by Belle Harper
“So, you got to school here? What do you do for fun Lexi?” I noticed they way he looked at me, that these questions would be more directed at me than Ada. So I ignored him. And started to talk to Ada about movies. Hoping he would get the hint and leave.
When we had finished our conversation about our English lit assignment, the water had run out and Saint didn’t get the hint to leave, no he just asked a bunch of questions instead. Ada had spoken to him for the two of us, but I didn’t have any interest in speaking to him. He seemed too interested in me. And I didn’t like that. I told her I would refill our water as I looked at the time on my cell. It had only just gone eight and I was bored already.
This party was nothing like the ones I had been to in the past, I watched the girls in the pool. The guys hanging around, laughing and joking. It was as if I was in a movie. The people here had money, and they looked like it too. Picture perfect. I turned and continued on my way to get water.
Inside the Lovell’s house it was white and sterile. I could see the kitchen, it was huge with dark granite bench-tops. I ran my finger along the smooth surface until I reached the tap and refilled our red solo cup. That was when I saw him from the corner of my eye. I jumped slightly not expecting someone to be lurking around in here.
“Leave.” Was all Maverick said to me as he stepped out from around the corner. His dark jeans low on his waist, his long tee held the name of a band I didn’t know and his eyes. They were magical. Such pretty eyes wasted on an asshole like him.
“I was just getting water.” I snapped back. Fuck, I wasn’t doing anything to his precious kitchen. When I turned and started to walk out the door, he growled lowly.
“Leave the party. Leave Kiba.” I clenched my fist as I turned to point at him, my finger hitting him directly in his chest, shit, he was so close to me. He must have followed me, I didn’t even hear him. My skin prickled with nerves.
“Fuck you, I will leave as soon as I can. I didn’t want to be here… the party or Kiba. So don’t worry I will soon be gone. Then you can be a broody asshole to someone other poor girl.”
God he was such a dick, his expression didn’t change, he just took a sip from his cup and stood there like he had all the time in the world for me to rant at him. I stormed off and found that Ada had moved closer to the pool, she was talking to some of the guys there, Saint no longer around.
When I got closer to her an arm wrapped around my neck. I ducked down instantly and removed myself from whoever it was. I turned to see Ranger with a huge grin. He was wearing board shorts and was shirtless. He must be enjoying the pool as he was a little damp still.
“Don’t touch me.” I growled to him. I wasn’t in the mood for his games and after the lovely chat with his brother, I wasn’t in the mood for his shit right now.
“I am sorry Lexi, I won’t do it again.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked to the party goers around me. Was he nervous? No, he was just looking to see if anyone saw me reject him so openly.
“Did you want something to eat? We have plenty of food over here.” he started walking towards a table and pointing at the chips and other items on there. It was if on cue my stomach growled, dang… traitor stomach. Fuck it. I followed him towards the food.
“If you want something else to drink, I can show you were we keep the juice? Or we do have bottled water.” I shook my head. “Tap water is fine.” I took a handful of chips and started to eat them. It was hard to do that without putting my cup down.
“Here let me.” he held his hand out to take my cup but I pulled it towards myself a little too fast that it sloshed over the edge and onto my jeans.
“Oh man, I am so sorry. I keep messing up. Did you want me to get a towel?” gone was the jokester Ranger I had met so many times. He looked unsure of himself. His hands hovered in front not sure what to do. Huh… this was different.
“No, it’s just water.” I moved on and found some strawberries and took a few of those. So good. I grabbed more food and ate while Ranger tried to make small talk, I nodded to keep him distracted while I ate all the pineapple next. Holy crap this stuff was fresh. The sour, yet sweet taste burst in my mouth. Fuck! I want to take this home with me so I could have some later. Share some with Joshy. So good.
“Did you want me to show you around my house?” That question had me realizing it was time to leave. I shook my head and looked for Ada. When I couldn’t see her I quickly walked away from Ranger, I turned to make sure he wasn’t following me. He was in the same spot, but it looked like he was talking to himself now. Crazy… need to keep away from him as well as his brother.
