Chapter Six 

I could hardly believe my eyes. 

Large glass panels lined the ceiling and three of the four walls. Gossamer curtains that were thin enough to see the stars through them hung whimsically from the glass ceiling. White lights and candles illuminated the enormous Hall. Large budding cherry blossom trees were in each corner, with light pink petals now and then fluttering to the floor, and an elegant stone fountain was in the center. The white and gray granite flooring shined beautifully in the shimmering lights. Elegantly decorated square and rectangle-shaped tables randomly dotted the hall, adorned with white satin tablecloths, round vases with floating white roses and cherry blossoms rested in the vases with tiny white and pink LED lights that encompassed all of the vases that were at the center of each table. The only thing about the Hall that I was not in awe of was the overwhelming scent of perfume, which was thick in the air.

I continued to mindlessly roam the magnificent Hall as a chill rippled down my spine, and I began to feel dizzy. Terror began to well inside me as the hairs on the back of my neck rose, and goosebumps blanketed my arms. My stomach lurched uncomfortably.

Someone is watching me.

When I came to this realization, I slowly began to look around me. A nervous shutter rippled over me when I saw quite a few eyes were watching me. However, I knew right away that they weren't the eyes that were causing terrifying shivers to vibrate down my spine. The eyes that were watching me from somewhere that I could not see had begun to settle like a stone in the pit of my stomach, causing my tummy to churn uncomfortably.

To make matters worse, Erica's clique was glaring daggers at me in a group. Sweat began to bead across my forehead, and not wanting to deal with them, I began to scan the Hall for Greta or Sammy. Once I spotted them, I started to make my way over when someone roughly grabbed my wrist and spun me around. 

I'm going to fall. 

All I could do was to prepare myself for the impact of the ground because dizziness from the swift motion and my nausea had completely consumed me. When the fall didn't come, I hesitantly opened my eyes to find Quinn holding me in his arms angrily, staring at Chad, Sasha, Lainey, Dawn, and David, all staring back at him in irritation. 

"Why are you here? You're not of age yet," Chad hatefully hissed. 

Quinn helped to steady me on my feet as he stepped around me and grabbed Chad by the collar of his tux. "You honestly think I would let a pissant like you harm my sister when I can prevent it?" Quinn's eyes flashed a silver blue, indicating that his wolf, Knox, was trying to surface. 

"You think a pantywaist like you can prevent me from doing anything," Chad stated as he grabbed Quinn's hand, crushing it within his grasp. 

I could hear the bones snapping within Chad's vice-like grip. I gasped at the sound, my hand covering my mouth as I turned, expecting to see Quinn's pain-riddled face. Shock flashed over my face when I saw Quinn's smiling, mischievous expression. 

A snort of laughter slipped from Quinn's lips as he quickly slipped his wrist from Chad's grasp and leaned in closer to him. "Do you think you can beat me knowing I train regularly with Alpha Derrick and Beta Jace?" An evil, crooked smile rested on Quinn's face as he swiftly grabbed Chad by the throat with the same hand that had been crushed only moments before and raised him into the air. 

Sasha, Lainey, and Dawn all screamed, stumbling backward. David stared with wide, terrified eyes, and Chad's lips began to turn blue as Quinn tightened his grip on his neck. 

"ENOUGH!" Alpha Derrick shouted from across the Great Hall. 

Quinn released his hold on Chad, causing him to crumple to the ground, coughing. With a glance over at Alpha Derrick as he made his way over to them, he crouched down next to Chad and said, "Don't worry, we can continue our conversation later, and when we do, I will be more than happy to do to you everything that you were going to do to Ren." 

Chad's eyes widened as he fearfully stared at Quinn. 

"Would one of you like to explain w…" Alpha Derrick began to question them as my head spun, and sweat again began to bead across my clammy forehead. My vision began to blur, and just as I thought I was going to fall over, strong arms wrapped around me, steadying me. "Are you okay?!" Derrick frantically asked and helped me to the nearest chair, his previous conversation completely forgotten. 

I nodded, "Yes, but I think I must call it a night. I'm just not feeling very well." 

"Okay," Alpha Derrick said as he handed me a glass of water. 

About that time, Jace walked up next to me and placed his palm on my forehead. "Shit, she needs to go to the infirmary." He said, looking at Alpha Derrick.

Derrick nodded and quickly scooped me into his arms when Luna Emily spoke up, and my cheek flushed bright red, "You guys can't leave; we are hosting this Ball."

Derrick’s and Jace's jaws tightened in frustration, but they knew she was right. Alpha Derrick mindlinked someone, and Quinn ran back towards us. 

"Come on, Ren, I'll take you to the infirmary." Quinn declared as he took me from Alpha Derrick’s arms and began to carry me from the Great Hall. 

***

We made it to Alpha Derrick’s truck in the parking lot, where Quinn finally let me down. Pulling the key from the pocket of his jeans, he unlocked the door and helped me into the passenger side. I raised my eyebrow in question when he spoke up, "I know I don’t  have my license yet, but Alpha Derrick mindlinked me as he placed his key in my pocket, telling me it was fine for me to drive you to the infirmary since it was on pack grounds." He closed the door and made his way around the truck, getting into the driver's seat. 

As he began to drive towards the infirmary, I noticed he had wrapped the hand that Chad had crushed with a few cloth napkins. Horror consumed me when I caught a whiff of blood coming from him. 

"Quinn," I shouted as I gently grabbed his injured hand and began to unwrap it.

He pulled his crushed hand from my grasp, a hiss of pain escaping his lips. "I'm okay. This pain is worth it, seeing that moron's eyes consumed by fear. Even if the only thing I could do was bluff."

"You were bluffing?" 

"Oh, yeah. I was in agony when I picked him up by the throat, but there was no way Knox or I would ever let that douchebag know that." Quinn glanced at me with a grin on his face as he went on, "I bet if I would have pushed him a little bit farther, then he might have even peed his pants!" 

I shook my head, and tears began to fill my eyes, knowing he was injured far worse than he was letting on, "why did you go so far for me?"

His expression became serious, "Because I will never fail to protect you again!" 

"What do you mean fail to protect me?" 

"That day the rogues attacked you, it was my fault you were hurt so badly." He pulled into the infirmary's parking lot and turned the truck off. 

"No, it…" I began to protest when he turned to me, and a single tear slipped from the corner of his gray eye. 

"Yes, it was Ren. You wouldn't have been hurt if I had been more powerful. No, I could have prevented the rogues from entering our land!" His words were urgent and painful when he whispered, "It should have been me."

I placed my hands on the side of Quinn's face, "Don't say that! I am so glad that those rogues didn't hurt you!"

A sorrowful scoff escaped his lips, "I wasn't talking about the rogue incident." He bit his lip before continuing, "I meant that my sister should have been the one to survive the attack all those years ago. Not me. At least then, I would know that you were safe." He slipped from the truck and came to open my door. 

My lips began to quiver, tears flooding my eyes when he opened my door. Without thinking, I leaped into Quinn's arms. "Don't. E-ever. Say. Anything. That. Dumb. Again." My words came out in great sobs. 

"I'm  sorry." He hugged me tightly to his chest. "Please, don't cry, Ren. I promise I won't say something like that ever again." 

As he pleaded, the overwhelming nausea and dizziness began to overtake me once again, and my vision went black.