by Jayme Morse
Samara knew that she should feel relieved that Jason was here because it meant that their plan was probably going to work, but instead she felt annoyed and sickened by his presence. The guy standing in front of her – that half of the girls in the school were batting their eyelashes at – was nothing but a monster. A sick, twisted monster that didn’t deserve to live. Samara was going to have to keep telling herself that; it would make killing him so much easier.
Laughter erupted from Jason and his friends as they shouted. “Hey, Colby Jack! Maybe you should be a male stripper! I bet the other guys would love to get lap dances from you!”
Samara found herself gritting her teeth. No one messed with her pack. “You’d probably be the first one in line for a lap dance,” she shot at Jason. Turning to Colby, she said, “Ignore him, Colbs. You’re an awesome dancer!”
Out of the corner of her eye, Samara noticed that a few girls were shooting her death glares. It made her think that they were interested in Colby, and they were jealous that she was interfering. To prove to them that she wasn’t interested in Colby, she pressed her body closer to Luke’s.
Feeling his rock-hard chest press against her, Samara was reminded of just how attracted she was to him. Not that she had ever forgotten, but with all of the other crazy things going on in her life, there had been little time for her to appreciate the chemistry and tension between them. His body was warm and strong.
Next to him, Samara couldn’t help but feel a sense of safety. Even though she couldn’t wash away the nerves and fear that she felt about tonight, she knew that Luke wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her.
When the next song came on, Luke pulled away from her. “Do you want some punch?” he asked.
“Sure,” Samara replied. As Luke headed to the refreshment table, Samara glanced over at Emma. She was dancing with Troy, who seemed to be inattentive. The look on Emma’s face told Samara that she had picked up on it, and that she wasn’t having a good time.
Emma caught Samara’s gaze and motioned for her to come over to her. Samara went over and Emma said, “Come to the bathroom with me?”
Samara followed Emma to the bathroom. Once they were inside, Emma’s eyes glistened with tears. “Something is going on with Troy, but I can’t figure out what. Yesterday, he told me that he already booked the hotel room. Tonight, he told me that he forgot.” Emma looked at herself in the mirror. “Do I look okay? Is my dress not sexy enough?”
Samara gave Emma a sympathetic look. She really did feel bad for Emma. So much of her life revolved around what guys thought of her. Samara always figured it was because she had never had a real father figure in her life; Emma had never met her dad, and her stepfather pretty much ignored her. Being an only child without a male role model to teach her how she was supposed to be treated by the men in her life had to have been difficult for her. “You look fine. I don’t know what his deal is, but me and Luke both thought he was being a jerk to you earlier about the corsage. I think you should just dump him. You can do so much better.”
“You’re probably right.” Sighing, Emma dabbed at her eyes for a tissue. “Thank God for waterproof makeup.”
“Are you ready to go back to the dance now?” Samara asked.
Emma nodded and opened the door to the ladies’ room. When Samara stepped out, she froze.
She was standing face-to-face with Declan.
Chapter 20
****
“Uh, hi,” Declan grunted, a hardened expression crossing his face. He was looking at Emma, but from the stiffness of his body – which made it look like he was stuck in quicksand – told Samara that he had definitely seen her.
“Did you come with a date?” Emma asked Declan, making casual conversation.
Declan shook his head. “Nope, I’m flying solo.” He lowered his head, looking down at the tiled floor. Samara couldn’t help but think that he looked a little bit depressed . . . or maybe he just hadn’t been prepared to see her face-to-face yet. It was actually kind of surprising that they hadn’t seen each other before now; Declan must have been going out of his way to stay away from her.
Emma glanced back at Samara. “I think I’m gonna give you two a minute alone. See ya later, Dec.”
Declan flashed Emma a smile. Once the clicking of her heels against the tiled floor had faded away, he glanced down at the floor.
“Declan?” Samara thought, making a mental note again that she wanted her thoughts blocked from Luke’s mind. “How are you?”
“Fine,” Declan replied, continuing to look away from her.
“I tried to text and call you. It told me that your phone number was disconnected, though,” Samara said softly.
“Yep,” Declan replied. “I changed my number.”
“Is that because of me?” Samara asked.
Declan finally made eye contact with her. His brown eyes poured through her, and for a moment, Samara felt guilty. She had given up her best friend. She was the one who had decided to go through with this, and she was disappointed that he wasn’t treating her the same way he normally did, the way he treated her when they were best friends. How selfish could she be?
Declan opened his mouth, as though he was going to say something, but before he had the chance to, another pair of eyes fell on her – a pair of green eyes that Samara knew and loved.
“Luke,” Samara stumbled. “Declan and I just ran into each other when I came to the bathroom with Emma.”
Luke just stared back at her, a pained expression on his face. “I’ll bet.” He turned as though he were about to walk away. Suddenly, he turned back around and stood next to Samara, wrapping his arm around her.
Luke looked down the hallway and, when he saw that no one else was around to hear them, he looked at Declan and said lowly, “Stay away from my mate.”
Samara was positive that she heard Luke let out a low growl. She hoped that he would be able to control his anger. The last thing they needed was a wolf roaming the halls of Grandview High School, which would draw even more attention to the town’s wolf problem.
