The little brown pup squirmed underneath me and yipped. She was trembling and seemed desperate to get away. My tongue licked her little face and she gazed up at me with golden brown eyes. She made little whimpers and sniffed.
I sighed and shifted back to my human form, leaning towards her on my knees, holding out my arms. "See? I'm not going to hurt you." I tried to ignore the fact that I was stark naked and any werewolf, let alone Marshall Kingston, could see me, but I shoved it down my throat as my fingers went out towards the werewolf. She shied away from me, so I said, "Come here, sweetie. I'm not gonna hurt you." I knew she was a werewolf, so she must've understood me.
She inched forward and nuzzled her face in my face. I wrapped my hands around the small pup and cradled her to my chest. I breathed in her fur. She smelled like Marshall.
I still couldn't get my head around it. The one and only werewolf who'd turned me nine years ago was my uncle's boss! And he specialized in killing his own kind! I thought my uncle was sick, but this . . . this was horrific. This was repulsive and what kind of monster would do that!
I snuggled the little pup closer. Her little wet nose trailed up my neck and she licked the underside of my jaw. I smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I'm gonna keep you safe, okay?" I said, looking into her eyes. "I know these people who will love to meet you." They were all I had. I couldn't take care of this little werewolf, and they had an entire pack! As much as I resented the idea of presenting myself before them, I had to do it for her good.
She nosed my throat as a way to say "Okay."
"I have to change back. Follow me, alright? I'll be right beside you." I waited until she whimpered in agreement before morphing back to my wolf. I nudged her with my nose and she started walking beside me, her head bent low and her tail between her legs. I spotted a stick up ahead. I dashed forward and grabbed it, turning around in a playful position.
She froze, but after a moment of hesitation, she leapt forward and grabbed the stick, trying to take it from me. I gave a valiant effort, one that of a puppy, and I let her have it. She began trotting around with it in her mouth, head a little higher.
I barked and she started walking beside me. I jumped towards her and she leaped away in protection of the stick and when she returned, I licked the side of her head. We walked like that until we reached my pile of clothes and I for once, I was thankful I'd chosen to wear a tank top under my shirt. I grabbed my t-shirt and dragged it over to her feet as a way to say this is for you. I stared at her until she took it and went behind a tree before I grabbed the remainder of my clothes and shifted back.
I hurriedly changed, tugging on all my articles of clothing before saying, "You ready?" She hadn't made a sound.
There was a shuffle and then a heart-shattering cry. My bones echoed with the brokenness of the sound. After a moment, she came back around the tree trunk shyly, walking pigeon-toed.
She had jaw-length, brown, silky hair that fell in perfect ringlets--even as it was a little mussed. Her brown eyes gave her a sad puppy-dog look and she had a natural pout with a thick bottom lip. She must've been eight or nine. Her shaky limbs protruded from the t-shirt and she trembled as she approached me.
I took a breath and kneeled down to her level as she stood in front of me, eyes to the ground. "I'm Sigrid," I said softly.
"I'm Gr-Grace," she said, her eyes flicking around like candles. Her voice was high and her lip trembled.
"Well, Grace, I'm gonna take care of you," I said, "I promise." I offered her a smile, but she didn't return it. My eyes went to my bike under the bush, but I didn't have the spokes that she could stand on--and I didn't think she was stable enough to even if I did have them. I'd have to do this the old-fashioned way. I cocked my head playfully. "Would you like a piggyback ride?"
She nodded, her hands rubbing her frail arms. I turned around and I felt her clamber on my back. She locked her hands around my neck and roped her legs around my waist. I gripped her little legs and stood up straight. I turned my head towards her, but I still couldn't see her. "I'm gonna run, but I won't let you fall, okay?"
"Okay," she said in her small, timid tone.
I started off at a jog and I felt her tighten around me, desperate not to fall off. I reassured her by clasping my hands around her legs a bit tighter, and then I really sped up. Like, werewolf speed sped up. It didn't really matter whose house I took her to first--she'd be taken to the same place. Might as well save someone a trip. I'd been to the pack house on account of Raylor and Alix, and thankfully, I remembered the path well.
Dodging public eyes, I stayed behind yards and kept to the woods, jumping over rocks, logs, small animals and the like. When I approached the house--err, manor--I slowed down and I heard her gasp, much like how I did when I first saw it.
The manor was huge. It was wedding-cake style and was cream-colored, at least three stories high. It looked like four, but I hadn't been showed the must-be-there-attic. The trim was a darker shade of cream, almost like a cappuccino color, and the lawn was a lush green. This manor was away from the road, away from prying eyes, and was surrounded by trees.
Handy for us, I thought. I knew the second floor was the Alpha's level, the third was the Beta's, and the ground floor consisted of a family room, a huge kitchen, and an equally huge den. Only the families of the Alpha and Beta lived there, and when Theo became Beta--according to Raylor--it was his decision whether or not he lived with the current Beta in the pack house alone, or kicked them out in invited his family in. She'd said he hadn't decided. The Alpha line had it easy--most of the time. Since it was a hereditary trait to be Alpha, usually their family stayed in the pack house no matter what. Alix had mentioned something with Alpha Roan, but Raylor shut her up really fast.
