hearing their Alpha female worry for her had done the trick. The pain was still there, buried in her heart, but she could function all the same.
Maybe, with a little luck, she could even eat without throwing up.
She greeted Lara and hung up, sitting next to Amanda on the sofa.
«You will tell them about me tomorrow, right?» the girl asked.
«Yes. I will warn them that there's a Mayford wolf at my place. Nate won't hurt you, but he should know about you to be safe. We can avoid accidents like this. Everyone is under pressure because of the impending war.»
She leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. The sun made the room as bright as to be painful while both the girls only wanted some darkness where to hide.
«What was that about not going back?» Samantha asked. «What have they done to you?»
«Nothing,» Amanda replied. She wouldn't tell the names. She didn't even want to remember that.
«Nothing? Ehm... Your brother was too desperate for it to be nothing. He even left you here with a potentially raging female. If you're safer next to me, at this very moment, then what happened isn't nothing.»
«Some of the other teens hurt me,» she said.
«Some? How many?»
«S-seven. Well, actually one, but the others were there.»
«Names,» Samantha ordered.
She moved her tired eyes on Amanda, patiently waiting for the reply. «Now. Tell me the names.»
«I don't want to,» the girl tried, but she knew she was going to confess. She hadn't told her brother about them even though he must have smelled Armando's scent when he had visited her.
«I didn't ask you about your opinion,» Samantha pointed out. «And it's not like I will recognise them around or something. I'm not from your pack.»
Sighing, Amanda finally loosened her tongue. She told Samantha the names, pointing out she wasn't a hundred per cent sure about a couple of them. She also told her about the whole incident.
The other woman clenched her fists and listened carefully, hugging her when she started sobbing or touching the places where she had been wounded.
It was odd how they could comfort each other by showing their wounds.
«Do you want to know my brother's name now?» Amanda asked in the end.
«No, there's no reason to.»
«But you two would be kind of equal then. Isn't it unfair that he knows yours and you don't know his?»
«It doesn't matter anymore. It can be as unfair as it's possible. I won't mind it. I don't care.»
«He isn't as bad as you think right now.»
«Don't defend him in front of me, please. I know he's your brother, but just avoid talking about this for a while, okay? Just until it settles down a little.»
«Oh, yes. Sorry.»
Amanda bowed her head, and Samantha observed her bent shoulders with apprehension. That was a teen at risk. Being an Omega was even more difficult in some packs, and Mayford seemed like one of those.
She reached for her phone, sending a text to Rider. The first word was the number, and then the list of names. She put as last the names she wasn't sure of, and she didn't add anything else. He would know what it meant and what to do.