by Noelle Marie
Bastian stopped her rambling with a raised hand before bringing it to the bridge of his nose, which he pinched between his thumb and fore finger. “No, Katherine, it’s okay.”
Katherine almost didn’t believe it. Apparently, she’d been worried about Bastian finding out about her lessons for nothing. “Really? That’s great. Because Markus promised to let me pick what I wanted to learn next since I totally kicked his-”
“No. You misunderstand.” He turned to look at her. “I’m not mad, but these little meetings you three have been having? They have to stop.”
Katherine gapped. “But why? As much as it pains me to admit it, Markus and Zane are actually pretty good teachers. I’ve learned so much already.”
Bastian leveled his gaze at the two men. “Of that, I have little doubt,” he muttered before turning his eyes back on her. “But the fact that you feel the need to learn how to defend yourself? It’s infuriating – downright insulting to me. I am the protector of this pack – the protector of you – and you need to learn to accept that. Now, the lessons stop.”
She probably shouldn’t have been, but Katherine was amazed at the man’s nerve. She narrowed her eyes at him. “You can’t tell me what to do,” she argued, glancing at Markus and Zane, a little annoyed that they weren’t backing her up. “Them either.”
“Actually,” he quipped, “I can.”
She looked to the other two men in the room again, hoping they’d speak up. Neither would meet her eyes. She turned back to Bastian, disgusted at their apparent cowardice. “But that’s not fair!”
“I don’t care if you don’t think it’s fair,” he roared, the first sign of his temper making itself known, “I’m the alpha and I make the decisions for this pack – for you – based on what I think is best. And I said no more lessons.”
Katherine was well aware of the heat spreading across her cheeks. She struggled to find the words to display how she was feeling. What she came up with was this: “You’re a real asshole, Bastian Prince.”
Then, without further ado, she ran, heading straight for her bedroom and slamming the door shut behind her.
She heard him follow her, evidenced by three sharp raps on her door. “I wasn’t done talking to you.”
“Well, unless you’ve changed your mind about letting me learn how to fight, then I am done talking to you!”
For a long moment he didn’t respond. Then she heard the tell-tale sound of feet shuffling across the carpet floor and knew he’d retreated.
Unfortunately, his absence didn’t make her feel any better. She just couldn’t believe how completely chauvinistic he was acting. She had perfectly valid reasons for wanting to learn how to fight and Bastian wasn’t even willing to listen to them. The man had more ego than common sense.
And Markus and Zane – they hadn’t even stuck up for her!
She was just so… mad! Who did Bastian think he was anyway? He couldn’t dictate her life.
Katherine stewed. She paced the hardwood floor of her room.
It was then that – quite suddenly – an idea came to her.
She’d show him. She was perfectly capable of making decisions for herself. She didn’t need his permission for anything.
He wasn’t her keeper.
Katherine yanked open the doors to her closet, raiding through her clothes until she found what she was looking for buried in the very back – a flimsy, black dress that she’d nearly forgotten about.
#
She didn’t wait long the next day to approach Melanie. The girl was digging in her locker – she was notoriously unorganized and no doubt looking for a misplaced textbook or stack of notecards – when Katherine tapped on her shoulder.
“Yeah?” she asked, obviously distracted.
Katherine took in a deep breath. “I’m in.”
Looking up from the black abyss that was her locker, Melanie raised an inquiring eyebrow. “In… what exactly? Trouble?”
Really? That was where her friend’s mind went?
…Katherine supposed she couldn’t blame her.
“Uh, no,” she said, “I meant I’m in as in I want to go out with you guys tonight… well, if the offer still stands anyway.”
Melanie squealed, seeming to forget about her hunt for her book – or whatever it was she was looking for – as she pulled Katherine into a tight hug. “Of course it does! This is going to be so fun. I really can’t wait for school to be over now.”
Katherine forced a smile, hoping it looked sincere. And ignoring the smidgen of guilt threatening to turn it into a frown, she agreed. “Yeah, me either.”
Just as Melanie had hoped for, classes flew by quickly. At lunch, Katherine announced to the rest of the gang that she’d changed her mind about going out with them and they reacted in similarly excited manners. Especially Jon, who apparently subscribed to the theory that the more attractive girls a guy went out with, the more attractive girls he could pick up.
Yeah.
Before Katherine knew it, her last class of the day – gym – had come to an end.
“Hey princess,” Markus called, stopping her before she could disappear into the locker room.
Princess. Ugh. So much for their deal.
“Yeah?”
“Bastian can’t pick you up this afternoon so just hang out by my truck for a few while I put this crap away, alright?” he said, gesturing toward the two goals and pile of sticks that they’d been using to play indoor hockey.
“Okay, sure,” Katherine agreed, not quite believing her luck. She’d had no idea how she was going to sneak away undetected after school, especially since Bastian had been dropping her off and picking her up lately. But with Bastian out of the picture and Markus preoccupied, it would be laughably easy.
Still, Katherine wondered why Bastian had bailed. She figured he probably didn’t want to sit through another car ride of hostile silence. She’d made it a wee bit obvious that morning that she was still mad at him.