I set down Grace and I saw her ogling as I caught my breath.
"It's pretty cool, right?" I said, smiling. I hope they have an extra room somewhere. Who am I kidding? They probably do.
And if they don't? my wolf contended.
She had me there. I didn't have a Plan B. The Alpha had to be okay with her staying here. If not . . . well, she might as well be free meat for Marshall. And I wouldn't let that happen. I shivered as I walked up to the door. Marshall Kingston. What would my uncle say?
Are you going to tell him? Really? That's his boss.
I know. But--
Who do you think he's going to believe? A seventeen year old girl or the man he's worked with on avenging his wife?
I huffed, impatient with my wolf, and I peeked down at Grace. Her little toes were together and she was shaking. I slid my hand into her petite one and gave her a reassuring smile as I rang the doorbell. "They'll love you, I promise." I hoped.
After a moment, the familiar smell of Alpha knocked the wind out of me. I could tell it affected Grace, too, because she took a step back and let out a small whimper. I looked down at her big, brown, puppy-dog eyes. "They're nice. Trust me."
A woman I'd only met once before opened the door. She had long, strawberry-blonde hair falling to her waist and her skin was paler than death. Her eyes were big, blue, and luminescent, so they stood out against her skin in a pretty, jewel-esque way.
"Sigrid!" Maggie exclaimed with a big, wide smile. She was the Luna, meaning she was the Alpha's mate. My stomach broiled as my wolf's nose opened up and took a deep breath. Speaking of mates . . . I could hear him all the way in the den, playing Assassin's Creed 3 against Tobias and Kyler. His Red Hot cinnamon smell permeated through my skin and lit me up with unintended euphoria.
"Hi, Luna Maggie," I said politely, smiling back at her. Her light blue eyes landed on the shivering werewolf beside me. Sure, she wasn't my Luna, but we had a mutual relationship of respect, so I titled her appropriately.
"Who's this cutie pie?" she asked, bending down to Grace's eye-level.
"This is Grace," I said. "She . . ." I lowered my voice so only a werewolf with years of refining their abilities could hear me. "I need to talk to you about her."
She nodded, the vibrancy never fading from her face. She put her glass-like hand in front of Grace. "Why don't you come with me, sweetie?"
Grace looked back at me mournfully. I felt terrible. Where were her parents? Surely they would've come after her. They couldn't be far. Pups couldn't last as long as full grown wolves on runs. Her little hand tightened in mine. I looked at Luna Maggie. "Could--could she stay with you?"
I could see the gears in her eyes working. "Sure. Why don't we go to the kitchen?"
"Okay," I said and I stepped inside, leading Grace inside as well. Luna Maggie closed the door behind us. She led us into the checkered kitchen and my heart raced at the sounds of boys yelling at each over who was killing who and how many targets they had left and how someone was losing miserably. It sounded like Theo.
I sniggered.
Luna Maggie ducked into the den, a good distance away. "Boys!" she hissed, but I could still hear her. "Keep it down! We have a guest."
Tobias may have been the only one to disobey her on account of being her son, but I'd heard she was a great Luna, so people easily respected her. And disobeying her meant answering to the Alpha. Not exactly high on any werewolf's 'to-do' list. The volume went down quite noticeably.
She walked back in, all smiles, and opened the stainless steel refrigerator. "Would you like some milk, Grace?" She looked at the girl hardly tall enough to reach the top of the island.
Grace nodded with a pink face. Luna Maggie asked me the same question and I refused politely, suddenly noticing how the den went superbly quiet at the mention of my name--minus for the sounds of the video game.
Stupid mind link, I thought grimly. I knew they all shared one and though I knew eavesdropping was rude, my mate was in there and I didn't want them to be making fun of me.
Since when does that matter? I asked myself. I'll be gone soon anyways.
My wolf whined in agony as Luna Maggie gave Grace a miniature carton of chocolate eggs along with her milk. "Here you go," she said, smiling.
"Th-thank you," Grace said, sitting on the tall chair. She used tiny hands to balance the cup to her lips. She dribbled milk down her chin and Luna Maggie gave her a paper towel before joining me on the opposite side of the island. She lowered her head close to mine.
"So what about Grace?" she said so lowly it might've not been audible if I didn't have my bionic--huge--ears.
"She . . . I was running through the woods and--and I found her being chased," I said warily. "The attacker ran off, and I don't know where her parents are."
Her light blue eyes watched me with such intensity I thought she could see all my lies, all my secrets, out in the open. I thought she would break into tiny shards of glass when she spoke, sitting back up. "We'll send out a notice about a lost pup," she said, gazing at Grace, who was popping a chocolate egg into her mouth, hunched over the countertop bashfully. She looked at me again. "Do you remember what the wolf looked like?"
I looked at my knees. "No," I said. "It ran away too fast."
Her eyes told me she wasn't convinced at all. She leaned all the way back and smiled at me anyways. "Well, I'm sure we have a spare room somewhere."
