Finding You (Pack Bardot Book 1)

by M. K. Harper

  By the time lunch rolls around, I’m so eager for the weekend I contemplate skipping the rest of my classes. I flop down dramatically across from Chevy. He raises a brow at me, but continues eating without saying a word. I pull out the Tupperware container from my bag that I’ve been hiding from him all morning. Luckily, the ice pack I placed inside has done its job. I pluck one of the mini Oreo cheesecakes out and slide it across to Chev. He eyes it like he’s won a prize and my inner Martha Stewart jumps for joy.

  "The infamous Oreo cheesecake.” He visibly swallows. I watch in satisfaction as he peels back the wrapper and sinks his teeth into it. A look of pure ecstasy washes over his face and he groans. I give myself a pat on the shoulder and then snatch one up for myself.

  “I’m gonna need to invest in a gym membership soon,” Chev complains while licking his fingers clean.

  “Oh please, you’re built like a grasshopper. You could use some meat on your bones,” I joke.

  “I’m not sure whether I should be offended or not, so I’m just gonna take that as a compliment to my metabolism.” He does a fake hair flip over his shoulder and I burst into a laugh that nearly has me falling out of my seat.

  “Well, well, well. It seems Mr. Bardot has found his smile for the first time since the beginning of the week. He’s been rather ornery, wouldn’t you say?” Chevy nods behind us towards the staff table.

  I stiffen at the mention of his name, but can’t help but steal a look. Those captivating green eyes clash with mine. A wistful smile has his already beautiful face morphing into something downright lethal. It’s probably only been a few seconds, but this is the longest I’ve given him my attention since we last spoke after class on Tuesday. How do I miss something that I never even had? That first day of class we shared looks that I felt all the way in my soul. Something about him draws me in, like a moth to a flame. And what a heartbreakingly beautiful analogy, because I know, without a shadow of a doubt, I’ll get burned if I dare get too close. We both seem to snap out of our trance at the same time. He turns his attention back to the other teachers he’s sitting with and I face Chevy.

  “It also looks like Allana is plotting your death.” Chevy sounds entirely too amused. I sneak a look in her direction. Sure enough, she’s glaring at me again. She seriously needs to get over herself.

  “One of these days, she’s gonna catch me when I’m not feeling so nice and I might just shank the bitch.” I stab a roasted potato on my plate while glaring back at her. Chevy laughs, staving off the anger that’d been quickly rising inside of me.

  “So, there’s a party tonight at The Falls. We’re going, no if’s, and’s or but’s about it.” Chevy throws me for a loop with the sudden change in conversation.

  “What the hell is The Falls?” I ask.

  “What, you thought it was called Pleasant Falls for nothing?” He gives me a look that clearly states he’s questioning my intelligence. With an eye roll, he elaborates. “Its a group of waterfalls clustered up one of the hiking trails on the edge of town. Seniors make it a habit of partying there every year. Kind of like a right of passage. There’s a clearing in the trees about halfway up where there’s usually a big bonfire. Seriously, we have to go...” Chevy gives me puppy dog eyes.

  “Chev, all I really want to do is park my ass on the couch all weekend, binge Netflix and consume my weight in carbs. I’m not really sure there’s room in my busy schedule to fit in a party,” I whine, even though I know it’s not enough to sway him.

  “Lin, when I said we have to go, I meant it.” He leans closer to me, suddenly serious. “It’s kind of this unwritten rule that if you don’t show up to at least one of The Falls parties, life here becomes hella harder. And you and I? We’ve already got enough shit stacked against us.”

  “This fucking town, dude...” I grumble under my breath. “Fine!” I relent. I could give two shits what happens to me, but I won’t let Chevy be anyone’s punching bag.

  On the drive home from school, I mentally form an argument that’ll somehow get Mom to agree to let me go. With how she’s been acting the last couple of days, I know I have my work cut out for me. As soon as I walk through the door, I know she’s in a mood. She’s scrubbing the counter tops like they’ve personally offended her. This is gonna go swell.

  “Hey, Mom.” I sit my bag down and make my way towards her. She glances at the clock and then back to me.

