“Well then, we’re hitting up the Loyalist parking lot so you can take this baby out for a spin. I’ll teach you to drive.” Jacy clicked a button on her keychain and the doors unlocked. I should’ve protested, since the likelihood was high I’d damage the car, but damned if the thought didn’t seduce me.
I slid into the passenger seat next to her. Giddiness bubbled in my stomach. I always wanted to drive, to feel the power of a vehicle at my fingertips.
Jacy tossed me a wide grin and revved the engine. Before I said a word, we shot out of the garage and down the lane. She narrowly missed the parked cars. Holy shit, I never would’ve pegged her as a speed demon. My fingers dug into the seat while my heart pounded in my throat. Maybe I wouldn’t live to see myself behind the wheel because I’d die in a fiery crash.
Words scrambled to jump from my tongue, but all I managed was “Uh, no, ahhh!”
“It’s fine. Werewolves have fast reflexes, remember? I won’t kill you.”
Not reassuring at all. While she might have fast reflexes, the car didn’t. All it took was one screwup, one overcorrection, and we’d be smeared across the road. My mind conjured up horrific images of mangled metal, bloody asphalt, and shell-shocked victims. I wasn’t happy with my brain at the moment.
And pieces of my life couldn’t flash before my eyes because I was too worried about how much pain I’d experience should Jacy wrap the car around a tree or flip us over several times. How much longer until we reached Loyalist? The college was an ideal place, since it was closed at this hour.
I stopped cringing from every rev of the engine long enough to take stock of my surroundings. Dundas Street disappeared behind us as we turned onto Wallbridge Loyalist. Businesses gave way to trees and open fields while we zipped past. Only a few more minutes until I could step on solid ground again and regain my nerve; my crazy friend’s driving scared me more than a nest of vampires.
Jacy turned right and I could’ve sworn two wheels left the road. She zoomed into the large empty lot, sliding smoothly into a spot well away from any posts.
“Okay, it’s your turn, fearless leader.” Her tongue poked her cheek and she laughed at my mock-outraged expression. “Well, get your butt out of the car. Let’s see whatcha got.”
Waiting for my heart to stop pounding would take too long, so I opened the door and jumped out. My palms were slick and my legs wobbled. I could do this. Driving wasn’t difficult. It just required knowledge, patience, and practice. Easy-peasy.
“I’d rather kill vampires,” I muttered, brushing past Jacy.
“Oh shush, you’ll do great.” Her encouragement surprised me a little since I was used to people lording their knowledge over me. A wise, tolerant mentor only existed in the movies, or so I’d assumed. Doug didn’t embody guidance and neither had my previous employers.
My heartbeat slowed to normal and with more confidence than I felt, I dropped into the driver’s seat and closed the door. Jacy had left the car running, so at least I wasn’t fumbling with the keys. I understood the basics of driving. Shift into drive or reverse depending on which direction I wanted to go, and use the gas or brake pedals.
I could do this.
I buckled up. Safety mattered, especially when a complete novice was behind the wheel.
“So what do I do? Put it in drive and go?”
“Yep, that’s it. And control the wheel so we don’t crash. Now stop being a grandma and get going.” Excitement sparkled in her eyes. She rarely appeared so animated and her enthusiasm squashed some of my nervousness.
I pressed my foot against the brake, popped the gear into drive, and then eased my foot onto the gas. We lurched forward, my heart jumping with the movement, and I squeaked in terror. “Oh fuck, we’re gonna die. I’m gonna kill us. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck.”
Jacy’s infectious laughter filled the car, and I giggled through my terror and pressed harder against the gas. We shot forward, heading straight for a curb. I yanked the wheel way too hard, making the tires squeal in protest. We raced along the laneway as I tried to remain straight, which was harder than I’d imagined. Why did I want to learn to drive?
Another curb appeared in front of me. Where’d it come from? Could curbs move? I again yanked, only this time I’d lined us up with a streetlight, its thick concrete post in my path. Both feet slammed on the brakes and I jolted forward, my breath coming in pants.