My heart was fluttering in my chest. A smile slithered out on my face and I looked at Grace. She looked at me as she snuck another chocolate into her mouth and I gave her the thumbs-up sign. Her cheeks turned pink. "We've gotcha covered," I said.
Her face lit up, revealing her chocolate-pocketed teeth. "Weewy?" she said.
I giggled. "Really really. Luna Maggie could show you . . . now?--Yeah, now." Luna Maggie hopped off the bar stool and made her way to Grace. Grace's eyes went wide with anxiety as Luna Maggie proposed they walk together.
"We'll get you some proper clothes, too," I heard her say as they walked out of the kitchen.
I was left in the checkerboard kitchen, watching the forest in the window, acutely aware of where Luna Maggie and Grace were in the house. I was staying to say thank you--and plus, how rude would it be to just leave after she just did me a ginormous favor?
My phone buzzed in my pocket and when I pulled it out, Cassidy had said: Can you come pick me up at my friend's house?
I texted back sure.
A few moments later I received the address of this new friend and I told her it'd be a few minutes.
I drummed my fingers on my knees and tugged on my earlobes, acutely knowledgeable of Theo's nearby proximity. My wolf was straining in my chest, begging me to go see him. My toes curled in my shoes, my bare skin tingling. I tugged the low neckline of my tank top up higher and rubbed my arms. Suddenly, I was freezing. The fact that my cleavage was showing made me nervous and self-conscious. I wasn't . . . inadequate in that area, and the fact that hormonal, werewolf, teenage boys were in the next room over had me gritting my teeth in anxiety.
Oh, I prayed that Theo would not come in here. I prayed that Luna Maggie would come back so I could thank her graciously and leave. My blood was shooting electricity through my veins and there was such ambivalence arcing through my body I couldn't see through the haze.
A few moments later, I was saved. Luna Maggie walked back in and smiled at me. I hopped off the bar stool.
"Thank you so much," I said, preventing myself from stuttering.
She beamed at me. "You're very welcome. Grace is the cutest thing. I wish I'd had my own little girl. Instead I got stuck with the next Alpha and his little T-rex."
I laughed nervously knowing who she was talking about--Tobias's little brother, Dex. From being here before only once, I knew he was a walking rampage of mass--and accidental--destruction. Even he knew he'd be a mess of an Alpha, so it was very rare when he got jealous of Tobias. Plus, he was eleven, so it wasn't a big priority.
I gestured in the general direction of the front door. "I should probably get going. I have to pick up my little sister from a friend's house."
"Okay," she said and she stepped towards the direction of the front door, but her arm accidentally hooked Grace's half-empty glass of milk and it splooshed all over the floor with plastic clinks! She swore under her breath and grabbed some paper towels, attacking the floor with superhuman speed. She started swiping it all up so I grabbed some paper towels and bent to the ground, using my towels to help sop it up.
"Oh, honey, you don't have to help," Luna Maggie said, scooping up half of the wet paper towels.
"It's okay," I said and I mopped up the rest of it. I saw feet entering the room and my eyes followed the body line and my cheeks turned fire-red when my eyes met Tobias's, very aware my tank top was dropping lowly.
"What happened?" he asked with his authoritive voice.
My blood chilled. I still wasn't comfortable around Tobias. I didn't think I ever would be.
"We just had a little spill," his mom said pleasantly, picking up the cup from the ground. I put the wet paper towels in the trash can, not meeting him in his eyes.
"Oh," he said, staring at the floor. I grabbed two more paper towels and dried the floor. "Mom," he said, looking at her. "There's a problem with the TV screen. Could you come take a look?"
"Tobias, I have a guest," she replied, staring at him with wide eyes as she cleaned out the cup and put it in the dishwasher.
"It's not a problem. I know the way out," I said. I put the paper towels in the trash. "Thanks again for taking care of Grace. I'll be by to check on her."
"Sounds good, Sigrid," Luna Maggie said. She took a step towards the den. "Feel free to stop by anytime."
"Okay, thanks," I said and I took a step towards the general area of the front door. "Bye." I waved to both of the Castles, mother and son.
"Bye, Sigrid," Luna Maggie said. Tobias gave me a curt nod with cold eyes. I turned on my heel and headed for the door, hearing Tobias explain the problem with the TV to his mother.
I hope Grace is okay, I thought. I should come by tomorrow. Maybe I should look for her parents? She couldn't live too far away. They might be eas--
I knocked into a lanky arm, stopping me in my tracks and making me gasp. I didn't need to turn to know who it was. His Red Hot smell was already doing numbers in my blood and my wolf was already pacing, whining loudly.
My heart trembled in my chest as his other arm went to the other side of my shoulders, pinning me against the wall. He was at least a foot away, but there was no room to breathe. Especially when I made the mistake of looking into his eyes. I don't think I'd ever stop melting every time his electric eyes pierced me. My arms shivered and my hands wanted to start wringing out my earlobes. Instead my fingers pulled on the skin between my forefinger and thumb nervously.
Theo smirked smugly down at me. "Hey, Sigrid." I swore his voice got deeper. I saw his eyes flicker downward to my assets and I would've slapped him had I had guts, but I just watched his eyes come back up to mine, darkening.
