The last bits of dirt washed off my skin and I finished showering in peace. Something had distracted the pervy wolf pretty well, so I didn't have him staring at me while I got dressed.

Part of me was obsessing over the question I overheard in Hunter's mind and what it meant. He said my eyes turned green, but I didn't feel anything new. Looking at my reflection in the mirror, everything seemed fine. My hair was still wet and my skin was pretty tanned, but other than that I was normal. Normal black eyes and slim lips. If anything had changed, it would be the amount of muscle on my shoulders.

All the physical training had done its job on my body. Trimmed muscles went all the way down my stomach, arms, and legs now which made my clothes look a little tighter than they used to. I pulled on a black t-shirt and jeans before running down the stairs and joining my friends.

"Took you long enough! We only have 23 minutes to make it before the previews start." Amie groaned. She had died her hair pink recently and still looked a bit like a Barbie doll to me now.

"Sorry about that. I got distracted."

Chad's car was parked a few yards down the block away from any of the houses. He had this weird habit of always parking too far away from homes. As I got into one of the seat this time, I noticed something else.

"Did you spill bleach in here somewhere?" I asked as the doors shut and he started up the vehicle. It was subtle, but I couldn't ignore the heavy chemical scent in the car.

He didn't answer me right away though. He started chuckling softly as he drove with a knowing smile on his face. It was that smile. The one that told me he was guarding a secret that he had no intentions of sharing with anyone.

"You should know that I help people clean messes every now and then Jake. Sometimes the scent of cleaning products just doesn't come out. Not much that I can say, bro." he nudged me with his elbow and winked in my direction before focusing on the road.

The town was busier than ever before with tourists flocking to the site where the first real werewolves were caught on camera. Most of the time they were harmless and I was used to tourists in general, but it was still strange to see so many cars on the roads of Viridian.

It took us ten minutes to reach the theater and another ten to grab tickets and snacks. Amie got nachos, Chad got mints, and I carried twin bags of popcorn for the sake of being a stereotypical moviegoer. Everything seemed like it would go perfectly fine and trouble-free.

I should have known better.

There weren't many people milling around the main lobby near the counter, so it was easy to pick out each individual face. And as I turned to start going into the movie hall, I caught sight of dark skin contrasting with a bright blue dress-shirt. I froze in place and a second later, the man's head turned and amber eyes locked onto me. Recognition flashed across his expression and this time, everyone else froze instead. Then it was just me standing alone, face-to-face with Nicholas Blake.

"Long time no see," he rolled his eyes over my whole body before looking around the room to see who else might be around me.

"It could be longer. Just pretend you didn't notice me and we can continue avoiding each other," I said, glaring at him. I took a step forward just to be sure that my body could still move.

"You make it sound like I wanted to avoid you, Jake. I really don't. I just...that scent on you makes me sick." He turned fully toward me and closed the distance cautiously. "I'm actually pretty glad to see you alone. Why don't we watch a movie together?"

"You're insane! Do you think I forgot what you did to him? Did you forget what your twisted uncles did to me? They freaking buried me," anger found its way burning up to my head. I made an effort not to think about what happened. To erase the sight of Hunter being shot and my revenge attack on the Blake's home. I couldn't handle the memory of that copper-skinned man standing next to Byron Blake. Just thinking about the way my mind and body went cold. Just knowing that I was killed on the spot, it was too much to think about.

Nick looked like I'd struck him. "I know. Who do you think got you out?"

"What?" I had assumed it was a member of Hunter's pack.

"I can't control my family Jake, and I sure as hell don't risk trying to, but I deserve some credit. It wasn't easy handing you over to those beasts, but I did it for you. So stop looking at me like that," he glared.

I didn't know whether he was telling the truth or not, but I'd already learned my lesson the hard way. "I don't have time to deal with you, Nicholas. Unfreeze my friends and I'll pretend like I didn't see you here."

I was wrong to think he'd leave. Instead, he tilted his head and looked at me as if I'd insulted him. He smirked and spread his arms wide, "I'm sorry, did it seem like I was avoiding you out of fear of the cretins you associate with? You should know me better than that Jake." His arrogance was visible with all of the power he was throwing out. It formed an orange glow around his skin that made him look slightly unreal.

He and his sister had managed to hold their own against a fully transformed raging Alpha. I couldn't understand why I wasn't very afraid for my safety.

"Sit with me during the movie, and I'll let that insult slide." His eyes flickered over the other people frozen in place around the theater.

My friends were stuck a few feet behind me with blank expressions. It scared me to think of what he could do to them if he didn't get his way, but I didn't want to go along with his plans once again.

He continued to send that arrogant smirk in my direction. "So what will it be Jake?"