CHAPTER 12

The present…

Stepping out of the shower I ran a hand through my wet blonde hair and shivered due to the trails of water rolling down my broad shoulders.

Grabbing a towel, I wrapped one around my waist and grabbed another to dry my hair. Stepping out of my adjourning bathroom I walked over to my closet feeling relieved to have showered after being in the same room with contagious recruits possibly carrying the toxic air of the outside world past the barrier ring.

Letting my towel fall to the floor by my feet I was just about to pull on a pair of underwear when my bedroom door swung open to reveal a skinny blonde in black shorts and a silky halter-top.

With her head down and fingers rapidly flying off the screen of her phone, my best and only female friend settled down on the edge of my bed without so much as a greeting or care that she's invading my privacy.

"I heard from Dean that she got accepted as a recruit."

Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention back to my underwear and pulled it on along with a sleeveless tank and cargo shorts. As a shifter, I haven't cared about my state of nudity since I was 15 and I shifted for the first time, and since Henrietta and I work together on the same team she's pretty much used to seeing me in the nude. That and, there's the fact that we used to date.

"What are you on about now, who is this she you're talking about?" I asked even though I knew exactly who she was talking about.

One of the reasons why Dean and I volunteered to accompany Warrior Ramirez in addressing the new recruits was so we could catch even a small glimpse of her, after her near-death experience she's been all I could think of and memories of our brief time together constantly fill my every waking thought.

I never thought I'd one day become a hopeless lovesick Lycan for a mere witch, but I did, and now I have no idea about what to do with all these bottled up feelings. Especially since I'm aware she doesn't remember who I am.

Rather than respond to my lame-ass question, Henrietta raises her head and showed me the screen of her phone. The clear image of that beautiful face automatically made my hands clench and my beast peek up in delight though I made sure to keep my face void of any emotion. "When was her file posted?"

"Just a few minutes ago, and you'll never guess what her brand number is."

Frowning in concern I stepped forward to grab Henrietta's phone, scrolling through the information on her file I read through everything as quickly as I could until I got to her brand number. The number alone was hard to believe, but the electric blue circle wrapped around it made my hand's clench and my chest hurt.

Turning to Henrietta, I ask. "How many people have seen her file?"

"Probably the entire camp, a friend of mine from the head office sent me the link after I'd badgered him about it and I rushed here as soon as I could."

Taking in a deep breath, she gracefully rose to her feet, unclenching my hands around her cell. "Are you okay?" Henrietta asked softly, biting down on her lower lip in worry.

Trying my best to control my emotions, I give her a reassuring smile and ignore the sight of her concern. I always knew there'd be a possibility she'd be branded a different number than mine, I mean the draw was always based on possibilities and dumb luck, but knowing the reality of things didn't make it easier to cope with it.

I guess now, I just have to resign myself to the fact that I've lost all opportunities with her. "Of course," I say to Henrietta, walking over to my bed I dropped on the edge and looked down at my hands with a sad smile.

I run a thumb over the brand number 6 on my wrist, the black sword drawn across used to make me so proud but now I just feel hollow staring at it. "Just because she's here and she's branded doesn't-"

"She isn't the only one who reappeared and got branded by that particular number."

Glancing up in confusion, I wonder what the hell she means when I studied the pensive expression on her face, the look of regret and pain in her eyes.

Shoulders tensing, I dreaded the response she'll give when I began to ask. "You don't mean-"

"Kevin Hatch has been assigned as the new Alpha of the Red team."