His body seemed to inflate around me, growing bigger. I had enough room to escape, but I couldn't move. I was completely entranced by his entire being, not wanting to move but desperate to get away. My mouth tried to form words, but they failed. I may have squeaked, at a loss for words. My heart was pounding like timpani, like a stampede of wild, rushing horses.
He chortled, his spiky black hair tipping forward out of the invisible gel he used. He looked at me again and removed one of his arms. "Fancy seeing you here," he said.
"I--I . . . it was an emergency." My fingers rubbed against each other. My cheeks were scorching with heat.
His head dipped an inch closer to mine. "I heard," he said lowly, smugly. He took in a deep breath, closing his eyes. I on the other hand, couldn't breathe. "You know," he said, his eyes snapping open to bore into mine, "I've been wondering why you smell like a hunter."
My heart stopped and all the blood in my face drained straight to my toes. I felt wobbly, like I couldn't stand. He knows, he knows! I thought frantically. My fingers curled into fists as blood rushed in my ears.
He looked at me with an almost playful look. "I won't ask about it," he said, "if you agree to go on a date with me."
Did I hear him right? I replayed his words over and over in my head, trying to form logic. Nope. Nothing. So he didn't know, but he was--he was blackmailing me! He simpered down at me as my eyes widened. I didn't really have a choice. I could betray my family or I could betray my rules for one measly date.
My wolf whined as it became harder to breathe. Did he know he was like poison to me? She howled and my body started trembling.
Say yes! She begged.
I can't! If I start a relationship with him, I'll hurt him!
Just one! One date! Don't you want to protect your family?
My knees shook like noodles as I looked him into the eyes. My throat turned dry and my heart started to race again, even faster. "Fine," I said softly. I had zero strength to refuse.
His eyes lit up. I could see the cogs working in his brain and his smirk turned into a wide smile. "Awesome," he said, leaning back. I tried to take a breath but my lungs wouldn't work. "Can you meet me at the park tomorrow at eleven o'clock?" He looked like a little boy who had gotten everything on his wish list for Christmas.
I nodded, mute.
Noise blared from the TV room and I jumped three feet into the air. Theo chuckled. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sigrid."
I couldn't respond. I could only watch as he smiled down at me playfully and then returned to the den, saying something about rearranged wires or something.
After a moment, I shuddered a breath and used the wall to support me. On shaky legs, I left the pack house, questioning if I'd made the right decision or not.
...............
I parked my car in the small lot, shaded by trees. I took a deep breath before exiting my vehicle, feeling like the shaking leaves on the trees. This didn't seem like a good idea, but if I didn't oblige, Theo might harm my family on account of me. I walked over to the playground, leaning against one of the poles, peering around for Theo.
I crossed my arms and looked around the green slides and rubber asphalt. Little shrieks filled the air as grabby hands reached for the monkey bars and little bodies slid down the slides. Mommies and daddies pushed their children on the swings, graciously shaded from the blaring sun by a plethora of tall white ash and red maple trees.
My heart pounding, I peered around. Some daredevils were scaling up the trees to the very top, but I saw no sign of Theo. I saw ankle biters tossing sand out of the sandbox, but my eyes never landed on Theo.
I bent my eyebrows. Was his plan to ditch me?
"Hey, Sigrid!" I heard and my head whipped to the left. I saw him approaching from the parking lot, carrying a large, wicker basket. Could he get any cheesier? He waved at me with a big, goofy smile. The sun poked through the leaves and left designs dancing all over him as he approached me. When he did, my heart pounded in my throat as I craned my head back to look at him.
"Ready?" he asked, grinning at me. My head went just above his shoulder, but I felt like an ant in his presence.
"Yeah," I said breathlessly, lost in the jades of his eyes.
"Come on," he said and he started leading me out on the grass, swinging the basket back and forth.
I vaguely questioned if he'd had too much caffeine before he came here, but when he turned back to look at me, my heart rushed and the thought was lost. He set the basket down on the green grass under a dogwood tree. He reached inside the basket and withdrew a maroon, fleece blanket that had a golden 'W' on it.
Some sports team, I thought curiously. He set the picnic basket in the middle and sat cross-legged on one side. Where did he get these ideas? Honestly. The intercom, the notes, the pomegranates, and now a picnic. He was the dorkiest person I'd ever met.
"I didn't bring all this food for me," he teased and I sat down, cheeks red. He pulled out a feast. Sandwiches, salami, orange slices, a pomegranate, cheese puffs, barbeque chips, watermelon chunks, a bottle of Pepsi, a bottle of Coke, a bottle of Sprite, and two mongo slices of Boston Cream Pie.
My mouth was gaping. He chuckled, but he looked cautious. "I didn't know what you liked to drink and . . . I dunno. I felt like having choices would be a safe bet." He shrugged.
I chuckled quietly. "A safe bet alright," I murmured, looking at our banquet. A smile spread across my face like jam on toast. I picked up a pomegranate and looked at him. "How . . . How did you know I liked pomegranates?"
Theo looked rather bashful when he said, "You smell like them." His eyes fell on the cheese puffs. "Same."
