With a rough sigh I slide my helmet over my face and toss my bag over my shoulders as one of my father’s pack members walks my bike over to me.
“We’ll be right behind you if you need anything, alright?” He whispers gently with soft eyes.
I nod and force a smile before hopping on my bike.
At the red bricked building that was my school I park my bike in the back of the parking lot before taking off my helmet to stare blankly at the building.
I was debating on whether or not to just run away, to turn around and head back to my bed that was calling my name.
Even my wolf wanted nothing to do with this place.
I couldn’t blame her.
She knew well enough the tortures and harsh words we were going to have to endure.
Against my inner demons I walk towards the building.
Trembling I open the main door and walk into the crowded hall.
I could swear every eye turns to me and the voices all become hushed as I began my walk towards my locker.
Moving past Andy’s football friends I finally get the torment I knew would come.
“Hey look, its Andy’s whore of an ex.” One laughs out.
“Parker, how much does a night with you cost?” Another throws out causing another round of laughter.
“I heard from Gage that you’ve got the sweetest moan.” Yet another adds.
My hands ball into fists as I try, and fail, to ignore them as I continue on to my locker.
Near my locker the crowd disperses leaving Gage and a familiar girl in the open.
My jaw drops as I take in Harley and Gage together.
“What the hell.” I growl out not caring about anything or anyone around. I was pissed off, more than I had ever been in my entire life.
For the first time my wolf and I saw nothing but red.
Gage turns to face me with a grin. “Ah, there’s the girl of the hour.”
Before I even realize what I’m doing I smack him across the face hard enough to leave an angry red mark.
His wolf growls low but even though I could see it in his eyes that he wanted to react he couldn’t. There were too many humans surrounding us.
I smile sweetly at him as I feel Rowan’s presence join us.
Gage’s eyes travel from me to his second before he must realize my intentions.
“Don’t.” He warns.
My grin only widens. “Why shouldn’t I, I’m only a whore, right?”
He steps back as if hit just before I grab hold of Rowan pushing him into the lockers while slamming my lips against his.
He doesn’t hesitate a moment before taking the kiss deeper.
As my tongue tangles with his my inner wolf whimpers in rejection wanting the body before me to be Gage.
I pause a moment surprised by that thought.
Why on earth would my wolf want him?
Glancing over at Gage I see two flashes of emotion cross his face before he storms away, a hint of hurt and want, two emotions I never thought I’d see on his face.
“Are you trying to get me killed, Parker.” Rowan laughs softly.
I shake my head turning my full attention back to Rowan. “No, I just wanted to be with you. If I can’t be with a human, then I want the next best thing.”
Pressing his lips to mine he flips us around to where my back was against the lockers this time.
His wolf growls happily as his hands grip my hips tightly. “You know you’re trying to make him jealous too, right?”
“I don’t care what he thinks, Rowan.” I disagree placing my lips back to his to shut him up.
I wasn’t ready to think about those kinds of thoughts, let alone talk about them.
My wolf should have hated him for what he had done but I could still feel her pulling towards where he had left.
Pulling away slightly Rowan glances in the direction that Gage had left. “If it’s any consolation I think this little stunt did bother him a bit.”
“Well, if it did, then good, but I have no plans on mating with him anyway. I’d rather choke and die on a bone than be stuck with him as my mate for the rest of my life.” I spit out.
“Why do you hate him so much?” Rowan questions curiously.
“He’s cruel, Rowan. Ever since you guys walked into my art class he hasn’t really said one nice word to me and if he did he ruined it moments later with something uncalled for.” I answer honestly.
Turning us around so his back was to the lockers he searches my eyes for a minute.
“Has he really been that bad?” He asks softly.
I nod as tears build in my eyes. “He told me that he bet I couldn’t ever love anyone even if I tried, but he was wrong. I did love someone once. He had even been a wolf like us.” I lean in and press my forehead against Rowan’s chest.
His arms encircle me and his hands begin to rub soothing circles upon my back. “Who was he?”
“His name was Derek, and we had grown up together. He made me laugh at the stupidest things and he made me cry when he threw dirt in my hair. We came to love each other dearly.” I choke on a sob.
“What happened to him?” Rowan coaxes.
“He matured faster than me and was taken away to another pack over night to mate with another female.” I hiccup. “I never got the chance to say goodbye.”
Rubbing my back Rowan pulls me in tighter as I lose myself in a fit of sobs.
He had been the first one I had ever told that story to.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get to say goodbye, Parker. That was wrong of his family to do in the first place, especially if you had formed a bond with him.” Rowan sighs softly.
Suddenly he growls. “Go away, Gage. Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”
I bury my face deeper into his chest not wanting to deal with anything else involving Gage at the moment.
“I heard what she said, Rowan, and this time this is something I can fix. I’ll be back in a few days. Take care of her, okay?” Gage states gently.
