Chapter 6 #2
“I know. But I want to make sure you’re not dizzy or anything.” I really wanted to make sure no one was waiting for her in her room. If the wolf last night was an enforcer, he’d be back.
As we rode the elevator up, I texted Danny.
Rowan
Who’s watching Laney this morning?
Danny
You.
Rowan
For how long?
Danny
Until noon.
The elevator doors opened, and we stepped into the hallway.
Someone stood outside Laney’s room, so I stepped in front, ready to protect her.
The person turned and looked at us. She was a stunningly beautiful woman with dark hair and blue eyes similar to Laney’s.
She didn’t look old enough to be Laney’s mom though, so maybe it was her sister.
“Mom,” Laney said, stepping around me. “You’re here.”
Wow. It was her mom. The woman wore a cream colored business type suit that looked expensive.
Laney rushed to unlock her door.
“I sincerely hope you didn’t spend the night elsewhere,” her mother said.
“Mom, this is Rowan Ward. Rowan, my mom, Raven Lake.”
“Hi, Mrs. Lake, nice to meet you.” I reached out to shake her hand, but she folded her arms and tilted her head, staring at me with what could only be described as a death glare. One eyebrow arched, her lips pulled tight.
“Laney, dear,” she said, not looking her daughter’s way. “Where have you been, and who have you been with?”
“I just introduced you, Mom.” Laney stood there with her back holding the door propped open.
“Please take your medication inside and put it in the refrigerator so we don’t have another issue.”
Laney reached down, picking up the cooler and taking it inside. The door closed behind her, leaving me in the hallway with Mrs. Lake.
She raised her eyebrows, clearly sizing me up and trying to determine my intentions toward her daughter.
“I just walked her home,” I said, trying to be preemptive. “Laney is friends with my girlfriend.” I forced a smile on my face, wanting to look innocent.
She rolled her shoulders back, the gesture somehow intimidating.
I took the opportunity to smell her. She was all human, no trace of wolf blood. Laney’s dad had to be the wolf then.
I wanted to check Laney’s room to make sure no one had been in it last night. “I’m going to say goodbye to Laney and be on my way.” I knocked.
Laney opened the door, and I stepped around her, quickly smelling. Her room didn’t have traces of anyone else besides her and Sarah in it.
The door clicked shut. “Is my mom just standing in the hallway?” Laney whispered, biting her thumbnail.
“Yes.”
The cooler was open next to a small mini fridge. “Why don’t you go and change, and I’ll put your medication away for you.”
She nodded. “Thank you.” After grabbing some clothes, she headed into her ensuite bathroom.
I knelt and examined the vials. They looked like regular insulin containers.
I held one up to my nose, sniffing it. It had a strange smell to it.
I opened her fridge, peering inside. There was a tray with two vials.
Carefully removing the vials from the cooler, I slid each one onto the tray until there was only one left.
I held it in my hand, examining it. The need to know what was in it overrode common sense.
I curled my fingers around it and put it in my pocket. Instinct told me this was important.
I closed the fridge door, then zipped up the cooler. “Bye, Laney Lake!”
“Bye, Rowan Ward,” she said from the other side of the bathroom door. “Thank you for your help.”
“Anytime.” I exited her room and handed the cooler to Mrs. Lake.
She took it, her fingers long and graceful, every nail painted.
Even her perfume smelled expensive. Like something my mom would never wear.
Mom hated anything pretentious like that.
She never did her nails or anything fancy with her hair.
While my mom was pretty, she was also strong and assertive.
Laney’s mom seemed to be an over-controlling perfectionist. I was starting to understand Laney a little better now.
“Thank you…Rowan, was it?” Raven said, her voice condescending.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“My daughter is attending this university for an education. She is not here to make friends or to acquire a significant other. She has dreams and ambitions, neither of which you fit into.”
“Laney and I aren’t friends. We barely know each other.” I slid my hands into my pockets, not liking the direction of this conversation. “I am here at the request of my girlfriend who is friends with Laney.”
“I’d like you to explain to me why you felt the need to physically walk her to her room.” She folded her arms and lifted a single brow, the gesture intimidating as fuck. She’d give my dad a run for his money.
