“I just had to come see for myself how well you were holding up.” Shelby sneered. “I guess I may have underestimated you a tiny bit.”
I straightened my back and kept my eyes fixated on hers. “Why do you say that?”
She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the side of the house. “Because, I figured after Jace had bitten you without giving you a choice you’d turn into a complete basket case. Heck, I even assumed him biting you would be enough betrayal for you to stay away from him. I can see now that I was wrong. Either you’re too weak to deal with this on your own or Jace just hasn’t told you the entire truth yet.”
My heart pounded in my ears, but I did my best to conceal how much her words were shaking me. “What entire truth? What are you talking about?”
My words made Shelby’s smile grow. “Answer me this first—did you know that Jace came back to Winburg after he bit you?”
“No,” I said, hating to admit that he’d never told me.
She toyed with a string of her hair and focused her icy eyes directly on mine. “Well, he did, to let his parents know what he’d done… but he also stopped by my house and we had a long conversation about you.”
I swallowed hard. “And? So what, he stopped by your house to tell you that he’d gone through with it. That means nothing.”
Dimly I remembered Jace’s conversation with his Uncle Everett I’d overheard and how he had said that he’d be returning in a month. Obviously that’s what he’d gone back for, to tell them he’d gone through with it.
“You’re so simple minded. Have you not learned anything about Pack Law?” Spite flashed in her blue eyes. When I didn’t respond her eyes shimmered with an animalistic gleam that sent a shiver along my spine. “Oh, this should be fun.”
My stomach tightened. I didn’t know what to say and I hated the fact that Jace had treated me like a child by not telling me anything of Pack Law or the Wolf Moon yet.
“I can smell the fear on you right now… your little heart is beating inside your chest like a tiny, frightened rabbit. If you only knew what’s really in store for you now… and this little grudge between us, don’t think that it’s over just because Jace went through with his little plan to change you. It has only just begun. He may have turned you, but it still doesn’t mean he’s yours, yet,” Shelby said with a wicked smile before shouldering past me.
I watched her walk away so completely full of herself it was sickening and wondered what Shelby knew that I didn’t. I’d have to get Jace to tell me about Pack Law… and soon.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I’m in the woods alone, walking through the thick, uncorrupted foliage. It’s dark out, but I don’t mind because I’m busy searching for someone. There’s someone I’m supposed to meet here.
I wonder along until I come to a large clearing. It’s there that I notice him and realize I’m in the right place. Jace is waiting for me, standing beside a wide-trunked tree with his arms casually folded across his chest. A smile breaks out on my face as I dart across the clearing toward him. The closer I get, the more I realize the emotion on his face is not one of happiness, but one of worry.
Just before I reach him, Shelby steps from behind the tree he’s leaning against. My feet falter as I wonder why she’s here. Her lips form into a smirk as her icy-blue eyes penetrate me. I shift my gaze to Jace, questioning her presence with my eyes, but he’s quick to look away.
Shelby’s body shivers as bones begin to ripple beneath her skin. Fear makes my heart plummet to my stomach as I realize that she’s changing. An eerily bright full moon shines down on me from between two parting clouds, and the first spasm of warmth slides beneath my skin.
In mere seconds both Shelby and I have completely changed while Jace remains human. Before I’m able to catch my breath Shelby lunges at me, baring her teeth. I attempt to dodge her, but I am not swift enough. Her teeth clamp onto the side of my neck and I fall to the ground. I push and nip, but to no avail—Shelby is stronger. My eyes lock with Jace’s as I feel my life slowly drain from my open wounds.
He does nothing besides stare.
I woke from my nightmare completely out of breath and sweaty. The conversation with Shelby had really gotten to me. Running my fingers through my hair, I let out a long sigh while I scolded myself mentally for feeling so threatened by her.
Knowing I wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep, I climbed out of bed and forced myself to take a shower.
* * *
School seemed better today, more tolerable. It had only been two days since the full moon, but already I’d noticed a difference in my senses as the moon slowly began to wane. I couldn’t wait until the new moon—the moment when I’d finally feel normal again. Until then, I’d just have to keep pretending.
“What’s been going on?” Rachel asked on our way to English class. “I seriously feel like we haven’t talked in forever.”
I shrugged and smiled. “Not a whole lot.”
“Okay,” she said, flashing me a skeptical look. “What are you doing after school today?”
“I think I work. Don’t you?”
“No, I worked yesterday just like you were supposed to. What happened to you, by the way?”
“I just wasn’t feeling all that great,” I said as we rounded the corner into Mrs. Graham’s classroom.
I noticed Gina was already sitting at her desk when we walked in. A wide smile came to her face when she saw us.
“It’s a Thursday night, maybe you’ll get out a little early and the three of us could hang. I think we’re long overdue for a girls’ night out,” Rachel said, slipping into her desk.
“Woo, a girls night sounds fun!” Gina chimed in.
Werewolf or not, a girls’ night sounded like exactly what I needed. There were only two problems with the timing: One, I had to work. And two, Shelby was in town, which meant I needed to spend as much time with Jace as possible.