Rowan nods beneath me. “Of course I will, Gage, but what will I tell the others?”
“Just tell them I had something important to do. I’m an alpha after all, I can do what I want, can’t I?” Gage laughs.
Groaning Rowan pushes me back to look into my eyes. “He’s going to get me into a ton of trouble, but you want to know a secret?” He asks and I nod before he continues. “I would do anything for him, even if it was just to teach him a lesson. He’s my brother, my family, and someone you would probably like if you got to actually know the real him.”
I shake my head in denial but he stops me. “You two really aren’t all that different, he too had his heart broken once but that’s his story to tell you one day.”
Closing my eyes I bow my head and lean into Rowan’s comfort once more.
My thoughts wonder over who could have broken his heart and if he truly had gone through the same pain as I had.
If he had then maybe what Rowan had said was true, that we weren’t so different after all.
6-Sweet Goodbyes
Walking slowly into art class, I sigh sadly as I take a seat at my lonely desk across from my, once, friends.
They whisper softly as I sit down and pull my headphones out of my bag to work.
Since Gage had left none of the guys had even been to school, let alone taken one class with me.
They were all keeping their distance, or at least that’s what I kept telling myself.
They were absent everywhere, even at home where I figured they would be crowding around me for some reason or another.
The only reason I knew they were still even living with my father and I was the awkward dinners we would all share around the table with my father’s pack.
Penny, my father’s second’s wife, and mate, had even commented on how awkwardly silent everyone had been.
Our pack was never quiet around the table.
Opening my sketch book I begin working on the drawling of a pack of wolves, a pack that I
had never known.
Night after night the same images of this young pack would flood through my mind until I woke up and I would begin sketching them.
My room was full of these sketches.
Out of all the wolves, only one was really familiar.
I was in each and every sketch, but so far I hadn’t deciphered their meanings.
“Oh, my, god, who is that sweet dose of hotness?” Harley suddenly gasps drawing my attention to her.
As my eyes shift to what caused her to gasp and I in turn gasp as my pen falls from my hand while tugging off my headphones in disbelief.
It couldn’t possibly be.
My mind had to be playing tricks on me.
As I stand to my feet my hands begin shaking.
My chair squeaks back against the floor as one word, one name, leaves my lips. “Derek?”
He nods and in an instant I’m running through the classroom and into his outstretched arms.
I bury my nose deep into his neck as I take a long deep breath of the scent I could never forget.
It was my Derek.
He was really here, after all these years.
Pulling back from his embrace I search his deep blue eyes. “Is it really you?”
He nods with a smile before picking me up and twirling me around in a circle before placing me back on my feet. “I’m really here, Parker, but only for a short time.”
My heart sinks at his answer.
Why couldn’t I just have him forever like I wanted?
Even with the time we had spent apart I could still feel that same pull towards him, our special connection.
“Come on, Parker.” He states pulling me back to my desk.
The classroom remains silent as I watch wordlessly as he gathers my things before grabbing my hand and leading me out of my classroom.
Down the hall I pause. “What are we doing, Derek?”
“We are going to spend some time together before we have to say goodbye for good, Sweetheart.” He answers sadly.
I nod biting my lip to stop my tears before I’m once again rushing outside behind him.
Quickly motioning towards my bike Derek grabs the keys from my outstretched hand getting on it and starting it as I hop on behind him.
We take off in a blur, and I hold onto him tightly as I snuggle into his back while taking in deep breaths of his scent to remember this moment by.
It wasn’t going to last, I knew that.
But I didn’t want to forget one bitter sweet moment I had left with my old love.
Once back at home Derek stops the bike, nearly having to pry my hands from him before he changes into his light brown wolf form.
I take him in as he hops around me in a playful manner before I too join him in my thick black coat.
Playing around for a moment I forget all of my earlier troubles.
The fear of being alone, the hate that I held for Gage, and the stress I felt at being forced into something I didn’t truly want.
All of my stress melts away.
And all my mind can focus on is the wolf before me.
He was the only one I wanted, the only one that I still loved.
“You can’t think about me like that, Sweetheart. You know I have a mate now.” Derek states inside my head as we pant together.
“Why can’t we just run away together? I’ve heard of others doing it.” I reply hopeful.
Derek circles around me for a moment. “We can’t, I can’t because I fell in love with her, Parker. We have little ones together now. I have a life outside of here.”
Bowing my head my wolf silently cries.
I should have known that he would have eventually moved on.
But it still stung to hear it come straight from him.
His muzzle taps mine lifting my head. “Don’t cry, Sweetheart. We have right now together thanks to your future mate.”
I tilt my head in confusion.
“And who exactly is that?” I question in his mind.
“Gage, he’s the one who arranged this after all, he’s the one who talked to Alana, he said that he wouldn’t be able to win over his mate without this request.” Derek answers honestly.
Growling angrily I stomp my paw into the ground. “I hate him, and I would never become his mate.”
