Chapter Sixteen
Walking back into school I feel agitated, but I realise I only have four months to go.
Once I get my graduation certificate, even though my grades are bad, that's something to brighten up my resume for future jobs.
No one wants a high school dropout working for them.
As I get to my locker, Amelia wraps me in a hug.
“You're back. I'm glad. I've been going crazy,” Amelia huffs.
“I'm not. Glad to see you but not to be here,” I tell her.
“Are you okay?” Her eyes shine with concern.
“I'm fine. Don't worry,” I assure her, knowing she doesn't need added worry in her life.
“Just letting you know, I can see the outline of a bruise on your face,” she whispers.
I sigh. “Dammit, I thought the makeup covered it.”
“Those shitcunts did this to you, didn't they? It was too bad for you to come to school.” Amelia has anger in her eyes.
“It doesn't matter.”
“I don't understand their problem with you.”
“Long story,” I mutter under my breath. She doesn't hear, otherwise she would ask me about it.
“Karma better be real.”
I hope so too. The bell rings and we go to homeroom. The classes go by and then lunch comes around. I go to the table we usually sit at and wait for Amelia. In the meantime, I go on my phone.
“We thought you were dead,” Ember's voice cuts through my silence zone. I look up and see her and the other two beside her.
“Too bad,” I say, dropping my eyes to my phone.
“How'd you get out of the forest?” Mitchell asks.
“None of your business.”
They walk away, which is surprising. Maybe they're stupefied that I survived.
I text Amelia asking where she is and she responds saying she's in the library.
I pick up my bag and make my way to the library where no one ever goes.
Just as I'm about to open the library door, I feel a spark touch my arm and I'm spun around, staring into the wide eyes of Joel.
“Where have you been?” His voice is soft.
“Why do you care?” I pull my arm out of his hold.
“I want to know.”
“Joel, we talked about this. Leave me alone.” I try to walk past him but his hands go to my waist and keep me against the wall.
I lose my breath at our proximity. His eyes bore into mine.
But then I notice his eyes are slightly looking away from mine.
When his hand reaches out and caresses my cheekbone, I realise he's staring at my bruise.
His thumb softly runs over it, making me gasp.
“Are you okay?” His words sound caring but he still chose his girlfriend over me.
“Don't touch me.” I slip out to the side and walk into the library.
I said to myself that I wouldn't let him touch me again because it messes with my emotions. His touch would be my weakness.
***
Driving back to my hotel, I'm still irritated at the way Joel's touch makes me react.
I go inside my room, drop myself on my bed and let out a heavy breath.
I'm not sure how long I lie there but a knock sounds on my door.
I frown. I didn't order any room service.
I open the door and see Axe standing there.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” I ask.
“I've been worried this past week about where you were,” Axe says. “Can I come in?”
“Okay.” I step aside for him to come in then close the door behind him.
“Why didn't you go home?” he asks.
“Because I didn't want to.” I sit down on the bed while he stands in the middle of the room.
“Why?”
I ignore his question.
“Elora, I'm sorry I scared you. I know that's why you left.” He sounds apologetic. “I want you to come back.”
Why would he want me to come back? I thought he was only letting me stay there while I healed.
“No. I like being here,” I say.
“Come on, you can't stay in a hotel. Come back. I lost my temper because it had to do with my mate. It won't happen again.”
Go back to Axe's house where he looks after me but can snap in an instant? Or stay in a hotel for free away from werewolf territory? The smarter choice is obviously the second one. Yet the way Axe is staring at me is making my heart want to make the decision instead of my brain.
“How did you even know I was here?” I change the subject.
“I've been watching the front of your school from afar for the past week, seeing if you would come out, and today you did, so I followed you.”
“Oh,” I murmur, looking down. Why does he care about me? He cared enough to wait for me every day at school to see if I was alright.
“Look, I'm smart enough to know whoever hurt you is in my pack. My first to go to would be your family because you don't want to go there but that seems too easy. You are going to tell me right now who did this to you.”
I sigh. “I don't want to talk about it.”
“Here's the deal, I won't ask you any more questions if you come back and stay. But if you don't, I will show up here every day, questioning you. Let's see how much patience you have because I'll lose mine and use my alpha order on you,” he says, sure of himself.
“Why haven't you used your alpha order on me already then?” I ask. Given he wants to know, he should have already ordered me.
“Because I don't want to force it out of you. I want you to tell me because you trust me.” Axe walks over and sits beside me.
I stare down at the floor, fiddling my fingers in my lap.
Trust is something I've never given to anyone.
Axe places his large hand over both of mine, curling his fingers around my small palm.
“What's the reason you want me to come back?” I whisper.
“I feel the need to protect you like the way I feel about my mate or little sister.”
I look up into his eyes, seeing the honesty in them. His mate and his sister were important people in his life. I'm nobody. So why does he feel the need to protect me?
“Why?”
“I just do.” His brows pull into a frown.
“I don’t want to come back,” I whisper.
“My sister said the same thing to me years ago.” Axe lets out a loud breath, staring off into nothing.
“Why did she say that?” I ask.
“I don't want to talk about the girls I've lost in my life,” he says, his voice firmer.
“Your sister died?” I frown.
“No, when she had just turned eighteen, she met her mate. He's in another pack, so she left. Whenever my parents and I invited her here, she said she didn’t want to come back. She did come back when my mate...” He pauses at the mention of his mate and clears his throat, then changes the subject. “So, will you come back?”