- Nathan -
I don't know what to do. Everything got out of hand so quickly that I staggered. Caleb's usually calm and clever in these situations. Luke was ready to attack when we got here, but Caleb quickly stopped him. There's something about him, the other two respect and follow him, but they are also afraid of him. I didn't understand why until he charged at Mathew and started punching him nonstop. The hunter quick to his instinct brought out a knife to defend himself and stabbed the rogue in the abdomen.
But instead of backing away, Caleb pierced the hunter's shoulders with his claws while grabbing the other hand and holding the knife to keep it in place. He's meddling his finger inside Mathew's shoulder. He's grunting, trying to remain as calm as possible, but he's definitively hurting
- You're the idiot here. The knife's poisoned. – Mathew spat in disgust.
A poisoned knife. Worry rushes through my body as I hear those words. Is Caleb going to be all right? All my body tenses at the thought of something happening to Caleb. I want to do something to help, but my body doesn't respond.
- Haha, I already knew it was laced with wolfsbane. But here's the thing about wolfsbane, after getting poisoned a lot with it, you start to develop a certain tolerance. Didn't your parents teach you that wolfsbane takes time to take effect? I have more than enough time to kill you all before needing to worry about the poison. – Caleb says menacingly, shining his eyes blue.
I've never seen Caleb like this, so angry and aggressive, it's terrifying, to say the least. It's like he's a completely different person. His blue eyes show no remorse whatsoever, and with that smile, it looks like he's enjoying hurting Mathew. This new Caleb is scary, and more... savage. I don't know what to think about it.
- What about a bullet in your head? - Dakota says, bringing out a small gun from her jacket. - Does that give you enough time? –
I freeze in place as I see the small firearm out and pointing to Caleb's head. I can smell the lead and wolfsbane coming off it. That thing's poisoned as well. Dakota's eyes show so much disdain and anger, they hate rogues.
- You're bluffing. – Caleb says, not caring whatsoever.
- You wanna find out? – she says dangerously, pulling back the barrel to prove her point.
What does he think he's doing? Dakota's fuming in anger and has a gun in her hand. She's not joking un pulling the trigger. I start to sweat in anxiety.
- Dakota put the gun away. You're not firing it at a public school, are you crazy? You'll become the most wanted criminal in the state. - my voice comes back. – Calm down and put the gun down. – I try reasoning with her. If she fires that gun, it's over. We'll be out to the world.
- Shut up. – the hunter snarks at me, not separating her eyes from the rogue.
- Listen to him. – he says, with a condescending tone.
- Or what? – she exclaims angrily, adjusting her shoulders. I swear she's going to shoot any second.
- Or she gets it. – a female voice sounds, catching our attention.
My anxiety spikes even more as I turn to see Maya holding Violet by the throat with her claws out. I never felt her coming, she just appeared out of nowhere. Violet's face is pale with fear. It's her first time dealing with werewolves, she's terrified I can smell it.
- Drop the gun or she dies. – Maya threatened, tightening the grip on her neck, and making Violet squeak. She's trembling, her hands are shaking. It looks like she's going to faint.
- Guys, stop. No one has to get hurt. – I yell getting everyone's attention.
I look at Caleb to try and reason with him. His eyes stop shining electric blue going back to their normal color. I feel a little calm knowing he doesn't want the blood to be spilled, but that feeling didn't last for long.
- Then drop the gun. – Maya demanded, starting to get impatient. Carter tried to make a move, but she saw it coming.
- I wouldn't do that if I were you. – Maya said, facing him.
- Dakota. – Mathew called. He's hurting, his shoulder is covered in blood. He nods, please let that be a step-down sign. Thankfully Dakota put her hands up.
- Fine, let her go, please. – she said.
Luke quickly rushed in and took the gun away from her, breaking the barrel and taking out the ammunition, rendering it useless. He threw the pieces away in a different direction and padded Dakota. I couldn't be tenser. Anguish and nerves fill the air.
- She's clean. – Luke affirmed; I sighed in relief.
- Okay you proved your point, now let her go. – Dakota said worriedly.
