by M. K. Harper
"Be careful today. Please don’t wander off alone.” Mom’s hand grips mine as we pull up to the school. I can see the fear in her eyes. She’s probably seconds away from hauling ass back home and locking us in the house and boarding up the windows.
“I promise.” I give her the best reassuring smile I can muster. My door jerks open and I let out a pathetic squeak. Chev stands there, one eyebrow raised in amusement at the sad little noise that just escaped me.
“Your escort, madam,” he says with a flourish, extending his elbow out to me.
“You guys coordinated this didn’t you?” I look at Mom, who I can read like an open book. “This is really taking the whole ‘don’t go anywhere alone’ thing to the next level.” Mom’s narrowed eyes tell me that she doesn’t think that for a second and probably wants to add even more safeguards to whatever else they’ve cooked up.
“We may have formed a group chat,” Chevy says with complete seriousness.
“Why am I not even a little surprised?” I grumble, hopping out of the truck and taking Chevy’s arm. Might as fucking well.
“Love you. See you this afternoon,” I tell Mom, closing the door. She hesitates for a minute, but finally smiles and pulls away. I practically pull Chev across the front lawn of the school when the Jeep finally fades out of sight.
“Someone’s eager,” he mutters, a smile gracing his lips. “You have so much to fill me in on at lunch.” He gives me a pointed look, letting me know that I will be pouring my heart out over what will surely be a questionable meal in a few hours. I roll my eyes and continue through the mass of students all lurking in the hallways before the first bell rings. The moment I step through Dax’s classroom door and I see him sitting casually behind his desk, my entire body relaxes. My heart calms, the anxiousness I’ve felt all night and this morning just melts away. As if sensing me, he looks up and our eyes meet. That sweet, sexy smile carves across his face and my insides ignite. Without a thought or care to who might already be in the room, my feet move and close the space between us.
He stands, meeting me a few feet from his desk. His hand wraps around mine and squeezes before he brings it to his lips and gently kisses the back of it. His lips linger and tingles spread through me like a wild fire. Voices start to trickle in from behind me and I reluctantly pull my hand away. The absence of his touch making me feel so empty I let out a small gasp. I want to ask him how last night went, what his parents had to say and a million other things, but the bell rings. I bite my lip, not ready to switch from Dax to Mr. Bardot. He gives me a wink before nodding towards my desk. Chevy’s wide eyes greet me as soon as I turn around. Halfway way to our seats he starts coughing dramatically. I give him a bewildered look.
“Oh sorry, just choking on all that sexual tension between the two of you,” he answers smugly. I whack him on the back, rather hard.
“Ow, you twat!” He gives me a withering glare, but it just looks cute on him. Terrifying, Chevy is not.
“My bad, wouldn’t want my only friend to die,” I say in a sickly sweet voice.
“I think sexual deprivation is making you violent...” he trails off, his eyes widening at something across the room. I follow his gaze and immediately regret it. Standing just inside the door is Allana, staring at me with more hate than I thought another person could feel for someone they don’t even know. Well color me surprised, because I would be a dead bitch if she were able to see to it.
“Oh, fuck...” I whisper, my eyes widening. Of course she would know about Dax and I after he put in his claim on me last night. All of Pack Bardot should know and it’s probably already made it’s way to Pack Ames by now as well. Dax clears his throat, breaking up our stare down. Allana flinches and I can see her jaw tighten as she makes her way to her seat, avoiding looking at Dax at all cost. His eyes find mine again, briefly, before he starts taking attendance. I know he’s trying to tell me so much with that look, but most importantly that I’m his mate, not her.
“Oh fuck is right,” Chevy deadpans. We share a look, both of us knowing that Tits McGee is going to be a problem. Most likely a big one. The rest of class goes by in a blur. I try really hard to focus on what Dax is teaching, but every time he turns around my eyes hone in on his perfect ass and I can’t focus on anything else. A few times he catches me staring and I can see the faint smirk he’s fighting. My mind has become a slut. While my physical body might retain its virtue, my mind is a two bit ho who has fucked Dax six way to Sunday in the last ninety minutes. I haven’t even been kissed, but apparently I’ve gone from first base to a goddamn home-run mentally. The bell rings, snapping me from a very vivid daydream and I blush. Chevy gives me a knowing smile.