“As much as I would love to, I think maybe next week would be better for me,” I said.
Rachel crinkled up her nose. “What, why?”
“Because Shelby’s in town, again.” I rolled my eyes. Rachel’s scoff of disgust was like music to my ears. It was nice to be able to have her understand even a small part of what I felt about something. Our shared disgust for Shelby made our strained friendship seem normal again somehow.
“Why is she back in town?”
“Wait, who is Shelby?” Gina wondered.
“Tessa’s boyfriend’s seriously sexy ex,” Rachel answered for me.
Gina’s face scrunched up in sympathy for me. “Oh, no.”
“Yeah, so this weekend might not be such a great idea. I might have to spend the entire weekend fighting to keep Shelby away from Jace.”
“That girl has got some serious issues!” Rachel insisted just as the final bell rang.
“You have no idea,” I said, opening my notebook to a clean page.
* * *
The rest of my morning flowed smoothly; it wasn’t until chemistry when everything turned for the worst, as usual. Sam was still his overly annoying self, but today he seemed amped up a little more. Also, Darcy Miller was shooting him death rays with her eyes. If I had to guess, I’d say they’d broken up over the weekend and it was not on her terms.
Sam still did the usual—wiggling to bang his desk against the back of mine, scraping the bottoms of his shoes against the metal bar beneath my desk, and flicking my hair occasionally with the tip of his pencil.
It was like he was on overdrive today. Not only was he pestering me, but he was flat-out ignoring Darcy, and blatantly flirting with Tiffany Watson, who sat at the desk beside me. The worst part was Tiffany was eating up every minute of his attention. I found it hard to believe that there was a time when I’d thought his way of flirting was cute. Now, he just seemed like an ass.
There was only two and a half more weeks left in the semester, and I was hoping either I wouldn’t have any more classes with Sam or else I wouldn�
�t be in school anymore period. That was another thing I’d have to talk to Jace about. How was I supposed to finish school as his Alpha Queen?
My future suddenly seemed so uncertain.
* * *
“No, Allison! You have to line them up like this or else you’ll get an air bubble and ketchup will go all over the place. Trust me; I’ve learned this one the hard way,” I said quickly, showing Allison how to refill a ketchup bottle without making a mess.
She shook her head. “Who knew there was a special way to refill a ketchup bottle!”
I glanced at the clock for the millionth time since my shift had began—6:57 p.m. Jace should have been here by now, and the simple fact that he wasn’t made me think all kinds of what ifs involving him and Shelby. As my mind filled with thunderous clouds of anger, the bell above the door rang and in sauntered Shelby with Jace trailing closely behind.
I watched as Shelby walked to the nearest table, putting way too much sway into her walk, and my blood began to boil. Taking in a deep breath, I attempted to collect myself at least a tiny bit before walking to their table. My eyes zeroed in on Shelby, taking in the seductive glint in her eyes, the straightness to her back that made her large chest poke out farther, and the sexy little smile her lips were twisted into as she talked.
By the time I made it to their table, I’d already decided that it was time for her to go home. If Jace didn’t say something to her tonight, then I would.
“Oh, look, it’s Tessa still looking as cute as ever in her little uniform.” Shelby sneered when I came to a stop in front of their table.
“Oh, look, it’s Shelby still going after things she can’t have,” I snapped back, refusing to filter any of the venom that dripped from my voice as I slapped her menu down in front of her.
My eyes flickered toward Jace. He sat with his arms crossed, rubbing his chin with a grin spread on his face. I couldn’t tell if he was grinning because of my comment or just because of the situation in general. The sight of it made my anger explode inside of me. Somehow, I’d have to get Jace alone so I could talk to him about sending Shelby home.
“Sweet tea and a Pepsi?” I asked.
“Yeah, and I’ll have the usual,” Jace said, his shit-eating grin still twisting up the corners of his lips.
“Pepsi and a chicken fingers platter with mashed potatoes,” Shelby demanded, holding her menu out for me to grab.
I jerked it from her fingers. “I’ll get your drinks.”
As I poured their drinks, Shelby’s fake tinkling laugh assaulted my ears and I cringed.
“Isn’t that your boyfriend over there?” Allison wondered.
“Yup, sure is,” I answered, ripping out their order and slapping it into the basket.
“Then what’s he doing here with that girl?”
I scooped up their drinks and maneuvered around Allison. “Oh, that’s just his ex and they’re only having dinner,” I said flatly.
Allison’s face fell as my words sunk in. She had every right to be shocked. In fact, seeing Allison’s reaction put the situation into perspective for me even more. It was one thing for Shelby and Jace to spend time together with a group, but it was something entirely different when it was just the two of them together, alone.
* * *
The remainder of my shift felt like torture. It was like watching Shelby and Jace on a date. By the time it was over I wanted nothing more than to smack Shelby upside the head and verbally assault her.
* * *
“Didn’t anyone else come with her?” I asked Jace while we stood in the parking lot. Shelby had gone to the bathroom, no doubt to freshen up before the ride to Jace’s house. It would probably be our only moment alone for the entire night and here I was talking about Shelby.