I found the edge of the property, it was quiet over here. Even though I could still see the party close by. It was harder to see me over here in the dark. There was a small fallen log, so I took a seat and drank the rest of the water. The taste of the pineapple still lingered in my mouth. I would have to ask Grayson if we had money for it in the weekly shopping. I bet Josh would love it. And Harry, Jaxon… and Raff.
I heard the snap of a twig behind me and all the hairs on my arms stood up. I slowly turned, my heart racing. I could see the glow of two eyes in the dark forest. The wolf stepped closer to me, my breathing all but stopped. Maybe it would leave, maybe it wouldn’t attack. One more step and I could see it was a red wolf. Was it the same one from outside the kitchen window at Jack and Grayson’s house?
“Good boy.” I whispered, his head tilted slightly at my shaky voice. The scream from a girl had me and the wolf turning to watch one of the guys at the party, he had thrown her into the pool. I took that as my chance to run. The red solo cup dropped from my hand as I ran as fast as I could back towards the party. A few of the guys noticed me and rushed towards me, out of breath I pointed and whispered, “wolf.”
“Don’t worry we will scare him off.” I turned to see Ranger beside me, he smiled just before he ran off for the trees. His cop brother hot on his heels. And I saw three more run into the tree line and disappear. Holy crap, they were braver than me.
Ada found me, I was still shaking, I wasn’t sure if the wolf meant to harm me or not, but I was still a little rattled.
“Let’s go home.” She took my arm and started to lead me out of the party, my hands felt cold. I looked down, rubbing them when she stopped suddenly. I saw the boots and dark denim jeans and knew who was in front of me, I looked up to those green eyes.
“You shouldn’t have done that. That’s on you. This is you last warning from me. Leave.”
What the fuck did that mean? Something flashed in his eyes, they almost glowed. But before I could work it out it was gone and all I could see was the harsh glare of his green eyes on me before he turned and stormed off.
“Fuck you, asshole.” I called out after him. I was shaking now, so angry why couldn’t he leave it. Did he follow me to tell me that again? I let out a deep breath and took Ada’s arm to get out of here.
“What did you do to piss of Maverick Lovell. I have never seen him angry. Like ever, and I have known him since first grade.”
Great to know it was just me that made him angry.
Chapter Nineteen
Lexi
When Ada dropped me off, Jack was there to open the door for me. Which was good. I didn’t have a key to the house, I didn’t need one, Grayson was always here when I got home from school. I didn’t even think about it when I left earlier, that they might be asleep or something when I got back.
“How was it? Was the party good? I remember going to the Lovell parties when I was younger.” He had a wistful smile on his face, as if he was remembering some great times. Something I didn’t have at all. But I didn’t want to dampen his happy trip down memory lane.
“It was great. I am tired now. So going to bed.” I quickly dashed past him and locked myself in my bedroom before he asked anymore questions.
What the hell happened tonight. I couldn’t stop thinking of that wolf… what was the chance of seeing a red wolf twice in a week. Rare… very rare.
I dozed off for a while, in and out of sleep. I couldn’t get the eyes of the wolf out of my head. I didn’t think he wanted to hurt me. He didn’t threaten me or make me feel like that. I was uneasy because I didn’t know what he would do to me. It was a wild wolf.
I heard a huge thump and turned to my door. Was that from Raff’s room? I didn’t see his light on tonight when I got back. I assumed he was asleep in his room. But now there was another thumping sound and a groan I started to wonder if he went out. And now he was sneaking back in.
I hesitated, before I heard a sound like he was in pain. I unlocked my door and walked over to his. I hesitated again when I went to knock. There was no light on in his room, did he hurt himself crawling through the window? I put my ear to the door, I could hear deep breathing then a pained groan.
“Raff?” I whispered. I didn’t want to wake the house out. It was dark and everyone was in bed. When he didn’t answer I knocked lightly.
