OHHHHHH AND HERE IS THE PLOT TWISTS (THATS RIGHT TWISTSSSSSS) THAT IM SO EXCITED FOR AHHHHH

Chapter 24

Secrets Revealed

Emily POV***

I sat up slowly, and muttered several curses under my breath. "I'm sorry about that. Aaron is being dealt with properly as we speak." Amanda said with a smile. I grabbed my face and groaned. "Your nose has been set back in place, and your head was thankfully not concussed."

"I fucking hate werewolves." I muttered.

Amanda smiled and then handed me a granola bar. "Well if you are feeling up to it, I have called a pack meeting. We have some important news to discuss." I bit into the granola bar and ate it quickly. "Oh and your friend is anxiously waiting to see if you're alive, so you might want to say something to him before he walks a hole into my carpet."

I stood up and noticed I was wearing different clothes. These were definitely new and clean. I also had some new shoes. I ignored the questions rising in my throat, and followed Amanda out of the room. She led me downstairs, and then through another door. We walked down the streets. People were there, saying hello to the girl in front of me. I paused. "Were you always bald?"

"Oh so you did notice that."

She ran a hand over her head and smiled. "Where are we going?" I asked looking around. We passed a school where a few kids were playing on swings, and then a church. Amanda didn't answer, but she kept walking.

We came up to a motel called Motel Bell. Amanda walked up and opened the door for me. Once inside, Amanda led me back to a restaurant area, and waved at the person at the desk. "Everyone in this city is a werewolf if you didn't know." She said as she grabbed the door. "There are a few humans here, but they are allowed to stay because of certain rules we've laid down."

Inside the restaurant was a large group of people. They had pushed all the tables close together, and then made sure the bar seats were gathered around too. Every seat was full. "Where is Jonathan?" I asked suddenly.

"He is at the pack house. Dagan doesn't want him getting more involved with pack affairs than he needs to be."

I grabbed a seat, and Amanda looked at the people around her. "Hello everyone. Thanks for coming on such short notice." Everyone muttered something. I saw Dagan sitting on Amanda's other side. He looked angry and more nervous than an alpha should be. "We have good news and bad news, so I'll start with the one everyone wants to hear."

She took a deep breath and then smiled. "We know where the kidnapped wolves are." There were some shocked murmurs. "Intelligence from other packs have figured out that those scientists are keeping them on an island. Zaki's pack is working on getting more information, but they are having a bit f trouble. They have three members there. One, as you all know, is their alpha female. She is currently unable to help. Another is a girl named Anna, who is also unable to help. Valarie is unstable, so it is hard to understand the images she is sending to the pack. However, she is getting better. It's time to start thinking about action."

Amanda paused and grabbed Dagan's hand. "Unfortunately, this is where the bad news comes in. As your alphas, Dagan and I have done everything to put you before us. I would say we've succeeded in that aspect. However, you all know I'm also human. I don't have healing abilities, or wolf shifting abilities. It is probably because I am with you all so much that I missed the warning signs."

Everyone was silent, staring at the woman. She bit her lip and closed her eyes. "I have triple negative breast cancer." She said slowly opening her eyes. I stared at her. People were growling, talking, moving around. "I started chemo, but it hasn't been helping much." She let out a shaky breath and then continued. "I am physically unable to help you if we chose to join this fight. We all know that we lost many great wolves that night. Personally I think those scientists deserve what is coming to them."

There were some grunts of agreement while others looked around. "I believe we should get them back for what they did to us. They may not know us, but I remember. I remember Sam, the boy who begged to come with us. I remember Sandra, the girl who wanted to be a policewoman when she grew up. I remember Ryan, and Eric, and Kyle who all wanted to be a part of something that mattered. I remember all their faces, and those fiends had no right taking them from us!" She was yelling now. People were nodded and letting out small wolfish noises.

"I remember my pack before their destruction, and I don't think that they should be let off so easily. Wolves know the laws of nature. An eye for an eye doesn't make the world blind, it makes sure justice is served to those it is owed to." Someone yipped, and others followed in suit. " They have no right to torture our people. They have no right to take families and rip them apart. They have no right to use our bodies for their own experiments, and if I had the option I'd kill that Carillo bitch myself!" Someone barked, and people banged on the tables.

Amanda, in that moment, looked like a queen. Her head was high, and her eyes showed the ferocity and passion behind her words. She could have demanded that we all go attack right then and I think everyone-myself included-would go do it without a hitch in our steps.

She raised a hand to calm everyone down. "However, there are more lives at stake here than we know of. I cannot lead you into this. Dagan is also unable to lead you into this. I am holding you all back, and I think it is time to let another rise to this position." Everyone froze. It was as if someone pushed a pause button. "I can't lead you as a human, and Dagan has informed me of the dangers of changing me now. My cancer cells could multiply faster with the bite, and kill me in a more painful way than normal. Dagan, being the wonderful mate he is, refuses to leave my side."

She looked around the room, making eye contact with every person there. "I have decided to let you all decide how to proceed from here. Dagan and I are stepping down once a suitable replacement has been found. We decided to let you all decide if there is someone here who deserves this position before we open it up to other wolves in other packs."

"I'll be the alpha."

"Aaron shut the fuck up nobody would vote for you." Amanda spat violently.

"This isn't a democracy. This is a wolf pack. It is the strongest and smartest who leads the pack, not the one who says they can." Dagan said, speaking his first words since he entered.

"Whoever wants to be alpha will have to go through me, and that is the way it's been done." He slowly stood up and looked at someone in the far corner of the room. "Alphas are not born leaders. They are born observers, people who watch the pack and see different ways for it to grow. An alpha can rise up from any pile of ashes. They are humble but harsh. We know when there must be punishment, and we know when there must be rewards. Being an alpha is not being in charge, it is being responsible for whatever comes your way."

Dagan walked around the tables, making sure to meet each gaze. "Alphas are not kind nor are they unfair. We know when we must put down one of our own-" He eyed Aaron. "However, whoever accepts this position has to do one thing first. That is beat me."

Everyone was silent, and then a chair loudly scraped across the floor. Someone in the back was standing up, and looking at Dagan. I couldn't see who it was because of the amount of people. "I challenge you, Dagan Themis, for the right of alpha."

I knew that voice though. I stood up, nearly knocking my chair over. People were silent. "You are ready for the price of that position?" Dagan asked moving closer. I felt my jaw ache from hitting the floor, but I couldn't move. The other person nodded, and Dagan stared at him for a second.

A sudden smile graced Amanda's face, and she started laughing. "Very well boy. I hope you know what you are in for." The challenger nodded, and bowed his head slightly to her. "We will do this tomorrow. Tonight we plan, and tonight we celebrate. We are entering a new era, and we will have a new alpha to lead us into it."

Everyone started filing out, but I couldn't tear my eyes from the person across the room. His mouth was set in a thin line, and his hair was longer than I remembered. He stood tall and proud as people rushed past him. His eyes were on me, and I felt like I was dreaming. At least if I were dreaming I could wake up from all this and laugh it off because it was so bizarre and silly. I pinched myself, but the pain kept showing up each time I did it.

This was no dream, and I was frozen in place. It wasn't a werewolf that had challenged Dagan. It wasn't a pack member that had challenged him. It was my twin brother. Jonathan challenged Dagan for alpha status, and that thought alone was enough to make me faint.