Is she protecting me? Is she watching out for me? Or is she working with my father? Is she the one that was helping him to deliver the letters and packages to me? Is she capable of doing that?

  “How about a movie?” Castor is looking at me, a hopeful look on his face. “And I’ll order pizza. Sound good?”

  I nod. “That sounds great.” He smiles and walks past me, heading upstairs. I sit on the couch and turn the TV on, knowing I should start looking for something to watch now. We’ve quickly realized we don’t easily agree on movies. Food is usually okay since they will eat anything, but movies are more difficult. Thorne and I like horror movies. Castor likes comedies. Hunter doesn’t like anything that isn’t based on real events, who would have thought?

  I look through the movies, knowing I won’t find something we will all agree on. We can either do rock, paper, scissors to see who picks, or we can eeny, meeny, miny, moe it. The second option is probably the best option. We use the first one way too often around here. I say we, but really it’s the guys. They have such a wonderful relationship with each other… when no one is looking. I catch them when they don’t think I notice. I see how Hunter smiles and Castor softens. Castor has been better and each day gets easier, but he’s nowhere near that comfortable with me. I can tell he’s still working things out in his head.

  As am I.

  I can admit it bothers me how much I seem to impede on their relationship. I hate how we’ve started off on the wrong foot. How I seem to put such a strain on them. I wish they could function as well together with me as they do without.

  Hunter comes down the stairs and goes right to the fridge. I hear him moving things around but try to focus my attention on the TV. My thoughts keep going back to him in the shower this morning and how he wasn’t affected by me at all, but how I am still obsessing over it?

  Why do I have to be this way?

  “Leona?” Castor is standing in front of me, holding his cell phone to his ear.

  “Huh?”

  “Bacon and pineapple?”

  I nod. “Yes, please.”

  Don’t knock it ‘til you try it. It’s freaking delicious. Lenny turned me on to it.

  Castor walks away, rambling off some more things they’re getting. If I thought my brother ate a lot, I was so very wrong. These guys eat so much… I can’t even explain it. Hunter plops on the side of me with a bottle of water in his hand. He isn’t so close that he’s touching me, but I can smell him, and once again I’m right back in that shower with him this morning.

  I shake my head, trying to stay away from those thoughts. I’m happy once Thorne makes his way downstairs, dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He’s a happy distraction from Hunter, who I don’t want to give any positive attention to because of how much of an ass he is, even though sometimes I really, really want to. Thorne comes over and sits down on the other side of me, draping his arm over my shoulder and pulling me as close to him as I can get. I lean into his warm body.

  “What are we watching?”

  “Not a clue. We need a random movie generator. I’m tired of always trying to find something to watch.”

  “Agreed,” Hunter mumbles and I narrow my eyes at him. He never agrees with me.

  “Son of a bitch…” Castor says from behind us. We all turn to look and he has a grin on his face, holding up his phone. “There is actually a website that will randomly choose a movie for you.”

  And I thought something was wrong.

  “Why am I not surprised?” Thorne asks with a laugh. “Well, let’s go then.”

  Castor walks around to the front of the couch, pressing a few things on his phone before his eyes widen and he huffs out a laugh. “Well, 8 Mile it is then.”

  “It’s not the worst movie in the world,” I say. “Haven’t seen it in a while, so it’ll do.”

  “It won fair and square, Leona.” Castor squishes himself in between me and Hunter. “We have to watch it.

  I roll my eyes. “How’d that work anyway?” Growing up in a high technology age, I am not surprised in the least bit that they would have something like this.

  “It’s simple,” he begins, pulling out his phone. “Just put in how many movies you want to pop up, select the genre—I selected horror, comedy, and drama, trying to keep it fair—put in the language and release year and then press the button. Simple.”

  If only my life were as simple.

  Seven

  Leona

  We get to school early the next day and I head straight for the fourth floor. I know where Ms. Boone’s class is even though I’ve never been in it. Our town isn’t that big, hence the schools aren’t that big. Most students know all the teachers by the middle of freshman year.

  The guys are waiting for me down the hall. They wanted to come with me but I told them I needed to do this myself. I can’t stand feeling helpless, and if all of this has done just one thing, it’s that.

  The door is closed but I can see through the small rectangular window that she’s sitting at her desk. She resembles the image greatly, the only difference is her hair is a bit darker and her skin slightly aged. But this is no doubt the woman in the photo. My father’s sister. My aunt.

  I don’t knock before going in. I pull the door open and take a step. She looks up immediately, a smile crossing her lips.

  “Good morning, Miss Graves. What can I do for you?” Her tone is kind. I don’t see anything in her look that could be considered malicious. But I thought the same about Eli and look at what happened there. I don’t know what the guys did with him, all I know is he hasn’t been back to school since. They assured me he’s alive, but that isn’t always the best thing that can happen to someone.

  “I think you know why I’m here.”

  Her face doesn’t falter. Not even for a split second.

  She’s good.

  “I can assure you I don’t. You aren’t in any of my classes, I don’t think you have any friends in my first period, considering it is a freshman course. I can’t imagine you being lost; this is your last year here.”

