by Sam Crescent
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
Last night she had dreamt about him and a wolf. The dream had felt so real, and yet she knew it wasn’t. Wolves were not real, and neither was a nice Marshall. She couldn’t trust him, and even though she really wanted to, she fought that innermost need.
“I thought you’d like a ride into school.”
“I’ve got my car.”
Her heart was pounding as she stared at him. He wore a pair of scruffy jeans and a white shirt that showcased his rock hard muscles to perfection. His hair fell a little over his face, and the urge to run her fingers through the length struck her hard. Scarlett wanted to touch him. She forced all of those feelings down as she stared back at him.
“I gave you a promise yesterday that I wasn’t going to hurt you. How do you expect me to live up to it if you don’t give me the chance?”
She stepped down her garden path until she was only a couple feet away from him. “A promise?”
“I’m not going to hurt you. I’d really like for you to give me the chance to prove to you that I mean exactly what I say.” He turned, opening the passenger door. “Get in. Let me take you to school.”
Nibbling her lip, she tried to find a reason not to go with him.
“I won’t bite unless you want me to.”
“Why would I want you to bite?”
The smile on his face vanished.
“I was joking around.”
An image of a wolf entered her mind. Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she looked at his car.
“What about after school?”
“I’ll bring you home.”
“Can I trust you?”
He let out a breath. Everything in her was telling her not to give him this hold over her, yet a small part of her wanted to get into that car. She wanted to be sitting next to him, and that very thought was foreign to her. In all the years she’d known Marshall, not once had she ever wanted to be alone with him. He scared her, hurt her, and made her wish she wasn’t the same age as he was. Everything was confusing her. She wished to spend time with him while also hating herself for even wishing anything when it came to him.
“I know I’ve not given you a reason to trust me, and I’m sorry about that. It’s my fault, and I shouldn’t have treated you like the asshole I was. You can trust me, but I know it’s going to take you some time to learn to trust me.”
Marshall stepped closer to her. She didn’t step back even though every part of her was screaming at her to step back.
He reached out, taking her hand. Staring at his much larger hand, for the first time in her life, she felt small, delicate against him.
“See, nothing bad is happening so far.”
His touch was doing things to her body. She didn’t understand what was happening, and she gave him a gentle squeeze, trying to bring some focus to her chaotic world. Marshall squeezed her hand back, and something switched in her brain. Taking a step toward him, then another, she found herself in the car within seconds with the door shut.
Great, Scarlett, what are you going to do now?
The drive to school was quiet. Neither of them spoke, and she noticed he was taking several deep breaths. When his foot wasn’t on the brake or gears, he was tapping his foot wildly while also tapping the steering wheel. He seemed to be having a lot of trouble controlling himself.
“Are you okay?” she asked, finally speaking.
“Good, just focusing on driving.”
“You don’t seem to be doing a good job of it.”
“You’re in one piece, so we’re doing okay so far.” He reached over and squeezed her thigh. Scarlett gasped and jerked in her seat. “Shit, sorry, I was just trying to reassure you.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
On the way into school she noticed several of their peers were looking into his car. They were blatantly staring.
“Ignore them,” he said, grabbing her hand.
“It’s hard. They’re wondering where the joke is.” She forced a laugh even though she didn’t feel it.
“I know it’s hard for you to think like this, Scarlett. There’s not going to be a joke or even a small giggle.”
He pulled the car into the spot next to Jack, who hit the hood of his car.
“It’s about time you got here. I’ve been saving this spot for you.”
Trey was leaning against Jack’s car, laughing.
Scarlett saw how comfortable he was around Jack and Marshall. Last night he’d come around to her home and admitted he wanted to be friends with them. She told him she wasn’t going to stop him from being friends.
Climbing out of the car, she looked over to Jack, and he smiled back at her.
“I’m going to head inside.”
Before anyone got a chance to say anything she was already walking off in the opposite direction. She wanted to put as much distance as possible between her and Marshall along with the confusion. Scarlett didn’t trust this nice guy. She was used to being the butt of the joke, and if she stayed away, then there was no risk of that happening.
The day passed with her going from class to class. By lunch break the gossip had changed the story up of her being in Marshall’s car. It had gone from him offering her a ride to her begging for his attention so much it had been sick to see. She walked into the girls’ toilet and stared at her reflection. One side of her face was still badly bruised, and there was no way of hiding it. When Marshall looked at her, she forgot about the bruise. The moment his gaze was on her, it was like it didn’t exist. Marshall had started to see more to her than the bruise.
Get a grip, Scarlett, you’re thinking crazy thoughts.
The door opened, and Cheryl walked in. She was alone, and Scarlett turned to look at the other girl.
“You’re seeing if you’re still fat and ugly?” Cheryl sneered the words at her.
Scarlett didn’t say a word. She learned if she didn’t say anything then they tended to leave her alone. Sometimes it didn’t work.
“Do you really think you’re better than us?”
Shaking her head, she hiked her bag higher on her shoulder. She started to walk toward the door, but Cheryl pushed her away from the door. “Don’t fucking think of ignoring me, you fat bitch.”