“My mom raised me right,” I said, irritation building inside me. “I was taught to escort a woman to the door.”
“And where, exactly, did my daughter sleep last night?”
My face flushed. I couldn’t tell the woman her daughter had slept in my bed, and I was fairly certain that if I lied to her, she’d know. “I swear I haven’t touched your daughter.”
Her chest rose and fell as she took a deep breath and let it out, her eyes never leaving mine. “Make sure you keep it that way.”
Not knowing what else to say, I saluted her and walked away.
Now I understood why Laney had been freaking out about not being ready for her mom.
I stepped into the elevator, thinking about how my mom would have handled the situation.
Mom would have given Laney a hug and been welcoming.
My dad was always cautious, but my mom had a good heart and always thought the best of others, even if they didn’t deserve it.
Compassion, steadfastness, and kindness.
That was my mom. None of those words applied to Mrs. Lake.
Exiting the dorm, I veered toward the practice fields, wanting to talk to Em.
Then I remembered that I was on Laney duty for the next couple of hours.
Shit. I sprinted home, needing my truck so I could follow them.
After putting the vial in the fridge, I quickly changed shirts, wanting a different color so they’d be less likely to spot me.
I also grabbed a hat before heading out to my truck.
I drove it around to the street closest to the parking lot by Laney’s dorm.
There was a shiny, expensive car in the parking lot, which probably belonged to Mrs. Lake since I hadn’t seen it before.
I parked the truck and sat there waiting for them to show up.
Hopefully, they wouldn’t notice me, and I could follow at a safe distance.
While waiting, I pulled out my phone and did an online search for Laney Lake. Nothing came up. I checked socials and no one matching her description appeared either. Then I did the same for Raven Lake. Nothing.
Sitting there, I tapped my hand on the steering wheel, thinking it was strange that neither Laney nor her mom had anything online.
The more I learned about Laney, the more intrigued I became.
She definitely wasn’t ordinary. As far as her being a half-breed, I believed there was more to that as well.
When I spotted the car coming out of the lot, I put my truck in drive and began following it. I hoped Laney didn’t spot me because it would be difficult to explain my behavior. At least when the other guys guarded her, she probably wouldn’t recognize them.
As Raven drove, her hands were gesturing wildly, and her head kept turning toward Laney. Laney just kept nodding. I couldn’t tell if she was responding, but it didn’t look like it.
I gripped the steering wheel, wanting to slam my truck into the fancy car, rip the door open, and steal Laney away. I wanted to take her somewhere she could smile and laugh with me. She didn’t deserve to be with someone so controlling.
Worse, I hated that Laney Lake was becoming more and more interesting. It was bad enough that I responded to her in ways I didn’t with anyone else. But to find her intriguing on top of it was unacceptable.
They pulled into a parking lot at a hoytie toytie bistro. Once the two women were inside, I parked on the street where I had a clear view of them sitting at the table next to the window. I lifted my phone and texted Em.
Rowan
We need to talk.
Em
I know.
Rowan
Want to get together this afternoon?
Em
I can’t. The team is going bowling for a bonding activity.
Rowan
What about tonight?
Em
I have a ton of homework. Let’s try for tomorrow.
Rowan
Okay.
Em
I’ll text you later.
I ran a hand over my face. Em had been pulling away more and more lately. I was fairly certain she felt the same way as I did about our relationship, but I needed to talk to her to be sure. We couldn’t continue on like this. It wasn’t fair to either of us.
The problem was, I had no idea what I’d tell my dad if Em and I broke up. My mom wouldn’t care. It was my dad that wanted us together. And I had no idea how her parents would take it.
I totally understood my position in the pack.
There was a part of me that had to protect the others, that would destroy anyone or anything that tried to hurt one of my packmates.
It was part of who I was. However, I also knew that Em wasn’t the one for me.
And I was beginning to think Laney might be my true mate.
Which made no sense because she was a half-breed, and I was an alpha.
It went against everything I’d ever learned about my kind.
Clouds filled the sky, hinting at rain, matching my sour mood.