“Why, what did he do to you?” Derek asks as he nuzzles his nose into my fur.
“He’s been hurtful, he made me appear weak to the others and he cost me my friends.” I sigh as I change form.
Derek changes too before leaning up against a nearby tree. “I’ll kick his ass if you want me to.”
I grin and throw a clump of grass at him.
He dodges it as he rushes forward picking me up around my waist again before setting me back down on my feet before him.
“I’ve missed you.” He whispers softly.
“I’ve missed you too, every day, and every night I miss you.” I whimper softly leaning my head into his chest.
After a few more playful romps in our wolf forms, and a few more tears from me in human form we sit together in an open grassy area of the forest surrounding my home.
We watch as the sun sets and the moon rises over the treetops.
Holding onto his hand I felt our time coming to an end.
My heart hurt.
“Will I ever see you again?” I ask quietly.
“Maybe, but I won’t promise you something I may never be able to give you.” He answers truthfully.
I nod leaning my head on his shoulder.
“Do me one favor, Parker. Let your heart open to someone else. I don’t think I could live knowing that I was the reason you were never able to allow yourself to be happy with another.” Derek states abruptly.
I raise my brow to him.
He chuckles lightly. “Don’t give me that look. Just promise me that you’ll give someone else the chance to love you like I did.”
Nodding I close my eyes to hide the hurt in them.
The warmth of his hands brings my eyes to open once more as he cups either side of my face. “I still love you, Sweetheart. I probably always will, but we have to make difficult choices sometimes.”
I nod again as my eyes fill with tears.
Before I can react any further his lips are suddenly on mine in an intense moment of passion and want.
But oddly it felt wrong.
My wolf didn’t at all enjoy it like I had imagined she would.
Pulling away Derek smiles softly. “See you’re already falling for someone else.”
Sighing roughly I nod and look away from Derek. “My wolf loves someone else, but I still hate him.”
Chuckling Derek rises to his feet. “That’s usually the way love goes, Parker. One day you hate them and the next you can’t figure out a single reason why you stayed away for so long in the first place.”
Holding his hand out to me I take it and rise to my own feet.
Arm in arm we stand still watching the moon in all its glory.
“I’m going to miss you, Parker.” Derek whispers.
“I’m going to miss you too, Derek.” I sigh softly.
With a kiss on my cheek he turns into his wolf form before running just a few feet and turning around to face me. “Goodbye, my lovely, Parker.”
“Goodbye, Derek.” I whisper in response before I watch him take off running through the trees before disappearing completely from view.
Changing into my wolf I allow her to howl out her sorrows.
I let everything I felt in that moment fill my song in the wind.
My heart may have been broken but I knew saying goodbye was the first step to placing those broken pieces back together.
Lying down in the soft grass I whimper as I continue to stare at the moon until a familiar presence joins me.
Gage lies down just a few feet from me in his wolf form.
Surprisingly, his presence was comforting.
“You’re welcome.” He sighs into my head.
Cra
wling over to him I place my muzzle under his as I align my body with his.
His warmth soothes away my heartbreak as I begin to drift off to sleep.
“Thank you, Gage.” I mumble just before sleep completely takes its hold on me.
7-Best Friends
The next day in school I walk into the cafeteria and sit down at a secluded table in the back corner that no one really used.
I had been hoping to hide there for lunch instead of being out in the open like I had done the day before.
Too many eyes had been on me and it had made it difficult to eat.
I was hoping today of all days would be different.
Holding my sandwich to my mouth I’m startled when Ariel and Harley sit their trays of food down on the table across from me.
“Do you care if we sit here with you, Parker?” Harley questions.
I shake my head and bite into my sandwich to avoid speaking.
Both of my former friends sit down silently and begin eating their food before Harley stops to speak. “I’m sorry about the things I said, Parker. Gage told us what really happened. He explained to us why he did what he did.”
My mouth stops chewing as I stare at her in surprise.
“He did?” I mumble with my mouth still full.
Ariel and Harley nod.
Cursing softly, I finish chewing and swallow my bite before shaking my head with a small smile upon my lips. “He’s really making it hard to hate him now.”
“Why would you hate him, Parker? Anyone can see he’s totally head over heels in love with you.” Harley laughs.
“He’s been a jerk to me, Harley.” I sigh.
“But he’s making things right, and that should be worth something, right.” Ariel states softly.
“Do you forgive us for being the worst best friends on the planet, Parker?” Harley adds with a pout.
Sighing roughly while glancing between them I smile and nod before we all reach over the table to give each other quick hugs.
“I could never stay mad with my two best friends.” I answer happily as I sit back down in my seat and raise my sandwich back up to my mouth.
Just as I’m about to take another bite another mouth swoops in to take it from me.
Gage grins from his place beside me as he chews his bite up.
Bound (The Onyx Wolves Book 1) Page 4
