Whispers of the Wolf

My Jealousy

Tala worked at the coffee shop.

And it seemed my feet wanted to take me there.

Walking towards the coffee shop with purpose, I was unprepared when a hand shot out and squeezed my shoulder, halting me in my steps.

Spinning around, ready to confront whoever has stopped me from storming right over there and attacking Tala, I came face to face with Conri Wolsey.

Taking a step back, I felt his cold eyes sweep up and down my body, sending a shiver down my spine, making me feel exposed and vulnerable. He turned to look beside him, and that's when I noticed Leo standing next to him.

Leo Whelan. Around the same age as Conri and just as judgemental, he stood tall and proud, his dark grey hair shining in the mid afternoon sun, his blue grey eyes also sizing me up. I wasn't sure of his relationship with Conri, but he seemed to be with the guy a lot, the two of them walking around the town, acting like they owned it. And everyone else acted as though they liked the pair, smiling at them, greeting them, some even going as far as bowing their heads.

Idiots. The pair of them.

In fact, everyone here was an idiot.

I gritted my teeth, rage boiling through my blood. I squeezed my hands into fists, my nails digging painfully into the palms of my hands.

I didn't have the time or the patience for either of them and their judgemental stares right now.

Conri smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, which remained cool and calculating. "Radley," he said, his voice dull. "Good to see you."

Well, I couldn't say I felt the same way.

"How have you been?" He leaned forward slightly as he cocked a brow.

Oh god, he wanted to make conversation. Why? I really wasn't in the mood for idiots.

"I'm okay." I eyed him, trying to work out his body language. He stared at me, his eyes narrowing, almost as if they were trying to bore a hole through my body and deep into my soul.

I shivered. What was he thinking?

"Haven't seen you in a while," Leo said, a hint of friendliness in his voice. I turned to see him smiling, his eyes warmer than Conri's. He stood relaxed, almost as if we were just having a friendly conversation.

I frowned. What were these two up to?

"Look, Radley, I, uh ..." Conri coughed, cleared his throat, then reached over to squeeze my shoulder again. "I was just making sure that everything was okay. That ... uh ... that you are okay."

What?

His fingers dug into the padding of my coat and I winced slightly at his strength. For an older guy, he sure was strong.

"I haven't seen you around as much lately and I was just making sure that everything was alright." He cocked his head to the side. "Me and Leo were only talking about you the other day, wondering how you were."

Wow. He sounded almost sincere. And if I didn't know any better, I may have believed him. I mean, if he really was worried about me, he'd come to the house, wouldn't he? He knew where I lived. Who I lived with. No excuse, really.

Twisting away so that his hand fell from my shoulder, I shrugged. "I'm okay." What else could I say? That I was angry at his son for dating the coffee shop girl?

Yeah, right.

Speaking of coffee shop girls ... I turned my head to face the coffee shop again, just as Alaric and Tala emerged with Enzo in tow, all three of them smiling. My hands were in fists again before I knew it, my nails digging into my skin.