Curves & Courage

by Christin Lovell

  I went to my lone suitcase of clothes on the floor in the corner of the living room. I bent to grab a change of clothes. I struggled to stuff a pair of leggings, a top and my only other pair of shoes: ballet flats, into my book bag with my course load.

  “Get the fuck out!” he yelled.

  My hands shook as I tried to zip my bag. I’d just sealed my bag when he stood, a menacing look in his eyes. I slung one strap of my bag over my shoulder, stumbling forward as I attempted to grab my books, balance my bag and stand all at once.

  “I said get the fuck out of my face!”

  I raced for the door, his long limbs stalking towards me. My pulse skyrocketed as I fumbled for the doorknob. I jerked the door open and slammed it shut as quickly as possible. The second the door clicked closed, glass smashed against the other side of it. I heard the liquid of his beer slosh to the floor in a crashing splash. The brew seeped beneath the broken weather strip on the door, pooling around my shoes.

  I stepped out of the mess and scurried for the building’s exit door. I didn’t know where I was going to go. He’d kicked me out a few times before, but not the third night in a new place. I’d usually had time to learn the area to know where I could hide out for a night.

  I hugged my books to me as I descended the steps. The same group of guys who’d been there earlier were still standing around, only now they were smoking something I was certain wasn’t legal, right out in the open, as if the legal system couldn’t touch them; like they were as untouchable as my father.

  I walked. I kept my head down and just walked. I wasn’t in the safest area in the city. I was a werewolf, but that only gave me a slight edge because I was a weedy wolf.

  Often over the years, I’d considered going back to my old pack. It was my fear of rejection that barred me from risking the trip. Packs don’t welcome weak members. While they support wolves during feeble moments, they don’t accept any wolf who can’t contribute to the pack. And what could I possibly contribute?

  Tears trickled down my cheeks as I reached an abandoned block. No one was around. I could break down now. It was safe to let go. It was alright to be pathetic when no one was looking.

  Chapter 10

  Dominick

  My wolf stood at attention; my heart skipped a beat as she tried to slip past me. She was beautiful. Her hair was knotted high on top of her head. Black leggings showed off her curves.

  I inhaled her scent, a thrill rushing through me as her sweet essence settled in my chest. My gaze sought her. My body craved her. My heart longed to love her. My wolf yearned to claim her.

  Damn. I sounded like the sappy hero in a romantic comedy, but I didn’t care. And that’s how I knew I was already falling beneath her spell. She refused to look my way. She refused to acknowledge my presence, but there was no way for me to deny her. I wanted her. I wanted to be in her life in any capacity, even as just the creepy stalker who quietly watched her from afar.

  “You can stop drooling anytime,” Kris said. I didn’t have to look at him to know his lips were curled in disgust. He hadn’t found his mate yet. He didn’t know the power they would have over him. He wouldn’t know what this felt like, how quickly it took you and changed you until it happened to him.

  “Shut up,” I barked, tossing a glance his way.

  He smirked, humor lighting his eyes. “She’s already got you whipped, bro.”

  I frowned, my wolf leaping towards my surface in offense. “Says the man who’s gonna be my bitch in ten years.”

  He laughed, confidence resounding in his tone as he spoke. “You’d be lost without me. You need my beta skills.”

  I snickered. Kris was always beefing up the impact he believed he would have on the pack when we stepped up. In truth, I knew he’d be a great beta, and his dad was training him well. It was easy to admit he would prove invaluable to me later, just not out loud. “Whatever makes you feel better about only being a beta.”

  “Fuck you,” he snarled.

  I laughed heartily as anger twisted his fears. “Don’t be a girl. You don’t need my approval and you know it.”

  “Would a compliment kill you sometimes?”

  I smirked. “Not sure. Haven’t given one before. Everyone always gives them to me.” I winked, loving the way his jaw clenched and his fist curled tighter on the desktop.

  “Asshole.” He punched my shoulder.

  My brows drew upwards. “Really?”

  “Who needs a compliment now?” He grinned wide.

  “Asshole.” A chuckle lightened the last syllable.