“Are you okay?” I heard shuffling and very heavy breathing. He didn’t answer. So I guess he didn’t want to speak to me. I started to walk away when there was another groan of pain and I didn’t care. I was going in there. I wouldn’t be able to sleep with him injured, I needed to help him.
I opened his bedroom door, glanced around his dark room. The drapes were pulled to the side and the window open, letting in cold air and the moonlight. I saw a dark lump on the floor.
“Are you drunk?” I felt on the wall for the light switch. When the room light up, it took me a moment to adjust to the light. And I heard the same sound come from Raff. When I finally focused and I could see him… I gasped, my hand coming up to cover my mouth. He was covered in blood. His hair was stained red down one side, his left eye was swollen shut.
I dropped to my knees in front of him, hovering my hands above his body not knowing what to do.
“Tell me what to do Raff. Who did this to you?” His breathing was harsh. Did he have broken ribs. I didn’t know what to do for him, how to help without hurting him.
“I will get Jack—” I stood up just as he groaned out “No.” My heart was racing and I could feel my eyes glassing over. I bent down again, then stood. What do I do?
“Why not? You need to go to hospital. Who did this to you?” His hand reached out towards me.
“Leave me… please.” He whispered.
I didn’t know what to do for him, so I closed his bedroom door and sat down on the ground beside him. I was not leaving him, he was always pushing me away. He had no one, like me. I was used to pushing others away. But I wouldn’t do that to Raff.
“I can help you get cleaned up, where are you bleeding?” His hands were all cut up, his face had cuts. Fuck this was bad. So, so bad. I knew the guys at school really had it out for him, but this was too far. This was extreme, they could have killed him.
“Shower.” Was all he said as he tried to push himself to stand. I put my hand under his arm to help him get up. He swayed and groaned again as he leaned to his right, not putting any weight on his left leg.
I moved around him and put his arm around my shoulder to support the weight from that side, he could use me as a crutch. We shuffled to the bedroom door and I opened it quickly, then helped him out to the bathroom. Lucky it was right next to his room, so not far to go. I turned the light on as we entered and closed the door so we didn’t wake anyone.
“Did you need help?” I helped him lean against the counter, I could feel the moment he saw his face. He flinched and for the first time in a long time. My throat was tight and I wanted to cry for him, for us, for this shitty situation we were both in. He didn’t deserve this. This was total bullshit, we were already outcasts. You didn’t need to kick us down to remind us. I would be going to school on Monday and letting my fists fly.
“Please…” he whispered as he tried to get his arm out of his hoodie. I felt how vulnerable he was in this moment. Like he had never asked someone for help before. I took the cuff and he pulled his arm out, I moved to the other side and did the same. I grabbed the hem and found he wasn’t wearing anything under, so I pulled it up and over his head.
“How… what, what did this.” And the first tear fell, I couldn’t hold it in. I started shaking. He had huge open gashes, like someone whipped him, or scratched him with something. What the hell causes this? I didn’t understand. His tattoos were beautiful, but his back had been destroyed. Blood was trickling out of them.
His hand found his jeans button and with a shaky hand he opened it and the fly. He slowly peeled his jeans down his body. I took a step back and turned the shower on. Trying to ignore the fact that he was getting naked in front of me. I held my hand out, testing the water, not wanting it to be too hot. I could hear him stumble, I quickly turned and caught him as he fell towards the shower, his jeans caught around his left ankle.
“Shit, I got you.” I steadied him beside the shower, and bent down, trying to not look at his cock as I pulled his foot out of his jeans. He wasn’t wearing socks, and his feet were covered in dirt and some blood.
I stood up and looked at his body, hunched over. His breathing heavy, you could see he was in so much pain. He stumbled under the water and bent over, cursing as the water hit the open wounds on his back. My eyes blurred and I quickly wiped the tears away. I needed to stay strong, I had to help him.