“Nope, just Shelby this time. She decided to come by herself,” Jace answered, pulling me closer.
I bit the inside of my cheek and glared at him. “Why?”
“I’m not sure.” He sighed and placed his hands on my hips. “She said she needed to get away for a little while. There’s a lot you don’t understand; you don’t know what it’s like back home for her right now. Please don’t be angry. ”
Was he serious? How could I not be angry that my boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend had decided to shack up at his place and he seemed to be fine with it?
I looked past Jace at the double-door entrance to the diner, waiting for she-devil to walk out. “I’m not angry; I’m actually kind of pissed. How can you honestly think that it’s okay for her to stay with you?”
“Look, she’s really going through a lot. And since she’s here I thought maybe the two of you could try to connect a little, become friends?” Jace let go of me and took a step back.
“I can’t believe you right now. Shelby’s going through a lot, so I should become her friend? Is that what you’re saying?” I scoffed.
Jace put his hands in his front pockets and shrugged. “I know you’re angry, but don’t be. It’s not like I asked her to come, Tessa.”
“No, his parents did,” Shelby cut in. I’d gotten so heated during Jace’s and my little argument that I hadn’t even heard her walk up.
“Wait, what?” Jace asked, obviously just as confused as I was. “Why would they send you back again after everything?”
“Oh, you know why.” Shelby smirked.
“I already told them I’ve made my decision. Sending you here, I’m sorry, is not going to change my mind,” Jace said, his face softened by sympathy.
“So what, you’re just going to embarrass us all? That’s why your mom sent me here for a second time… to hopefully change your mind before you brought this piece of half-blood trash home,” Shelby said, her body visibly growing tense. “You’re being selfish by not thinking of how your little decision affects the rest of us!”
“Mom, of course. I should have known she’d be the one to put you up to this even after everything I said.” Jace shook his head. “I tried, Shelby, but it just didn’t feel right between us. I don’t know what else to say other than you can’t pick who you love and who you don’t.”
“Right, don’t you think I know that? I’ve tried not to love you—I’ve even tried to hate you because of what you’re doing to me—but I can’t,” Shelby said, folding her arms across her chest, her eyes glistening with tears. “But haven’t you even given any thought as to what it’s like to be me right now? You were supposed to be mine, you were my betrothed, and then you fell in love with this.” She gestured to me as though I were the most disgusting creature she’d ever seen.
I had remained silent and unmoving, allowing my anger to dissipate as they talked the situation out between themselves, until I’d heard the word betrothed come from Shelby’s lips. Nausea churned in my stomach as suddenly everything clicked together. This was why Jace’s parents hated me without ever meeting me—I was going to embarrass the entire family when Jace brought me home. Now, I could also see why Shelby hated me. She’d had everything, or at least she’d had it within her grasp, until I stepped into the picture.
Jace looked at me then. I could see the panic flair in his eyes as he judged my reaction to Shelby’s words.
“I guess I’ll just have to take my place the hard way then,” Shelby said through gritted teeth as she wiped away a falling tear. She spun to look at me, her electric-blue eyes piercing my soul. “Remember when I told you that Jace would only bite you once, but that I’d tear your ass up? Well… I meant it.”
My heart thudded forcefully in my chest while I stood there speechless. Words swam through my mind, but none of them sank to my lips. Shelby let out a frustrated breath and stalked toward her Mustang. She revved the engine to life and spun gravel as she sped away.
Jace stepped in front of me and laced his fingers through mine. “I’m sorry about all that. You okay?”
“Betrothed?” I choked out, the only word my mind and mouth could agree on.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Yes, betrothed,” Jace whispered, his
thumbs making small circles across the tops of my hands. “I wanted to explain me and Shelby’s situation, but it just never seemed like the right time.”
I stared past him, unable to wrap my mind around this newly gained knowledge. “You’re engaged… to Shelby?”
“Was,” Jace corrected. “The last time I went back I told my family and hers who I’d chosen—you, Tessa, and that I was renouncing the betrothal.”
The ground beneath my feet spun as the weight of the entire situation suddenly pressed against me. “What does this mean for me? There’s no way anyone in your pack will accept me. How am I supposed to stand by your side in Shelby’s place when I know that everyone will be thinking exactly what Shelby said—that you’ve brought home a piece of half-blood trash,” I muttered frantically as I blinked away tears.
Jace pulled me into his arms and sighed loudly. “They will accept you; you just have to earn it.”
“I can’t believe this. I feel like I can’t catch a freaking break lately!” I shook my head and pulled in a deep breath. Cutting my eyes to the black, star-speckled sky, I untangled myself from Jace. “And how will I do that? How do I earn their acceptance?”
“We’ll discuss that when the time comes,” Jace said, his amber-colored eyes becoming vacant and far away.
I folded my arms across my chest and narrowed my eyes. “Why do you always do that? Why do you always insist on acting like I’m some fragile child who’s going to break once they learn the truth?”
“I’m not. I just don’t think right now is the time to worry about this.”
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