Maya and Caleb exchanged some looks before she decided to release Violet. The young hunter ran to her older brother for comfort. It looks like she wants to cry. I feel so bad for her, but Caleb hasn't let go of Mathew. There it is again, that smug. He's enjoying doing this to them.
- I hope this is the last time we meet like this. – he says.
- It won't happen again. – Dakota assures quickly. Her heart rate is fast, but maybe for being scared.
- You've been messing with us since you got here. Adding mistletoe to our food, spying on us during and after school. You even tried smuggling a piece of silver into Luke's backpack. But you messed up and instead put it in Marcus's backpack, and he ended up almost killing Noland. Yeah, you messed up big time there. – he says.
What? So, it was them after all. I suspected they had something to do since no one uses silver here, but I didn't know they were targeting Luke. It all makes sense now. Luke and Marcus both are on the swimming team and their backpacks look alike. They were after Luke, but instead made Marcus attack Noland. I can feel my blood start to heat, because of them Noland got hurt and Ilene's memory was altered.
– What? You thought we didn't notice your little scheme? What would happen if alpha Nathan found out? – he adds cunningly.
Dakota faced me, with a blank pale expression written on her face. She's worried about it. That was more than enough proof, they're responsible for Marcus attacking Noland. I clench my fist, my emotions starting to take over.
- Mess with us again and you'll regret it. – Caleb threatened one last time before pulling his claws from Mathew's shoulder, and the knife out of his abdomen.
And just like that, he turned and started walking away; the twins behind followed him. I'm left alone with the hunters. Dakota quickly rushed to aid Mathew's injury, while Violet was still shaking frivolers in Carter's arms. My blood's boiling, anger flowing through my veins. These impudent entitled idiots, and because of them Noland almost died.
- It was you... - I simply said. Not wondering or asking them, just putting it out on the table.
- What? – Dakota asked, upset with what happened.
- You did this to Noland. - I state.
- It was a mistake. – she tried excusing herself.
- He almost died! – I yell, cutting her off.
- But he's fine, he healed already. No one died. – Mathew points out, supporting Dakota.
- But still... - my fist starts shaking. I'm so angry I want to punch them in their stupid faces.
- We could've used your help, Violet almost died, and you did nothing. – Dakota claimed. How dare she put that on me.
- I did nothing?! You brought this on yourselves. She almost died because of you; you are idiots! – I lost it, my emotions getting the better of me.
Dakota faced away upset, not giving me much importance. I started getting even angrier but fortunately found the peace to calm down. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I unclenched my fist, letting go of whatever desire to hit them I had.
- You're going to leave the rogues alone. – I say calmly.
- What? – Dakota exclaims.
- You're going to leave the rogues alone! – I say firmly, getting upset.
- But... - I interrupt her.
- But nothing! I'm going to keep an eye on you from now on, 24/7. And I better not see you guys messing with them! – I threaten with a menacing tone, even though I'm surprised by it.
- Our parents told us to keep tabs on them. – Mathews says.
- Well that's all you're going to do. No more messing with them. You are going to keep your distance from now on. – I state aggressively.
I looked at them, to see if they approved. Dakota certainly doesn't but is too scared to say otherwise. She's probably worried I'll tell my father about their little incident. The others seem to agree, overwhelmed by what just happened. They didn't expect to lose like this.
- Clean your mess and go. I don't want someone finding a gun at school. – I command before leaving, not waiting for a response.
I ran in Caleb's direction, it was easy to find since I can smell the blood in the air. It's a disturbing smell, the scent of blood mixed with wolfsbane. It smells toxic, like something burning from acid. It's a very strong scent, I don't think I'll ever forget it. It's not long before I spot them.
- Guys, hold up. – I say, catching up to them. I hope Caleb's okay. – Are you okay? – I asked him, and he simply nods.
- Yeah, I'm okay. I've dealt with way worst. – he gives reassuring smile, but the scent of acid burning doesn't ease my nerves.
- For now. We need to neutralize the wolfsbane before it reaches his heart. – Maya states, her voice sounds upset, probably still heated from before.
- That could take hours. – Caleb tries calming her down.
- Or minutes depending on the wolfsbane. I need to take him home to heal him. – she says a little more intense. She grabs his hand and starts pulling him as she walks.