“You mind slut,” he leans in and whispers before strutting for the door. My eyes bug out, realization a swift kick to the lady balls that I must have spoken some part of my inner ramblings out loud. For the love of spaghetti o’s. I drop my head against my desk with a thud, trying to rein in my embarrassment while the rest of the class clears out. And if I avoid another scathing glare from Allana, then yay for me! The room grows quieter until it falls completely silent. I hear the door shut and the lock click. A few seconds later I can feel Dax in front of me, his proximity an emotional caress.
“Baby?” His voice washes over me as he runs a hand through my hair. I groan and lift my head. His eyes show concern. “You okay?”
“Yup. Just got a nice little reminder of all my flaws you’ll inevitably see,” I answer. His brows furrow in confusion. I shift nervously in my seat, not wanting to explain the specific event that just transpired, but needing to elaborate. “I uh...I tend to speak my thoughts out loud sometimes. Usually just the ones that should remain firmly locked away in my head.” I purse my lips.
“First of all, nothing about you is flawed, and I’ll never see it that way. You have quirks that are unique to you, and I love those things about you. Second...” He traces his thumb over my left eyebrow, then trails it down my face, brushing just slightly over my bottom lip. “You talk in your sleep, and the things you say? Well let’s just say that I hope I’m the one starring in them. Believe me when I say I can’t wait for you to slip up and say something out loud that’s going through that pretty little head of yours. Especially if it’s anything like your dreams.” His eyelids lower, that heated look making me want things I’ve got no idea how to ask for. My entire body flushes as his words sink in. Once again, I question the person who put all my bits and pieces together and decided ta, da! I think a few parts need a recall. I close my eyes briefly before blurting out my first thought, desperately trying to change the topic.
“How did everything go last night?” I look at him nervously.
“Really good.” His smile is heart stopping. “As expected, Ma is practically beside herself. Pop too, in his own gruff way. The pack was thrilled also.”
“Is that so?” I give him a look, knowing damn well that not everyone in the pack was thrilled. Not even close.
“Everyone that matters,” he says slowly, punctuating every word so they truly sink in. “Allana is hurt, but I can’t do anything about that. I’ve made it clear for years that she isn’t my mate. I knew it wasn’t just a delayed bond, those usually only happen to younger wolves who aren’t ready to settle down. The ones who are still maturing and not open to a bond just yet. But I’ve always been ready for the day I’d meet my mate. I’ve never been scared or reluctant to commit myself to the one who’d fill in all my empty spaces. So I can’t do anything about the fact that she refused to believe me. To trust that I knew in my heart she wasn’t the one meant for me. I won’t lie, her family is furious. It’s nothing to worry about, though. I don’t want anything to take away from this. This next week is ours.” His green eyes hold mine, so much emotion visible in them. I nod, yet again lost for words.
“I should go...” I whisper, not wanting to break this moment between us but needing to get to class and keep any gossip about us to a minimum. He nods in agreement, the bell for second
period having come and gone some time ago.
“Will you come with me to meet my parents tonight? We can leave straight from school,” he asks as I start packing away my things. I pause and look up at him. That normal surety he wears has been replaced with something more vulnerable. No matter how nervous it makes me, I realize I’d do just about anything he asked of me so that he never has to feel so unsure again.
“Of course,” I stand and place a quick kiss on his cheek. I move to walk away but he pulls me back against him and lifts me off the ground so he can bury his face in my neck. Our height difference is obviously a non-issue when he can just haul me up like a sack of potatoes. I laugh, squirming in his arms as his scruff tickles my sensitive skin. His chest vibrates with his own laughter.
“I love that you fucking smell like me...” he growls, hugging me tighter before slowly setting me back on my feet. I sway unsteadily, like a drunk, completely intoxicated off of Dax. I could stay here all day, in fact, I’d prefer that over English Lit, Trig and Chemistry any day. But alas, I need to graduate and get the hell out of high school so that I can be with Dax freely and not have all of these small town, small minds hanging over us. With that thought, I turn and leave, Dax’s eyes following me the entire way and a goofy ass smile plastered on his face. I think it’s safe to say that we’re both a little high off each other.
