Chapter 2

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"Why don't you take a seat?" If it were under any other circumstances, Jamie would have considered the offer to be friendly, but it was hard to see it as such right now. Heck, you couldn't even call it an offer given his title. He did a good job of disguising it as such though.

She, albeit reluctantly, sat down on one of the intentionally placed logs that surrounded their nearby fire pit. At some point during this interrogation she's probably going to offend him so the least she can do is follow his orders. So long as he doesn't order her to off herself that is. Almost reflexively, she scanned him over. Mason was definitely built like an alpha, tall, muscular, broad shoulders. He had dark brown hair and green eyes that gleamed with an intelligence Jamie suspected could be dangerous. Yet another reason to get on his good side, or as close as she could get to his good side.

Instead of staring down at her like a typical alpha, he sat down on the log across from her, "Mind telling me your name and why you decided to enter my land?"

"Jamie," She decides to leave out her last name, not because someone might recognize it but because a last name means you're part of a family. Jamie isn't part of the Reynold's family anymore, so why should she imply that she is? "I was hoping I could cross through your land instead of having to go all the way around it."

"Were you kicked out of your pack or did you just choose to leave?" He asks.

"Kicked out," If she couldn't avoid these questions she might as well make it as awkward and irritating as it is for her. That meant keeping her answers short, with little room to continue the conversation.

"How long have you been a rogue?" He questions, clearly taking notice of her calm nature. Rogues weren't supposed to be calm.

"A week," Barely that, but specifying would mean extra talking, going against her whole irritation plot.

"Can you shift?"

"Yes," Just like every other full-blooded wolf could by her age.

"Did you offend the alpha?"

"Not personally," That may have been a slight lie, but she never said anything worth getting kicked out for.

"Was your entire pack killed?"

"No," She would have simply said that had it been the case.

"Were your parents murdered?"

"No," Packs didn't like having orphans hanging around, but another family would have probably taken her in if that happened.

"Then why did they kick you out?" He questions, as if there was no other reason to be kicked out of a pack.

Jamie paused. It wasn't a great idea to lie to an alpha, especially since they all seemed to be great lie detectors, but the truth wasn't good for her case. He raised an eyebrow at her hesitation, however brief.

A rough nudge to the shoulder saved her from making a decision so soon, "Answer the question, mutt," Braxton growled.

"Now that's not very nice, I'm much better groomed than a mutt," She retaliated with a smug smirk. If she could keep him mad at her, then they might actually forget about the question. Far from a fool-proof plan, but it was all she had time to make at the moment, "And if you'd like some pointers feel free to ask. I'm a judgment-free person."

He growled, "Why you little-"

"Braxton calm down," Mason tells him, clearly trying to avoid a fight.

"Why should I? If she has a death wish then I'd be more than glad to grant it," His eyes flash a dangerous silver that revealed his wolf was vying for control.

"How about because I told you to?" Mason suggests, "The last thing we need is an innocent body to get rid of," Spoken like a man with too much experience of that specific situation. That thought alone prompts Jamie to sit up straighter in case the need to run for it arises.

"Yeah so calm down you whiny butt," A girl pipes up, resting her elbow on Braxton's shoulder. Strange, Jamie observes, didn't think he had his mate. A closer look reveals that neither are marked, and Braxton didn't strike her as the patient type, so it was safe to assume they weren't mates. She offers her hand to Jamie, "Hi, I'm Astral."

If it weren't for the caution that darkened her eyes Jamie would have guessed her to be an airhead. She already suspected that this girl knew her name, with the whole wolf-hearing thing and all. It honestly wouldn't surprise her if Astral had been listening the whole time. There was something mischievous lurking in those hazel eyes, something that Jamie didn't want to be on the receiving end of.

"Got it," It was the closest thing to a polite response she could manage, given her growing annoyance, "So are you gonna let me pass through or not? I answered all your questions," Jamie points out, hoping they don't notice her avoidance of the final question.

"No you didn't," Another man points out, sitting down next to Mason. The pack's beta, presumably, "And I think the one you didn't answer is the most important."

Crap. While Jamie debated as to how she should respond, Mason mind-linked his beta, 'Where is Ryder?'

The beta, David, shrugs, 'I think he got stopped by Chelsie again, I didn't stick around to see the result.'

Mason sighed, "Alright, it's fine. I'll ask again, Jamie, why were you kicked out of your pack?"

There was always the chance that none of them would be able to detect a change in her heartbeat if she lied, or that she could lie without any internal or external signs. Then again, it was unlikely that out of five grown werewolves, none of them could tell a lie from the truth. It was even less likely that she would tell a perfect lie, it was a skill she had never been accused of having. Deception simply wasn't in her blood. And lying to an alpha would most definitely have its own negative consequences, so she may as well tell the truth. The blunt, horrible truth that had been plaguing her like a brand.

"I killed a member of my pack."

A/N: OoOohhh, bet ya weren't expecting that one!

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