Chapter 7 #2
"Right," Dad agreed, "But if it does come to the attention of the Alpha—the only other wolf in this Pack that knows Mave is actually from a powerful Alpha bloodline—you all need to be prepared for him to be interested in the situation. He’ll struggle with letting it be pack public knowledge that there is a strong new Alpha member, thus potentially undermining his claim as most powerful wolf, versus passing up an advantageous match for his son by continuing the omega charade. "
We all took a big swig of our drinks at his words. We were probably all on borrowed time until pack politics and drama sucked us right back into the type of bullshit we left Utah over.
"No matter what happens, we’re together in this," Mom said, giving me one of her soft smiles and stroking my hair. "We’ve made a good life here in Shreveport so far, and nobody is going to take that from us, okay?"
I hoped she was right.
I stepped out of our car in the school parking lot the next morning, sunglasses down and iced coffee in hand.
Harriet appeared at my side immediately, having pulled into the lot a minute earlier than we did.
She was looking fierce in stiletto ankle boots, and her short hair was freshly bleached and braided against her scalp. Her dark red lipstick was on point.
I wore my black combat boots with my uniform today since I was in the mood to kick some faces in.
I’d flat ironed my hair stick-straight and pulled it into a high ponytail.
My long, tanned legs were freshly shaved and lotioned, and my eyeliner was just a little thicker than usual.
I had bright pink lip stain on that wouldn’t have to be touched up until after lunch.
Ben stepped up to my other side, looking like the golden god he was in his perfectly tailored uniform.
The scene in the lot was a repeat of yesterday morning.
The Elites and the Alphawhore fan club congregated at the front of the lot, most of the group generally content to ignore us as well as everyone else around them.
We got haughty stares from Ice Man, Man Bun, and Nerd Porn more than once. Nikka was clutching Knox’s side while his hand was on her ass, and she was distracted enough by him that she hadn’t noticed our arrival.
A smattering of other shifter students had thrown us some curious looks, but otherwise everyone just went about their business.
The bell rang.
"How are you feeling, Mave?" Harriet asked as we marched in, chins up.
"Better than yesterday," I said honestly. "It’s still a mess inside of me, but as long as each day is a little bit better than the day before, it won’t be forever until everything is okay again."
Ben kissed the top of my head before he and Harriet broke away on the second floor. "Love you, Magic. Remember: punch first, ask questions later."
I chuckled. He knew I could never forget that.
I stalked into my English class on the third floor and headed for my seat in the back corner. I was fiddling with my tablet when Blake dropped into the seat to my left. I glanced at him, raising an eyebrow in question since someone else definitely sat there yesterday.
He just gave me a sexy smirk, then said, "This is my seat now."
I couldn’t help it when he dragged a little smile out of me, which made him smile wider. Then he dug his tablet out of his backpack and faced the front. He didn’t try to pry about what the hell had happened to me yesterday. He just seemed content to sit next to me in silence.
Mason had also arrived and was sitting sideways in his chair, chatting with a shifter boy in the row next to his.
In the minute that passed before the final bell rang, I caught him glaring at me and at Blake several times.
Blake must’ve noticed at one point because his expression turned hard, and he glared right back at Mason.
It was pretty wild—I didn’t know Blake well but in my few interactions with him, I’d found him to be pretty easy going.
But he had given Mason a real, honest-to-Moon death stare, and I’ll be damned if that little act of solidarity didn’t ease the swirling inferno of pain and nausea that lived in my chest, just a little bit.
Class passed without further incident. After the bell rang, I stood and started down the aisle, Blake falling in close behind me. Mason had paused at the front of the room to just… frown at me, then he left.
Geez, Moody Mc-Man Bun. What is his problem?
"I’d offer to kick his ass for you, but I’m confident you don’t need my help in that department," Blake whispered over my shoulder.
A little pang of warmth hit my chest.
I turned and gave him a small smile. "You would be absolutely correct about that. It’s like you’ve known me forever."
He moved up beside me as we walked into the hallway. "No, I’m pretty sure I’ve never known anyone like you before. To be determined, Wild Girl."
He disappeared into the sea of students, and I made my way down to the second floor for Shifter History.
Blake had said a mere three sentences to me in the last hour, and yet he’d managed to pull three real smiles out of me.
Each time was like a little balm to my emotional wounds.
I found myself hoping he’d like to at least be my friend, even if we never did have cramped, messy sex in my car.
I kept my three Blake smiles close to my heart while I walked into Shifter History, using them as a shield since I’d have to sit in confined quarters with Knox and his minions.
Harriet kept me distracted by sending TikToks to my tablet while the senior shifters all filed into the room.
There was Mason, keeping an eye on me. Thad and Knox both seemed content to ignore me, other than the fact that Knox decided to put on a show with Nikka by shoving his tongue down her throat before they sat at their desks.