Chapter 18
Lunchtime brings on a whole new bout of uncomfortable that I didn’t think was possible. Eyes all over the cafeteria keep staring in our direction, most of them kind and intrigued, but some downright nasty. I’m guessing the latter are Pack Ames members, aside from good ole Tits McGee! She’s definitely in the nasty group, with a side of ‘I’m going to kill you’. I can tell the attention is making Chevy a bit uneasy but aside from eating elsewhere, there’s shit I can do about it.
“Alright, lets hear it.” He folds his arms and braces them on the table in front of him. It’s his signature no nonsense stance. I almost snort.
“You already know the gist of it,” I tell him. “Dax and I are mates. My father is a wolf, turned Feral due to not being with his true mate, and my mom is obviously human. Patty-Cake my ass into the oven and nine months later...yours truly. A half-wolf who can do no wolf things, so basically a human.”
“I don’t want the damn cliff notes version,” Chev rolls his eyes. I sigh and scrunch my nose, not wanting to share Dax and I for some reason, but also needing to confide in the person who’s become my best friend. I don’t know why I feel protective of us, but I do. Maybe it’s just so new that I want every bit of us to myself for right now. Either way, I relent.
“So my first day? The moment I laid eyes on Dax I was just sucked in. I can’t really explain it, just this uncontrollable need to know him. That I was supposed to. But also that feeling that I already did know him on some level. I know that sounds crazy,” I look up at Chev, having been playing Tetris with my green beans so I could avoid eye contact. He’s not looking at me like I’m crazy though, more like he’s just interested, and possibly a little sad.
“I kept telling myself to just avoid him, he’s my freakin’ teacher. No matter what though, I could find him in a packed room if I needed to. After that day he stopped by and I confronted him, we didn’t talk. Not until he saved me in the woods,” I shiver at the memory and absently rub one of my shoulders. “Mom basically jumped right in when with our sordid family history when I woke up. I freaked at first, not believing a word but eventually it just made sense. Some fundamental part of me knew it was the truth,” I shrug. Chev’s still hanging on every word.
“The um...the only other thing is the bonding ceremony. It has to be consummated, which I learned last night. So Dax basically just told me to think about it, that we didn’t have to jump into anything that I wasn’t ready for. I’m just not sure what to do, but I do know that I don’t want the decision to be made solely to keep me safe from Christian.” I wait for all of that to sink in, watching Chevy carefully. He sits quietly for so long, I’m not sure he’s going to say anything before lunch ends.
“What’s you’re heart say? Is Dax the one?” he asks me, but I don’t even need a second to think about it.
“Without a doubt. I know he’s it for me. That’s not the issue. Doesn’t it just feel too soon? Less than two weeks after meeting and I’m giving myself to him, in every sense, for forever? I’ve never even kissed a guy, Chev.” His eyes widen almost comically before he schools his features.
Reaching for my hand, he speaks softly, “If you’re so sure, then what does it matter if it’s two weeks or two years? Don’t make your decision based off some misconstrued idea that there’s this allotted amount of time needed to fall in love or even simply have sex with someone. There are no specific time tables for those things. If it’s there, it’s there.”
“When the fuck did you get so wise?” I snort out a laugh. I’m not sure what else to say. His words did exactly what I needed them to, because I’m fairly certain that I know what my decision will be, but I needed that validation that I’m not crazy. That it’s okay if I go forward with the bonding ceremony so soon. Chevy just laughs it off but I can tell he’s happy that he was able to make a difference. I’m sure the tension I’ve been carrying over this has been visible, and I can feel it seeping away little-by-little. Chevy suddenly tenses.
“Brace yourself for a crash landing,” he mutters. Before I can turn to see what he’s talking about, Allana and Christian are standing beside us at the end of the table. Fan-fucking-tastic. Allana steps closer, her perfectly manicured hands braced on her hips.
