Deadly Crush (Deadly Trilogy, Book 1)

by Ashley Stoyanoff

  “Nothing has changed,” Dominic said icily. “We aren’t friends. I have always tolerated you for Jade’s sake only. I can see through you, Jeff. You only want her to know because you want her to hate Aidan more than she is going to hate you when she finds out what you are and what you’ve done.”

  Jeff bolted up from the bed. Red rushed to his cheeks and he balled his fists. “I haven’t done anything!”

  Dominic slid off the desk and stretched lazily before he closed the distance between them. “I watched you do it,” he snarled and then hauled off and punched Jeff. Jeff grunted and he dropped back onto the bed, out cold.

  CHAPTER 21

  ~ JADE ~

  I’m a werewolf.

  I laughed. I’d been laughing since I heard Aidan drive away. Marcy was sitting on the couch looking at me as if I was a nut case, and well, I probably was. This wasn’t really something to laugh about, but the irony of me becoming a werewolf, well, it was just funny in a sick kind of way.

  Once Aidan left, Marcy had promptly showed Trevor to the bathroom so he could get cleaned up and then she had made her way back to me. The cut was supposedly from screwing around with some of the guys, but I wasn’t sure if I believed him. When he’d said it, his heart rate had picked up, and the scent that pulsed from him smelled like a lie. It was tangy and salty and it just didn’t feel … true. But whether he was lying or not, didn’t really matter.

  I sat in Dad’s recliner, feet up, arms sprawled over the armrests, staring at a lot of nothing. My stomach was starting to ache, but the laugher just kept coming. I figured it was a form of shock, although it really didn’t feel anything like shock.

  “Jade, what the hell did he mean about you smelling like sex?” Marcy blurted out. She was clasping and unclasping her hands nervously as she watched me.

  My laughter died fast, and my cheeks burned. “Um … well … dammit, Mac, if you hadn’t shown up …” I let my words fall short, and heat flushed over my skin. I didn’t want to admit what he’d done to me, just by being in the room, or how much I wanted to run after him right then.

  “You want him?” she asked, and her eyebrows shot up. “After the coffee shop, you still want him?”

  I sighed and something pressed against my stomach, as if it was trying to chew its way out. “More than ever, and I hate it. He makes my body burn and tingle.”

  “Maybe it’s part of the change,” she offered. I thought she was trying to be helpful but she wasn’t. There was so much disgust in her voice that I felt sick for even considering him.

  “It’s not part of the change, but it is normal,” Trevor said, walking into the living room. He glanced at me, just a quick look, before he dropped his gaze to the ground and made his way over to sit with Marcy. He had scrubbed the dried blood off his face and had replaced his torn sweater with one of my dad’s zip-up hoodies.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Marcy shouted.

  “Mac, I’ve had a bad day,” Trevor snapped. “Don’t push me.” He went to put his arm around her and she smacked it away.

  “You’ve had a bad day?” she said, jumping up from the couch and glaring down at him. “My best friend is turning into a werewolf. She’s lusting after some jackass alpha. My boyfriend thinks he has a right to treat me like dirt. You think you had a bad day? Stop being so goddamn selfish, Trevor, and answer my damn question.”

  I bit back another laugh. I wanted to jump up and clap. It wasn’t often that Marcy got mad, but when she did, it was an awesome sight. And for her to finally tell off Trevor, well, I had never thought it would happen. Her petite frame was all puffed out, and she balled her fists. She looked as if she was ready to haul off and punch him.

  “When there is an unclaimed male alpha, female wolves get a bit crazy,” Trevor said, looking up at her with barely concealed rage. He held her stare for a moment before he shifted it to me. “Jade, your inner-wolf is reacting to him. It’s natural.”

  “Clearly, I’m missing something,” Marcy said with a noisy huff. She dropped down beside Trevor again, and this time when he tried to pull her into his arms, she let him, but then that was Marcy. She didn’t know how to stay mad, and Trevor knew it. I was a bit disappointed.