  “You came straight home?” she asks.

  “Yes, I came straight home. I did not pass go, I did not collect two hundred dollars,” I reply, trying to lighten the mood. She doesn’t laugh, just resumes her cleaning. Alright, then.

  “So, there’s a party tonight. It’s kind of a mandatory senior thing,” I start before she levels me with one of her mom looks.

  “A mandatory party?” she asks incredulously.

  “Apparently so. I didn’t make the rules,” I shrug. “Look, you wanted me to have a normal, teenage experience, right? Well this is what teenagers do. They go to parties, Mom.” I lay on the guilt thick.

  “I don’t know, Inds.” She rubs her forehead. “Bad things happen at parties. Bad people show up and there’s alcohol. Your inhibitions are lowered, leaving you vulnerable...” She starts ranting, so I jump in, cutting her off.

  “Mom.” I grab her by the shoulders to stop her frantic pacing. “Do you think me, of all people, doesn’t know that there’s bad in even the most unassuming people? My own father taught me that lesson.” She flinches. “I won’t drink and I’ll be with Chevy. If I don’t show up, the freakin’ student council or something will start a witch hunt for me. Small town politics...” I give her a faint smile.

  “Promise you’ll keep your phone on you? And you have to let me know you made it there and then again when you’re leaving, understood?” I nod my head eagerly.

  “Okay,” she says defeatedly. The things I do for Chevy. I just swindled my poor mother into agreeing to let me go to a party I don’t even give a crap about.

  Later on that evening, after Chevy had a small heart attack at finding me in sweats and a hoody, I’m finally dressed acceptably for him. I mean, it’s a damn bonfire. Not sure why comfy clothes aren’t a part of the dress code. Instead, I’m in some skin tight dark wash skinny jeans, a black, backless silk halter top and black knee-high heeled boots. I look like I’m going to a freaking club, not a bonfire in the woods. After Mom has another small freak out and I spend way too long talking her back down, we’re finally pulling into the gravel parking area at the bottom of the hiking trail. The moment I step out of the Jeep and nearly bust my ass, I want to throat punch Chevy.

  “I hope you’re skinny ass legs are strong enough to hold me up because I have a feeling you’ll be giving me a piggy back ride within the next five minutes. I look like a freakin’ baby deer trying to walk for the first time,” I groan. Chevy laughs and tugs me along the trail. It’s surprisingly well lit and cleared out. If it weren’t for the incline it might not be so bad, however, it resembles actual cardio a little too much for my liking. By the time we make it to the midway point, we’re shoulder-to-shoulder with other students. The bonfire is blazing, the heat pouring off it enough to warm us from more than ten feet away.

  “Everyone wanders between here and up the path a little farther to the bigger waterfalls,” Chev leans in and tells me. Someone’s cranked up the music so it’s almost too loud to hear him. I nod and follow him over to the drink table. He grabs a Smirnoff and I have to fight back a quip at his girly choice. We make our rounds, not that we’re all buddy-buddy with anyone else. I’ve made small talk with a few people, but otherwise, it’s just Chev and I. Why fix something that isn’t broken? At some point, I lose Chevy in all the mayhem. I search all over the clearing, but he’s nowhere to be found. Thinking he might’ve gone up the trail looking for me, I head in that direction. The farther I go, the less people there are. I’m sure some students use the more private areas as a place to hookup. I’m not sure I’ll be able to unsee someone screwing if
I happen upon it. The path is also not as clear, the branch that just smacked me in the face my first clue.

  “Chevy?” I whisper yell. “No more Oreos for you if you don’t come out right now, mister!” A low chuckle sounds behind me and I whirl around expecting to see Chev with a satisfied smirk on his face for scaring five years off my life, but that’s not at all who I’m met with.

  Chapter 11

  Christian. Christian fucking Ames is standing there, arms crossed like he’s just checkmated the shit out of me. It’s been days and he hasn’t made good on his threat, but I have a feeling my time’s up. I take a step back as he takes one closer to me. We repeat that little dance until my back hits a tree and I have nowhere else to go. His hand comes up and he runs his finger along my jaw. I have to fight back a flinch of revulsion. Wouldn’t want him to mistake it for fear. Not that I’m not scared shitless, I just don’t want him to know that.

