Ember
Donna and her friends had struck out at me in a way I least expected: after Jett kicked them out they snuck into my mom's apartment, whisked her back to Nina's house, shot her in the foot and abandoned her there. A neighbor- who was a pack member- heard the gunshot and investigated. He found my mom bleeding out in the hallway of the empty house and hurried her over here.
Thus the reason for the screaming.
While Kane and Jett went searching for the culprits, Bluebell had tended to my mom's wound, wrapped it up in a cast and deemed her safe. Her foot would be as good as new if she rested in bed for a week and didn't walk on it.
I felt guilty about the whole situation, but it didn't make it easier to stomach the seething looks Mom sent my way while Bluebell was examining her and the scolding that began the moment Bluebell moved on to Tom. He'd been lying a few beds away from us waiting his turn, casting wary glances at me every other minute.
"Why did you lie about Kevin and get him killed?" my mom demanded, pulling the white blanket up to her chin angrily.
I grimaced, she wasn't keeping her voice down and I had no doubt Tom and Bluebell could hear. What if Tom thought I was another terrible person? What if he decided that he'd rather settle for the devil he knew and snuck back to his awful mate when we weren't looking?
I clenched my hands at the thought. "I didn't lie about Kevin, and I didn't even tell Kane myself. Darius did it for fun."
She narrowed her eyes as she studied me at the end of her bed. "Lies tend to pile up. Where were you this past month? Did you leave our alpha to fool around with another man?"
Tom was staring at me...with uncertainty?
Shit.
"Why do you always think the worst of me?" I demanded.
"Why are you getting angry at me when you're the reason I'm glued to this bed for a week?" she returned coldly. "You have a terrible personality, you should fix it."
"I already apologized," I said, stepping away from the bed.
"If you were a better person you wouldn't have to apologize all the time," she replied.
"Wow," Helen said, appearing at the doorway with a hand on a hip. "So the reason you always let us walk over you in school is because your mom basically groomed you for being stepped on by other people."
I gave her a confused look. Was she dissing me? Was she dissing my mom? Was she dissing us both? Only Helen could manage to stick up for me and insult me at the same time.
"I'm not walking over her," my mom protested. "My words may sound unpleasant, but I'm guiding her because I'm her mother and I love her."
Helen curled her red lip. "If someone tried to give me that kind of love I'd claw their eyes out." She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder and walked out, ignoring the gasp from my mom.
Giggling.
I jerked my head to the side. Tom and Bluebell were both clearing their throats very dramatically, eyes everywhere but in the scowling direction of my mom. My mouth twitched as I tried to hold back my own laughter, thankfully I was better at controlling my expressions. "I'll be back to check on you, if you need anything call me on my phone," I told my mom and hurried out of the infirmary.
I found Helen in the living room, high heels kicked up on the table like she was in her own house. She might as well have been, the alpha's house was technically everyone's house too. If I wanted my privacy back soon I'd better find a new job quickly.
"What was that back there?" I asked Helen, deciding it was better to get to the bottom of the mystery right away. "Why are you being sort of nice to me?"
Helen started applying red nail polish on her fingernails like she didn't have a care in the world. "That was for letting Tom stay here- but it isn't going to become a habit so you should hurry up and grow a spine."
She was glad I let Tom stay? I stared more closely at her, replaying her strange behavior since Tom showed up. I remembered May's talk about compatibility, about how there could be more than one option when it came to mates. Don't tell me Helen was...
"Don't ask me whatever it is you're about to ask or I'll make your life a living hell," Helen warned.
"Is it the truth then?" I asked.
"Worry about your own love life."
"Why do I keep getting told that?" I grumbled.
"Because, dear Ember, Kane is bossy and thinks he's always right and you can't stand up for yourself if your life depended on it, he'll try turning you into his obedient little pet and you'll probably end up leaving him." She blew at her fingers. "You can't handle him."
I was regretting starting a conversation with her, which I guess was her intention from the start. I started to leave, but paused to throw over my shoulder, "Tom already suffered at the hands of a horrible mate. I doubt he'll be willing to jump straight into the arms of another horrible one."
I heard the bottle of nail polish shatter as I hummed my way upstairs.