My cheeks turned pink. "I didn't think anyone knew about my obsession with cheese puffs."
The corners of his lips turned up and I felt my heart pound anxiously. "Busted," he said, smirking.
I made a face, fingering the Saran-wrapped turkey sandwiches. Turkey and salami? I thought. "I guess you like barbeque chips," I said softly. My eyes flickered up to his light ones. They shimmered iridescently in the sunlight.
"Yeah," he said, taking one of the bags. He tossed me the other. "I brought you one. In case you like them, too."
I took the plastic baggie of cheese puffs. "I think I'm good," I said with a coy smile. I seriously smelled like them? Rats. I was glad my family didn't have werewolf senses. I started unwrapping the sandwich when Theo spoke again.
"Where'd you say you were from?"
Easy question really. I could say Minnesota, Washington, Mississippi, Texas, Maine--I could say any state. I had lived in them all. I could say Canada, even. But in order to lie convincingly, I had to keep it straight. Especially with what I had told Tobias. "Mississippi. In Rogan." It didn't line up with what I told Raylor and I cursed my stupidity. Fortunately, it was exactly what I had told the next Alpha, and that was more important. My eyes boggled when I saw he had already torn through half the first sandwich.
He nodded, taking another bite. I continued unwrapping the deluxe-wrapping job from Theo and when I finally reached the sandwich, he spoke again. "What was it like?"
My heart kicked in my chest. I glared at my sandwich. "It--it was like any other small town. Rural and th--they had an accent. We . . . we lived on a farm, so the sky was really clear at night." It had also made it hard for me to get away unspotted. Our farm hadn't been functional and had been dead in every perfect way.
"Sounds cool. That's what it looks like from the top of King's Hill," Theo said. "That's where the pack house is. Technically it's not really called King's Hill, but everyone calls it that anyway."
I nodded, biting into my sandwich. Perfect. Cheese and mustard and mayo. Exactly how I liked my turkey sandwiches. My homemade ones anyway.
I checked in on my oddly quiet wolf. She was basking in Theo's presence, soaking up all of what he smelled like and what he sounded like and how he moved, both gracefully and awkwardly. She had the tilt of a smile to her lips and my heart banged in my chest. She might never be this happy again. And she wanted him to mate with her so badly it made my toes scrunch. I'd tolerate being marked if it meant abstinence.
When I swallowed the bite of food, I turned to Theo, who was watching the kids behind my shoulder. Or, I hoped he'd been. "Have you lived in Merriweather all your life?"
He nodded, swallowing. "Yeah," he said. "My parents and their parents and their parents and so on and so forth."
I nodded. Interesting. Being Beta must really tie you to a single town.
Well, my wolf interjected. Considering a pack normally doesn't migrate.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. That's not what I meant, doofus.
Whatever you sayyyy.
I noticed Theo was watching me and I looked away, my cheeks red hot. He cleared his throat. "Do you like Boston Cream Pie?"
I smiled. "Yeah," I replied, eyeing said desserts.
"Awesome. It's my favorite."
"Do you . . . do you like pecan pie?"
His smile grew. "Who doesn't?"
"Good point," I agreed softly. I was having an actual conversation with him! With Theo!
The guy you need to stay away from, my conscience reminded me.
Not only was I hurting myself, I was hurting Theo. Oh, how I was killing him. I couldn't let him like me. I couldn't let him pursue me and the idea of us, no matter how enticing that sounded. I was a horrible person! Forgetting my rules was going to smear that grin off his face and delay him from finding another girl he could spend forever with.
My wolf bolted up at my train of thought and started whining the worse it got.
Don't you dare!
I have to. I have to make him hate me, I thought mournfully. It's the only way he won't care when I leave.
No! You can't! she howled. She started pacing and as she did, the ache in my chest worsened until my breath hitched. I tried shoving her emotional difficulty under the carpet, but she wasn't having it. She paced anxiously, digging a track of paw prints in my mind.
"Hellooooooh?" Theo said, chuckling, waving a hand in front of my face. "Anybody in there?"
My cheeks warmed at how close he'd gotten. He'd covered a foot of space and his knees were almost touching mine. "Yeah, sorry," I said. "Zoned out."
"Talking to your wolf? I blank out when I do, too." he asked, breaking off a chunk of salami. He held it out to me as I nodded. "Do you want some?"
"N-no thanks," I said, looking down at my sandwich. Man, he really ate like a wolf! I bit into my sandwich, ignoring the clenching sensation in my stomach. We didn't speak as he ate his salami and I my sandwich. I popped some cheese puffs into my mouth, melting them with my tongue and prying them off the roof of my mouth--the way I always ate them.
"Do you have any siblings?" Theo inquired, starting on the bag of barbeque chips.
"Two," I replied. "My older brother is in college and my younger sister is a freshman."
His face lit up. "Maybe she knows my younger sister, Niccy. She's a freshman, too."
"I'll have to ask her," I said.
Theo looked at me again and my heart seized up, dashing away all of those thoughts. My skin tingled and my blood arced through my veins crazily. My wolf whined loudly and my mind raced back to the day when I'd heard another wolf in my mind. That had been crazy.
