Chapter Thirty-One
We all stepped out of the elevator and made our way to the front desk. The girls decided I couldn’t go downstairs alone, and since we were already there, after this shit show of a conversation, we could go out to eat.
“Jora.” I smiled and gave him a small wave. “How’s your family?”
He smiled wide and pulled out a card, handing it to me. “This is from the twins. They wanted to thank you personally for their birthday gift.
I smiled as I took the card, pulling it back as someone tried to snatch it out of my hand. “Who gives a fuck about this card?” Nina’s snarl frayed the last thread I had in my control. But I slipped the card back to one of the girls, keeping it safe.
“What I do with my card has nothing to do with you. And it’s mine, so I care.” I lifted my brow and tilted my head. “Why do you care so much is the actual question?”
She bared her teeth at me but I stayed calm on the outside. But I could feel my anger rising. She kept pushing my limit and eventually I would snap. “You kept me waiting.”
“And?” I crossed my arms. “We are not friends. I have zero obligation to even come down here to meet you. And you do not live here, so you are not allowed up unless given permission by a resident.” I gestured to the lobby and then to Jora. “Jora, does she have permission to enter the building?”
“No Amy. I explained that to her, but she tried to command me to let her up.” I threw back my head and laughed.
“Are you stupid?” I turned back to Nina.
“First, you have no right to command anyone that works at the school. Even people with lower rank, because the staff are all from the king’s pack.
” I shook my head. “Second, did you really think the king would have Gammas manning the door to his personal home when he is here, that they'd be easy to command and let just the riffraff through? He probably commanded them to follow the strict rules he put in place to protect himself from she-wolves just like you.” Jora snorted and Nina growled.
A few girls laughed, but then someone cleared their throat. “Hey Amy. I came to see if you were okay.”
I turned to face Brandon, and surprisingly, there was no mourning howl from inside of me. “Hello.” I felt my face scrunch up in confusion. “Doing okay? About what?”
“Well, with everything that happened…” He trailed off.
“What do you mean?” I played dumb, but Nina scoffed.
“Your sister told us everything.” She spat as I turned to her in confusion.
“I don’t have a sister.”
“I think she means Shannon,” Brandon offered.
“Oh, how is your girlfriend?” I offered a tight-lipped smile. “I honestly haven’t seen her around. Mainly because I’m in a different program. I live here, and I avoid her at all costs.” Hanna choked on something and Micca patted her back.
“She isn’t my girlfriend.”
“Oh no, you broke up. I’m sorry.” I patted his shoulder as I moved past. “Now, if that is everything you two needed, we are heading to dinner.”
“Can I come?” Brandon’s question was needy, but it was Nina’s words that had me pausing mid step.
“Rowan is choosing his mate, and it will not be you.” The smile in her voice was annoying, but I turned around with a blank face.
“What are you talking about?” Usually this is where Nix would run to the surface, but all that was there was a soft hollow wind whipping through my mind.
Leaving me more desolated than Nina’s words ever could.
Men were just men, but my wolves were choosing to sulk about their men instead of working with me to stay strong, to find a path that we chose to walk.
When I came back, I swore off men and they were with me, but now, now I was alone.
“The king is announcing that he is accepting applications for a mate. The council and he will go through all the choices and then he will pursue them.”
“Okay…” I twirled my hand, asking her to get to the point.
“He will select his mate from the pool of women that enter.” Nina rolled her eyes.
“Get to the point you are so desperately trying to get to.” I looked at my phone screen. “I get it, you’re trying to break me with your words, yadda yadda, but can we speed this up? I’m hungry.”
Nina stomped her foot. “The council has already made the decision that your application won’t find its way into the pool of names.” She smirked and wiggled her shoulders.
I laughed. “That’s your big play?” I walked closer to her and patted her head. “Sweet Nina. You act as if I don’t have the king’s email from class. If I wanted to…well,” I smiled. “I could just send him my application directly.”
Nina snarled, and I laughed. Actually, that gave me an idea. I turned back to the ladies and smiled. “Nina just gave me an amazing idea.”
“What?” She grabbed for me but I danced away and the girls smiled.
I looked back to a stone faced Brandon and had another idea.
So I turned to face Nina. “I wasn’t even going to apply.
I don’t think I am mate material for the king.
” Nina and Brandon smirked. “But since you made such a big deal out of it, Nina. I’m going to apply.
I’m going to get every single she-wolf I know to apply.
” I laughed as she paled. “Fuck it. Let’s even let the men that want to apply, apply.
I’m going to make it so fucking easy for everyone and anyone to apply to being the king’s mate that it ruins what ever fucking plan you have. ”
“You wouldn’t.”
I leaned in with a wolfish grin. “I have no expectations that I would make it past the first draft, Nina.” I shot a look at Brandon, who had a small smile on his lips at the comment.
“But since you came to my home and tried to make me feel small about something, I had no intention of involving myself in, well, let’s just say my wolf won’t let me back down anymore.
” Brandon gave a tiny nod. He understood this sentiment.
“So now. I really need this to sink in. You caused this. But I’m going to finish it.
And I will email the king, to explain to the king that because of you, he will get a flood of emails directly to him with individual applications as his mate.
” I laughed as I walked away. “Hey.” I turned to face her as I continued to walk backwards.
“He is still technically a teacher for my program. Maybe we can work this out so the project can be extra credit.”
I heard her screech as the rest of us walked away. “Are we driving?” Wendy asked as we walked outside.
I shook my head and checked everyone’s feet. They had gotten used to my random runs. They were all prepared. “Let’s run it to the cafeteria. I need to stock up on my meals.” They just nodded and we turned, but Brandon caught up with us.
“Um, hey Amy?”
I rolled my eyes and I waited for the pain to come, but there was nothing. I smiled as I turned. “Yeah?”
“Is it okay if I come to eat with you?”
I wanted to laugh but since Rowan has started his side; I guess I should start with mine.
I opened my eyes a little wider. “Look Brandon. You seem like a nice guy. I know back home we didn’t really know each other and with everything that happened with Shan, I didn’t really give you a fair shake but I really don’t want to have issues with my stepsister.
I don’t like her but we still technically live together. You know.”
He raised his hands. “I know. And I’m sorry I fell for her tricks. I really just want to be friends.”
I could feel the muscles around my eyes wanting to tighten, to frown. Did he really think I was this stupid? But I forced a slightly interested look onto my face. “Friends?” He nodded and the rest of the girls turned away. “Okay then, friends.” I nodded and then took off.
We ran the entire way to the cafeteria and walked into the food line. “Let’s get the food to eat here first. I’ll stock up after.”
“I’m starving.” Hanna moaned as her stomach growled. “I swear your training is getting harder and harder every day.”
Toya laughed as we piled food onto our trays. “Foolish girl, that’s because they are. She is doing it on purpose to build up your conditioning.”
I just laughed as everyone but Brandon turned to face me. “You’re the devil.” Wendy whispered, which only made me laugh harder.
“Sorry girls. But you are all doing so much better than when we first started. We are almost at warrior training level and then the conditioning will level off.”
Micca pointed to me as the cook handed her a bowl of soup. “You swear it?”
I raised three fingers like I’ve seen in human movies. “I swear it.” We all cackled as we thought back to the movie we watched the previous night about zombies and boy scouts.
Brandon smirked and shook his head. I watched him out of the corner of my eye and I remembered why everyone back home wanted to be his mate.
His dirty blonde hair was a little long, a little shaggy and adorable.
His green eyes were clear with a straight nose, and plump lips he was obviously good looking. Too bad he was evil.
He was a rot that needed to be cut away so the rest of our world could flourish.