Katherine hurried out of her gym uniform and into the baggy sweatpants and t-shirt she’d worn to school. She rushed Melanie and Agnes through their routines as well. If her friends thought anything of her odd behavior, they kept it to themselves.
Sparing a glance at Markus as she exited the locker room and gym with her friends, Katherine made her way to the parking lot, where she, Melanie, and Agnes met up with Penelope and the boys.
It was quickly decided that the girls would hop in with Melanie in her tiny two door car, while the guys would ride with Mack in his slightly larger – but indefinitely rustier – four door vehicle.
Katherine loaded her satchel, which was stuffed not only with her school books but with the black dress she’d thrown in there last night, into Melanie’s car before squeezing in the back seat with Penelope.
She couldn’t resist peering out the rear view window as Melanie pulled out of the lot, wondering how Markus would feel when he realized that she wasn’t where she was supposed to be. That she wasn’t at the school at all.
He’d probably be angry. Maybe even worried.
No.
Katherine forced that thought away.
Who cared how he – or more importantly, how Bastian – would feel? If he couldn’t respect her enough to allow her to make her own decisions – well, she’d make them anyway. And not feel the need to inform him. Why should she? He may have been her alpha, but he wasn’t her mother.
She didn’t have one. Not anymore.
Thankfully, Melanie forced Katherine out of her spiraling thoughts when she began to talk, explaining to Katherine where it was she resided as she navigated through Haven Fall’s narrow streets. “I only live a few miles west of the school. Well, not just me – Mack and Jon too. You probably didn’t know this, Katherine, but Mack, Jon and I all live together in the same house. They’re two other boys that stay with us as well, but they aren’t in our grade. We’re all changed werewolves, but we haven’t been claimed by a pack. Not like you have been.”
For
the first time since she’d been introduced to her, Katherine detected a hint of envy in the other girl’s voice.
“Anyway,” she continued, “a man named Luther – he’s an alpha, but a lone wolf – takes care of us. He’s in charge of us until we’re old enough to be recruited. If he’s around, I’ll make sure to introduce you before we take off.”
“I’ve met him a few times. Don’t worry, he’s really nice,” Agnes assured from where she sat in the passenger seat.
“Yeah,” Penelope agreed noncommittally.
Not a moment later, they’d arrived. Katherine couldn’t help but be relieved that Melanie’s house was on the opposite side of Haven Falls as where Bastian lived.
Melanie parked her little car and the girls unloaded, the boys not far behind them.
Like most of the residential buildings in Haven Falls, the house was two stories tall and made mostly of brick. Melanie skipped to the front door, pulling it open and ushering her friends in.
“Come on Katherine, I’ll give you the abridged tour before us girls head upstairs to get ready.”
She preceded to show her the kitchen, living room, and downstairs toilet before grabbing the other girls and heading up the stairs. After quickly pointing out the upstairs bathroom to Katherine, Melanie led them all to her room.
The small brunette couldn’t help but smile when Melanie tugged open the door. Her first observation was that her bedroom was as disorganized as her locker and her second was that it was very… pink.
Melanie grimaced when she saw Katherine’s expression, mistaking her amused smile for something more jeering. “Yeah, I know – I think this wall paper has seen one too many centuries.”
“Nah, it has character,” Katherine assured, eyeballing the pale pink slabs of paper. “My old bedroom back in the states looked a lot like this one,” she lied, hoping to make her feel better.
“Really?” Melanie asked, seemingly intrigued, before abruptly shaking her head. “Sorry, I’m sure you don’t want to talk about that. Anyway,” she heaved a pile of laundry away from what must have been her closet door, “I have the cutest outfit for you to wear.”
Katherine bit her lip. “Actually, I brought something of my own.”
“Really?” Melanie asked, giving her rumpled sweatpants a long look. She shrugged. “Well, if you’re sure.”
“Quit dawdling girls,” Penelope interrupted from where she lounged on the bed. “We only have half an hour to get ready, tops, if we want to have time to stop for supper at Fort Saskatchewan.”
With no more warning than that, she began to pull her top off.
Katherine quickly averted her gaze, gesturing vaguely toward the door. “I’ll go change in the bathroom.”
Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed her bag and exited.
Fumbling out of her clothes and into the scrap of fabric that was her dress was a little difficult in the enclosed space of Melanie’s bathroom, but Katherine managed. With more than a little apprehension, she looked at herself in the mirror.
She saw a lot of skin.
The dress was even shorter than she remembered it. The flowy skirt hit her a few inches above the knee and while the neckline was somewhat modest, the bust was only held up by two tiny, lacy scraps.
Katherine twisted a bit. And did she mention that it was nearly completely backless? Yeah.
So much for wearing a bra.
Steeling her resolve, Katherine pulled on the rubber band that held her hair back in a ponytail and watched as the wavy mess tumbled free. Brushing her hair to one side so it cascaded down her right shoulder, she examined her reflection in the mirror.
Despite her discomfort in the revealing dress, Katherine had to admit – she looked good.
Hoping that her outfit wasn’t too much, she reluctantly let herself out of the bathroom and headed back to Melanie’s room.