  Maybe this was a mistake. I start to get worried that maybe the information we have is wrong. But it can’t be. No way. Callan is never wrong, and neither is his friend. They wouldn’t give me false information. I stand there for a long while, trying to figure out what to say, where to go with this conversation. Do I call her out? Do I play stupid? What do I do?

  “I suggest you get to class before someone sees you up here.” She gets to her feet and ushers me out of her classroom and I go. Following me out into the hallway, she looks both ways before going back into her room and shutting the door behind her. I look around, dumbfounded. Angry with myself for getting absolutely nowhere with this and making myself look like a fool on top of it. I didn’t even get a semblance of information. I barely spoke any words at all. How could I have messed this up that much?

  “No luck?” Thorne asks as I pass by, anger flowing through my veins. I don’t stop to talk, continuing past him. He catches up to me quickly. “Leona?” I keep going down the stairs. Other students are coming in now, going up and down on both sides of me towards their lockers or their homeroom. When I reach the second floor landing, he hops in front of me, stopping me completely. “What’s going on? Tell me what happened.”

  “I blew it,” I say before pushing past him and continuing down the stairs. If he didn’t want me to go, I wouldn’t. Thorne is easily twice my size, but he respects that I sometimes need my space. Even if he is going to continue to chase after me. He would never cross the line and make me feel trapped or threatened.

  He lets out a frustrated sound before following me again—like I knew he would. “Can you please just stop? Talk to me.” I rush down the stairs faster. Needing a minute to be alone, I barge into the nearest bathroom. Only I should have known better because Thorne comes bursting in after me. Along with Castor and Hunter.

  Great.

  “What is going on?” he asks softly. He takes my face between his hands, his green eyes searching mine. “Tell me what happened.”

  “Nothing. Nothing happened,” I say, pulling away from Thorne. I can’t think properly when he’s so close.

  “Then why—” Hunter starts to say, but Castor gives him a look and he shuts up right away.

  “Don’t you see that’s the problem? I can’t even get someone to answer a question by myself. All my life I’ve had people saving me, coming to my rescue, doing everything for me, making decisions that I should be able to make. For once, I’d like to have some independence. Some confidence in myself to know I can take care of myself when I need to. But I can’t!”

  “Baby—” Thorne starts to say but it’s someone else that catches me off guard, cutting Thorne off at the same time.

  “Whining about it isn’t going to get you anywhere.”

  I look towards Hunter. “What did you say?” I’m at my wit’s end with him.

  His eyes dart over to me and even though the looks on Thorne’s and Castor’s faces promise death if he opens his mouth, he does it anyway. “I said whining about it isn’t going to get you anywhere.” He takes a step closer. “If you’re not happy with how things are going; change them. Only you have the power to do that. If you think you can’t handle this shit, do something about it. ‘Cause I can guarantee you, it isn’t going away any time soon.”

  I close the distance between Hunter and myself, my fists balled at my sides. I am in no mood to deal with him. I’ve had it with his shit attitude and cocky remarks. “You’re a real asshole, Hunter Flynn.” It’s all I manage to say because if I don’t pull myself away, I’ll really do something I’ll regret. As much as punching him in the face would feel good, I doubt it’s the best choice. I pull the door open so hard it bangs against the wall, and I storm down the hallway and right out the front door.

  Eight

  Castor

  “Why the fuck did you have to go and do that?” I shout at Hunter. He is such an idiot sometimes. Fucking all the time lately.

  “What? It’s the truth!” He takes a step towards me.

  “Ever heard of something called sensitivity? You ass.” I push him out of the way at the same time Thorne is heading for the door. I reach it first, looking to him over my shoulder. “Let me.” His eyes go wide. I know he wasn’t expecting it, and honestly, neither was I. But I need to do this. I hesitate a moment longer before leaving the bathroom and heading down the hall. I can’t be sure of where she went, but I have an idea.

  I rush through the doors of the school, the cold air greeting my skin. I watch as she turns the corner and debate whether I want to chase after her or get the car.

  I decide on the latter. It isn’t too far, but it’s cold as hell. I hurry down the stairs and jump into the car, starting it and backing out. She hasn’t gotten much farther by the time I reach the street. She still has her jacket on and her backpack, so at least she’s warm. Thorne mentioned how she isn’t cold often and that would be thanks to her animal. I roll to a stop once I’m to her and roll the window down. “Let me take you home.”

  She freezes and looks over to me, her big blue eyes sad as all hell. I’ve never seen her look so upset and it hits me right in the chest.

  There is no denying it. She is my mate. My issues with having her as mine don’t necessarily revolve around her, a lot of them are my own. Do I think she’s ready for this? Not by a long shot, but sometimes you need to take chances on people. Sometimes people need that little extra nudge to get where they need to be. Not everyone was born into this life and I’m learning to accept that’s okay. Leona and I belong together. I just need to push this last bit of arrogance away and I’ll be free to give her my all.

  “Please?” I ask when she still hasn’t answered me. Her shoulders sag and she lets her head drop as she reaches for the handle and pulls the door open. After she gets in I head towards home.