- Maya, wait. - he says calmly.
- There's no medicine here, how else do you want to get rid of the wolfsbane? – she says a little upset.
She's upset because she's worried for Caleb. I'm worried too, I don't know much about wolfsbane or ways to get rid of it. I feel so useless at this point. I'm so stupid, if only I'd paid more attention when my dad taught me this stuff maybe I could think of something.
- Burn it. – he says.
- Cal, some matches won't just do it. We need a bigger flame. – she points out.
- How about the laboratory's burner? The flame can get pretty big if you open the gas. – I suggested hoping it will do. Maya nods. Relief washes through my body.
- It's going to hurt. – she warned.
- I know. – he says nonchalantly, not afraid in the least.
- Let's go then. – I say.
The janitor must be gone by now so the school should be empty, that shouldn't be a problem. The back door's lock is broken, so we can get inside from there. My only worry is that the chemistry lab is on the third floor and Caleb is going to move more. The poison could spread faster because of it. No, don't think like that. He's going to be okay.
As we walk up the stairs a turn to see Caleb. He's calm, unfazed by the poison on his body. He's concentrated on stopping the poison from spreading. Making our way into the chemistry lab, Maya immediately walked up to the lab's burner and turned on the gas, and ignited the flame. She opened the gas as much as possible to make the flame even bigger.
- It's not much, but it should do. – Maya said calmly. – I need some alcohol and paper towels. - he added.
- There's some in the closet. – I say and went to get it, I handed it to her.
- Luke, I need you to restrain him. – she said.
- It's fine, I know I don't have to move. – Cal said, pressing the wound with his hand.
- It's just in case, bro. – Luke composedly said, the other rogue nodded accepting.
Caleb nodded and took his shirt off, revealing his well-defined body. His chest and abs look both: athletic and muscular. It should be a crime to look like that. He must work out like crazy. My eyes trail to the lower part of his abdomen has deep cut bleeding. It looks extremely painful, but he looks unfazed by it.
- The poison hasn't spread. – Maya said good news – Bent over. – she orders.
He leans over a table, resting his hands on it and bending over. Maya grabbed the laboratory's burner, bringing it closer to him. Luke got on the other side, put his arms around Caleb, and grabbed his hands.
- Are you ready? – she asks.
- Yeah. – Caleb sighs, preparing himself. He turns his head forward, away from her.
- Don't let him move. – she commands Luke, and he nods.
Maya brought the flame closer. The flame started burning the flesh, the sound like when you cook a piece of meat. Caleb started grunting in pain, he sighed louder, and his hands made a fist. He's trying his best to control himself. The smell coming off the wolfsbane burning is so intoxicating, it starting to make me dizzy. I cover my nose to prevent myself from inhaling it.
The blonde brought the flame even closer, spills of blood started dropping into the flame from his abdomen and the pain got worst. Caleb's eyes started shining and his grunts got more erratic and louder. Luke grabs his friend tighter, just to prevent him from moving. Seeing Caleb like this pains me, he's in pain and I can't do anything about it. Maya looks so concentrated; I listen to her heartbeat, steady. She's not nervous or worried, or perhaps she is, but she's controlling herself perfectly. I'm impressed, she's able to remain so calm in a situation like this. They all are acting calm, even Cal who's being burned is controlling himself immensely, barely even moving.
- I'm almost done. – Maya said and grabbed his abdomen, moving the skin at a safe distance from the flame. Caleb grunted a little but reaming still.
- Come on Maya, this is taking too much. – Luke complains.
- Shut up, the knife got deep. I'm making sure to burn everything. – she snarks back.
The smell coming off is less venomous, probably because the wolfsbane was burned away. Instead of being intoxicating and acidic, it's starting to smell like a piece of meat being cooked.
- Maya that's enough. – Caleb says in between grunts.
- Done. – she said, pulling the burner away.
Caleb sighs in relief, breathing agitated. He unclenches his fists and Luke finally lets go of him. The rogue stands up straight, breathing heavily. Maya puts the burner on the table and grabs the alcohol and some cotton, wetting the cotton with alcohol. She finished cleaning the wound. It clearly hurt since he closed his eyes a little in pain.
