Elena's POV

Laying on the bathroom floor, feeling nothing

I'm overwhelmed and insecure, give me

something

I could take to ease my mind slowly

Just have a drink and you'll feel bet...

I stop my, what I know to be, horrendous singing and look to the bathroom door.

The sound of feet shuffling just outside of it has me wondering who it may be. I smile and hurry to finish the last strand of hair I was just straightening.

The sound continues. What could Pierson possibly be doing?

I unplug the straightener and give myself one more once over in the mirror and open the door that leads into my bedroom.

The lights are all switched off and the curtains closed. I can hardly see anything. I don't remeber having it this dark before I headed into the bathroom.

"Pierson," I call.

No one answers, so I make my way to the light switch near the door.

As the tip of my fingers touch the little white object I am hurled back with a firm hand being placed over my mouth that muffles my automatic scream. My chest tightens and fear courses through my body.

"Elena, calm down it's just me. Please keep quiet," comes a hushed whisper.

I try to move my head around and my eyes come into contact with Rachel's.

My eyebrows furrow and I push away from her. Anger bubbles up inside of me.

"What the hełł are you doing Rachel?! Have you lost you're freaking mind?" I yell.

Her eyes widen and she moves to cover my mouth again, but I slap them down before they can even touch me.

"Elena, please be quiet. Nobody can know I'm here," she pleads. She moves to the door and cracks it open an inch to look outside of it. After that she closes it and takes in a deep breath.

Am I missing something here? Has she always been this strange?

"I don't know what going on with you, but I think you need some serious help. I can give you a check up if you want?" I offer.

Rachel rolls her eyes at me and grabs my hand to lead me to the couch that lays in the middle of my room.

"This isn't a joke. I need you to listen to me," she says seriously.

She looks scared and upset. The look on her face worries me greatly.

"What's going on Rachel?" I let out softly.

She takes a big swallow and her face pales.

"Please don't hate me and please wait till I'm done saying what I have to before you jump to any conclusions."

Oh. This can't be good. I nod my head needing to know what has her this way.

"I know who's leading the rogues," she let's out in a rush.

After the initial shock of her secret my face brightens. "Rachel that's wonderful. Why would I be mad about that?"

I stand and grab her arm to pull her up. "Come on let's go tell the Pierson," I say.

To my utter dismay she doesn't budge, but instead removes herself from my grip. My eyes move to her face. It shows no happiness or satisfaction at the important information she has that could help save many lives.

My chest tightens. I sit back down slowly.

"Tell me." Judging by her reaction there is a lot more that needs to be said and it's not going to be pretty.

She nods tensely. "My parents never died and I didn't find this pack by pure coincidence," she begins.

What!? I open my mouth to speak, but before I can Rachel does so first.

"Let me say all that I need to. This is hard for me to do and if you talk I know I won't be brave enough to finish. I have to tell you because it involves all the people we love."

If I wasn't terrified before about what's going on here I sure am now. I'm completely confused about what this could be about.

I shut my mouth and Rachel takes it as my agreement.

"I was involved with the rogues."

My heart starts to pound painfully in my chest and I suddenly feel that I'm in danger. I move to stand and this time Rachel moves to grip my arms.

"Elena let me finish. If you care about Pierson then shut up and sit down," she says through gritted teeth.

Those words freeze me to the spot. My heaving breath increases and the anger shoots through every vein in my body. She did know about us. Why did she act like she didn't?

"Did you hurt him?" I ask. She rolls her eyes dramtically.

"No, nothing has happened to your mate and before you go on and ask how I know. I've know since High School. I noticed the sudden change in him then and I knew it was because of you that night at your house. I was a little more touchy to him that night to confirm my suspicions that it was you and judging by the painful looks on your face I knew you were mates."

If I grind my teeth any harder there sure to break. I try to remain unbothered and don't say anything to affirm what she already knows.

"Look I'm not here to hurt you or anything. I'm trying to help." Why is it so hard to believe that?

"Let me explain, my parents became a part of the rogues when I was just twelve years old. They were never the alpha and Luna. They were just regular wolves that wanted power just like the rest of them. The whole taking over our pack was very real, but my family helped with the defeat of it. After that they had wanted to take Alpha Kris' pack, a task that we knew would be difficult and that's where I came in. We came up with this false story about my parents dying in attempt to defeat the rogues, me escaping, and me somehow finding this pack, but in reality it was all a huge plan," she confesses.