  “Why did Erika come after me and why did she call me her alpha?” I asked, once they were settled. Marcy cuddled into his side and rested her cheek on his chest as if she hadn’t just blown up at him.

  “She did?” Trevor asked, as if his brain couldn’t understand what I was saying.

  “Yeah, and Aidan kind of freaked out about it. He said I wasn’t an alpha and I needed to learn my place.”

  Trevor chuckled. “He’s threatened.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said with a groan. Aidan, threatened? I didn’t believe it. Not for a second.

  Trevor shook his head and chuckled again. “You don’t get it. You make him nervous. You make all of us nervous. Even before you were bitten, you’ve always projected power. You’ve always been dominant. It’s why you’ve never been recruited. Ray didn’t want someone who would stand up to him. And everyone knew if you were changed, you’d make your way into the alpha pair.”

  “The alpha pair?” Marcy questioned before I could, and shifted her head so she could look up at him.

  “Packs have alpha pairs, or they’re supposed to,” Trevor said, as he brushed some hair out of her eyes. “Two alphas. One male and one female. We’ve never really had that.” He shrugged a little as he looked back at me. “There’s always been an alpha pair, but the females have constantly cowered behind the males.”

  “Hold up,” Marcy said, and sat up a little. “Are you trying to say that Jade’s the alpha?”

  “Not yet, but I think she could be.”

  Marcy looked at me with wide eyes, and she made a gurgling sound from the back of her throat, as she choked on whatever she was about to say. She started to cough, a wet and painful sound, and Trevor rubbed circles into her back.

  I sat up slowly, pushing on the footrest of the recliner until it clicked, locking into place. I was pretty sure that this was where I was supposed to crack. I sure felt like I was going to crack. Me … an alpha. The idea was almost laughable … almost, and if it weren’t for the rush of energy that shot through me at the thought, I probably would have actually laughed. And what the hell was an alpha pair? I had an idea of what that might entail, and I was suddenly a bit ashamed, enough that my skin began to tingle at the thought of being paired with Aidan.

  I stood up abruptly. I needed air. It was too hot. I was starting to sweat. It beaded up on my forehead and ran down my back. I spun on my heels without a word and darted for the door.

  Trevor got there before I did. “Where are you going?” he asked. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the door.

  “Out,” I snapped and tried to shove him out of the way. It was like trying to move a thousand pound boulder; he didn’t move an inch.

  “I can’t let you do that, Jade,” he said with more than a little caution. He eyed me hesitantly.

  “You’re going to stop me?” I growled, and I was stunned at the viciousness that coated my voice.

  Trevor unfolded his arms and grabbed my shoulders firmly, pushing me back a step. “Jade, don’t make me call Aidan back here. He has more important things to deal with than your change.”

  That hurt. Really hurt. Even if I didn’t want to admit it, part of me wanted to be the most important thing on Aidan’s mind. I deflated like a popped balloon.

  I didn’t go out. Not because I thought Trevor would actually stop me if I pushed the issue (or at least that’s what I had been telling myself) but because I knew if I had left the house, I would have ran to him, and I really didn’t want to do that. I sent Dominic a slew of text messages, begging him to come over, but he still hadn’t replied.

  Marcy had given up trying to talk to me hours ago. She was curled up on my bed, snoring softly, and Trevor lay beside her. He pretended to sleep, but I knew he wa
sn’t. I could feel him watching me through slitted eyelids.

  I sat on the window seat in my room, watching the stars slowly fade into the gray-blue sky of predawn. My bones ached, but in a good way. I could feel the change coming, and it scared me. It had only been about forty hours since I had been bitten. The change shouldn’t have been happening this quickly. But it was.

  I had expected it all to be unbearably painful. It had always sounded painful. Bones snapping and reshaping. But each time a bone began to crack, a rush of steamy adrenaline pumped through me. It was like a high and I was actually starting to crave it. So far, only a few bones here and there had tried to reshape, but as soon as they snapped, they quickly mended back in place.

