Chapter Six
“Where were you?”
Tru startled hard and dropped the paper bag. The empty plastic container still stained with red spaghetti sauce clattered across the sidewalk.
“Geez, Bay! Why did you scare me like that?” Tru demanded, bending to pick up the container.
“I was sitting here plain as day.” He had a growl to his voice.
With a frown, she studied his face. “Why are you clawed up?” she asked.
“You first. Where were you?”
“Bay—”
“Trudy.”
Whooo, she hated when his teenager attitude came out like this. “I don’t like when you talk to me like this,” she gritted out.
“I don’t like when you’re sneaking around in the middle of the night keeping stuff from me. You’re the one who is always talking about trust.” He stood and gave her his back. “You stink like werewolf.”
Bay disappeared inside, and Tru deflated, heaving a sigh.
That kid sure could piss her off sometimes, but she tried to be understanding.
He was still ramped up from a Change, and he had gotten into a fight with something.
There were gashes across his cheeks and neck, and he was a fast healer. Something hurt him.
She followed him inside. “I went to see Tabian,” she said softly.
“The Rogue from the coffee shop? Come on, Trudy. You’re smarter than that. You learned a lesson with my dad. Surely you’re a more intelligent woman than throwing yourself at another werewolf.”
“Bay!” she snapped. “Don’t talk to me like that, and don’t talk to me about who I decide to spend time with. I’ve given up a lot, haven’t I?” she asked.
He dropped his glowing gold eyes to the floor and didn’t answer.
“Haven’t I?” she asked softer. “He was nice, and open, and introduced me to most of his Pack.”
“Let me guess. Most of them, but not the females?”
“All of the females, who are paired and happy with mates. He’s not a Rogue. Not really. His Alpha kept their Pack together after the Elders dissolved them.”
“We are okay the way we are,” he gritted out, eyes still on the floor.
And she got it. He was just now getting settled into a routine after his father had done what he’d done. She did understand that he didn’t want anything to derail what they’d worked so hard to build.
“I’m lonely.”
“Then date a human.”
“Would you get along with a human?” she asked honestly.
“Who cares what I think, right? You’ll sneak off and meet a whole Pack behind my back the second I’m out of the house.”
“What are you angry with? That I met up with a guy? That he is a werewolf? Or that I didn’t tell you?”
“All of the above!” he barked out.
“What happened out in the woods?” she asked.
“What do you care?” he asked low. “You didn’t answer a single one of my text messages.”
“I was driving.”
“Never stopped you before.”
“Bay, I really hate when you talk to me like this.”
“Go whine about it to Tabian.”
“Bay!”
“You’re not my mom, Trudy. Do whatever the fuck you want to!”
He stormed into his room and slammed the door. She flinched with the sound of it and closed her eyes, praying for patience.
She had missed the small years, where they were supposed to build a bond and where he learned to respect her as a mother figure, and now she was trying to play catch-up with a sixteen-year-old, testosterone riddled, wolf-driven teenager with abandonment issues and a dad who hadn’t taken the time to teach him how to be a werewolf.
“Hey, Bay?” she asked, knocking softly at his door.
“Go away.”
“You didn’t take my car tonight. How did you get there?”
“Ride share dropped me at the mouth of the park. I ran back.”
That was way too risky, but she couldn’t push him right now.
“Hey, next time, you can just take my car, okay? I’m saving up for a truck for you.
I really am. I have two thousand dollars in your savings account.
I don’t want you doing ride shares anymore when you’re that close to going wolf. You could hurt someone.”
“Trudy! Go. Away!”
She pursed her lips against an angry retort, but as she turned to walk away, she heard something that sucked the fury directly from her chest. It was a small, hitched breath that said Bay was crying.
Shit.
“I’m going to make you food, boy,” she told him.
“I don’t need anything from you or from anyone!” he yelled, but she could hear it in his voice. He was all choked up.
It was one in the morning, and she was in the kitchen heating up the oven to cook him an entire pan of pizza rolls. It wouldn’t fix anything. After a Change, he was always emotional, and angry, but he didn’t have the tools to tell her what was wrong. She suspected his wolf was lonely.
And she, a human woman, hadn’t a guess.
She cooked the pizza rolls and then poured them into a pile on a paper plate, then brought them to the door. She knocked softly and said, “Food.”
He didn’t answer.
“I’ll just set it by the door, okay?”
The bed creaked but there was still no answer.
Tru set the plate of pizza rolls, a napkin and one of his orange sodas by the door and then walked away.
Bay’s door creaked open. “Hey, Trudy?” he asked.
She turned tiredly. “Yeah?”
He came out of his room, and his eyes were puffy like he’d been crying pretty good.
He had never let her see him cry though and was very tough.
He wouldn’t like her pointing it out, so she pretended not to notice.
He approached and pulled her in for a hug.
“I’m sorry. I’m…” He released her and stepped back.
“I’m lonely too. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I don’t want to be all alone.”
Ooof, her heart.
He did an about face and scooped up the food and disappeared into his room. She stood there stunned by the moment until his door was shut all the way.
She made her way to this door and pressed her palm against the cold surface. “Kid, I love you.”
He didn’t answer her. He never did. She’d never heard Zane tell him he loved him, so she just figured he had an issue with the word. Didn’t mean he shouldn’t hear it though.
She patted the door and made her way to her bedroom and brushed her teeth in her bathroom, all the while thinking of Bay and what he’d admitted to her.
He rarely hugged her. Tonight had gotten to him, and she would likely never understand the layers he felt around his Changes.
She just hoped that one day he would learn to let her in and talk about it better, so she could try.
Her phone vibrated in her back pocket and she pulled it out.
Tabian had texted. Home safe yet?
A tired smile ghosted her lips, and she spat toothpaste and rinsed her mouth, then messaged him back. Home safe. Send.
I’ll be heading out early in the morning. I’m doing a rush pack job now. I’ll text when I can. Goodnight, Tru.
Tru rested the phone against her chest and looked at herself in the mirror.
She brushed her fingertips against her lips, where he’d kissed her.
She still couldn’t believe that had happened.
She looked…happy. Emotional and tired, but there was also happiness in her eyes.
It was nice to have him check on her after that outburst from Bay.
A part of her wished she could tell him all about it, but that was just her and Bay’s moment, and she didn’t know Tabian well enough to share it.
But there was a tiny part of her that wanted to ask advice from a male werewolf, so she didn’t feel like she was running in circles with her stepson.
Bay would feel betrayed, so instead of asking him for advice, she typed out simply, Goodnight Tabian. Send.