"By being this sweet girl that came from a broken pack who's parents in charge died, relying information of rogues coming their way, and wanting revenge for what had been done to her, it was fairly easy to build a relationship with the family in charge. No one would expect I would ever be involved in such a deceitful ploy to take what the people closest to me deemed ours. Everything was planned. I was to grow close to Pierson by nudging Alpha Kris into the plan we had come up with. The story of my father leading the army without a straight head provided me a way into the lives of them. They thought that that same scenario would surely happen to them. I knew he loved his family, so he would do what he could to keep them safe. Being Pierson's supposed future Luna provided me with infinite amounts of information. I was included in everything. Our plan was to have me taken to lead the pack to a location in which the rest of the rogues were ready for, but something happened." She pauses and looks to me.

I'm guessing that something must be me.

"Pierson's attitude toward the plan soon changed. He kept to himself more and became more unwilling to show affection towards me in front of others and was second guessing the plan. I knew it was because he had found his mate. I knew it was because of you. After the dinner at your house I questioned it, but he just brushed it off telling me that whatever I thought was not true, but I knew better. It scared me because I thought he would throw the plan away to be with you and all these years would be for nothing. Then I realized I had this vital piece of information in my hands. This would surely give us the advantage. We could just take you instead, but..."

She stops. "You didn't tell them," I finish for her. If she did things would've panned out much differently. "Why?"

A small tear falls from the side of her face. "I started to care for everybody around me. I realized I couldn't do this to the Bryant family or the pack. I realized I couldn't do that to you. A few days later I even found Jake and that really put a hinge in the plan," she answers. This revelation shocks me. "What? Wh..when?" I stutter. Jake wasn't around at the time of either of their mating age.

"He's Pierson's best friend for Pete's sake Elena. Of course they would find time to see one another. I just happened to tag along with Pierson on a rare occasion of it. When the connection happened I knew it would be difficult to go on with the plan. From then on Jake tried desperately to convince me that I belonged with him and not Pierson, but I fought it. I knew I wasn't good and to know I wanted to harm Jake's bestfriend and the rest of his pack crushed me."

Her tears fall dramatically and I move to grab her a tissue on the table in front of us. I hand it to her and she takes it gratefully.

"Well he must've done the job because nothing turned out the way you all had planned," I say.

Rachel let's out a soft chuckle.

"Yes. He did in fact win me over and I told him about my involvement. I couldn't go through with it. It just wasn't me. I was not a killer. I was just listening to my family even though in my heart it was wrong. Jake wanted to tell Pierson's family, but I told him he couldn't. If they knew, I know they would have banished me from the pack and maybe even killed me. This was my new home Elena. A home I started to love unlike the one I came from. I felt part of something real and not as a thing to be used to get people what they wanted," she tells me.

"What did you do then. As I recall you were taken," I ask bewildered.

"I took matters into my own hands and led them to a location where the rogues resided. I gave then no warning of my arrival and no departure warning to Kris or Pierson. Me being there led the Bryant family to believe I was kidnapped. I knew I had the GPS implanted in me, so they would find me in no time, but I also knew I had to face some trouble until they got there. The rogues figured out what I was doing fairly quickly and knew I betrayed them. Although, they were unprepared of what was to come. Half of them were not even on sight like I expected and were too far to even make it to the destination by the time the pack had arrived. They were completely blindsided. They tried to fight bravely, but Kris' pack was too much. They destroyed the half of the full army and our leader knew there was no chance to defeat them. He left and I haven't seen him since. Until now. Until you've come back."

Rachel's eyes stare at mine intensely when she relies the last part.

"Who is it Rachel?" I swallow.

Her lips set into grim line. Rachel's eyes soften and she grabs for my hand to comfort me.

"It's your dad. I'm so sorry Elena. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't."

Suddenly, I feel cold all over. Like someone splashed a bucket of ice cold water into my face. I try to say something, but the words won't fall from my mouth. This secret has literally rendered me speechless.

"Kris asked him to help then and I was just so scared because now he was on the inside. That was never part of the plan," she continues.

"But he fought with them. He helped in the defeat? Why would he do this?" Some words finally coming out.

"It was all for the power. He hated Kris. Kris was the one everybody looked up to, he was the leader of one of the most powerful packs on the west coast, he had it all. It made him envious. He felt he was going to always be second best. After you're mother died he moved you both away to really get the rogue pack into gear to finally plan their fatal atatck. I don't know what happened with you both then, but all I knew was that you had left soon after you turned eighteen."

