Luke’s POV
I stand at my locker before the 1st bell scanning through students in the hallway, I’m pretty sure, looking like the world’s biggest creeper. When I don’t see who I’m looking for, I slam my locker closed in frustration.
“Whoa there, ace!” Chase comes up behind and swings an arm around my neck. “You’re going to open up those stitches.”
I push him away, shaking my head. “Give me a break, man. The wolfsbane is almost completely out of my system now. I’ll be alright,” I say, massaging my sore shoulder and wincing at the offending wound with the stitches.
A werewolf’s healing capabilities far surpass any human’s, which is a plus but at the same time not so much. It’s a plus because any gaping wounds, scrapes, or bruises we get heal within a couple hours, if not seconds. It’s not all that great though because if we sustain any broken bones, if not set properly, heal wrongly. When Zayne brought me in, Aunt Cyrstel shot my up with 10mg of wolfsbane to stop my healing; any more than 10 and it would have killed me since wolfsbane is a poison to our systems.
Thanks to that stuff, I’ve been as weak as a human for the past week and a half; all my senses have been dulled to whopping 10%, I’m slower than an asthmatic kid during pollen season, and I haven’t been able to shift at all. I’m antsy, irritable, and the only person that can keep me from going full on crazy is nowhere to be found. Ever since Chase walked in on us at the hospital, I haven’t seen or heard from Zayne since.
I look over Chase’s shoulder and spot Clinton walking down the hall. “I got to go,” I say offhandedly to Chase.
Before I can head down the hall Chase grabs my arm and I snap my attention, and irritation, at him now. “What?”
“Come on, man, let him go. Is he really worth all your effort?” he asks, looking concerned. There’s no need in asking him who’s he talking about because I already know. I’ve been hearing this same speech since last week. “I know you’re frantic to find him, but what if he doesn’t want to be found? You know what they’re saying about him--”
I jerk my arm away and slam Chase against the lockers, growling close to his face. “Who? Who is saying what about him?”
Chase pales and struggles to talk. “He’s no good, man! Everybody knows about his --tendencies. He doesn’t care who or what it is; male, female, vampire, human. Hell, he’ll fuck a tree if the need arises. As long as he has someone to pass the time with, he’s peachy. He’s just a goddamn whore--”
I punch the locker inches from his face leaving a huge dent in the metal and glare down at him. “Don’t you EVER talk about him like that again! If I hear you say another bad thing about him, I swear to the goddess, I’ll punch you the fuck out!” I whisper menacingly. My Alpha powers are subdued right now so it was more of a suggestion than an order, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t follow through on my threat.
Anger flashes over his face but he keeps his mouth shut. Happy that my message was received, I let go of his collar and watch him catch his balance before striding over to Clinton. Our little pow-wow has drawn the attention of most of the student body but I couldn’t care less right now. I was itching for a scratch and if I pounded some guys face in, I expected my mate to take full responsibility,even if that meant hurting my best friend.
I make it five steps when I hear Chase yell, “Damn it Luke, he’s a guy! A fucking DUDE, man! Not to mention a bloodsucker. What’s wrong with you! That’s so ga--”
He doesn’t finish his sentence before I punch him as hard as I can in the face, breaking his nose and, I believe, his jaw. He goes down like a ton of bricks and I hear gasps all over the room, but I just stand over him staring down at the guy that used to be my best friend.
“I warned you. You should’ve listened.”
That’s all I say to Chase’s unconscious body before turning around, motioning for the members of my pack to deal with cleaning him up and getting him to the infirmary. I make my way over to Clinton and signal with my head for him to follow me outside. I wait for five minutes near the front entrance of the school, before he comes out followed by a babydoll-looking girl named Tammy and a neon green mohawk guy I think is named Randy.
They walk up to me but keep their distance, looking wary. I don’t blame them though. I’m not really in control of myself at the moment and I think I’m getting worse. My inner wolf is pacing back and forth, shaking the chains binding it restlessly. I look at my reflection in the glass doors and see that my eyes are glowing gold. I shrug, not able to do anything about it, and focus on my audience.
“Where’s Zayne?” I ask, getting straight to the point.
Randy squints his eyes suspiciously. “Why do you care?” he asks, defensively.
“Why wouldn’t I” I counter.
“You going to slam us against the lockers if you don’t like our answers?” Tammy folds her arms, feigning bravado but even I, in my weaken state, can see the nervous tick in her eyebrow and the sweat dripping from her forehead that has nothing to do with the heat outside.
I tilt my head, smirking evilly. “I’m in a sour mood, as you can tell, so I wouldn’t make a habit of pissing me off right now.” I stand and they all take one step back except for Clinton. He stares me in the eyes much longer than members in my own pack can without blinking.
After a while he smirks contentedly, I guess seeing something that satisfies him in my expression. “He’s at home. He’s been holed up in there refusing to see anyone, even his own family,” he shrugs, not really concerned. He goes on to explain, “He sometimes gets this way when something bad happens. We usually just leave him be and he’ll come back to society on his own.”
I nod and walk to my car without another word.
“You’re welcome!” Randy yells sarcastically. “What a douche. Seriously. No thank you?”
“I don’t know. I think he’s hot,” I hear Tammy say, lustfully. “Especially with that evil glint in his eyes. I love a man that has a dark side.” I can feel eyes sear holes into my ass. I shiver involuntarily as I jump into my mustang and rev the engine, putting it gear.
