Chapter 25: Chapter 25

EVERLEE

Bryiar looked over at me from her bed and slammed her book closed. “You’ve been pretending to nap all damn day. Wake up and tell me about this weekend.”

I hadn’t been pretending to nap. I’d been avoiding her because I knew she would drag the truth out of me, and I wasn’t in that mood today.

I groaned and slung my forearm over my face. “Come on. I am napping.”

She tossed a pillow from her bed over, and I rolled over to face her. “What do you want to know?”

She squealed. “How was his pack?”

“Amazing, mostly.”

“Mostly?” she asked, propping her chin up with her fists. “Tell me what that means.”

I swung my feet to the floor. “His mother, Dixie, and Aunt Michelle are wonderful. They were so nice and accommodating. His dad, well, he was really pushy.”

Bryiar pursed her lips. “You know how alphas can be, Ever. Your dad is one.”

“I know. But he told the entire party that I was their new luna. Rage stood up to him.”

Bryiar smiled. “And I assume you enjoyed that?”

“My wolf loved every minute of it. He made me feel so loved and protected. It was perfect.”

“And,” she said, waving me on, “what did you do in your alone time?”

“Nothing.”

“Baloney,” she spat. “Don’t leave out the best parts. I’m living vicariously through you at this point in my life, Ever. Come on. Tell me.”

I shrugged. “We had some alone time that may or may not have made my eyes roll back in my head.”

“I knew it,” she laughed. “God, your life is a soap opera and I’m glued to the screen, Everlee. Are you going to go to the bonfire with Harlan tonight? You know the alphas will be there.”

“I know, but I can’t not go out with Harlan because of Rage. It’s not going to be easy for any of us.”

“I don’t know how you do it,” she said. “When do you think you’ll make a decision? How long do you think the boys will last before they kill one another?”

I laid back on my bed. “That’s a question I don’t have the answer to. At this point, I think I’ll combust before they will.”

***

Harlan showed up just on time.

I’d put on a pair of cutoff blue jean shorts and a red top that I knew Harlan liked. By the way his eyes moved down to my legs, I assumed he hadn’t changed his mind.

He tugged on my braid and pulled me out of the doorjamb. “Don’t think I won’t take you into the woods tonight and press you against one of those trees.”

I kicked the door shut behind me. “That sounds promising. Maybe I’ll wander off into the woods and you’ll have to come save me.”

Harlan placed his palm on my ass and squeezed me closer to him. “You know I’ll always come to your rescue.”

We walked outside at dusk. The sun was setting, and the bonfire was flickering toward the sky in the nearby field.

I could see so many wolves standing around.

Nerves flickered down my spine.

“Are you sure you want to go?” I asked. “There are a lot of people there. You know how I get.”

“Ah, come on. I’ll be with you. We’ll have fun.”

The music began to play as we walked off the sidewalk and between two buildings. His fingers found mine, and I was thankful for the distraction. We fell into the midst of the crowd, finding someone with wine coolers that I knew would get tossed out if any teachers showed up.

Wolves had a high alcohol tolerance, but sometimes wolves snuck humans onto campus. We didn’t need anyone getting drunk and ravaged by wolves.

I sipped mine. It wasn’t as fruity as the one from Rage’s glass the night before.

My mind wandered over the crowd. I sensed he was near. I felt his stare. Harlan spoke to two wolves from our pack as I scanned the crowd of people.

Several chairs were circled around the bonfire, and I found him there.

He was leaned back in his chair, a beer resting on his knee and his gaze settled on mine. I felt like a child in trouble with her parents.

Everything about his stare was hot.

It soaked my panties within seconds.

My wolf reminded me of everything we did on that bathroom floor over and over again. My stomach cramped with a need for him.

Harlan’s fingers trailed the edge of my blue jeans, knocking me out of my trance. I looked up at him and the two lycans I agreed to meet.

I hid my awkwardness. “Hey.”

Erick smiled at me. “It’s good to meet you without your little…friend today. He’s here, though, because I can smell him.”

I ignored his taunt at Rage. “Yeah, it’s a nice night for this, isn’t it?”

Erick smiled at me in that stupid icky way, and I offered Greg my hand. He seemed more laidback than Erick and didn’t creep me out as badly.

“We are having a meeting this coming Thursday. You still coming?” Erick asked, tipping back his beer for a drink.

Harlan nodded. “Yeah, I plan on it. I have a few tests coming up this week, but I should be able to swing it.”

“What about you?” Erick asked. “Will you be coming with him?”

“I’m not sure,” I said. “I’ll have to check my schedule.”

“You’ll have to check with your ~other mate~, right? We don’t want to step on the alpha’s toes.”

I cut my eyes at him, feeling him wanting to piss me off, but I refused to let it. “Maybe,” I snapped back. “Or maybe I need to check my schedule like I said.”