  My stomach was a tender ball of knots, and every few minutes a burst of heat rushed over my skin as course hair sprung out and receded again. My nails were the only thing that stayed constant. They had morphed into claws about an hour ago and had yet to change back.

  “We should go outside,” Trevor whispered, sitting up, and sliding off the bed, careful not to wake Marcy. “I’ve been timing it. It’s only about seventy seconds between each break now.”

  “I’m not ready,” I said, looking back out the window. During the last twenty minutes, an increasing number of wolves had been gathering along the edge of the woods in my backyard. At first, it was just one, a rusty brown one that sat at the edge of the tree line watching my window. But as the minutes ticked by, more gathered.

  “You are ready, Jade,” he said, although I didn’t believe him. I rolled my eyes dramatically, and he laughed a little awkwardly. I knew Trevor didn’t like me, and I couldn’t stand him most of the time, but it was kind of nice having him here. He shuffled in place for a second and then grinned at me. “You’re going to make an awesome werewolf. You just need to let it out,” he said, as he fished his cell phone out of his pocket.

  “What are you doing?” I jumped up from the ledge and rushed over to him as he tapped the screen. Panic gripped at my throat, and my heart jumped in my chest.

  “Calling Aidan. He …”

  “No, please don’t call him,” I said, a little desperately, cutting him off. “Trevor, please.”

  He cut me an apologetic look and raised his hands helplessly. “He told me to call him when you started to shift, Jade. I don’t have a choice. I can’t ignore a direct order from him. He’ll throw me out of the pack.”

  Right then, I caught a scent. It was a scent that I knew, one that I would have recognized anywhere, and one that made sparks race over my skin, and birds take flight in my stomach. I looked back out the window and my breath caught in my throat. “He’s already here,” I whispered, locking eyes with the black wolf.

  CHAPTER 22

  ~ JADE ~

  He howled to me. The sound wrapped around me, and warmth pooled in my stomach. My heart fluttered for a second and then drummed fast in my chest. I was transfixed, unable to look away from his midnight black coat. Behind him stood at least fifteen other wolves, all a mix of browns and grays and whites, and they joined in his song.

  The black wolf looked up through my window. His golden eyes searched my face, and then he tilted his head back, and let out another skin tingling howl.

  “It’s time, Jade,” Dominic said, and he placed a hand on my shoulder. I jumped. I hadn’t heard him come in, but darn it, I was glad he was here. “You need to pick.”

  “Pick what?” I asked, and my voice shook. I looked up at him and my eyes burned with the threat of impending tears. Everything was falling into place and falling apart at the same time. I was becoming what I hated most, but by becoming that, I was also getting back what I wanted most: Dominic.

  He smiled a crooked smile and took my hand, pulling me up from my seat. “He’s giving you the choice to pick the pack. Aidan brought them for you.”

  “I … I don’t understand,” I stammered and snuck another quick look at the black wolf.

  Dominic reached out and tucked some loose hair behind my ears. “Every wolf has a choice. Pack or solo. It’s simple. You can walk away from us or you can join us.”

  I glanced back out the window. My skin was crawling and my face was starting to feel … wrong. Different. I could feel the coarse hair poking out along my arms and the pressure on my bones. The wolves continued to sing below me, and the sound of them called to me. It was as if they were calling to me and only me. Asking me to join them. Waiting for me to sing with them. And every fiber in my body wanted exactly that. To be a part of them. I wanted to throw up, and laugh, and scream, and cry.

  “Um, Jade …” Marcy’s voice was shrill, and as I looked over at her, she scurried back on the bed. “You have a muzzle.”

  ~ AIDAN ~

  Maybe I was wrong about Jade. Maybe she wasn’t ready. But the truth was, whether she was ready or not, I couldn’t wait any longer. She was vulnerable until she shifted, and I couldn’t worry about her not being able to defend herself.

  I had rounded up as many pack members as I could, hoping that with this many wolves present, her inner-wolf would respond to them. But having them here meant leaving very few watching the perimeter of Dog Mountain.