***
Donna, Nina and Sue were gone without a trace. Kane and Jett came back an hour later with no information on their whereabouts despite combing the streets for any trace of their scent and questioning all their friends and family. They hadn't told anyone where they were going apparently. They were gone.
Whether that was a good thing or not was what we weren't certain of yet.
But there was nothing we could do about it at the moment so Jett suggested we all get some rest. It was past three in the morning by then and I was so tired I fell asleep right away- only to be woken up several times in the night because of my mom.
"Ember, get me a cup of warm milk."
"I didn't mean milk in this cup, I don't like this cup. Change it for me."
"Ember, why did you take so long to get down here? Get me some more blankets, quick. I'm cold."
"Fix the blankets, Ember, you didn't place them right. They're so messy it's embarrassing."
"Do you think you could try and get along with others so I don't get shot again?"
"Ember, I want some juice."
"Right, I was thinking you should move back in with me. I need someone to take care of me and you never should have left in the first place...where are you going? I'm talking to you!"
I gave up on getting any sleep after six, taking a shower and brushing my teeth in the bathroom attached to my bedroom instead. I threw on a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, made my way downstairs while hoping I didn't wake anyone up with my zombie shuffling. Sleep was pounding at the inside of my skull, demanding I give in to it but I knew it was too late for that now. Even if my mom didn't call me again, there were things that needed to be done. Better to get them over with.
I was walking down the dark hallway towards the kitchen when a silhouette approached from the darkness, scaring the sleep right out of me. I squeaked, held my fists up-
"Don't punch the person who made you breakfast," Jett said, patting my head as he passed by me.
I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. "I wasn't going to punch you."
"I smelled that lie."
I huffed, went in search of the breakfast he was talking about.
There were a bunch of covered dishes that smelled delicious, but I lost interest in them as quickly as I'd spotted them because I spotted someone else as well. Kane was in the kitchen. I hesitated at the doorway, taking a moment to get used to the unfamiliarity of the scene before me. Kane was at the counter, pouring maple syrup on a huge stack of pancakes, his face pale and weary but enticing all the same. Although he was freshly dressed in a dark green sweatshirt and blue jeans, he was barefoot.
It was weird seeing him this way. I was still trying to grasp the fact that I was here, living in his house. Was still staring at him when he looked up.
"This is for you," he said.
My heart stuttered, I cleared my throat, walked over and took the plate he was holding out. The food was too much, but I didn't bother pointing that out. "Thanks."
He reached out and tugged at the end of my ponytail, swinging it playfully as he took in my own tired face. "You didn't sleep last night?"
I shuffled away, putting space between us but he just followed, blue eyes never leaving mine. "You're too close," I said, ignoring his question.
"I like you close to me."
"It makes me a bit...nervous." Like my heart might beat so hard until it made a hole in my chest nervous.
"That makes two of us," he said, leaving my hair alone and taking my free hand in his. He lifted it to his chest, letting me feel the obviously erratic beat of his heart.
He raised his eyebrows as if to say, See?
I smiled.
He moved closer until his toes were touching my flats, lowering his head. "Good morning," he whispered.
I inhaled sharply, eyes falling to his lips. "Good morning."
He took the plate out of my hand, arm banding around my waist as he kissed me. Unlike last night this kiss was soft, lazy, like he was indulging in a taste. It wasn't forceful or fast so I shouldn't have felt the need to run away and cover my face in embarrassment but that's exactly what I wanted to do.
You can't handle him.
My brows furrowed at the memory. Was Helen right? All those other times Kane had kissed me, it was me who'd cut it off because of one reason or the other. But there was no denying the small relief I felt deep down. If I couldn't handle kissing him that meant Helen was right.
You can't handle him.
I grabbed hold of his shirt, pushing closer until Kane nearly stumbled- then used his startled gasp to my advantage and deepened the kiss.
Kane tensed. Pushed away from me.
My heart froze.
He turned, stalked to the edge of the counter. He set the plate of pancakes down there before stalking back to me, lifting me up and setting me on the counter like I weighed nothing. Then he cupped my face in his and kissed me like he'd die if he didn't do anything else.