I grabbed some first aid stuff that was under the sink. And a towel for him. I braced my hands on the counter, my breathing was heavy and shaky. I was so hurt for him, as if I could feel his pain. I wanted to take it away, share the load.
I watched him from the mirror to make sure he didn’t fall down and hurt himself more. I couldn’t help but admire the beautiful body he had. I could see he was struggling to wash the blood from his hair and hold himself up.
“Did… do you want me to help wash it.” he stilled at my voice. Then I heard him say “yes,” it was soft and laced with shame. He should not feel like this, he shouldn’t feel ashamed for admitting he needed help. I moved over and opened the shower door. I reached into the shower for the shampoo. The over spray of the water was cool on my arms and wet my white tank top slightly. I poured the shampoo onto my hand, and he turned his head, his right eye watching me. I could tell he felt exposed, like he didn’t know how to act. This was not something he had let others do for him, help him. I could tell, because it would be how I acted if the roles were reversed. Hell I have never had to help someone like this before. This was new territory for us both.
I gave him a small smile, he just looked so lost and it was all I could do to keep myself from crying again. He tipped his head down and I started to lather up his hair. Being as gentle as I could as I wasn’t sure if he had a cut there or if the blood was from something else. When I felt it was clean, I moved back and he put his hair under the water. I watched as the shampoo ran down his body, over the hard plains of his abs… I quickly adverted my eyes from following it any further.
Just standing there, his hands resting on the tiles, his head dipped low. If it wasn’t for the clean water spraying his body and running down the drain with a pink hue, I would say he looked like a perfect specimen of a man. The tattoos wrapped and weaved themselves all over, even down to his feet. He was beautiful.
My hands were still soapy so I moved over to the sink and quickly rinsed them off. He turned the shower off. I turned to help him get the towel, he was now standing outside the shower, facing me. In all his glory. My eyes wandering up and down his body, like I had no control over them. His cock was surrounded by the same unusual color as his hair. When I looked to his face, he gave me a sad smile. It almost broke me.
“Here,” I quickly gave him the towel to wrap himself up in, and another to help him dry his hair. He let me do it for him, this felt so… intimate. I quickly shook off the strange feeling at the pit of my stomach. Grabbing the first aid supplies, I gestured for him to come with me. I reached out and he took my hand to balance himself as we moved slowly back to his room. I closed the door b
ehind us and carefully sat him on the edge of his bed.
His good eye watched me as I rummaged through the supplies, finding some gauze and tape. I found an antiseptic cream and put some on my finger and applied it to the worst of his wounds on his back. I applied it to his face, hands and a few marks on his chest. He was so warm and I found myself wanting to touch his bare skin more. I used what gauze I had to cover the worse of the wounds on his back.
“Lay down, I will pull your sheet up for you.” He shuffled then lay on his side, groaning and hissing, the wet towel still around his waist. He moved his hips up and pulled it off as I pulled his sheet up and over him before I got another glimpse of his naked form.
“Raff, I am really worried. We should tell Jack or Grayson. You might need a hospital.” I tried to sound calm but inside I was in a panic. He shook his head.
“Do you think you will be in trouble? They have only done nice things for us, I am sure they will understand, you are really hurt.” When I started to move from him, he reached out and held my wrist.
“I’m okay… thank you.” He looked so weak like this. It was hard to watch him without feeling like I needed to do more.
But I respected his wishes. I nodded and turned out his light as I left him. Even though my mind was screaming to stay with him.
Chapter Twenty
Raff
The pain was something I could bare. But seeing and smelling the fear on Lexi’s face was hard. No one had ever cared about me before, it wasn’t pity like I had seen in the eyes of so many others. This was real, she cared for me. I could sense her concern. She understood me in ways others never had, my wolf wanted her and I craved to hug her. I had not hugged anyone since my mother died all those years before. But with Lexi… I wanted to so badly. My wolf wanted to nuzzle her, to claim her. I wanted to as well.