"So I'm guessing you like to read, but what else do you like to do?" he asked.
I remembered the day in the cafeteria when I'd threatened him to give me back my book and I looked down, bashful. "I . . . I like doing mind puzzles like Sudoku and crosswords. And I really like animals, so I'm around them a lot."
"Cool," he noted, popping some chunks of watermelon in his mouth. "Personally," he said around the food, "I like sleeping. But when I have to be awake, I like hockey, track, and camping."
Hockey. I never would've seen that one, I thought. "That sounds neat," I replied politely.
Theo looked at the blanket. "This is actually my favorite hockey team--the Minnesota Golden Gophers. I went to one of their games when I was younger and I was hooked." His eyes glittered like he was revisiting an old memory and then he looked back at me. "Do you have any favorite sports team?"
"No," I said hesitantly. "I never . . . really got into sports all that much."
"Oh," he said, finishing off the watermelon. I found myself staring and I looked away with a red face. I grabbed the pomegranate, but then saw there was no knife. I smoothly tried to act like I was getting the orange slices and when I sat back down, I could distinctly hear voices in the background.
"--No! Higher!--"
"--Jonathon, it's MY turn!--"
"--What happened to Sasha?"
"--I thought Theo was with her--"
"--Can't catch me!--"
My heart squeezed. Were Sasha and Theo exes? Or were those two totally different conversations? I hoped so. As much as I hated to admit, I despised the idea of Theo with any other girl. Though I couldn't stake a claim on him anyways, because in three months I'd be gone.
"You haven't met Niccy yet, have you?"
My eyes snapped back to his electric green ones. "Who?"
"My younger sister."
"Oh. No," I said, popping an orange slice into my mouth. My hands were trembling. I had to get away. I couldn't stay here any longer! My phone was my saving grace because just as I thought that, it buzzed in my back pocket. I looked at it.
Come get me. I'm stuck at my karate studio.
I replied, I thought karate was on Thursdays.
It's also on Sundays and Tuesdays. Come get meeeeee.
I looked up at Theo. "Speaking of younger sisters, I have to um . . . go get mine. She's at karate and . . . her--her class just got over."
I must've seen his heart fall in his eyes because I felt wretched. I felt like I'd taken a Taser to his dreams of us and I'd taken a sword and slashed through his heart.
"Oh," he said. He glanced down at the food. "Alright. You can take the pomegranate and a slice of pie if you want."
I leaned forward to the food as he did and my heart tha-thumped in my ribs, loud enough for him to hear as we got tangled in the web of our gazes. I snatched the pomegranate and leaned back, rolling on my heels. I stood up and he followed in suit. I felt intimidated by his stature and I swallowed hard before looking up into his face. I felt like I was betraying him.
"Thanks for the picnic," I said and I was grateful I didn't stutter. "It was really nice."
He gazed down at me and his face broke out into a smile. I noticed his eyes were shielded and my ribs felt I had a dagger stuck between them. "You're welcome," he said. "Thanks for coming. Maybe we can do this again sometime."
How about no. "M-maybe," I replied, weighing the pomegranate in my hand. After a moment, I looked back up at Theo and his neon eyes. "See you later, Theo."
"Bye, Sigrid," he said softly, and I turned towards my car, my heart nearly leaping from my chest. My wolf was barking at me angrily. My hands were trembling as I held my favorite fruit and when I reached my car, I turned back to look at him. He was looking at me over the top of the picnic basket while he packed everything away.
I hated this cavity in my chest when I left him. This was why I didn't affiliate with others! I didn't want to get attached so I would cry at night like I did for Jason. That had been hard enough. But with my heart palpitating every time I thought about Theo, it would be harder this time.
Why did I have to meet my mate?
......................
Theo
I had never felt like I screwed up something to the point that it ruined my life. Egging the sheriff's house accidentally, breaking Tobias's collarbone, daring Kyler to Tase me until I couldn't take it to prove I was manly, jumping off Raylor's roof to her trampoline and breaking my arm, flipping over a hammock when Tobias and Raylor were making out on it, painting the wrong color in Sasha's room in an attempt to surprise her--none of those made me feel like a dunce. Okay, breaking my arm did, but I was thirteen!
But the repercussions of my date of with Sigrid were eating at me. Something had been so wrong in the air between us. Though I'd loved being around her. It was exhilarating and my wolf couldn't get enough of it. I found everything about her wonderful--from her shyness to her tinkling laugh.
Although I could've smashed her phone when her sister texted her. I wanted to spend time with my mate! And if she didn't know what mates were, I'd make sure she knew.
I entered Merriweather High on Monday sulking. Kyler was beside me and he hadn't asked me about my mood yet. When I saw Sasha at the pack table in the commons, I ducked a left, but when I realized she was in the juniors' lockers, I dashed into the perpendicular hallway. My heart was racing and I leaned against a wall to get a grip.
Theo, man, where are you?
I groaned internally at Tobias's voice. In my homeroom.
Then you must've pulled a magic trick out of thin air because I don't see you.
I swore under my breath. I'm . . .
Lying?
I groaned again. Just . . . I need to think.
