Chapter Four
©Bethany Shay Porteous 2016
Unedited**
"We were just discussing Geoff's plans now that he's back home in Oregon," mom said over her glass of juice. I personally didn't care what his plans were; I was just doing my best to avoid eye contact with the guy.
"He looks better," my wolf murmured. "He grew into himself."
"Get a grip," I scoffed at her.
"Your mom was saying that you have Summer school this year," Geoff said across the table. I shot an annoyed look at my mother before setting down my cutlery.
"Apparently Math is important," I muttered sourly.
"Most of the time," Geoff chuckled and I did my best not to notice the way his dimples stood out when he smiled. "I'm running the Summer school sessions this year."
"What?" I blurted out. "Haven't you only just got back? How did you manage that?"
"Alpha James sorted it out for me," Geoff said smoothly. "Three days a week we're stuck together."
Joy.
"Look at my boy," his mom gushed. "All grown up and teaching, I'm so proud of you Geoff. You were so discipline all through school and you worked so hard."
Geoff smiled at his mother and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Of course mothers would only see the good in their children but Geoff wasn't as perfect as she made out. There were many nights when I'd catch him scaling the side of his house and sneaking into his room at almost three in the morning.
"Man he looks good," my wolf sighed in my mind and I frowned at her. What the heck was her problem? She used to be on the hate bandwagon with me. "Can't you see how good he looks?"
"I'm doing my very best not to gawk!" I hissed.
"So what are you up to the summer besides extra school?" Geoff asked me.
"I don't know," I shrugged. "I'm planning Josh's birthday with Grace. And then mine isn't too long after that so I guess I'll be occupied until then."
No one at the table said anything and I looked around at them, noting glances being swapped and a frown settled on my face. Why was everyone acting so weird for?
"Do they still do parties at the Falls?" Geoff asked.
"Ha! Yes," I said enthusiastically. "There's a few on this summer, it's just getting irritating because more of the humans have been coming along."
"I can't go to them anymore," Geoff realized.
"Yep," my father chortled. "You'll be public enemy number one, a teacher at the Falls party? Your fun days are over my friend."
Suck it, I thought.
"He would look really great in a board shorts," my wolf giggled.
Ignoring my wolf I took a long sip of water, not enjoying the tense atmosphere at the table. Why were they all being so stiff for? I wasn't going to hang around for this awkward lunch party much longer, the whole thing was beginning to make me feel agitated and I couldn't handle the way my wolf kept mooning over Geoff the way she was. Scraping my chair back I stood up, setting my napkin down on my plate.
"Well thanks for lunch," I said to mom. "I'm going for a run."
"Oh!" Mom said enthusiastically. "Why don't you go with Geoff – he was just saying how he wanted to run through the territory."
I held back the urge to screw up my nose as I looked over at Geoff who was staring at me, a sly smile on his face. Narrowing my eyes I pursed my lips. What was up with him?
"If you're coming, keep up," I told him. "I know how slow everyone is when they get back from college. All that partying."
"I didn't party," Geoff winked as he stood up. "At least, not as much as everyone else."
Everyone laughed around the table and I raised my eyebrows, sighing heavily and heading off the back porch, ignoring the sound of Geoff's feet behind me as he ran to catch up. Stopping at the tree line I could hear murmuring on the porch and I shut my eyes, taking a breath and stretching out my senses.
"...She'll be fine," came my mother's voice. "Maybe a little shocked at first..."
"I just don't know how she's going to handle it-"
"Are we running or taking in nature?" Geoff's voice cut off my eavesdropping and I faced him, regarding him wearily. "Come on Lulu," he sighed. "Can we just let the past hang in the past? I know you don't really like me, but you did some crazy shit to me as well."
"It was all provoked!" I told him haughtily. "You started it."
"Oh Goddess," he groaned.
Without another word he hurled himself into the thick forest, shifting into his wolf form. I heard his feet running away and I grit my teeth, allowing my wolf to come forward and take over. The moment she was in control she made us run after him, following the sounds of his paws on the earth, feeling the vibrations in every direction he ran.
Why was he suddenly so frustrated?
He did start it all!
"I'd say he really doesn't care anymore," my wolf told me as she run through a shallow creek. "The man is in his twenties now Lucy, I really don't think he cares about yours and his petty behavior throughout his youth. Just saying."
"Well I do," I told her. "He was mean."
"So were you," she snorted.
Shaking my head in irritation I ignored her and my wolf pushed on, her excitement growing at the feeling of catching up with Geoff. He seemed to be slowing down because the vibrations through the earth were becoming slower and slower until they just stopped.
Breaking through a line of trees, my wolf skidded to a stop lest we smash right into Geoff. His gray wolf stood on the edge of a cliff face, looking down at our small town. You could see everything up here, except the compound seeing as it was behind us. But I could see the High School and the big old church. I could make out people walking through the streets and cars driving.