“Nope, I can’t do this. I’ll wreck the car and then Cole’ll kill me.” Yet I didn’t try to leave the driver’s seat. My stubborn side couldn’t handle the thought of quitting before I’d mastered driving. I flicked my gaze at Jacy, who gave me a gentle smile. “Okay, one more time.”
I turned the wheel, then let one foot off the brake, followed by the other. Shifting my foot over, I eased down on the gas and we moved forwards with only minimal jarring. Feeling more confident, I circled the post and made my way to our starting point, putting the car in park.
“You did great! With more practice, you’ll be a pro in no time.” Jacy clapped and the glow of pride warmed my chest. Twisting her body towards me, she sighed and relaxed her head against the headrest. “I’ve never told you this, but I wish I were more like you.”
I gave her a puzzled look. Did she mean homeless, alone except for one friend? Or maybe my constant worry that the monsters that go bump in the night would finally kill me? “What do you mean?”
“You’re strong. Confident. You don’t let anyone else push you around. You stood up to Michelle. Cole doesn’t scare you and he scares everyone.”
A giggle slipped out at the thought of Cole frightening me. “Why is everyone so fearful of him? He’s a puppy.”
Jacy shook her head. “You don’t see it? How can you not see it?”
“See what?” The other werewolves gave him respect, and with his fighting prowess, that made sense. But to fear him? In the time I’d known Cole, he’d saved my life, gotten me a job without my knowing it, flirted with me, and declared me his mate. However, he’d done nothing to make me wary. And I was wary of nearly everyone.
“Cole’s the head alpha. The head alpha. You only gain that position for one reason. He’s the strongest out of all of us. He can make another werewolf bow to him with just a look. He controls all the werewolves in all the surrounding territories. That’s why the others both fear him and want his position, but they’ll never be able to take it.”
I slumped against my seat, shocked at her revelation. That was not the Cole I saw. Maybe since I wasn’t a werewolf I couldn’t feel his power and so he didn’t strike terror in me like he did the others. Sure, I’d seen glimpses of his darker personality—hell, I had a darkness I hid from the world too—except Cole had never shown me that side.
“Is that why you love him? Because of the power he wields?” I asked Jacy with a sidelong glance. I’d been friends with her too long to miss the way she said his name. It wasn’t hero worship she felt for him.
Jacy gasped, her cheeks flaming red. “What? I don’t—I don’t love him. I admire him. A-and he’s my alpha so he has my loyalty.”
“Oh please,” I scoffed gently, hearing the lies in her voice. “Why don’t you tell him?”
Her lashes created crescents against her cheeks, and tears shimmered. She dashed them away. “I’m an omega. Do you know what that means to a werewolf?”
“Not fully, no.” Cole’s explanation had given me a glimpse, though, of how he and others viewed it. What did it mean for Jacy?
“It means I’m the lowest of the low. I’m so submissive that I have no will of my own and it disgusts the other werewolves.” Her fingers curled into fists and she hid them between her thighs. “The others, they treat me like I’m a dirty secret. No other pack has an omega. We’re inferior stock, a stain meant to be eradicated. Cole refused.”
“What? Who told you that bullshit?” I patted her leg, grounding myself in her presence and denying the urge to slaughter a few werewolves. “And even if you are ‘submissive,’ so what? Doesn’
t mean you’re useless. Embrace who you are and tell them to stick their label up their asses.”
Jacy peeked at me through her lashes. “You don’t think less of me because of who I am?”
“Of course not. Not everyone is meant to be a leader. Think of the anarchy it’d cause. But using a derogatory term towards you has got to stop. You’re not any less because of your personality.”
She shook her head, black strands of hair floating across her cheeks. “It isn’t that easy for a werewolf. We’re bound by our place in the pack.”
“More bullshit, or else alphas would always stay alphas.” Would Cole thank me for helping Jacy gain her backbone or curse me for interfering? I mentally shrugged. He should’ve left me alone if he didn’t want me meddling. I couldn’t let Jacy feel like less of a person because of some dickheaded werewolves. “You have the ability to be happy with yourself and who you are. I have faith in you.”
