Chapter 40

Alyson's POV

Michelle and I were sitting together in the stadium on the day of the games. We had gotten there early and the audience was rolling in. I couldn't stand it any longer, I had to be there, as close to Ryan as I'd been since he left me.

I was fraught with anxieties, unable to smell him. There were too many smells here, and I wasn't sure where he'd be. But Crowalt was a large pack, and I dared not go wandering around where the Alexanders lived- as a Clan Clark she-wolf, I would stand out, and they might ask who I was mated to, opening me to danger.

Making my nervousness worse, there were so many faces that I recognized who even looked right at my face but said nothing. It seemed that my new face was enough to fool most anyone, and I hoped that it would fool Jennifer. Her knowing me before I was ready to take revenge was my greatest concern. At least, she'd seen me die, so she shouldn't assume that it was me.

I wanted to find Ryan and give him my blood before the competition. It would help him, it had to. Otherwise, he would go against Jacob who surely had a blood provider of some kind as the Alpha. I would need to figure out who was their victim now, since I had heard that he was indeed married to Jennifer, but known as Alissa Clark.

A strange she-wolf approached us. I had never seen her before in my life, but she wore a long luxurious dress made of the finest fabric. Her long golden-brown hair was curled at the tips, and bounced as she swung down to sit beside me.

"Are you Alyson?" She said, looking at me, then Michelle, but back to me.

I stared at this stranger, unsure who could know me. "Yes," I said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Stephanie. I'm supposed to watch out for you." I didn't like the way she smiled at me, "Ryan asked me to because he trusts me above any other."

I felt puzzled, considering how it could be a trap. "Ryan? How can I know who sent you?" Could this she-wolf know Ryan? And where was he? How did he know I was there, and why didn't he come? Was he in danger? Perhaps he didn't want anyone to know that we were connected, I assumed. Except this girl…

I looked her up and down, her face and hair were pretty, but also, she looked kind of young and gangly in a dress suited for a high-ranking adult she-wolf.

Ignoring my question, she bared her teeth, but it was meant to appear like a smile, "I told you that Ryan sent me. We are old friends since childhood. I was his only friend actually, he never had many, but I was always there for him."

"Funny, he's never mentioned you." I said.

Her eyes narrowed a moment, but she bounced back with a sweet gesture, "How else could I know your name? Does anyone else know that you're here?"

I hadn't even known that Ryan knew, but it was an astute point. I was not here openly. Michelle and I had come under the cover of Clan Harris, but it was not as if I publicized my name to anyone.

"See, I'm trustworthy," Stephanie said. "How you know Ryan?"

I wanted to rub it in that we had been lovers because I figured it would wipe that dumb smile right off her pretty face. But I knew better than to reveal that.

Instead, I only said, "I haven't known him long." Leaving out the importance seemed like the correct tactic if I could use this girl to get to Ryan. "Do you know where he is now?"

She nodded, "I was just visiting him. He is grateful for my visit, even called me in to see him directly. I'm so happy to be remembered even after ten years."

"Where is he?" I asked more pointed since this dense girl had not recognized the implication that I wanted to know.

"He's been staying at his father's mansion, but he'll soon be down there for the challenge." She pointed down at a shelter for the challengers at the side of the arena. "His father's home is a nice place. I'm happy to be welcome there. Have you ever been there?"

"No," I said, trying not to roll my eyes at her silly games. "Would you take a message to him for me?"

"I would," she said, her voice sickeningly sweet so that I wanted to vomit. She batted her eyelashes innocently, and I guessed that any message that I wrote, she would read before giving it to him, and anything I said, she'd analyze to death. I hoped she'd convey it accurately.

I knew that I was pausing because I wanted to think of something to tell her that would mean nothing to her and everything to him. I didn't want to write anything to avoid evidence.

"Can you tell him now, before the match even?" I asked, stalling as I considered the right message.

"I'd love to go see him before the match." She said, blushing.

I couldn't help but feel incredibly jealous. She would see him, and I was dying to see him. She obviously liked him, and I hoped and prayed that he could never like her. It comforted me that he had told me many times that I was his mate, so I hoped that he couldn't like this ridiculous girl like that.

"Please tell him that I have what he needs, and I can send him some. If you are willing to bring it to him for me."

She huffed a little, but then said, "I'd do anything to help Ryan."

"Will you tell him, please? I know Ryan would appreciate it so very much."

That made her eyes light up. "of course. I will go to him now."

"And maybe have him confirm that it's him if he sends you back." I added.

She left us; her swaying walk as annoying as everything else about her. I slumped in my seat, hardly able to bear the thought that she would be with him, batting her eyes and smiling sweetly in that disgusting way. How could he trust her? I was sure that I did not, but she was my best option to communicate for now.

More of the audience was showing up, the stadium seats were filled, and I worried that we would not have the time to get some blood to Ryan. Maybe I should have sent it with her from the start, but I wanted to hear back from Ryan first, to confirm it was really him on the other side of this messenger.

I was rubbing my sweaty hands together till they turned red.

"Is there anything I can do?" Michelle asked. "You look so pale and worried."

"Yes, actually. Could you go and find a vial? I'll wait here in case Stephanie comes back." I didn't want her to get lost if I disappeared.

"Of course," Michelle said, and miraculously returned with a vial in only a few minutes.

"You're amazing, thank you!" I exclaimed, pleased how she seemed to handle anything so calmly. It was easy to prick my finger, and extract some blood since I'd been keen to take daily Blood's Bane.

I needed Stephanie to come back soon. It infuriated me when I imagined she was probably stalling and trying to flirt with Ryan when I needed her to be efficient.

Stephanie returned in not too long, but the urgency of the situation really drew out the minutes.

"Well?" I asked. "Did he send me a message?" Depending on what she said, I would know if she really did see him.

She looked really smug when she said, "Ryan said you shouldn't have come. You should have stayed with Dylan."

Well, that confirmed it. Sounded like him for sure. I tried to hide my excitement; this girl was indeed speaking between us.

I ripped off a little piece of my dress and hid the vial of blood inside it. "Will you do one more thing?"

"Maybe," she said.

"You could go back to Ryan again."

She smiled, "Then, yes."

"Did he say he'd take anything from me?"

"He mostly grumbled; I don't know if he agreed to it." She looked pleased as if this confirmed something she wanted to know.

That also sounded like him. Even if he was very frustrating, I felt all the love for his grumbly ways. I was missing him so much.

"Please take him this token, but do not look at it. I promise you, if Ryan knows that you saw what this was, he would be very angry with you. He will know that he cannot trust you."

She stared at me, looking confused, curious and concerned. She was torn between what to do since she probably intended to spy on anything from me.

"Believe me," I said, offering up the vial that was tied into a piece of fabric.

She nodded, looking cross about it. "I am his most trusted friend. I would never." She snatched the parcel from me, and left us again.

I watched her go, trying to see where she went for as long as I could, so maybe I could find Ryan myself. If I were close enough to him, his scent might guide me the rest of the way.

Satisfied and happy that Ryan would get a taste of my pure blood, I sat back in my seat, beside Michelle, I couldn't help but feel like a lot of others kept looking over at me. I pretended not to notice, but my nerves were on high alert.