  He abruptly sobered, his eyes locked on the corner of the room. His nostrils flared as he stared in the direction of my mate. A frown dragged down the resilient features of his face. His gaze flickered to me before refocusing on her curvy figure in the far desk.

  My muscles coiled, stiffening at the sudden demise of our lighthearted moment. My gut bound into a knot, fear giving my wolf leverage. Kris noticed the things others didn’t. He noticed the things you didn’t want him to notice. He acted dumb and oblivious, but he saw a lot more than he let on. His dad had trained him to see what others missed.

  “What is it?” I asked, turning to study her too.

  “I think you’re right. She’s hiding something, and it’s weighing heavily on her. She didn’t sleep last night.” He kept his voice at a whisper, not wanting to clue her in to our observations. “Her hair wasn’t brushed into a bun. She obviously did her hair with her fingers based on the gapping at certain spots. Her shoulders are knotted too, like she’s permanently curling into herself. And, if you look at her shoes, they’re squishing her feet; probably a size too small.”

  My heart thundered inside it’s restrictive cavity as my wolf roared, shaking my heart’s cage. She was suffering. Silently.

  “She didn’t eat lunch yesterday and she kept running from you. That could be a self-esteem issue, but the hair, shoes and lack of sleep suggest it’s more, bro.” He took a deep breath. When he spoke again, guilt riddled his words. “There’s definitely more, Dom.”

  It was like looking at her for the first time all over again. I noticed all the little details I’d been too distracted to see before. Her clothes were well worn; her shoes were scuffed along the rounded edge at the top. Her book bag was covered in old pencil and pen marks. The permanent smudges along the bottom of it suggested it was several years old and repeated cleanings hadn’t erased its use. Her ears were pierced, but jewelry was noticeably absent from her body.

  Her pile of books sat on top of her desk; her arms stretched around the bottom two, hugging the stack to her chest. Studying the books, I realized there was one more. She had an extra book outside her bag today, meaning she had something extra in her bag to fill it to capacity.

  My gaze flew to her backpack, barely hanging onto the back of her seat under its weight. My nostrils flared as a low rumbled fluttered in my chest. My muscles flexed, my ligaments stretched as I recognized the outline of the shoes she’d worn yesterday pressing against the fabric of her bag. I ground my teeth in fury. Why the hell would she turn me away knowing I could help her, knowing that I would help her?

  “You see what’s in her bag?” I didn’t bother looking at Kris as I whispered the question.

  He sighed. “Yeah, I saw.” He seemed reluctant to reply, meaning he’d caught it during his first round of assessment, but didn’t want to alarm me with his findings.

  The bell rang, forcing me to suffer through fifty minutes of drivel until I could confront her. And it proved to be fifty minutes of torment.

  Chapter 11

  Sophie

  I felt his gaze heavy upon me, but I didn’t dare meet it. I couldn’t. I couldn’t face him. I couldn’t look at him with my head held high the way a future alpha’s mate ought to. I wasn’t worthy of being a future alpha’s mate. Without even knowing him, I knew he deserved far better than me for a mate.

  I ended up walking around most of the night. I stopped once in a seemingly empty, dark al
ley. I’d collapsed on the concrete and rested a few feet down from a dumpster until a group a homeless drunks came at me with sticks, tossing empty bottles and cans and slurring about me trying to steal their spot. I took off swiftly and quietly, not up for the fight.

  This morning, I was here when the janitor unlocked the doors at six in the morning. He didn’t say anything when I came in behind him and headed into a bathroom. I changed in the large stall and then sat on the floor for another hour and a half until the first group of students entered the bathroom, buzzing about their crushes and other gossipy drama I wish I had the luxury of dealing with.

  I huddled deeper into my hoodie, hoping that no one noticed it was the same one I’d worn yesterday. No one seemed to pay me any mind though. I kept my head down, literally.

  When the bell rang, I jumped from my seat, scooping up my books and making a beeline for the door. But he wasn’t letting me evade him. He was prepared. He gracefully moved in front of me and blocked my exit, turning to face me several feet from the door. Others filed around us, shoving their ways through the door.