She nodded, though her heart didn’t seem in it. “Doesn’t matter. Cole will never see me as anything other than an omega. And he’s mating you. I can’t compete with you.”
“I will never be Cole’s mate. I don’t care what he says. It’s not gonna happen.” The next words came from a soft place inside me I didn’t realize I had. I wanted to see Jacy smile again. “And anyway, he’s only claiming me because it’ll piss off the vampires and give him the right to fight them when they sniff around me.”
“You don’t feel anything for him? How’s that possible?” Disbelief was written all over her face.
“He’s not my type?” I said with a shrug. “He’s good-looking and a hell of a fighter, but there’s no spark between us. He knows it, too, even with all his flirting.”
A smile crept across her face and I gave her thigh a squeeze. Maybe something good would come from my enforced stay at Cole’s, if I didn’t ruin it by smacking sense and manners into a few werewolves.
Chapter Fifteen
The next several days passed in a blur. I’d wake up, eat, go to work, snarl at Doug, and spend my evenings training with Cole. Our sparring sessions gave me multiple bruises and turned my body into one massive ache. I’d thought I was in good shape. Turned out I was fooling myself.
“Pearle, wait up. I wanted to talk to you,” Jacy said as she hurried towards me. She could’ve overtaken me in a heartbeat if she’d wanted to, but unlike the other werewolves, she didn’t feel the urge to show off. Turned out, werewolves were jerks.
I gave her a sidelong glance. Well, not all werewolves. True to her nature, she went out of her way to make me feel comfortable in Cole’s absurd mansion.
Today she wore a colourful, sleeveless sundress, and her black hair flowed midway to her back. I felt a little drab in my dark blue jeans and grey tank top. “Yeah, what’s up?”
“Well, we need to make preparations for the mating ceremony. We only have two months to get everything perfect.” Her lips smiled, but her tone was off. “With it happening during the summer solstice, it’ll be a huge celebration that lasts for a week. And you need to practice your vows.”
I stopped and spun towards her, my eyebrows winging skyward. “I’m sorry, what? I have to give vows? Is this like a marriage?”
“Kinda, except you’ll rule the pack with Cole. Usually it’s an alpha female, but . . .”
Jacy’s voice trailed off and she shrugged.
Oh, I didn’t like this at all. I needed to find a way to escape and soon. I couldn’t be mistress over the werewolves. None of them would respect me or my authority, and I didn’t blame them, because I was physically weak compared to them.
And breaking Jacy’s heart by mating the man she loved? Yeah, not happening.
“Shit,” I muttered and started walking again, making my way to the front door. Fresh air and time away from Cole’s home sounded like a perfect idea. “They won’t listen to a human.”
“You won’t be human after the ceremony. Didn’t Cole tell you?” Her words hit me like bullets, churning acid in my stomach. He wanted to steal my humanity? That devious bastard. Oh hell to the no. He wasn’t making me into a werewolf.
I kept walking, my fists clenched at my side, and hoped my face remained calm. “No, he didn’t tell me that. We haven’t spent much time speaking. Too busy beating the shit out of each other.”
And he deserved another beatdown, one that kicked his regeneration into gear because I’d shattered all the bones in his body. How dare he keep this from me? Even with all the other lies he’d heaped on me, this one was a whopper. From the front foyer, I veered left towards Cole’s study. At this hour, he preferred to spend time there. It’d taken me three days, but I finally had a handle on the rooms in this monstrosity of a home.
Jacy fluttered silently next to me. A part of me wanted to comfort her, since the entire situation was tough for her, too. But like her, I had no words.
I pushed open the study door. Knocking would’ve been polite except I was in a foul mood because of the man behind the large cherry desk. Three monitors created a semicircle and Cole’s attention remained firmly on them. My intrusion was beneath his notice.
With an angry curse, I slammed my hands onto his desk. “You’re gonna turn me into a werewolf?”
“Please close the door.” Cole glanced at me, then at Jacy, his expression calm. My friend rushed to do his bidding. “The room is now soundproof. There are some things better discussed without prying ears.”
