Chapter Seven
Dallas
2 minutes.
I counted each second in my head as the time passed, her gaping at us, us gaping at her. No words were exchanged for 2 minutes.
2 minutes.
2 minutes until she exploded.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MY SON?!" Jen's screech rang throughout the room, penetrating my eardrums so deeply there was sure to be permanent damage. But Troye didn't even flinch. He expertly removed himself from me and quickly tugged his boxers on in less than three seconds before jumping out of the bed and rushing towards his still screaming mother.
"This is insane! This is rape! Troye, baby!"
"MOM! Mom, calm down! I'm fine," he told her, shaking her shoulders to get her to focus on him and not the 200-pound man in her son's bed.
"Troye, sweetie, you are not fine! He-he raped you! My poor-"
"He what?!! Ma, he didn't rape me! It was consensual! That was consensual! Dallas didn't harm me at all!" Troye screamed back at her, a deathly look in his eyes. His face had gone red from the power of his voice, matching the way I felt. How dare she insinuate that I was harming Troye, let alone raping him! A low growl emit from my throat at the thought, and I was about to stand up and give Jen a piece of my mind, but Troye whipped around and shot me a murderous glare that sat me right back down again.
Jen was temporarily silent after Troye's announcement, her eyes darting between the two of us, until they landed on me. Then she forced herself past Troye's body, her blonde hair whipping around her face, hands on her hips as she glared down at me.
"You," she growled, pointing a finger at me. "I gave you a home when your mother died. I gave you a brother, a whole new family to call your own. I put a roof over your head, I cook you three meals a day, I took you in as my own. You were a second child to me, Dallas. How dare you disrespect me and my family? You made a slut out of my son after all the things I have done for you. This is despicable."
Jen's voice was threateningly low, vibrating the inside of my body with every word she said. I watched as her hospital tag swayed back and forth as she yelled. The small hairs at the side of her head were now sticking to her face with sweat. Her loving and slightly wrinkled face was now displaying an emotion I had never seen in her-hatred.
Sure, Jen wasn't around a lot, I mean she was a nurse after all. But that didn't mean I didn't love her. All the things she said were true. She didn't have to take me in, she chose to. Even if she was married to my dad, I wasn't an obligation, just an idea. She was a kind-hearted woman who always laughed at my jokes, cooked a killer chicken parm, and loved her son. Which is why I can kinda see where she's coming from with the whole "You're despicable" thing after she caught me fucking him.
"Mom, this isn't Dallas' fault," I heard Troye say from behind her. But she ignored him, her fierce blue-eyed stare akin to Troye's still latched on to me.
I stared back at Jen as the muscles in her face twitched with anger, her mouth drawn into a thin line while she presumably decided my fate.
"I want you out of my house."
"What?! Mom, you can't do that!" Troye suddenly emerged from behind her, pulling on her arm and pleading with her like a five year old. "Mommy you can't, I promise we won't do it again, I promise I promise I promise."
But Jen wasn't listening. Her brutal state was still on me, scrutinizing every inch of my traitor body. Hate radiated off her thin frame in waves, but I couldn't blame her. I took away her little boys innocence; I'd be pretty pissed at me too.
"Okay," I told her, my voice quiet as I began to stand up, now clothed in my boxers and t-shirt. Right now it was just best if I listened to her and followed her orders. She was livid enough as it is.
"What?! No Dallas, sit back down!" I ignored Troye's pleas, and began to pull on my jeans and leather jacket as Jen's eyes followed my every move. "Dallas, no you can't, please baby, listen to me. We'll just call dad, he'll explain everything to her. You don't have to leave, Dal please," Troye whined, his fingers tugging at my arm. I didn't even glance his way. If I did, I would have seen his tears and the hurt in his eyes and that would have caused me to rip Jen's throat out for causing him pain. But Jen was just being a mother. She didn't know we were mates, she didn't even know her son was a werewolf. I couldn't take her life because she was just protecting her child.