She realized as soon as she opened the door that she needn’t have worried.
Melanie was wearing an orange sweater dress with a sweeping neckline. Agnes was in a leather skirt and red halter top. And Penelope – well, Penelope had squeezed into a skin tight, leopard print dress, out of which her breasts threatened to spill.
“Wow, Katherine, you look really good,” Penelope offered when she spotted her lingering in the doorway.
Katherine refrained from commenting on how surprised the girl sounded. “Uh, thanks. You guys look good too.”
“What shoes are you planning on wearing with that?” Melanie asked from where she sat in front of a cracked vanity, fluffing up her short hair.
It was then that Katherine realized she’d only brought her sneakers. And wouldn’t that be a fashion statement? Pairing her sneakers with the dress she had on. A statement that she had no idea how to dress herself, but a statement nonetheless.
Melanie must have recognized her deer in the headlights look because she immediately bounced over to her shoe rack. “Don’t worry, I have the perfect shoes for it.”
Katherine shoulders sagged in relief. Before she could thank her friend, however, Melanie had pulled out what must have been the most dangerous heels to ever be created. Five inch tall, lime green stilettos.
The color would blind all those who dared to look upon them and the pencil thin heels guaranteed bodily harm to all those who dared to wear them.
Thankfully, Agnes came to her rescue. “She liable to kill herself on those,” she scolded Melanie before offering Katherine a pair of plain black ballet flats. “Here, I brought an extra pair.”
“Thanks,” Katherine breathed in relief before quickly slipping them on.
“Fine,” Melanie pouted, “but at least let me do your make-up.”
Katherine reluctantly agreed.
Ten minutes later, she was completely done up.
Truthfully, she hadn’t worn any make-up since arriving in Haven Falls so the foundation felt a little heavy on her face. And while she thought the mascara helped her green eyes pop, the red lipstick was a little – okay, a lot – much. Unfortunately, when she’d tried to discretely wipe it off, Melanie had admonished her and applied even more of it to her lips.
Katherine and Melanie waited patiently for Penelope to finish French braiding Agnes’s hair before finally reconvening with the boys in the kitchen. They were munching on some barbeque flavored potato chips and the fact that they were still in the same clothes that they’d gone to school in – jeans and t-shirts – made Katherine feel more than a little ridiculous in the get-up she was wearing.
It didn’t help when the boys turned around and their eyes practically bugged out of their sockets. “Looking lovely as always ladies,” Jon complimented, throwing one arm around Agnes’s shoulder and the other around Penelope’s.
“Who are you and what have you done with my friend Katherine?” Mack demanded, bumping shoulders with her.
“Hardy har har,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.
Melanie snatched the bag of chips off the counter, folding the opening shut before throwing it back into a random cupboard. “You guys shouldn’t ruin your appetites like that.”
Before she could continue to chide them for it, the sound of the front door creaking open and slamming shut reverberated through the room.
Katherine’s whole body tensed, completely unfounded paranoia flooding her. The man that turned the corner into the kitchen, however, wasn’t Bastian – why would it be? – and Katherine allowed her shoulders to sag in relief.
The man – well above six feet tall, but rather haggard looking overall – stopped short when he saw the small crowd in his kitchen. “Hey kids,” he muttered, stepping around Nathaniel and Leander to get into the refrigerator and pull out a cold beer. “I thought you were going out after school.”
“We are. We just needed to change first,” Melanie volunteered, waving Katherine over to her. She reluctantly stepped forward.
“Luther, this is my new friend Katherine. Bastian’s Katherine.”
Bastian’s Katherine, was she?
Luther offered her a tired smile. “Good to meet you, Katherine.”
“You too,” she mumbled.
“Anyway,” Melanie continued, “we were just leaving. See you later Luther.”
“Yeah, you kids have a good time. Try to be back before midnight.”
“Of course,” Melanie agreed.
“Yeah right,” Penelope snorted. Mack and Jon smirked at each other.
Without further ado, they all took their leave.
Just as they had after school, the group split up – the girls with Melanie again and the boys with Mack – for the drive to Fort Saskatchewan. Despite the fact that Penelope spend the whole three hours it took to get there gushing about a boy she’d met the last time they’d visited the city, the three hours it took to get there passed relatively quickly.
It was nearing eight o’clock when they arrived and they decided on having supper at a bar and grill that Agnes insisted served the best steak ever. After trying it, Katherine wasn’t sure if it was the best ever, but it was certainly delicious. Rare and filled with succulent red juices, she was tempted to order another. Mack and Jon both did.
The pork that Melanie and Nathaniel ordered looked tasty as well.
Katherine paid for her meal with a credit card of some sort that Bastian had given her months ago when she’d first arrived at Haven Falls. She didn’t feel the least bit guilty about it either. Well, maybe a little.
As they left the restaurant, Katherine had to admit that she was having a good time despite her initial reservations about going out with her friends to Fort S-Whatever. Not even the horrible pick-up lines that Jon was testing out on her – he planned to use them on the girls at the club they were walking to – could sour her mood.