  “Our story could be completely different, ya know? I could make you mine. Whatever you’re running from wouldn’t stand a chance against me.” He leans down and takes a deep breath. Ew, did he just sniff me? Hysterical laughter bubbles out of me unbidden.

  “I wouldn’t touch you if your dick held the cure to Ebola and the virus ravaged my body. I’d rather die a slow, agonizing death, fuck you very much.” As quickly as possible, I bring my knee back and ram it between his legs as hard as I can. He folds over like a cheap lawn chair, grunting in pain.

  “You really shouldn’t have done that, Kitten.” His hate filled eyes meet mine. The seconds that follow are something straight out of a Stephen King novel. Christian’s eyes turn black as coal, his back arches painfully and a roar rips from his throat. I watch as his fingers elongate and his nails sharpen. I’m sure the whole ordeal only lasts seconds but it feels like an entire lifetime passes. My lifetime to be exact, because standing before me now is a massive, black wolf who I’m certain plans to rip me limb-from-limb. I must have accidentally ate some shrooms. There’s no other logical explanation as to why I’ve just witnessed my asshole classmate morph into a goddamn wolf.

  My scream penetrates the air just as the black beast lunges for me. It’s claws sink into my shoulders, pinning me to the ground. Sharp teeth are snapping in front of my face, and for a brief moment, I pray to god that the mangey mutt doesn’t have rabies. I’ve heard those shots in the stomach are painful as fuck. I’m going to that place again, thinking about random shit when I want to check out of reality. But I’m going to get my head bit off if I don’t pull myself together. One second I’m being crushed by the weight of my Wolf Christian hallucination, and the next it’s gone. His claws are ripped from my shoulders and I cry out in pain. My head lolls to the side and the sight before me makes even less sense than seeing a boy become a wolf. Mr. Bardot is straddling the back of the beast, pressing its face into the dirt. He’s saying something but I can’t make out his low spoken words.

  “Linden! Oh my god, Lin.” Chevy comes to a sliding halt beside me. His eyes hold unshed tears that he’s doing his damndest to blink away. His hands run over me without actually touching, like he isn’t sure what to do or if he’ll hurt me worse. “She’s bleeding!” he screams. Seconds later Mr. Bardot is right in front of me, ripping his shirt over his head. My vision is so fuzzy I can’t truly appreciate what I’m seeing. And fuck, if that doesn’t piss me off. I’m so confused by what’s happening. I have to be tripping balls.

  “It’s okay, Linny. I’ve got you.” Mr. Bardot presses his shirt to the wound on my left shoulder as he instructs Chevy to do the same to my right.

  “What an interesting turn of events.” Christian’s face appears over Mr. Bardot’s shoulder. He winks at me and I squirm, wanting more than the current few feet separating us.

  “Get the fuck away from her,” Mr. Bardot growls venomously.

  “Is this you officially claiming her?” Christian arches a brow at him. Mr. Bardot doesn’t say a word, but if looks could kill, Christian would be dead as shit. He laughs maniacally as he turns and walks away. His naked ass is the last thing I see before I pass out.

  -----

  Pain assaults my head before I can even crack an eye open. My entire body feels stiff as a board and I start to wonder if I passed out in the woods and never made it home. Did I drink? I don’t remember a damn thing. Forcing an eye open, the sunlight streaming through my window let’s me know that’s not the case. I try to push myself up and gasp when pain radiates through my shoulder the second I put pressure on my hand.

  “Motherfuck!” I curse. A chair skids over the floor next to me and I turn to see Mr. Bardot jump to his feet. And then it all comes back to me like a hellish nightmare I’d like to never remember.

  “You’re awake.” His eyes roam over me. “Take it slow. Do you need to go to the bathroom?” What the fuck?

  “Why are you here?” It comes out rather rude, but I’m so confused. Niceties aren’t exactly at the top of my to-do list. My throat feels scratchy and I cough with the effort it takes just to speak.