  Our temporary home. I’m not sure how much longer this will be able to be our home. Depending on how the visit with Thorne’s family goes this weekend will give us that answer. We shouldn’t be here to begin with. Pack members have to stay and live with the pack, it’s part of the rules. If we continue to stay elsewhere, we may get kicked out. Not that it would be the worst thing to happen, but none of us want to leave our families there with Julian. We don’t trust him enough. There has been a lot of shady business going on with him lately. Our parents have let our absence slide, constantly covering for us, but I know it isn’t going to last much longer. Which is why we need another plan. Thorne’s parents are the best bet, they’re the most understanding. I know Leona’s family doesn’t want her to leave, but unfortunately, it looks like that’s what’s going to happen.

  I look over to her as she stares out the window, her eyes lost in thought. I don’t want to be the one to tell her that. I can’t bear to break her heart worse than it already is. The girl has been through hell, her heart is a mess as is. I can’t cause her more pain, I can’t be the one to tell her we are the reason she has to leave her family. I don’t think I’m that strong.

  When we get to the house, I notice Maddox’s car is gone. He isn’t usually gone during the day and I wonder what he must be doing. Leona gets out and walks right to our door, letting herself in. I follow behind. There’s a note on the counter that she misses, but I catch it right away. Curious, I walk up to it and read it, wanting to make sure it’s not another one of those letters.

  Went out with the kids, will be home late. Cal is working late too.

  Love ya, Lenny

  “What’s that?” Leona asks, looking at me from the stairs. I walk over and I hand it to her.

  “Wouldn’t texting have been easier?”

  “This is Lenny we’re talking about,” she says, sounding exasperated.

  “Good point.”

  I stand there watching her as she reads over the letter one more time before dropping her hand to her side. She looks up at me, biting onto her bottom lip. The gesture causes my cock to twitch in my pants. She’s gorgeous and doesn’t even know it.

  “Come on.” I grab her hand and pull her behind me, leading her the rest of the way up the stairs. I’m surprised but satisfied when she follows without argument. I bring her straight to the bathroom and turn the taps for the tub. “Take a bath and relax. Don’t let Hunter get to you. He can’t help the shit that comes out of his mouth.” I pull a jar of bath salts from the cabinet and pour some into the tub. The water turns slightly cloudy and the room now smells of lavender. This should help her.

  “He’s right though,” she whispers. I barely hear her over the sound of the tub filling with water.

  I take a deep breath. “Maybe in a sense, yes. But he shouldn’t be such an asshole about it. He doesn’t have to be such a dick.” I let out a breath. “Get in. I’ll be right back.”

  I leave her there to get into the tub as I go make tea. I’m going to do whatever I can to help her relax. I know I haven’t been helping this situation, and Hunter is making it worse. This girl has been through so much yet she still tries to stay strong, still fights. She hasn’t given up. Even when me and Hunter were being royal assholes, she didn’t give up.

  She doesn’t deserve this, she deserves better. So much better.

  It doesn’t take me long to make the tea. I pour it into her favorite mug, the one with the panda, and I go back upstairs. I knock before walking into the bathroom. “It’s just me,” I say softly, as I enter. The tub is off in the corner and her back is to me. I walk over and hand her the mug. “It’s hot, you’ll have to let it sit for a few.” She nods her head and places it on the small shelf to her other side. I keep my eyes focused ahead, not wanting her to think I can’t keep them to myself. As hard as it is to not look at her, I don’t. “Let me know if you need anything else,” I say before turning around.

  “Cas?” she calls out as I reach the door. Her using my nickname makes me think there is hope for us. That I’m not as much on her shit list as I think I am. I’ve been trying, I really have.

  “Yes, beautiful?”

  She turns her head, looking up at me over her shoulder. “Stay with me.”

  I nod and head back over. I lean my back against the wall of the shower, not wanting her in my direct line of vision. Knowing she is here, this close to me, and naked in a tub is hard to ignore. The fact that my dick is rock solid is even harder to ignore.

  The smell of lavender fills the air along with the sound of the water moving. I keep my eyes trained away, just standing here. If she wants me here, I’ll stay here.

  “Cas?” she calls again and fuck, I cannot take the way she says my name. So innocent and sweet. Because that’s what Leona is. She is an innocent, sweet girl that was handed the wrong fucking deal in life. It’s just not fair. She has had to fight for so many things. Fight to survive, to catch up, to earn respect, to earn her place. She wasn’t handed all of that like most of us, she wasn’t born into all of this.

  “Yeah?”

  “Wash my back.” It’s a demand in the sweetest way possible.

  Fuck.

  I take a deep breath and get to my knees by the tub, adjusting myself to give me some relief. She hands me the loofah and sits forward, pulling her hair to the side. Bringing it to her skin, I glide it around gently.

  “Harder, please.”

  I clench my jaw at her words. I know she’s talking about what I’m doing, but I can’t help but imagine her using those words in another context. Ever since I pulled my head out of my ass, it’s so hard to ignore the mate call. I can’t ignore it the way I could before.