"Troye, honey, this is best for everyone," Jen said, her voice now steady for her sons sake. But he wasn't having it.
"BETTER FOR EVERYONE?! How dare you? How dare you take Dallas away from me? You don't know anything about us mom, so stop acting like you do. And if maybe you were around once in a while, you would have known!"
"No, Troye, don't you dare. You know my job comes with consequences, that being one of them. I'm your mother and I know what is best for you. I know when you're making a mistake, and this is one of them," Jen spit back, her face turning a red similar to Troye's as they battled it out in front of me.
"YOU DONT GET IT! YOU JUST DONT GET IT!" the volume of Troye's voice had caused Jen to take a step away from him. He only sneered in response and began to pace back and forth, mumbling about our dad.
But dad couldn't fix this. Even though he knew we were mates, there was no way in hell he would tell Jen about the supernatural. He avoided it all costs. Troye and I couldn't even speak the word "pack" in the house without receiving a death threat. Dad claimed he wanted to keep his old life buried, away from his new one with Jen. But since Jen's own son was what he wanted to keep her away from so badly, I had a hard time believing it was going tot stay that way.
Finally Jen spoke, her words having the power to change both our lives.
"I'm going to book you the next flight back to California. This is what's best for us, Dallas. NO exceptions."
Troye cried out in outrage, but I barely even heard him. I'm going to book you the next flight to California was all that I heard. Over and over again. The sound around me began to fade, Troye's pleading wails now drowned out by that simple sentence echoing in my brain. I had to leave. I had to leave my mate.
"You can't... you can't do this! Just call Dad! He knows, please ma just call him! Please. Please. Please," the desperation in my baby's voice brought me back to reality. He was now on his knees, gripping his mother's hand and begging while she only stared straight ahead, not budging.
I knew what I had to do. So I stood up, bent down, and dragged my two suitcases out from underneath our bed.
"Wha-what? Dallas?" Troye's pained whisper nearly broke my heart in half, but I didn't look at him. I couldn't. So I began riffling through my dresser, randomly tossing everything I owned into the bags as Troye repeated my name over and over behind me, his voice breaking in anguish each time.
Once my final bag had been zipped, I threw my backpack over my shoulder and grabbed the first suitcase, heading towards the door.
"Stop, Dallas! We'll fix this! Don't, please Dal," he cried as I shouldered past him to get to the door. As his voice wavered on my nickname, I stopped in the doorway, every inch of my body aching and pleading with me to touch him, to reassure him, to love him and ease his pain. But I ignored it. If I didn't get out now, there was no chance his mom would ever let us be together. I needed to make this sacrifice so we could have a real future.
"Look at me. Look at me, Dallas Austin Chamberlain, or I swear to the Gods I will kill you with my own two hands."
His voice was surprisingly steady, but scarily low. So I did. I turned around and looked at him.
His hands were shaking furiously at his sides, his body radiating anger-but his eyes were telling a different story. They were glistening with unshed tears and burning with sadness. I could barely even look into them without wanting to sob.
"Don't you dare leave me. I love you, Dallas. I'm in love with you. Forever."
I felt my mouth drop open. My heart thumped rapidly. Instantly, the three words I needed to say rang inside my head. I love you, I love you, I love you.
I licked my lips with longing as I stared at his perfectly plump cherry red ones. All I wanted to do was breath into them, telling him how much he meant to me. How I would never leave him. But here I am.
Troye had been standing in front of me, his back to his mother whose glare was as strong as Medusa's. The warning look she gave me said "Back away slowly and no one gets hurt." I felt like even if I said one word, she would attack. So I didn't. I reached down, grabbed my suitcase and turned around without a word.
My feet led me down the staircase and out the front door to my truck. My mind was spinning of thoughts regarding the blue-eyed boy who was probably ready to punch me in the face. I took a deep breath and tossed my bag in the car, then turned and headed back for the house to get the second one.