Helen kicked off class with a lecture on the history of some of the great wolf packs of the twentieth century and how they were slowly formed from wolves that had been scattered across the country.
As communication tools and technology advanced, so did the ability of wolves to contact each other and organize into the larger community pack structures we see today.
Helen wrapped up her lecture and opened the floor to questions. My stomach dropped when Nikka raised her hand with a shit-eating grin on her face.
"Helen, I was wondering if we could change topics for a minute. I think some of us are wondering about Moon-blessed fated mates. I, for one, was wondering if it’s normal for a wolf to be rejected by a fated mate. I mean, sometimes a potential mate can be like, defective, right?"
Well, subtlety was definitely not her strong suit. Even Knox gave her a pissed-off look.
Helen glanced at me for a second and looked super uncomfortable. No doubt she had heard what happened since the whole rejection theatrics happened in front of Coach Ryan. He’d have told the other shifter faculty.
She cleared her throat. "Ah, well, Miss Parker, I can’t really speculate on the specifics of any real-life fated mate pairings.
I personally haven’t ever known a true fated mate pair, but I do have some knowledge about the legend and magic that applies to the bond, as fated mate pairs have been studied by shifter researchers in the past.
"As far as we know, wolf shifters are the only supernatural beings that may be gifted a ‘fated mate’ pairing by the magic that permeates our world. As you all know, the main source of our magic as wolf shifters is the Moon. It is believed that on rare occasion, the Moon will bless a shifter with a true mate that has the potential to be that wolf’s ideal match, fostering an unbreakable bond of love and devotion. "
She was looking anywhere but at me or Knox during her speech. Props to her, though, for turning a shitty attempt by Nikka to embarrass me into an informative academic lecture.
She continued, "We have records of fated mate pairings between all types of wolves, including Alphas, betas, regular pack members, and even some omegas.
There are of course many pairings between wolves of the same classification, but there are also just as many between wolves of different power classes.
Sameness of power appears to be only one factor considered by the Moon in her infinite wisdom when pairing true mates.
"I do recall, though, that throughout recorded history, fated mate pairings do tend to be more common for Alpha wolves than others. Perhaps it is that those wolves who are the strongest with the Moon’s power call to her the most. There is even some supported research that communing with one’s fated mate gives an Alpha wolf a bit of a power boost."
Oh, fuck. Dad did not divulge that little tidbit last night, if he was even aware of it.
I watched the lazy grin slide right off of Knox’s face. Nikka, realizing just how spectacularly her attempt to humiliate me had backfired, had gone very pale. Mason winced, and stared pointedly at Knox.
Thad, ever the nerd, raised his hand. "Helen, can you explain that last point just a bit more? Are you saying there’s a theory regarding a potential boost of Alpha power from a fated mate pairing? Or there’s actual research supporting it? What exactly does that mean?"
I was torn between absolute panic that I’d be getting a lot more attention from Knox after this revelation and trying really hard not to lose my shit laughing hysterically at the worried looks on the faces of the Elites.
"I’m not entirely sure, Mr. James," Helen replied.
"I seem to recall from the books detailing these studies that some of the more powerful Alpha fated mate pairings reported, anecdotally of course, that time spent physically with their mate seemed to increase or help bolster their access to Alpha power.
I just remember an interview with an Alpha from decades ago where he said he always, ah.
.. laid with his mate before any dominance challenge or anticipated fight. "
That was it for me. I doubled over in my chair, shoved my face into my arms, and shook with laughter. Harriet had to pat my back a few times to get me to snap out of it. I finally sat up and wiped the tears from my face, sucking in a few deep breaths.
Everyone was staring at me, and wow did the Elites look mad.
What’s the matter, boys? Did you figure out that your future Alpha might’ve just completely fucked up a chance at becoming more powerful by throwing away his mate like garbage?
I pulled my shit together.
“I am so sorry, Helen," I said, solemnly. "That was inappropriate. I just couldn’t help but be extremely… amused observing some of the other students take in your informative lecture."
Harriet snorted this time. Helen, to her immense credit, was trying very hard to stifle a smile.
"That’s quite alright, Miss Fortune. I hope you found the information useful."
I smiled at her. "I did, but not as useful as our future Alpha probably found it."
A few gasps and some laugh-covering coughs sounded. I was probably taking it a little too far and would pay for it later, but Knox deserved this. He deserved a little panic and embarrassment in front of a few of his friends after what he did to me yesterday in front of every shifter in school.
He turned and gave me a truly hateful look, which looked terrible on his pretty face.
I just smiled back at him, taking a page from Ben’s guide to pissing off your haters.
Whatever energy I’d exerted laughing my ass off and rubbing Knox’s face in his mistakes had also worked to soothe my aching chest a little further.
The bell rang, and Harriet and I darted from the room before anyone could stop us.