Time seemed to stop as I watched all of Jaylen's family mourning over her death when the funeral rolled around. I was standing outside watching the burial as the preacher spoke, but I tuned it out. The only thing I was focused on was the fact that my dad's tombstone was on the other side of this same cemetery. As they lowered the coffin into the perfectly caved hole before a tombstone of her own, I started to walk away. I walked all the way down to my dad and sat in front of his memorial. His read his name and his titles that people remembered him by.

Even though Jaylen lived a much shorter life, hers was still covered in epithets.

Jaylen Arad—beloved friend, daughter, and fiancé. Dead at the age of twenty before her twenty-first birthday in January. Cause of death: Murder.

She was just another reminder that I was right to try and stay away from the supernatural world. It was getting harder and harder to do because I really did care about the boys and the wolf girls and I knew that their lives and the werewolf secret weren't mutually exclusive enough for me to continue like one didn't exist. Is existed as much as the idea that I was more hurt because of the rift between me and Chase. As if there was confirmation of the mystical connection I had with him despite not wanting it, he was suddenly towering over me, reaching his hand out for me. Instead of accusing him of getting ready to yell at me or push me or command me to stay away from him and his family, I took a hold of his hand and all the hostility faded away.

***

"Why'd you come?" he asked. We sat in a tree at the nearby park. It didn't matter that we were in dark funeral attire. We just left out nice shoes on the bottom of the tree.

"The girls wanted me to," I answered. "Wes wanted me to."

He looked away at the dying sun. The light penetrated straight through his brown eyes that I hadn't actually looked at since the whole vampire thing.

"You still love him," Chase stated.

"Well yeah I care about him," I shrugged. It just wasn't the same kind of love and I knew that now. "And before you say anything about why should I even try because April's here—"

"I'm not here to talk shit," he interrupted. "And plus, he still loves you too. I think he always will."

I sat and swung my feet in silence because we both knew that in any other circumstance, he would've told me "I told you so" because the love between me and Wes wasn't near equitable to love between mates.

"Ali—"

"Remind me why you wanted to talk?" I asked when he started to speak. He looked to me.

"We haven't had a decent conversation in about a month," he reminded.

"You say that like it's entirely my fault.

He gave me a look.

"You say that like you don't care who's it really is," he commented as if it was ridiculous.

"Well considering how much I've been through and you said that I should stop giving you chances, I kinda figured out that I should start listening for once."

"But I haven't even hurt you," he started. "Wes has hurt you far worse than I ever have. I don't remember sending you home with injuries directly caused by me."

"Yes you have," I assured.

"But not like Wes. Not physically—"

"Stop talking about Wes. It isn't about him," I warned.

"Everything's about him," he roared. I looked to him.

"Stop," I demanded.

"Stop what?" he hissed.

"Acting like a jealous asshole," I clarified.

"Maybe I am a jealous asshole!" he responded. What? I blinked and was shocked. What did he have to be jealous about? I remembered he implied Kayla was jealous of me and now he was admitting he was jealous of Wes? I stayed quiet. "You weren't meant to be with Wes. It was a set up until his feelings got in the way. If that didn't happen, no one would've gotten hurt and you and I wouldn't be so..."

"Wouldn't be what?" I asked. My curiosity shifted to annoyance at his suggestion that me and Wes were set up. I thought we were past this a long time ago. Back then it was about Wes lying about being my mate to have sex with me, but now this was just another thing. Maybe I was more annoyed because Chase's argument about Wes' mate had some truth to it back then so why wouldn't this?

He looked forward at the ground below and sighed without explaining himself. He didn't answer me at all so I hopped down from the tree, grabbed my shoes and started to walk back to the cemetery where I was peace to myself. Well that was until I stepped on a sharp rock and started to see blood.

"Great," I commented before I felt someone pick me up bridal style and against my will he carried me back to the cemetery's parking lot where Wes was by his car looking around, probably for me.

"What'd you do now?" Wes asked. Chase let me down and Wes extended his arms out to me, but I passed them and grabbed his shoulder so I could put my shoes on. At this point, I don't even care if there was blood on them. Wes grabbed my waist to steady me, but I glared up at him. "What'd I do?"

"You lied," I accused. His eyes got defensive.

"I didn't even do anything!" he immediately denied.

"You said there wouldn't be drama between anyone and look what happened," I said instead of accusing him of being set up with me. He looked over to Chase with an expression that already told me he was blaming him.

"It's not my fault you stormed off without your shoes," Chase said to me.

"If you weren't being a douche bag, I wouldn't have had to!" I shouted at him.

"What did you do?" Wes spat at Chase as he stood toe-to-toe to him.

"The question is what did you do?" Chase returned. I noticed as the others started to approach us.

"Chase...not here," Kayla said as she tried to separate them.

"Shut up," he ordered her with a particular coldness. She looked as if she was about to cry before her hurt turned into anger pointed at me. She pushed through the boys in order to shove me back by my shoulders.

"This is your fault. Today was meant to remember and honor Jaylen and you managed to ruin it!" she yelled. I stood there calmly since I blocked out whatever she said because anything she said to me was irrelevant. The only time I registered anything was when she slapped me right across my face. She waited for my response and she gave me a faint and sarcastic smirk. Instead of merely slapping her back, I punched her and she landed on her ass. She grabbed her nose and scoffed. Instead of getting up, she looked up at Chase.

"Aren't you gonna do anything?" she dared him.

"No. We're done," Chase announced.

"What?" Kayla choked out.

"I already told you to stop it with whatever...thing...you have against Alicia. You want to say today was about Jaylen and then do that to make it worse. That's crossing the line," he preached to her.

Kayla had a look mixing heartbreak and disbelief before she backed away and dared Chase to follow her. However, it was Tori who chased her before inspiring a disappointed Carina to do the same.

I started walking and Wes grabbed my arm.

"What now?" I said, turning around. This wasn't like before. He had no jurisdiction to keep me around or hold me close or kiss me into silence. I didn't have to listen to him. His blue eyes stared into mine and he didn't answer because he also knew I made up my mind and he couldn't do anything to change it. "April, come get Wes before I smack him," I called. She touched Wes' shoulder and he let go of me and looked down to her. I smiled sweetly at her before turning to leave.

Chase was now in front of me and had a hand on my waist. Something twisted inside of my stomach and stayed there with him as his medium covered eyes bore down on me. Eventually his touch turned into electricity that ran through my body. "I'll explain everything to you if you just give me a chance."

"You're out of chances," I reminded before breaking out of his hold and walking off.