“Stay away from her?” Declan’s normally deep voice shrilled angrily and his face turned an angry shade of red. “She’s the one who called me!”
Samara felt her heart stop at the same time as Luke removed his arm from her waist.
Luke stared at her like she was someone who he didn’t know, a total stranger. “I – I just wanted to tell him what I was telling people about why we’re no longer friends,” Samara said, hoping that her voice sounded convincing. She was telling the truth . . . wasn’t she? “Everyone was asking me questions . . . and I wanted our stories to match up so no one got too suspicious.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me that?” Luke asked. “If that’s the only reason you called him, why didn’t you come to me and tell me that? Why did I have to hear it from him?”
Samara shrugged, knowing that Luke had a point. She should have told him. It wasn’t just about keeping him happy; it was also about pack loyalty. How could any of the pack trust her if she couldn’t be honest with them? “I just didn’t want you to get upset or jealous. I’m sorry.”
“Well, I am upset,” Luke told her. Giving her a hard stare, he walked away from her and out of the building. Great, Samara thought. Not only was she going to have to go through one of the hardest things that she’d ever done in her life tonight, but her mate was mad at her, too.
“So, what are you telling people about why we stopped being friends?” Declan asked.
Samara turned to him and scoffed. Ignoring his question, she said, “I can’t believe that you told him that. Why would you do that?”
“Because I don’t care,” Declan replied, meeting her eyes again. This time, his eyes had taken on a cruel look. “You’re no longer a part of my life. I no longer care what your mate, if that’s what you call him, has to say.”
Samara felt the tears build up behind her eyes. “You don’t care about me?”
Declan looked down at the ground.
“I’ve forced myself to not care about you anymore . . . to not care what you would think. You didn’t think about me when you decided to become an Ima.”
“That’s not fair,” Samara said shifting in her shoes. “My decision had nothing to do with you.”
“No, it had everything to do with me, Sam. That’s what you don’t get,” Declan replied, his voice rising with anger. “Your decision affects us . . . forever. I don’t think you really understood that when you decided that you wanted to be one of them – when you decided that you wanted to be with him instead of me.”
Feeling the tears sliding down her cheeks, Samara turned away from Declan and began walking down the hallway, trying to figure out how she could make Luke forgive her.
“Samara?” Declan called. “You didn’t tell me what you’re telling people.”
Samara turned around and, in the harshest voice she could manage, told him, “I said that you were acting pathetic because you couldn’t get over the fact that I’m with Luke and not with you.”
She turned around quickly so that she didn’t have to witness the pained expression on Declan’s face.
*
Luke was sitting on the ground outside when Samara walked up to him. “You’re going to mess up your suit,” she said.
Luke shrugged. “Doesn’t really matter. I own it.”
“Well, in that case,” Samara said, sitting down on the grassy mound next to him. “I don’t care about my dress either.”
Luke looked over at her, his green eyes glimmering in the bright light that was casted by the full moon. “I care about you,” he said softly.
“I care about you, too,” Samara replied. “More than you could know. I’m sorry about the Declan thing . . . I really am, but I promise . . . it doesn’t change my feelings for you.” Looking at the sky, she sighed. “Declan was my past. You are my present and future.”
He wrapped his arm around her, pulling him in closer to her. Samara shivered at his touch; his warm hands felt strong against her back, and, for a second, she wished more than anything that they didn’t have to deal with tonight, that they could just go back to Colby’s house and hold each other until they fell asleep. Luke smiled. “That’s relieving to hear.”
“I just really didn’t want my dad or Emma to catch on and start asking questions,” Samara explained. “I’ve been trying to act as normal as possible lately, but it’s getting hard. Eventually, someone in my life is going to put two and two together. I want to be able to tell them on my own time, though.”
“I understand,” Luke replied quietly. “Just please be more honest with me in the future, okay?”
Samara nodded. “I will.”
“We have a big night ahead of us. I really didn’t want us to be angry with each other before all of this goes down,” Luke added.
“Me either. I’m really nervous,” Samara admitted.
“Don’t worry,” Luke said, reaching for her hand and giving it a small squeeze. “I’ll be there by your side the whole time. I’ll keep you safe.”
Samara gave him a small smile. She wasn’t about to admit that having him there wasn’t going to ease her worries. Tonight, she was going to have to remember everything that all of the guys from her pack had taught her – and find a way to control her nerves.
“I probably should have brought something to change into,” Samara said aloud. “If I have to kick some werewolf ass, I’d rather not be phasing with a Homecoming dress on.”
Luke laughed. “Maybe so, but changing into clothes might clue Jason in. We can’t let him know that this was planned until Josh makes his move. We need to catch him off guard.”
Samara nodded. “We will. I know we can do this.”
“Me, too,” Luke replied. “With an Alpha like you, we can’t go wrong.”
Doing what she had wanted to do all night, Samara leaned into him. Wrapping her arms against his neck, she pressed her lips against his, kissing him hungrily.
There was a chance that this could be their last kiss, that one of them could get killed tonight, so she had to make it count.