But as soon as I reached my room, I wished I had just left the bag here. In front of me was the very definition of heartbroken. Troye was seated at the edge of the bed, one of my forgotten T-shirt's curled up in his fists as silent tears streamed down his cheeks. His body shook with pain and I couldn't do anything about it. But then I looked around. Troye was alone.
I took a cautious step towards him. Slowly, his head rose and his wet eyes were staring at me so intensely; a shiver ran through my body.
"Why didn't you say it back?" he whispered, his voice quivering.
I didn't take another step towards him; I took four. I scooped him up off the bed threw him around my waist, then pressed him up against the wall to our room so quickly it made my head spin.
"Troye Colton Smith," I began, my whispers sending a noticeable shudder down Troye's body. His eyes fluttered closed as I continued, "I am in undeniable love with you."
I didn't have time to finish my declaration of love because Troye was pulling my face into his, cementing my words with a dizzying kiss that ignited my entire body. His lips were like morphine and I just couldn't get enough.
But all too soon, the sound of his mother's nurses shoes on the wooden hallway floors had me pulling away, and slowly setting him back on the ground.
I sighed, and took his head in my hands, my thumbs brushing away his escaped tears.
"I love you, puppy. Always."
His eyes closed in response, but his hands found mine and he laced his fingers through them, drinking in the moment.
"Go," he whispered, eyes still closed. I nodded, even though he couldn't see me, before placing a lingering peck on his forehead and releasing him from my grasp just in time to grab my bag and head through the door just as Jen was passing by.
"Your father will pick you up from wherever and bring you to the airport tomorrow morning. I trust you have all your things," she said stiffly, avoiding eye contact. I shook my head yes, not knowing the right thing to say. With a parting look at my pup, I took off down the stairs and out the front door, three bags and a mateless wolf now packed up in my pickup.
~~
Caspian
"DUDE not the banana! I'm already in 6th place, give me a break!"
I bit back a laugh at Mason's comment regarding his standing in Mari Cart verses Sam, only on account of the fact that I was supposed to be rivals with him. This Tessa competition has taken a serious turn. After lunch, Mase ignored me for the rest of the day. I couldn't tell if it was some personal problem, like maybe he's on his man period again, or if he was just pissed that I was still after Tess. Either way it was immature and frankly annoying. So naturally I had to do the same thing to him.
"First agaaaiiiinnn! Suck it Yoshi, this man never loses!" Sam boasted, jumping up and slamming his controller on the floor in the process. I let out a hearty chuckle, but not because it was funny- Sam did this every time he won-but because I wanted Mason to see I was being a dick only for him.
And it worked, because Mason's eyes flickered to me as I lounged on the couch behind them, the first time he's let his stare wander to me all day. My eyes were still on Sam, but I could feel Mason looking at me, so I put on one of my signature small smirks, sending Mason's eyes right back to the TV.
Sam took Mason's attention as a cue to go for round three, so he began to set up the game once again. I went back to my phone, mindlessly scrolling through the tweets I have read about five times since I got here.
"Oooohhh, is someone texting a spunky redhead?" Sam questioned from in front of me. I licked my lips and turned to look at his wicked grin and wiggling eyebrows. Even though I was not texting Tessa-didn't even have her number-I returned the grin and even bit my lip for added effect. I don't know why I lied to him. It could have been the fact I didn't want to make myself seem like anymore of a loser, or it could have been to see Mason's reaction. Yanno, either one.
"AWWW Casp!!! I didn't think you would get that far! Good for you, bud!" He leaned over, clapping a hand on my shoulder in praise. I only chuckled and went back to my phone, but I did notice Mason's heart rate increase by three beats per minute.
"Dal?"
Sam's voice had my eyebrows furrowing. Dallas was here? I hadn't even heard the front door open! Craning my neck to see where Sam was looking, I didn't see Dallas, but merely a shell of him.