Bad date?
No! I'll meet up with you later. I ran my hands through my hair and ignored a passerby. Tobias didn't say anything more and I soaked in the pleasant quietness.
What had I done? Had it been the plethora of food? The fact I ate too fast? Had I chewed with my mouth open? Niccy hated when I did that. God. I couldn't screw this up! She was my mate for crying out loud!
She should naturally be attracted to us, my wolf pointed out.
I don't think she is, I countered bitterly.
Suddenly I heard a high pitch shriek in my head and I groaned, my hands leaping up to my ears. TOBIAS! Raylor screeched.
God, Raylor, tone it down!
Sorry, Theo! Didn't mean for you to hear that.
I think everyone in Peru heard it.
Sorry. She slunk out of my mind--whilst probably unintentionally releasing our entire conversation to the pack. She was really bad about keeping conversations personal whenever she used the pack link.
I sighed and after another pitiful moment of peace, I heard Raylor again. I swore. She must be in the other room. Actually, it didn't matter. Shecould actually be in Peru and I'd hear her.
"I really don't care, Tobias. I don't want you scouting alone," I heard her say.
"I can take care of myself, Raylor." Tobias sounded stern, like he was attempting to use his influential Alpha power over her.
"I know you can, but if there's a werewolf strong enough to take down two werewolves simultaneously--leaving their child abandoned--you need backup. People you can trust. People close to you."
"You are not coming with me, Raylor," Tobias said, almost hissing.
"I'm not staying back home like a helpless fool," she seethed back.
Lover's quarrel, I commented, trying not to snicker.
"Someone needs to take care of Grace. And my mom isn't there a lot. She's--"
"--Scouting. With your dad," Raylor pointed out. "If the present Luna can do it--"
"--Then you can wait," Tobias interjected. "The job's covered right now."
Raylor swore colorfully and I heard a clap like a textbook hitting the floor. "So I'm supposed to stay home? That's it? You don't trust me to take care of myself?"
"Of course I do. Why don't you hang out with Sigrid? She could use some company."
Raylor sputtered for a moment before exclaiming, "Tobias, not trusting her is your problem! Yes, she's new and yes, she's never been in a pack and no, I don't know why, but I respect her privacy! Do you really think she'd befriend us if she intended to hurt us?"
"YES, Raylor! You have to think of this from my perspective. I'm the up-and-coming Alpha. If I don't prove myself to my father, he might not see me fit! And I don't trust new, secretive rogues!"
"Good God, Tobias, I don't want to babysit her! Not trusting her is your problem and you need to do something about it, instead of scouting!"
"I'm the next Alpha, Raylor!" Tobias burst. "What am I supposed to do? Neglect my duties just because of some stupid rogue?"
"Two stupid rogues!"
"One shortly destroying a pack soon after the other moved in, Ray. Don't you think that maybe they're connected?"
"But Sigrid said her dad's in the Air Force and she even warned Theo she was harmless," Raylor fought, her tone a little softer.
"Do you fully trust her, then?" Tobias asked.
"Tobias, I'm not stupid."
"Never said you were. Which is why you shouldn't go scouting and investigate," he pushed. "It's not safe, Ray, with the loose rogue and the Knight Pack being murdered--
My brow furrowed. Apparently I was out of the loop now. My teeth ground together. Murders on a nearby territory were important to know, thank you very much, Tobias. This time I listened with greater interest.
"We're sending someone over to see what's happening. They're coming back tomorrow and--"
"Then wait 'til tomorrow, Tobias," Raylor pressed. "In the meantime, find out what's going on with Sigrid."
What if it was just a bad date? I thought sourly.
"Why don't you? You're closer to her," Tobias suggested.
I heard Raylor huff in indignation. "I'll work on it if you promise not to go scouting."
"Promise," he said. I could practically hear his fingers crossed behind his back, nullifying his vow.
I hurried off to my classroom, trying to make it seem like I hadn't been eavesdropping. The fact that Knight wolves were dropping like flies didn't bother me as much as the idea that Sigrid would be hiding something. And as much as I hated to admit it, if was something to do with her hunter smell, I might go berserk.
Throughout the day and especially in third period, I itched to go near her and demand to know what she was concealing. But the potential embarrassment from Sunday kept me hiding under a rock. Tobias questioned it once more, but I stalked off, telling him to do some rather inappropriate things. Raylor chewed me out for that one.
I hated watching her walk in the halls, walk to her classrooms, her locker, her car, and not know what battles she would be facing. It was my job as a mate to support her. But somehow, the cosmos must've cursed me because not only did I get a secretive mate, I got the most stubborn one.
.............................
Sigrid
I was sort of surprised when he didn't approach me in school. It had been a week and he hadn't come closer than necessary.But Raylor and Tobias couldn't stop talking to me. I kept getting invited to go to people's houses and hang out and have sleepovers, and with a heavy heart I declined them all, hopefully shaking them off my trail. I was scared though--if Theo had smelled hunter on me, what kept Tobias and Raylor from smelling Uncle Zion on me?