  I tilted my head back and let another long howl out. I waited, listening to my pack calling her, for what felt like forever. I was about ready to give up, but then I heard it. The click of a door. The soft drop of clothes onto the ground. A gasp. A moan. A grunt. The pat of paws on cement.

  And then I was flying through the air, and crashing onto the ground.

  She stood over me. Her fur was black as pitch and her eyes, a brilliant gold. She grinned, a toothy grin, and hopped a little, ready to play.

  The pack was silent, and the tension was thick. Her scent was powerful, sharp. I rolled back up to my paws, and shook the grass from my coat. My scent ramped up a notch, and a chorus of whimpers filled the air. But Jade … she didn’t back down. I straightened, and I let a warning growl rumble from my chest. My lips curled up and my eyes widened.

  She cocked her head to the side as if she didn’t understand, and I growled again. I needed her to fall in line. She had to choose to follow me. She had to choose the pack. I wished I could speak to her. I wished she would grasp it. But she nudged me again, nipping playfully at my side.

  ~ JADE ~

  I thought Aidan was trying to tell me something, but I couldn’t focus on it. His scent was wonderful. Powerful. Perfect. And all I wanted to do was run and play and rub against him. I had so much energy. Too much energy. It was soaring through me and I couldn’t stand still.

  He seemed … annoyed, and I wished he would stop growling at me. The tension that rolled off the other wolves was suffocating and he was only making it worse. Each time he growled, they would whimper and shrink further away from us.

  And I didn’t want them to go.

  I nosed his side, and he snapped at me. He growled again, louder, longer, and my insides shivered at the sound.

  I stood a bit straighter and pushed my ears forward. I growled and snapped back at him. I want to play. Why wasn’t he getting it? It was so frustrating.

  Aidan shivered. I could see it move along his fur. It was amazing. Tantalizing heat surged through me. He growled again and I growled back.

  Aidan took a step closer to me, his canines bared, and he snarled. His scent changed then. It became stronger and something in me trembled. He barked and followed it by another growl that made my knees shake. A voice in my head screamed at me to stay standing, but my knees started to buckle, and with each second, it was harder to hold his stare. I felt my head dropping inch by slow inch.

  Something tore into my skin. I yelped, and tried to jump away. My flesh ripped. It felt as if a bunch of little and very sharp knives were stabbing into my hip over and over. The silence was painfully loud, all the growling and howling stopped. The knives bit into my flesh again, and a snarl exploded from me.

  The copper scent of blood drifted up my snout. I pivoted on my hind legs, my right side burned, and I c
ame face to face with a dirty-gray wolf. Her lips were curled back and blood — my blood — covered her teeth and dripped from her muzzle.

  Sounds of a scuffle rang out from behind me, but I didn’t take my eyes off of the wolf in front of me. She crouched down, snarling and snapping at me. I tried to mimic her movements, but my backend hurt so badly. I could feel the warm trickle of blood run down my leg, and matting my fur.

  She lunged at me, tackling me to the ground. I landed on my back with a breathtaking thud, and her teeth came at me, aiming for my neck. I kicked out, my back paws planted in her stomach, and I kicked her off of me before her teeth could sink into my neck, and I pushed back up on all fours.

  I could barely put weight on my injured leg. I didn’t understand what was happening. Dominic had said they had come to welcome me. Why wasn’t he helping me? And where was Aidan? The gray wolf was circling around me, and she looked as if she was ready to jump on me again.

  What’s happening? a voice in my head shrieked. Why were they letting her do this to me?

  I snarled at her, and for a split second she froze and her eyes widened. But then she growled and came at me again.

  I stood my ground for two reasons. One: Dominic told me not to back down from them. And two: I couldn’t run even if I wanted to. I stretched my body, standing as straight and as firmly on the ground as I could, preparing for the impact. I growled, a menacing, and slightly freaked out, sound.

  The gray wolf was barreling toward me with her canines exposed, and my heart was jumping around like a rabbit in my chest. Her teeth sank into my right shoulder and she wrestled me to the ground.