Luke grabs his friend's arm and his veins turn black. Luke's hand veins look like they were sucking something from Caleb's forearm. It was very bizarre to see, but Caleb's breathing started to ease, getting calmer and back to normal. His eyes shine bright blue once more and the wound on his abdomen starts to heal, fast. Within a couple of seconds, the injury had completely vanished, leaving his body good as new. What the hell just happened? What did Luke do just now? I was about to ask but thought otherwise. Now's not the time to ask about wolf stuff.
- How are you feeling? – I ask instead.
- Like I just had my abdomen burned for ten minutes. – Caleb responded boldly.
- I'd say he's fine. – Luke said comically.
- I'll make you beetroot tea when we get home just in case. – Maya adds nicely, the rogue just nodded in response and looked at the door.
I turn to look in the same direction, he is looking at the clock hanging on top of the door. It marks 10:33, it's getting late. My mother is going to start worrying if I don't get home before 11:00. Time just flew by.
- We should probably get going, it's getting late. – Caleb said calmly but still a bit agitated.
- Let's go. – Maya says, grabbing her stuff.
Caleb grabs his shirt but doesn't put it back on, which is good because, if you ask me, he looks way better without it. Wait, what am I thinking? Concentrate Nathan, now's not the time. He looks at the shirt's red mark, it smells like blood and a little like wolfsbane.
- I can't wear this. – he simply says while cleaning his fingers with it. – Do you keep some extra clothes here? – he turned to ask Luke.
- No, swimming doesn't require a shirt so I usually never bring a spare one. – he shakes his head.
I get it. He doesn't want his pack to find out about it. Returning with a shirt covered in blood and a knife slash on it would be difficult to hide. I don't want my parents to find out either. That would just upset my mother even more. Besides, it can mean affect our relationship with hunters. Not to mention Caleb, Luke and Maya would definitively be in trouble.
- I can lend you one. I always keep a spare one in my locker. – I suggest nicely. They look back at me, no, they stare at me like I just said something wrong. – What? – I ask confused.
- No offense, but... - Maya was about to say something but was interrupted.
- Okay. – Caleb accepted. Maya looks at him muddled. – We don't have another choice. – he says.
- The only problem is that my locker is at the football stadium. – I say.
- Okay. Maya, Luke, you find a way to get rid of the shirt. I'll go with Nathan to find the shirt and we'll meet you at the school's entrance. – he commands. Maya seems reluctant but accepts, nonetheless.
Caleb and I head toward the football field. I look around to see if anyone is around before we leave the main building. Fortunately, no one's around anymore. We're jogging to get there as fast as possible. We make our way into the locker room and to my locker. I grab the lock and start putting the password into it. I grab the first clean shirt I could find and hand it to Caleb. He puts it one.
It is a size too small for him. His muscles stand out through the fabric but don't look bad. Quite the opposite. Seeing Caleb wear my shirt, covered in my scent, is exciting. He looks so hot. I get a sudden urge to touch him, to kiss him.
- What? – he asks confused.
Instead of answering back, I go for the kill. I lean in to kiss him. He doesn't back away. As he sees me approach, he also leans in. Our lips touch, sending electricity all through my body. He grabs the back of my head, helping him control the tempo of the kiss, and goosebumps appear where his hand rests. My hands find their way to his waist. I pull him closer to me and deepen the kiss. He's more than happy to match the passion as he pushes me back against the locker while kissing, and the sound of my back colliding against the locker fills the room for a second. We keep our making-out session in the locker room. Each kiss is more passionate than the last, the only time we separate is to catch our breaths. I'm lost in his embrace. Nothing else matters to me and that's when my nose catches something. His scent.
He allows his scent to flow, or maybe he's too distracted to control himself. I don't care. I fucking love his smell. The mixture of his natural scent and my own covered in the shirt is amazing. It's so thrilling and refreshing, exciting and arousing. My dick instantly gets hard. I grab his waist to pull our bodies closer again. What a grateful surprise is to feel his hard erection pressing against mine through the fabric. Glad to see it's not just one-sided. I smile as we continue to devour each other's mouths. Our scents mix, creating a lustful and delightful smell that fills the room. That's when it hits me... we are mates!