His broad shoulders were hunched so far over it looked like he had been punched in the gut. His eyes weren't sparkling a bright hazel; they were a wet gray color that I had never seen on him. His movements were breathtakingly slow as he walked up to an armchair and sat down silently.
"Dallas are you okay, mate?" I heard myself ask, still taking in his beat-up demeanor. But Dallas didn't respond. He just sat there, wordlessly for a few minutes. Until Sam got up.
Cautiously, Sam approached him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What is it, Alpha?"
Dallas shook his head, then opened his mouth to speak, his voice a hoarse whisper. "She caught us."
I could hear Mason's deep intake of breath from behind me, mirroring exactly how I felt. This was bad. This was very bad. Sam only rubbed his shoulder, trying not to dramatize anything.
"And then what happened?" he asked, his voice strangely calm considering the beat of his racing heart.
"She kicked me out," was Dallas' reply.
Sam took a breath, then clapped his hands together as if he had an idea. "Okay, then you'll just live in my guest room, Troye can sleep over whenever he wants. Problem solved."
Dallas just shook his head again. "No, I mean she kicked me out. Like kicked me out of the state. I'm on the next one-way flight back to California."
This time, all three of us drew in breaths so deep, it was hard to believe we weren't fish out of water. Dallas just stared down at the ground, his head in his hands.
"We can help," Sam began, but was soon cut off by a sharp "No" from Dallas.
"No," his head shot up, his eyes moving from Sam to Mase, to me. "I don't need help. I need my pup."
Sam bit his lip. Mason and I exchanged a worried stare, the first time we've shared eye contact all day. He even went as far as to mouth "what should we do" to me, to which I responded with a shrug. He looked away.
"Well, you're welcome to stay here for the night and figure out... whatever it is you need to. And don't hesitate to ask for help with Troye, no Alpha, or wolf for that matter, should be without a mate. Especially not you two," Sam said, his hand now returning to Dallas' shoulder.
Dallas began to nod, but he never finished it, because suddenly is body was wrecked with sobs. He began to cry and cry like I've never seen anyone cry before, and I've been in foster care.
Sam cursed, then reached over and helped Dallas up out of the living room and towards the stairs, all while he balled into Sam's neck. As soon as they were gone, my eyes found Mason.
"Shit."
"Yeah."
We looked at each other for a while, both our hearts beating with fear. Our Alpha was a wreck, our Luna was gone and one of them was about to leave the state for who knows how long. The uncertainty was burning a hole in my chest.
Silently, Mason got off the beanbag he was sitting on and slowly made his way towards me. Carefully, he sat down on the couch, our thighs and shoulders pressed together.
We stayed like that for a while.
"Caspy, what's going to happen?" Mason asked me, his voice a hesitant whisper.
I pulled my hand out of my lap and draped it around Mason's shoulder. He sighed, taking that as an invitation to bury his face in my neck. But I didn't mind.
"I don't know, Mase. I don't know."
He sniffed, then pulled himself away from me slightly so that he had a good view of my face. But for some reason I couldn't bring myself to look at him. I couldn't be too sure, but I had a suspicion it had to do with his tight grip on my thigh that caused my thoughts to turn to mush.
"Casp?" he asked. I guess that was my cue.
I didn't even move my neck; I just shifted my eyes so I could see him. The nerves in my body were foreign to me, this was Mason not some serial killer or a-dare I say it-a woman! Just look him in the goddamn eyes, Caspian!
I didn't have to convince myself any longer, because the words that came out of his mouth did that for me.
"I'm scared."
He whispered it, so much so that I thought I imagined it. Mason... scared? I shifted my body entirely so I could see him, so I could be close to him. The weird twirling in my stomach was replaced with a gut wrenching feeling to have him in my arms.
"Hey, Mase, I'm here. You don't need to be scared, I'll keep you safe," I gripped his shoulders tighter, pulling him further into my chest as he whispered a thank you. Then he pressed his hands against my chest, pushing me down on the couch as he crawled into my side so we were lying down face-to-face.