  “Here.” Mr. Bardot hands me a glass of water. I take it eagerly and gulp it down. I stare at him, waiting for an explanation as to why he’s in my bedroom. He rubs the back of his neck and starts to pace. Just when I think he’s going to wear a hole in my floor, he stops and looks at me.

  “You were right,” he says. “That day I stopped by? It wasn’t to talk to your mother about your academic standing. And we have been keeping what we spoke about to ourselves. Your mom needs to be the one to tell you certain things, but that doesn’t mean I liked it. I promised her I would give her time to come to terms with everything.”

  “What are you talking about?” I give him a dumbfounded look. My head’s killing me and it’s entirely too early for his riddles. Just then my door opens and Mom steps through.

  “Inds?” Her eyes fill with tears. “Thank god you’re awake.” She brushes my matted hair out of my face. “What do you remember about last night?” she asks softly.

  “I think someone might’ve put something in my drink?” I rub my temples, trying to think. “I couldn’t find Chevy so I went to look for him. Christian cornered me, talking about weird shit. I kneed him in the balls and then watched him turn into a wolf. A wolf that then tried to eat me. What the hell kind of drug makes you hallucinate Little Red Riding Hood?” I look at my mom expectantly. Pity and regret stare back at me.

  “Sweetheart, injuries from a hallucination wouldn’t be real, right? So how do you explain those?” She points at my shoulders. I look down at the gauze taped over them. As if it had been repressed by my denial, pain throbs through my arms. I gasp, refusing to accept that any of last night was real.

  “What are you saying? That what I saw really happened? You can’t possibly expect me to believe that werewolves are real.” I snort, but I’m borderline hysterical. Mom grabs my hand and squeezes. I can feel her trembling.

  “Your father is a Lycanthrope, Linden. Or as you Twilight fans like to call them, a werewolf.” I try to stand, to remove myself from this insane conversation but Mr. Bardot stops me.

  “Please just hear me out?” Mom pleads. I say nothing so she continues before I can try to bolt again. “I knew after about six months of us dating. He’d keep sneaking off at night randomly, so I decided to follow him once. Boy did I get the surprise of my life,” she laughs sadly.

  “After I came to terms with it, he explained how things with his kind work. Lycanthrope mate for life. There’s a destined mate for each wolf soul. Unfortunately, I wasn’t your father’s. We were already so in love though, and the thought of ending things between us was devastating. But there are consequences to being with someone who isn’t your mate. The wolf will never feel settled. Eventually it’ll consume more and more of you, until all of your human qualities slip away.” She looks away, blinking back tears.

  “We knew the risk we were taking by being together. We thought we could beat it. That maybe if he let his wolf free more often, it’d be content enough. It only
got worse, though. Your father grew up in a small pack. They were all killed shortly after his eighteenth birthday. I don’t think he truly knew the extent of damage it would cause denying his wolf it’s mate. Dax explained to me that when a wolf is unmated for too long or with the wrong mate, they become Feral. A shell of who they were because of their disconnect to their other half. I knew that what your father became was a result of our selfish decision to remain together. Guilt and blame held me captive to his abuse for all those years. I endured it because I felt like he is what he is now because of me.” Tears fall freely down her face. I want to scoop her up in my arms and hold her tight, but I’m too stunned to even move. All those times I couldn’t comprehend how the father who was so loving for the first six years of my life, could suddenly become so hateful, makes sense now. There’s finally an answer and I don’t know what to make of it. Relief? Guilt? Hell, I don’t know if I believe any of it.

  “He did love you, Indy.” And now I’m crying too. “We were just two naive kids who were in love and thought that love could beat anything. If you need someone to blame, blame me. I should’ve been strong enough to walk away. Instead, I condemned him to a life he never deserved. He was kind and sweet and all of the things I loved about him were stripped away because I couldn’t let go of him.”

  “Oh god, Mom.” I shake my head and grip her hand tighter. I can’t even fathom watching the person you love slip away like that. Not only that, but then to have them turn on you in the cruelest way possible.