Chapter 148: Who is She?

AARON My eyes landed on Helena, standing in the corner, her back against the wall. In front of her stood a female wolf, eyes blazing with anger. She was from Lunaville; I knew that much. But I didn't know why she was here, or what her problem was. 'Who are you?" the female wolf snarled at Helena, stepping closer. 'And why are you inside the Alpha House?" Helena stood her ground, but I could see the fear in her eyes. She was trying to stay calm, but it was clear she felt cornered. 'Back off," Helena said, her voice firm, but there was a tremor in it. The female wolf sneered. 'You don't belong here. Who let you in?" Helena lifted her chin, refusing to back down. 'I'm with Aaron." That only seemed to make things worse. The female wolf's eyes flicked toward me as I approached, her face twisting with disdain. 'You brought an outsider into the pack?" My stomach twisted with anger. I stepped forward, putting myself between them. Brielle stood by the door, watching the whole thing unfold. 'She's not an outsider." The wolf's eyes flashed with rage. 'She's not from Lunaville, and she's definitely not part of us. What is she doing here?" I clenched my fists, trying to stay calm. 'She's with me. That's all you need to know." The female wolf didn't back down. She stared at Helena with narrowed eyes, sizing her up like she was prey. 'You think you can just waltz in here, hiding behind him? You don't belong in this pack." I took a step closer, my voice low. 'I said, back off." The female wolf's lip curled in a snarl, her muscles tensing like she was ready to lunge. 'You think you can protect her? I know what's really going on here." 'You don't know anything," I shot back, feeling the anger rise in my chest. This was getting frustrating. 'She's not one of us," the wolf spat, glaring at Helena. 'And if you think you can just bring her here without anyone noticing, you're wrong." Before I could respond, Helena stepped forward. Her eyes were fierce now, the fear replaced with something else—defiance. 'I don't need him to protect me," she said, her voice steady. 'I can take care of myself." The female wolf laughed, a harsh, bitter sound. 'We'll see about that." I had enough. I stepped in front of Helena, blocking the female wolf's path. 'Get out," I growled, my voice low and angry. The wolf hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting between me and Helena. Then, with a huff of frustration, she backed down, turning on her heel and stalking out of the house. The tension lingered in the air long after she left. I turned to Helena, my heart still pounding. 'You okay?" Helena nodded, and I could see the strain in her eyes. 'Yeah. I'm fine." But I knew she wasn't. This wasn't the first time she'd been harassed because of me, and it probably wouldn't be the last. I hated it. 'I'm sorry," I said quietly, guilt gnawing at me. 'I didn't think—" 'Don't apologize," Helena cut me off, her tone lighter than I expected. 'It's part of the deal, right? Being around wolves. I'll get used to it." I smiled despite myself. She always knew how to downplay things, to make it seem like no big deal. But it was a big deal. 'You handled it well," I said, giving her a small nod. 'Better than I would've." She shrugged, a faint smile on her lips. 'I'm tougher than I look." Before I could say anything else, Frida tugged on my hand, looking up at me with wide, curious eyes. 'Who's she?" Helena's gaze softened as she looked down at Frida. 'I'm Helena. And you must be Aaron's little shadow." Frida studied her for a moment before nodding. 'Are you his friend?" Helena smirked, her eyes darting between me and her before she crouched to Frida's level. 'Yeah, you could say that." I stood in front of both of them, clearly enjoying the conversation. Frida frowned, her little head tilting to the side. 'Are you his girlfriend?" Well, that's new. Helena's expression froze, her face turning beet red. She blinked rapidly, clearly thrown off guard. 'What? I mean…uh…" I couldn't resist. This was too perfect. I leaned in with a grin, my voice light. 'Yeah, she is." Helena's eyes shot wide open as she whipped her head toward me. 'Aaron!" she squeaked, her cheeks blazing. 'What are you—?" I shrugged, feigning innocence. 'What? She asked a question." Frida looked back and forth between us, her face scrunched up in concentration. 'So you are his girlfriend?" Helena stammered, clearly flustered. 'No…um.. I mean, we're just friends. He's just… he's teasing you, Frida." I couldn't help the chuckle that slipped out. 'Aw, don't be shy, Helena. You're making it sound like being my girlfriend would be so bad." Her face flushed deeper, and she shot me a glare. 'Aaron." But beneath my teasing, there was something else stirring in me. As much as I played it off, part of me wouldn't mind if that teasing comment were true. Being around Helena always felt natural, and she fit right next to me. Frida seemed satisfied enough with the back-and-forth, though her brows furrowed like she was still trying to figure it all out. 'You two are weird," she finally said, but her grin showed she was amused by it all. Helena huffed, standing up quickly, still avoiding my eyes. 'We're not weird. Your brother is just a—well, he's impossible, that's what." I chuckled again, thoroughly enjoying how flustered she was. 'Impossible, huh? That's new." Frida giggled, clearly entertained by our banter. 'You're funny," she said to Helena with a wide grin. Helena gave a weak smile, still trying to recover from the embarrassment. 'I try." As the tension eased, Frida started chatting with Helena, asking her about everything from her favorite foods to if she knew how to fight. Helena, clearly trying to move on from the awkward moment, played along and answered Frida's questions with a bit more confidence. But every now and then, she'd throw a quick, half-annoyed glance my way, and I couldn't stop smirking. Despite the laughter and lighter mood, my mind kept circling back to the female wolf. There was something oddly familiar about her. Maybe it was her eyes, or her teeth. A little too sharp for a junior. The way she glared at Helena… something about it didn't sit right with me. There was more anger there than just pack politics. It felt personal. And personal was bad. Very bad. Helena must've noticed I was distracted because she nudged me gently. 'What's wrong?" she asked. I shook my head slightly, trying to focus. 'Nothing. Just thinking." She studied my face, her teasing expression fading as she grew serious. 'You think she's going to come back?" I sighed, running a hand through my hair. 'Yeah. It feels weird. She's not going to let this go. And I have a feeling it's not just about me." Helena's brows furrowed, worry flickering across her face. 'What do you mean?" 'She didn't just seem mad because of me, Helena. It felt like there was something more behind it." I paused, glancing at her. 'And I think it has to do with you." Her face paled slightly, and she bit her lip, clearly uneasy at the thought. 'I can handle it. Don't worry about me." But how could I not worry? The thought of anyone coming after her because of me made my chest tighten again. I couldn't shake the urge to protect her, no matter how strong or independent she tried to be. I had to. 'I'll talk to the pack," I said, only just realizing that I hadn't met many of them yet. 'Let them know you're with me. They won't mess with you anymore." Helena gave me a small, grateful smile, though I could see the exhaustion in her eyes. This life, constantly watching her back, was starting to take its toll. And even if she didn't say it, I could tell. I reached out, pulling her into a hug. 'We'll figure it out," I promised. She nodded against my chest, and we stood there in a heavy silence for a moment, both of us knowing that this wasn't over, but not sure what would come next. Before I could say anything else, Frida tugged on my hand, pulling me out of my thoughts. 'Can we go home now?" she asked, her voice small and tired. I glanced down at her, feeling my heart soften. 'Yeah, let's go." Besides, mom and dad had some explaining to do. I kissed Helena on the forehead, promising to return as soon as I dropped Frida off. I grabbed Frida's tiny fingers, and walked out. The cold night air brushed against my skin, and I took a deep breath, trying to shake the weight that still clung to me. No matter how much I wanted to push it aside, the worry lingered. Something told me that this was just the beginning. And when the time came, I wasn't sure if I'd be ready for everything that was about to unfold. But one thing was clear: I had to protect Helena. Whether she liked it or not.