As we looked at each other, a small smile appeared on Mason's face before he reached up to my forehead, pushing a strand of hair away.
"Well this is a day of firsts," he whispered, the grin still there. I felt my brows furrow.
"Firsts?"
He nodded. "First time I've watched Dallas cry, first time you've texted a girl, and the first time I've seen your hair out of place."
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "First off, everyone cries. Second, not even close. Third, my hair is never out of place. Ever."
Mason laughed, a hearty laugh that vibrated through my body due to our proximity. Then he reached back over to my forehead and began to rub his hands through my hair.
My initial reaction, surprisingly, wasn't "what the hell does this peasant think he's doing to my beautiful quiff." It was "wow that feels pretty good."
And that scared the hell out of me.
So I reached up and grabbed his hands, shoving them back at his sides with a scowl.
"Never touch my hair," I demanded, giving him an intense glare to convey the seriousness of my request. Like hell would I ever feel like that again.
"Fine," Mason said in between giggles. Then he turned over, his ass pressing into my crotch, and grabbed my arm, slinging it around his waist. We were spooning. I was spooning with my best friend. This was weird. This was too weird. I could not do this.
Then why didn't I move away?
~~
Sam
I sighed and turned over, the 600-thread count sheets billowing around me with a burst of sweet-smelling air. It's been a month, but the cinnamon of Damien's cologne still lingered on everything. My sheets, my pillows, hell, even my clothes. I couldn't escape the damn demon. Not at home, not a school, not even in my own bed. It was pure torture.
I was about to get up and make myself a warm glass of milk on account of the fact that it was very early in the morning and my thoughts were still drifting to my history teacher, but a small knock on my balcony door caught my attention instead.
My ears perked up. I sat up on my elbows and tossed my duvet back, my legs swinging out to the edge of my bed. Another small knock sounded as my feet hit the wood flooring of my bedroom, a chill running up my spine. I cracked my back and shuffled towards the door, eager to see who the fuck needed me-on my balcony, no less-at 1 am.
I pulled back the silk curtain, and peeked my head through the glass door and mentally groaned. The devil himself was standing on my balcony, wearing his smug smirk and my favorite black worn courdoery jacket, with the collar popped, of course. I barely even registered the single red rose he held in his hand as I pulled opened the door, scowl on my face.
"What the fuck are you doing, knocking on my balcony at 1 in the morning? You do realize it's a school night?" I whisper-shouted, my stomach still churning as I realized the reality of the situation.
"Sammy-"
"You're not coming in," I stated point blank, my voice louder this time as my hands graced my hips with a sass I didn't realize I could summon at this hour.
"The knocking was just a formality Sammy. I'm coming in."
With just that as my warning, he expertly slide past me into the room, so quickly I could barely even acknowlege what was happening.
I sighed, knowing I couldn't win this battle.
"What do you want?" I asked in my most fed-up-ex-boyfriend-that-just-relapsed-with-said-ex-boyfriend voice.
Damien opened his mouth to speak as I rubbed my hands over my tired eyes, but just as I sat down on the edge of my bed, he closed it.
He took a step closer to me, his smirk falling off his perfectly chisled face. "Why is Dallas in your guest room? And why is he... crying?"
I let out an inward groan as I was reminded of the issue at hand. Dallas was booked on the 9 AM flight back to California and there was nothing we could do. We talked to his father, but he refused to tell Troye's mom about werewolves, therefore Dallas was still sentenced to exile.
"Troye's mom caught Dallas and Troye fucking and she doesn't know they're mates-let alone werewolves. She just thinks they're horny stepbrothers so she kicked Dallas out. And when I say out, I mean back to California."
Damien whistled in awe. "Holy crap, that's rough," he said, his hands running through his hair. I nodded, my head still in my hands, my eyes staring at the ground. After a few seconds, I felt my bed dip beside me and Damien's scent so close to me sent my head into a whirlwind.