“Unfortunately for you, Tam, I think he’s taken,” Clinton replies with a smile in his voice, leading the way back through the school doors.
She sighs dramatically. “Aren’t they all,” she replies wistfully, brushing her gorgeous ringlets behind her left shoulder before skipping away with the boys following close behind.
I peel out of the parking lot and cruise down the old road I was used to taking up until middle school, when we built the new pack house across town. After turning right at the old mill, the road evens out into a newly paved concrete road. I increase my speed and soon the narrow road widens into a clearing, revealing my old pack house...or at least what used to be my old pack house.
Obviously, vampires are masters of home restorations. The last I saw of the old place, it looked like it was in serious need of a paint job, a new roof, a lot of structural damage repairs and full on pipe replacements. Now the foundation was repaired, which fixed the whole Leaning-Tower-of-Pisa thing, and the new coat of paint really brought the house together. Now it looked like something from a House & Home magazine, instead of a Halloween-special. There is even a giant marble fountain statue of the Moon Goddess riding a chariot in the middle of the circular driveway that leads up to the front-door staircase and back the way I just drove up.
I park my car and run up the stairs, knowing the person I really want to see right now is just behind these doors. It takes all my remaining control not to just open the door and walk right in or ring the doorbell more than twice. As I wait for someone to come to come to the door, I see a few clan members milling around and wave politely. If they’re wondering why I’m there when I should be at school, they don’t saying anything; they just smile and wave in return.
The door opens slightly and an adorable little girl, that looks to be the same age as Redding, peeks out. She has a cute button nose and big beautiful pale blue eyes that I’ve fallen in love with. I kneel down to her level and smile warmly, “Hello, beautiful. My name is Luke. What’s yours?”
She hides a little more behind the door and looks at me shyly. “Marie.”
“Ah, Marie. That’s a pretty name for a pretty girl,” I tell her.
She blushes and smiles a little. “Thank you.”
“Marie, do you happen to know where your brother is?” I ask.
She looks down puzzled for a few seconds before looking up at me confused. “Which one?”
Now I’m confused. “How many brothers do you have?”
“I have three!” she says, holding up three little fingers. “One of my big brother’s name is Freddie, and another big brother’s name is Frankie, and my biggest brother’s name is Zayne,” she tells me, ticking them off on her fingers as she told me their names.
How had I not known Zayne had other siblings? The guy is my mate and I really don’t know too much of anything about him. The only reason I know he had a sister was because I remember he mentioned how much Redding reminded him of her, and even then I didn’t ask what was her name. It’s like we don’t even really know each other. At all. I shake my head, taking it one problem at a time, as I store the other brother’s names for future reference and return her smile.
“Well do you happen to know where your biggest brother Zayne is right now?”
“He’s upstairs in his room,” she tells me innocently.
“Great!” I say patting her head. “Hey, did you know I have a lot of cute siblings just like you do? Maybe you can meet them some time. Would you like that?”
She nods her really happily. “Yes. Let’s play! Play!”
I poke her cheek. “Not today because I need to talk with your brother, but very soon okay?” I hedge, hoping she lets me in.
She thinks about it for a few seconds before smiling widely and opening the door all the way. “Okay. But you promise?” she holds up her pinky finger looking suspicious and serious at the same.
So. Freaking. Cute.
I wrap my pinky finger around hers and then stamp it with my thumb. “Promise.”
She motions me to follow her, skipping up down the hallway and up the flight of stairs to the second floor where we stop in front of my old room. So Zayne stays in this room? What a coincidence.
I lean down and ask Marie, “Where is everyone?”
She looks up at the ceiling, thinking. “Daddy and mommy are on a business trip for a week. My other big brothers are at school, my biggest brother is in his room, and I’m right here.” she giggles happily.
“But who’s watching you?”
She smiles and points at the closed door in answer and I sigh. I stand up and pivot to knock but Marie grabs my pants leg. I look down and quirk an eyebrow in question.
“Are you going to get my biggest brother to come out of his room?” she whispers loudly, with her hand cupping her mouth. It’s so cute because she doesn’t quite get the whole point of whispering yet.
I copy the same motion and whisper back, “That’s the plan. Is there anywhere you can go while I talk to him for a while? I don’t want you to be out here all alone.”
She nods enthusiastically, “Yes. Miss Norbits is next door. I can go there.” she points out the window at the end of the hall towards a cluster of houses.
“Good. I’ll watch from this window here until you get there, okay?”
She nods enthusiastically. She must have been dying of boredom in this house, practically all by herself since Zayne decided to be a recluse for almost two weeks. I hope she has some friends to play with. I watch her knock on the door and wave up at me through the window while the woman beside her, once she realized it was me, bows her head. I open the window and wave to Marie in return and nod my head in acknowledgment of the other woman. The woman smiles sweetly and then scoots Marie inside the house.
I close the window and walk back to Zayne’s room and place my hand on the door, imagining I can feel his body heat through it. How badly I want to touch him right now, but I guess that’ll have to wait.
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Hello Dearies,
Sorry for the weird unfinished type ending to this chapter. It was originally supposed to be longer but I’m trying to limit the chapters to 3-4 pages, so look forward to the continuation in Chapter 11.
Cheers,
idreamfujoshi
P.S.
not edited