“Should I leave?” she asked, her tone indicating she’d do so grudgingly.
“No, stay. I have nothing to hide from you. Both of you take a seat.” Cole gestured to the chairs in front of his desk and I almost laughed. It felt like I had been called to the principal’s office and was about to get detention.
I remained standing and placed my hands against the back of the chair.
Jacy, however, sat and smoothed her skirt over her knees while giving me a reassuring smile. She, like the other werewolves, held Cole in high esteem and didn’t like upsetting him. I couldn’t give a shit either way. No matter what he said, he would never be my alpha.
“Well? What’s this nonsense about me being turned into a werewolf during the mating ceremony?” I tapped my fingers against my leg, wound up and ready to snap.
He sighed, rubbing his temple. “I wish you hadn’t found that out. It is customary for the mated alphas to both be werewolves. It would solve a lot of problems if you weren’t human.”
I closed my eyes and counted to ten. When that didn’t help, I counted to twenty. Nope, still didn’t calm the rage within me. Opening my eyes, I glared at him. “My humanity is not a disease that needs to be cured. I like being human. We both know this whole thing is a farce. I am not mating with you. Pretend all you like with your pack, but know that I’ll disappear long before the ceremony happens.”
Jacy squeaked, then clamped her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide.
Ah fuck, and that was why I should keep my mouth shut when I was angry. Now, Cole would expect me to make a break for it and he’d increase security on me or something.
Instead, he chuckled and leaned back in his chair, his irritation with me forgotten. “You’re a stubborn woman. Do you have any idea how many would kill to become alpha?”
“Most of the pack,” Jacy muttered. I flicked my gaze her way. Fingers clasped, ankles crossed, she was genteel and too damn sweet. How had she survived being a werewolf?
“And you want to put me into this position? One where I’d have to watch my back constantly? I get enough of that with the vampires, thank you very much. This is a hard pass for me.” My body tensed while I waited for Cole’s argument. To maintain his position, he had to be ruthless and cutthroat. How would he threaten me?
His mouth thinned and amber shone in his grey eyes. The alpha didn’t like someone bossing him around, eh? Well, if he wanted me to stick around, he’d better get used to it because I wasn’t going to roll over and show my belly. A few days here hadn’t changed what I’d always known. The only person I could re
ly on was myself. Everyone else, at some point, would let me down. Cole wasn’t any different. He didn’t love me. He didn’t desire me. He just wanted a way to use me indefinitely against the vampires.
I didn’t hold it against him. In his position, I’d do the same.
“No one will harm you,” he growled. I slumped against the chair. The question of my safety had riled him up, but not my refusal to assume partnership with him? “The pack knows the punishment should anyone hurt you.”
Oh, that was gonna make me loved by all.
“You are not turning me into a werewolf,” I said, bringing the discussion back on track. “I’m staying human. Got me?”
Straightening, I didn’t bother waiting for Cole’s response. The only answer I wanted to hear from him was “yes.” Anything else was liable to set me off. Jacy caught up with me in the hallway.
“Cole won’t force you,” she murmured. “He’d never change someone against their will. He’s a good alpha and he’d take care of you. Would it be so bad to stay with us?”
Since finding out about werewolves, my life hadn’t been my own. My job was because of Cole. The roof over my head belonged to Cole. My protection from vampires was due to Cole. Everything circled back to a man with ulterior motives. Yeah, staying here was bad. It meant I’d be forever in his debt, unable to live my own life.
Walking through the foyer, I made my way outside. Fresh air and time away from Cole’s home sounded like a perfect idea.
I shrugged in answer to Jacy’s question. Alienating my only friend would cause us both unnecessary pain, which I wanted to avoid. It wasn’t her fault Cole had foolishly set his sights on me.
“I’ve spent half my life relying on myself. My mom died giving birth to me and my dad died when I was thirteen. It’s a hard habit to break.” Thinking about Dad choked me up like it always did. Even after twelve years, I missed him. He’d been my world.
“I know. But I thought you trusted me.” Jacy’s hand hovered near my arm.
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