"Hey, get some sleep," Damien said, his voice a gentle whisper. I peaked my head out from my grip to look at him. His hand was hovering over my shoulder, as if he was asking for permission to touch me. I sighed. This was so fucked up.
I so badly wanted to make some snide comment about how I would be sleeping if he hadn't barged into my room after ignoring me the whole day, but his hand fell on my shoulder and my body relaxed into his touch, all my thoughts of snarky remarks suddenly absent.
Damien kicked off his shoes and shrugged off his jacket as my eyes fluttered closed, my body suddenly feeling very sleepy. I guess Damien sensed it, because he pulled me into his chest and pulled the covers over both of us. I snuggled down into the comforter and Damien's chest, too tired to do much else.
"It'll be okay Sammy, I promise."
I mumbled something incoherent in response. He only chuckled lightly and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Go to sleep, baby."
~~
Mason
Casp and I had a code. One knock was "Shut the fuck up." Two knocks was "Come here."
That was about it, but still, we had a code.
We both lived in the pack house, our rooms right next door to each other, our beds up against the same wall-hence the knocking. Neither of us had family here, so we couldn't live in an actual home. Evans, our pack's old alpha, made new rooms for us here. Casp and I, we made a new family. The two of us looked out for each other here.
I pulled the blanket further up on my body, cursing the maid who always put the AC on full blast. I blew air out of my nose, staring at the fluorescent alarm clock light that read 1:14 AM. I wondered if Casp was awake.
I knocked on the wall. Once. Twice. Three times.
The buzz of my phone from my night stand told me he was.
Caspian Rutter:
wtf does three knocks mean?
I smiled. Good ole Caspy.
Mason Steele:
I want to snuggle.
My finger hovered over the send button for slightly longer than usual as Caspian's possible responses circled my head. But I shook them away, praying to the Gods after I hit send. His response came a second later.
Caspian Rutter:
Coming.
I couldn't help but grin like the Cheshire Cat as my stomach did a few flips. First I got him to spoon with me and now this? Today was the best day of my life!
The wooden door creaked open and Casp's shadow appeared in the doorway. I licked my lips. He was shirtless.
"Fuck," I heard him curse, his accent nothing short of sexy, especially when he was saying something profane.
Before I could ask what the hold up was, Casp was tumbling into my bed, pulling the comforter over him as he slid in next to me.
I inched closer to him, craving the heat his naked torso was giving off. I watched the outline of his form, his cheat rising and falling with short breaths. He laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling as a hand caressed the side of his head.
"Casp? You okay?"
His head turned slowly to look at me, which I took as an invitation to move closer to his body.
"I hit my head on your bloody door! These wankers seriously could have put more lighting in the fucking hallway!"
I felt a giggle bubble up from my chest. Caspian always sounded the most British when he was angry. It made me hot.
I reached up to where his hand was and slowly took it away so I could look at the damage.
"You'll heal." I stated simply.
He grumbled. "Well it still bloody hurts, that's for sure."
I giggled again. Jesus what was with Casp and his ability to bring out my inner seven year old girl?
I let my fingers run over the bump slowly, trying to make him feel a little better. His heart was still racing with anger.
After a minute or so, he pulled my hand away. "You wanted to snuggle?" he asked in a voice so innocent and small I had a hard time believing it came from Caspian himself.
But I only nodded, collapsing into him. I let my head fall into his chest, my legs tangle with his, and my arm grab a tight grip on his waist. Reluctantly, he followed suit, wrapping me up in a bear hug and letting out a deep sigh.
"Good night Mason," he breathed, his breath tickling my neck and the way he said my name causing my heart rate to pick up dramatically.
I nuzzled into him further. "Good night my Caspy."
~~
WOOOO who is pumped about this chapter because I know I am!!! Wait I forgot about Dallas, shoot that has gotta be fixed soon, doesn't it? Anyways, do your thing, tell me all about your crazy emotions and the fact you want to punch me (plz don't) ect. ect. LOVE YOU ALL!!!
XOXOX