Samara felt both of their bodies light up like fireworks as they kissed each other passionately. Even though she knew that she had to break away, that they had to get this show on the road, it felt like there was a magnetic force between them, holding them in place.
Finally, Samara pulled back and slid her iPhone out of the silver clutch bag that Emma had lent her and glanced at the time. It was nine o’clock. Only a half hour until this was all going to go down, and Samara had to be ready for it.
Chapter 21
****
When it got closer to nine thirty, Luke stood up and pulled Samara to her feet. Holding her hand, Luke led her from the football field to the woods that were nestled behind Grandview High.
The forest was shadowed by the canopy of trees that it was covered by. It was well lit by the light from the blood moon. She wasn’t positive, but she thought that the blood moon shone brighter in the night sky than other full moons. Hopefully that was a good sign for what they were about to do.
Glancing behind the trees, Samara noticed that all of the other guys had already arrived and that they were all hiding. They all knew that there was a risk that Jason might pick up on their scents. If Jason brought it up, Josh was going to mention that the Ima had recently passed through the woods.
“Come here,” Luke whispered, crouching behind a large oak tree. Samara ducked down beside him, keeping her eyes on the lit up clearings in the woods. She looked at the time on her cell phone again. It was nine twenty-eight.
At nine thirty exactly, Samara heard footsteps crunching on the old leaves that covered the ground, and a face appeared in between the trees. It was Josh. He had arrived on time.
Josh glanced around, scanning the woods, and gave the signal to let them all know that he couldn’t see any of them. She breathed a sigh of relief. They were all well-concealed. Jason wouldn’t see them.
Even if he did see them, Samara knew that it would still be okay. The members of the adult Ima pack that was led by Mr. Jackson were all hiding deeper in the woods, so that if anything were to happen, Samara’s pack would have backup. It made her feel relieved to know that they had protection, if necessary, but she was hoping that they wouldn’t need it. Hopefully, everything would go smoothly enough on its own.
Samara heard the sound of footsteps again. Looking up, she noticed that Jason had cut through a grassy shortcut that led into the woods. He seemed calm and collected – not like his guard was up or that he suspected anything, which made Samara feel relieved. The longer he didn’t know they were there, the more likely everything would go according to plan. Maybe Samara was panicking over nothing; everything was going to be fine . . . she hoped.
Jason’s tall, muscular body was covered by the darkness of the trees that loomed over him. As the shadows crossed over his face, Samara felt goose bumps shoot down her spine and the hair on her arms prickle up.
“So, tell me, Josh,” Jason began, smoothing out the black suit he had been wearing to Homecoming, “what brings us here?”
“I wish to become an Ima,” Josh replied. Even though Josh looked confident, Samara swore she had heard his voice crack. Luke placed a hand on Samara’s knee. She noticed that it was shaky and covered his hand with her own.
“What?!” Jason asked, his voice rising. “Why would you want to do something as moronic as that?”
“Because I don’t want to be a part of your pack. You and I are nothing alike.”
Jason scoffed loudly. “We came from the same womb . . . we share the same father. We were born minutes apart. Like hell we have nothing in common!”
“Perhaps,” Josh agreed. “I’m not arguing that we share the same DNA. But we’re not alike, you and me. You live to kill. I am the opposite. I want peace and serenity. I want to be on a good pack . . . a pack with nice people that treat each other like family. I want to be an Ima.”
Jason scoffed again, this t
ime the moonlight reflecting against the anger that flashed through his nearly black eyes. “You think the Ima are good? You think Samara McKinley is good? Wait until she gets a taste of the power she’s capable of, once she sees what it does when it runs through her veins more freely than it does now. Samara McKinley is going to become power hungry, and then you’ll be grateful that you’re a Vyka. We’re going to stop this bitch – because that’s all she is, a female dog – from taking over the world.”
Josh stood there silently for a minute, as though he were processing everything that his twin brother had just told him. Finally, he said, “No . . . you’re wrong. You’re the one who wants to take over the world.”
Jason’s white teeth glowed in the moonlight as his lips twisted into a sinister smile. “And you’re going to help me do it. I’m not allowing you to leave our pack. You will not become an Ima.” The emphasis that he put on Ima made it sound like a dirty word, a word that he despised. Samara felt herself gritting her teeth.
“What you don’t understand is that I don’t need your permission,” Josh replied, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out something that looked like a piece of paper – something that Samara couldn’t identify in the darkness of the night.
“What is that?” Jason asked, an annoyed tone in his voice.
“If you must know, it’s a family picture,” Josh replied. He tilted his head to the moon and shouted, “I sacrifice my family. In exchange, I wish to be granted the ability to leave the Vyka and become an Ima.”
Samara held back the gasp that had caught in the back of her throat. She didn’t know what she had been expecting Josh to sacrifice, but she never would have guessed that it would be his family. Did sacrificing his family mean that he would never be able to talk to them again? Did he really want to never speak to either one of his parents again just to become an Ima?
Samara didn’t know Jason and Josh’s parents. She assumed that there was good in them somewhere, though. After all, Josh was a great guy. That had to come from at least one of his family members.