Harlan squeezed my hand. “Everybody calm down.”

Erick laughed. “I’m just joking with her. She’s on edge, isn’t she? Are you going to come into heat soon? You feeling emotional?”

“Hey,” Harlan snapped, pulling me behind him. “I said ~everybody calm down.~ Don’t talk to her like that.”

Erick sighed heavily. “I’m just watching out for you. I can smell him on her from this weekend, and you’re acting like it’s not a big deal. This is why lycans get a bad rap. We don’t take what we want like we used to.”

The embarrassment of everyone staring at me brought tears to my eyes.

Why couldn’t Harlan see what an ass this guy was?

What was happening to him?

A strong hand wrapped around my elbow and pulled me back into a tower of chest. My wolf instantly relaxed knowing he was behind me.

It was wrong.

It was Harlan’s time, but I couldn’t stop myself from loving that he was near.

“What the hell is the problem over here?” Rage asked.

Harlan turned around quickly. “Everything is fine,” he said. “There was just a little misunderstanding.”

Rage tilted his head and his gaze shifted toward Erick. “Really? It seemed like you were being cruel to my mate.”

Harlan reached forward and grabbed my wrist. I felt shock rush through me as he pulled me toward him. “I said I have it taken care of.”

Rage’s quietness made me look back at him. His too-blue eyes were narrowed, and his chest heaving as if he couldn’t keep himself together.

My wolf could feel his shivering in anticipation of a fight.

“There can’t be a fight,” I said loudly. “We all agreed. No fighting. My mother will make me come back to the pack house if we’re fighting.”

Rage nodded gently. “You’re right. This isn’t my time.” He stepped away, and I sighed in relief.

Then Erick laughed.

It was loud and fueled with hate. He was egging us all on for some reason. Did he want us to fight? Did he hate wolves so badly that he wanted us all to get kicked out? What was his angle?

Why was he so bitter?

“That’s exactly what I thought,” Erick said. “Walk away, Alpha King.”

I felt Harlan tense beside me.

But I felt Rage’s wolf from yards away. He turned around and stormed over, grabbing Erick’s shirt in his fist. “You think you’re funny? You think I’m scared of you? I promised not to fight Harlan. I said nothing about small dick lycans that think he is better than everyone else.”

A madness swirled inside of me. So much anger between the three of us. I felt each time Rage attempted not to knock Erick’s teeth down his throat.

I felt my own wolf’s excitement of having someone fight for her.

Then there was a spark of something irate. Something irrational, and I couldn’t pinpoint it.

Where was it coming from?

The taste of it was bitter in my throat. It felt all-consuming. If someone let go of their rein, they would lose it.

I pulled away from Harlan and grabbed Rage’s arm. “Don’t do it. He’s not worth it.”

Erick cackled like I imagined a witch would. “Yeah, I’m not worth it, Alpha King.”

Rage stepped back with me and looked down at me swiftly. “You get away from them,” he said to me and no one else. “If you need me, I’ll be near. Something isn’t right.”

He pushed his way through the growing crowd, and I sighed at the feeling of their emotions vanishing. Rage’s irritation disappeared from the bonfire, and the other feeling had vanished.

I looked back at Harlan, who looked confused.

“Listen,” Erick said.

“I don’t want to hear it,” I snapped. “I’m ready to leave, Harlan. Are you coming?”

He nodded quietly and began to make us a path through the crowd. I felt Erick’s gaze on the back of my neck the entire way.

Harlan’s long strides were hard to catch up with. I ran to get to him and wrapped my arm around his elbow.

The unexplainable feelings returned.

He was the culprit of that darkness.

I stopped and looked at him.

Harlan looked back after several yards. “Come on, Everlee. I want to get away from them.”

“What’s going on with you?” I asked.

He stared. “What do you mean? I didn’t realize he was going to act that way.”

“Not Erick,” I said. “I’m talking about ~you.~ I feel something inside of you. Something dark. Do you have something to tell me? Are you struggling with the mating, or are you mad at me? What’s going on?”

Harlan stepped over. “What are you talking about, Ever? What darkness?”

“I feel something inside of you. Is something happening? Do you need to talk to me? Or Dad?”

Harlan shook his head. “I’m super confused, and I was pissed back there. That’s what you were feeling, Everlee. Nothing else.”

He outstretched his hand for me to take it.

Part of me wanted to reach forward and take it, no questions asked. The other part of me felt concerned that Harlan was keeping something from me. Stepping beside him, I took his hand and led him toward my dorm room.

I wanted to go to sleep.

Forget the bonfire.

Sleep off the weekend.

Something lurked close by that I couldn’t put my finger on. Something that hid from all of us. I wanted it all to go away.