"But he fought alongside your father in the big fight. That's what Pierson had told me," I explain.

"By me showing up to the rogues unannounced it didn't allow him to plan for the unknown. As soon as they heard about my kidnapping they left quickly and he couldn't stall without looking suspicious. He knew he couldnt win with half a pack, so he had to save his own butt and ruthlessly killed his own men. He took credit for everything after. That he had made it happen to have me taken. I had to go along with it because I knew he would reveal my secret. He soon disappeared anyway and I was satisfied with being left here with my mate having my secret never revaled," she answers.

"Although, a few years later the attacks returned and I knew he was back. He was taking small packs and moving to larger ones, rebuilding his army. He wanted to finish what he had started. He found me and my new family. He knew he had something over my head now. I couldn't tell anybody I knew he was the leader and I had to tell him everything I knew or he would kill Jake and Peyton. I had to tell him about you and Pierson," she sobs.

"I wanted to protect my daughter. I'm so sorry Elena. I always vowed to keep you're secret until you decided you wanted it to be told. When you came back here I thought it was because you and Pierson had decided to finally be together, but that wasn't the case. That's why I acted like I didn't know of you two. I'm sorry for everything. You're father is an evil man. He's been using this new information to work his way back into the pack. He's the snake. He's being lying about everything. He never knew you were mates until me and he's the one that's been giving orders to other traitors in this pack to poison Alpha Kris."

I feel like I'm about to throw up. Kris is being poisoned!

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"He was planning to go through with his plan any day now. He wanted to take you and I couldn't bear to let that happen. What would my daughter ever think of me? To allow many innocent lives to be taken. I knew the only person I could tell was you. Please help me make this right," she pleads.

"We have to tell them Rachel. We can all figure this out together."

"You can't Elena they'll kill Peyton and Jake," she says in a panic.

I lay my hands on her forearms to comfort her.

"By us not saying anything we're putting everybody in danger. We can protect you, Jake, and Peyton. Pierson and Kris will understand. We just have to explain it to them."

She looks unsure of what I'm saying.

"I promise. I'm still here aren't I?" I raise my eyebrow up in question.

Rachel's soft, scared eyes scan my face before she nods reluctantly.

I stand and hold out my hand to her and she shakily takes a hold of it. I pull her up. We head toward the door.

Before we get to far soft clapping sounds fills the room. We both halt our steps and turn back around.

My father emerges from the dark walk in closet. His eyes ice cold and his body clothed to the nines in a dark blue suit. The scene reminds me of a scene from an action movie. It'd be almost comical if it weren't for the fear radiating off of mine and Rachel's trembling bodies.

"Well done Rachel. You really have some guts don't you? The only problem here is that you thought I wouldn't even for a minute have eyes on you every second of every day after what you did the first time. Come on honey I knew you were stupid, but not that stupid," he says in a chilling voice.

He moves closer to us and I hold Rachel's hand tightly.

"What do you want?" I ask.

My father lips twist into a sinister smile. "Well you of course."

I look to Rachel and she looks terrified.

"Why are you doing this?" I go on.

He pretends to think about it. "I want the power sweetie. If I take you I know Pierson will do everything to have you back even if it means giving up this pack."

"But you said you changed. That you wanted a relationship with me," I say.

"And I do still want that, but for now I need you to get what I want."

"You're a monster," I seethe.

He chuckles at me before his eyes narrow and he moves to call someone on his phone.

A few moments after speaking with another person on the other line two bruly men move through my door. When I see their faces I come to recognize two members who work closely with Pierson.

My heart drops. They're everywhere and nobody had no idea.

They grab me by my arm and do the same to Rachel.

"I'm sorry I have to do this, but I can't have you two alerting the others," he says almost bored.

He then nods his head at both of them.

Soon two rags are placed over our mouths and noses. I start to feel dazed and very tired. I try hard to fight them away, but it's useless.

The darkness comes slowly. Pierson's face flashes in my mind before I am completely rendered unconscious.

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Over 500K reads and over 600 followers!!! Wow, that's crazy guys. Thank you all so much. I can't believe all the positive support I have gotten on here.

This book is coming to an end fairly quickly, sadly😭. I hope what Rachel said made sense. I've just been coming up with the plot as I write each chapter. After I'm done with this book I'll most likely go back and edit older chapters to tie things together in a better and clearer way.