Tucking some hair behind her ear, Scarlett waited for Cheryl to finish saying whatever she was going to say so that she could go for lunch.
“Marshall is playing you. Trey’s playing you, and so is Jack. You’re a fucking idiot to think it’s anything but them playing with you. They hate you, despise you. You’re fat and ugly.”
Tears filled her eyes as Cheryl’s words hit her hard.
“That’s right, cry, snivel. You make me sick. Remember, when they’re looking at you, they only pity you.”
Cheryl walked into a toilet, laughing, and Scarlett made her retreat. She didn’t wait around for anyone or go to her usual safety tree. Scarlett walked to the bleachers where the football team was working out. She pulled her lunch out of her bag along with her book. Sitting in the far corner away from everyone she allowed the tears to finally fall. It wasn’t the first time she’d been reduced to tears. The only time she allowed the tears to fall was when she was alone.
She shouldn’t let Cheryl’s words affect her, but they did. The words blurred on the page, and she shoved the book back into her bag.
“There you are,” Marshall said.
Staring down at her lap, she tried to wipe the tears away. They were her tears and no one else’s.
“Shit, are you crying?” he asked.
“What do you want?” When she wiped the last of her tears away, she looked up at him. He was already walking up to where she sat. Marshall crouched down in front of her, taking hold of her chin. He turned her face left and right.
“Who made you fucking cry?”
Shaking her head, she tried to pull out his hold, but he wouldn’t let her go.
“Please,” she said.
“No. I�
�m not letting you go until you tell me who made you cry. I’ll hurt them, Scarlett.”
“Don’t. It’s nothing. Please, just ignore me.” He wouldn’t release her, and his thumb caressed over her cheek.
“This is not acceptable.”
A low growl released from his lips, and Scarlett stared at him. His eyes flashed amber. It was such a fleeting flash that she didn’t know if she saw it or not.
He moved to sit beside her, putting his arm around her shoulder.
“It’s lunch. Shouldn’t you be in the lunchroom?” she asked.
“I was. I sat waiting for you. Trey was there, and I expected you to join us.”
“I never eat in the lunchroom.”
“And that’s why I came hunting for you.”
She noticed he said hunting rather than looking. Why was he hunting for her? He said things that surprised her.
“You don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine.”
“You’re sitting on your own. You’re not even by your tree, and you’re crying. You’re not fine, Scarlett. What made you cry?”
Biting her lip, she dropped her cheese sandwich back into the lunch box. Her appetite was gone.
He let out an annoyed sigh. “You’re really not going to tell me?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Marshall wrapped an arm around her pulling her close. His warmth surrounded her. He further surprised her by kissing her temple. “If you’re not going to tell me then I’m going to hold you until you’re feeling better.”
“You don’t need to do this.”
“I’m doing what makes me happy.”
She closed her eyes as she rested against his shoulder. This was what she loved. It felt right to her to have him close. He took her hand with his other and locked their fingers together. “You’re not going to be alone anymore.”
“Why are you being nice to me?”
“I want to be, and I want you to be happy.”
Glancing up at him, she saw his lips were pressed into a firm line. He wasn’t happy at all with her being sad.
Slowly, she relaxed against him, staring out at the football field.
Marshall came to you, not Trey.
If she’d thought anyone would come looking for her, she really thought it would be Trey, not the man who was now comforting her.
“Tell me who hurt you?”
His voice soothed her, and before she could stop, she told him the truth. “Cheryl.”
“What did she say and do?”
“Just the truth. I’m fat and ugly and there’s no way that you or Trey are ever going to find me attractive. I’m too ugly, and you prefer girls who look like her. Don’t worry, I didn’t think you had a crush on me or something. I’m not stupid.”
He held her just a little tighter, kissing her head.
“You’re not fat and ugly.”
“I don’t know why you’re being nice to me, but I like it.”
The rest of the lunch break went by without a hitch as Marshall held her. She didn’t want it to end, but like all good things, it had to come to an end sometime.
Chapter Seven
“What are you going to do?” Jack asked. It was after school, and Marshall leaned up against his car waiting for Scarlett to come out of school. He was so pissed off at what Cheryl had done. There was no way he could hurt her, not in the way he wanted to. She’d made his mate cry. When he saw Scarlett sat on the bleachers, he’d been relieved, but then he saw she was crying and he’d almost lost it. He’d been hunting for his mate because Trey couldn’t give a shit, only to find she’d been hurt by that slut, Cheryl.
“I don’t know.” He wanted to hurt Cheryl, humiliate her, make life so fucking hard for her that she knew what it was like to be in Scarlett’s shoes.
He’d prove her wrong when it came to Scarlett. The best way to get back at Cheryl was by showing her to be a liar.
“What did Trey say when I left?” Marshall asked.
“Nothing. I don’t even know why you were worried about him being a problem with Scarlett. He didn’t give a shit about her when you were gone. I’m starting to think he was just using Scarlett until he knew where he stood.” Jack flicked his keys backwards and forwards in his hand.