The single thought of it arouses me even more. My dick gets even harder, if that's even possible, rubbing against the fabric is starting to hurt a little. I find myself yearning for his touch, his skin. I grab the hem of his shirt and slide my hand under it. The touch of my hand against his skin is so thrilling. I want nothing more than to tear this shirt to pieces so I can touch his body even more but remember that it's the only spare I have here. Instead, I grab the hem and start pulling it up. Caleb stops my hand and breaks the kiss, but doesn't separate our bodies.
- As much as I want to rip your clothes, we can't. Not now. – he says catching his breath.
- Why not? – I complain a little frustrated. I hate that he stopped our kiss. He chuckles.
- Trust me, I want to. But Maya and Luke are waiting for me, I must go. – he reminds me. I completely forgot about them.
- You should've told them to go back home instead. – I say comically.
- Yeah. – he laughs.
- I don't want to let go. – I say, gabbing onto him tighter.
- Tomorrow. Meet me at the crossroad, in the peace zone. We can talk then. – he suggests. His deep voice sounds so sexy that it just turns me on even more.
- When? – I ask.
- How about 6? – he asked me.
- Okay, fine. Until tomorrow then. – I agree and peck his lips once more before letting go.
He smiles at the gesture. Kissing me again deeply, however, it doesn't last long. The instant we separate my body complains. The areas we his touch was present now feel cold and missing. I hate the feeling. I look into his blue eyes. His pupils are dilated, and the blue of his iris is barely noticeable. I try looking down prevent blushing. I can see his hard-on through his jeans. Oh, my goddess, it's fucking huge. My erection is also rubbing against the fabric. He's looking at me, all of me. I feel my cheeks warm up and I can tell I'm blushing. He smiles and laughs a little while slightly shaking his head. How can someone look cute and hot at the same time?
He takes a deep breath and relaxes his body, fixing his hair and clothes. Then his scent starts to disappear. My wolf complains, missing his scents presence. I control myself as well, clearing my head and focusing on the situation. We reek of lust and desire; the shirts are covered in it. I have no idea how we'll mask the scent. Until suddenly Caleb's scent disappears, completely. Not just his natural scent, but the lust and my scent on the shirt he is wearing. Within seconds there's no trace of him in the room.
- How did you... what did you do? – I ramble confused. He laughs slightly.
- It's a more advanced technique. Similar to hiding your scent but instead of suppressing your smell you create one to neutralize any surrounding smells. It sounds more complicated than it is, though. I'll teach it to you another day. – he tells me. What? I didn't even know that was possible. I'm astonished.
- For now, this should work. – He comes closer to me; our bodies are almost touching. The smell coming off me start disappearing. I'm left smelling just like before, sweat and grass. – I need you to hide your scent now. At least until you're not horny anymore. – he says with a smile on his face.
- Easier said than done. You're hot. – I say shamelessly, and he chuckles.
- Yeah, this is not going to help either. - he points to my boner seeable through my pads. I'm not embarrassed. – At least not now. – he whispers in my ear seductively.
- That doesn't help you know. I'm trying to control myself. –
- Okay, fine. But hurry up, or Maya and Luke will start to suspect. –
- Then don't provoke me. – I say and he laughs.
After that, it takes me a couple of seconds to regain control of my body. I calm myself down and start hiding my scent. Once it's done, Caleb nods at me with an approving smile and steps back.
- Let's go. – I say and head towards the door.
It takes us no time to get out of the football stadium. Trust me, I didn't want to, but Caleb is right. Maya and Luke will start to worry. There will be more opportunities, I tell myself. Maya and Luke are waiting impatiently at the school's entrance, just where Caleb told them to be.
- We were about to go look for you. What took you so long? – Maya says a bit upset.
- Sorry, we were careful not to let anyone see us. That's why we took so long. – Caleb quickly answered.
He's not lying. I'm impressed at how deceitfully Caleb dodged the question. We were careful not to let anyone see us making out in the locker room. He just avoided the question by answering cleverly. I wonder if he does this often. Then I remember, Maya is his girlfriend. I suddenly start feeling guilty, but I control my scent. I was just making out with Caleb while she was here waiting for him. I feel awful, especially because I like Maya. Oh, my goddess, Nadia. What am I going to do? My heart sinks in my chest. She's going to be heartbroken, she's going to hate me.