"It's cool isn't it?" Geoff's voice floated through my mind and I jolted. "Being able to see so much, it's pretty awesome."
"Yeah," I muttered. "It is."
Geoff's wolf turned to face me and I watched as his eyes roamed over me, taking in my wolf form. I narrowed my eyes slightly, wondering what his next move was. Was he going to jump me? Maybe he was going to push me over the cliff.
"Can we start fresh Lucy?" He asked me suddenly. "Can we just move on and start new? Because I don't think either of us are the same people we were those years ago. I think we both deserve the chance to be the people we are now."
My wolf and I took a breath and I mulled over his words. Start fresh? It would be nice, and then maybe I wouldn't have to be so paranoid around him. Was he just trying to lure me into a false sense of comfort so I would be easier to prank? My wolf swished her tail nervously before I finally settled on a decision.
"Fine," I told him. "We can start fresh, but one sign of funny business and that's it. No more fresh starts."
"Alright," he said "Same goes for you though."
"I won't do anything to you if you don't do anything to me," I warned him.
Geoff laughed inside my head and I could picture his human shaking his head at me. "Always ready to attack, you are. It's funny."
"I'm ready for anything," I glowered.
-
"So you guys went for a run together?" Grace asked me with wide eyes. "What, did hell freeze over or something?"
"Or something," I muttered as I leafed through and endless amount of bathing suits. "I said to mom I was going for a run and Geoff was there, so naturally mom being mom, told me to take him with me. Anyway we went and then he asked me if we could just start fresh and forget the past and all this other crap-"
"Weird," Grace said. "Then again he's probably grown up a lot."
"That's what my wolf said."
"I'm usually always right," she said happily.
"I'm glad you said usually," I said snidely.
"Well, I guess it'll just be a case to see if he holds onto his grand words of being a grown up man and all that jazz. But I mean the first sign that he's messing with you again-"
"Oh don't worry," I laughed. "I'll get him back. Being older then I used to be gives me access to all kinds of crap. For instance, fire crackers."
"I don't even want to know," Grace sniggered.
"Okay I can't find anything!" I snapped as I threw my last bikini onto the huge pile.
"You have like, fifteen bathing suits!" Grace huffed and picked up a strappy green one. "This one is cute."
"Do you think the party tomorrow is going to be good?" I murmured, ignoring the green suit she held up. "I mean I know Josh is like a serious thirty year old in a soon to be eighteen year olds body, but I hope he actually enjoys it. For some reason I feel like he would have just been happy with a nice dinner or something."
"Oh no!" Grace raised her hands. "I am not letting old fuddy duddy Josh ruin his own eighteenth. This is the biggest day of his life! He could potentially meet his mate and it won't be at some boring dinner. He can rock out for one evening."
"Goddess, imagine being mated to him," I said. "I would die of boredom."
"Well whoever it is will probably be just as boring as him," Grace said as she scooped up my bathing suits and threw them back in my drawers. "The Moon Goddess matches you to people who like; get you or something so whoever the unlucky girl is will find herself being very lucky."
"Imagine being Kate's sister-in-law," I laughed. "I would reject Josh just for that."
"It would be ass," Grace agreed. "Part of me wishes Kate finds her mate outside of this pack. Oh yuck imagine if it was Aiden. I pray every night to the Moon Goddess it isn't. Imagine that little bitch being Luna? I'd neck myself-"
"Girls!" Mom popped her head around the doorway and Grace snapped her mouth shut. "I just wanted to see if you'd like to stay for dinner Grace?"
"O-oh, yes please," Grace murmured.
Mom would have caught our whole conversation and I didn't miss the warning look she gave me as she left the room. Trash talking the Beta family was a pretty low thing to do – even if you were doing it with an Alpha member. Still Kate deserved it, she wasn't a very nice person and she treated anyone who wasn't her like crap.
Grace stared at me with wide eyes and I shook my head, throwing myself down on me bed.
"Ooh, Geoff's in his room!" Grace hissed from the window. "He's taking off his shirt!"
"Grace!" I whispered in shock. "Get away from the window – if he sees you..."
"Wow, he got abs while he was away," Grace said appreciatively. "Dang."
I don't know what the hell possessed me to do it, but I found myself getting up and creeping to the window, poking my head besides Grace's.
Geoff was leafing through his draws looking for something to wear while I shamelessly roamed my eyes over his sculpted back. My brain kind of went fuzzy and I frowned at myself, standing up abruptly and moving away from the window. My wolf had begun pacing in my head and Grace looked at me funny.
"You okay?" She asked with a frown.
"O-oh yeah uh," I scrambled for a lie. "Head rush."
She looked ready to press me however mom called us down for dinner and I slumped my shoulders in relief. Grace left the room first and I bit my lip hesitantly before I tip toed back over to the window, peaking again.
He was gone.
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