So that Monday, I steeled all my nerves and hardened my heart, refusing to look anyone in the eyes. I ate lunch in the commons, clipped my answers in French whilst talking to Raylor, and was more than happy when Theo avoided me as much as I him.
Tuesday was no better and the rest of the week followed in suit. I tried visiting Grace two times, but she was always out with someone--either at a potential kindergarten or day care or perhaps a zoo for all I knew. It frustrated me and I always ended up going for a killer run afterwards. I wanted to see the girl I helped rescue! Was that so much to ask?
I volunteered at the shelter and I got another call about wolves. Trying to seem merely questionable, I asked Chandra if there was a plethora of wolves in the area. She smiled at me sweetly with her black eyes and said, "Sometimes they come in from the surrounding areas."
A week passed and Monday approached as usual. Cassidy and I, after school, decided to hang out in her blue bedroom. Most of her belongings were shoved against the wall to make room for ample room to practice karate moves.
She stood in her 'point of origin' and straightened her gi. "So this first move is called 'Begging Hands'. Usually it's done--you know, to protect oneself, but I don't want to hurt you, so just--imagine a person in front of me." She flattened her hair against her head.
"Okay," I said, hugging my knees to my chest.
She put her hands out and twisted them upward before brutally kicking upwards and shoving her 'person' backwards, stepping back fancifully.
"Neat," I commented.
Cassidy rolled her blue eyes. "It's cooler with a person to beat up. This next move is called 'Crossing Twigs.'" She did some quick arm thrusting and footwork and though it made no sense to me, it looked interesting. For the 'Snaking Talon', she spun around and kicked upwards, backwards, three times. She beamed when she saw my face.
For the next twenty minutes, she continued to show me moves that just reiterated why I never fought with her. When she was glistening with perspiration and proud smiles, she walked over to her fish tank.
"You know, there's this thing called aquarium therapy and it's where if you watch fish, your levels of stress and anxiety go down."
"Is that why you haven't freaked about being a freshman yet?"
"Nah. I know we'll be gone soon, so I have nothing to stress about." She shrugged and flopped down on her bed. I watched her forlornly.
"Made any friends?"
"Yeah. There's this girl named Perry and she's such a friggin' math whiz it's unbelieveable. And she has a boyfriend named Mitchell and he has this really cute friend named Brett." She wiggled her eyebrows at me and I giggled.
"Oh yeah? Tell me all about him."
"He's got blue eyes and tan skin and Sigrid, he looks like belongs at the beach. But he has Justin Bieber hair." She made a face. "He'd look better with spiky hair. Or even a buzz cut."
I laughed. The Bieber hairstyle was incredibly out of fashion now that he himself had gotten a haircut. "Is he smart?"
"Yeah, average I guess. And he's super strong, too. I think he plays freshmen football, but he's easily going to be varsity," he gushed.
Sounds like one of us, my wolf chimed in.
Probably, I agreed. Strong, handsome . . .
We also know someone like that.
My cheeks burned.
"So what's new in the junior world? I'm still upset you didn't go to homecoming. It was awesome."
I shrugged, shaking off the memory. "Eh . . . I just--I knew you'd wanna chill with your friends without your awkward sister butting in and I didn't have any to go with. And come on, the loser on the wall? I have a rep to maintain," I said playfully.
She shoved my shoulder, grinning. "What rep? The one where you stink?"
"If anything, you do, Farty McFartPants."
"You can't use my own insult against me!" she crowed, blue eyes wide behind her glasses. "I put thought and effort into that!"
"Oh, sure."
She grinned slyly before launching herself on me and attacking my tickle spots. I shrieked as I desperately tried to shove her off, and we rolled to the floor.
"St . . .stop!" I cried, laughing.
"Nevah!!!" she bellowed.
I looked her in the eye, gasping for breath as I squirmed away from her. "It's on, Farty." I hauled myself up against her strength and my own fingers landed on her sides and a screech emitted from her mouth.
"SIGRIIIIDD!"
"Mwahahahahaha!" I pinned her down by sitting on her stomach and continued tickling her sides and her armpits--her very secret tickle spot.
"Sig--oh my go-hosh--STOP--"
I took pity on her and rolled off, a safe distance away. She glared at me. I simply shrugged. "I'd say we're even."
"Buttface."
"Farty."
She rolled her eyes and gathered her wits about herself. She sighed deeply, sitting up. "Can we go downtown? Mom said I could get another fish."
"Sure," I replied, getting to my feet.
We were soon pulling into Pet Smart, and even sooner walking in. Cassidy headed straight to a blue corner of the shop, with a quick "hello" to the cashier. We were in a dark blue cubicle, three walls lined with dozens of fish tanks. With her notes of her tank temperature and what fish could live with her neon tetras, she began perusing the walls.
I started looking at the snakes and frogs, making my way calmly and slowly, watching the betta fish, the multitude of different goldfish, black and silver mollies, angelfish, guppies, and so many more fish I couldn't keep track.
When Cassidy came over with her baggie of two colorful guppies, I took a look at her gleeful face and realized that I'd do anything for my sister. I might even kill a man. Because of moving all the time, she was the closest friend I had. And I was going to look out for her and protect her, no matter what it took.
............