- Thanks for the help, Nate. We'll see you on Monday. – Caleb's voice brings me back to reality.
- What? Oh, right. No problem. Do you want me to accompany you? – I suggest kindly, trying to act normal.
- No need. It's late, your parents are probably worried. We can get home ourselves. – he declines with his usual nonchalant tone.
- Okay. See you soon, then. – I say.
With that, the three of them headed toward the crossroad leaving me behind. I find myself missing his presence. It's like a part of me leaves with him. What's even worse is the trouble left in my head. Nadia. I really care for her, but she's not my mate. Caleb is. I don't have control over it. How am I going to break things up with her? I think of hundreds of different scenarios as I walk back home. Not even one is good. Oh, my goddess, help me. I look up at the moon, shining in her beauty and glory. There's not one cloud in the sky.
I yell loudly at the air, bringing my hands to my head. No one's around to hear me. The fresh breeze of the night hits my face, it feels nice. I didn't even change out of the football uniform. I feel my phone ringing in my backpack. I pull it up, and my mom's name is on the screen. It's 11:10. I respond even though I just turned on the corner of my block.
- Hey mom. – I say as normal as possible.
- Where are you, Nate? It's getting late. Is everything okay? – her voice sounded concerned.
- I'm fine mom, don't worry. I'm literally 30 seconds away, I can see the house from here. – I respond.
- Oh, okay. See you here then. Bye. – she says.
- Bye. – I hang up.
I open the entrance door of my house and walk inside. My father is waiting for me. He has a bright smile on her face. My mother appears to come out of the kitchen with a plate of food in her hand. She smiles at me.
- Hey, we heard you won today. How was it? – he asks genuinely intrigued.
I feel both frustrated and excited. I finally found my mate. I want to tell them everything about it, hell I want to yell it to the world. But I can't. My mom hates rogues with all her heart and my dad always wanted me to marry a girl. I fear I'm a disappointment to them. I want to cry into their shoulder, but I stop myself from it.
- Good. It was a good game. – I say lamely.
- That's it? Come one, son. Tell me everything. – he says excitedly. He always wants to know about my football games, it's a passion we both share.
My heart sinks in my chest with his words. I do, I really want to. I want to tell him how I found my mate, but I fear they'll be disappointed and upset. They mean the world to me, I don't know what I'd do without them. I smile, trying to hide my sadness.
- Thanks dad, but I'm really tired. I just want to shower and go to sleep. – I tell him.
- Well, at least eat something before. – my mom says, handing me the plate. They are tacos and smell really good. I nod and start walking upstairs.
I devour the tacos quickly. I've been so caught up in so many things that I forgot to eat something. My body certainly didn't like it. The tacos tasted amazing, just like they smell. In no, time the plate was clean. I take off my clothes and put them in the clothes basket. I only have my boxer briefs on, which I take off and head to the bathroom. I turn on the shower and get inside. The cold water runs through my warm body, from the top of my head to my toes. I adjust the temperature a little. I sigh deeply. I grab the bar of soap and start washing my body. I really do stink. Then I remember Caleb's scent mixed with mine. It was so perfect and alluring I start to get hard just thinking about it. It doesn't last long, because then I think about my parents. I'm sure they'll come to terms with me mated to a guy. They aren't homophobes or anything. But Caleb being a rogue, yeah, that's a bone difficult to swallow.
The pack won't like it either, they hated the idea of three rogues coming to study. Imagine their alpha mated to one, I can already see their disapproving stares. I shake my head, trying to shove those feeling away and think of something else. I found my mate. I smile sheepishly and tears begin to water in my eyes. I was beginning to think I never would. It's such a relief to finally have. He's so perfect. I can't wait to see him tomorrow. Just thinking of him gives me butterflies in my stomach. His touch sends electricity all through my body. My wolf starts longing for him and I can't blame him, there's nothing I want more than to be with him. If only it were that easy.
----------
Picture of Violet at the top