“You made the biggest mistake ever coming to Pleasant Falls,” she sneers. “Everything was perfect until you waltzed in here with your sob story and Dax took pity on you. Don’t be fooled, that’s all this is. Pity.” Sob story? Did Dax tell them about my dad? A flash of anger hits me, but I swipe it away. Now’s not the time. A snort leaves me before I can shove it back down. Allana turns up her nose impossibly further at the unladylike sound.
“Listen up, Tits McGee,” Chev chokes on his spit across from me. “The only one here that’s delusional, thinking something is more than what it is, is you. Dax has repeatedly told you that you aren’t his mate. For years, long before I ever came along. So if my sudden appearance in his life is what caused everything to become so not perfect, please fucking explain. You need to move on. Hasn’t anyone ever told you how pathetic it is to chase after someone who clearly isn’t interested?” She looks honest to god surprised for half a second before she’s spitting venom again.
“You’re gonna regret crossing me.” Her eyes flash a yellow tent for a split second, not long enough for me to decide if I’m seeing things or not. Another snort.
“Funny, people keep saying that to me. Yet...not one regret. Actually, I take that back. I probably should have bathed in alcohol after your nasty ass claws were inside of me, just to be on the safe side,” I glare daggers at Christian. His eyes narrow and he cocks his head to the side. He absently scratches a spot near his ear and I can’t bite my tongue. I mean, he basically fucking asked for it.
“Fleas?” I stage whisper. “Maybe mange?” I give him a sad smile. That same unhinged look he had right before he wolfed out and tried to eat me on Friday flashes in his eyes and I know I just poked a little too far. Goddamn me and my big mouth. Before he can reply or, I dunno, chomp off a limb, the best sound in the world infiltrates the haze of mutual hate permeating the air around us.
“Didn’t we already have this conversation? You know...the one about staying the hell away from Linden. My mate.” Dax gives Christian a look that makes even me gulp. I can feel his body vibrating with suppressed rage from behind me. His hand slides beneath my arm and his thumb starts to stroke my ribcage. The touch alone seems to soothe him, but only marginally.
“Intended mate. Nothing’s set in stone until you’re bound,” Christian declares in a voice colder than ice. I once again have that niggling feeling that he’s a hell of a lot mo
re dangerous than I originally suspected. Dax stills behind me.
“You fucking touch her, and I’ll kill you.” Dax’s voice is eerily calm. The calm before the storm that’s going to start a goddamn war if Christian keeps pushing him. These two coming to blows is inevitable, I can feel it. It’s only a matter of time. Christian just smirks and walks away, like he doesn’t have a care in the world. Allana has been a silent onlooker since Dax showed up. Her eyes are big with tears, really playing up the whole broken-hearted part and not the threat-issuing psycho she was five minutes ago.
“You associating with Pack Ames now, Lana?” Dax’s voice is still cold, but not nearly as much as before. My heart stutters a beat at the nickname he used, once again reminding me of the history they share. The years of knowing each other and the lifetime of memories.
“Of course not, Dax!” She has the nerve to look like he just accused her of the most heinous thing in the world. Meh, associating with Pack Ames members might actually be the most heinous thing someone could do. No doubt that’s a slippery slope to human trafficking and murder, based on their knack for collecting humans as ‘mates’ just to increase their numbers.
“What has she done to you that would make you accuse me of something so disgusting? You know me better than that, Dax.” Allana looks aghast. Insert snort number three.
“What are you, a damn pig?” She gives me a disgusted look. Well, she’s got me there. In my defense, I don’t usually snort this much. But her special breed of dumbass just sort of pulls ‘em out of me.
“She, is my mate. Don’t ever talk about her that way. I thought I made it pretty clear last night. No one put the idea of something so disgusting in my head, aside from you waltzing across the room, side-by-side with our damn enemy,” Dax grits out vehemently. That carefully erected facade she’s perfected, the woe is me one, fractures just the tiniest bit and her true colors slip through for the briefest moment. Her eyes shine with pure malice, and for a second, I think she’s going to leap clear across the table and rip me apart. Fortunately for me, she seems to remember that she’s standing in the middle of the school cafeteria and Dax is looking at her like he doesn’t have a clue who she really is.