  My heart beat harder. I couldn’t look at him. I smelled him; he smelled delicious. He smelled like heaven: a mix of male musk, the misty scent of dawn and sharp spices like cilantro and cinnamon; a unique combination that somehow worked.

  I swallowed hard, steeling myself as I gazed numbly, dumbly, at his slim waist. He wore a blue polo that sat smoothly atop his athletic form. His jeans hung off his hips perfectly, leaving my mouth watering at the sight before me. He was beautiful. If I closed my eyes, I knew I could recall his face; his balanced features made my fingertips itch to trace his smooth flesh.

  “Let me buy you lunch. Seeing as how you won’t call me, I have to woo you while I can.”

  My head snapped up. My eyes narrowed as I studied him. His lips curled into an easy smile, showcasing his dimples. His eyes glittered as he gazed down at me.

  My stomach clenched. It was a flash, so quick I almost missed it. Pity. This wasn’t about wooing me, as he’d called it. Somehow, I didn’t know how, but, he knew. He knew my dirty secret about last night.

  I averted my eyes, biting down hard on my bottom lip, praying the pain would keep the tears out of my eyes. “No, thanks.” My voice cracked, humiliation heating my cheeks. I didn’t stay to listen to his smooth sales pitch, and I was certain he would have one.

  I turned the corner out of the classroom and ran smack into the male who was always with Dominick. My body shook from the contact.

  His arms snaked around me quick, his hands clasping my shoulders to steady me. Thankfully, his arms are long and lean, like him, and didn’t disturb my books. “Hey. Whoa. You okay?”

  I looked everywhere but at him. Inhaling his scent was bad enough. His scent was woodsy, but more salty than sweet. It wasn’t as balanced to me as Dominick’s. But then again, he wasn’t my mate.

  “Hey.” He crooked a finger beneath my chin, lifting my face. He smirked. “I don’t bite. Not like Dom anyways.”

  I stiffened, swallowing hard. God. If he bit me, my dad would flip. His touch contained risk alone. I couldn’t… he couldn’t.

  “Whoa. Um, I was joking.” His face fell.

  “Let her go, Kris.” His firm voice was right behind me. How did I not hear his approach? How had I missed the growing intensity of his scent?

  Dominick placed his hands on my shoulders. It was a dominant move, a protective, proclaiming move.

  My skin sizzled beneath my layers where his hands sat. That was dangerous though. Oh. So. Dangerous. I couldn’t let myself get caught up in them, in him.

  I jerked away from him, sidestepping both of them. I spun on my heels and headed to the closest woman’s restroom. It was the only place I knew he couldn’t follow me. I knew it made me a coward, but I preferred being a weakling for fourteen more months than being dead.

  I wasn’t prepared to face Dominick. I wasn’t prepared to stand up to my dad. I wanted to escape it all but had nowhere to escape to. I felt trapped by them both.

  I studied my reflection in the mirror. To another human, I was a fresh-faced teen. Someone with keen, supernatural vision would see the sprinkling of bruises dusting beneath my eyes though. They would notice the light swell above my cheeks.

  They would notice the state of my clothes. I gazed down at my ensemble. I only had this outfit because my dad had dated a human female for a short time. She’d been nice enough to take me shopping. Sheryl had been wonderful. She kept the beast on a leash. She would never know how many lashings she saved me from because she never knew the truth about the man she dated for just over two months.

  No one knew. I would be embarrassed for anyone to know.

  These days, you’re judged for everything: your clothes, your weight, the car your parents drive, the house you live in, the electronics you own…or don’t. There’s such a high-end standard set as the norm; it’s unattainable. It’s unrealistic…at least for me anyways.

  I would never be thin, no matter how much my dad starved me…

  “You’re two months behind already!” the landlord shouted.

  “You know I’m good for it,” my dad argued. He was using his height as an intimidation tactic, hovering over the shorter man in the doorway. The smaller man had a gun though; somehow, he’d sensed he might need it.

  “I know you’re good for excuses,” he spat.