“He can still be a problem. Scarlett’s not comfortable around me.”
“Are you taking her home?”
“Yeah, I was going to.” Marshall was going to introduce her to his parents.
“Cool. Let me know how that goes.”
Scarlett appeared out of the doors with Trey by her side. Marshall really didn’t like this guy. The moment he was out of the picture, the better he’d feel.
“See? He’s a problem.”
“Only now. I can tell you he wasn’t interested in her at lunchtime.” Scarlett looked up, and Marshall held his hand up in a wave. “You’ve really turned into a lovesick sucker.”
“Shut up. Wait until you find your mate. You’ll be changing your tune very soon.”
“I’m destined to be alone.”
Scarlett stopped in front of him. “Hey,” she said.
“You weren’t expecting me to be waiting?” He knew she hadn’t.
Her cheeks went a lovely shade of red. Marshall reached out and touched one cheek. The warmth coming from her made him chuckle.
“Hey, Marshall,” Trey said.
“Do you want a ride off Jack?” Marshall asked.
“Hey, I’m right here. I’ve not offered to take anyone home in my car. It’s my love machine.”
Marshall chuckled, especially when he saw Scarlett was smiling as well.
“I’ve got my own ride,” Trey said. “Do you want me to drive you home?”
“I’ve got Scarlett covered.” Marshall stepped closer, grabbing her arm and pulling her beside him. He didn’t want her going with Trey.
“If you want to get home I don’t mind going with Trey.”
“I want to give you a ride. I promised you, and it’s up to me to prove to you that I’ll keep my word when it comes to you.” He led her to his car, opening up the door. Marshall wondered if he was ever going to have a time with her when he didn’t lead her from one place to another.
He closed the door giving Jack a pointed look. “I’ve got to head out. See you losers tomorrow.”
Trey walked away after giving Scarlett a final wave. It took all of Marshall’s control not to pounce on the bastard. Trey didn’t care about Scarlett, not really.
Climbing behind the wheel, he started up his car. Several of their peers were looking into his car, and he wanted to grab Scarlett and kiss her so everyone saw who she belonged to. He doubted she would like that kind of attention. There would be a time when he would prove to all of these assholes that she was his.
Driving out of the parking lot, he headed in the opposite direction of her home.
“Erm, Marshall, you’re going the wrong way.” She glanced behind her as he drove.
“I’m not. There’s something I wanted to show you.” He reached over, grabbing her hand to lock their fingers together. His wolf calmed. The possessive need rushing through him, dimmed with her touch. So long as he was close to her, he didn’t need to worry about his wolf wanting to make a claim.
“What?”
“I’m taking you back to my place. Well, my parents’ place, but I live there.” He gave her a wink to which she laughed.
“You’re completely crazy, you know that right?”
“Yep.”
I made her laugh.
The small victories meant so much to him. She settled back still holding his hand as he drove toward his house.
“You live near the forest?”
“Yes.”
“You know I was sure I could hear wolves there this summer,” she said, surprising him.
“Real wolves?”
“I don’t know. A lot of strange stuff keeps happening lately.”
She hummed something. He wished he knew what she was thinking. She wasn’t giving
off any fear. What was she thinking about wolves? Did she believe in them? Crap, he didn’t know what to say. He’d grown up to know that he had to keep his ancestry a secret.
Pulling into the driveway, he parked the car.
“Is someone here?”
“My parents.”
He inwardly groaned as he heard the sexual moans coming from his home. His hearing had gotten better since his turning.
“Come on.” The moment they heard Scarlett, they’d stop. He slammed his door closed, rounding the car, and grabbing her hand once again.
“Your home looks beautiful,” she said.
“You’ve not even got inside yet.”
She chuckled. Scarlett hiked her back up onto her shoulder as they made their way inside his home. Something crashed in his father’s office, followed by smashing.
Shaking his head, Marshall waited for the door to open. His mother appeared first looking ruffled. He was a wolf, and they were used to their sexuality being on display.
“Marshall, I didn’t realize that was the time,” his mother said.
“Mom, I’d like you to meet Scarlett. Scarlett, this is my mother, Carla.”
“Hey,” Scarlett said.
“Oh, you brought a girl home. Luke, he brought a girl home.” She shouted toward his father as she moved forward, cupping Scarlett’s cheeks. “You’re so beautiful.”
“Mom, please,” Marshall said.
“What?”
He made sure he was a step back from Scarlett so she wouldn’t see. “Fear.” He mouthed the words so his mother would understand.
Carla instantly dropped her hands away from Scarlett’s face.
“Hello,” Scarlett said.
His father came out of the office, completely dressed. He stepped behind Carla, gripping her shoulder. “Hello, Scarlett,” his father said. “Marshall has told us a lot about you. He didn’t mention you were stopping by.”
“Yeah, I didn’t know I was coming here either until I was in the car,” Scarlett said, glancing back at him.
“What happened to your face?”
Scarlett touched the bruise. “My face was introduced to a dodgeball.”
“It looks painful.”