  I stood quietly in the background, unsure of what to say. I knew my eyes were wide, my brows dented inwards. My pulse was barely being contained as their voices continued to rise in pitch.

  It’d been a month since my dad lost his job. Dread settled in my chest. I knew what was coming. It always came. He never found another job in the same town. He had anger issues. He had a poor work ethic. He was a menace. I knew these things only because I’d overheard a conversation he’d had with one of his employers one morning. He was calling to say he’d be late. They’d fired him over the phone, only after they exchanged words…just like now.

  The landlord stared past my dad’s intimidating figure. I knew he was looking at me, but I kept my face tilted down.

  My dad noticed the man’s shift in focus. He glanced back at me over his shoulder before leaning into the landlord. His voice lowered to a whisper. “Give me one week to get the money and you can have a night with her.”

  My heart stuttered. My gut bunched painfully, a cramp working its way through my lower stomach as bile rose in my throat.

  The landlord snickered. “I don’t do porkers. You’ll be served in twenty-four hours.” He turned face and walked back to his car.

  My dad spun around, his entire body bristling, shuddering. His eyes glowed, dark and dangerous. I knew what was coming. I knew it was going to be bad, and yet, all I could do was stand there, frozen in fear. “You need to get some of that damn weight off you. You’re useless to me fat,” he growled, slamming the door. He wasted no time coming at me.

  I jumped as the bathroom door flew open. I was surprised to find Heather standing in the entrance.

  She looked me up and down. “You look like shit.”

  “Yeah.” I picked up my books and turned for the door.

  She blocked my exit. She eyed me sideways. She was taller than me, and though she was chunky, she was thinner than me by at least two dress sizes. All that black gave her a dark edge. If I were human, I wouldn’t get in her way. “Hands off, Jayden. You got me?” Her lips pinched together; her nostrils flared with warning. It was a loose brow quirked upwards that told me the growl in her voice was nothing close to her menacing capacity.

  I nodded my head in agreement.

  It was only after she assessed me for another thirty seconds that she moved.

  I rushed out of the bathroom. I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t know where to go, just like last night. So again, I just walked. I walked and walked, lost in my head, lost in the concerns that consumed me.

  How did things get so bad? What happened all those years ago to send my da
d running from the pack? I wasn’t foolish enough to believe it wasn’t his fault, that he hadn’t done something wrong. Watching him flounder and fail at job after job showed me sides to his character I was oblivious to prior. No, I was sheltered from it before. I spent much of my time with the pack women, who had welcomed me into their homes regularly, treating me as one of their own. They’d filled a void I didn’t realize I had until my dad stole me from them, until he dragged me away in the dead of night into the flames of hell. That’s what this was: hell. It felt like it anyways, in comparison to life with the pack.

  I missed them. I missed the companionship. I missed family dinners. I missed frolicking through the woods playing chase with the other wolves. I missed catching fish in the stream with the other pack young. I missed the way it was. I wasn’t ignorant enough to believe that returning would be enough, even if they did miraculously accept me. I was a different person. That carefree, spirited little wolf I used to be was dead. She died the first time my father abused me… one week after we fled from heaven.

  Chapter 12

  Dominick

  She was lost in thought. She ambled around with no purpose, oblivious to her surroundings. She was running. I could tell she was trying to evade our situation and whatever tumultuous thoughts were dominating her mind.

  My anger warred with concern inside me, eventually losing out. This wasn’t normal wolf behavior. She couldn’t belong to a pack. There wasn’t another pack for thirty miles. It was one of the reasons my dad chose this city. We would have our space, as much as one could have in a city anyways.

  I stared ahead at her. She kept her head down most of the time, using her other senses to avoid colliding with anyone. That alone was odd. It didn’t matter that you weren’t an alpha. Putting your head down left the back of your neck open for another wolf to latch on with its teeth and easily dominate you. Though we had a leader, an ultimate Dom, we were all headstrong and powerful. We didn’t embrace vulnerability, yet, she was. I hated it. It made me want to permanently walk behind her, protectively hovering.